Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts

164 Best Practices for Graphic Designers: Grids and Page Layouts

When Theo Rosendorf of Matador set out to create the

Typographic Desk Reference, the knowledge of what

the end result would need to be was at the forefront of

his mind. Because he was creating something that would

be a reference volume for other designers, significant

planning was required up front. Beginning with the

utility of the end goal, the mechanics of how it would

need to function, and the possible visual directions

available given these objectives, Matador developed a

grid that would be highly accessible and serve to

showcase the typographic ideas that it would use

and explain.

MATADOR

L AYO U T W I T H A

TYPOGRAPHIC FOCUS

CASE

STUDY

“IT’S A BOOK MADE OF THE

STUFF IT’S ABOUT, WRITTEN AND

DESIGNED BY A TYPE NERD,

AND PUBLISHED BY A PUBLISHER

WHO’S IN THE BUSINESS OF

PUBLISHING BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS

AND BOOKMAKING.”

—Theo Rosendorf, Matador

Matador: Layout With a Typographic Focus 165

After determining the sheet size,

Rosendorf did extensive exploration

before landing on a slightly modified

version of the Van de Graaf canon

defining the text area. The grid—

with ten columns with 12pt gutters

and a thirty-eight-line baseline

grid—was set up to maximize leg-

ibility of the 10/13.35 Caslon body

copy and an area for illustrations and

diagrams that would not compromise

the carefully considered line length

of the primary text area.

FIRM Matador

DESIGNER Theo Rosendorf

CLIENTS Matador,

Oak Knoll Press

166 Best Practices for Graphic Designers: Grids and Page Layouts

“EVERYTHING HAS TO BE

VALIDATED. IF SOMETHING

CAN’T BE EXPLAINED, IT

GETS THE BOOT. THIS MAY BE

THE ONLY UNBREAKABLE

RULE IN MY OFFICE.”

—Theo Rosendorf, Matador

It is common that the content of the piece should inform

the layout, but in this instance detail was key. Section

tabs needed to align perfectly from page to page, posing

some production challenges; diagrams, copy, and

examples needed to be seamlessly integrated, and

the audience that the piece was intended for could be

expected to scrutinize the details of space, line length,

word breaks, and alignments. However, a systematic

approach with lots of effort up front, driven by a rigorous,

pragmatic process, helped to ensure an end result as

beautiful as it is useful.

A grid system was designed around

the type that it would be support-

ing to allow for text of a variety of

sizes and styles to be set as examples.

It also needed to accommodate

diagrams or to communicate the

thoughts of the writer in a way that

feels natural and comfortable, with

sizes and positions of everything

linked by the underlying structure.

FIRM Matador

DESIGNER Theo Rosendorf

CLIENTS Matador,

Oak Knoll Press

Matador: Layout With a Typographic Focus 167