Lessons on Type Hierarchy from Ellen Lupton’s “Thinking With Type”

This is type hierarchy.

Get it yet? You will soon.

I’ve been reading through Ellen Lupton’s seminal book on type, Thinking With Type, and among all the valuable nuggets of wisdom throughout this masterpiece of graphic design, I think her chapter on type hierarchy taught me more than any other chapter in the book.

Type hierarchy is one of those things you don't notice unless you’re told to, but once it's pointed out, you'll never see things quite the same way again.

It's a true paradigm shift, but you might think, "So what if type hierarchy is everywhere?" Well, the fact that type is everywhere means that type hierarchy is everywhere, which means that everyone is using it, no matter if their intentions are good or nefarious (or anywhere in between).

A rudimentary understanding of type hierarchy reveals how minimal differences in type size and style can direct your attention—or bury details entirely. Hierarchy itself isn't intrinsically good or bad; it's simply a powerful tool. You've certainly heard the term "fine print"—that's hierarchy at play. The attractive promise is in the big, bold headline, while the markedly less-fun conditions for that BOGO deal you spotted in the Walmart flyer are tucked away in the corner, just large enough to keep them out of trouble. (Limit one per customer!)

Minimal hierarchy can be equally compelling. It guides your eyes without clutter, quietly signalling what's important. But just as easily, subtlety can be exploited, diverting your attention away from details you might otherwise notice.

Like all powerful things, type hierarchy can be used thoughtfully to illuminate and keep your attention—or, strategically, to obscure an uncomfortable truth.

Clever use of type hierarchy in a Capital One ad.

Type Scale: Modular and Historical

When establishing an effective type hierarchy, one key consideration is type scale, particularly modular and historical scales. A modular scale uses a consistent mathematical ratio—like the golden ratio or musical scales—to determine the sizing of typography. This approach creates visually pleasing and balanced layouts because each size increment relates harmoniously to others.

Historical scales, on the other hand, reference traditional typographic standards that evolved over centuries. Think of the classic print layouts seen in old manuscripts and books; these scales provide a comfortable, familiar reading experience because they tap into conventions readers unconsciously recognize.

Both modular and historical scales help designers ensure readability and aesthetic balance. Choosing one over the other depends largely on your project's goals, target audience, and overall design approach.

Examples of modular scales in Thinking With Type—a rare L for the Golden Ratio.

Visual and Semantic Hierarchy

While visual hierarchy focuses on guiding the viewer's eye through different design elements—like using larger, bolder text for headings and smaller, lighter text for body copy—semantic hierarchy emphasizes the logical relationship between pieces of content.

Semantic hierarchy structures content to clearly communicate importance and meaning. Consider how chapters and subheadings organize a book's content or how bullet points within an article help readers quickly grasp key ideas. Semantic hierarchy creates clarity, ensuring readers understand relationships among information and can easily locate relevant content.

Ideally, visual and semantic hierarchies align, reinforcing each other. Misalignment between the two can confuse readers and diminish comprehension.

Inclusive Design Through Hierarchy

Thoughtful typographic hierarchy can significantly enhance accessibility and inclusivity, guiding all readers—regardless of reading ability, visual acuity, or cognitive processing—to a common understanding or outcome. For instance, Wikipedia pages demonstrate how strong hierarchical structures (main headings, subheadings, bulleted lists, and summary boxes) help users quickly find essential information.

Wikipedia articles start with a concise introductory summary, followed by progressively detailed sections clearly marked by descriptive headings. This consistent, structured approach allows users of diverse abilities and intentions—whether they're scanning quickly for a fact or deeply researching a topic—to effectively engage with the content.

By prioritizing clear, structured hierarchies, designers ensure that text or even UI/UX design remains accessible and inclusive, guiding all readers and users towards a common idea or outcome, no matter their technical proficiency or reading level.

How does type hierarchy apply to books?

Cover design presents type hierarchies in multiple dimensions, with the front cover, spine, and back cover each taking on unique roles with distinct applications of type hierarchies. Usually, the title of the book is the largest text on the cover (unless you’ve reached the marvellous heights of literary fame, in which case your name might be larger, AKA the dream), and is usually in the top third of the front cover. 

Turn the book 90 degrees, and you’ll find the title, the author name, and the publisher or imprint in that exact order from top to bottom. You’ll notice, at least among English-language books, that the text on the spine is most often rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise from its typical horizontal placement. The very clever (and seldom-articulated) benefit of this arrangement is that when a book is placed on a table with the cover facing up, the text on the spine can be read in the most natural way for English readers: from left to right (sinistrodextral is the technical term, by the way).

Move to the back cover, and you’ll see things arranged in a different hierarchy. A lesson I’ve learned from web designers is that people scan webpages (and any other document that has a lot going on) in a Z pattern. Below is the typical reading order of a book’s back cover, along with the information typically placed at each juncture.

Typical hierarchy of a book’s back cover. There are many exceptions, but this is the standard: start with the stuff you want people to read, end with the unsightly stuff (like barcodes—blech!).

Final Thoughts

Ellen Lupton is a master of type, and I recommend her work to everyone, whether you’re a type nerd like me or a new author looking to learn a bit about all that goes into designing a new book. If you’re a self-publishing author looking to up your game when it comes to book design, knowledge of how type works, especially grand overarching concepts like type hierarchy, is going to give you a great head start in what’s becoming an increasingly saturated book market.

If you’d like professional advice and guidance on using type effectively for your next book, reach out and I’d be happy to help!