White Space in Web Design: How Great Lakes Brewing Co. Does It Well

KEY
POINTS

• White space is also known as negative space and has two types: Macro and Micro space.
• Active white space guides user focus towards key elements, passive white space improves the layout without guiding the user.
• White space plays a role in balancing out the rest of a website’s elements, improving the user experience.

White space in web design contributes in multiple ways to the flow, aesthetics, structure, and even the accessibility of a webpage. When white space isn’t properly managed many websites become cluttered or too empty, which in turn can distract the user from the intended journey. But when a website properly balances white space with their various elements, webpages can become engaging, easier to navigate, and can even make your brand more memorable!

What is White Space in Web Design?

White space is one of the important principles of web design. Contrary to how it might seem, white space is not about emptiness. White space in web design can have a great impact on how a person perceives and appreciates the parts and the whole of a website, an application, or even just a piece of art.

What Are the Key Elements of White Space in Web Design?

The key elements of white space in web design refer to the empty areas and spaces that exist around and in-between a webpage’s elements. White space makes up the margins, the padding, and the gutters. White space also makes up the line spacing and the letter spacing that exists within a paragraph of text, and even the spacing between paragraphs. Depending on which parts of a website you’re inspecting, white space can come in the form of macro and micro white space, large-scale and small-scale spacing.

Why is White Space Important in Web Design?

White space is important in web design for its role in contributing towards a more positive user experience (UX). Through the proper utilization of white space, or negative space, it can make the difference between a website with eye-catching elements and a stressful mess that turns users away.

How Does White Space Influence User Experience?

White space influences user experience in several ways, thanks to how negative space affects visual hierarchy, readability, and aesthetics.

• White space is what creates margins, gutter space, and even padding for imagery. Each of these applications of white space can aid in the establishment of a clear visual hierarchy or information architecture.
• When white space is properly applied around text and other elements, it allows for enhanced readability because it becomes easier to read and scan content. With the right amount of padding around text and elements, white space helps reduce eye strain for the user and allows better information processing.
• White space aids in creating a more positive first impression by improving the overall aesthetics of a website. Using adequate amounts of white space can create an uncluttered and clean interface that speaks of professionalism and care in design.

What Are the Four Kinds of White Space?

The four kinds of white space are divided into two actual types and two ways that they can be used. There are two types of white space used in web design: macro and micro. However, there are also two ways in which either type of white space is applied: active and passive.

What Are the Different Types of White Space in Web Design?

The different types of white space in web design are divided into two:

Macro White Space

Macro white space involves the larger portions of negative space that exist between the major elements and sections of a webpage. Examples of macro white space are the margins around images, the clear space around a company logo, gutters between multiple columns, and the gaps of negative space between main sections like the header, footer, and sidebar.

Micro White Space

Micro white space refers to the smaller gaps of negative space that exist between more individual elements on a webpage. Examples of micro white space include letter spacing, line space, the margins between form fields, and even the padding between the borders of a button and the text within it.

How Do You Distinguish Between Active and Passive White Space?

The difference between active white space and passive white space is the intended use behind the negative space.

Active White Space

Active white space is intentionally used to assist in lending emphasis to specific elements or pieces of content on a webpage. When used strategically, active white space can help guide user attention to key parts of the webpage to ensure they follow down the intended journey.

Passive White Space

Passive white space is what happens naturally when there is negative space between individual elements. Examples of passive white space include the space between lines of text, space between paragraphs and list items, and default margins and padding that exist within content areas.

What Are the Benefits and Impacts of White Space?

The benefits and impacts of white space cannot be underestimated. Thoughtful use of white space protects a website from becoming a frustrating clutter that would turn users off and quickly ruin any trust. In the hands of a professional web designer, proper utilization of negative space can also have a direct impact on a website’s success with visitors and customers.

What Are the Benefits of White Space in Web Design?

The benefits of white space in web design include its positive impact on brand identity, user cognitive load, user interaction, and even accessibility.

• White space benefits any website by helping in building a recognizable visual style that aligns with a brand’s aesthetics, values, and their overarching message.
• White space plays a role in reducing user cognitive load by giving elements breathing room, giving users a mental break, and preventing information overload for the user.
• Sufficient amounts of white space aid in greater rates of user interaction by making interactive elements more noticeable and making those elements more accessible as well.
• White space improves accessibility for those with visual impairments and cognitive disability by creating space around elements. This allows users to focus on individual elements without distracting clutter.

How Does White Space Improve Reliability and Navigation?

White space improves reliability and navigation on websites by the way it interacts with interactive elements and enhancing how easy it is for a user to learn and become comfortable with navigating that website. While the effects of open space on reliability and navigation are similar, there are also distinct ways that each part of UX is improved.

