Portrait
Can support an ascending or descending reading sequence. Check the available space and the distance to neighbouring elements.
01 / A poster needs one main thought
Start by writing one sentence: What should someone understand after a brief glance? An announcement, a personal image and an explanatory overview perform different tasks. When everything seems equally important at once, the design often lacks a recognisable direction.
Write down the information you need and mark exactly one main message. Order supporting information according to when it should be read. A design may contain little text. But it should not accidentally omit the information that makes its purpose understandable.
What sticks when someone only glances at it?
02 / Size is only one of your tools
Hierarchy comes from differences in size, position, contrast and spacing. Begin by trying a single typeface family and a few clearly distinguishable sizes. This reveals whether the organisation works without extra effects.
TOPICA clear
main message.
main message.
A supporting sentence explains the context.
DETAILS ARE READ ONLY AFTER THAT.The typographic example is a free study. Apply its sequence, not necessarily its appearance. A quiet photographic subject needs a different arrangement from text-heavy information. Check whether the intended visual path and the actual reading direction agree.
03 / The wall is part of the design
Landscape
Provides room for content placed side by side. A long line does not automatically become easier to read, however.
Square
Requires deliberate weighting within a balanced basic shape. Symmetry is an option, not an obligation.
Measure the intended location. Frame, margin and surroundings change the effect. A small screen shows a design under different conditions from a wall viewed from several metres away.
04 / Clarify requirements before exporting
Print files need specific requirements from the relevant print provider. Clarify the size, required margins, suitable file formats, colour requirements and treatment of fonts or images before the final export. General figures do not replace appropriate production specifications.
- Does the document size match the intended finished size?
- Is important content placed sufficiently far from the edge?
- Are the images suitable for the planned size?
- May the fonts, photos and other designs be used in this way?
- Has the exported file been reopened and checked in full?
For actual production, agree the chosen materials and production conditions with the responsible print provider. Keep the confirmed specifications together with the final file.
05 / A trial makes spacing visible
Try showing a design at its intended size or with an understandable scale reference. Step back and check the main message first. Then read the details close up. Note where you had to search or what attracted attention too early. Then change one decision deliberately, rather than rearranging everything at once.
Contact
Which design decision do you find particularly difficult? Email us with a general question about hierarchy, format or print preparation.
