LE MODULOR
LE CORBUSIER,1948

180 x 180 mm / 60 gridded sheets
Measuring system based on mathematics and
the human body

The Modulor made a major contribution to the form of modern architecture and became the foundation stone for most design systems and modern grids. The Modulor was primarily concerned with architectural form, but Le Corbusier was quick to point out its application to other areas, including the design of the printed page. The design system took the golden section one step further by linking it to the scale and proportion of the human anatomy. Le Corbusier selected the solar plexus, the top of the head, and the tips of the fingers of an extended arm as the principal anatomical locations. the distance from the ground to the solar plexus represents the extremes division of the golden section, and the distnace between the solar plexus and the top of the head is the mean. From this base Le Corbusier produced an infinite series of mathematical proportions that could be applied to a wide range of architectural dimensions. Most apllications of Le Modulor to graphic design, including Le Corbusier's own designs of Le Modulor, and Suite de la Modulor, have not been particularly impressive. Perhaps the most important contribution of the Modulor to two-dimensional design was the inspiration it gave to the typographic designers of Germany and Switzerland to create the modular systems that would transfer utilitarian makeup sheets to design-oriented modern grids. (extracted from Allen Hurlburt, The Grid, John Wiley & Sons, 1978)