Welcome to Week 4 in our Design Principles Readers Challenge. Each week we’ll be posting information about a different design concept, together with sketches from Becky Fleck at Pagemaps, and our design team, that work to demonstrate the concept. We’d love you to join in by creating your own layouts, either using any one of Becky’s sketches OR creating your own design that showcases that week’s design principle. This week we are looking at the use of white or negative space in design.
Please EMAIL your pages or cards to us by next Tuesday 19June to appear on our blog. Please try and use products supplied by Aussie Scrap Source brands (you’re quite spoiled for choice there!). Our favourite layout each week (as voted for by our design team) will win a prize pack of Aussie Scrap Source goodies!
WEEK 5: White Space
White space or negative space, as a balance to positive space, in a composition is considered by many as an integral part of good design. White space is simply the absence of text, graphics or embellishments in areas of a page.
Despite its name, white space doesn’t need to be white, it just needs to be empty, neutral or provide a more restful contrast to the other elements. It provides a kind of visual breathing room for the eye to rest, which increases the appeal of a design. Often, the busier or more detailed one group of elements or part of your page is, the more necessary the white space around it.
Louise Nelson is of course, our Queen of White Space! For Lou this space is a key element of her layout design and her creative style. Whilst not all of Louise's layout background is left blank she has left a large proportion of it unadorned and this balances perfectly with her dribbled gesso effect.
With this layout, Danielle shows how white space can be used as breathing room on a layout without necessary being blank. The background is patterned and layered, but as it is consistent with the background of the entire page, it doesn't add any distracting weight to the page. The emphasis is on the cluster in the bottom left corner, which forms the most meaningful part of the page and draws the eye. A couple of small details in the opposite corner balance the design, with the white space in between allowing the eye to dance around the page and take it all in without being overwhelmed.
Finally, some sketches from Becky Fleck at Pagemaps. We invite you to use any one of the sketches, or our design teams layouts as guides or inspiration for your own pages. We look forward to seeing your entries!
