Typographic Hierarchy & Visual Scanning Pathways

When visual hierarchy is applied to typography, it is termed typographic hierarchy. It guides readers through information coherently according to how the human eye naturally scans screens (F-shaped and Z-shaped scanning patterns).

Typography is grouped into three functional tiers of importance:

1. Primary (Headlines): Catches attention, communicates the core message instantly, and establishes article context.
2. Secondary (Subheadings, Eyebrows, Lead paragraphs): Bridges the gap between title and body, providing structured milestones that enable skimming.
3. Tertiary (Body copy, captions, footnotes): Delivers detailed narrative copy with maximum reading comfort and minimal cognitive friction.

Hierarchy is orchestrated through coordinated contrasts in size, weight, color value, and vertical spacing.