Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
This hands-on introduction to the 960 grid system was prepared by Mario Hernandez in an effort to educate fellow designers and developers of the Federal Court system in the use of grids and frameworks. August 2011
Citation preview
960 Grid SystemA hands-on introduction
By Mario Hernandez - District Court - California Central
Collaborative Applications Development Forum - August 2011
Sunday, August 28, 11
What is a grid system?A series of columns working as guides to streamline web development workflow by providing commonly used dimensions, based on a fixed width of 960 pixels.
Source: Wikipedia
Sunday, August 28, 11
Not exclusive to web design
Sunday, August 28, 11
Grid Systems on Graphic Design
Sunday, August 28, 11
Source: Grid (page layout), wikipedia
Sunday, August 28, 11
Painting by Piet Mondriaan (later Mondrian)Sunday, August 28, 11
Grid systems on the web
• Grid systems on the web usually take the form of a CSS framework
• A framework is a “reuseable abstraction of code wrapped in a well-defined API” *
• A collection of tools and shortcuts designed to minimize code and make your life easier
* Source: Software framework, Wikipedia
Sunday, August 28, 11
Examples of Frameworks
Sunday, August 28, 11
CSS Frameworks
• Apply the principles of software frameworks to web design
• They provide standardized rules and shortcuts for:
• Browser resets (http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/css/reset/)
• Typography
• Navigation
• Print styleSunday, August 28, 11
Why use a grid system?
• Saves time
• Saves money
• Reduces frustration
Sunday, August 28, 11
Adopting a grid system can accelerate design while maintaining orderPhoto by dysturb, Grid. Flickr
Sunday, August 28, 11
How do grid systems work?
Example based on 960.gs (12 columns)
• Grid systems are built using columns
• Columns are grid system’s smallest unit of measurement
• The two most popular version of a grid system are 12 and 16 columns
Sunday, August 28, 11
Column width
• Page regions (header, sidebar, content, etc.,) are defined by column width
• As in: “The header is eight columns wide”
Example based on 960.gs (12 columns)
Sunday, August 28, 11
Gutters (margins)
• Margins are used to create gutters between columns
• These margins provide gutters between page regions
Example based on 960.gs (12 columns)
Sunday, August 28, 11
Floating <div> elements• The wrapping <div>
elements are assigned a column width using a CSS class
• Because these classes also float the elements, they simply fall into place on the page class: grid_6 class: grid_6
class: grid_4
class: grid_4class: grid_4
class: grid_12
class: grid_8
Sunday, August 28, 11
Example of floating elements
.box1
.box2
.box3
Sunday, August 28, 11
Example of floating elements
.box1 .box2
.box3
Sunday, August 28, 11
Example of floating elements
.box1 .box2 .box3
Sunday, August 28, 11
Example of floating elements
.box1, .box2, .box3 {display:block; float:left; margin: 0 10px;}
.box1 .box2 .box3
Sunday, August 28, 11
What is 960.gs?
• 960.gs — also known as the 960 Grid System — was created by Nathan Smith in order to “streamline web development workflow”
• It’s both a prototyping and development framework
Source: 960.gs
Sunday, August 28, 11
What’s in it?
Source: 960.gs
• You can download it from http://960.gs
• GPL and MIT licensed
• The 960.gs download includes:
• Printable sketch sheets for doodling
• Design templates for all most applications: Photoshop, Illustrator, Inkscape, OmniGraffle, etc.
Sunday, August 28, 11
12 column version
Source: 960.gs
Sunday, August 28, 11
• grid_x (where X indicates the number of columns an element is given)
• alpha & omega: Fix floats on nested regions
• prefix & suffix: Allow empty spaces before or after a region
• pull & push: Rearrange regions independently of the order they appear on the markup
Grid system CSS classes
Source: 960.gs
grid_4push_6
grid_4pull_6
Sunday, August 28, 11
• grid_x (where X indicates the number of columns an element is given)
• alpha & omega: Fix floats on nested regions
• prefix & suffix: Allow empty spaces before or after a region
• pull & push: Rearrange regions independently of the order they appear on the markup
Grid system CSS classes
Source: 960.gs
grid_4push_6grid_4pull_6
Sunday, August 28, 11
• grid_x (where X indicates the number of columns an element is given)
• alpha & omega: Fix floats on nested regions
• prefix & suffix: Allow empty spaces before or after a region
• pull & push: Rearrange regions independently of the order they appear on the markup
Grid system CSS classes
Source: 960.gs
grid_4push_6
grid_4pull_6
Sunday, August 28, 11
Let’s see it in actionThe rest of the presentation is a hands-on demo of the grid system.
Sunday, August 28, 11
Sunday, August 28, 11
When not to use a grid system
• Implementing a grid will probably be impossible if your site’s layout...
• uses irregular column sizes
• has irregular margins or gutters
• has a width that isn’t divisible by a sane number
Sunday, August 28, 11
Acknowledgements• Nathan Smith: Creator of the 960 grid system. Without his influence
and vision this presentation would not be possible. Learn more about the grid system at http://960.gs
• Todd Nienkerk: Co-founder, designer four kitchens (twitter: @toddross). I saw his 960 grid system presentation at the 2011 LA DrupalCamp conference and he blew me away. He kindly allowed me to use some of his material for this presentation. You can catch his presentations at http://fourkitchens.com/presentations.
• Jonathan D’andries: Developer for District Court, WIWD. His hard work on promoting standards and best practices for design and development within the Court’s system is influential. I personally thank him for the opportunities he has given me.
This presentation was created by Mario Hernandez in an effort to educate fellow designers and developers of the Federal Courts System in the use grids and frameworks. August 2011.
Sunday, August 28, 11
