Accelerated grid

theming using NineSixty

♥
+

Todd Nienkerk
DrupalCon San Francisco | April 20, 2010
Personal introduction
 Todd Nienkerk
Co-founder, designer, and developer
Four Kitchens

todd@fourkitchens.com

Photo: Kristin Hillery

What is a grid system?
 History of the grid
‣ The practice of using a grid to guide design and
page layout is nearly a century old
‣ In the 1910s and 1920s, ornamental design gave
way to Rationalism and New Objectivity
‣ This shift in design was part of a much larger
movement towards function over form
‣ Helvetica typeface and Bauhaus architecture

Source: Grids are Good by Khoi Vinh and Mark Boulton

 Typographic grids
‣ After World War II, a number of graphic designers,
influenced by the modernist ideas of Die neue
Typographie (The New Typography), questioned
the relevance of the conventional page layout of
the time
‣ They devised a flexible system to help designers
achieve coherency in organizing the page

Source: Grid (page layout) on Wikipedia

Source: Grid (page layout) on Wikipedia
 Nearly a century ago
‣ Modernists looked to build a new aesthetic by...
‣ deriving beauty from the innate qualities of the
machine
‣ championing standardization
‣ Sound familiar?

Source: Grids are Good by Khoi Vinh and Mark Boulton

 Today
‣ Web designers have turned to grid-based design
in order to...
‣ derive beauty from the innate qualities of the
browser
‣ champion standardization
‣ 17 years after the invention of the web, we are
finally embracing a century-old design philosophy

Source: Grids are Good by Khoi Vinh and Mark Boulton

 Grid systems on the web
‣ On the web, grid systems usually take the form of
CSS frameworks
‣ A framework is a “reuseable abstraction of code
wrapped in a well-defined API”1
‣ A collection of tools and shortcuts designed to
minimize code and make your life easier

1 Source: Software framework on Wikipedia

Examples of frameworks
‣ Ruby on Rails is a well-known Ruby framework
‣ jQuery is a JavaScript framework
‣ Drupal itself can be considered a web application
framework
‣ Includes many APIs for working with databases,
fields, and web forms
CSS frameworks
‣ Apply the principles of software frameworks to
web design
‣ They provide standardized rules and shortcuts for:
‣ browser resets
‣ typography
‣ navigation
‣ print style
‣ and...
Layout
‣ When applied to web design, grid systems are CSS
frameworks that provides standardized rules and
shortcuts for building a website’s layout
 “I’m convinced that the people railing
against CSS frameworks are just trying to
drum up some false job security.”

—Jeff Croft, designer and author

JeffCroft.com | What’s not to love about CSS frameworks?

Why use a grid system?
1) Saves time

2) Saves money

3) Reduces frustration
Stop reinventing the
wheel
‣ Reduces the amount of CSS and markup you need
to duplicate each time you start a project
‣ No need to refer to old projects to figure out how
to implement layouts
Stop fixing and start
designing
‣ Shortens testing phases by providing built-in
support for noncompliant browsers
‣ Minimize Internet Explorer hacks in your layout
‣ A well-tested grid system will rarely be the source
of your problems
Stop deconstructing CSS
‣ Understanding someone else’s design is much
easier when a standard grid system is used
 “Embrace constraints”
— Mark Kraemer, National UX Practice Lead, EMC.com

‣ All modern displays

support at least
1024×768 resolution
‣ Despite the many
advances in web
technology, it’s all
just rectangles

Photo: Aaron Schmidt on Flickr (Creative Commons BY-NC-SA)

 Enforcing a grid can
accelerate design while
maintaining order

Photo: jontidmarsh on Flickr (Creative Commons BY-SA)

 “Our craft is becoming a commodity, and the
people in charge don’t care about the quality of
the markup, CSS, or how short our JavaScript is.
What matters is how fast you can get it to
market, how many people it reaches, and how
cheaply it can be built.”

