Explainer: visual hierarchy in plain language

Visual hierarchy is just guiding the eye to what matters first, second, third. It's the backbone of clear design.

Four simple levers:

• Size — bigger reads as more important.
• Contrast — high contrast pulls attention; low contrast recedes.
• Spacing — whitespace around an element makes it feel important and calm.
• Position — top and start positions get noticed first.

A common beginner mistake is making everything loud, which makes nothing stand out. Pick one clear focal point per screen, then let the rest support it. Want to test this? Squint at your design — what you still see is your hierarchy.