Design principles 101: Hierarchy

As part of Shabaqo Academy, we are starting an interesting series called Design principles 101. These design principles will help you learn how elements of the design interact and how implementing them is the key to creating engaging visuals.

In a few articles, we will go through major elements of the design and clarify its purpose with a variety of examples. So, stay tuned and follow up on the rest of the Design principles series here.

What are the design principles?

Design principles are sort of techniques that designers must be aware of when creating a specific visual. By adding specific elements, the visual gets structure and conveys visual messages.

The principles consist of: hierarchy, contrast, balance, emphasis, proportion, repetition, rhythm, pattern, white space, movement, variety, and unity.

The designer needs to understand and implement these design principles so they can create more attractive and efficient visuals. If you are a beginner, these will help you get an overall understanding of how to make your message attract and intrigue within the final product.

Design principle: Hierarchy

Hierarchy, when it comes to design, refers to the position of the elements in the design from the most important to the least important. With hierarchy, the elements are placed to bring attention to the most important part of the message. This can be done with several versions within one design. The most important thing to focus on is what you are trying to achieve.

For example, color is highly important and is a great way to place things in order. Shades of yellow, orange, red, green, purple, and blue are great color choices to grab a user’s attention. In some cases, if your design is black and white, you can make the message clearer by choosing the third brighter one to mark the importance of the message.

Another important element is size. The larger something is on the design, the more important the element it is. It is the first thing someone will notice on it.

Now, as the designer, you can play around with font sizes, images sizes, or logos.  However, you need to keep in mind that the more important some element is, the larger it should be. As an example, the biggest tech companies use this technique to attract sales when launching new phones or laptops.

Watch this Samsung phone launch campaign. You will notice that all single frames and the cover itself always have the main focal point on the phone and it is in the center of attention.

As with visuals, the same principle is applied to text. Most designs will have 3 different sizes of text (main heading, subheading, and smaller paragraphic text) to point out the importance of the message itself. You will also find them highlighting specific words within it, to point it out even more.

Here is an example of a very simple post we created for our social media that can help you see the difference when all 3 different text sizes are applied.

Explore design possibilities

Although, design principles are a great foundation for a successful design, don’t forget to explore new boundaries and explore a vast array of design possibilities. Inspiration has no limits, and neither should your imagination. In the end, keep in mind that a well-designed product or service should be easy to understand, easy to use, and should have a clear purpose. It should be aesthetically pleasing and have a high level of visual understanding.

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

– Steve Jobs

Find out more about design principles

We hope that this article and the series help you understand the design principles even more. You can follow all the articles here.

We will be back with a new article next week. Until then, leave us a comment below, and feel free to suggest topics you would like us to discuss! ✌️