Getting started with Flexbox grid systems

Default avatar.
February 17, 2016
Getting started with Flexbox grid systems.
So what’s going on with grid systems? I mean Flexbox is here. It’s ready, the browsers are (more or less) ready. It’s about time. We can vertically and horizontally center anything without CSS transform hacks! Plus, there’s all that other stuff Flexbox can do. Let’s not kid ourselves, though. We’ve been waiting for that centering thing for a long time. Maybe you’ve been watching the brilliant What the Flexbox?!, series, and you’re all ready to go. If you haven’t seen that, you should. So... are we ditching grid systems now? Well, in many ways, we could. Especially if you hate class soup as much as I do. However, Flexbox-based grid systems are already a thing, and they can still be useful. For example, they might help you stick to a CSS methodology like Object-oriented CSS or BEM. Maybe you just like using the classes. Or maybe you’re just getting used to Flexbox, and having the old twelve-column grid would help you adapt. Maybe it’s just faster to use a pre-defined system than to custom-code every Flexbox grid that you need. Whatever the reasons, grid systems aren’t going away; and you can have the best of both worlds. So why shouldn’t you?

The "big two"

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Foundaton 6 is out, and it has a Flexbox version of its grid as an option. Ditto the yet-to-be released Bootstrap 4. They’re keeping the old grids around for the people who need to support less-compliant browsers, but they’re ready to make the switch.

Flexbox Grid

This aptly-named grid system keeps to ye olde twelve columns. It has all of the familiarity of 960.gs, all of Flexbox’s advanced layout capability, plus the responsive-ready classes (extra small, small, medium, and large) that we’ve come to expect.

Solved by Flexbox

Solved by Flexbox was basically made as a demo. Still, it’s a rather complete and functional demo which could be used as the basis for many a project.

Gridlex

Gridlex lives up to its slogan, "Just a Flexbox Grid System". There’s not a lot to differentiate it from Flexbox Grid. Choose the one with the better class names, I guess.

sGrid

sGrid is a bit different. Specifically, it’s built with Stylus. I know, right? Thought we were all just using SASS now. Anyway, it’s also designed to be integrated with a number of other technologies: Meteor, Grunt, React, and NPM.

scss-flex-grid & sass-flex-mixin

Oh there we go. scss-flex-grid and sass-flex-mixin are two separate SASS-based Flexbox grids. You can clone either from their repository, or install scss-flex-grid via NPM.

Conclusion

The tools are out there. So far, I haven’t been able to identify a "fan-favorite". Chances are, people will just use what comes with their favorite CSS frameworks, for the most part. In any case, there is little excuse any longer not to get stuck into Flexbox.

Ezequiel Bruni

Ezequiel Bruni is a web/UX designer, blogger, and aspiring photographer living in Mexico. When he’s not up to his finely-chiselled ears in wire-frames and front-end code, or ranting about the same, he indulges in beer, pizza, fantasy novels, and stand-up comedy.

Read Next

15 Best New Fonts, September 2024

Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found on the web in the previous four weeks. In this month’s edition…

3 Essential Design Trends, October 2024

This article is brought to you by Constantino, a renowned company offering premium and affordable website design You…

A Beginner’s Guide to Using BlueSky for Business Success

In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are always on the lookout for new ways to connect with their audience.…

The Importance of Title Tags: Tips and Tricks to Optimize for SEO

When it comes to on-page SEO, there’s one element that plays a pivotal role in both search engine rankings and user…

20 Best New Websites, September 2024

We have a mixed bag for you with both minimalist and maximalist designs, and single pagers alongside much bigger, but…

Exciting New Tools for Designers, September 2024

This time around we are aiming to simplify life, with some light and fast analytics, an all-in-one productivity…

3 Essential Design Trends, September 2024

September's web design trends have a fun, fall feeling ... and we love it. See what's trending in website design this…

Crafting Personalized Experiences with AI

Picture this: You open Netflix, and it’s like the platform just knows what you’re in the mood for. Or maybe you’re…

15 Best New Fonts, August 2024

Welcome to August’s roundup of the best fonts we’ve found over the last few weeks. 2024’s trend for flowing curves and…

Turning Rejection into Fuel: Your Guide to Creative Resilience

Rejection sucks. And for some reason, it’s always unexpected, which makes it feel like an ambush. Being creative is…

20 Best New Websites, August 2024

The overarching theme in this selection is simplicity. Minimalism never really goes out of fashion and with good…

Free AI-Website Builder, Scene, Helps With the Worst Part of Site Design

AI website design platform, Scene As we’ve been hearing constantly for the last couple of years, AI will soon replace…