I like grid-based design. But it spurs these little left brain / right brain arguments in my head. Like, is art a necessary part of web design? Or, should good design make you think? And, are complex visual relationships more compelling than clear visual balance? The left brain says no. Order is easier to consume.
In most cases, I’m okay with this. It still bothers me, though, to see design become predictable. Good and bad work alike seems increasingly glued to a strict 12-column, 960px grid.
It reminds me of print.
Newspapers, books, catalogs, comics, and even magazines are predictable. So much so, that readability is no longer the driving force behind each design, it’s the expectation itself.
That expectation is absent from much of the web. Designers are free to experiment with new techniques and formats. New visual relationships and balance. New art.
So, as much as I appreciate all the CSS (grid) frameworks and best practices championed around the playground, I like to think a well-planned design doesn’t have to conform to an expectation. The new doesn’t have to follow the old.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the grid. I’m just advocating a little thing called moderation. Let’s keep it sexy.