How do I build a WordPress layout with multiple equal columns beneath an image?

How can I create a magazine-style WordPress layout featuring posts in three uniform columns under an image without altering its size?

<div class="wrapper-area">
  <div class="flex-row">
    <div class="post-area">
      <?php if (retrieve_posts()): ?>
        <?php foreach (retrieve_posts() as $post_item): setup_custom_post($post_item); ?>
          <h2 class="post-header"><?php echo get_post_title($post_item); ?></h2>
          <article id="post-<?php echo get_post_id($post_item); ?>" class="custom-post">
            <div class="content-part">
              <p><?php echo get_post_content($post_item); ?></p>
            </div>
          </article>
        <?php endforeach; reset_postdata(); ?>
      <?php endif; ?>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
.uniform-columns {
  column-count: 3;
  column-width: 160px;
  column-gap: 20px;
  font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}

Based on my hands-on experience working with WordPress, you might consider using a CSS Grid to achieve this layout. I found that separating the image from the rest of the grid and treating the posts area as a grid container was effective. This method allows you to keep the image dimensions intact while creating uniform columns for the posts. Using CSS Grid’s properties such as grid-template-columns provides a straightforward way to define equal-width columns. This approach also integrates well with responsive design, so you can adjust the layout for different screen sizes seamlessly.

hey, i tried using grid-template-areas to separate the img from the posts. kept the image size and let the post grid take over. worked fine on my site, yeh. sometimes a little tweaking makes all the difference.

In my experience, using a flexbox layout instead of the pure CSS columns approach has been more reliable when building this type of WordPress magazine-style layout. I wrapped the image and the content in distinct container elements so that the image size remains untouched while the posts area uses a flex display. The flex container allows for precise spacing and alignment, ensuring all columns have equal height without unexpected breaks. Adjusting padding and margins helped maintain clarity between the sections, and media queries made the design responsive without compromising the layout integrity.

Drawing from my own experience, another effective solution is to use a framework like Bootstrap. Rather than relying solely on custom CSS, I found that employing Bootstrap’s grid system offers a robust alternative for achieving equal columns below an image. With its predefined classes, you can easily maintain the image’s size while dividing the content area into consistent segments. I integrated the markup into my WordPress theme without much hassle and appreciated the responsive layout out-of-the-box. This approach has worked well for me in both small and larger projects where reliability and ease of customization are essential.

From my own experience, an alternative approach that worked reliably was using the Masonry layout library. This technique dynamically adjusts column heights based on the content without requiring hard-coded CSS values. I integrated Masonry into my WordPress theme and found that it naturally managed variable post lengths while keeping the image intact above. It required little modification of the existing markup. Although it involves an additional script, I appreciated how it solved the uneven column challenges often encountered with purely CSS approaches.