Highlighting

A technique for bringing attention to an area of text or image.

Highlighting is an effective technique for bringing attention to elements of a design. If applied improperly, however, highlighting can be ineffective, and actually reduce performance in these areas. The following guidelines address the benefits and liabilities of common highlighting techniques.1

General

Highlight no more than 10 percent of the visible design; highlighting effects are diluted as the percentage increases. Use a small number of highlighting tech-niques applied consistently throughout the design.

Bold, Italics, and Underlining

Use bold, italics, and underlining for titles, labels, captions, and short word sequences when the elements need to be subtly differentiated. ...

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