"While single-column grids work well for simple documents, multi-column grids provide flexible formats for publications that have a complex hierarchy or that integrate text and illustrations. The more columns you create, the more flexible your grid becomes. You can use the grid to articulate the hierarchy of the publication by creating zones for the different kinds of content. A text or image can occupy a single column or it can span several. Not all the space has to be filled." (142)
SurfTheChannel follows the same balance described in the Lupton text. The different kinds of content are placed in different sections, each occupying a different number of columns. The tabs at the top, which guide you through most of the site, occupy several small columns each. Then there's the search feature, which basically takes the entire span of all columns on the grid, but is seen as only one column. The same goes for the information bar below it. The internal links and the sole image (which is also a link) take up what appears to us to be three columns, all the same size (but larger than those used for the tabs). The external links take up what looks like five columns (larger in size than the internal links and the tabs), and are placed next to an ad because it fits and is close enough in size that can almost appear to be one of the external links.
By dividing the page into sections by content, the site becomes somewhat more balanced and allows the reader to find what he/she wants more easily. This is further aided by the grid used, which, while organized, is still flexible enough. The tiny white spaces between sections allows for less clutter, although I feel it could use more space than it does.
