Comments on: My Problem With White Space http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/ A Web and Graphic Design Blog Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:53:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: La necesidad de rellenar un espacio en blanco en el diseño | Diseño Web Pilar | Sitios y Paginas | posicionamiento seo http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-16905 La necesidad de rellenar un espacio en blanco en el diseño | Diseño Web Pilar | Sitios y Paginas | posicionamiento seo Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:02:03 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-16905 [...] Via : http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/ [...] [...] Via : http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/ [...]

]]> By: Chris Yerkes http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-16028 Chris Yerkes Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:24:00 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-16028 This has plagued me for a long time too. I initially didn't realize it until my girlfriend, who specialized in print, told me some of my designs felt incredibly crowded...and i realized she was right. Now it is always me asking myself..."could I use a little more white space here???...maybe just a little more?" when I make a website. I now find myself noticing it more in my own designs and I'm beginning to actually develop a major "visual distaste" for it when I see it in the real world. This has plagued me for a long time too. I initially didn’t realize it until my girlfriend, who specialized in print, told me some of my designs felt incredibly crowded…and i realized she was right. Now it is always me asking myself…”could I use a little more white space here???…maybe just a little more?” when I make a website.

I now find myself noticing it more in my own designs and I’m beginning to actually develop a major “visual distaste” for it when I see it in the real world.

]]> By: Alaina http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15900 Alaina Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:41:27 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15900 Very interesting article. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've always had a love of white space even before I could verbalize its importance. I will admit that it often takes on forms aside from being 'white'. When the temptation does strike to fill it I remind myself of the cluttered, messy sites I avoid if possible and that all of the UX research I've read tells me not to overload people with too much information at once because it simply can't be absorbed. Since I naturally tend towards using it, though, that might not be enough of an incentive for those at a support group level ; ) Very interesting article. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’ve always had a love of white space even before I could verbalize its importance. I will admit that it often takes on forms aside from being ‘white’.

When the temptation does strike to fill it I remind myself of the cluttered, messy sites I avoid if possible and that all of the UX research I’ve read tells me not to overload people with too much information at once because it simply can’t be absorbed. Since I naturally tend towards using it, though, that might not be enough of an incentive for those at a support group level ; )

]]> By: Darek http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15898 Darek Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:33:08 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15898 Nice read - but I think its important to remember that if you're frequently having this problem of 'what to put in this empty space', it's a clear sign that your entire design process is fundamentally flawed. At that point, you're decorating, not designing. This problem of whitespace needing to be filled - it's a problem that is created solely by a designer's doing within the layout that they've created. It's not a fundamental issue to be questioned - its simply a corner that inexperienced designers paint themselves into time and time again. If your form adheres to a natural function, and your overall concepts are well planned - you'll find that your design will no longer be forced to fight with its own content. Solve problems first, make things pretty second. Nice read – but I think its important to remember that if you’re frequently having this problem of ‘what to put in this empty space’, it’s a clear sign that your entire design process is fundamentally flawed. At that point, you’re decorating, not designing.

This problem of whitespace needing to be filled – it’s a problem that is created solely by a designer’s doing within the layout that they’ve created. It’s not a fundamental issue to be questioned – its simply a corner that inexperienced designers paint themselves into time and time again.

If your form adheres to a natural function, and your overall concepts are well planned – you’ll find that your design will no longer be forced to fight with its own content. Solve problems first, make things pretty second.

]]> By: Bala http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15879 Bala Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:35:14 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15879 Good article. We found ourselves in a situation where our genre (urban apparel) is rarely represented by clean negative or white space. In the midst of that struggle, we came up with this: http://madmonkeyinc.com/ what do you think? Good article. We found ourselves in a situation where our genre (urban apparel) is rarely represented by clean negative or white space. In the midst of that struggle, we came up with this: http://madmonkeyinc.com/ what do you think?

]]> By: My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog « Netcrema – creme de la social news via digg + delicious + stumpleupon + reddit http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15870 My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog « Netcrema – creme de la social news via digg + delicious + stumpleupon + reddit Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:36:04 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15870 [...] My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blogblog.echoenduring.com [...] [...] My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blogblog.echoenduring.com [...]

]]> By: My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog » Web Design http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15864 My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog » Web Design Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:52:55 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15864 [...] My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog [...] [...] My Problem With White Space :: Echo Enduring Blog [...]

]]> By: Alex Charchar http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15862 Alex Charchar Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:40:37 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15862 "the emptiness can seem to reflect lingering feelings of inadequacy" I think this knocks it on the head. It took me a while to get my head around why white space often works so well and, for me, what it comes down to is confidence in what I put on the page and the dance that happens between those elements. More often than not, it seems as if what designers are trying to do when they fill in the white space is to hide the importnat features of their design -- the exact things that should be shinning. The key is to understand how those elements can work with all that white space, rather than against. looking into a lot of what the modernists wrote about and did in their own designers helps a great deal -- Jan Tschichold, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and so on. I've found that going back to the masters of minimalism and white space, it's easier to understand where they were coming from and how we can work with their ideas. Interesting article! And i love the dramatics, very nice :) “the emptiness can seem to reflect lingering feelings of inadequacy”

I think this knocks it on the head. It took me a while to get my head around why white space often works so well and, for me, what it comes down to is confidence in what I put on the page and the dance that happens between those elements.

More often than not, it seems as if what designers are trying to do when they fill in the white space is to hide the importnat features of their design — the exact things that should be shinning.

The key is to understand how those elements can work with all that white space, rather than against. looking into a lot of what the modernists wrote about and did in their own designers helps a great deal — Jan Tschichold, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and so on. I’ve found that going back to the masters of minimalism and white space, it’s easier to understand where they were coming from and how we can work with their ideas.

Interesting article! And i love the dramatics, very nice :)

]]> By: Russell Bishop http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15858 Russell Bishop Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:48:37 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15858 Thanks for the great article, Matt, it's great to hear some new ideas on the use of white space. I personally feel that if you've cleverly used white space to draw attention to certain areas, or just to let the design breathe, then this should be quite easy to translate to the client. I fully understand though that when you have just a lot in say, one particular section of a design, you can feel that it's a risk that the client just may not "get". Just a heads'up, the 'comment' field in this form is broken in Firefox 3.6.3, Mac. Thanks for the great article, Matt, it’s great to hear some new ideas on the use of white space. I personally feel that if you’ve cleverly used white space to draw attention to certain areas, or just to let the design breathe, then this should be quite easy to translate to the client. I fully understand though that when you have just a lot in say, one particular section of a design, you can feel that it’s a risk that the client just may not “get”.

Just a heads’up, the ‘comment’ field in this form is broken in Firefox 3.6.3, Mac.

]]> By: Ken Reynolds http://blog.echoenduring.com/2010/06/02/my-problem-with-white-space/#comment-15852 Ken Reynolds Thu, 10 Jun 2010 09:04:19 +0000 http://blog.echoenduring.com/?p=3580#comment-15852 Another interesting read. I sometimes feel pressured to fill space because a lot of clients see empty areas as waste. It takes a certain amount of bravery to stand by minimalist design, but at it's purest the white space is doing more work than the contents. The space around other design elements focuses the attention meaning the elements of the design have to be spot on for the overall look to work. It's said less is more, but the less has to be exceptional to justify itself. Another interesting read.

I sometimes feel pressured to fill space because a lot of clients see empty areas as waste.
It takes a certain amount of bravery to stand by minimalist design, but at it’s purest the white space is doing more work than the contents. The space around other design elements focuses the attention meaning the elements of the design have to be spot on for the overall look to work.

It’s said less is more, but the less has to be exceptional to justify itself.

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