(Snap to) Baseline Grid
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- 5timuli
Have I been wrong all this time in thinking this was a bad thing? I was always taught to avoid using it, at least during the Quark era, but reading some cack online and it seems like some think it's worthwhile.
I'm doing a series of templates (product slicks, training materials, white papers) that the client will populate with copy, and was wondering whether it'd be a good idea to set it up this way.
I always set up my leading and space before/after to be divisible by each other, but is that enough?
Have I turned into a Typotard? Or have I contracted Typodementia? What's the accepted usage these days?
- ismith0
I try to set up and use the baseline grid all the time, but I wouldn't have a clue as to whether or not you're "supposed to."
- Amicus0
the automatic snap to baseline grid can be annoying. I often use only a third or half of the body text leading as space before (in lieu of tabs), and that stuffs it up.
I just make sure the first line is lined up and everything works out in the end. Of course, for editorial work it is more important for the final baselines on a sheet to line up than it is for brochures etc.
- 5timuli0
For the training materials I have two asymmetric columns, with content in the right column relating to content in the left (i.e. bulleted instructions left, screenshot and caption right). The way the document is set up at the moment (two different text areas) it is up to the client to make sure these match up. Which you and I both know they won't.
- But I'm not sure I want to dick around with baseline grids either. Whatever happens the client will kill it.5timuli
- Amicus0
Clients kill 97.6% of all design jobs. Now, if we killed 97.6% of all clients we would be broke, but extremely happy.
- Amicus0
Align to Grid > First Line Only
- scarabin0
"leading and space before/after to be divisible by each other"
what is this rule?
- Fanco0
i use align to baseline grid almost all the time. but i customize the shit out of it. it makes for large magazines/books/whatever a hundred times better.
- 5timuli0
Cool, sounds like I shouldn't really bother for these templates as they're going to break all the rules anyway, and they only run to about 10 pages max.
I'm a sucker for precision though, I'd love to use it all the time. I'm the sort of person who increments everything in 1/32" (or 0.1mm when I was in the UK). I do nothing by eye, unless there's a good reason. Perfectionist or obsessive compulsive, call it what you will.
- Same here. I'd recommend using it in the future, it satisfies my obsessive-compulsive... (to an extent).ismith
- fresnobob0
I did magazine stuff for a while and definitely used a baseline grid every time. It makes everything just slightly cleaner and more purposeful. Plus if your baseline grid/leading doesn't align to your layout grid your shit will be fucked anyways, so why not use it all the time?
- Amicus0
Obsessive Compulsive would do everything by the numbers and then double check each line actually aligns at about 2000% :)