A mixture of a ferroelectric or anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal material and a monomer having a single photopolymeric functional group is injected in the space between two electrode substrates while heat is applied. After cooling of the mixture it is irradiated with ultraviolet light at a temperature at which the liquid crystal material remains in the smectic phase so as to polymerise the monomer. Areas of liquid crystal material requiring different threshold voltages for switching are thereby produced. Alternatively such areas can be produced by changing the conditions applied to a mixture of liquid crystal material with a suitable dopant so as to cause separation of the dopant out of the liquid crystal material in order to provide a polarity of nucleation points for controlling domain formation within the liquid crystal material. Such control of domain formation can be used to provide greyscale in a liquid crystal device.