Ordering Disorder:
Grid Principles for Web Design

• Posted: April 14th, 2011
• Author: Khoi Vinh
• Categories: Books, Subtraction, and Ordering Disorder

I’ve been in the Bay Area all week for work, and I’ve been meaning to post this news since Monday when I finally made my deadline: my forthcoming book “Ordering Disorder: Grid Principles for Web Design” is now officially complete and in the hands of my publisher, New Riders. According to the listing over at Amazon, it’ll ship in early December, so you can pre-order your copy today and have it in time for the holidays. At some booksellers the current pre-order price is over a third off of the cover price, plus if you buy it through any of these links, its humble author gets a little kickback: Amazon (US), Barnes & Noble or Borders.com.

The Story

“Ordering Disorder” is an overview of all of my thoughts on using the typographic grid in the practice of Web design. The first part of the book covers the theories behind grid design, the historical underpinnings of the grid, how they’re relevant (and occasionally irrelevant) to the work of Web designers — and a bit of my personal experience coming to grips with grids as a tool.

The second part of the book, which makes up its bulk, walks readers through the design of a full Web site from scratch, over the course of four projects. These are brand-new projects and much more diverse than the examples some of you may remember from my “Grids Are Good” talk from several years ago. All of the projects are presented in step-by-step, in-depth detail. There are something like ninety illustrations, and they’re presented in a beautiful two-color design that, through the graciousness of New Riders, I was able to art direct myself, which is apparently rare. Frankly, a lot of books about Web design are a little less than beautiful, but thanks to the help of a few of my friends from the print design world, I’m really proud to say that “Ordering Disorder” looks really damn good.

This is my first book and even though I’m incredibly excited to see it published, I’m also exhausted from the act of writing it. I fully intend to talk a lot more about my experiences putting it together in the coming weeks, but for now I’m going to take a little breather and coast for a few days on this euphoric personal milestone — holy shit, I wrote a book!

Grids Redux at SXSWi 2011

• Posted: August 10th, 2010
• Author: Khoi Vinh
• Categories: Design, Web Design, and Subtraction

The Panel Picker for 2011’s South by Southwest Interactive Festival has been live for a few weeks now, soliciting feedback from the general public regarding the many, many fascinating sessions proposed for next year’s big digital meetup in Austin, TX. I’ve been remiss in not pointing out earlier that among the proposals is “Ordering Disorder: Grid Design for the New World,” a solo panel by yours truly.

This will be a kind of sequel to some of the grid talks I’ve done in the past, particularly one from several years ago at SXSWi 2007 when the estimable Mark Boulton and I presented a twenty minute overview of the subject. This time out, if selected, I’ll have a bit more time and opportunity to advance the conversation by several years, and bring forward some of the material I’ve been quietly packing into a book I’ve been writing on this very subject. Here’s the blurb:

“Everyone’s using grids, and grid tools and frameworks are everywhere. But do you truly understand the ins and outs of this powerful design principle, and how it’s changing along with new media and platforms? Chances are most digital designers have only a cursory knowledge of the grid’s concepts and best practices, overlooking the tremendous value that truly smart grid usage brings. In this expansive sequel to his famous 2007 SXSWi talk ‘Grids Are Good,’ designer and grid expert Khoi Vinh will give a bracing tour of the many ideas packed into his forthcoming book ‘Ordering Disorder: Grid Principles for Web Design.’ This solo talk will span the history of grids, take a brass-tacks tour of best practices, and look ahead at some of the most enlightening and innovative thinking that's shaping grid thinking in the future.”

If you’re going to SXSWi, or even if you’re just interested in this subject, I would greatly appreciate your support! Head over to the panel picker and vote today.