20 Websites With Brilliant Use of Negative Space

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Today’s article focuses on 20 websites with brilliant use of negative space. Learn how to use the power of negative space in web design, to create minimalist websites and emphasize the key elements of a design.

Let’s take a minute and explain what negative space in web design really means. So, what exactly is considered negative space? Often associated with white space, the negative space is considered to be all the remaining area that is not used by other elements, such as images, texts, etc. It’s the space that surrounds each item and separates different UI elements. This term is commonly used in the domain of art, architecture, interior design, agency, design studio, etc. However, the principles remain the same.

There can be identified two types of negative space, micro and macro, each with its characteristics. Micro is considered to be the space that separates the smallest UI elements. This can be considered to be the space between words, letters, paragraphs, the padding, margins, and other similar things. Thus, the macro negative space is between larger UI elements, for example, headers, footers, etc.

Negative space helps you better organize graphics, keeping a clear space between each element. This way, your website has an increased readability, allowing your users to quickly navigate through it. Your visitors will be automatically guided throughout your design, to all the main focus areas, thanks to the clutter free layout.

These websites have multipurpose designs from all kinds of niches. Regardless of their use, these designs will definitely get your attention and teach you a thing or two about how to use negative space.

It’s not a bad thing to have a large amount of negative space. Some may think that a lot of content, lots of images, text, more features will improve the overall design but, in fact, it does the exact opposite. Users may be confused or simply fed up with having to surf through multiple elements to get to the essential parts. Balance is the key! Having the perfect amount of negative space into your designs is a technique that you master over time. It’s important not to overdo it with large empty areas, as well as not to keep your web elements too crowded. Too much white space is not advisable, since it may create the impression of lacking content. Web designers must develop a balance between a number of elements on their websites, and this will improve over time.

Here’s what you can do if you are concerned what to do in order to get more negative space for a better visually balanced website. The best thing to do is to create a hierarchical order of your elements and decide which ones are the most important and which ones you can do without. This allows you to clear the insignificant content that overcrowds your design, whether it’s images or text.

These hand-picked websites below are great examples of how to successfully use the negative space in your favor. Browse through all of them and get your inspiration to create outstanding websites that will definitely impress.