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The concept of the fold is a valuable and flexible one, to be interpreted within the context of the page or platform on which it is supposed to exist. Organizin

The concept of the fold is a valuable and flexible one, to be interpreted within the context of the page or platform on which it is supposed to exist. Organizing and prioritizing presentation of data relies on recognizing certain patterns of display and activity, and the fold is wrapped up in that. Why try to deny the existence of a well-known and useful term and construct rather than help redefine it, the way we've done with other terms dating from the relatively distant past? (edit:sp)

protonfish 12y ago
"The fold" is where a newspaper folds in half. Unless your users are folding their computers in half, it really has no place in digital screen design. I agree that the closer to the top of a document you place something, the more prominence it has, but this has nothing at all to do with a "fold."
- dragonwriter 12y ago
  In digital content, "the fold" has its own meaning (which is, certainly, inspired by the literal fold in newspaper.) This is one of many digital design that are inspired by terms from print, like "page" (which also is inappropriate for digital if you take the print meaning literally.) And, anyway, laptop users do fold their computers in half, but that's a completely different thing.
  - e12e 12y ago
    > In digital content, "the fold" has its own meaning Does it? I suppose it could mean "outside the first screen", as in on the next "card" in a mobile "slide deck", or "below the scroll" in a browser (that is: content that is on the virtual page, but outside the viewport). But my impression is that people are not using it like that -- in which case "the fold" is probably a poor/wrong metaphor/term? > This is one of many digital design that are inspired by terms from print, like "page" (which also is inappropriate for digital if you take the print meaning literally.) Not really. In (magazine/newspaper) print, a page typically holds various assorted content. Especially so for the front page. Now, with scrolling, "page" will often mean "all of a document at a given URL" -- and that would typically be different from a print page. In that case "viewport" would be more appropriate. But I think the confusion really lies in the print world: "page" means both "what the user can see at any one time" (viewport) and "largest section of connected layout" (the physical page). > And, anyway, laptop users do fold their computers in half, but that's a completely different thing. But mobile users did, at least for a while. There were/are some phones with a small screen on the back of the "flip". AFAIK all of these only have enough real-estate for a small icon and simple scrolling text message though. And aren't really meant for showing a preview of some random web page, but rather to alert the user to incomming email etc.
    - chrismcb 12y ago
      "The fold" in the browser is the bottom of the first screen, below the fold is everything you need to scroll to see. This is what you mean... So what is it you think other people mean? I've never seen anything to indicate otherwise.
      - e12e 12y ago
        Well, I didn't have the impression that it had a clear, and universally accepted definition in web design, akin to what it has in print. To some extent wikipedia seems to agree with me (that it can mean no just "above the scroll", but also "upper part" or "first 1000px" etc): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold#In_web_design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold#In_web_design Not that that means much. So that part of the comment wasn't just a rhetorical question. Are there any well-known, more canonical definitions of "the fold" as used in web design? Does it make sense in the current climate of wildly varying designs for desktop and mobile?
- joshkpeterson 12y ago
  Spare us the snark please.
- chrismcb 12y ago
  Yes and we no longer dial or hangup phones and we don't travel full steam ahead. Lots of words move from one technology to the next.
- fit2rule 12y ago
  More accurately seen from the perspective of the layout designer and the desires of the content editor, "the fold" is actually the point where the content itself is divided by a re-configuration of the container (newspaper/magazine/brochure) by the reader. In print, the reader modifies the form of the instrument by physical folding; in the case of online/digital the fold of content occurs more as a result of window size/zoom preferences of the user. Calling the point where your content is sliced -in half or otherwise- a "fold" works in that context; but it cannot be argued that there aren't more appropriate phrases for the term. Its just that this publishing business is an active one, and hasn't .. you know .. only been around in the last 5 or so years. Actually, 'the fold' is probably over a hundred years old as a term, incidentally, but I would have no idea how to prove it .. ("Above the fold", its Shakespeare, isn't it?)

protonfish 12y ago

"The fold" is where a newspaper folds in half. Unless your users are folding their computers in half, it really has no place in digital screen design. I agree that the closer to the top of a document you place something, the more prominence it has, but this has nothing at all to do with a "fold."

dragonwriter 12y ago
In digital content, "the fold" has its own meaning (which is, certainly, inspired by the literal fold in newspaper.) This is one of many digital design that are inspired by terms from print, like "page" (which also is inappropriate for digital if you take the print meaning literally.) And, anyway, laptop users do fold their computers in half, but that's a completely different thing.
- e12e 12y ago
  > In digital content, "the fold" has its own meaning Does it? I suppose it could mean "outside the first screen", as in on the next "card" in a mobile "slide deck", or "below the scroll" in a browser (that is: content that is on the virtual page, but outside the viewport). But my impression is that people are not using it like that -- in which case "the fold" is probably a poor/wrong metaphor/term? > This is one of many digital design that are inspired by terms from print, like "page" (which also is inappropriate for digital if you take the print meaning literally.) Not really. In (magazine/newspaper) print, a page typically holds various assorted content. Especially so for the front page. Now, with scrolling, "page" will often mean "all of a document at a given URL" -- and that would typically be different from a print page. In that case "viewport" would be more appropriate. But I think the confusion really lies in the print world: "page" means both "what the user can see at any one time" (viewport) and "largest section of connected layout" (the physical page). > And, anyway, laptop users do fold their computers in half, but that's a completely different thing. But mobile users did, at least for a while. There were/are some phones with a small screen on the back of the "flip". AFAIK all of these only have enough real-estate for a small icon and simple scrolling text message though. And aren't really meant for showing a preview of some random web page, but rather to alert the user to incomming email etc.
  - chrismcb 12y ago
    "The fold" in the browser is the bottom of the first screen, below the fold is everything you need to scroll to see. This is what you mean... So what is it you think other people mean? I've never seen anything to indicate otherwise.
    - e12e 12y ago
      Well, I didn't have the impression that it had a clear, and universally accepted definition in web design, akin to what it has in print. To some extent wikipedia seems to agree with me (that it can mean no just "above the scroll", but also "upper part" or "first 1000px" etc): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold#In_web_design http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold#In_web_design Not that that means much. So that part of the comment wasn't just a rhetorical question. Are there any well-known, more canonical definitions of "the fold" as used in web design? Does it make sense in the current climate of wildly varying designs for desktop and mobile?
joshkpeterson 12y ago
Spare us the snark please.
chrismcb 12y ago
Yes and we no longer dial or hangup phones and we don't travel full steam ahead. Lots of words move from one technology to the next.
fit2rule 12y ago
More accurately seen from the perspective of the layout designer and the desires of the content editor, "the fold" is actually the point where the content itself is divided by a re-configuration of the container (newspaper/magazine/brochure) by the reader. In print, the reader modifies the form of the instrument by physical folding; in the case of online/digital the fold of content occurs more as a result of window size/zoom preferences of the user. Calling the point where your content is sliced -in half or otherwise- a "fold" works in that context; but it cannot be argued that there aren't more appropriate phrases for the term. Its just that this publishing business is an active one, and hasn't .. you know .. only been around in the last 5 or so years. Actually, 'the fold' is probably over a hundred years old as a term, incidentally, but I would have no idea how to prove it .. ("Above the fold", its Shakespeare, isn't it?)