White Space

The following is an article written by Laurel Lakey for the March 28, 2011 edition of the ScrapGirls Newsletter. I thought it was interesting enough to pass along, being that a lot of people may not be aware of white space and what it can mean for your scrapbook layouts. So, without further ado, here it is - enjoy!

"Do you know what white space is? No, I'm not talking about the inane chatter of the sports broadcaster that your husband listens to during football on Monday night -- that's white noise. I'm talking about white space, which is a term to describe the areas on layouts that are around a focal point, the areas that allow a place for your eye to rest. And they don't even have to be white!

Still fuzzy? Let me show you what I mean. This layout is a bad example of white space.

Because there are elements (meaning photos, embellishments, and letters) on every section of the page, your eye has nowhere to rest when it's looking at the layout. And that makes for a busy, confusing layout, which isn't pleasing to the eye.

This is a common mistake that can happen when you first start digital scrapbooking, and it's one that can easily be fixed. Instead of filling each spot on the page with an embellishment, a photo, or journaling, try to leave some areas.

Here is an example of the same basic elements of the previous layout, re-designed to allow for lots of white space, and a much more pleasing look.

Layout by Laurel Lakey

This layout uses the same exact elements as the previous one; however, you can see there is a lot more 'white space' on the layout. Because the elements and photos are clustered together more, they create a focal point that balances out the remaining white space, and your eye can take in the whole cluster as one element.

Also, notice how bringing in the quatrefoil background paper allows for more space around the edges. That helps to draw the eye's focus into the middle of the layout, where the photos and embellishments are. When the quatrefoil paper is left to cover the entire background area, as in the first layout, it looks too busy and distracts from the overall look.

So here's the re-cap: when you want to have a more pleasing look to your layout, make sure to include some white space around your focal points, as these areas give the eye somewhere to rest and make for a more balanced, comfortable layout."