Willem Hendrik Crouwel, a Dutch graphic designer, type designer, and typographer, once said: "The grid is like the lines on a football field. You can play a great game in the grid or a lousy game." Undeniably, grids are a fantastic tool for designers to map out the plan of a layout. However, your eyes and common sense should be the main instruments when arranging content.

When designing a product, you shouldn't be restricted by the grid. Always keep the principle of proximity in mind, and be free to break from a grid if you need to separate unrelated items or reduce space between related groups. You can also use unconventional text alignment or a hero image that does not span over all columns to create a twist of unexpectedness that grabs user attention.