KHOI VINH- ON THE GRID

Thinking about grids lately. Using a lot of grids lately. Feeling like grids are the worst thing ever before they become the best thing ever. I recently watched an interview with Khoi Vinh who was the Design director at newyorktimes.com from 2006-2010. One specific thing he said has stuck in my mind and wanted to share:

He spoke about his attraction to design because of its' objectivity. Using a grid, he said "imposes order" and is a framework to follow and adhere to. He said that to design gives you the chance to remove all subjectivity. By doing that, he said "you can arrive at some essential truth, some core idea that is not clouded by inaccuracies or subjective feelings. It may be impossible to get there", he said, "but getting to that core idea is a worthwhile pursuit."

This is so well put. When we design something using a framework or a grid, we anchor our decisions to the corners and the edges of this grid. We have a reason behind every placement and spacing. These reasons are based on a set of objective rules. We see these corners and eges, and we no longer "feel" the right placement, we know it, we see it. I like how he said Design "gives you the chance" to remove all subjectivity. While it may be impossible to get there completely, arriving at these core ideas and truths has definitely been worth pursuing.

Khoi Vinh - on the grid from The Color Machine on Vimeo.