Understanding the challenges of designing layouts

Let’s switch our roles for a moment. So far, we’ve mainly looked at the implementation perspective of grids and layouts. Still, it is also helpful to understand the struggles and challenges design experts face when creating a design.

Let’s imagine we’re design experts and need to create a layout for a large website or app. What factors do we use when deciding on a layout approach?

Existing things

More often than not, design experts don’t start entirely from scratch. Often, they receive existing guides for corporate identity/corporate design containing colors, typography definitions, stock images, logos, and spacings, or can get some inspiration from other products, such as native mobile apps, competitor websites, printed brochures, or even merchandise and giveaways.

Often, the company requesting a design has specific values that shape its work and culture. It might be an exciting art collective...