The Tribune

Using White Space means having a good eye for composition. This means you have to find the right layout and composition, so that the information or whatever else you are focusing on will be easy to read and spot.

What is White Space?

At its most basic, white space is the characters that do not print anything when you type them. For instance: Tab, space and carriage return. These are white space characters. But there is more to white space than just these characters.

White space in a design is the space around elements in the design to help them stand out, or separate them from the other elements. This includes the space on the edges of a fixed width layout, and the space in the margins and padding around pictures and blocks of text (margins and padding).

White space also includes the space between lines of text (leading), letters in words (tracking) and, sometimes, kerning.

Remember, too, that white space does not have to be white. If the background colour of a design is black, then the white space will be black. White space is the area of a design where there is no element placed by a designer.

There are generally two types of white space:

a) Active White Space: Ensures a better structure and layout in design, and it gives focus to the content area. It is usually left out intentionally, restricting one element from the other.

b) Passive White Space: This is the default white space left out at the borders, or in between content, to make it readable.

The human eye studies an organised and clean layout better than a cluttered space full of visual disturbances.

Why should you

use White Space?

Balance the layout

Passive white space is one of the reasons why text is visually received and understood better, whether we are talking about regular white space or negative space used in designs with dark background and white text.

It also improves readability. The more space you use, the easier it is to read. Space creates a certain balance in your output, making information easier to ingest.

Emphasise objects

In order to focus the viewer on a picture, try using white borders. You can, of course, use other colours as well. This way you can attract attention to what is inside an object or a picture for that matter.

Focus on certain

content or pictures

Another good technique for using white space in your design is using it in excess. Now I’m not saying this is going to work for all designs, but when used appropriately it can be really effective. Imagine a text that has lots of white/black space around it.

You can try using this technique in your graphic design and watch the results. It also works for emphasising different graphics. Also note that an object on a plain background will always have a stronger visual impact than one on a mottled background.

Tone

White space at the macro level (spacing around the biggest objects on the page) can convey a sense of elegance or downmarket quality to a design. The more white space there is, the more expensive and high-quality a design may seem.

For instance if you look at the advertisements in an expensive women’s magazine, you will notice that most ads have very little non-negative space. The text is small, leaving more room for background images, and there are very few elements on the page.

Learn to manage the padding around your designs and always work with the leading and tracking on your text.

On your next design, instead of thinking about where to put that image or how much space you should allocate, ask yourself if there is enough space in the margins and padding to convey the tone and legibility you want. No doubt you will see how much more improved your graphic designs can be. Until we meet again, fill your life with memories as opposed to regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

• NB: The columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

ABOUT THE COLUMNIST: Deidre Marie Bastian is a professionally-trained graphic designer/marketing coordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova South Eastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.