Design Blog - week 1

 

 

 Over the past couple of months, I have been on and off with design, and honestly, I haven't really brushed up on some of the fundamentals and some of the complex teachings of design. But recently, when I arrived back from a trip to visit some long-time friends in Massachusetts. I decided to bring my camera with me just to see if any spark would ignite again, and over the course of the weekend, I ended up taking more photos and cinematic shots than I have in the past year. It felt natural again, like something finally clicked back into place. So when I got home, I knew I had to dive back into my roots and start freshening up my knowledge. That’s when I found this video: The Art of Cinematic Composition 
    This video breaks down hierarchy in a way that feels clear, modern, and honestly refreshing, especially if you’ve been away from design for a bit. The motion graphics and editing carried the explanations so well that even the more technical parts felt easy to follow. From it, I took away four ideas that really stuck with me and helped me re-center my mindset on hierarchy:

1. Hierarchy Isn’t Static; It Changes With Context.

One subtle idea in the video is that hierarchy isn’t fixed. It shifts depending on where and how the design is viewed. The video briefly hints at this when it shows how the same layout changes when elements are resized or re-positioned, but it doesn’t pause long on the idea. This idea pushes designers to consider not just what they’re designing, but on how it will be perceived, or taken in something a lot of people overlook.

2. Micro-Hierarchy Inside Larger Hierarchy.

The video focuses on big-picture hierarchy, but in several of the examples, there’s a hint of something deeper: the micro-hierarchy inside individual groups of elements. This layering of hierarchy inside hierarchy is critical for professional-level design but easy to miss unless you pause and analyze the examples.

3. Motion as a Teaching Tool.

While the video’s animation is mainly there to help explain concepts, there’s a subtle message in it: motion itself influences hierarchy. This mirrors what good UI/UX motion design does using animation not as cool decoration, but as a guide. Most viewers will appreciate the visuals but might not consciously realize that motion is actually demonstrating hierarchy in real time.

4. The “hidden” Role of Shape Language.

There are moments in the video where shapes change, circles becoming squares, rectangles shifting proportions, and the hierarchy changes without any mention of shapes at all. This subtly shows how rounded shapes often feel softer and less dominant, and sharp shapes feel louder or more impactful. The video barely talks about this, but visually, it’s teaching how shape language controls eye movement. It’s a sophisticated idea that most people won’t catch unless they intentionally observe why certain shapes feel more important.

Overall, watching this was a perfect refresher. It wasn’t just educational; it felt like a solid push back into the mindset I needed. The mix of clean motion graphics and purposeful editing gave me a clearer understanding of how hierarchy holds everything together in design. I’m glad I found it right when the creative spark started returning, because now I feel like I’m slowly stepping back into the groove where design actually feels exciting again.



 

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