The Essence of Visual Hierarchy in Business Communications and Its Significance Explained
In the world of design, visual hierarchy plays a crucial role in organising elements and showing the order of importance or creating visual flow. This design principle, with roots in the Gestalt philosophy that emerged in Germany during the early 20th century, is a powerful tool used to guide readers about the order of information consumption and how different pieces of information relate to each other.
To create a well-balanced design, it's essential to use balance, colour, repetition (with a little variety), contrast, size, spacing, and alignment. By doing so, the reader can easily understand the relative importance of the information. Adding space around elements, referred to as negative space or white space, can further emphasize them or strengthen their visual connection.
Repetition is a key aspect of visual hierarchy, as repeating elements can help create a sense of unity and emphasize important information. Elements placed in close proximity will also appear related, while elements that are far apart are perceived as unrelated. This principle operates on different layers such as colour contrast, spatial arrangement, and typographic weight to prioritize information clearly and attractively.
When creating a visual hierarchy, it can be helpful to work backward, starting with the smallest piece of content and working up to the largest one. This approach ensures that every element has its place and contributes to the overall structure of the design.
In presentations, the visual hierarchy created needs to work for each individual slide, while maintaining a cohesive look throughout. Infographics offer a few visual hierarchy benefits, such as the eye naturally flowing down the page, which reflects their typical presentation.
The human brain processes information using four properties: size, colour, alignment, and character. Bright colours tend to stand out, particularly if the colours around them are subdued. Contrast, using contrasting elements, can help draw attention to specific parts of a design. Complex patterns will generally attract more attention than simple ones, and the same goes for shapes.
Examples of visual hierarchy are found in movie posters, newspapers, websites, and phone lock screens. A classic example can be seen in the well-known German movie posters that effectively use visual hierarchy, applying geometric shapes, clear typography, and contrasting colours to guide the viewer's eye on multiple levels—from title prominence, focal imagery, to secondary text elements—demonstrating hierarchy through size, contrast, and positioning.
The six major principles of visual hierarchy are size, colour, reading patterns, contrast, repetition, and proximity. By understanding and applying these principles, designers can create designs that are not only visually appealing but also effective in communicating their intended message. A vast library of professionally-designed templates can help create clear communications with ease. The squint test can help identify which areas or individual elements of the design stand out the most, providing valuable insights for refining the visual hierarchy.
In conclusion, visual hierarchy is a design principle that, when used effectively, can significantly improve the clarity and effectiveness of communications. By understanding and applying the six major principles of visual hierarchy—size, colour, reading patterns, contrast, repetition, and proximity—designers can create designs that are easy to understand, visually appealing, and highly effective.
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