LiSeven Marketing & Communications

Linh Hoang | June 10th, 2024

In advertising, white space is often seen as an absence of content. Many people might consider it empty, meaningless, and even burning-money. But is it really so? Absolutely not. Modern consumers perceive varied values in the presence of white space across different marketing and promotional platforms.

This article provides an outlook on the impact of white space on visual effects. You will be amazed at how much meaning white space can add to your design. Now, let’s get started!

In design, White Space is perceived as more than just an absence of content. Indeed, it is an unconventional, rhetorical figure that brings many benefits to the design. It makes design cleaner, more aesthetic, sophisticated, and tasteful. Some empirical research also found that white space is associated with positive brand evaluations (Sharma & Varki, 2018) and increased attention (Kwan et al., 2017)

In a research on 31 experienced creative directors at major advertising agencies in North America about the meanings/brand signals conveyed by white space, the majority (61.3%) stated that white space conveyed prestigious/upscale/expensive/high-end.

Typology of white space

White space does not merely refer to the white empty space in the design. In one research paper, Margarity et al. (2017) developed a comprehensive typology of white space by examining 400 contemporary ads. The research pinpoints that minimalism in advertising encompasses three elements: Space, Image, and Text. Among them, space is the most dominant element in minimalism, followed by image and text.

A. Element 1: Space

White space is the empty space surrounding and in between design elements (Yu et al., 2023). White space ‘s palette nowadays highlights the use of monochrome approach, not just only white or black (Eldesouky, 2011). Adding space to the design allows readers to quickly process the design and attract greater attention (Olsen et al., 2012). The increased clarity of the design can help readers distinguish the products, and thus produce a spillover effect to brand evaluations (Sharma and Varki, 2018).

In research on ad design testing the effect of extended white space, the results indicate that white space leads to an aesthetic response and pleasure. This means people tend to appreciate the beauty of ads more when they feature extended white space.

Additionally, white space can signal the social status of a brand. Pracejus et al. (2006) found that white space was associated with significantly higher levels of brand quality, prestige, leadership, and trust, as well as lower levels of perceived risk. This concept has been widely adopted in automotive print ads to delineate the premium quality of the brand.

Source: Skoda. Volvo. Lexus

In another research on how to allocate white space in ad design, the researchers found that creating a more compressed layout will increase circumspace white space that can increase social media ad CTRs, and produce more positive ad evaluations and greater purchase intention.

B. Element 2: Image

This element includes the number of components in the images, the presence or absence of pictures, and the reduced pictorial or textual content. For a design to be perceived as minimal, it should contain no more than two images, excluding the logo or product itself. Additionally, the images should feature simple geometry and shades of gray.

The image element addresses the design complexity of the design. In my previous paper “Advertisement Design Series – The Visual Complexity Building Blocks (Part 2)”, I shared detailed explanations and examples of all aspects relating to perception of images in ad design. You can read my previous paper on design complexity here.

Simple image Ads examples. Source: Global News

C. Element 3: Text

This element refers to the “minimal copy” of an ad. It includes the number of works presenting in an ad, the extent of text, the font type size, and its homogeneity.

Space in textual context consists of two types: white space and interstitial space (i.e. the space between elements in the text).

In a study on interstitial space in logo design, Gupta and Hagtvedt investigated how compact logos versus spacious logos affect brand attitude and safety perception. Using a dataset of 629 brands rated by 17,000 individuals in 2010, the results indicated that people have less favorable brand attitudes in response to spacious (vs. compact) logos.

To explain this observation, the researchers examined cultural factors, specifically the cultural tightness-looseness dimension, and its influence on consumer perceptions of brand design. Individuals in tight cultures score highly on traits such as self-monitoring, cautiousness, self-regulation, need for structure, prevention focus, and conscientiousness (Harrington & Gelfant, 2014). These traits result from adaptations to social conditions like natural disasters, disease, resource scarcity, and territorial invasions (Gupta & Hagtvedt, 2021). Conversely, loose cultures score highly on traits like openness and non-traditional ideas, encouraging personal space and deviation from norms (Gupta & Hagtvedt, 2021).

