FINCH
This is a collection of thoughts of designer Francisco Inchauste. Here you will find writing about adventures in design, user experience, and other ephemera of interest.
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A Negative View of White Space
After reading through the article on The Web Design Ledger, “Whitespace: The Underutilized Design Element” I felt compelled to respond and clear up what I feel is spreading misconceptions about design in relation to white space. Note that for the purpose of this article I will refer to white space as negative space. Negative space being the area that is void of elements like type or imagery. Both are accepted terms, but I believe that negative space better represents the design concept.
Positives and Negatives
Let me start by saying I agree with the premise of the article that negative space is an important concept for a designer to understand, so kudos for bringing it up. Beyond that though, there is nothing valid about this piece. My main issue is that the article relies on generalizations about negative space and additionally does not answer the “why.” It is all very touchy feely sort of justifications for it.
The article begins by saying white space is: “...probably one of the most overlooked and underutilized is whitespace. Every design has whitespace, but the problem is that not every design has enough.” I have to say that I see a lot of it in web designs today. Not specifically in showcase gallery folio or agency sites. Visit major traffic sites like CNN.com and the NYTimes.com You’ll find that they have expertly used negative space that balances beauty and content. Overlooked? Not so much.
One of first things the article talks about is how white space isn’t necessarily white, but then the “good examples” are companies like Apple (known for their “Snow White” design approach) versus big bad Microsoft with the use of color and gradients. To be honest the Microsoft site isn’t bad to me. It also abides by some of the loose rules presented in the article.
Pointing out more negative space in the Pottery Barn screen in comparison to Rooms to Go. Really? It’s somewhat obvious. As designers we can’t stand in front of a client and just say, “Look here, there’s more space, it looks nice. It works because otherwise it is cluttered and sloppy if we put in more of your message.” You need to be prepared to speak about your design based on concepts and fundamentals and the matter of fact theories that they are.
The article concludes by saying “The best way to learn is experiment and study the work of other designs that seem to be getting it right. Eventually you will develop an eye and feel for what is the right amount of whitespace.” This is completely wrong. Blindly copying work and playing around to understand white space? What happened to learning the design fundamentals?
Why? Understanding the Fundamentals
There have been many books and articles written on the various principles of design and theories that relate to negative space and it would be too much to go through all of them here in detail. Looking deeper into these will help you understand and be able to talk about negative space in a more informed way.
There are basic principles of design like balance and contrast that every designer should understand. Being able to master these will allow you to understand and design positive and negative space in a better way. The image below shows how balance affects visual symmetry based on the negative proportions of the space. Emily Gonsalves has a nice summary of them.
The Gestalt Principles are a set of theories based on visual perception. They were developed in the 1920s by German psychologists to describe how people tend to organize visual elements. Below is an example of the Closure. It occurs when an object is not completely enclosed, but if enough of the shape is indicated then it will be perceived as a whole. You can learn more about them here.
In designing for something interactive we have to keep in mind usability. Consider Hick’s Law. You can summarize it as: The more options you have, the more difficult and/or time-consuming it is to pick one of them. Exposing too many navigation options on a single screen makes the interface less intuitive and difficult to use. So, crowding the screen not only affects design, but the efficiency in which the user navigates.
Another widely used and many times misunderstood design tool is the grid. Structuring your design is key, and using a grid is an important part of the design process. One of the best resources is The Grid System.
Although the article does cover typography and readability, there is no real background on why this is important. A few good examples are from studies by Tinker A. Miles, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota who ran them in the early to mid-1900s. A few of the findings show how relevant and important space is.
One finding was that by setting linespacing to a multiple of 1.2 it actually improved the reading speed of text. Now keep in mind the tests were obviously on a printed page, but they do show why space is an important consideration in readability.
Another study Miles conducted was with how the reader judges how much of the page is filled by content. He found that in the case of a card having the same amount of black and white (50/50) it was perceived to be covered 75% by the black. So the printed area was seen as larger than it actually was. This showed that designing a balance in the negative and positive space was essential. The thesis “Effective Use of Negative Space in Graphic Design” by Dong Hyun Lee is a great resource for more information on these studies and more.
Dear Client, The Benefits of Negative Space
Shoving a lot of content into any screen is always going to be a given. So at a basic level some of the benefits of better use of negative space are:
- Space for the eye to rest
- Indication of informational hierarchy
- A visual cue that there is a break in the content or it is finished
- Improves overall legibility of content
- Easier to navigate
This all adds up to a better user experience. Although it’s a bit of buzz-speak it is a term that more clients are becoming familiar with and asking for their websites.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned before, talking to a client and explaining your rationale for designs is vital. As designers we are already seen as the “pick the perdy color guys” to the executives. Like it or not we have to answer in terms they can understand rather than just fluffy feelings. Lucky for us design is based on many tested theories and there is a real foundation to back up the choices we make. You just have to learn it. Hopefully the information here is a good start.
Great article. It’s nice to see a more academic explanation of negative space than most blogs offer. Also, I like how you broke up the article with specific examples instead of screenshots of a bunch of different web sites.
Finch,
Awesome ways to point out “learning” opposed to “repeating”. I went through all this in college. Learning about line, repetition, rhythm etc. I keep a copy of “Meggs History of Graphic Design” on my desk because I like to refresh myself from time to time these thought processes.
Learning the fundamentals is key to being successful. I also think it is interesting how that particular post shows sites that are literally white….. That shows “white space” but does not showcase negative space.
Cheers for the good read & good material.
