| ask the expert |
| White Space...The Final Frontier |
| Ashley Byrd |
A graphic designer's mission: to explore strange new ideas, to seek out new images and approaches, …and sometimes to boldly put nothing where something has gone before.
We copywriters sometimes get jealous that we cannot play with the same creative toys that our designers do! And no matter how many years our experts have been doing this, they still have so much fun. While looking over their shoulders, I recently queried our graphics gurus (Roc, Kathy, Pam and Kevin-the-master-of-the-web-universe) about empty space that, if used well, is a design element in itself.
- First, I want to put in my 2-cents worth as a writer, because I can here. Less is usually more when it comes to good copy. A great way to frame that sparse, yet Shakespearean prose is to suspend it in space. OK, enough alliteration. You get what I mean.
- Kathy, a fan of modern art galleries, reminded me that masterpieces are often featured on a stark white wall - alone. It puts the focus right where it belongs. Yep, I understand; sometimes a soup can should be served alone.
- Roc, who enjoyed the sixties far too much, says: cover art of the Beatles' White Album was the antithesis of Sgt. Pepper's…" We get what he means.
- Kevin says to apply pretty much the same rules as you do with print. It makes even more sense on the web because a reader can manipulate the text and screen size, so it's very important to use space to keep the text organized and to maintain integrity. Geeks get that part, I guess.
- Pam, who looks just like Barbara Eden in person, explains that white space is calming. It gives our brains a chance to relax and focus on the words themselves. A consumer's Calgon moment. And, (if you can lose that bathtub image for a moment) simple white space can convey a certain dignity-so the words have to be just right, well-written, even poetic. As the other half of the team, I know what she's saying.
- Cynthia (who is not a graphic designer but has only two years less experience in advertising than God) puts it simply: wise use of white space is like wearing a string of pearls on a black silk dress. Enough said. HA!
So my job is to go back and not dirty up their pretty white space. And I'll be honest, it challenges writers and we love that almost as much as we love our designers!
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