Discussion Point 1: Visual Hierarchy and Grids

Discussion Point 1: Visual Hierarchy and Grids

Jaye Valery 

In the modern world of magazine publication, an effective use of visual hierarchy and grids are essential for this competitive industry in order to attain an audience’s attention long enough for their publications to be bought. Since the emergence of digital technologies, “fashion’s” print media has been able to evolve by becoming a lot more experimental and unique with their use of engaging visual hierarchies and complex grid systems.

Visual hierarchy and grids provide any design with a backbone to sustain visual aesthetics. With the rise of digital technologies comes the evolution of visual hierarchy and grid systems. Advancements in program technology such as InDesign and Acrobat aid designers with a “specialized palette of tools” that can structure, edit, enhance, and visualize an entire magazine within a few precise clicks of a mouse. The Design outcomes produced by this technology are endless and have allowed publication design to become more visual, free and unconstrained.

In comparison to the advancement of such technologies, the traditional method of letterpress constrained aesthetic possibilities due to the strict arrangement of type and limited degree of colour and format. The grid that was used tended to be just vertical, horizontal and centered. Due to its limitations, I applaud this method of printing because it relied solely on the arrangement of text to grab the audience’s attention. Traditional letterpress had a much more constrained form of visual hierarchy and grid systems. Font weight, typeface and leading were worked up and set with precision and expertise. To gain an audiences attention, letterpress relied on a critical selection of colour and typeface, unlike the endless textures, graphics, motifs, illustration and photographs designers can add to a page to make it striking.

Figure 1

Figure 2

The evolution of the famous fashion publication, Harper’s Bazaar, effectively demonstrates the impact of technology on development of visual hierarchy and grid systems. In figure one, published in the late 1860’s, the constraints of letterpress resulted in a regimented grid layout and a systematic hierarchy of information.  In figure two, new digital technologies allow for grids to have more flow, for typography and colour to enhance visual hierarchy and the incorporation of an eye-catching image to which a grid can mould around to create a piece of publication delight.