InDesign - Working with Modular Baseline Grids

[@jon_adair]

Really enjoyed watching you creating the layouts at the end. Makes me feel like I’m wading through treacle because you’re so fast!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Jon!

[@knast7093]

Hi Stephen, I really love these guides to grids that you've made and I love how you set-up premade templates to download aswell. Just wanna let you know that I'm very interested in these tutorial you do. If you ever decide to put up an extended course for purchase id be super hyped! Or perhaps more videos regarding this super sleek Swiss design aesthetic. Anyways.. Love your work! Keep it up!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks knast, appreciated.

[@steveix517]

@@stephenkelman_ I too am very interested in a paid intensive course 🙌

[@normanhathaway2275]

Stephen I think this is wonderful. A real scarcity of this type of instructional teaching for typography on the web. I have two small tips for you: instead of switching to use the calculator, you can do your figuring within the indesign cell. so when dividing in half, after the existing measurement, type /2 and return. the other is instead of clicking within a cell to type a number, simply single-click on the letter or symbol to the left of the cell, as that will highlight the existing numbers.

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Norman, thank you for your comments - very much appreciated. And your tips are handy, I'll aim to add to workflow (calculator is a bit of a force of habit…).

[@junaedy2992]

reading theory is a bit of a pain for beginners like me, but this tutorial is very practical with easy to understand explanations that makes it even more fun. Thank you very much

[@meelon773877]

Thanks for the clear and concise tutorial. I'd love to see a tutorial on how to use baseline grids in copy heavy editorial design, with headers and sub headers.. can't seem to find anything about that!

[@JohnyByrne]

This is comprehensive and shows the craft of design and layout. Thanks so much for sharing your practice. I have been creating layouts for many years from Quark to InDesign and I learned more here in this video than I did in the classroom or studio. Those precision grids are awesome!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks ia, appreciated

[@OhSoBrrdy]

So helpful, I've never really understood baseline grids till this video. Thanks

[@leonvogler8577]

Wow, the most insightful video on grids and typography I watched in a very long time! Thanks

[@711TRL]

It's awesome, I've reading Grid Sytem's Josef Muller-Brockmann book lately. I was just looking for this, appreciate it a lot, because there is an amount of info that I couldn't translate from theory to practice due to my InDesign knowledge. It would be so helpful if you upload a tutorial about paragraph styles and how to match them just as the Grid System book explains. Thanks a lot!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks 7 - I'll have a look at adding the tutorial you describe

[@faiqshad]

Hi Stephen, I’m an absolute rookie to Design and grid systems but your tutorial was the most insightful and clear explanation. Thank you for sharing this knowledge and hoping to apply it to my projects, Thanks again!😊

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Faiq - much appreciated

[@ryanbelmontryan]

This was a great, timeless tutorial. Thanks for posting.

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Ryan, appreciate that

[@SubtleSidekick]

great video..i love typography & layout design. Please upload more 🙏

[@taratantara]

Immediately bought your template, saved me the hustle and will definitely be used time and time again.Thanks!

[@hamzaGM-zs8vp]

This is so helpful, so hard to find this kind of information anywhere else... please more of this!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Hamza

[@sammerrigan8700]

An extremely valuable video. I have always had a basic grasp of layout design and this has helped immensely!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Sam, glad you've found it useful

[@flytetime7637]

I’ve been designing for years but this was very useful, clear and concise. I look forward to seeing more content.

[@daneocampo1120]

Thank you so much for this. I finally understand in full confidence how to setup and utilize a baseline grid. The math always confused me but this has made it really easy! Cheers!

[@SaltLake180]

Thank you so much.I was always scared of this.

[@olas591]

Thank you Stephen, more like this please

[@ryanluca7763]

Thanks for the tutorial man, just what i was needing. Also, you could do a tutorial in text and paragraph styles, I find it very confusing and would appreciate your explanation on it. Thanks again 🙏

[@kreative_kam]

This is dope! Great insight into modular baseline grids and will definitely apply what I've learnt from watching your video. Many thanks

[@pdoukas6711]

Stephen Great video explaining some staff! I really don't understand the reason you use font size on weird numbers like 9.9pt. Thanks a lot!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks P. I'm working in percentages here - so our font size is 90% of our leading (across the whole project). It's a way of reducing the number of arbitrary decision (or "eyeballing") on jobs.

[@klukluska]

Thank you so much for your work. I finally solve some issues i was dealing with!

