Create a visual hierarchy that guides the viewer to understand the sequence of the artwork. It’s comparable to giving the viewer a story for their eyes. To do this there are 6 essential steps to follow.

Create a focus point

Names, branding, and other important details can be strategically highlighted with colour to draw immediate attention to them with split seconds of viewing it. Some colours have more of an impact than others to achieve this result. Red, for instance, is considered a strong and defined colour especially when used in contract i.e. a darker background.

Space

Define what is important to look at and give it the breathing space it merits to fully absorb its potential. Typography, for instance, works very well in this scenario however this can also be applied to illustrations, symbols and shapes.

Typeface

There are 3 levels of fonts that can be used in an artwork, to generate a hierarchy with the typography of choice. Using a script font for a professional financial banner will jar, for the simple reason that the font is speaking an entirely different language to what the company is trying to sell. A secondary font can also be introduced, one that contrasts but doesn’t conflict the important text. You can also use the same font and introduce different elements of the font family to create the distinction you desire.

<3 negative space

this is such an important subject which is commonly ignored for the sake of giving information, only lose the main message of an artwork.  Negative space is the ‘unused’ space on a spread, it gives the composition room to breathe and helps guide the viewer in lesser time.

Alignment

Organise your information on the page so that at first glance this is inviting to read. Today’s generation has quickly become known to have less and less patience to stop and read a full article. A structured approach to such information will increase your chance of having the article read.

Contrast

A little contrast never hurt anybody, adding a little spice of colour or tagline that truly represents the company’s ‘alter ego’ so to speak. Contrast can take many forms: through colour choice, typeface style, pattern, temperature, saturation, and value. It also keeps the design from appearing monotonous and flat.