A grid is used to put together content on a page easily and consistently in a manner that makes it visually appealing. This is done by dividing he page into vertical and horizontal margins, columns, inter-column spaces, lines of type, and space between blocks of type and images.
Just to get an idea of how grids work in practice, I drew up the grid layout for this newspaper by tracing where the columns begin and end, where paragraphs cut off and where the image lies. As you can see everything is in a grid; the left side of the picture is aligned with the centre of the column on the right, the large text under the image is aligned along the top with the start of the same column and so on.
Some common grids are:
Multi-Column Grid
Modular Grid
Baseline Grid
Grids aren't just used for page layout, they're also used in icon design, logo design, fine art, product design and in almost every other design or creative field you can think of. For example; an Apple App icon is something millions of people see everyday and the grid that is designed to design those icons is fairly simple, but is able to produce extremely intelligent and aesthetically pleasing designs through the structure, this could be due to the 'golden ratio'.
The 'golden ratio' is a theory or myth that is believed to be the most pleasing of all the ratios. It is not only seen in art and design but also nature such as hurricanes, spiral galaxies, flower petals, and sa shells, amongst many other 'examples'.
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