Okuzeka
Graphic Design vocabulary · Design Principles

Visual hierarchy

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˌvɪʒuəl ˈhaɪərɑːrki/nounCore term

In graphic design, visual hierarchy means: The order in which people notice and read the parts of a design, created with size, colour, contrast, position and spacing, so the most important message is seen first.

In Turkish: görsel hiyerarşi, görsel öncelik sırası

How it is used

A key term in critiques, briefs and design rationales. A layout has a clear, strong, weak or confusing visual hierarchy; you establish or improve it. People often just say hierarchy.

Example sentences

  1. Right now the date and the headline are the same size, so the visual hierarchy is unclear.

  2. Good visual hierarchy guides the reader from the headline to the offer and then to the button.

Common collocations

  • clear visual hierarchy
  • establish a visual hierarchy
  • improve the hierarchy
  • typographic hierarchy
  • contrastA clear difference between elements, for example dark and light, big and small or thick and thin, used to attract attention and make text and shapes easy to see.
  • focal pointThe part of a design that attracts the eye first and holds attention, often created with size, colour, contrast or position.
  • scaleThe size of an element compared with other elements or with the whole design. Changing scale creates contrast, drama and a clear order of importance.
  • headlineThe main line of large text at the top of an advert, article, poster or web page, written and designed to catch attention first.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Design Principles

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: