Visual Hierarchy is useful for a Graphic Communicator. It allows them to structure out the design process of the entire piece pre-creation. This is important because it aids the designer’s judgment with what could otherwise look like a cluttered page for example. Not only is Visual Hierarchy important for the artist, it is also, more so important to the public, or client… The target audience. In the lecture we looked at newspapers such as ‘The Times’ for example, the bold, formal, professional text at the top of the page could possibly be the first visual aspect at the top of the hierarchy. However, the size and content of the picture below this text is immediately eye catching. Purposely, the newspaper want to sell copies for their headlining story, therefore the picture will be enlarged by the designer for it to take the position of top of the hierarchy. Where images and photos are not so self-explanatory the use of text will become vital. The text will take the position at the top of the visual hierarchy and be bold, and attention grabbing. Likewise, if there is an image that is self-explanatory then text may not be necessary. In some situations such as the anti-smoking pregnant advert shown in lecture, the text could just be minimized to still add information that could be useful to a concerned or interested party, but it is far down in the Visual Hierarchy. Other design devices that create visual hierarchy are the specific typography; is it subtle, thin, bold, and what is it’s tone of voice? Also, colour; how much black text is necessary on the white background to make it appear bold enough to grab your attention? Why use a blue banner at the bottom, when yellow will come across as a warning colour and may grab the audiences attention more easily.
