5 Building Blocks of Visual Hierarchy in Web Design

To be rolled out next time someone wants to "skip the analyses and wireframes - just give us the mockups": "An interface's visual hierarchy relies on the same principles of aesthetics used by the Renaissance masters, but on top of that (or rather beneath it) there's the subtext of secondary goals - promoting specific content, encouraging user signups and call-to-actions, and generally improving the overall experience so users enjoy their visit beyond just accomplishing their goals.... there's no one right way to build a concrete hierarchy, and competitive designers must perfect different methods - or invent new ones - to stay on top of the game. We'll describe five of the most basic elements, the essential building blocks necessary to support simple or complex hierarchies." - The 5 Building Blocks of Visual Hierarchy in Web Design