In a world filled with information, your visual communication is fighting for the attention of a busy recipient. And especially for technical B2B companies, where complex information often needs to be conveyed quickly and accurately, it's crucial that your visual expression works for you - not against you. This is where hierarchy in graphic design plays a key role.
But what does it really mean and how do you make it work best across your digital channels?
Visual hierarchy is basically about structuring your design to support the information you want the reader to focus on first. In other words, it's a conscious management of how the eye moves across your communication - whether it's on the website, in a brochure, via infographics or PowerPoint slides.
When done right, it helps guide the user naturally through your message without confusion. When done wrong, you risk the recipient skipping important information - or leaving the page altogether.
Especially for tech companies, this is important. You're not selling emotions or impulse buys. You sell knowledge, trust, long-term solutions - and often complex products. That's why your visual expression needs to support that.
Let's zoom in on some of the concrete tools you can use to work with visual hierarchy in your graphic materials:
The most obvious - and often most effective - lever is the size of the elements. What you want to draw the most attention to should be the biggest. It's not just about headlines and body text, but also images, icons and CTAs (Call to Actions).
A large main message draws the eye. A smaller accompanying text explains details. And even smaller text - maybe a footnote - supports with extra info. You lead the eye naturally from the most important to the less important.
Colour affects our attention and legibility. A button with high contrast against the background automatically becomes more eye-catching. A grey text against a white background, on the other hand, risks disappearing.
It's also about using the colour palette consciously. You should reserve your primary colours for the most important information - and protect them from overuse. A bright blue button should not be repeated ten times on one page.
Humans read in patterns. Either from left to right - in the classic “F-pattern” - or in a Z-shape where they first scan across the top, diagonally down and again across the bottom.
This means you should place the most important things at the top left - or in the centre at the start of the reading direction. CTAs and essential messages should therefore not be tucked away at the bottom or bottom right without clear visual guidance.
Font choice does much more than determine how your text looks. It creates mood and hierarchy. A solid sans serif font in bold often works well for headlines, while a lighter serif font can work for body text.
The combination of size, weight and line spacing helps guide the eye through the text. Don't use too many different fonts - it will only cause confusion. Two are usually enough: one for headings and one for body text.
The more complex information you have - the more important it is to have air and balance. White space is not wasted space. It's what creates calm and clarity between sections and messages.
As a tech company, you probably have a lot to say. But that reinforces the need to cut to the chase and create space for the recipient to absorb and understand the visual signal in your graphic layout.
Imagine you have to present a new solution on your website. You have a technical datasheet, a few product images, a short introduction and a contact form.
The hierarchy here isn't just aesthetic - it improves the user experience and increases the likelihood that the important actions will actually get done.
Although graphical hierarchy seems simple, there are several pitfalls that many companies fall into:
Is the information organised logically and clearly? Is there a clear focus element that quickly conveys value? Does the eye move naturally from point to point - without resistance?
If the answer is no, then you can probably get more out of your communication by focusing on hierarchy.
In tech companies, we often see that design is judged on aesthetics. But aesthetics without function doesn't get results. The visual hierarchy should help the customer understand the essence and take an active stance - not just look pretty in a brand manual.
A good hierarchical layout ensures that:
It's easier - and cheaper - to design with hierarchy from the start than trying to fix it afterwards. It also gives your developers and marketing colleagues a better foundation to build on - whether we're talking about websites, newsletters, LinkedIn posts or product brochures.
In our experience, hierarchy is one of the simplest but most overlooked design principles. That's why we always include it as an active part of the dialogue with our customers when we develop digital solutions, campaign sites and visual identities.
It's not necessarily about adding more - it's about structuring what you already have in a smarter way. With a strong visual hierarchy, your communication will have a clearer direction, higher readability and better conversion.
Do you want to take your visual expression to the next level and ensure that both function and aesthetics work together? We'd love to talk to you about how you can optimise your graphic solutions for your target audience. Both digitally and analogue.
Do you have a project you would like to discuss with us, or would you like to hear how we can help you achieve better results?
Contact us to learn more about the possibilities.
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