It is tempting to think that every inch of space on a website is valuable real estate. And, when you feel that way, you might get the urge to cram as much information as possible onto every page. However, whitespace can be as valuable as the text on a page.<\/p>\n
Whitespace, also sometimes called negative space, refers to the empty areas that border text, images, titles, and other website elements. And that apparently wasted space is crucial to good web design. So, why are empty pieces of a web page canvas so critical? Here’s how the correct use of whitespace can significantly improve a website.<\/p>\n
Too little whitespace makes text look dense and challenging to read. So, it is best to break up text into more readable sections separated by empty spaces. This separation can be achieved with space between paragraphs, separate sections with subheadings, and bullet-pointed lists. It is also advisable to select a font that has some space between the letters.<\/p>\n
A well-designed web page will be visually appealing. So, elements on a page should be in proportion with one another. Suppose you have a row of callout boxes on a page, for example. In that case, it will look tidier if all the boxes in that row are the same size.<\/p>\n
However, it is not always possible to make elements the same size. The length of the descriptions under the abovementioned boxes is likely to vary, for example. But you can use whitespace to separate the row of boxes to ensure that the following content begins horizontally aligned. So, whitespace can be essential for creating balance on a web page.<\/p>\n
Whitespace can also be used to direct the reader to the next piece of relevant content. And it is whitespace that groups related content together. Space between paragraphs, for example, tells the reader to read this first and then read that. And groups of paragraphs separated by whitespace signify sections of related content.<\/p>\n
Content not separated by whitespace becomes a difficult-to-read wall of text. And, if the content looks like it will be tricky to follow, many people won’t even attempt to read the words.<\/p>\n
When you look at a picture hanging on a wall, it is often the frame that first attracts your attention. Indeed, it is the frame that suggests that there is something worth looking at inside that border. And framing an element on a website with whitespace has the same effect.<\/p>\n
Whitespace frames also separate objects from one another. Suppose you were to add an image to a block of text without a whitespace border. In that case, the final letters of words would be crammed up beside the image, and the image wouldn’t stand out. So, the text would be difficult to read. Images without borders can also make the web page look untidy and unprofessional.<\/p>\n
Most website visitors rarely read entire pages of content. Instead, people tend to skim over content, looking for what they need. And, if they can’t find the information they are looking for, they will quit the site and look for an alternative.<\/p>\n
Using whitespace to break up content makes skim-reading possible. And, of course, headings and subheadings will also help in this respect. Whitespace also allows people to understand the text better. Studies have shown that using whitespace between paragraphs and around the borders increases comprehension by 20%.<\/p>\n
There is only so much information a person can take in at once. For example, suppose someone were to reel off twenty facts, speaking fast and without pausing. In that case, you would likely take in a few of these facts. However, if that person were to talk slowly and take a pause between the points, you would probably retain more of the information.<\/p>\n
The same is true of website content. You must give the reader time to pause and take in what they have read. And it is the whitespace between paragraphs and other website elements that creates the required pause.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are varying degrees of whitespace. The larger areas of empty space are often called macro whitespace, and the smaller ones are called micro whitespace. And these different sizes of space can be used to help define the tone of a brand.<\/p>\n
News websites generally use micro whitespace between articles. This use of small empty spaces makes sense because the primary goal of a news site is to disseminate information. So, this is one case where relatively dense content would be appropriate.<\/p>\n
If you were to visit a designer brand website, however, you would see something different. High-value, exclusive brands tend to break up content with macro whitespace. In this case, space is used to highlight the uniqueness and exclusiveness of a product.<\/p>\n
Macro whitespace can also be used to infer simplicity or clarity. And there is no better example of a simple web page with lots of whitespace than the Google search page.<\/p>\n
There will be some aspects of most web pages to which you will want to draw a user’s attention. And the most common of these critical elements are calls to action (CTAs). Suppose you were to bury a CTA amongst a cluttered page of text and images, for example. In that case, there is every possibility that users won’t ever see the CTA. However, surrounding the call to action with whitespace will immediately grab people’s attention.<\/p>\n
You might also want to use whitespace to highlight crucial information. For example, the benefits of a product would stand out more if they were listed in a bullet point format and surrounded by negative space. Testimonials would also stand out more if they were highlighted in larger font within a border of whitespace.<\/p>\n
You could sum up all the above points by saying that whitespace improves the user experience. Whitespace, or negative space, makes text easier to read and creates flow and balance on a web page. And whitespace draws people’s attention to crucial elements like calls to action. So, whitespace is anything but a waste of space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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