First things first, when trying to Kern a word you should always start by looking for the largest space that you can't alter and then work with the other spaces accordingly to make them more even. In simplified terms, the starting point should always maintain a kerned measurement of zero.
With both of the above examples, the letter forms have been spaced further apart as a result of the process mentioned previously. This tends to give a more open and relaxed feel as the word itself maintains a clearer readability and is presented to the eye in an easy to digest format.
Equally however, reducing the kerning can convey the complete opposite given that the spaces are made tighter and more condensed. This example using the word Railway shows how the smaller spaces force the text upon the eye in a more solid chunk and therefore generates a greater pace of reading.Another aspect touched upon was hierarchy and the order in which the text will be read. Graham's nifty advice was that in order to have a clear idea of how your composition will work, you should write down and construct your hierarchy prior to arranging the text on the page. This way the design process can often be a lot smoother and less problematic. The examples below are a few attempts at forcing the eye to read from right to left despite our cultural habit to do the opposite, as well as a vertical mix instead a simple top to bottom movement.
Finally, to build on from this I attempted to apply the same logic with a proverb chosen at random. The idea was that it would be more challenging to the lead around and entire block of text in the order that I was aiming for, especially as I limited myself to only using point size and weight.
Overall I don't believe that hierarchy isn't as precise as I would have liked. A few words get mixed up and confused when I try to let my eye navigate at its own free will. Non-the-less the exercise was still highly beneficial to me.x
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