One of the most important principles of successful design is visual hierarchy. For those who have only just embarked on their journeys as designers, this concept of hierarchy may be foreign. However, understanding and implementing visual hierarchy will heighten the visual appeal and legibility of your work, resulting in a clear message and a call to action for viewers.
So, what is Visual Hierarchy? For those unfamiliar with the term, visual hierarchy is the design principle of arranging elements in a composition in a manner that allows viewers to discern and understand the most important information in a logical order. Visual hierarchy refers to not just where information/elements are placed, but also their scale and the emphasis placed on them. In the simplest of terms, good hierarchy employs a combination of design principles to successfully communicate which elements viewers should look at first, second, and third when viewing a composition.
So, just how do we create visual hierarchy in our art/design, and what elements of design are the most beneficial?
While there are several elements in a design that can contribute to the success of visual hierarchy, the building blocks to master are movement, scale, and white space. Keep in mind that each element in a design is interdependent and can affect one another.
Let’s start with the first building block of creating hierarchy, which is understanding movement. Movement refers to the paths that a viewer’s eyes follow when viewing a visual design. Most people in the U.S., for example, view and read words or visuals from left to right, working their way down the composition, roughly, in the form of a Z. Of course, compositions can be structured in a way that alters the traditional eye movement, but this is the most common way that western viewers will visually navigate a composition. This is why the most important or alluring information is often placed near the center or top half of a design because it is the first thing a viewer notices when they look at a composition. Less important information can be placed towards the end of the Z shape that a viewer’s eye naturally follows. Here’s an example of a poster that naturally encourages the Z-shaped eye movement:
(image sourced and edited from freepik.com)
The second building block of hierarchy is scale. Scale is arguably the most important element because it can be used to emphasize or de-emphasize certain elements in a design. Naturally, objects that are larger will be noticed first, while objects that are smaller will be noticed last. See the visual example below:
The third element used to help establish hierarchy is white space. White space is often overlooked by beginners because we tend to focus on the information more than the space surrounding it. However, white space is equally important and how you use it can make or break your design. There are two types of white space in design, micro and macro space. Micro space refers to the small spaces between elements that are meant to be grouped together. For example, the two images below show the use of good (left) and bad (right) micro space with the same information. As you can see, the image with improper micro space lacks coherent grouping and therefore feels overwhelming and off-putting.
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(image sourced and edited from freepik.com)
Macro space, on the other hand, refers to the large, empty spaces surrounding and separating elements in a composition. This is what I like to refer to as ‘breathing space’ in a composition. Macro space can be used to separate groups of elements as well as encourage a healthy balance of movement and resting places in a composition. Without a strong sense of macro space, designs can feel claustrophobic and unsettling, encouraging the viewer to look away. See below an example of a design with good macro space (left) and one with bad use of macro space (right).
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(poster template sourced and edited from freepik.com)
So, with the three elements of movement, scale, and space considered, let’s now look at the three commonly accepted ‘tiers’ within a hierarchical composition. They are as follows:
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The hook
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The secondary detail(s)
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The finisher
The hook is and should be the largest element in the composition. It’s not necessarily always the most important information in the design, but it should catch the eye of the viewer and encourage them to stick around and view the secondary details. The hook can also be referred to as the focal point of a composition. It can be a phrase written in a large, bold, or expressive font, or it can be an artistic photo or product. Faces, because they are so easily recognizable, tend to be one of the most commonly used hooks in a composition.
The secondary detail is often the second largest element in a composition. The secondary detail is the second thing that viewers look at when viewing a composition and is often also where the most important information is placed. The secondary detail is where viewers can glean the who, what, where, when, and why of the design.
The finisher is the last place viewers look to take in crucial information. It’s usually the smallest detail in the composition. This is a great place to include logos, social media icons/links, URLs, contact information, and a call to action.
See below a few examples of labeled designs with good hierarchy.
(image sourced from freepik.com)
(image sourced from freepik.com)
Martha Neth
Red Wizard Collage.com 
