Grid Systems in UI – How to Use Them Effectively

The Grid systems can provide a well-structured framework to keep all the website content organized and maintain consistency across different devices and screen sizes. More than that, using a grid pattern, users will find the website navigation easier because this system is specially created to guide users throughout the interaction. 

Usually, users find the grid system more intuitive because it improves the readability of the website and allows them to access different web pages in a short time. 

A grid system represents a framework that is able to separate the webpage into multiple columns and rows in order to create a consistent structure for different elements and texts. Used now for organizing the layout in designs, this grid system was initially used for printing books, magazines, or even posters. 

Now all UI/UX designers use the grid pattern in designs for web pages, apps, or different digital interfaces because they significantly improve the user experience, providing better readability or an enhanced responsive design.

Probably one of the most important aspects when designing a webpage is usability. When navigating, if users are not able to find quickly what they are looking for, there is a high chance that they will leave your website. So, implementing a grid template in your design will make the entire navigation experience more instinctive. The grid system can transform your website into a well-organized one with elements that line up perfectly to create a visually appealing webpage. 

Even more so, the grief pattern helps the design process because instead of starting from scratch with a new webpage, the UI/UX designer will already have a base that can be enhanced with different elements and text boxes.

• Baseline Grid: This grid pattern represents a baseline of horizontal lines that are equally spaced and determines where the text boxes should be placed in the design. Baseline grids are usually combined with column grids because designers have increased control over the column and text placement. 

• Column Grid: the most common grid system used in designs, the column grid separates the webpage with vertical lines to organize the content into sections. Each of the webpage sections should have a consistent width and should allow all the elements to align perfectly. Usually, the sections in a webpage can vary from two to 16-column columns and should have dividers that ensure plenty of white space in order to make the design feel easier to read and understand. 

• Manuscript Grid: This is usually seen in webpages that are focused on blog content or newspaper website articles. The Manuscript Grid represents one large column that includes a large amount of text, but without feeling overwhelming. This type of grid template also offers the ability to have a lot of white space on the website, which can balance the amount of content and make it feel less cluttered. 

• Hierarchy Grid: Here, the website content can be arranged according to its importance into a hierarchy. This type of grid divides the page into columns and rows, but it emphasizes certain elements compared with the less important ones. You will see hierarchical grids in news websites or blogs that include a lot of text and content. 
• ‍Modular Grid: a pattern that combines all of the grid systems mentioned above, and is created from squares or rectangular blocks of content, the modular grid offers the freedom to arrange the elements according to their importance in order to make a good first impression for users and have a responsive design.

Even if they seem easy to integrate into any website design, sometimes, when used for the wrong purpose, these grid patterns can minimize the impact of the website instead of improving it. Here are some practices and tips that you should follow when implementing grid templates in your next project.

Use Responsive Design Grids

Responsiveness should be the priority when creating a new website design because the webpage must work across all screen sizes and devices. So, implementing responsive design grids is more of a necessity if you want to attract more users and potential customers.

Compared with the traditional static grids, these responsive grid templates have the ability to arrange the elements and the overall content according to the screen size and maintain a smooth user experience.  

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Ensure Enough White Space Between Sections 

Negative space or white space, must be the focus when implementing grid patterns in websites. The white space is able to make sure that the website is easy to navigate and that users find it easier to read and understand. 

Even more so, when used correctly, the white space can enhance some elements and make them stand out more in order to become the first element that users see when opening the landing page.

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Decide What Grid Template To Use 

Before diving into the creative part of the project, it is important to decide what types of grid pattern to use according to the type of website. For example, if you want to create a blog website, the column grid template is the perfect choice. On the other side, for more complex projects such as e-commerce, you can choose a modular website layout because it offers more flexibility across different devices. 

Keep in mind that in order to create a complex design that is at the same time visually appealing and easy to navigate, you must integrate a grid template that fits the website type. Make sure that each element is well-organized and integrated into the design without making it overwhelming. 

We at uinkits understand the importance of great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.

“You press the button, we do the rest.” – Kodak.

Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.

Our design system includes UI components, icons, variables, cards, buttons and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!