Explain the concept of "visual hierarchy" in design.

Visual hierarchy is a fundamental concept in design that involves arranging elements to emphasize their importance. This principle helps guide the viewer's eye through the composition, allowing them to understand the relationship between different elements based on their visual weight or prominence. By manipulating factors like size, color, contrast, and placement, designers can create a clear path for viewers, ensuring that the most important information stands out and is easily accessible.

In effective visual hierarchy, larger or bolder elements usually draw attention first, while smaller or muted ones recede into the background. This strategic organization can influence how information is perceived and interpreted, making it a critical tool in graphic design, user interface design, and other visual communication fields. The other options do not capture the essence of visual hierarchy; they focus on symmetry, color usage, or texture, which do not directly pertain to the principle of emphasizing importance through arrangement.