—Christian Heilmann, Standards evangelist at Yahoo

Think Vitamin | Web development is moving on — Are you?

How do grid systems
work?
 Columns
‣ Grid systems are built
using columns
‣ Columns are a grid
system’s smallest unit
of measurement
‣ Most grid systems
contain 12–16 columns

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Column width
‣ Page regions (header,
content, sidebars, etc.)
are defined by column
width
‣ As in: “The header is
eight columns wide”

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Gutters (margins)
‣ Margins or padding are
used to create gutters
between columns
‣ These gutters provide
margins between page
regions

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

Lean and versatile CSS
‣ A grid system’s CSS should:
‣ Be lean and efficient
‣ Be versatile and reusable
‣ Ensure consistent behavior across all common
browsers — even IE6
Wrapping <div> elements
‣ In fixed-width grid systems, the entire layout is
wrapped inside a single <div> element
‣ <div> elements wrap the page regions and define
their widths according to the number of columns
they span
‣ These <div> elements may be nested to create
regions within regions
 Floating <div> elements
‣ The wrapping <div> class: grid-12
elements are assigned
a column width using a class: class:
CSS class grid-4 grid-4
class:
grid-4
‣ Because these classes class: grid-8
also float the elements,
they simply fall into
class: grid-6 class: grid-6
place on the page

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

What can grid systems
look like?
Examples of grid-based layouts
 Layout A: Content left, sidebar right

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Layout B: Content between sidebars

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Layout C: Content right with two left sidebars

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Layout D: Whatever

Example based on 960.gs (12-column)

 Layout E: The Mondriaan

Painting by Piet Mondriaan (later Mondrian)

How 960.gs works
 What is 960.gs?
‣ 960.gs — also known as the 960 Grid System —
was created by Nathan Smith in order to
“streamline web development workflow”
‣ It’s both a prototyping and development
framework

Source: 960.gs
 What’s in it
‣ Download it for free at http://960.gs
‣ GPL and MIT licensed
‣ The 960.gs download includes:
‣ Printable sketch sheets for doodling
‣ Design templates for all most applications:
Photoshop, Illustrator, Inkscape, OmniGraffle, etc.

Source: 960.gs
 Technical specs
‣ 960px wide with a 940px usable area
‣ Two versions: 12- and 16-column
‣ These can be implemented separately or
simultaneously
‣ Each column has a 10px margin on the left and
right, which creates a 20px gutter between
columns

Source: 960.gs
 12-column version
Columns are 60px wide Gutters are 20px wide

10px margin on the left and Available

right prevents collision with working area
browser chrome is 940px wide

Source: 960.gs
 16-column version
Columns are 40px wide

Everything else remains the same

Source: 960.gs
Using both versions
simultaneously
‣ 12- and 16-column layouts can be used on the
same page

Halves

Quarters
‣ This flexibility allows designers to work with both
60px- and 40px-wide columns

‣ If 12 or 16 columns don’t suit you, 960 is also

divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 24, 30, 32, 40,
48, 60, 64, 80, 96, 120, 160, 192, 240, 320 and 480
CSS and markup
Note: 960.gs uses underscores in its CSS class names. To avoid confusion, the
examples that follow will use hyphens instead, as this is The Drupal Way.
Containers
‣ Grids must be wrapped
in a container <div>
.container-12,
‣ Containers center the .container-16 {
margin-left: auto;
content and define margin-right: auto;
which version of the width: 960px;
grid will be }

implemented
Grids
‣ Grids are held inside .grid-1,
.grid-2,
containers and are .grid-3,
floated left so they fall ...
into place .grid-16 {
display: inline;
automatically float: left;
position: relative;
‣ They also provide 10px margin-left: 10px;
margins on the left and margin-right: 10px;
}
right
Grid widths
‣ The width of each grid
is determined by the .container-12 .grid-1 {
container that wraps it width: 60px;
}
‣ For example, a one-
.container-16 .grid-1 {
column grid is either width: 40px;
60px or 40px }
depending on whether
it’s a 12- or 16-column
layout
‣ Note that grid width does not increase by 60px or
40px each time
‣ Each increase must account for the 20px gutter
between grids

