Every so often a client asks to “use that empty space”. It is a fair instinct: space on a page looks like waste. But whitespace is one of the hardest-working parts of a design.

It groups

Things that sit close together read as related; things with space between them read as separate. Before a reader has taken in a single word, the spacing has told them how the page is organised.

It slows the eye

Generous margins and line spacing make text easier to read for longer. Crowded text is tiring, even when the reader cannot say why.

It signals importance

The thing with the most space around it is the thing that matters most. A headline on its own says more than a headline in a crowd.

So the next time a page feels unfinished, try taking something away before adding something new.