You make some great points, Francisco. A lot of times new designers are encouraged to just “study great designs” without learning fundamentals, or the WHY.
I agree with studying great designs from great designers, but learning the why is essential. Understanding why those great designers did what they did is often ignored. Learning why raises you to a new level, it’s what makes those great designers great.
I like the other point you made which was understanding the why so you can explain your reasoning for why something is the way that it is. Isn’t that an important ingredient for great design? Knowing the reason why you did something. It’s a key ingredient for UX, Programming and even life itself.
Being able to explain your reason to a client, co-worker, student, friend or community can really set you apart.
Great thoughts and I’d like to see more articles on the ole Finch blog. 
Well done. I completely agree. As Chad pointed out, that article only really shows “white space” and not the overarching theme of “negative space” which is what it was wanting to convey.
I also found folly in the example of Microsoft vs. Apple. Microsoft’s site is rather clean and has generous negative space. That example came across as more biased than anything.
i think you’re right on target.
i recently heard it said that “minimalism is in” and i think the person who said that has no idea what they’re talking about. that’s what you’re up against… making me think that the ladies who adore Oprah are about to pick up a design book and learn how they can use negative space to improve their lives.
What? A misinformed and poorly written article on WDL? Well I never!
As a tutor in art college I taught that negative space was as important in articulating a page (whether a drawing or a piece of graphics) as the positive. In teaching life drawing I would set the students the task of only drawing the negatrive space, carving the figure out of the white space of the papaer. In 3D this was famously used by Rodin, who released his figures fromthe stone that contained them.
The pressure to make money makes many people fill every bit of a website with advertising, and in doing so legability suffers and then so does the viability as eyeballs leave for more readable sites.
I am suprised such fundamental principles oand visual laws are not an integral part of every student induction year - they certainly used to be ‘when I were a lad’...
A well-written and well thought out article. Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
This site employs much too much white space.
Hola! Esta página me parece muy interesante por su diseño minimalista
Great write-up! It gives a lot to think about when discussing design, although articulating the rationale behind web design is still tough for me.
Thanks.
Nice article. I always had the thought that it wasn’t more negative space is better, it is just make sure you use negative space “better”. The CNN site is a great example in my opinion. They don’t have a lot of negative space, but the little they do have they used it very well.
Found this via Twitter, twice. Was honestly surprised to be the first to submit it to Stumble Upon. 
The only bad thing about this articles is that it won’t get as much play as the one that misinforms the audience. White space/negative space only seems to be a lost art to the people who don’t really know design.
I like that you focus on the term negative space instead. It brings a new light to how people can perceive it since I feel that some people that work on their own sites believe that negative space is nothing more than just making sure objects aren’t touching each other.
@Scrivs I agree. I think that the term “white space” makes people think too literally about it actually being a large white space (like a client not familar with design). Or thinking if you use white space it has to be stark, as in a minimal amount of positive elements (images, etc) on the page. By using design principles you can effectively layout a balanced screen with a lot of information if you are required to.
@Lonnie Licklap Clean design is what I prefer for my personal site. It’s not for everyone
Thanks for taking the time to interject a breath of fresh air in to the conversation and for shedding light on important (and often overlooked) design principles.
For WDL to say that “the best way to learn is to experiment and study the work of other designs that seem to be getting it right” is preposterous. You must first be aware of these principles and then constantly strive to apply them within your designs in order to see results.
Thanks again for sharing, we definitely need more thoughtful articles like this!
I believe negative space and white space are one of the same.
I think the real discrepancies lie in the post by WDL which comments on white space as merely ‘blank’ space or the absence of any objects or copy — and as you note here, negative space/white space is an important element of design which enables the articles of interest to exist at all, the balance between positive (or non-white) and the use of negative spaces is key to aesthetic composition.
One of the most looked at and least seen negative space logos is FedEx!
Thank you, Finch.
The major design blogs (sadly) won’t inject the same quality of real design observation/articulation into our community.
They need to be shown up, good work.
Its ok that anyone likes the way WDL overlooks the fundamentals, because they are the source of the benefits that comes from doing things a certain way. What i’d like to point out here is that those kind of articles aren’t (or shuldnt be) oriented to an academic design audience. This is certainly not a good thing anyway, because the only thing it contributes to is strenght the idea that design = choosing colors. But I think that this is a major issue, for the reason that out there there is an actual humungus non-porofessional audience who has acces to desing programs that makes all the practical aspects of desing accesible, and they also have the right to use them, because they are products that they can actually buy, just as a disigner might buy his own studies from an educational institution.
Personally i think that the discussion should focus on how to distinguish between a entirely technincal, non-academic designer and a professional one, and how to apprise the work of each one without despise any. Just like you don’t underestimate the work of a car mechanic next to the work of an engenieer. You don’t call an master-degree engenieer to fix your car, right?
Anyway articles like this one are of great value for non-professional, self-thought designer who look to go beyond and have an understanding of the fundamnetals, like myself. Thanks for a good critique and a great approach to such an important subject.
Agreed. I’m trying to build a new design for myself however I’m getting a severe block. Thanks for the tips.
Really interesting reading man
I agree with you—there are too many people now rushing to add white space in the wrong places for the wrong reasons. It’s becoming just another trend, I fear.
I agree completely. Even though I ended up being a developer after design school, I’m still glad I was forced to study basic design principals in school. We would spend weeks in the brainstorming processes for clients and we had to have a reason for why we put things where we did - it seems web designers today are often missing these essential skills and they’re reason for putting things where do they do is “because it’s pretty”.
You are completely right. Interesting read