.container-12 .grid-1 { .container-16 .grid-1 {

width: 60px; width: 40px;
} }

.container-12 .grid-2 { .container-16 .grid-2 {

width: 140px; width: 100px;
} }

.container-12 .grid-3 { .container-16 .grid-3 {

width: 300px; width: 160px;
} }
Putting containers and
grids together
.container-12

.grid-3 .grid-6 .grid-3

Prefixes and suffixes
‣ If you want to leave
space between .container-12 .prefix-1 {
columns, use a prefix padding-left: 80px;
or suffix class }

.container-12 .suffix-1 {
‣ Prefix classes add padding-right: 80px;
padding to the left of a }
column
‣ Suffix classes add
padding to the right
Adding a prefix and suffix

.container-12

.grid-4
.grid-3 .prefix-1 .grid-3
.suffix-1
Multiple rows
.container-12

.grid-12

.grid-4
.grid-3 .prefix-1 .grid-3
.suffix-1
Multiple rows: markup
<div class="container-12">
The container <div>
defines the layout <!-- row 1 -->
<div class="grid-12">
version in use
This grid occupies the full width
</div>

<!-- row 2 -->

<div class="grid-3">
One wide
No need to put
</div>
each row in its own <div class="grid-4 prefix-1 suffix-1">
wrapping <div> Four wide with a prefix and suffix of one each
</div>
<div class="grid-3">
One wide
</div>

</div> <!-- /container -->

Stack content vertically
with nested grids
.grid-6
.container-12

.grid-6
.grid-3 .grid-3
.grid-6
‣ Here’s the catch: Because each grid includes a
10px left and right margin, nesting grids can break
your layout
.grid-6
.container-12

.grid-6
.grid-3
.grid-6

.grid-3
Alpha and omega fix
broken nesting
‣ When nesting grids, use the alpha and omega
classes to remove the margins
‣ alpha removes the left margin. It’s the first nested
grid.
‣ omegaremoves the right margin. It’s the last
nested grid.
 .grid-6
.container-12

.grid-3 .grid-3
.alpha .omega
.grid-3 .grid-3
.grid-6
.alpha .omega
 .grid-6
.container-12

.grid-3 .grid-3
.alpha .omega
.grid-3 .grid-3
.grid-6
.alpha .omega

.alpha removed
the left margin
 .grid-6
.container-12

.grid-3 .grid-3
.alpha .omega
.grid-3 .grid-3
.grid-6
.alpha .omega

.alpha removed .omega removed

the left margin the right margin
Grid design tools
 ‣ 960 Gridder: gridder.andreehansson.se

Screenshot from gridder.andresshansson.se

 ‣ 960 Gridder module for Drupal: drupal.org/
project/gridder

Screenshot from Drupal.org

 ‣ Variable grid system generator: spry-soft.com/
grids

Screenshots from spry-soft.com/grids

Grid systems based on
960.gs
 ‣ Fluid 960.gs: designinfluences.com/fluid960gs
‣ Variable-width version of 960.gs

Screenshot from designinfluences.com/fluid960gs

 ‣ Typogridphy: csswizardry.com/typogridphy
‣ Typographical and grid layout CSS framework

Screenshot from csswizardry.com/typogridphy

And...
The NineSixty theme
http://drupal.org/project/ninesixty
 About NineSixty
‣ NineSixty is the Drupal port of 960.gs
‣ Developed by Joon Park, aka dvessel on
Drupal.org
‣ Intended to be used as a base theme

