Balance

In design, balance is all about the careful distribution of visual weight, whether across a vertical or horizontal axis. Imagine your design as a three-dimensional object—when its weight is evenly spread, it stands strong and steady. As designers, we rely on elements like line, texture, color, and form to create that stability, with symmetry often acting as the foundation of order.

Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about how balance plays out in life beyond design. If I’m honest, my days often feel like a chaotic race, trying to keep up with everything. The constant influx of new demands becomes overwhelming, leaving my mind cluttered and disoriented. Somewhere along the way, I’ve lost my focus.

This morning, it hit me: I haven’t written a blog post since starting my new role. How ironic, considering this blog’s theme—life by design. The irony isn’t lost on me that while I’ve been meticulous about shaping work into a well-oiled machine, the other pieces of my life—the passion projects, the personal joys—have fallen by the wayside. My social calendar is packed, my to-do list is endless, but my own creative pursuits? Neglected.

That changes today. Today, I’m reclaiming my balance. I’m refusing to let the demands of others outweigh my own happiness. It’s time to recalibrate, reprioritize, and take tangible steps toward the life I want to build. Just like in design, achieving balance in life requires intention, focus, and sometimes a fresh start. So here’s to crafting my priorities and standing firm in my own vision. How long will it be until I need to remind myself of this again?

Why is whitespace so important?

As a young designer, you often have complex ideas and may add clutter to your work to get your point across. You lack the confidence and schooling it takes to make educated decisions and probably do not understand balance or rhythm yet. I routinely attend talks via Creative Mornings, and recently had the pleasure of hearing Scott Wilson from Minimal Design speak. Scott explained that cluttered design is actually an under-designed piece. A final design is a result of a subtractive process and only the necessary elements should survive.

White space is actually referring to the negative space between words and pictures; it does not necessarily have to be white.  Negative space allows the work to breathe and directs your eye toward the content. Less clutter makes it easier to convey a message, and communication should always take priority over design.

Often a designer will receive feedback from a client to “make it bigger.” An untrained mind believes that “bigger” is easier to understand and will communicate their idea more clearly. I included an example of a quote by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli below. It is very apparent that the first “bigger” layout does not communicate Vignelli’s message as well as the second layout, which utilizes ample white space. Without a margin, the eye has difficulty focusing, and you can see that the message has taken a backseat to this design.

The difference between a thoughtful, yet simple layout and an empty page can be hard for some to perceive at first. A seasoned designer will begin with a clear purpose. He still begins the design process with many ideas, but the final piece should be boiled down to the purposeful essence. Valuable design takes time because it requires organization and obsessive detailing. E. F. Schumacher said it best: “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”

My advice to young designers is to refrain from decorating and be mindful that communication is the bottom line. Well-executed design will not require instruction or explanation. In fact, a good design often goes unnoticed because it is meant to carry the message rather than BE the message.