Understanding Visual Hierarchy in Design

Visual hierarchy is the arrangement of elements in a design that aims to guide the viewer’s attention and communicate the intended message firmly. It involves structuring content so that the most important information stands out first, while supporting details follow naturally. In PDF design, visual hierarchy is especially important, as it ensures that viewers can easily navigate the document, even if it contains dense content or multiple sections. By using design principles like size, contrast, alignment, and spacing, designers can create layouts that are both visually appealing and functional.

Expressa’s tools make implementing these principles straightforward,thereby aiding designers in getting a high-quality job done with little sweat. In this guide, we’ll tell you all you need to know about visual hierarchy, and along the way, how to achieve it with Expressa!

The Role of Size and Scale in Hierarchy

When it comes to organizing content by means of creating a structure through hierarchy, size is among the most effective tools to use. Enlarging elements is the best way to concentrate attention on the most important parts, such as headlines, titles, or key visual points. For example, the title is usually the largest text element, immediately highlighting the purpose of the document. Subheadings, which are slightly smaller, help divide content into digestible sections, while body text is kept at a readable but less dominant size.

In Expressa, size adjustments can be easily made using the settings available for every element. The font size in Expressa can be changed in the options for the text, which you can get to by clicking on your text. This makes all the options appear in the right-hand panel. (Learn more about fonts in Expressa here)

Similarly, Expressa’s grid/row based layout system ensures that larger elements like headers fit seamlessly into the design, maintaining balance without manual adjustments. (Learn more about Expressa’s grid/row system here)

Contrast Matters

Contrast is, in simple terms, when two elements/things are very different to one another in one or more aspects. Contrast helps distinguish elements from one another, ensuring that the most important information stands out, which is a big step in establishing hierarchy. For example, using a bold font for headlines while keeping body text lighter creates an immediate visual distinction. Similarly, using a color for one element that contrasts the color you used for most of your design will make it immediately stand out, therefore putting it “higher” in terms of visual hierarchy. Keeping everything the same color, size, font, etc., can come off as boring and can even make content become bothersome to read. Contrast helps make things interesting. Contrast can be achieved through color, typography, or weight differences.

Now when we mention weight, we are referring to the perceived visual importance of an element in a composition. Larger, darker, or more vibrant elements naturally carry more weight or seem heavier in a way, drawing attention to themselves.

Expressa provides several tools for creating contrast. Designers can apply color to every element, using the predefined colors or the color picker. Also, the ability to add background colors and gradients, as well as its border options help you with creating contrast between elements in a design. For instance, a title in a dark, bold color over a lighter background will pop and immediately catch the viewer’s eye. (Find these options, which are available for almost all elements, with the same steps that we mentioned earlier for changing font colors.)

Pro tip: Having knowledge about color theory can be of great service when you want to achieve visual hierarchy. (Learn more about colors here)

Alignment and Structure in Hierarchy

Alignment plays a significant role in maintaining a clean and organized layout, which is crucial for reinforcing visual hierarchy. Elements that align consistently are easier for the viewer to follow, creating a logical flow of information. Center alignment is ideal for emphasizing standalone elements, such as titles or images, while left or right alignment can create structure for body text or lists. Avoid using many different types of alignment in a single design, remember that it’s always a safe bet to keep things consistent.

In Expressa, alignment is managed through its row and grid/row based system. This ensures that all elements, from text to images, align neatly within predefined spaces, eliminating the risk of extremely misaligned content. Henceforth, your content won’t be all over the place. However, you should still tweak settings to achieve the optimal professional look and get the most out of Expressa. Align elements how you wish in the settings of a “container” type of element - the element where you placed content. This can be a header, footer, section, grid or table. (Learn more about headers and footers here)

Using Spacing and Negative Space

White space, or negative space, is the area around and between design elements. While it might seem like just empty space, negative space is an active design element that creates breathing room. It also helps emphasize important content by isolating it from surrounding elements. Take for example; generous spacing around a headline or image can draw attention to it, while tightly packed huge amounts of content can make people feel almost claustrophobic.

Expressa simplifies the management of negative space through its spacer and margin/padding tools. Spacers can be added between elements to create intentional gaps, helping to separate sections and improve readability. To do that, simply click “add item” and choose “spacer”, or click the plus in the right hand corner of the right panel when you have opened the options for the element underneath which you want your spacer to be placed. Again, padding and margin controls within Expressa allow designers to adjust the space around individual elements, such as text boxes or images, for further refinement. (Learn more about adding margins to your designs here)

To sum it all up, whether you’re creating a brochure, catalog, or report, or any design for that matter, a thoughtful approach to visual hierarchy will ensure that your content comes across as high quality and well-thought-out.

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