About Not Just a Grid

I started to develop the framework that became Not Just a Grid out of personal need. I had used a number of different frameworks over the past few years and over time had tweaked them, added to them and combined various elements to create a base framework that I used to develop many websites. However this led to a bit of a mish mash of class names and a lot of redundant or duplicated code, so in late 2010 I decided to go back to square one and create a new framework from the ground up that would be the basis of all future sites I would be developing. I also decided that since others had been good enough to share their frameworks with the world then I would share too.

To decide what would be important in this new framework I looked back over all the sites I had developed in the past couple of years plus I trawled the internet looking closely at the many sites that caught my eye - I was trying to see common design elements, layout techniques and common structures so that I could pull it all together into a single framework.

After researching and planning, I came up with some key things that I wanted to include:

• A grid system that would allow for 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 columns (some existing grids can't de divided into 3 or 5 or 6 without adding additional classes)
• The ability to take advantage of higher resolution screens without being fluid or elastic (I like knowing the dimensions I'm designing to)
• A consistant set of common elements that could be quickly and easily tweaked for whatever site I happen to be working on.
• A good typographic base from which to build on, rather than reinventing the wheel every time I start a new site.
• Must be modular - use as few or as many parts as needed.
• The grid must be lightweight (the grid is 15 classes and 1k in size)

So I set to work, and after a number of revisions and some tweaking, the framework was complete and ready to use. So in early 2011 I set about gathering everything together and started to put this site together and on February 26, 2011 it was finally launched..

Future Plans

My plans for the future of Not Just a Grid are to continue developing, adding to and improving it over time, I welcome any suggestions and feedback - better ways to do this, more efficient ways to do that etc.

If you like Not Just a Grid and use it on a website, let me know and i'll add your site to the showcase. And if you want to give back, you can buy me a beer using the donation button in the footer! Anyone who donates $10 will get added to a drinking buddies page with a link to their site!