ALWAYS establish a clear visual hierarchy
Hierarchy is setting the groundwork for your document
You determine hierarchy by deciding the order of importance of your page elements and content.
You should always set a visual hierarchy to a page because it provides the structure that your readers need to go through your piece. Therefore, what’s important in setting your hierarchy is knowing how your readers will read through it.
How readers go through a piece:
- Readers begin by seeing the overall look of it. The color and shapes that are the foreground elements of page versus the background color or image of the page
- Then they start to nitpick. They begin by looking at what pictures there are or any other visuals
- They then look at headlines
- Check out if there are subheads that grab the attention.
- Then they start to read individual words from top left hand corner, they work in a “z” pattern to the lower right hand corner
Idiot-proof way to establishing visual hierarchy:
- Contrast: is a prerequisite. Read all about it here.
- Headline: at least 3 times larger than your body type, bold, sans serif
- Sub-headlines: 1.5 times larger than your body type, bold, sans serif
- Subheads: slightly larger than body copy, bold, sans serif
- Body copy: usually 8-12 points, serifs font
- Visuals: the bigger the visuals, the more they attract attention
- Lines and rules: these can be distracting and using too many or too thick lines only creates clutter
- Bullets and numbered lists: creates interest and adds dimension to page
C O N C L U S I O N :
Hierarchy is created by using weight, size, position and color — after you decide the importance of the content and your graphic elements. Building hierarchy is all about attracting your reader to the design and then engaging your reader through it.
SEE HIERARCHY IN ACTION
Check out my sample where you can see hierarchy at work.
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