Typographic Hierarchy

Typographic hierarchy tells readers where to look first, second, and third. Without hierarchy, all text demands equal attention and nothing gets read. A typical hierarchy has 3-4 levels: display type (headlines, the entry point), subheads (section dividers), body text (the main content), and captions/metadata (supporting information). Each level must be visually distinct enough that a reader can determine the hierarchy by squinting—if two levels look similar at a glance, they need more contrast. The minimum effective contrast between levels is roughly a 2:1 size ratio or a clear weight change.