Generally typographic hierarchy refers to different faces, weights and sizes of typefaces and how they structure documents by separating sections which together visually communicate in order to point on crucial information. When we look back at the history of typography we can see that European typographers developed typefaces in different sizes and scales and those are sizes we are familiar with even today. Six points through seventy two points type remained the same for over the hundred years, and those are default font sizes in many applications. So these default sizes remained the same for one reason: they are proven to be the most pleasing for the eyes. Nowadays when we use modern applications, we are allowed to set character heights which doesn’t have to be related to this default scale however it is more likely to loose a harmony.
Let’s get back to the basic hierarchy
elements. If we have a text with no hierarchy, reader is forced to read the
whole text in order to find wanted information. Probably the one small number
of them will have a patience and will to read the whole text but I think the
majority will simply skip it. The title or heading
should be defined by using large text. An intro
can be set in next largest text size as it provides the information which
are found on that page. Subheadings
are there to help us make a better selection and pick the relevant information
quickly. They can use the same typeface as a copy text but be bolder, larger or
in different colour or it can use the same font as heading. The Body or copy text represents the majority of
text on a page.
I found this blog http://www.freddesign.co.uk/2011/05/archive/good-typography-an-introduction-to-hierarchy/
very useful so I am going to base it its content. Here are the images of text
with and without hierarchy.
With evenly spread information reader’s
eyes will follow this example above. They will start with the left corner and will
continue with section 2 and work down to the section 3 and then will go back to
right corner toward the section 4. This is a general simplified rule which
doesn’t have to work in every case. Generally right hand page is usually the
first one to be looked at.
Larger text size usually will be read first.
It is important not to have too many text size because it can look
disconnecting and messy.
Consistency is another important thing
which affect readability and help picking the information. Consistency helps
reader to identify elements such as subheadings or links.
Certain colours are considered more legible
like red on white background or yellow on black background while yellow on a
white background provides the less legibility.
Contrast also helps readers to focus on
important elements so darker object will draw more attention so it can help to
emphasize certain typographical elements.
Negative space also plays important role
when it comes to focusing on particular elements because it draws eyes on small
elements making it to stand out more.
Breaking the alignment with information
can be a way to emphasize its importance. It is often seen in newspaper design.
No comments:
Post a Comment