A liquid crystal device (LCD) has improved brightness by the use of a patterned alignment structure. The LCD includes a liquid crystal (LC) layer; an electrode arrangement configured to apply an electric field to the LC layer, the electrode arrangement including a patterned electrode layer having a plurality of individual electrode elements and adjacent individual electrode elements are spaced apart from each other by an inter-electrode gap; and a patterned alignment structure that is deposited on the patterned electrode layer and is positioned to align LC molecules of the LC layer. The patterned alignment structure is configured such that a stronger anchoring energy is present at electrode edges of the individual electrode elements of the patterned electrode layer, as compared to a weaker anchoring energy present at electrode centers of the individual electrode elements and/or present at least at a portion of the inter-electrode gaps between adjacent individual electrode elements.