Lunch Boxes to Web Design- Bento Grids
I might be a little late to the party, seeing this trend grow I just had to learn more about it and try using the Bento Grid for my own projects. Just as all the UI/UX trends and new techniques, even bento grids have some advantages and disadvantages to it. I have added all the information I have received from my studies and internet surfing about Bento Grids in UI/UX Design in this article.
Introduction
Bento Grids in UI/UX design draw inspiration from the iconic Japanese lunchbox, known as a bento box. This design approach uses the neatly divided compartments of a bento box to turn into a visually appealing and organised layout for websites, web-apps and phone applications. The Bento Grid pattern uses a grid-based structure, dividing the content into distinct sections or compartments, each serving a unique purpose. Inspired by the compartmentalisation of a bento box, Bento Grids offer a structured layout that enhances the clarity and organisation of user interfaces. This design pattern allows designers to showcase specific features or content elements in dedicated compartments, providing visitors with an intuitive and engaging way to navigate through information.
Bento Grids: Closer look of Advantages
Bento Grids bring in flexibility in UI Design, to adapt on different screen sizes. They enhance visual hierarchy, making it easy to navigate and prioritise content. These grids provide a foundation for aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly interfaces.
From my personal experience in trying to design my own portfolio website, this is how bento grids were helpful:
Bento Grids were useful in creating a Structured Layout
With Bento Grids, I was able to divide the user interface into well-defined compartments, each dedicated to specific elements like navigation menus, content sections, or interactive features.
Helped me create a Visual Hierarchy
The grid-based structure of Bento Grids naturally creates a visual hierarchy by allocating different sections for various content or features. This hierarchy guides users’ attention and emphasises key elements, ensuring important information stands out. I used a 4x3 and 4x4 grid for my portfolio website, as a rule I used a bigger section/ compartment for important information and a small section/ compartment for additional information.
Responsiveness
Taking my laziness into account, I really liked the bento grid system as it saved me the efforts of creating another set of design for different devices, I could easily make minor adjustments to the designs for tablet and mobile screens. Bento grids made it easy to maintain a consistent and uniform design.
Navigate through the Hurdles of Bento Grids
Every design trends and solutions presents its own set of challenges that designers must navigate. Despite its numerous advantages, Bento Grid also encounters several challenges.
Design Flexibility
The structured nature of the Bento Grid may bring in certain restrictions and limitations in design flexibility, making it more challenging.
Careful Planning
One needs to carefully plan the structure and information flow to correctly place the content in the bento compartments. You need to decide the hierarchy of information as per your or client’s business goals. This planning takes a little while longer than following the conventional design layouts, but this planning will give you a pleasing layout design.
Use-case
While I was very interested in trying to design using this bento grid for a long time, I realised this is not for all purposes, there are limitations to where Bento Grids can be used. My most recent experience was while designing a Shipment tracking portal, because this portal had repeated information sections like multiple shipment tracking, I could not find the use of bento grids in designing this portal, as Bento grids are useful to show different information on a single screen.
Risk of Monotony
Not dividing the information properly and placing varied information with creative innovation, runs a risk of the design appearing repetitive, which may even greatly impact the user’s interest in the website/ app.
How did it gain popularity?
Apparently, there are 2 factions of people on the origin of Bento Grids in UI UX Design.
There is one faction who believe that the bento grid trend was influenced by Apple’s promotional videos, where they display a grid featuring the specifications and features of their products. They found a way to make what are usually dull spec lists visually appealing by organising them in a grid with a mix of visuals and typography.
There is a second faction who believe the true origin of bento grid trend can be tracked back to when Microsoft introduced Metro Design Language in the Windows 7 OS.
As to who initially inspired the Bento Grid trend, be my guest and debate, but the fact remains that this introduction ignited the popularity all the way to bento grids becoming a trend in 2024.
Best Examples in 2024
Bento Grid at Apple’s website
I have always admired apple’s website design. This implementation of bento grid on the website keeps the user engaged and wanting to read more, keeping in mind the average attention span of users, apple has carefully placed the information.
Bolt Website
Bolt has successfully merged bento grid with the conventional layout, they have planned the information hierarchy properly and made use of the limitations and restriction of bento grids, as you read in this blog, bento grids cannot be used universally for all, Bolt has made a mix of conventional design and bento grid style wherever necessary and are successful in making it look seamless.
Personal Website
This is my personal favourite! I found this website seamless in design and information flow, looks very minimalist and pleasing on the eyes. The use of colours to diversify the content makes it visually appealing.
My Insight
Bento grids offer a structured and visually appealing layout, enhancing user engagement by presenting information in organised compartments. Needless to say, careful consideration is needed to maintain flexibility and responsiveness, ensuring a seamless user experience across diverse content types and screen sizes.
Inspired from these designs and learning more about Bento grids got me excited about designing my own website using this trend. Take a look at my portfolio website nikhildeshpande.design and hopefully be inspired! Would also like to receive some feedback and possible improvements.
