What Is White Space And Should It Be Included In Web Design?

White space is the graphically and contextually empty area of space in a website design. While it doesn't necessarily have to be white, it does form an essential part of any good website design because it acts as an effective break between sections or frames. As well as being incorporated into web page design it can also be added at a deeper level when adding content to individual pages.

Some white space is necessary in all designs and by combining the liberal use of white space with a good colour palette websites can take on a crisp and clean look. Of course, as with anything, you can have too much of a good thing and including section upon section of white space will only serve to make your web pages look empty and desolate as though you have nothing to say.

Sites that use columns for their web content employ white space to generate a border effect and it is this white space that gives the column effect. Vertical white space is also heavily used in blogs to separate one blog entry from the next and give a structured and categorised feel to the overall effect.

While too much white space is a bad thing, so too is having too little. Website design means finding the right balance in many things and the intentional exclusion of content to bolster a design is one such web design element that means finding the appropriate level of balance.