• White space around navigation menus and buttons can improve navigation by making interactive navigational elements easier to spot and encouraging the user to use them.
• Easy-to-spot navigational elements with sufficient open space also enable users to quickly scan, process, and decide where they wish to go.
• Another way that white space in web design improves navigation is how gutters, margins, and other forms of macro white space can be used to allow for sections of content to be neatly separated, organized, and kept consistent. It becomes easier for users to find information when each piece of content or paragraph is easy to focus on and isn’t being smothered with clutter.
• That same negative space used to aid navigation also enhances reliability by protecting users from clicking on the wrong thing when using those buttons and menus to explore the website.
• White space in web design enhances reliability by keeping content organized and easy to read each section. When content is organized and well-separated by white space, it allows quicker information-finding and boosts user confidence in the website.

What Impact Does White Space Have on Website Performance and User Engagement?

The impact that white space has on website performance and user engagement includes effects on mobile responsiveness, potentially faster page load times, greater engagement through user focus and increased trust, and a greater overall user experience that leads to higher conversion rates.

• Macro white space such as gutter space and margins can help make it easier for the user to focus on a webpage’s individual key elements, especially in a grid layout. The neatness and professionalism presented by this use of white space also aids in boosting user trust, confidence, and comfort.
• White space in web design, when it comes to mobile devices, provides the open space needed to ensure a website’s headlines, images, and other content are more readable, accommodating for changes in screen size and resolution.
• The nature of white space can passively improve page load times because there are fewer visual elements to load.

What Are the Best Practices for Using White Space in Web Design?

The best practices for using white space in web design revolve around the idea of balancing negative space with a webpage’s many elements like content and images. There are many benefits to the use of open space on a webpage, but its overuse or underutilization can lead to design failure and turn users away.

What Are the Best Practices for Incorporating White Space in Web Design?

The best practices for incorporating white space in web design require an understanding of macro and micro white space, and a sense of how to balance white space with the rest of a webpage’s elements. After learning those two crucial lessons, it becomes easier to incorporate the rest of the best practices for incorporating white space.

Utilizing Both Micro and Macro White Space Effectively

Micro white space involves the smaller elements, and they have a major impact on readability. Macro white space involves the larger chunks of white space, impacting on content organization, guiding user attention, and overall user experience.

Balancing White Space and Content

While white space is vital in web design, there can be too much. Too much white space creates the impression of a webpage being too empty, but too little white space can lead to a page looking cluttered, hard to read, and difficult to focus.

Leverage White Space to Establish Visual Hierarchy

White space naturally assists in the establishment of visual hierarchy. Open space highlights what elements there are, which makes important elements stick out more. With proper white space and layout, users can be smoothly guided down their intended journey.

Consider the White Space Around Each Call-To-Action (CTA)

White space also plays an equally important role in making your CTA stand out. CTAs should be easy to spot, and with the right amount of white space and visual hierarchy, users will naturally find their way to a webpage’s CTA.

Prepare for Mobile with White Space

White space also provides the room needed to ensure that your elements can be adjusted for the mobile screen and the user experience remains optimal.

Maintaining Consistency in White Space

White space should be used in a consistent manner, just like a webpage’s layout or color choices. Keeping consistent with the use of white space helps maintain a harmonious webpage design, which in turn helps maintain a positive user experience.

Gauge White Space with Iterative Testing

The effectiveness of white space can be gauged with iterative testing using A/B testing and gathering user feedback. As feedback is gathered, adjustments and updates can be made to improve user experience and satisfaction.

How Can You Balance White Space with Content in Web Design?

You can balance white space with content in web design through the equal use of active white space and passive white space, balancing aesthetics with functionality, ensuring readability and proper margins, choosing the right kind of visual balance, and using grid system layouts.

Equal Use of Active and Passive White Space

Active white space and passive white space play equally important roles. Active white space intentionally frames key elements and guides user attention. Passive white space such as line spacing improves readability.

Balancing Aesthetics with Functionality

Utilizing white space to create a visually appealing webpage is important, but it is just as vital to ensure that a webpage is designed to be highly functional and user-friendly.

Using Proper Margins and Padding

The proper use of white space margins and padding allows for various elements to be neatly separated. Margins and padding are a kind of macro white space used to create a balanced and orderly presentation of large elements.

Choosing a Kind of Visual Balance

Symmetrical design ensures an even distribution of content and white space. Asymmetrical designs can create a more creative layout but requires white space to be more strategically placed.

What Are the Common Guidelines for Using White Space Effectively in Responsive Design?

Common guidelines for using white space effectively in responsive design include ensuring readability, using grid system layouts, optimizing for load times, and ensuring smooth navigation.

• Ensuring Readability. White space is an important part of making sure text content is legible and comfortable for the user to read. White space can be used for text content in the form of line space, letter spacing, and even font size.
• Using Grid System Layouts. Grid systems allow for neat and consistent content organization, balancing the content with its white space. This in turn can help with keeping white space uniform such as with margins, gutters, and paragraph section dividers.
• Optimize for Load Times. Proper use of white space leads to less clutter, which in turn can possibly speed up load times for webpages. It is advisable to test loading times on mobile devices to determine how white space use is affecting load times.
• Ensure Smooth Navigation. White space should be used to create clear separation between different navigation buttons and links. On a mobile screen, negative space should also be carefully used to prevent accidental clicks and to make navigation elements more touch-friendly for users.

