I’m Kayla Sox, a graphic designer who loves clean layouts but also likes a little mess, sometimes. Dead space—also called white space—has been one of my favorite tools. And yes, it’s not always white. It’s the blank area that lets the rest breathe. For a nuts-and-bolts explanation of how that breathing room boosts hierarchy and readability, take a look at this excellent deep dive on the importance of white space in graphic design.
I’ve used it on posters, app screens, packaging, and even my own resume. Sometimes it sang. Sometimes it fell flat. Let me explain. If you’d like the full blow-by-blow of those wins and flops, check out this detailed case study.
So… what is dead space, really?
It’s the quiet part of a design. The pause. The margin. The gap around text and images that helps your eye rest. Think of a calm Apple ad. Or a New Yorker cover with a lot of open sky. That empty area isn’t lazy. It’s doing a job. As the Wikipedia entry on white space in visual arts notes, it’s the portion of the page left unmarked—active silence that shapes the story.
But here’s the twist: too much space can feel cold. Too little can feel loud. I’ve tried both.
Real projects I tried it on
1) Coffee shop poster (South Philly, summer rush)
The shop: Bean & Bloom. They wanted a poster for a new cold brew. My first layout was cramped. Beans, ice, bubbles, a lot going on. Cute, but crowded.
What I changed:
- One bold photo of the drink, centered.
- A thick white border.
- Headline: “Cold Brew, Real Smooth.” Big and simple.
- Tiny details (price, hours) tucked low-right.
Printed at a FedEx Office on matte paper. I hung it by the door. You know what? People stopped to look. I saw folks snap pics. The owner said it felt “fancy but friendly.” That was the goal.
2) Budget app screen (Figma + iPhone test)
I built a “Add Expense” screen for a budget app. At first, I squeezed fields tight to fit more. Users in testing kept tapping the wrong thing. Ouch.
What I changed:
- Bigger top margin and safe space around the main button.
- Clear sections: Amount, Category, Notes. Space between groups.
- Line height that felt airy (about 1.4, if you care about numbers).
We ran another quick test. Fewer mis-taps. People finished the task faster. No magic—just room.
3) Shopify product page for hand-poured candles
Small brand, cozy vibe. Their photos were soft and warm. The old page had text stacked like a wall.
What I changed:
- Large hero photo with room to the left.
- Short, punchy copy. Then a break. Then details.
- Add to Cart button with space around it, not jammed by links.
I watched a few session replays. People scrolled smoother. Less frantic flicking. More calm clicks. That’s a win in my book.
4) My resume (Google Docs to InDesign)
I cut the clutter. Wide margins. Clear sections. More air around job titles. A recruiter later told me, “It was easy to scan on my phone.” That stuck with me.
When dead space goes wrong
I messed up a festival poster once. Big summer show. I went very minimal. So much space that the band names looked tiny and shy. Someone asked if the event was canceled. Yep. Too far.
The fix:
- I kept the spacing but added small color bars.
- I used a tight grid for the lineup.
- The headliner got room, but not too much room.
Space with structure? That worked.
My simple rules (that I actually use)
- Start with bigger margins than you think. Then step back.
- Give one thing star power. Let everything else bow a little.
- Use soft line height. Your text needs air between lines.
- If the eye gets lost, add small anchors: a rule line, a dot, a tiny label.
- Group cousins. Separate strangers.
- Let photos “breathe” on at least one side.
- Need it loud? Use space plus contrast, not ten fonts.
Tools and tricks that help me
- Figma: Layout grids and Auto Layout keep spacing steady. I use an 8-point rhythm—simple and fast.
- Illustrator: Align tools and Area Type. I lock a margin and don’t cheat it.
- InDesign: Baseline grid for long text. Makes the whole page feel calm.
- Print tests: I do quick black-and-white proofs on cheap paper. Space that feels fine on screen may feel huge in hand.
For fresh inspiration on how pros let breathing room shine, I often browse the portfolio at Moon & Back Graphics—their projects are masterclasses in letting space speak.
Sometimes, when I need brutally honest first impressions of a new layout at 2 a.m., I’ll drop a screenshot into a lively chat room and ask, “Where does your eye go first?” If you’re hunting for those kinds of spontaneous, real-world focus groups, this roundup of Gydoo similar sites maps out active, low-friction chat platforms where people hang out, so you can snag unfiltered reactions and catch spacing mishaps before they ship.
Culture and context matter (more than we think)
A tech brand might crave a cool, blank look. A flea market flyer? Folks want fun and noise. When I worked on a skate zine spread, a tidy, airy layout felt wrong. We kept some chaos, then used dead space in pockets. Like breath marks in music. Little rests, not a full stop. Likewise, promotional pieces for adult nightlife scenes have their own visual grammar; browsing the imagery and layouts used by Westfield’s swinger community at Westfield Swingers can give you a sense of how designers blend subtlety and spark through clever spacing, color, and copy choices.
Quick before/after snapshots
- Coffee poster: Busy collage → One hero photo with a thick border.
- Budget app: Cramped fields → Clear sections with roomy touch targets.
- Candle page: Wall of copy → Short lines, pauses, and a calm Add to Cart.
Pros and cons from my seat
Pros:
- Clear focus
- Calmer feel
- A sense of quality
- Better taps and reads on phones
Cons:
- Can look empty or “unfinished”
- Clients may think you did less work
- Printed pieces can feel wasteful if space is huge
- Text expansion for other languages can break the layout
Final take
I love dead space. But I don’t worship it. It’s like salt in a good soup—too little and it’s flat, too much and it’s harsh. Use space to guide the eye, to set the mood, to give the star a stage.
If you’re not sure, try this: remove one thing, then add one inch of breathing room. Step back. Squint. Do you feel calm? Do you know where to look? If yes, you’re close.
And if a client says, “It looks empty,” I smile and say, “That’s where your message lives.” Then I nudge the grid, add a tiny anchor, and keep that air. Honestly, it works.