It’s an important factor of composition in graphic design and can help to improve reader experience by reducing cognitive load and increasing the visual appeal of a layout. In short, applying these principles in your future content (maybe even a Turtl Doc or two) will really help your content look and read beautifully.
Massimo Vignelli and Josef Muller-Brockmann, two of the world’s most influential graphic designers, swore by the grid systems. In fact, lots of design software (including Turtl) find grids so important that they include easy-to-use switches and overlays. For example, at Turtl, you can turn on your Immerse page grid by clicking the far left symbol below in the Immerse editor.
More often than not, we are inclined to fill empty space in a layout. When there is too much happening on a page, readers can easily disengage. As a result, this could increase bounce rates as readers prefer visually pleasing content, with enhanced readability. Be brave, resist this urge, and reserve a portion of the layout to be free of any visual information. Your audience isn’t looking for eye strain or visual overload. When done correctly, the results are stunning.
The play between negative and positive space creates contrast and enhances the visual appeal. Reflect on using large, dark display text against white space – the reader’s eye is drawn in immediately.
Finding the balance between sparse and crowded can be a common challenge. Our advice; practice makes perfect! Not enough white space can look cluttered. However, too much white space and it can seem as though the document is unfinished. Keeping paragraphs short and to the point can improve readability on smaller screens, such as mobile phones. For help with spacing, use browser extensions such as Grammarly, Outwrite and Wordtune.
Leading on from finding balance, it often helps to identify the minimum copy needed for a page. Then just build the layout up from there.
Don’t be afraid to spread your wings (and the content) over more pages instead of cramming it into as few pages as possible. It makes it easier for readers who skim (or as we at Turtl say ‘surf’) to take away key information.
A picture tells a thousand words. Pair striking visual elements with the copy to complement the content and enhance reader engagement. We’ve even dedicated a whole blog post to design resources for those needing extra guidance.
A round up of insights, trends, and tips on the world of content marketing