The Grid
book, 2009

Тhis book is an outcome of my visual and theoretical research about the applicability of the grid in graphic systems. The use of the grid in graphic design and typography is very common; it is used for layout of books and magazines, and it is unavoidable in shaping graphic products that belong to the same series. Using the proportions of the grid, the graphic designer is capable to meticulously mantain the visual consistency of the series, while the client, or the receiver of the message, can easier read thе series. A series of postage stamps, banknotes or coins is a typical example of the use of the grid, where a graphic element, for instance, denomination – because of the consistency of the series – always appears in the same spot and the same size. Banknotes, coins and postage stamps that belong to a series can be distinguished by the motif, color, or size. However, the grid should not be turned into “prison bars” that will with their vertical and horizontal lines limit the designer’s creativity and imagination. Grids are a great help in graphic design, but they should not turn into a constraining tool. However, the compositions in this book are neither banknotes nor postage stamps. I wanted to avoid traditional graphic products and therefore I dealt with abstract compositions and patterns. Through diverse geometrical drawings, I played with the grid: to which extent is it a help, and when does it become an artist’s “cage”? As well, I was interested to explore to which extent the line, shape, and composition can contribute to the dynamic of the drawing. For that reason, all the compositions are conceived as sketches on a piece of paper, drawn by a B-pencil, and improved and finished in Adobe Illustrator. The black and white book is a compilation of the best sixty compositions, created during my research process on the grid. It has 86 pages, while the format is 8 x 8.5 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm). The Grid is included in the collection of artistic books at the Archives and Special Collections Vernon R. Alden Library, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA.

2011: Published on Designed, Belgrade, Serbia (an online magazine for design)

2011: Published in Ácido Surtido, No. 22, Buenos Aires, Argentina (art and design magazine)

2011: Published in UrbanStyleMag, No. 22, Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece (art & urban culture magazine)

2011: Published in Newdesign, No. 93, Warwick, England, United Kingdom (design magazine)

2012: Published in Design 360°, Guangzhou (Canton), China (concept and design magazine)

2015: Presented at the Oklahoma Art Education Association Fall Conference, Cameron University, School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Art, Lawton, Oklahoma, USA

2015: Presented at The Kemp Center for the Arts, Wichita Falls, Texas, USA