The way we create, view, and understand content changes everyday, which keeps web designers on their toes. As new trends emerge, technology enables new ideas, fonts become more accessible, and filters change the way we look at an image, I like to keep close a fundamental design element that I learned early on that is key to hierarchy and visual storytelling – white space.
White Space is:
- Harmonious
- Purposeful
- Emphasis
Source: Lines Conference
White Space isn’t:
- Empty
- Lacking
- Under-utilized
Legibility
Your content needs to breathe.
Web designers use white space to guide the user through content, and to craft how the user understands a given subject. Allowing room for the eye to find the start, dive into the body, and take visual breaks is key to comprehension.
Source: Flipboard
Finding a rhythm of content and white space creates an enjoyable user experience and allows the user to read, browse, or click in an intuitive way.
Enhance Your Message
Removing visual distraction allows the user to focus on what really matters. Guiding users to take action or understand what’s most important can be achieved without adding a single element. By simplifying the presentation, the content becomes more important.
Source: BMW
Effective use of white space is a conscious brand decision that is often associated with high-end, luxurious brands and a universal technique that can be applied to any type of content. Giving the message space makes it valuable to the eye.
White Space = Conversion
The goal for any marketing website boils down to conversion. Whether it’s to purchase, book, join, sign up, or follow – we design the experience to guide the user. An essential part of this is presenting them with navigation options in the right location and free of distraction. Allowing the primary call to action to stand on it’s own through proper use of white space will encourage the user to take action, increasing conversion.
Source: Nike
Something to think about
“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” – Joe Sparano
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint Exupéry
“Space is the breath of art.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
“The empty space on a page can be every bit as important as the space occupied by imagery, because even empty space serves a purpose and supports the visual integrity of a layout.” – Jason Santa Maria