White Space: Filling the Space with Purpose

By Tracey Ullom, Designer, CATATILLA Design LLC

When I present a piece of work to a client, the most common question I get is, “Can you put something here in this empty space?”. As an educated graphic designer and a lover of type and composition, my wish may be to just say no, but reality and my clients deserve a more complete answer.

What is ‘white space’?

Simply, it is the intentional empty space around images and text in a design composition.

What is the purpose of this open space?

When used correctly, white space has many purposes, such as creating emphasis, depth, and tension, but it also has a unique purpose, allowing space for the eye to rest. White space can also create a high-end feel, just as design critic Keith Robertson expressed when he said, “White space is extravagance. White space is the surface of the paper on which you are printing showing through and on which you are choosing NOT to print.”

Why does my marketing material need some?

Imagine your bedroom closet. What happens when your closet is completely filled with clothing from end-to-end? It is impossible to put items in, pull items out, to find things, or to keep things straight and organized. A graphic composition works in a similar way. When the page is over-full and nothing has room to breathe, it becomes increasing difficult for the viewer, your customer, to pull information out or to find what they’re looking for. If that difficulty makes their experience with your marketing material irritating, they may assume that working with your company will feel the same way.

What if I still want to fill that space with something?

Usually when a client feels this strongly about filling a space, it isn’t because they are opposed to some appropriate breathing room, but because they feel there is a message that isn’t being sufficiently conveyed. This is some of the most valuable feedback a designer can get from their client. The message is the most important thing and usually when this problem is isolated, it can be fixed with some purposeful white space to spare.

Professor Designer: Raster VS Vector Images

By Tracey Ullom, Designer, CATATILLA Design LLC

What they have in common...
They are both image formats and they both support different color modes.

Raster: commonly used for photographic images
Also called "bitmap", raster is an image format where information is stored in a grid of pixels(see image below) and the color of each pixel is individually defined. The more frequent the pixels/dots are the sharper and more detailed the image will appear. These images are not easily scalable because they have a fixed resolution.Common file types that support raster images: JPG, TIFF, BMP, GIF

Vector: commonly used for line/shape artAn image format that contains individual and scalable objects(see image below) that are defined by mathematical formulas. They can be displayed at any size and are easily scaled because they are resolution independent.Common file types that support vector images: EPS, PDF

Rule of Thumb: Raster images are much more common than vector images.

What is your brand worth?

By Carol Cartier, Principal, CATATILLA Design, LLC

I was having lunch at Bugatti's with a friend when I raised the topic of branding. I am curious if business owners in my community have the same philosophy that I do about the value of their brand-and if they were well-branded, they could sell their business rather than close up shop, for much more than a business that isn't well-branded. My friend was not even aware that you can put a price tag on a brand. What exactly does that mean? How does one put a value on their brand?

The concept of a brand seems so intangible—actually, it is intangible. News reports show Google's brand supersedes Coca Cola's brand--it is valued at $86.1 billion, according to BrandZ Ranking. They use a very complex formula for calculating a brand and that involves "primary research that reflects the perceptions of those who are actually brand users and consumers" among other things. This pretty much aligns with my perception that the definition of a brand is "the world view of who you are."

What does this mean to our local business owner, who wants only to build a business, or grow a little--or a lot? So I set out to find some tangible evidence that one can place a dollar value on a brand. A week ago I had coffee at Ava's Roasteria with Tom Reese of Pacific Continental Bank. I asked him, "do you take brand into consideration when funding a loan to a customer?" The answer is, yes--through their financials. His bank is more likely to provide loans to businesses who have taken the time to write a business plan, understand who they are, and want to be recognized for their high level of service and quality by their employees, customers, and community. This would logically be reflected in the financial statement as a wider profit margin. Their image could hold as much importance as fifty percent of the bank's decision whether or not to fund to the business. In other words, a business who has good financials is more likely to have an established brand, and therefore, is perceived to become more successful and go much further in business than its competitor who doesn't focus on its brand or image.

If you do intend to sell your business, you may want to consider where best to put your dollars when investing in your business. To help you get started, here are some questions you can ask yourself in assessing your existing brand:

1. What does my organization look like, and how is it run?
2. Does my business' brand identity reveal my core values, mission and vision--what my business stands for?
3. What does my business stand for in my community, and does everyone who works for me understand that?
4. Do all aspects of my advertising and marketing collateral project those qualities and standards that I wish to exude?
5. Does the demeanor of my staff, employees, managers, and company representatives project that level of service and quality in their relationships with each other and the outside?

What I am recommending here is a foundation upon which to build your business, which fully depends on relationships--personally and virtually. Once these things have been well-grounded within your organization, it is much easier for your customers to seek you out amongst the competition by recognizing that level of quality and service you know you can provide for your customers and your community. You will be well-recognized for that, and the referrals will roll in.

This is the perfect time, during the slow period, to assess where you are in the direction of your brand. When things pick up again, you will be better positioned in your market, more confident, and more visible as you advertise to your target audience.

We welcome you to the CATATILLA Design Blog or "CATAlog"!

Through the CATAlog, we are very excited to offer insights on our process as well as clients and projects we stand behind, through our design, marketing, and branding concepts. It is our hope that you find the articles and information to be instrumental in positioning your business through innovative marketing and design. On top of what you learn, there will be opportunities to share your feedback; feel free to comment on articles and respond to our Question Of The Month. We look forward to a productive conversation with you!

Keep an eye out for...

• Project Brainstorm: exploring a project or service that would benefit your business.
• Professor Designer: explaining the details behind design techniques, terminology, history and tricks.
• Featured Client: introducing you to our clients and giving you a glimpse of the passion they have for their industry.
• Plus: various feature articles, community involvement projects, guest speakers, and more...