Question

What does the word emphasis mean in design?

Answer 1

In design, emphasis refers to the main focus of a piece of work. It is almost an over-exaggeration of a particular element to a design or a piece of artwork.

You might have emphasis on the eyes of a female portrait, with the eyes being extremely dark which draws your eyes to it, and positioning the eyes in such a way (directional lines towards it, situated on the rule of thirds etc) so that people's eyes get drawn to it.