- In graphic design, there are principles of design
that can be considered,
which we can keep in mind in order to develop
and create successful design.
These principles all have a relationship between each other
and appear in every well-designed piece of work you see.
Understanding and harnessing design principles
will enable you to create good visual communication
and design in a variety of ways
to make specific, appropriate, and meaningful impressions.
This is what typically separates good design
from bad design.
In a previous video,
I discussed the design principle hierarchy.
And in that video,
we looked at the key ways hierarchy can be achieved
in poster design.
In poster design,
hierarchy can be achieved in a variety of ways
using contrast in layers,
contrast in scale, contrast in color,
contrast in space and contrast in direction.
Now, it's important to mention
that these techniques don't have to be used exclusively
as some can be used together to develop a clear hierarchy
in your design.
In this video,
we are going to look at one of the key ways
to achieve hierarchy in poster designs.
I'm going to take you through a quick presentation
where we can look at some examples
of how hierarchy can be achieved
using contrast in scale in poster design
and the lessons we can learn to incorporate
into our own designs.
So, let's get into it.
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Okay, so let's take a look at how contrast in scale
can help develop visual hierarchy.
Now, a quick recap,
hierarchy is created by contrast between visual elements
and a composition.
Contrast helps distinguish elements from each other,
which helps with legibility.
Typically visual elements with the highest contrast
are noticed first and so on.
And one of the key ways to achieve contrast
in poster design is with scale.
So scale is one of the most straightforward
and common approaches to establish hierarchy
in a composition.
If one element is bigger than another,
then naturally it'll be more legible
and there is a higher chance this will attract the eye first
and be seen before anything else.
Scale is one of the most practical techniques
when establishing hierarchy.
Depending on your approach,
contrast in scale can be used to create simplicity
or complexity.
In some posters, an image is the largest visual element
in a composition, which creates the primary hook.
This grabs the attention of the eye first,
and once noticed,
one will move to neighboring visual elements
that are smaller and so on.
Here are some examples where an image
has been used as the largest element in the composition
to grab our attention.
When an image is used as the primary hook,
the secondary hook and supportive elements
like type, shape, or iconography,
can be placed at the top or sometimes at the bottom
or even around.
In each instance, image is the main point of focus first,
to which after we acknowledge the image,
we then move onto the smaller neighboring elements.
Now, this is one of the most common
poster design approaches.
Images can speak a thousand words.
So naturally placing large images as the primary hook
works well to catch the attention first.
In such posters, the image will do all the hard work
and any other visual elements such as type or shape
will support and work around them not to compete too much.
In these examples, it's clear to see the hierarchy.
In every example,
our eye is drawn to the largest visual element.
So the difficulty level for this technique is easy.
So, it's very common for a poster
to include a dominant image as the primary hook
supported by type and shape elements.
Though sometimes a poster may decide to use type
as the primary hook,
or perhaps only include type and no image at all.
When this occurs, it's the contrast in scale
and layering of the type elements
that determines the hierarchy.
Here are some examples where type is used
as the primary hook.
Typically it's the largest and most clear type element
that attracts the eye first,
and the scale of neighboring supportive elements
that leads our eye onwards through the composition.
Now, this approach is less conventional
and far more technical to develop.
Unlike the fairly straightforward approach we just saw,
where type works to support a larger image,
here type is the dominant element
and can include multiple type faces, weights, and sizes,
and if done well, can create more dynamic compositions.
Working with this approach opens up a lot more possibilities
and requires more skill and experience with type
to get the right balance.
Here we can see how this has been done with great effect.
So the difficulty level for this technique is challenging.
Overall in each example,
it's clear to see how hierarchy has been achieved.
In almost every example,
your eye is drawn to the largest type element.
So, in conclusion,
one of the most straightforward techniques
to achieve a clear sense of visual hierarchy
is to use contrast in scale.
Scale and care will be required
when working with image and type in your design
to get the right balance.
So, what can we learn?
Well, without taking care to establish
a clear visual hierarchy,
a design will be confusing and difficult to comprehend.
Using scale is one of the most practical techniques
to establish visual hierarchy in your design,
and there are a variety of approaches you can take.
Using image can be straightforward,
however, if using only type, this can be more challenging.
If managed carefully,
one can create dynamic and exciting poster designs
with impact.
So, in application,
when you're designing posters or anything for that matter,
be sure to consider contrast in scale
to establish a clear hierarchy.
Also, when you look and observe other designs,
ask yourself, how has hierarchy been considered?
Is there a clear sense of hierarchy?
How have they used contrast in scale in their design
to achieve it?
And how well does it work as part of the design?
Well, I hope you enjoyed this design theory lesson,
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like this in future.
Now, this lesson is part of a bigger series of poster design
and part of my poster design ebook.
If you want to take a closer look
at the examples I demonstrated in this video
and learn more about poster design
with tutorials on how to make a poster design
and undertake a poster design challenge,
you could invest in the poster design ebook,
link is in the description.
Now, this video was created for all my members
of the GDS Design School Community.
If you would like to join the GDS Design School Community
where we chat about design,
give each other feedback,
and where I set design challenges,
you are all welcome to join for free,
again, link is in the description
and I look forward to seeing you there.
So until my next design lesson,
unleash your creativity and I'll see you next time.
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