Source: Drupal.org
Screenshot from ninesixty.fkdemos.com
NineSixty’s improvements
‣ Content-first layout using “push” and “pull” classes
‣ Now part of 960.gs proper
‣ Dynamic grid widths based on context using ns()
‣ Debugging tools and grid visualization
‣ Right-to-left (RTL) language support
Content-first layout
‣ A design convention in which the content is output
as close to the top of the markup as possible
‣ Content should be output before all sidebars
‣ This can be very difficult to achieve on a site with
one or more left columns
Push and pull classes
‣ Content-first layout can be achieved in NineSixty
by “pushing” the content grid to the right while
“pulling” a sidebar to the left
‣ These classes use the same naming convention
as .grid-X, .prefix-X, and .suffix-X, where X is the
grid’s width:
‣ .push-X and .pull-X
 ‣ Push and pull values should match the grid value
of the opposite grid

<div class="container-12">
<div id="content" class="grid-6 push-3">
Match numbers to
Content
swap locations
</div>

<div id="sidebar-left" class="grid-3 pull-6">

Sidebar: Left
</div>

<div id="sidebar-right" class="grid-3">

Sidebar: Right
</div>
</div>

Source: NineSixty’s README.txt

Before adding push and pull
.container-12

#content #sidebar-left #sidebar-right

.grid-6 .grid-3 .grid-3

<div class="container-12">
<div id="content" class="grid-6">
Content
</div>
<div id="sidebar-left" class="grid-3">
Sidebar: Left
</div>
<div id="sidebar-right" class="grid-3">
Sidebar: Right
</div>
</div>
After adding push and pull
.container-12

#sidebar-left #content
#sidebar-right
.grid-3 .grid-6
.grid-3
.pull-6 .push-3

<div class="container-12">
<div id="content" class="grid-6 push-3">
Content
</div>
<div id="sidebar-left" class="grid-3 pull-6">
Sidebar: Left
</div>
<div id="sidebar-right" class="grid-3">
Sidebar: Right
</div>
</div>
Dynamic grid widths
‣ In some cases, you may want grids to resize
themselves when a region isn’t populated
‣ For example, a 3-6-3 layout should become 3-9 if
the right column is empty
‣ Dynamic width assignment is handled using the
ns() function

‣ Defined in template.php
Structure of ns()
These “pairs”
Default subtract from the
value default value

ns('class-X', $region, Y, $region, Z, ...)

‣ class can be grid, prefix, suffix, push, or pull

‣ X, Y, and Z are all width values

‣ $region can be any theme region

‣ Use as many pairs as you like

 Implementing ns()
From page.tpl.php:
<div id="main" class="column <?php print ns('grid-16', $left,
4, $right, 3) . ' ' . ns('push-4', !$left, 4); ?>">
<?php print $content; ?>
</div>

<?php if ($left): ?>

<div id="sidebar-left" class="column sidebar region grid-4 <?
php print ns('pull-12', $right, 3); ?>">
<?php print $left; ?>
</div>
<?php endif; ?>

<?php if ($right): ?>

<div id="sidebar-right" class="column sidebar region grid-3">
<?php print $right; ?>
</div>
<?php endif; ?>

Source: NineSixty’s page.tpl.php

 From #main:
<?php print ns('grid-16', $left, 4, $right, 3)
. ' ' . ns('push-4', !$left, 4); ?>

If left sidebar is If right sidebar is

Default present, subtract 4 present, subtract 3
width from default width. from default width.

ns('grid-16', $left, 4, $right, 3)

If left sidebar is not present, subtract

Default 4 from the push value. This will result
push value in no push, as 4-4 = 0

ns('push-4', !$left, 4)

Source: NineSixty’s page.tpl.php

 From #sidebar-left:
<?php php print ns('pull-12', $right, 3); ?>

If right sidebar is
Default present, subtract 3
pull value from default pull value

ns('pull-12', $right, 3)

