If you are new to working with a professional marketing agency, you may also be new to working with a professional web designer or graphic designer. Part of the process of working with a team that handles your marketing is the review cycle. The team receives your inputs and their assignments, then shares designs for your review. The creative team – the people who work on your website, flyers, social media graphics, videos, and so on – will provide you with their best designs based on evaluating your brand, target audience, and their experience.
Clients are sometimes shocked when they see “white space” in the design. “But can’t we have a pretty picture here?” “Can we fit more text in?” “Why is there a big space at the top of the page?” These are all common questions we hear during the review cycle.
Today, we’d like to dispel the myth of white space and talk about why it is an essential component of good design. If you’re new to the graphic design process, read on.
What Is White Space?
White space, properly called ‘negative space,’ is the area without text or images surrounding the words and images on the page.
An example you’re probably very familiar with is the margins on a document. Books would be very difficult to read if the text ran into the center binding or to the very edges of the page. Negative space, or blank space, is used to create margins around the text blocks inside a book to make it easier to read.
Important Uses of Negative or White Space in Marketing Designs
White space, or negative space, is considered one of the foundational elements of good design. It can be used for many purposes in a marketing document. Like the previously mentioned book example, a graphic designer may use negative space in a marketing document to:
- Balance design elements
- Draw attention to important text (such as the headline or sale information)
- Enhance readability
- Prioritize content
- Create a visual hierarchy to enhance understanding
You probably agree with this list of priorities and recognize their importance.
However, often when business owners see new designs for the first time, they are surprised by the amount of white space designers leave around images and text. Their first instinct is to include as much information as possible into the design.
But consider this: if you own a retail store, you don’t pack items into every square foot. You leave open space around the displays so that customers can see the items. While you fill the shelves with products, you may leave space above them for signage – with the negative space around the sign drawing attention to it so customers can see it. Even in your own home, you naturally leave ‘negative space’ around framed photos on the wall so that they stand out, and you center pictures on a wall so that nothing distracts from your favorite artwork. These are yet more examples of how white space or negative space is used in almost every aspect of design – and how you naturally gravitate towards it!
So don’t fear the white space, business owners. When designers send you documents that leave space around the message, recognize it as an integral part of the design process. It’s more important for your customers to see and remember the messages on the page than it is to include as much information as possible, and white space accomplishes this goal.
Dashboard Interactive Marketing
Dashboard Interactive Marketing has almost 20 years of digital marketing experience working with business owners just like you to achieve outstanding results. We provide website development and design services, search engine optimization, local search marketing, digital advertising and marketing, social media management, content marketing, and much more to small and mid-sized businesses. We welcome your call and are happy to discuss your marketing needs. Call us at 763-242-2454.