In
page layout,
illustration and sculpture, white space is often referred to as
negative space
Negative space, in art, is the empty space around and between the subject(s) of an image. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and s ...
. It is the portion of a page left unmarked:
margins,
gutters, and space between columns, lines of type, graphics, figures, or objects drawn or depicted, and is not necessarily actually white if the background is of a different colour. The term arises from
graphic design practice, where printing processes generally use white paper. White space may be an element of design rather than just space left blank.
When space is at a premium, such as in some types of magazine, newspaper, and yellow pages advertising, white space is restricted in order to get as much information onto the page as possible. A page full of text or graphics with very little white space may appear cluttered, and be difficult to read.
Some designs compensate for restricted white space by use of
leading and
typeface
A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font.
There are thousands o ...
. Extensive white space may be left intentionally, with the purpose of giving an appearance deemed classic, elegant, or rich.
See also
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Composition (visual arts)
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Ma
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Minimalism (visual arts)
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or co ...
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Type color
References
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External links
16 Things about White SpaceOn White Space in Graphic Design
Artistic techniques