Why Whitespace is Good

Ah, the age-old question: is whitespace a good thing to include in your website’s design…or is it just a waste of space?

Firstly, if you’re not sure what whitespace is, it is the empty space between and around screen elements. But don’t get caught up on the word ‘whitespace’ – it can also be known as negative space as it isn’t necessarily white. As long as there are no text, images, or other screen elements, then it’s whitespace!

So is whitespace important and how much of it should be incorporated into your website design? Our answers are yes and plenty! Many consider it to be a waste of precious space that could be filled with advertising, promotions, and information. We’re here to tell you that this is not the case.

Why is whitespace good?

• It helps to draw attention to the bits you really want people to see
  Put your phone number in between paragraphs and images and it’s unlikely that the majority of people looking at the page will see it. Put your phone number in the centre of the page by itself and everyone will see it. Make sure that no visitors overlook any important information by using whitespace to make it stand out.

• Text is easier to read
  Spacing out text and increasing the size of margins will make paragraphs easier to read. It’s unlikely that many visitors will read whole chunks of writing so break up your blog posts and services pages with some whitespace and some headers.

• It helps to break up the page naturally
  Lots of lines, boxes and clear sections are less necessary when whitespace is utilised properly – it will be clear when text is related to certain images, and differentiating content will be easy.

• Less mess
  Too many screen elements in one place look messy and cluttered. For a clean and fresh website, simplify the page layout with some whitespace.

• It helps to create user journeys
  By making different parts of the page stand out, you can subtly direct visitors to your call to action buttons, contact details, or a page that you’re trying to increase the popularity of. More whitespace surrounding buttons will single them out and draw visitors to them.

Feel free to share your thoughts on whitespace in the comment section below!

If you’re after some more web design tips, check out our design blog for more.