White space

The empty area around and between elements.

White space is the breathing room of a layout — the empty parts that are not filled with text or images. The name is misleading; it does not have to be white.

White space is one of the strongest design tools. Generous white space makes content feel premium and easy to scan. Crammed layouts feel cheap and overwhelming.

Related terms

Padding

layout

Space inside an element, between its edge and its content.

Margin

layout

Space outside an element, between it and its neighbors.

Density

layout

How tightly content is packed into a space.