Grids and Divine Proportions 2

Canons and Grids

Van De Graaf Canon

-                Gridded page

-                Structured elements so it can be organized

-                Divides page up into pleasing proportions

-                “Secret canon”

-                Works for any page height:width ratio

Leading

-                Width of column

-                More than design or format

-                Legibility

-                Printed text is read by the eye of a distance of 30-35cm

-                Empirical rule: 7 words per line for text of any length/size

-                To keep the area light and open LEADING must be considered

-                Overshort and overlong lines tire the eye

-                Overlong lines are strenuous to read

The key is the ease of reading

Text must not impair the rhythm of reading

This cannot apply to titles and subtitles

Margin Proportions

-                Influence of overall feel of page

-                Too small – looks over full

-                Too large – exaggeration

-                Well balanced – agreeable impression

Bad Proportion

1x1x1x3

Side margins are the same

-                Indecision and dullness

Well Proportioned

4x3x3x7

Right hand page due to larger left margin

More applicable to literature

Luxurious and increase print costs

The Type Area

-                1 and 2 grid margins

Is it all to do with perception? -> Subjective