White Space in Design
White space is the empty space between and around the elements of design. Every graphic design has white space, but it is often ignored or used incorrectly.
White space is often viewed as empty space ready to be filled with a photo, a headline or more information.
You’ve seen white space used in some of today’s most successful ads. Apple is famous for their use of white space. They use white space so effectively, that even without a logo or ad copy, their designs are instantly recognizable.
In architecture, we all learned about the Nolli map of Rome and prepared our own figure ground drawings of other familiar cities. When urban fabrics are viewed in such a way, the negative space identifies circulation, movement, places of gathering and activity.
White space allows the object of focus to stand alone. All the extraneous information is stripped away to reveal the pure essence of the object.
White Space in Our Lives
Our lives need white space too.
We need to stop and take time to do the unplanned. Spend time with loved ones. Play with our kids. Hang out with friends… with nothing specific to do.
Much like the ads that fill every empty space, so many of us try to fill every moment in our lives with another task. Hours of TV viewing, web surfing and social media tend to be the worst offenders.
Vacations are great opportunities for white space, but there too, we tend to try and fill every moment.
Schedule white space into your daily schedule. Take 1 hour per day to stop and do something unrelated to your firm or your family.
Ride your bike, go for a run or take a walk. Hop in your car and find a quiet spot with a view for lunch. Turn off, relax and enjoy the white space of your day.
These times of white space allow us to re-energize. New ideas will bloom and creativity with rise to the top.
Question: How do you find the white space in your day?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / watoson117
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