If you want to stand out a little in the marketing clutter of the new-roaring-20s, the single easiest favour you can do yourself is to create space. And since I promised easy, here’s a visual tip.
Create space in your designs. (It can go so far beyond just Instagram, BTW. Although that IS a good place to start. Its grid layout is very unforgiving and forces simplicity for cohesion.)
My eternal quest is 60% white space.
In design.
In conversation.
In copy.
In life in general!
The urge to crowd and cram is strong.
To explain ourselves just a little further.
To add a sub-headline.
To change a colour or fill a gap or offer one little bit more advice.
Resist that.
If this idea feels appealing the first step is to be quite literal and start with design.
Take whatever design you have on hand this week and introduce WAY MORE white space into it.
Go on.
Maybe it’s a social card with a lot of your brand colour?
Switch the block to white and bring in the brand colour in the text shade or a thin line for emphasis.
Is it an email template with a lot of copy?
Challenge yourself to cut the copy to half the number of words and increase the padding all around the copy.
PS: for clarity, it’s totally ok to ask someone on your team to do this.
Create space.
And work up to 60% white space.
Start with social media design.
Then head to your website home page (the rest can come later in stages).
And finally shorten your podcasts and videos.
It’s hard work!
And so worth it.
Peace (and space!)
