White space (visual arts) (Wikipedia)
A short encyclopedia article (flagged by Wikipedia itself as a stub) on white space in page layout: the definition, the information-density tradeoff, and its use as a deliberate design choice rather than mere emptiness. See White Space.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Key points
- Defines white space (often called negative space) as “the portion of a page left unmarked: margins, gutters, and space between columns, lines of type, graphics, figures, or objects” — not necessarily actually white, a term that comes from print’s white paper.
- States the core information-density tradeoff: where space is at a premium (some magazine, newspaper, and directory advertising), white space is deliberately restricted to fit more information on the page, but a page full of text or graphics with very little white space can appear cluttered and be difficult to read.
- Notes that extensive white space may be left intentionally, to produce an impression of being classic, elegant, or rich — white space as an active design choice, not just unused leftover space.