design elements

space examples

The fourth element is space, which is an essential element in your layout. Space is defined as the distance or area between or around things. When you are designing a layout, think about where you are going to place your type and imagery as well as they'll be on the page in relation to each other. You must think about how much space you want around and between each element. Things to think about: How much space you have; How the type and images will work together; How it all looks.

When you have many elements in a piece, you must leave some areas free from type and imagery. This is called white space, and it creates a rest for the eye, and visually organizes what's on the page. The placement and the value of the shapes on the page create spatial relationships and focal points, which are centers of interest.

To use space in your piece:

Give the eye a visual rest by using white space.

Use a small amount of space to create ties between elements.

Form positive and negative shapes with the use of color and shape.

Give a layout depth by overlapping one element with another.

Use a lot of white space around an element to highlight it.

Use large margins to help make a layout easy to follow.

Use unequal spacing between elements to make a page dynamic.

Use letterspacing to help make type very legible.
[examples]