Negative space or as I term it, breathing space is an essential part of every design. It’s the area of a design that is left blank and can significantly impact how a design is perceived.
Why is breathing space important?
Breathing space isn’t just a blank area of a design; it’s an important element that can help you create a more effective and aesthetically pleasing design.
It makes your message easier to read.
Breathing space helps to group elements in a design. The audience will focus on the essential parts of your offering. Without space, a design can become cluttered and difficult to read.
Breathing space emphasises the important bits.
Hierarchy also helps (when text is styled as large, medium or small) and breathing space can also draw attention to specific elements. Leaving more space around a particular features, makes them stand out. Great for highlighting key pieces of information or calls to action.
How do you use breathing space well?
Now that you know why breathing space is essential, let’s look at how you can use it effectively. Here are some tips for incorporating white space into your designs:
- Choose a consistent amount of white space.
- Working with the page or Canva document with the most elements will help you to work out a consistent use of white space.
- Be mindful of the proportions of white space to other elements.
- Use white space to separate sections.
- Create contrast between elements with white space.
Don’t forget to give space space!
