Whitespace in Web Pages

Whitespace Demonstration

Compare this page to the same page constructed without the use of headings, paragraph breaks and list formatting to create whitespace. Whitespace Example.

White space or blank space is one of the most undervalued tools of graphic design.
White space provides contrast, as well as a resting place for reader's eyes, as they move through the document.

White space can take many forms:

The open area around a headline.
The dynamic power of a headline may be enhanced more by the extra white space around it, than by larger type.
The page margins of an advertisement or document.
Wider margins direct the readers' eyes to the center of the page.
The vertical space between columns of text.
The wider the columns, the more space needed between them.
The space created by uneven line endings of text.
This space relieves the monotony of large blocks of evenly measured text.
Paragraph indents and extra line spacing between paragraphs.
These small but effective increments of space can open up a page layout.
Space between lines of text.
Tightly packed lines of text darken the page.

Sinks

A sink or a drop is a band of white space at the top of a page. It draws attention to the text below it , by adding contrast. It can be used to add emphasis to headlines. You may also allow a graphic to extend slightly into the sink, rather than remain in line with the text.

Vertical White Space

A good way to improve the appearance of a newsletter is to leave a significant amount of vertical white space between columns. When formatting text using tables on web pages, increasing cellpadding and cellspacing will produce this effect.