Website Design and Negative Space

We’re here to tell you that it’s ok to be negative when it comes to website design – that is, when it comes to space ;)

What is negative space?

You can think of positive space as the areas on your website where content exists, (such as images, text and other focal points) exists. Then negative space, or white space, is what remains.

Why is negative space important in website design?

In addition to improving the aesthetics of web pages, negative space can draw attention to focal points and essentially guides users through the flow of content.

Here are some tips and best practices when it comes to negative space and website design:

It can still have color, patterns, texture, etc. Although negative space is the ‘blank’ space of the web page, it doesn’t mean it can’t have color or patterns, i.e. “white space” is not necessarily white. When the negative space of a web page has a background with color or texture, it can still effectively frame or organize the content.

Add space to improve readability and organize text. Making sure that you have spacious margins and space between paragraphs can make the text on the web page easier on the eyes. Organize content by using negative space to group relevant sections together and provide breathing room between them.

Don’t forget about micro negative space. Pay attention to the line and character spacing when it comes to text. Consider the spacing around buttons, elements of the navigational menu, links, etc. Ensuring good spacing around these aspects of website design can improve readability of the content and contribute to better user experience.

Negative space is not just for minimalism. Although the idea of minimalist design is characterized by incorporating lots of negative space, busy web pages should also consider negative space. Content heavy web pages can effectively apply negative space to bring organization and readability to its elements.

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