The Importance Of Whitespace In Web Design & How To Properly Use Them

When designing a new website it’s essential to keep your pages clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Today's website visitors are content-scanners. They scroll quickly, skim posts, and get distracted by busy layouts trying to accomplish too much. The key to getting your visitors' undivided attention is simplicity -- and that starts with an effective use of whitespace.

In this article, we'll take a brief look at why whitespace matters, what it means for conversion-driven web design, and how to properly use whitespace to lead website visitors towards the desired action.

What is Whitespace in Web Design?

Whitespace in web design also known as negative space is the space within any design that doesn’t contain any screen element and won’t attract the attention of the user or reader. It does not literally mean an empty space with a white background. It can be of any color, texture, patterns or even a background image.

It is the portion of the page left unmarked that separate each website content; the space between elements in a composition such as margins and gutters. It can be seen between columns, between lines of text or figures, buttons, images and videos, that provides visual breathing room for the eye.

Why is Whitespace Important?

One of the most frustrating feelings is when there is too much content on a website and all of it is fighting for your attention without a clear and consistent separation.

Crowded and very busy websites are very difficult to read, making the users feel frustrated trying to find the right part of the page they’re interested in. It has been long understood that people are mostly scanning the content before they decide to read it. Whitespaces take a big part in making content scannable, which makes it more engaging.

Whitespace also gives you an impression of a higher quality design. Websites that use whitespace seem to be more elegant and lighter. It has been a well-known practice within luxury brand websites to have larger whitespaces, making the designs look more elegant.

Whitespaces are also often used for balancing the layout, bringing the visual integrity of the design.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, I would like to add that a very good approach to using whitespaces is to perceive them as an active element on the website. Whitespaces are there to help with scanning the content, readability, make websites seem more elegant and improve user’s experience. So next time you feel that the whitespace has got to be filled with some content, think of it as an active website element, instead of a blank background, and use it consistently.

Article by Shaydee Code