Grid anatomy

The layout grid structure has three elements:

  • Columns divide the page into equal vertical sections, and are used to organise content.

  • Gutters are the gaps between the columns, and separate content in a consistent way.

  • Margins define the outer edges of the grid, and prevent content from spilling out over the viewable regions.

Grid anatomy diagram showing columns, gutters and margins

This grid documentation is for design only. Engineering should refer to the page layout component.

Grid types

There are two types of grid: fluid and fixed. Both grid types use breakpoints to determine whether the layout needs to change between viewport sizes.

More guidance for applying grid in your designs.

Fluid

The fluid grid stretches across the screen to fill all available space in the main content area. This means the columns and the content placed within them scale and resize to fill the available space.

In small, medium and large screens, the fluid grid stretches all the way to the edges

They are best used for information-dense pages, such as kanban boards, to maximise screen real estate. Here’s how a fluid grid is applied in Jira:

Fluid grid applied on a Jira Board screen

Fixed

The fixed grid applies the ideal maximum width to page containers according to the elements being displayed. There is both a fixed-narrow and fixed-wide grid, so content can be displayed using the most appropriate width.

In small and medium screens, the fixed grid stretches all the way to the edges. In large screens, the grid stretches to a max width, then remains centered

Fixed-narrow grids are best used for content-focused pages, such as blogs and articles, to limit line length and improve readability. Some internal elements, such as headers, may break out of the grid to span across the page. Here’s how a fixed-narrow grid is applied in Confluence:

Fixed-narrow grid applied on a Confluence blog screen

Fixed-wide grids are best used for content-dense pages, such as data tables, to balance screen real estate and readability. Internal table columns do not need to align to the grid. Here’s how a fixed-wide grid is applied in Atlas:

Fixed-wide grid applied on an Atlas projects screen

Breakpoints

Each breakpoint is the threshold at which the website’s layout changes, to ensure optimal user experience. In responsive design, a breakpoint range determines the most appropriate number of columns for that viewport size, plus recommended widths for margins and gutters.

Our grid aligns to the 6 Atlassian Design System breakpoints:

BreakpointViewportColumnsGuttersMargins
xxs320 - 479px212px16px
xs480 - 767px612px16px
s768 - 1023px612px16px
m1024 - 1439px1216px32px
l1440 - 1767px1216px32px
xl1768+px1216px32px

Column span and offset

Column span

Our grid has 12 columns for aligning content. Content should span across 3 or more columns, up to a maximum of 12. For flexibility, mix and match the number of columns used to unlock a variety of layouts across different breakpoints.

A 12 column grid with content blocks spanning different numbers of columns, such as 12, 6 and 4

Column offset

Content does not need to span across all 12 columns. It can span a smaller set of columns, resulting in a layout with content centered on a 12 column grid.

A 12 column grid with different sized content blocks centered and offset by 4, 2 and 0 from the edge

Layout anatomy

Layout regions are the building blocks for any web page. They are composed of elements and components that share similar functions. Atlassian’s layout grid starts below the top navigation, and provides structure to the main content.

A layout anatomy diagram, showing the relationship between top navigation, side navigation, main content and asides

Side navigation and aside

Use an aside to display supporting content on a screen, such as help panels or secondary tasks. The layout grid typically fills the full width of the viewport, but when the side navigation or aside is present, the grid should resize to fit the remaining area of the page.

4 different layouts showing the absence and presence of asides, and how they affect the grid

Some panels can be manually resized by users. Start with these standard sizes:

StateWidthSuitable for
Side navigation
collapsed56px768+px
default320px768+px
Aside
collapsed56px1024+px
defaultSmall320px1024-1439px
default400px1440-1767px
defaultLarge504px1768+px

Asides have two states: default and collapsed.

Diagram showing the difference between a default vs. collapsed side navigation

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