Raymond P. Ward writes "the (new) legal writer," where he shares his knowledge of the art of legal writing. In this post he shares an excellent article that helps us understand techniques for emphasis and de-emphasis in our our writing.
An excerpt: "look for your favorite passage in that favorite book, the one that hit you in the gut the first time you read it. Is it in bold, italics, or all capital letters? Probably not. Good writers don’t need typographic gimmicks to pack their prose with power."
He is absolutely right!