[@cyanotypes]

super helpful! You make creating something beautiful look effortless.

[@TheFuse25]

Thanks for this wonderful and informative tutorial

[@mikilowe5549]

Amazing tutorial - thank you so much

[@miaot5130]

Best KZbinr ever, certified by me..;)

[@paulturner4545]

Great tutorial! I followed this tutorial to the letter (11pt leading) and my 6 guides do not align to my baseline grid and I have checked all the settings.

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Paul… if you measure the distance between the top and bottom margins this should be a multiple of 11 pt - is this what you have?

[@JuanGarcia-xf2ri]

Thanks for this. I'd love to see a tutorial on how to work with modular baseline grids when the margins are not equal. I've been checking and trying to replicate the grids from the grid systems book, but my baseline grid does not match.

[@blackbird163]

Thank you for this!

[@TolgaOzisik]

Amazing work! This is gem!

[@stephenkelman_]

Thanks Tolga

[@tiger1701]

Awesome thanks for the tips

[@paulamongelos5117]

tHANKs!

[@tatsuishikawa6900]

Why is the vertical gutter 16.5pt? I know it's coming from 11pt x 1.5, but I don't understand its rationale. How did you decide to use x1.5 of 11pt (leading) there? This is a really great tutorial. Thank you!

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Tats… I tend to use multiples of the baseline for all measurements where possible. Preference is to avoid arbitrary figures

[@onedayornever]

Thanks mate

[@knast7093]

Hi Stephen, Once again: Thank you so much for sharing your skills and knowledge! I've run through your tutorial and i've managed to create an A4 modular grid using 10pt leading and a 3 x 3 grid that fits the baseline. But I'm having a bit of issues with matching my rows and collums grid in such a way that the the baseline gutter match my baseline grid. It's hard to explain, but I hope you know what I mean. I'm just tring to create another layout in A4 using a leading of 12 pt and trying to get more rows and collums into my grid setup but having everything still line up perfectly like you 😅 Sorry for the long text. Hope anyone has some insight, as I'm struggling a bit with matching the gutters of my grid to the baseline. All the best.

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Knast - is the distance between your top and bottom margins a multiple of your baseline?

[@knast7093]

​@@stephenkelman_ Thanks for your reply. Just tried again and I think it's because I picked 10pt as my baseline and 20pt for my margins - and as you said that's harder to get to work. Following your guide I've made it 20,945 pt margins for making it fit the baseline. Which make my height from top to bottom margin: 800 pt. I can get rows of 5 and 3 to line up with the baseline and also I think 9 with a gutter of 10. So perhaps it's just a strange kind of modular grid? 🔍😅Anyways! I'm learning so much from your tutorials mate 🙏

[@duckhorse2563]

Thank you

[@Puleczech]

Nice and neat!

[@fernandolobina6459]

if the destination isn't for print do similar rules apply? im currently working on a 16:9 design portfolio that does not have facing pages

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Fernando… yes, a modular grid system could still be appropriate depending on your content. stephenkelman.co.uk/digital-presentation-grid-system-for-indesign

[@vyomb123]

Hi Stephan, I was just confused about how to decide the number of rows and then make them align to the baseline grid

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi, make sure the space between your top and bottom margins are multiples of your baseline…

[@gianlucapapa9869]

Hi Stephen, I probably missed a point...at 11:11 you talk about vertical and horizontal gutters but seconds later you show only verticals but not horizontals. If I try to set 6 rows with 22pt gutters each none of them are going to align to the baseline grid :(

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Gianluca - yes, this grid is setup with no horizontal gutters. You'd need to change your leading to make the grids align

[@andrewshannon]

Thanks for the great tutorial! Quick question - at 11:35 when setting the column gutter width to be 1.5 times the leading? As opposed to the value of the leading itself? Thakns

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Andrew. 1 x the leading is generally too tight for gutters… I prefer 1.5 or 2 x

[@samsloanmusic1749]

So one way to solve the margin/leading size discrepancy would be to choose a leading size that is a factor of the page height? I think.. lol.

[@Rustic_Potato]

I followed everything exactly but my guides are not matching to the baseline grid

[@stephenkelman_]

Hi Rustic… is the distance between your top and bottom margin a multiple of your baseline?

[@TheDudeway]

Don't know. Seems like grids never will be a perfekt fit to me...I don't get it. Just read Rastersysteme but it makes no sense to me

[@cody2470]

Slightly confused, my rows lined up with the baseline grid despite following your steps lol