Mine is indefensible.

BTW, when you guys say "grid", do you maybe mean "a set of alignment lines" instead? Because I avoid the former, but do value the latter. The difference is that -to me- a grid is a network of equally spaced lines in both dimensions (although not necessarily square) that things are made to fit inside, while the other is a set of flexible (in position and number) lines that things are made to line up on (like Ren

My design teacher called that "contour continuation" when items aligned, but not to a noticable grid.

Now I'll have to dig up my business card files and see what I've done with the last few.

nice attitude - But why ".....using no grid..."?

it's not important what is the size of the artwork/design = 2 by 5, 6 by 9, 24 by 54.

rule #1 is to know the rule.

there MUST be one spot or area to which the other parts are subordinate and to which the EYE is immediatley attracted. this , the starting-point for viewing, must be SIMPLE and uncluttered and have the essential ingredient of leading the eye on further into the design.

so - call it grid, 2 lines, 30 lines, composition....etc., etc., - rule is a rule. you need to use it - but be creative, not MECHANICAL.



David Hamuel

Very true, David.
But does one need for that to make a 'grid', as a horizontal and/or vertical setup where to put what?
I agree with the fact that you have to lead the eye to the key-point (with a businesscard that is mostly the name or the logo) in the design. From there on you have then to access the rest of the information. I call this hierarchy. That is in every design important. Otherwise all the elements try to be the Nr. 1.

Who works than with a real 'Grid' to design businesscards? I'm interested to see how that then works. I agree with Hrant that you have to have optical allignments. Is that then the grid???

Ren

At least I could not find a squared or triangular
(60

My old boss used to say: "The grid is a system, not a prison".

I guees this is a manifestation of my particular problem with creativity.

Here goes.

This the new ID system for my freelance business. Designed to a grid? As Keith suggested, the internal design grid. This was designed knowing that I was moving in the near future. Name and address info are two rubber stamps. That way, all I need to do is get new stamps once the move is complete. Also, I don't go through a ton of letterhead, so I make them one at a time with the stamps on whatever paper I want. Envelopes printed one color then stamped with the correct address. So crafty.

Randy

Oh, I like that stamp idea!!!!

Here's mine.



As you can see it's based on a Linegrid of 7/9.5 pt, which you'll find on all my stationery. We have 3 rows underneath the adress and 8 above, which correspodents to the Fibonacci-Series.

The whole thing is steel engraved in two colors (a glossy red and a matt grey) on 300g R

Randy:

Beautiful identity!

HD:

Wonderfully subtle and elegant business card! (However, I can't help pointing out the irony in the fact that your web site is hardly subtle in how it maximizes itself across my two browsers with a chromeless browser window. Ugh. ;) )

Darrel, our HP is a pain in the arse, we simply have so much to do tht we still have an old trailer, not even a complete site, online. We have a new Site designed, which is just neat, all white and clean and simple... but nothing ready for the foreseeable future... sadly. The chromeless will stay, however, as a) I completely hate the Browser buttons and b) it gives us more control over what the user sees... at least with some browsers. I love chromeless.
Here's another site we did (you need DSL or a very high-bandwith ISP with this, for we're still working on the Low-Bandwith-Site), which is chromeless as well.

http://www.ruetgers-stiftung.de

It would be neater, if the browser would allow a painless closing of the original window or alternatively just chromeless within the same windows, but alas... not so far.

>>I completely hate the Browser buttons

Is this website for you, or for the company's customers?
Most users quite like browser buttons because they provide useful functionality (for example, if I could access the browser buttons I would be able to close the browser window in which your website has just crashed)

HD:

As steve pointed out, just think twice about the maximized chormeless thing. Your cards/identity are so nicely understated and elegant...it'd be a shame to implement poor design decisions into the web site.

At the very least, give your site visitors the option.

Also note that I use two monitors, so anyone that decides maximizing *my* browser ends up having their site sitting in between the seem of my displays. Which looks ridiculous.

(I normally wouldn't make as big of a deal out of this as I just deal with the fact that so many design firms think maxed/chromeless windows are a good thing...it's just that your business cards are so nice!)

Do you insist your users clear of their desk to view your business card? ;o)

I'm using Safari with "Block Pop-Up Windows," so your site just sits there as a black page.

I do really like your identity, as I do the others I've seen. I've got a lot of work to do, it seems.