I have always been a fan of layouts. Before even beginning my web design journey I can remember enjoying creating layouts. Whether it is making sure that all of the memorabilia on my desk wall or the furniture in my room is laid out in the most efficient way possible.
One of the first instances with a design layout I remember having was way back in my undergrad in a class called HCI. Our main project was to create an interface for an application of our choice. My partner and I chose an application that could be used in amusement parks that would serve as a “digital” printed park map that would help guests navigate and understand where they are in the park (of course today that type of application can be found on your mobile phone). Although we created out layout in PowerPoint, so I never thought about how hard it would be to place all of the elements in their appropriate spots through coding.
Fast-forward five years and through my first year in a web design program, making sure elements align specifically where I want them to on my site is one of the hardest aspects I have to tackle. Naturally we are taught this way to ensure all of the basics. Well naïve me, I thought this was how everyone coded their sites, using floats and blocking elements and assigning them specific spots on the page (i.e. margin-top: 25%) . I would actually envy sites I saw, that has perfect alignment and whose sections were perfectly laid out. This course opened my eyes to grid layouts.
After learning the first part about grid layouts I almost feel silly. How could I actually think that major companies had coders who kept refreshing site pages after saving their updates to floats to make sure that everything lined up correctly. Learning about WordPress grid based layouts was like lifting a huge weight off of my shoulder knowing that by simply using rows and columns and simple math a beautiful layout can be seamlessly achieved (more information on skeleton layout can be found here)[1]. I am really excited to learn more about how simple layout installations can help to achieve a beautifully laid out website’s success.
