| If you've ever thought
a website was "too busy", you probably meant that it didn't
have enough white space.
White space is the blank area
of a screen that is free from text or graphics. It helps
provide visual contrast and gives readers a place to rest their
eyes. E.g. Creating extra space around a headline might give it
more visual power - quality magazines often use this to great effect.
White Doesn't Have to be White
It might seem a little confusing but white space doesn't
have to be white. It can be any color as long as it's free from
text or imagery.
And white space doesn't have to be one big rectangle.
Create white space by:
- Increasing the space around page headlines
- Creating an invisible border around pictures
- Increasing your web page margins
- Increasing the spacing between paragraphs of
text
You can use this page as an example. There's white
space under the left menu and under the right image. We've also
increased the spacing between paragraphs and in between lines of
text to make it easier to read.
How Much White Space Should I Use?
In print, the traditional ratio between text/imagery
and white space is 60/40.
For web pages, we recommend 65/35. This should give
you enough room for content and space for reader's to rest their
eyes.
Can You Have Too Much White Space?
No. You can however, most certainly have too little.
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