Source: Visme
12 Principles of Visual Hierarchy Defined
1. Size and Scale - The larger something is, the more important it is. It is the first thing the eye will see and thus, by implication, the most important thing to look at.
2. Color and Contrast - There are three primary components to color and each of these can be used to create hierarchy--saturation, hue and lightness/darkness. These can be used to create contrast. A contrast in pattern, of mood lines, of color—all of these can help you in creating hierarchy in your design. In lowering the importance of an element within your design hierarchy, reducing contrast is an extremely effective tool.
(3. Typographic)
4. Spacing - Activate every inch of space for the eye by letting elements bleed off the edge. All white space should be purposeful and allow the eye to rest.
5. Proximity - As we read things from top to bottom and left to right, placement of items first at the top and then on the left give them more importance.
6. Negative Space - Negative space (or whitespace) can be used to increase or decrease the importance of items. Generally, the more negative space you give an item, the more important that item is. Negative space allows your eye to better isolate and see an item. Conversely, however, white space can give an item a sense of smaller scale and in this fashion can be used to reduce importance.
7. Alignment - Alignment creates order and visual coherence to a design. It allows for your audience to place relative importance to elements on a page, establish beginning and end points and associate items together or apart depending on their alignment or misalignment.
8. Rule of Odds - Balance things in groups of odd numbers, like 3 and 5 to have a dominant central element and an equal number of secondary elements on each side
9. Repetition - Repetition provides meaning to visual elements and allows one to more easily and quickly assimilate information. When you see and understand one visual, the rest can be understood far more quickly.
10. Leading Lines - Elements should be angled and positioned to draw the eye from one to the next with invisible leading lines
11. Rule of Thirds - Use the top, bottom, left, or right third of the composition to position the dominant element to pull the eye from automatically going to the center (bulls eye effect)
12. Perspective - Have a dominant angle or point of view, which can be consistent, or vary for contrast.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Design Principles: Introduction To Hierarchy
Design Foundations: Visual Hierarchy
Exploring the Gestalt Principles of Design
The Principles of Design and Their Importance
Design Wizard: Visual Hierarchy in Graphic Design
2. Color and Contrast - There are three primary components to color and each of these can be used to create hierarchy--saturation, hue and lightness/darkness. These can be used to create contrast. A contrast in pattern, of mood lines, of color—all of these can help you in creating hierarchy in your design. In lowering the importance of an element within your design hierarchy, reducing contrast is an extremely effective tool.
(3. Typographic)
4. Spacing - Activate every inch of space for the eye by letting elements bleed off the edge. All white space should be purposeful and allow the eye to rest.
5. Proximity - As we read things from top to bottom and left to right, placement of items first at the top and then on the left give them more importance.
6. Negative Space - Negative space (or whitespace) can be used to increase or decrease the importance of items. Generally, the more negative space you give an item, the more important that item is. Negative space allows your eye to better isolate and see an item. Conversely, however, white space can give an item a sense of smaller scale and in this fashion can be used to reduce importance.
7. Alignment - Alignment creates order and visual coherence to a design. It allows for your audience to place relative importance to elements on a page, establish beginning and end points and associate items together or apart depending on their alignment or misalignment.
8. Rule of Odds - Balance things in groups of odd numbers, like 3 and 5 to have a dominant central element and an equal number of secondary elements on each side
9. Repetition - Repetition provides meaning to visual elements and allows one to more easily and quickly assimilate information. When you see and understand one visual, the rest can be understood far more quickly.
10. Leading Lines - Elements should be angled and positioned to draw the eye from one to the next with invisible leading lines
11. Rule of Thirds - Use the top, bottom, left, or right third of the composition to position the dominant element to pull the eye from automatically going to the center (bulls eye effect)
12. Perspective - Have a dominant angle or point of view, which can be consistent, or vary for contrast.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Design Principles: Introduction To Hierarchy
Design Foundations: Visual Hierarchy
Exploring the Gestalt Principles of Design
The Principles of Design and Their Importance
Design Wizard: Visual Hierarchy in Graphic Design
Good vs. Bad Design
Think - Individually brainstorm a list of all the qualities that are found in good designs vs. bad designs.
Pair - Make one group for "Good Designs" and one group for "Bad Designs" and sort through everyone's ideas to find similarities and differences. Draw examples that visualize each separate quality.
Share - Share qualities and examples for good designs vs. bad designs.
Critique - Sort your own work to determine which designs have good qualities and which have bad qualities. Discuss as a group to determine ways to make improvements.
Pair - Make one group for "Good Designs" and one group for "Bad Designs" and sort through everyone's ideas to find similarities and differences. Draw examples that visualize each separate quality.
Share - Share qualities and examples for good designs vs. bad designs.
Critique - Sort your own work to determine which designs have good qualities and which have bad qualities. Discuss as a group to determine ways to make improvements.
Dieter Rams Ten Principles of “Good Design"
Good Design Is Innovative : The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
Good Design Makes a Product Useful : A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Good Design Is Aesthetic : The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
Good Design Makes A Product Understandable : It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good Design Is Unobtrusive : Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
Good Design Is Honest : It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept
Good Design Is Long-lasting : It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.
Good Design Is Thorough Down to the Last Detail : Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Good Design Is Environmentally Friendly : Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
Good Design Is as Little Design as Possible : Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
Good Design Makes a Product Useful : A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Good Design Is Aesthetic : The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
Good Design Makes A Product Understandable : It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good Design Is Unobtrusive : Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
Good Design Is Honest : It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept
Good Design Is Long-lasting : It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.
Good Design Is Thorough Down to the Last Detail : Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Good Design Is Environmentally Friendly : Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
Good Design Is as Little Design as Possible : Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
