Many designers, and many clients too, believe graphic design should be simple. They follow the idea that “less is more.” Some even treat minimalism like a strict rule.
Historical, practical, and design reasons support using this approach. Empty space certainly has its place in graphic design, but it is not enough on its own.
Do not trust people who claim to follow the “Japanese style” or the “Swiss school” but create bare, soulless products. Some designers pursue extreme minimalism, which can make graphic design more polished, conceptual, and functional. However, it also encourages a quick, repetitive approach that many see as a shortcut to successful design. You can contact Graphic Designing Services Company
To understand the use of blank space, we must first look at the history of graphic design. By tracing its key stages, we can see why certain design styles remain popular today.
The 20th century: graphic design embraces technology
It arguably all began in the early 20th century, when graphic design shifted from a focus on typography and craftsmanship to a more complex industrial process. The amount of work done by hand decreased significantly, giving way to mechanical and more rational production.
It was the 1920s, the era of Bauhaus in Weimar, El Lissitsky and Russian constructivism , and Japanese minimalism : graphic design was becoming informative and functional, rebelling against naturalism and embracing abstract art and new century of technology.
The empty space was needed to balance or bring out the geometric shapes, bright colors, and illustrations consisting primarily of characters.
Large blocks of solid color were added to pages and posters to demonstrate the new capabilities of modern printing technology .
Overly “busy” designs became synonymous with folklore and naturalism. Critics saw them as naïve, while others aimed to use graphic design to address a new world and spark a revolution.
But eventually, each “regime” reduced graphic design to a simple, rhetorical, almost infantile folkloric vision , while true graphic design remained confined to industry and certain cultural and editorial environments. Empty space has become almost an elite choice, austere and unmoving.
Industrial design and modernism
Empty space has not gone away: Swiss design , Massimo Vignello , the explosion of industrial product design , and bold design studios and rebellious creatives like Bruno Munari have adapted it to countless different contexts and managed to exploit its full potential.
Graphic design suffered from this, however, and often lost its clarity , became too arid, and ended up tied to the use of Helvetica typeface and restrictive primary color palettes, abandoning the desire for experimentation and the risk that other designers around the world have continued to cultivate with abandon. Many companies liked this type of graphic design because it seemed to reflect modernism , design and technological innovation, away from nature and the world of the 19th century.
Empty space as a cliché: minimalism becomes trendy
Over time, the situation changed. The once-revolutionary, empty space–based graphic design became an overused cliché. Schools taught it, and designers copied it excessively, prioritizing functionality over creativity. It also became the basis for countless online graphic design games. These games use extreme minimalism, challenging players to convey a complex idea in a single element and recognize references to films, books, philosophical doctrines, and more.
Conscious use of “empty space” to ensure calm and clarity
Far from these clichés, designers have continued to use empty space to facilitate communication , as shown by the wide variety of different styles and the cross-pollination of contemporary graphic design (I recommend reading the free e-book Geographies of Graphic Design for familiarize yourself with the different styles) in which emptiness is used for countless different purposes: for clarity and functionality or for elegance; for austerity or for; to highlight a few elements or to create a feeling of alienation.
You could say that blank space in graphic design and other forms of visual communication is more popular than ever, due to its ability to soothe the eyes , relax the mind, and bring clarity .In a hyper-connected world, where anything can be learned and shared, empty space in graphic design captures the viewer’s attention and communicates information clearly. It inspires customers to buy with confidence and helps brands convey messages effectively using minimal information.
In recent years, many designers have advised doing less, but doing it well—or even very well. They emphasize caring for every detail and creating only one interesting element per product. Contemporary graphic design, even when pop-inspired and full of elements, has learned the lesson of precision and simplicity from empty space. When designed thoughtfully, it can feel natural without being naturalistic.