Overall, the results revealed that interstitial space signals vulnerability or spaciousness depending on whether the audience belongs to a tight or loose culture respectively. Especially when threats to safety are present, people tend to have less favorable attitudes toward spacious brand designs.

This research suggests that white space is not a universal concept but has different effects across cultural backgrounds. In North America, white space in advertisements conveys meanings such as high quality, prestige, and trust. However, in Hong Kong, white space primarily implies a large market share, and in India, it has no positive impact on brand perceptions and can even negatively affect purchase intentions (Pracejus et al., 2013).

At this point, I hope you have a solid understanding of the three elements of the white space concept. In the next section, I will share some tips and tricks on how to embrace minimalism in ad design. Importantly, these tips can be applied by anyone looking to build a high-quality, high-trust brand using the white space approach.

How to encourage white space in design:

1. White space should extend to over half of the total ad and be monochrome. Additionally, the design should be simple with uncluttered layout (Margariti, 2017).
2. About images element, the ad should contain 1-2 images with simple shape. If possible, the image colours should be grayscale or monochrome.
3. About the text, the ad should contain one to fifteen words, excluding the products’ brand name. The font type is 12-point and monochrome. And the texts should be in grayscale.

Simple image Ads examples. Source: Lysol. World Malaria Day Durex.

Final remark:

White space adaptation in visual communication design is more than just a display of emptiness and does not merely refer to the total background space in the design. It can tell different stories for the brand—stories of high quality, prestige, trust, or innovation. However, in some cultural contexts, it can also imply vulnerability. Knowing when and how to apply the white space concept in design is not solely the responsibility of graphic designers. Indeed, all marketers should have a solid understanding of key design elements to ensure effective visual communication with potential targets. The concept of white space is undeniably one of the most critical elements. Do you agree?

Reference list:

Eldesouky, D. F. B. (2011). The use of abstract images in advertising design: A study of requirements & impact. Journal of Science and Arts, 4(11), 513-20.

Gupta, T., & Hagtvedt, H. (2021). Safe together, vulnerable apart: How interstitial space in text logos impacts brand attitudes in tight versus loose cultures. Journal of Consumer Research, 48(3), 474-491.

Harrington, J. R., & Gelfand, M. J. (2014). Tightness–looseness across the 50 united states. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(22), 7990-7995.

Kwan, C. M., Dai, X., & Wyer Jr, R. S. (2017). Contextual influences on message persuasion: The effect of empty space. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(2), 448-464. Link to download.

Margariti, K., Boutsouki, C., Hatzithomas, L., & Zotos, Y. (2017). A Τypology of Minimalism in Advertising. Advances in Advertising Research VIII: Challenges in an Age of Dis-Engagement, 1-15. Link to download.

Margariti, K., Hatzithomas, L., Boutsouki, C., & Zotos, Y. (2022). Α Path to our heart: Visual metaphors and “white” space in advertising aesthetic pleasure. International Journal of Advertising, 41(4), 731-770.

Olsen, G. D., J. W. Pracejus, and T. C. O’Guinn. (2012). Print Advertising: White Space. Journal of Business Research, 65 (6),855–60. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.01.007

Pracejus, J. W., Olsen, G. D., & O’guinn, T. C. (2006). How nothing became something: White space, rhetoric, history, and meaning. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(1), 82-90. Link to download

Pracejus, J. W., O’Guinn, T. C., & Olsen, G. D. (2013). When white space is more than “burning money”: Economic signaling meets visual commercial rhetoric. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(3), 211-218.

Sharma, N., & Varki, S. (2018). Active white space (AWS) in logo designs: effects on logo evaluations and brand communication. Journal of Advertising, 47(3), 270-281.

Yu, Z., Ponomarenko, V., & Liska, L. I. (2024). How to allocate white space in ad design? The impact of product layouts on perceived entitativity and advertising performance. Journal of Advertising, 53(2), 215-229.