Negative Space in Design: What It Is and How To Use It

We often think that silence, emptiness, or colorlessness is bad for us. We take them for granted without thinking that they are the solid foundation of contrast. Only silence lets us know the value of the sound. Only empty space lets us understand what we want to fill it with. Only colorlessness lets us feel the colors brighter and deeper when they appear on stage. And only the absence of air lets us know how vital it is. Today we are talking about the air in design. Let’s discuss the negative space.

Interactive product presentation for the web design for Ray-Ban Meta glasses by EssilorLuxottica Creative Hub that skilfully employs negative space

What Is Negative Space in Design?

Basically, negative space – or white space, as it’s often called – is the area of the layout that is left empty. It may be not only around the objects you place in the layout but also between and inside them. Negative space is a kind of breathing room for all the objects on the page or screen. Not only does it define the limits of objects, but it also creates the necessary bonds between them according to Gestalt principles and builds up effective visual performance. Due to that, white space is a rightful design element that has a big impact on positive user experience. “White space is like a canvas: it’s the background that holds the elements together in a design, enabling them to stand out,” says Mads Soegaard from Interaction Design Foundation.

Negative space in graphic design is often seen in logos, illustrations, posters, and creative lettering, where it becomes an active part of the visual presentation, making key objects even more expressive.

In UI design for websites and mobile apps, negative space is a significant factor in the interface’s usability and navigability. The negative space around the layout elements is also called macro space, whereas the space between them and inside (for letters and stroke elements) is also called micro space.

Contact page design for Elycion website by HNDRX

What Is the Difference Between White Space and Negative Space?

Short answer: no difference. These terms are fully interchangeable. Why are these phenomena called by two different terms? It’s easy to answer if you trace the origins. The term “white space” comes from print design, since pages were mostly white, so white space was everything around, between, and inside the letters or symbols, as well as around illustrations. Today, used in design, this term has nothing to do with white color: it’s all about empty space rather than color. The term “negative space” comes from photography: in a photo shoot, they define positive space (objects attracting attention) and negative space (background).

What is important to remember is that negative space in web design doesn’t have to be only white. You can use any color, texture, even pattern, or background image.

Decathlon-Quechua Lookbook website employs atmospheric photo and video content, immediately setting an emotional connection with customers and using them as a negative space for bold tagline text and navigation elements.

Why Is Negative Space Important?

Imagine yourself coming into a room fully packed with various staff. Shelves, boxes, bags, piles of books and clothes, the desk cluttered with various things. Will you be able to concentrate on such conditions? Do you really need all those things right now? Will you be able to find what you need and how much time will it take? Well, that’s pretty much the same as what users feel when opening the page or screen without a vital air of negative space.

Both clients and some designers may want to put as many elements and features as possible on one page or screen, thinking that it will save the game and will be helpful for clients. But that’s a mistake: in fact, users don’t need everything at once. Even more, too many elements without enough air significantly raise the level of distraction: overloaded with information and interactive elements, most of which they DON’T need, users will have to make an effort to find what they DO need. As Aarron Walter mentioned, “if everything yells for your viewer’s attention, nothing is heard”.

Among the benefits of a thoughtful approach to negative space in design, we could mention the following:

• it supports scannability of the page
• it enhances visual hierarchy
• it makes the bonds between the elements visible and naturally perceived without additional means like tables, frames, arrows
• it provides enough air on the page so that it doesn’t feel cluttered
• it sets the user’s focus on core elements and reduces the level of distraction
• it adds style and elegance to the page.

Web page layout for Matthew Fisher website by CUSP

Here’s another example: the website uses atmospheric and impressive animated video to make the negative space set the theme and awe the visitors from the first seconds.

The home page of the Nesma&Partners website by Origin catches attention and impresses visitors with an animated 3D illustration.

Core Factors Influenced by Negative Space

Using negative space properly may have a considerable impact on the following factors of user experience.

Readability and legibility: if there’s not enough space between the elements, they become hard to read and demand additional effort. It may be a strong reason for eye and brain tension, although many users won’t be able to formulate the problem. A proper amount of negative space, especially microspace, solves this problem and makes the process feel more natural. So, negative space directly influences the efficiency of typography on the page or screen. In music, pauses play the same role as sounds. In reading, it works the same way: empty spaces placed correctly make the text easier to read.

Interactions on the Somerville website by Eyekiller: due to the large amount of negative space on the pages, visitors can enjoy photos and read the text easily

Branding: if you check any logo guideline, you will find that designers define the appropriate amount of negative space around it so that it is perceived correctly. Breaking these rules is harmful to visual performance.

Nature of the resource: negative space has an impact on the so-called design tone. For example, news resources will have less white space on the home page than blogs to set the mood and convey that the platform is full of dynamically appearing data.

Attention ratio: enough negative space enhances visual hierarchy and allows users to focus on the key elements.

Real estate application design by Robert Holesinsky: thought-out balance of content, navigation, and negative space on the screen makes the mobile application for setting personal challenges clear and easy-to-use

The Sunday website, presenting a robotic product and designed by Standard Projects, looks airy and usable due to the negative space that helps to build a solid visual hierarchy with clear visual accents

Based on that, negative space has an impact on visual perception in such aspects as:

• copy content
• graphic content
• navigation
• identity.

Menu page for Normal Is Boring website by LaNegrita

Web design for Ray-Ban Meta glasses by EssilorLuxottica Creative Hub: the negative space is dark, creating a strong contrast with the interface’s core elements. The layout looks organized and highly readable, thanks to sufficient air and no distractions, supporting a minimalist, elegant style to prioritize aesthetic satisfaction.

Pitfalls to Consider

1. Confusing terminology. When you are talking to clients who may not be deeply familiar with design terms, make sure you explain the meaning of negative space before you describe the design solution. It may be hard for a non-designer to understand why “this screen needed more white space” looks at the totally black background, as negative space may be associated with something bad – which it is not. So, don’t forget to dot all the i’s before using the terms.

2. Wish to reduce negative space to put more on the page or screen. It happens not only in UI design: you may hear how an interior designer recommends saving some space to the client who wants 4 bookcases in one room instead of 2, or an architect explaining why there is a need for empty space around the building to make it look and serve better. Even more, sometimes re-planning the elements with the better use of negative space creates the illusion of the room or building being bigger than it really is – and the same happens with data you have to put on a mobile screen or web page. Decide what’s more important, what’s secondary, and what can be eliminated so that the user can navigate intuitively. Negative space will help to make the harmonious look of the screen or page even if it’s full of information and functions.

3. Poor prioritization. Negative space is not a cure-all if thought-out information architecture doesn’t stand behind an interface. Before you think about the design skin, you have to decide how the user will find the shortcut to his/her goal and solves his/her problem with an app or website. Plan this route before you make the looks, presenting it in style; otherwise, even the best balance of visual elements, including negative space, won’t work effectively.

Useful Reading

Here’s the set of articles on more aspects and best practices of user experience design.

How to Make User Interface Readable: Tips and Practices

Guide to 6 Effective Types of Web Animation

10 Reasons to Apply Illustrations in User Interfaces

5 Basic Types of Images for Web Design

3C of Interface Design: Color, Contrast, Content

User Experience: How to Improve Web Scannability

Hero Images in Web Design: When, Why and How

Color Scheme for Interface: Light or Dark UI?

Visual Dividers in User Interfaces: Types and Design Tips

How to Design User Onboarding

Web Design: 18 Basic Types of Web Pages