A series about storytelling in album design. Highlight the Heroes Every story needs a hero, and so does your album design - probably one on most layouts! The hero image is the focal point, the main attraction, the place you want the viewer's eye drawn to. In graphic design speak it’s called creating visual hierarchy. The supporting characters help the story along and keep things interesting, but it's the heroes you want to shine. I talked about ways to begin and wrap up a story previously, but the middle of the story is where the action is. People dress up and assemble together, the guy finally gets the girl, there’s kissing, celebration, cheering and excitement - and everyone starts to relax and have fun ready for the party later! What to do Using visual hierarchy keeps the story visually interesting and well paced through contrast between forms. There are three main ways to create this contrast. Size – Use different sized images to show importance and create interest. Big images are more important than smaller ones. White Space - Draws attention to a particular image or group of images. Alignment - Use balance to create harmony or (carefully) use imbalance to create some dynamism. You can also think of your layouts like a piece of music. You want to establish (and vary) the visual rhythm or 'pace' of the pages. Some layouts generate energy by focusing on one or two large images, with the others smaller, in supporting roles. Some layouts benefit from a linear arrangement that makes the narrative easier to read. Others may have a grid-like layout, where no single image stands out from the rest, and you're invited to stay a while and browse. And if that all seems a bit random, it will make more sense once you know what images are to go on what pages. It's like the images will tell you how they need to be arranged! Finally, each page opening needs to work harmoniously with those around it. As Johannes said, "I like to vary the pace. Sometimes the viewers can stroll through quiet pages with few images. Sometimes there will be busy pages, with many images, where they will need to stop and browse, but these will always be near quieter spaces. There is a flow that feels right..." Anna