Design, UI, UX, Inspiration, Web Development, Website Examples
30 Excellent Grid-Based Websites for Inspiration
A hand-picked collection of 30 recent grid layout website examples for each grid layout type
Grid-based layouts have always been around in web design, however, they’ve become quite trendy in the last year as we started to notice them even more in recently launched high-end websites. In short, the grid system serves as a common graphic language for designers and developers to create order among all elements in a website. It creates structure and logic that makes the information easier for users to scan and digest. This is why in this blog post, we’ll show you a hand-picked collection of 30 recent grid layout website examples for each grid layout type.
- Block Grid Layout: Single-column grid structure that includes single or multiple elements arranged vertically, surrounded by margins.
- Multicolumn Grid Layout: A grid structure composed of several columns where text and images follow the alignment of the column’s vertical lines.
- Modular Grid Layout: A grid structure of equally-sized modules composed of columns and rows.
- Hierarchical Grid Layout: A grid structure where the column widths and row heights vary throughout the grid. Usually, there are dominant elements that serve to attract the main focus.
At the end of this post, we also answered the 3 most common questions about grid layouts.
Update: The UI/UX Design Trends of 2023 are out to replace minimalism with bolder, more diverse, and more experimental digital experiences. Check them out.
Thank You Page Examples
- Block Grid Layout Websites
- Multicolumn Grid Layout Websites
- Modular Grid Layout Websites
- Hierarchical Grid Layout Websites
FAQ About Grid Layouts
Block Grid Layout Websites
The single-column grid is the simplest layout that includes single or multiple elements in a vertical arrangement.
It’s mostly used in continuous blocks with a title, text, an image, and a CTA button. Such sections are great for generating conversions as they make it very easy to infiltrate the CTA button into the whole block image, so we usually see them in landing pages above the fold.
Now let’s see a couple of websites that use a block grid layout.
MailBakery Email Design and Marketing
The Touch Agency Business Website
Presentation Support Business Website
Multicolumn Grid Layout Websites
Unlike the block grid layout, multiple columns offer more variety and design flexibility. This type of layout consists of two or more columns with consistent gutters.
It’s ideal for text-heavy websites, such as blogs as it allows you to organize large quantities of text and images. You can also use the multicolumn grid to create a hierarchy of your content by building zones for the different content formats. For example, you can put the title, subtitle, and image in the first column, and the paragraph text and button in the second.
Let’s see exactly how flexible the multicolumn grid is with the following examples.
Varex Imaging Business Website
Dynamit Web Development Studio Blog
Modular Grid Layout Websites
The modular grid layout, as the name suggests, creates modules by dividing the page vertically with both columns and rows.
It gives you even more flexibility than the multicolumn grid as you can create a more complex visual hierarchy. We often see the use of modular grid layouts in mobile phone home screens that show the full collection of apps, or in category pages and collections of items on eCommerce websites.
As you will see in most examples for modular grid websites, this type of layout is ideal for image galleries and card layouts as they perfectly pack and organize lots of visual content in a small space.
Hierarchical Grid Layout Websites
Hierarchal grids allow for a more spontaneous and freestyle arrangement of elements with different heights and widths to create a visual hierarchy.
Instead of following a uniform height for all elements, this type of layout welcomes elements of all heights and shapes and uses them to its advantage, making the design more dynamic and interesting.
FAQ about Grid Layouts
👉 What is a Grid Layout?
In web design, grid layouts serve to create space for text and visual content by arranging them in boxes. You can use a grid layout to create a symmetrical website where you balance the text and visuals or create an asymmetrical website where you don’t pair the elements on each side.
👉 What are the Elements of the Grid Layout?
No matter the grid layout type, all grids consist of the following elements:
- Columns: The vertical sections that span the height of your content area. They are usually 60-80px in width and are referred to as the building blocks of your grid.
- Rows: The horizontal sections of your grid.
- Modules: When columns and rows intersect, they create a unit of space called a module. These modules serve to fit your content elements.
- Gutters: The space between the columns and rows that separates the modules.
- Margins: The space between the outer space of your content and the format.
👉 Why Are Grids Important in Web Design?
Grid layouts create structure and logic that makes the information easier for users to scan and digest. They help designers align the page elements based on sequential columns and rows. These columns and rows create a framework where you can easily place your content in a consistent way within the interface.
In addition, they are also very flexible. As long as your content falls inside the boxes, you can arrange the grid in any way you want.
You can go for a simple design with two boxes across and two boxes down, or go for a more dynamic structure with a mismatched set of three, an unaligned set of four, etc.
Grid layouts also make it extremely easy to balance your text and visual content so it won’t be too text-heavy or cluttery.
To Sum Up
The grid system gives designers the bones to organize and structure content in a consistent and balanced way. It’s an incredibly simple but effective principle of web design, that can help you create a highly scannable and readable website that your visitors will enjoy. Hopefully, these 30 excellent examples of grid-based websites inspired you to take full advantage of the system.
In the meantime, you can visit some of the related articles for some more insights, and inspiration, or grab a freebie: