previously on the martini shaker*
Don’t be afraid of negative space
One year to the day I wrote an article entitled B-because… they’re made… of wood? that pondered the issue of whether or not aesthetically unpleasant pieces that achieved their communication goals were actually well designed. In that article, I expressed slight discomfort in the notion that effective design, regardless of its aesthetic , is good design.
Today I return in favor of aesthetically pleasing good design with a little bit of talk about negative/white space.
I read an article that talked about the luxurious quality of white space. To some, white space is a ridiculous waste of money and messaging space. The LogoOrange article gives a possible reason:
Clutter has come to represent working class (just as white space identifies high class). Clutter clearly identifies a market in those who are immediately suspicious of white space and have no hesitation about what it means – that this publication is not for them/not of their class. So the quality aesthetic has been hijacked by bourgeois ideology, leaving the working class only trashy and inferior symbols to identify with. White space is the key and the tool.
I think that they are right on the money regarding high/low class design and white space. However, I don’t totally agree with why they say that is. I don’t necessarily feel that it is automatically because a class of people don’t think that “something is not for them” based on the amount of clutter in a design. I feel that it’s because that is what they are used to having handed to them.
In my year-old article, I used the example of the automotive ads that I used to have a hand in producing that were, shall we say, ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag. They were successful not because of the overabundance of copy and graphics, but because of what the target was used to. They’re used to it because marketers of this type (car dealers and their ilk) see good design as a waste of money. If they’re spending money on ink, air time, or pixels, then they had better be getting maximum coverage, damn it!
Would a design with lots of white space immediately succeed with a target that is looking for a value priced (read: low class) message? Absolutely not. It’s too much of a departure from their learned visual language. But, if you introduce bits and pieces of the language of negative space into designs targeted toward value seekers, you’ll get them familiar with a language that they can now begin to interpret. Think of it sort of like Sesame Street teaching tiny bits of Spanish to its young viewers.
I’d say today’s message is to those of you who are responsible for the integrity of brands and businesses that are perceived through their advertising design to not have much integrity. Don’t be afraid of negative space. Don’t be afraid to begin teaching a new visual language to your target. It’s as easy as abierto/cerrado.
paul says:
Great post.
Target is a great example of a brand that has successfully “taught” a higher form of visual language to a value-based customer. In fact, Target and brands like it have been so successful at this that their customers have come to expect (read: demand) it. The result has been felt all the way from point-of-sale graphics to product design. But Target and others like it can afford to make that kind of investment. The local tire shop doesn’t feel the same way.
Submitted 11/08/06 at 12:27 am
yason says:
Excellent topic of discussion, Martini.
The snippet from LogoOrange makes a lot of sense, but like you I dont fully agree with their reasons. Working class consumers have come to expect what is directed towards them. This poses an interesting “which came first” question : Are marketers defining the class by how they choose to represent them in advertising, or have marketers found that there is only one way to speak to the working class because that is the only way they respond?
In my opinion, education is the key for operation White Wash. It is nice to see in places like Target (and even Walmart now a days) how the awareness of design is surfacing. Because of this we are seeing the blending of people who represent clutter and white space. Apple has done an amazing job with revolutionizing marketing, while teaching the higher form of visual language with the fewest words. Everyone (regardless of their income bracket) wants an ipod and can find them at both stores named above.
So, it will be interesting to see how design evolves in the future.
Thanks for reading the ramblings.
Submitted 11/08/06 at 10:39 am
Walidov says:
Hmmm, good tips and encouraging positively.
Thank you,
http://www.walidov.com
Submitted 07/31/07 at 12:09 am
Pat Martin says:
I think it’s an oversimplification. If you look at an Armani shop, you’ll see just a shirt displayed behind a 5 sqm window. If you look at a discount retail shop, you’ll see dozens of shirts behind 4 sqm. It’s all about positioning, target market and right message. You just do not choose either “white space” style or “clutter design”, but you position your business in a certain niche and create its business image accordingly.
Submitted 08/20/07 at 4:38 pm