How to Know WHAT Grid to Use When Designing a Logo

00:00

You’re about to design a logo, but wondering: what grid should I use?

This video teaches a simple technique to help you choose the right grid before designing any logo.

00:14

There are four main grid systems used at different points in the logo design process.

But base grids can be used both before and after the logo is created.

• Before: helps build strong geometric structure and consistency.
• After: helps refine your design and match it to the best-fitting grid.

00:35

Introducing Grid Matching

Grid matching is the process of finding the correct base grid for your logo.

You do this by overlaying different grids on your sketch to see what fits best.

00:52

Types of Base Grids

• Square
• Isometric
• Hexagon
• Golden Ratio

01:06

Example 1: Trying Square Grid

• Overlay the square grid on the logo sketch.
• Lower the logo’s opacity for visibility.
• Result: doesn’t match well.

01:52

Trying Isometric Grid

• Much better fit — vertical and diagonal lines align well.
• It’s a sketch, so it won’t match 100%, but you can tell it fits the structure.

02:15

Example 2: Testing Another Logo

• Try fitting it on the square grid — works, but could be improved.
• Keep testing with other grids to find the best fit.

02:51

The 20% Rule

• Don’t change the original sketch more than 20%.
• If a grid forces more changes than that, it’s probably not the right fit.

03:10

• Isometric grid: doesn’t work due to lack of horizontal lines.
• Hexagon grid: doesn’t work either.
• Sometimes, it’s best not to force it — move on.

03:29

Golden Ratio Grid

• Ideal for architectural or highly structured logos.
• Immediately a better fit than the square grid for this particular logo.

03:58

Example 3: Final Logo Sketch

• Lower opacity and look at obvious shapes.
• This sketch has clearly visible square shapes — square grid is the right choice.
• No need for perfect transform — just align as closely as possible.
• Result: fits very well.

05:05

Next Step: Vectorise the Logos

• Fast forward to show final vectorised versions.
• Before vs. After: noticeable improvement in balance and consistency.

05:54

What Base Grids Achieve

• Consistency in geometry
• Clean curves and corners
• A near-perfect final result

Grid Matching helps identify the best structural grid by testing multiple options against a rough sketch.

06:10

You can download the Logo Grids Core Kit for free. It includes:

• Ready-to-use logo grid templates
• Mastering Logo Grids in Adobe Illustrator eBook

Check the link in the description.

06:19

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