CSS Grid Magazine Layout Generator
An asymmetric editorial grid: a lead story, a stack of secondaries, and a pull-quote that breaks the column.
Reading orderAt Desktop, quote is the first thing seen but story-b is the first thing focused. Placement has moved the layout out of document order, so keyboard and screen reader users get a different sequence from everyone else.
Seenlead → story-a → quote → story-b
Focusedlead → story-a → story-b → quote
Usually the fix is in the markup, not in CSS: reorder the children so the HTML reads the way the page does, then place them back where you want them. Reaching for order or row-reverse instead moves the picture without moving the focus, which is the bug rather than the cure.
It is not always wrong. A full-height sidebar beside a topbar diverges by construction, and the accepted answer there is a skip link to the main content rather than a reordered document. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.2 asks that the sequence be meaningful — not that it be identical.
Named areas. The CSS is a picture of the layout, and only the properties that actually change get repeated inside each media query.
.magazine {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto auto auto auto;
gap: 20px;
grid-template-areas:
"lead"
"story-a"
"story-b"
"quote";
}
.magazine > .lead { grid-area: lead; }
.magazine > .story-a { grid-area: story-a; }
.magazine > .story-b { grid-area: story-b; }
.magazine > .quote { grid-area: quote; }
@media (min-width: 900px) {
.magazine {
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr;
grid-template-rows: auto auto;
gap: 24px;
grid-template-areas:
"lead lead lead lead lead lead lead story-a story-a story-a story-a story-a"
"quote quote quote quote story-b story-b story-b story-b story-b story-b story-b story-b";
}
}
How this layout works
Editorial layouts earn their keep by being irregular. A twelve-column base grid gives you the freedom to span 7 and 5, or 8 and 4, without redefining tracks every time.
The lead spans two rows so the secondary stories sit beside it. Everything reverts to a single column on mobile, in reading order.
Every property used here is listed in the CSS Grid cheat sheet, with the reason to reach for it.
Frequently asked questions
How many columns should an editorial grid have?
How do I center a grid in CSS?
justify-content: center on the grid container to centre the whole grid inside it, and margin-inline: auto with a max-width to centre the container in the page. These are different jobs: the first moves the tracks within the container, the second moves the container itself.How do I center items inside a CSS grid?
place-items: center on the container. That is shorthand for align-items plus justify-items, and it centres every item inside its own cell on both axes. For a single item, use place-self: center on that item instead.How do I make a CSS grid responsive?
grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(260px, 1fr)) and it reflows at every width with no media queries at all. Add breakpoints only when the exact column count matters, or when the layout has to change shape rather than just wrap.When should I use CSS Grid instead of Flexbox?
How to use it
-
Open the pattern
The magazine layout loads into the editor already responsive, with every breakpoint set up.
-
Change the tracks
Edit the column and row sizes in the Tracks panel. Anything valid in a track list works.
-
Redraw at another width
Move the ruler past a breakpoint marker and rearrange. Only the placement changes.
-
Copy the code
Take CSS, HTML, Tailwind or a shadcn component. The media queries are already written.
More in Editorial
- Blog Post with Sticky Contents
- Article With Sidebar
- News Homepage
- Photo Gallery Grid
- Portfolio Grid
- Alternating Timeline