2/6/2017 15 Golden Principles of Visual Hierarchy (& Why You Need it) [Infographic]

By: Melissa Smith on June 17th, 2016

15 Golden Principles of Visual

Hierarchy (& Why You Need it)
[Infographic]
DESIGN | STRATEGY

Visual hierarchy is one of the most important principles behind an eภective

web design.

In design, it is important to establish a focal point on a page. This gives your

visitor a place to start navigating your website and showing them where the
most important information is. It oภers guidance and helps communicate
what you want them to do next (i.e. where to convert).  

In Luke Wroblewski’s Communication with Visual Hierarchy, he states the

end goal of visual hierarchy is to quickly communicate to the visitor the
following:

What is this? (usefulness)

How do I use it? (usability)
Why should I care? (desirability)

When we use visual hierarchy we make it easier for visitors to ภnd what
they’re looking for. It creates a clear path to conversion and helps highlight
the actions we want the visitor to take.

The infographic below from DesignMantic lists 15 golden principles of

hierarchy, which, in the end, should help you reach your inbound marketing
and web design goals. Let’s talk a little bit more about them:

1. Focal Point
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2/6/2017 15 Golden Principles of Visual Hierarchy (& Why You Need it) [Infographic]

The focal point is an area of interest within a composition that captures and
holds the viewer’s attention. In web design, this is usually an important call-
to-action or form.

2. Movement

The human eye is drawn automatically to certain points of interest. While this
depends on the person, the majority of people tend to follow trends, including
how they view a website.

There are two types of reading patterns for cultures that read left to right: the
Z-Pattern and the F-Pattern. Aligning your design/text with these movement
patterns can help your content be better received. If your visitor isn’t moving
the way you want them to, A/B testing layouts that follow these patterns can
be a huge plus.

3. Golden Ratio

TutsPlus deภned it best, saying “the Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio,

commonly found in nature, and used in classical design theory to create
balanced compositions.” Simply put, it’s layout reminiscent of a spiral. You
can see it present in ภowers and seashells here.

4. Balance

In terms of design, balance is when elements are symmetrical. It creates

harmony, order, and cohesion. On the other hand, you can have asymmetry
and that can lead to visually interesting results in return.

5. Repetition

Repetition is great to represent relative importance. For example, take if all

your headings or subheadings are made a certain size and color. The user will
likely see a pattern and give it meaning. Same goes for links within the text
and calls-to-action.

6. White space

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2/6/2017 15 Golden Principles of Visual Hierarchy (& Why You Need it) [Infographic]

White space, in web design terms, is “the space between graphics, columns,
images, text, margins and other elements.”

It’s one of the most important design tools because it dictates how a page
ภows and reads and helps with your visual hierarchy. It helps give your
visitors time to breath so to speak and helps certain elements stand out.

7. Visual Triangle

A visual triangle is when you use three elements to create a “triangle” around
content that you want to emphasize. It’s a common design technique used in
scrapbooking. Learn more about it here.

8. Texture

Add some texture to help minimize negative space. Adding a texture to empty
space can be used to strategically attract a visitor’s attention.

9. Types

Not only does the right typeface help with the typographic hierarchy and help
organize your design, but stylistic choices help to contribute to the design’s
overall mood and are a natural way to create emphasis. For example, pairing a
decorative font with a simpler sans-serif is a great way to establish visual
diภerences and importance between text.

10. Random

Sometimes going against the pattern and being random can work in your
favor, but randomness has to be calculated. You cannot just start throwing
elements on a design without any speciภc reason. Use it strategically.
Breaking from your usual design or template is a very eภective to draw
attention to speciภc items and stand out.

11. Rules

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Standard dimensions, templates, grids; these are all here to guide you, but
you don’t always have to follow these “rules.” Breaking them is one of the
easiest ways to create visual interest and attract attention.

12. Alignment

As mentioned above, using a grid to help keep your elements aligned helps
keep things organized and also makes your website easier to develop and
adapt to multiple devices. 

13. Lines

As we know from heat maps, most western visitors follow the trend of
reading left to right. Don’t make your visitor's eye jump all over the place,
keep it in a straight line.

14. Contrast

Contrast can consist of the following elements; colors, textures, shapes,

direction, or size. It is one of the easiest ways to create visual importance and
tell people what to look at one a page. Think bright red or orange call-to-
action.

15. Rule of Thirds

This is a simple technique where you divide up your design into three rows
and three columns. The point where your vertical and horizontal lines meet is
where your focal points should be.

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2/6/2017 15 Golden Principles of Visual Hierarchy (& Why You Need it) [Infographic]

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2/6/2017 15 Golden Principles of Visual Hierarchy (& Why You Need it) [Infographic]

Courtesy of: Designmantic.com

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