What Are Some Common Mistakes When Using White Space?

Some common mistakes when using white space revolve around uneven distribution of open space, overcrowding elements, and using too much negative space. Other common white space mistakes include inconsistency with margins and padding, ignoring responsive design, neglecting readability, ignoring user interaction, and not using white space to guide users.

Excessive White Space

Using too much white space in your web design can make your webpage look empty or even unfinished. When there’s too much open space, it can also reduce the impact of your webpage, forcing users to have to scroll more to reach the next element.

Uneven Distribution of White Space

The uneven or inconsistent distribution of negative space can lead to an unbalanced and chaotic web design. Users may find a webpage to lack coherence and may become diverted from the intended user journey.

Overcrowding Elements

When too little white space is used, elements become cluttered, leading to a chaotic and disorienting web design. This overcrowding can throw users off the intended user journey.

Inconsistency with Margins and Padding

Inconsistency in the use of margins and padding can lead to a distracting layout that can reduce a webpage’s effectiveness. This mistake can also confuse users and lead them away from the intended journey.

Ignoring Responsive Design

Content can become cramped when white space is not adjusted for different screen sizes and devices such as mobile devices.

Neglecting Readability

This common mistake can involve the line spacing, paragraph spacing, or the margins around text content. Users may choose to leave the webpage if they find text too difficult to read.

Ignoring User Interaction

Interactive elements become less touch-friendly and clickable when there is not enough white space around them. Ignoring user interaction leads to loss of usability and can frustrate users.

Not Using White Space to Guide Users

White space can serve a strategic purpose by helping users focus on key elements and establishing a content hierarchy. When active white space isn’t used, a website’s design can fail, and users might not discover the intended user journey or a webpage’s CTA.

What Are Some Examples of Successful Use of White Space in Web Design?

Some examples of successful use of white space in web design include leveraging white space to create a minimalist webpage to draw attention to a singular element such as search engine sites do, using white space to frame and draw attention to a brand’s core products, to create visual hierarchy on a webpage, and to ensure clarity when a user views a webpage’s text, images, and buttons.

One particular website that excels at using white space to draw attention to both its products and its messaging is the Great Lakes Brewing Company!

What is the Great Lakes Brewing Company?

The Great Lakes Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, OH, close to the shores of Lake Erie. The company has been in existence for over 30 years and offers its patrons a broad variety of beverages ranging from their year-round selection to their seasonal lists.

Much like their colorful selection of craft beers, the Great Lakes Brewing Company hosts an equally engaging website that boasts a design well-balanced with elements and white space.

Examples of White Space on the Great Lakes Brewing Company Site

Upon entering the Great Lakes Brewing Company’s website, users are first greeted by an age verification message, or age disclaimer, with two possible answers. By asking the user if they are of legal drinking age, they are doing their part in trying to educate and guide users towards being responsible. This is important messaging for any establishment that serves alcoholic beverages.

How the Age Disclaimer Uses White Space

The age disclaimer effectively uses white space by bring the user’s attention straight to the center. In well-contrasted text, the Great Lakes Brewing Co. image is clear to see, letting the user know that they’ve reached the right place. In bold, white letters, the age disclaimer makes its purpose clear with the question “Are you 21 or older?” Finally, two buttons present themselves, boldly colored yellow and spaced apart sufficiently, for the user to click either “Yes” or “No”.

Just on this one customer-centered webpage, Great Lakes Brewing Co. is already showing off its understanding of white space and how negative space can be leveraged to bring the user’s attention to where it really needs to be. As explained earlier, white space is not emptiness—it can be white, black, any color. And as expertly demonstrated by Great Lakes Brewing Co., white space can even be a black-faded image of a product, but it is dark enough that it doesn’t interfere with the elements that are meant to be focused on.

White Space on the Home Page

White space on the home page is well-managed, just like the age disclaimer page. White space is used to separate main sections (such as “On Tap” and “News”, while gutters are used to neatly separate the different drink selections on offer. Further down, the different News articles are also separated the same way. White space in the form of margins is also used well to frame either side of each main section and their content.

As the user scrolls down the page, there is never a moment of confusion as to what each main section is and what content belongs in those sections. Finally, at the end of the home page, is a CTA to sign up and subscribe to their email newsletter. Open space is again used effectively to center the user’s attention on the CTA, especially on the yellow “Sign Up” button.

FAQs

Can Too Much White Space Negatively Impact Web Design?

Yes, too much white space can negatively impact web design by making a webpage look too empty and may also lead users to believe that the website is not complete. Balance must be achieved between open space and content for white space to be effective.

How Does White Space Influence the Aesthetics of a Website?

White space influences the aesthetics of a website by making a webpage look clean, organized, and professional. Utilizing negative space creates breathing room for important elements and allows users to focus on those key elements.

Does White Space Enhance Website Performance?

White space can enhance website performance in a passive way. By uncluttering a webpage, website performance can possibly be sped up because there are fewer elements to load.