I released Gridless Design nearly 4 years ago as a response to a frustration I saw in the industry. Similar to the desire for responsive design, it was a call for folks making digital applications to take the foundations on the web into consideration when creating things on top of it. It has the same foundational argument attached to “should designers code” because it asks designers to understand that the web is not an artboard. It also helps engineers support designs when a grid is no longer part of the handoff.
Gridless Design was my first project that got a lot of discussion across the industry. Most leaders in our practice agreed with the take, while others with less experience were skeptical to say the least. I’ve had analytics tied to the site for a long time, and it continues to be a top performer among my other work. Some of the places that currently link to the work are:
This is among other internal resource sites like Sharepoint and Jira. I’m glad the concept has gotten so popular. And that’s a bit about what this post is about. I think it’s time to sunset the site.
Grids are gone
4 years later, I can’t remember the last time I saw a design grid being shared amongst designers. Either externally on social media, or internally in product design teams. It would seem that the concept has either been very successful or other factors like responsivie design itself have made it more clear than Gridless Design as a goal could have done alone. Maybe the popularity of Tailwind which doesn’t use a design grid was another facet. Even AI could have been a factor.
No matter the reason why the design grid has faded into the distance for digital design, that was the purpose for the site. It would seem it has fullfilled its purpose and now I can consider bringing it down.
While I’ve been writing the book about Mise en Mode, I’ve also considered what other topics would be good for a book. When I thought about Gridless Design being my first large work as a possibility, I considered how relevant it would be. This caused all of the reflection I’ve had in this post, which is leading me to this decision. Plus, it always helps to drop a domain that costs $50 per year from your account.
What’s next
Gridless Design isn’t going away completely. It’s clear that the resource has been helpful to some people over the past few years and it could continue to be helpful for folks in years to come. So, here’s the plan:
- Finish the book.
- Move & update the content to be hosted at one of my other main properties.
- Update the site explaining the move, include the new link.
- Let the site expire within the year after the site is updated.
Nothing is changing right now. The book is still the priority. Look out for the plan to take effect within the next year.
It’s been fun getting rid of grid with you.