Whitespace or more generally called the “negative space” is an empty space between and around elements of a webpage. Elements of whitespace in graphical user interfaces are:

• Margins, paddings, and gutters
• Space around images and graphic objects
• Line-spacing and letter-spacing within text content

Although some people may consider whitespace a waste of valuable screen estate, it’s an essential element in design work as it can be utilised according to specific requirements. It is a industry trend now to incorporate proper usage of whitespace values into all page elements from top to bottom. The whitespace on a page can be every bit as important as the space occupied by the UI elements because text, buttons, logos and other objects need some room to breathe and relax.

Here given are Four such reasons why whitespace is the most efficient designing aspect –

1.  IMPROVES TEXT READABILITY OF THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT – Using Whitespace according to an accurate strategy enhances the clarity of the text on the website.
   Whitespace is able to make reading much easier by reducing the amount of text the visitors see at once. The lack of whitespace discourages the users from reading the content.
2. HELPS IN CLARIFYING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE SCREEN ELEMENTS – The screen elements on a webpage need to be properly aligned and in a certain order so that the visitor can be navigated from one link to another one. The whole screen layout arises from the sum of its parts and the content’s relationships are defined by the surrounding whitespace. The Law of Proximity in screen elements states that objects near to each other appear similar. The whitespace acts as a visual cue in this case.
3. USEFUL IN ATTRACTING ATTENTION TOWARDS CONTENT – Designers can efficiently utilise Whitespace to communicate with the visitor what’s most important at a single glance. There’s a relationship between distance and attention; larger distances forces attention. The lack of screen given to other elements will only make existing elements stand out more and seem more important. Extra padding around a particular segment of a screen content forces users’ attention onto that area simply because there’s nothing else on the screen to draw attention to.
4. CREATES VISUAL HIERARCHY THROUGHOUT THE WEB PAGE – When whitespace is used accurately, it allows a page to create a general flow and balance throughout the webpage, which in result helps in communicating the overall intent of the design project. Whitespace can support the overall hierarchy. It produces either symmetry or asymmetry.

Whitespace is not a wasted space in the webpage, it’s a powerful design tool which can be utilised for creating visually appealing elements. It can be every bit as important as the space occupied by visual elements, text or other user interfaces object because even empty space serves a certain purpose and supports the visual integrity of a screen layout.

Although it seems a simple design aspect to accomplish, using whitespace strategically and with proper planning is tough to achieve. It requires immense practice as whitespace is both art and science combined into one.