Tuesday, January 10, 2017

In visualization, white space is your friend

One point I make in the introduction to graphic design classes I've taught in the past is that white space isn't empty space. Empty space is needlessly unused space; white space has meaning. There's even a good introduction to graphic design titled White Space is Not Your Enemy.

This morning's New York Times has a good example of that principle, courtesy of Margot Sanger-Katz and Quoctrung Bui. The top-right quadrant is occupied by a large majority of the American public —to the right and to the left,— and experts in gun violence. The bottom, a vast, blank ocean, probably belongs to Republican legislators, NRA lobbyists, and the minority President-elect.

(Click the image to expand.)