The scientific death of white space

Designers have traditionally used white space to help guide a reader's eyes onto and through print ads. Recent scientific research into how the human eye moves and views a page, however, seems to suggest that image trumps space.

The Verify Corporation in the Netherlands is using new laser technology to track eye movement and the amount of time an eye spends following a composition. Using more than 100 points per second (signified by red dots), Verify tracks and plots the navigation of the eye. The technology checks the composition of an advertisement, and shows if an eye passes over the brand name or logo.

In spread after spread, myself and a dozen other designers were privileged to see the visual charting of eye movements. Spreads and single-page ads were consistently riddled with red dots, starting at the largest element in the spread. The red dots sweep in from top to bottom, and left or right depending upon the composition, but eye movement always originated at the top of the page. Creating a virtual map, the dots spread apart and clustered in and around the image area of original focus. Then, moving on, the dots follow a path to the next area of interest.

In all laser-tracking tests, men and women were tested with the same viewing material. Men and women followed the composition in the same pattern. Anytime that human skin appeared in the ads, all eyes looked with extreme accuracy at the same areas. (Obviously, this was not the focus of the test but a very interesting result nonetheless.) The test results demonstrate how eyes travel across ads and whether or not they scan the brand name or logo. White space was never an issue in laser tracking-the eye always originates at the top and zeroes in on the largest element.

This scientific evidence points to a new understanding of ways to improve print design and communication. With this new technology, companies can better test their print ads prior to publication. The layouts and ads tested were compositionally very diverse. In every case, both men's and women's eyes traveled quickly over white, black and red space and focused on photography and typography. Eyes, it seems, travel without prejudice. In the end, eyes were focused on image rather than white space (and a little skin often provided the focal point).