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Graphic Design: The New Basics - Hierarchy

  • Hierarchy is the order of importance within a social group or in a body if text.
  • It is expressed through naming systems and conveyed visually, through variations if scale, value, colour, spacing, placement and other signals.
  • Visual hierarchy controls the delivery and impact of a message.
  • A table of contents must be visually exciting and memorable as well as serving the function of a hierarchy. 
Design Task 1
For this task, I explored the use of hierarchy to organise a text for an exhibition announcement. I found adding colour and spaces made the text easier to read, with important information standing out. I changed the arrangement slightly 6 times until I was happy with the result.
Design Task 2
For this task, I used text from a restaurant menu and organised it into categories and used the type tools to show visual hierarchy. I used Helvetica Neue Bold Italic for the categories (e.g. starters), Helvetica Neue Bold for the dish titles, Helvetica Neue Medium Italic for the prices and Helvetica Neue Light Italic for the descriptions.

Design Task 3
Here I used an image of my hand and created visual interest by adding facts about myself on 45-degree angles. I found that varying whether the text was bold or thin helped this and made some facts stand out more than others.

Design Task 4
For this task, I studied a vitamin bottle (pictured) and created a new design for itself and other vitamins, making the bottles visually linking in some way.


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