ryanwold.net

A civic-minded citizen seeking the singularity

An entry

Ordering Disorder

Date: 2016-11-28
Status: draft
Tags: notes

I've was meaning to read Khoi Vinh's book, Ordering Disorder, and I finally had a chance recently, while on the road, visiting Seattle.

My introduction to computers was through the design-minded internet of the late 90's and early 2000's. Websites like k10k.net, design is kinky, and three-oh were a roundabout introduction to swiss design and type systems, like Josef Müller-Brockmann's "Grid Systems in Graphic Design."

I enjoyed this text and found it to be a good refresher. Its design is appealing and provides a good sample redesign project to apply grid principles at various levels: layout, section, element.

And here are my transcribed notes from my notebook:

  • an implicit structure, in well, everything - p4
  • bullets can be transposed to grid architecture - p9
  • users search for information and accomplish specific tasks - not so much browsing, as seeking -p 11
  • grids create a foundation from which solutions can be created - and create order from disorder - p13
  • a sense of order.... not the fact of order. != absence of disorder - p14
  • the grid is a tool to impart order to our users so they can create their own experiences - p32
  • problem solve first. aesthetics second - p35
  • elements, components, modules, systems - p44