SR3 Visual Hierarchies

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Design is all about visual communication. To be an effective designer you have to be able to clearly communicate your ideas to viewers or else lose their attention. If you give readers a massive block of information most likely they won't bother to read it. The information that is organised with a hierarchy in mind will always be effective at communicating than unorganised information. 
Cosmopolitan magazine from the 1970s till now is an example of how visual hierarchy and grid has evolved with the emergence of digital technologies over the traditions and constraints inherent in letterpress. It has made a designer’s job easier in organising information in way that makes communicating to audiences more effective.

The Cosmopolitan 1975 edition follows the format of letterpress. Its type is the same size, font and colour with no differentiation at all. Movable type used creates more uniform lettering.

The text in the 2012 Cosmopolitan edition is organised in a way that separates elements from one another and creates sub-hierarchies. When a user see’s that the type is a different colour, he can assume it’s another paragraph or idea, different and unique from the other information. Digital printing has given designers more choices in how they print and display type. Various fonts can now be changed in the same sentence with each letter being different if wanted to. It is effortless rather than having to change the movable type countless times to get a perfect impression and having a limit in how to display the font. 

When looking at the 1975 edition the information isn’t differentiated and makes it an excruciating process for the user to sort through this information until they find something they are actually interested to read. 

The hierarchy of the 2012 edition gives the titles more meaning than the other information, and makes it easier to scan. It has objects that are bigger and demand more attention. It is an effective way of guiding a viewer’s eye to a particular portion of the page. In the 1975 edition we are guided straight to Cosmopolitan, and then we sit there searching for other information. Whereas the 2012 edition guides us to Sexiest. Body. Ever,  and then it leads us to other titles without us thinking. 

References: 
Understanding Visual Hierarchies retrieved 22nd April: http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/design-theory/understanding-visual-hierarchy-in-web-design/
Web Style Guide retrieved 22nd April:
http://webstyleguide.com/wsg2/page/hierarchy.html
History of Printing retrieved 22nd April:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_printing