As a long-time designer, I developed a love for white space pretty early on (you might even call it a bromance). It made my design feel “cleaner” and let it breathe.
There’s something about white space, when used properly, that just elevates any design, and in my opinion, showcases the difference between an amateur designer and a more seasoned one.
The purpose of white space
Many might look at a website with white space and think — it’s just a bunch of empty space!
Not to be rude, but you’re wrong.
White space is so much more than empty space — in design, it’s equally important as your text and images.
In the culinary world, you’ll often see professionally plated dishes with a lot of “white space” around the actual food — the food is the star, but the white space on the plate allows the food to shine.
It allows you to digest the visuals, without distraction.
Properly balanced white space on a website can help enhance readability, improve hierarchy, and elevate your design aesthetics overall.
But how do you know when there’s enough white space? And what’s too much?
How much white space is too much?
One of the easiest detectors that you have too much white space is disconnection.
When elements of a design are so far apart, that you can’t even tell what’s meant to be “grouped” or related to one another, it’s too much.
You don’t want to excessively use white space to where it causes confusion for the viewer.
There’s still a balance to be had, after all.
Finding the right balance
Now, how do you strike the right balance of white space?
Well, I hate to say this — but there is no one-size-fits-all rule. It really depends on the design at hand, your audience, and overall purpose.
White space is very versatile in the fact that it can be used for a multitude of purposes.
You might increase your white space in the form of padding to improve overall readability.
In luxury, high-end design, you’ll often see quite a dramatic amount of white space to create a certain feel.
With that said, I would determine your application — are you looking to add white space for functionality reasons? Or just for aesthetics?
Take a blog post layout for example. As we compare these screenshots side-by-side, you’ll notice the one on the left has the body content go the full-width of the container, with no white space (or padding) on the top and bottom. The one on the right has a narrower content width, and added white space on top and bottom.
Which is easier to read and digest?
Definitely the one on the right!
Now as we look at this hero section design from Tailwind, you’ll notice there is a lot of white space.
With this approach, it’s letting the hero be the hero — allowing you to focus on the message and call to action, without distractions below or around it.
It’s elegant, it’s simple, and it’s effective.
Using white space for a better user experience
I hope by reading this short lesson, you’ll have a better understanding of white space, and no longer look at it as “empty space”.
It’s breathing room. It’s elegance. It’s improved readability. It’s so much more than just a blank space.
Focusing on white space is putting your users first, and in the end, a more pleasing user experience can lead to a far better return for you in the long run.
Until next time,
