The Value of White Space and Why Minimalism Matters

There is a famous saying, “Less is More”. Minimalism isn’t about only having less. The true essence of minimalism is to focus on what really matters. Minimalism is a tool that helps to keep the consumer focused on the subject. It’s a tool to guide our attention towards the matter of importance. It can be tempting to put everything. Many times, we try to leave no white space, because we think it is a waste. But from a design perspective, white space plays a very important role.

What is White Space?

White space (also known as negative space or blank space) is the empty area within and in between the design elements. It can be the space in between different blocks, space between typography, the gap in between pictures, etc. White space doesn’t have to be white necessarily. It can be any color, texture, pattern, or even a background image. The important factor is there is no active foreground element in the space.

White space can be of 2 types.

1. Micro white space - refers to the small space within different elements, lines, paragraphs, etc.
2. Macro white space - refers to the large space between different blocks, sections, and spaces around margins.

Importance of White Space

1. Micro white space impacts content legibility. For example, it can affect the consumer’s reading speed and comprehension. Space in the text can denote relevance in between different sections of a story.
2. Clarity - White space lets you stay focused on the task. The best example here is Google.com. There’s absolutely no clutter, hence less work for our eyes and mind. It lets us focus on the more important matter - to search for something!
3. Active white space enhances page structure and guides the user through the page’s content.
4. Passive white space improves the design aesthetics of the layout.
5. More interaction – Consumers can easily get distracted when there is a lot of content. Having proper whitespace will increase interaction by preventing distractions. Even slight padding can draw attention to a specific area. According to research conducted by Human Factors International, white space increases comprehension by almost 20.
 



6. A cluttered design also fails to highlight the important data. When the consumer is unable to determine the focal point, the main message may not reach them.
7. Properly used white space can bring a sense of royalty & elegance. Because the minimal amount of content that is present has to be of the highest quality to attract the consumer.
8. Negative space promotes efficiency over quantity. This principle is applicable for both the consumer as well as the provider. Because the consumer is getting very refined information without any junk. On the other hand, the provider gets the opportunity to keep the information organized and easy to present more important stuff.
9. From a technical aspect, minimalism enhances the reliability of a project. Because minimalism decreases the points of failure. In long term, it makes maintenance much easier. In the case of websites & applications, it can mean less loading time and better user experience in slow connections.
10. Since there is less content, that’s why every element which is present contains a high value. A single color, one symbol, one word can convey a lot of meaning. This in turn enhances the creative aspect of a project.

Conclusion

In the modern age, minimalism has gain value in every sector of life. Starting from lifestyle, education, architecture, development to the very basic needs required for living. Because people now understand the quality which hides behind simplicity. But this also challenges the designers in many ways. Because to do minimalism well, we need a strong understanding of basic design principles. Designers don’t get the opportunity to hide their inefficiency and mistakes in between the crowd anymore. Hence the need for efficiency has gained a very high priority now.