Source: NineSixty’s page.tpl.php

NineSixty in action
‣ Visit http://ninesixty.fkdemos.com to see how
NineSixty...
‣ uses push and pull classes to generate content-
first layout
‣ dynamically assigns grid widths based on
context
‣ can be used to create different layouts
Implementing a grid-
based layout
Using NineSixty to build your site
When not to use a grid
‣ Implementing a grid will probably be impossible if
your site’s layout...
‣ uses irregular column sizes
‣ has irregular margins or gutters
‣ has a width that isn’t divisible by a sane number
‣ Implementing a grid will be difficult — but not
impossible — if your site’s layout...
‣ has gutter widths of odd numbers
‣ is fluid
‣ wasn’t designed on a grid
Getting started
‣ Do not change the NineSixty theme on your site!
‣ Hacking NineSixty is like hacking core: It will
make upgrading your site very difficult
‣ Instead, subtheme NineSixty or create a totally
new theme based on NineSixty
Subtheme
‣ This method is best if your site is (or can be)
960px wide and can utilize 12 or 16 columns
‣ Subtheming instructions and resources on
Drupal.org:
‣ Subtheming quick and dirty
‣ Sub-themes, their structure and inheritance
Build a new theme
‣ You should build a new theme when your site’s
layout...
‣ isn’t 960px wide
‣ doesn’t use 12 or 16 columns
‣ It’s more efficient to use a new theme than to
override virtually all of NineSixty’s CSS
 Do the math
‣ Be prepared to crunch numbers
‣ Building a new grid can be very confusing
‣ Spreadsheets can help you visualize columns,
margins, and gutters

Image source: Client project

Examples

960.gs as a prototyping
and development system
Refresh Boston: 16 columns

refreshboston.org
Refresh Boston: 16 columns

refreshboston.org
Convertbot: 16 columns

tapbots.com/convertbot
Convertbot: 16 columns

tapbots.com/convertbot
Pepsi comp: 16 columns
Pepsi comp: 16 columns
AAFES comp: 12 columns

Credits
AAFES comp: 12 columns

Credits
stopdesign.com 12 columns

stopdesign.com
stopdesign.com 12 columns

stopdesign.com
Drupal.org redesign: 12 columns

infrastructure.drupal.org/drupal.org-style-guide/prototype.html
Drupal.org redesign: 12 columns

infrastructure.drupal.org/drupal.org-style-guide/prototype.html
Four Kitchens: 12 columns

fourkitchens.com
infrastructure.drupal.org/drupal.org-style-guide/prototype.html
Four Kitchens: 12 columns

fourkitchens.com
infrastructure.drupal.org/drupal.org-style-guide/prototype.html
Appendix
Learn more about grids
‣ The Grid System: thegridsystem.org
‣ “The ultimate resource in grid systems”
‣ The Grid System’s Flickr pool
‣ My bookmarks tagged “gridsystems”:
delicious.com/toddross/gridsystems
Downloads
‣ 960 grid system: 960.gs
‣ NineSixty theme for Drupal: drupal.org/project/
ninesixty
‣ This and other presentations are available for
download at fourkitchens.com/presentations
Contact Todd
‣ Email: todd@fourkitchens.com
‣ also works for Google Chat and AIM
‣ Skype: toddatfk
‣ Twitter: twitter.com/toddross
Questions?
Credits
‣ “History of the grid” slides were
borrowed heavily from Khoi Vinh
and Mark Boulton’s presentation
Grids are Good and from
Wikipedia
‣ This presentation was created by
Nathan Smith of Fellowship Tech
and Todd Ross Nienkerk, co-
founder of Four Kitchens, and
delivered by Todd Ross Nienkerk

‣ Piet Mondriaan painting was found

somewhere online. Copyright
holder is unknown

‣ The items listed above are exempt

from this presentation’s Creative
Commons license
All content in this presentation, except where noted otherwise, is Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike 3.0 licensed and copyright 2010 Four Kitchen Studios, LLC.