Have you ever landed on a website and felt completely lost, not knowing where to look or what to do first? This could mean that the site is missing an important element of design—visual hierarchy. 

Visual hierarchy plays a key role in your web design, as it helps guide users through a page’s content in a logical, intuitive way. It also helps draw attention to the most important elements of a website so users can quickly find what they’re looking for.

So, what is visual hierarchy? Simply put, it’s a set of design principles that help prioritize certain elements in your layout, arranging content by order of importance and dictating the order in which the human eye perceives information.

Visual hierarchy draws inspiration from the Gestalt principle—our mind's desire to create order from disorder. By nature, we love to make patterns and group elements into a unified whole. This helps us better adjust to and understand our environment. 

Why is this important for design? Without a well-planned layout, a design can feel cluttered and confusing, causing viewers to disengage and miss critical information. The goal is to create an organized layout with clear pathways from top to bottom and left to right. By strategically and logically arranging these elements, user behavior is influenced and leads to the desired objective. (like buying your product!) 

Remember, how you present information can be just as important as the information itself.

Principles of Visual Hierarchy in Web Design

Visual hierarchy in web design is full of complex ideas and involves many principles, but we’ve broken down some of the basics for you below!

The Principles

• Color & Contrast
• Size & Similarity
• Repetition & Continuation
• Symmetry & Alignment
• Proximity
• Whitespace (so important that it holds its own)

There are several techniques you can use to enhance your website’s layout with these principles. Here’s how!

1. Color & Contrast: A well-placed pop of color is a powerful tool to add visual interest to an otherwise ordinary design. Use color and contrast to set the tone for each page and gear attention toward key elements. Colors have different emotional associations depending on their use—you can find out more about using color in your design here. 
2. Size & Similarity: Use size to distinguish different elements on your page and guide user attention. Similarly-sized elements will visually group together while larger elements demand more attention. Experiment with font styles and sizes to create emphasis and add weight to certain text over others.
   
3. Repetition & Continuation: Incorporate repetitive elements in your layout to establish patterns. This creates visual connections between different parts of your design and aids users in perceiving the page with ease. Continuation is key as it draws attention from one area to another, leading the eye from one point to the next.
4. Symmetry & Alignment: Give your design a clear structure and properly aligned visuals by implementing a grid system for each page. Grids will not only provide balance and alignment to your elements, but they'll help you create a structured layout that will make your site's content legible and easy-to-follow.
5. Proximity: Group related elements together to create a spacious, organized design. Grouping together like elements helps you minimize distractions and keep users focused while further apart elements signify separation or lack of connection.
6. Whitespace: White space, or negative space, is just as important as the design elements themselves. Not only does it create balance and focus, but it provides the perfect backdrop to help your content shine. Proper use of white space impacts readability of a design and adds breathing room to your layout.

By incorporating these visual hierarchy techniques into your web design, you can ensure that your layout is easy-to-follow and aesthetically pleasing. Get started today by leveraging the principles of visual hierarchy and create a website that makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. 

Looking for professional help? Fill out the form below and let our experts help you create an exceptional layout and design! Whether revamping an existing model or starting something new, we'll guide you every step of the way. Happy Designing!