SizeObjects that are bigger demand more attention. Using size as a hierarchal tool is an effective way of guiding a viewer’s eye to a particular portion of the page. Because size is one of the most powerful forms of organization, it’s important to correlate size with importance in a design. The biggest elements should be the most important in most cases; the smallest elements should be the least important.
. When used as a personality tool, color can extend beyond into more sophisticated types of hierarchy; Using lush, comforting colors can bring an emotional appeal to a page.
Within a page there might be widgets that are separated from each other by space; within those widgets there is a new hierarchy of title, subtitle, and content.
Good visual hierarchy isn’t about wild and crazy graphics or the newest photoshop filters, it’s about organizing information in a way that’s usable, accessible, and logical to the everyday site visitor.
List the key information points that visitors are likely seeking.Assign values (1-10) according to their importance to the average visitor.Now, look at the actual design again.Assign values (1-10) according to the actual visual importance as you see it in the live design.Consider: Does the expected importance match up with the actual designed importance?
Really good approach. I do this sort of thing informally, but formalizing the process and forcing reflection would mean an effective redesign of my website.
While it might seem like it's enough to just dish out information, as web designers, our task is to break down that raw information into delicious little chunks of visually relevant information that are easy on the eyes, and more importantly, effective at communicating the message behind a webpage.