White space and its skillful use are very important in getting your message to your customer completely enough for him or her to take the action you desire.

The “visual appeal” of a piece of writing or writing with images is very important.  The importance is psychological.  White space gives a relief in the reading process making the comprehension of the material more efficient and more complete.  White space also relieves reading fatigue. Attention to each of these elements makes it more likely that your message will be properly and completely perceived with a desire on the part of your customer to take the action you wish him or her to take.

Imagine the worst condition.  How much do you enjoy seeing an entire page of single-spaced, non-indented printing?  You may simply decide you’ll get to it later.  Of course, with the extra effort you know it will take to read such a document, “later” may never come.

White space is really all about visual perception which includes comprehension, efficiency, and fatigue reduction.  White space management is designed to improve each of these elements.

Many will recall the popularity of right-justified margins where the final words of each line were lined up producing a smooth right margin.  While that effect may look very neat and artistically balanced, it happens to be less readable.  Trying to read such a document requires more concentration and takes more time with lower comprehension because it is more difficult for the reader’s eyes to keep their place on the page.

An irregular right margin, called a ragged right margin, makes it easier for the reader to maintain his or her eye position on the page.  This is largely a subconscious function, but it still requires “overhead” in background processing by the reader’s brain.  This slows and degrades the process more than such background processes with electronic computers.

The simplest forms are margins, paragraph indentation, blank lines between paragraphs, and centering.  Margins around images, progressive indentations, staggered indentation, right indentations, hanging indentations, and right justification are other elements of white space management.

The goal is to employ white space as a relief tool increasing readability.  It must be used skillfully and with thought to avoid disrupting the reader’s eye tracking.  It should minimize confusion and never reduce comprehension or increase reader fatigue.

In the pursuit of more and better businesses!  I can help you get more business.  Email me today.

To your business success!

Paul Elliott   success (at) MarketingSuccessBlueprint.com

Marketing With Unbelievable Guarantees!™
http://www.MarketingSuccessBlueprint.com/blog

© 2008, Paul Elliott, All rights reserved world wide.