For this project I created compositions that have a clearly defined visual hierarchy. I accomplished this through the use of color, shape, and the positioning of graphic elements. We were also asked to include a line element in the composition so I decided to use the type itself for this. I didn’t set out with any particular plan regarding the phrase. I just knew I wanted something attention-grabbing and meaningful. As with the previous typeface project this phrase popped into my mind so I went with it. My plan was to create designs that are visually striking for a viewer that can’t read/understand the text.  I also wanted the pieces to effectively communicate the message without containing specific elements from its theme. I knew I needed a bold design to match the bold statement, so for the color scheme I chose black, white, and red. Black and white because they are high contrast and effectively differentiate the background and foreground elements. And red I chose as an emphasis color to draw the viewer’s eye to the foreground. I use the red throughout these compositions to control where the viewer’s eye will go first. I experimented with different fonts, eventually choosing Elephant for the foreground phrase and MS PMincho for the background phrase. Elephant is a thick, bold typeface that draws attention. The MS PMincho has a similar style but is thinner and shorter than the Elephant. Throughout this project, I used the contrast in the size, shape, and color of the typefaces to control the visual hierarchy of the design elements.  

After using the crop tool to remove the sides from the composition, I ended up with a 3-inch by 4 inch format rather than the suggested 4-inch by 5-inch, but the size ratio is the same, and I stuck with it for the rest of my compositions. While I used composition 1 as a starting point for the other designs, I explored a variety of fonts, formats, and layouts.

Composition 2

In the first composition the type didn’t create as much of a line as I had intended. So for the second piece I tried to emphasize the linear aspect of the design. I used the free transform tool to flatten the main text. I then used the type tool to create a small line of text across the top of the composition with Alte Haas Grotesk font. Next I used the grid to position the line, and after flattening the image, used a copy selection to fill a gap in the text line. Once it was placed to my liking I copied the entire line and mirrored it on the bottom half of the canvas. The two smaller text lines really unify the piece and also give it a sense of movement.

Composition 3

This one I actually did last, using elements and ideas from compositions 4 and 5. For this design I wanted to use the text elements solely as lines.  I experimented with different sizes and placements of the text to most effectively represent two lines crossing. The foreground phrase crosses over the background one, adding to its (the primary’s) focus as the foreground element.

Composition 4 

Composition 5

For both 4 and 5 I switched to a vertical format and started from scratch. I worked on them both at the same time. Click here to see a video of my design process from start to finish for these. I stuck with Elephant font for the primary phrase but switched to Alte Hass Grotesk font for the white background phrase. I started out by stacking the text in a vertical format and then adjusted the word placement and letter sizes as I went along.  

Conclusion

I achieved a visual hierarchy  and progression in all of these compositions by effectively using color and shape to differentiate between the different graphic elements and also to control the path of the eye. Red is a warm color and tends bring elements to the foreground. This is why I used it for the primary phrase. I also used a larger, bolder font for the primary/foreground phrase, letting the white, less imposing font of the secondary phrase dictate its place in the compositions. In some pieces I overlapped the  text to emphasize the hierarchal progression of the background and foreground phrases. Overall all I feel I sucessfully created a progression in all of the compositions. And although the words/letters in all of these pieces are mixed together, the contrast of their color and shape makes the different phrases both legible and logical, while drawing the viewer’s attention.