Let the eye find what matters first

Visual hierarchy is not decoration. It tells the reader where to start, where to go next, and what can wait.

Use four controls:

size for titles and conclusions
weight for boundaries and priorities
position near the starting point or centre
colour for a decision, risk, or change

The same content before and after hierarchy is added through size, line weight, position, and colour — Before and after · hierarchyThe right side adds no information. It changes only size, weight, position, and one accent colour, and a reading order appears.

Mind the gap

Whitespace uses distance to communicate:

keep items in one group close
separate different groups
leave breathing room below a heading
keep a safe margin around the page

Copy the same six words twice. In the second version, double the size of one word, group two words in a light box, mark one risk with colour, and leave a finger-width gap between groups. Compare which version is easier to explain.