How to draw attention to a specific area of a design?

Here are some ways you can draw attention, roughly from the least subtle to the most:

• Movement – While effective, this should be used sparingly because it can grow distracting and annoying.
• Size – If a design element is larger than everything else, it will stand out.
• Color – Any deviation from the background colors or other colors used throughout the design will draw the eye.
• Contrast – A dark object on a light background will stand out. You should also consider logical contrasts in your subject matter, such as the following list: apple, orange, pear, bicycle.
• Text/Copy – Certain words draw the eye: Free, Secret, etc.
• Whitespace – Giving a design object enough whitespace around it will help differentiate it.
• Guiding the eye along a path – This can be as subtle as the direction a person’s eyes are looking in a photograph or as blatant as an arrow.