Visual hierarchy is the principle of arranging elements to show their order of importance.
It Helps the viewer see
what the author wants them to see first and helps the author control visual information. Hierarchy is the control of
visual information in an arrangement or presentation to imply importance. Hierarchy influences the order in which
the human eye perceives what it sees.
Hierarchy is typically created by contrast between visual elements in a composition. Typically visual elements with
higher contrast are noticed first. Using hierarchy, we can control how a viewer engages with information to ensure
that it is navigated and digested in the intendent way.
In design, hierarchy is used to:
Add structure
Create visual organisation
Create direction
Add emphasis
Help a viewer navigate and digest information easily
By understanding hierarchy and how It works, you can create art that are more likely to appeal to your audience.
Manipulating hierarchy in art is a good way to show how the elements of your work interact together, calling
attention to the most important elements and minimizing the focus on other, less-critical ones.
Color
Most often, bright colors attract the eyes and keep the viewer's attention. Sometimes, this is a relatively subtle
effect: one specific item that is only a little brighter than the others or is a different color from others. Other times,
you may use a dramatic effect: one pop of color in an otherwise gray or mono-color piece, for example.
Size
Large objects are more likely to take on more attention in the viewer's mind than smaller elements. Sometimes, you
may want to highlight specific parts of your design by making them larger than the others.
Alignment
elements that aren’t aligned stand out over aligned ones.
The position of an item in your design can help draw attention to it. For example, you might use the rule of thirds to
make a specific element of the design pop out.
Repetition
By using a similar pattern or object over and over, you increase its importance and draw more attention to it.
Through repetition, you can emphasize certain specific elements of your design.
Proximity
Keeping items close to one another in your design may show that they're related. By placing text next to an image,
for example, you usually show that the text is related to the image. placing two pieces side-by-side may cause the
audience to connect or compare those elements, depending on the design element and how they are emphasized in
other ways. When we begin to place shapes together we create a particular relationship between them.
White Space
Using white space, or blank space, around a particular part of a design element often draws more attention to it.
Effective use of white space can help establish importance in your design. on the other hand, if its not enoth of whity
space it can pull elements of the design together.
Texture and Style
Richer textures stand out over flat ones.You could create a strong contrast between smooth and rough textures. To create
a sense of depth in your painting by using rough texture in the foreground and smooth texture in the background. To create a
stronger contrast between your lights and darks by using thick paint for your lights and thin paint for your darks.
