| Subject: Re: White Space |
Author:
Tina Biddle
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Date Posted: 13:06:51 03/29/02 Fri
In reply to:
Damian
's message, "White Space" on 10:53:18 03/20/02 Wed
White Space
There are many uses of white space in web design. Three things that I think are important are:
1. Proximity shows relationships between things and space between objects can separate them. For example, if you keep paragraphs close to their headings and use white space to separate new paragraphs and their headings, your page will be easier to follow. Also, text should be close to the graphic to which it refers and white space can separate unrelated text and photos.
2. White space can be used to around a focal point to enhance it and draw your eyes to it and to set it apart.
3. White space can be used as an “aisle” to draw your eyes around the page while separating groups of elements.
I found a site – Ireland: An Interactive Country Guide http://www.iol.ie/~discover/welcome.htm
This site has the worst use of white space (or lack of use) imaginable! Obviously no tables or layers were used. Pictures and text are just thrown on and not aligned. Nothing has priority. If you go through the site, it gets more amusing. Some of the photos you click lead to a page where the photo or text may be aligned on the right side of the page and just blank space on the left side. To make it even more insulting, the “white” space – the background – is bright blue. It makes navigation nearly impossible. This is a great example of what not to do with white space. The web designer must have been hitting the Guinness.
I decided to look at a more conservative page and see how it fared. The Charles Schwab Home Page and web site – enter at--
http://www.schwab.com/
This site very simply used white space in an effective manner. On most pages the text or graphics are divided into three columns with white space defining the columns, forming and “aisle” effect and making it easy to browse visually. Headings are close to their topics and white space is used to separate these topics. This very simple use of white space to organize topics makes the site very navigable.
I thought I’d look at a sight that was trying to sell something. I looked at the Apple site.
http://www.apple.com/
Apple’s home page uses white space to sell, sell, sell! When you open the web site you see a large picture of a High Definition Display on the left of the page. It is surrounded by white space – which draws your eye to it. On the right is large text describing what you are seeing. It is also surrounded by white space and is brief. Your eyes are definitely drawn to the photo of the display and then to the writing beside it. It works – I’ll take one.
Tina
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