Abstract: A method is provided that allows simultaneous control of macroscopic azimuthal and zenithal liquid crystal alignment (?, ?) across a liquid crystal layer by controlling the area ratios between first, second and third different types of alignment region (T1, T2, T3) in a patterned alignment layer, the three different types of alignment region (T1, T2, T3) tending to induce liquid crystal alignment in the liquid crystal layer in three different respective, non-coplanar, principal orientations (z, x, y). In the illustrated example, the first type of alignment region (T1) tends to induce substantially homeotropic alignment (in the z direction) and the second and third types of alignment region (T2, T3) tend to induce substantially planar alignment in different, orthogonal, principal orientations (in the x and y directions).