Crecimiento de cultivos de Pyrococcus sp. M24D13 con distintos nitrilos y cianuro

“White space is the space that is used but not printed,” says Daunna Minnich.

It’s like when you speak, there’s a lot of nonverbal communication. White space is the nonverbal part of communication in writing. It’s the part that gives your eye and your mind some breathing space—some space to kind of invite you a little closer.

Leading, indents, and margins make up the bulk of white space on both the page and the screen. The rest is provided by tables, charts, dia- grams, and illustrations. Lists use more white space than regular text and thus invite the eye.

Studies have shown that if at least a third of the page is white space, text is easier to read.

Even more white space is required for online documentation, where text appears to fill more space than on the page. Because users read about 25 percent slower online than on paper, more white space helps them take in text more quickly. However, the small display areas on a screen don’t allow for wasted space; clearly grouped chunks of text contribute as much to readability as the white space between them.

LEADING

The leading, or space between lines, will vary with the typeface you use. Larger fonts appear to need proportionally less leading than smaller ones. Line length also affects leading. Research has shown that readability decreases as line length increases. You can compensate for this by increas- ing the leading between longer lines.

Experiment with different amounts of leading between lines of text on paper. For example, put five short paragraphs on the same page, beginning with no leading and progressing to 4 points leading. Ask your- self if the lines appear too crammed together or too spacy. There’ll be one paragraph for which the leading and type appear most balanced—some- where between 1 and 4 points of leading for 9- to 12-point type. But this will vary with the style of type, so use your eye.

You can apply this same learning process online, both by experiment- ing and by observing the spacing on others’ online documentation. By becoming sensitive to the readability and visual accessibility of screens, you can design more effective visual elements in your own screen layouts.

Use extra leading before and after headings and paragraphs, to set them apart. Again this will vary with your font and the effect you’re try- ing to achieve. Start by using twice the amount of leading between para- graphs as you’ve used between lines. Again, print out variations a point or two apart and let your eye be the judge.

Headings should appear to belong to the material they introduce. Use about the same amount of leading before and after headings as between paragraphs, then adjust it so there’s a little less space after the heading. That will separate the heading from the preceding material and lead your eye on to the next.

MARGINS AND INDENTS

Margins can add white space to any format. Many technical manuals and commercial books now use an extra-wide left or outer margin to decrease line length and invite the eye. Major headings are placed on a hanging indent, which extends into the margin, so they are clearly visible for fast skimming.

Text can be either right justified or ragged right, giving the page a very different look. Right-justified text lines up evenly at the right mar- gin. Ragged right extends irregularly at the margin, giving the text a pro- file that helps readers recognize their place on the page. This makes ragged right easier to read than right-justified text.

You will indent the entire left margin of some visual elements, so that additional white space frames them. Lists, notes, cautions, and art are good candidates for additional indenting. But be consistent. Says one technical illustrator:

Writers need to align stuff. If they have a box, they need to align a margin with it. For example, when you’re laying out a design for anything, you may decide you’ll have only three indents. Then everything will align with one of those three. It just gives a tighter, cleaner look. Then the eye knows where to look. Particularly in a technical manual, you want the reader to turn the page and not be surprised about the location of something. After a few pages, the eye wants to see something in the same spot on the page.

This idea of consistent placement is particularly important online, where users try to navigate efficiently through your document. They depend on functional elements, like buttons and links, appearing in the same place on each screen, so they can use them to quickly find the infor- mation they need.

ART SPACING

Art placed within text needs space around it. The density of the art will make a difference in how much; if the art is very dark or detailed, it will require more space. Art itself can add a lot of white space to a page or screen. If the kind of art you’re using is light, place a box around it and use less space between the art and the text than you would for darker art. However, do not vary art spacing within a document. Once you decide on how much space to use between art and text, keep the same increments throughout. The density of the art should not vary either, but should have a consistent look, so the same spacing will work throughout.

Figure and table captions should stay closer to the art they describe than to preceding or following text. A very small amount of space is appropriate between art and caption.

LISTS

Lists are a good tool for both visual and cognitive purposes. Short list items add sparkle to the page or screen by providing extra white space and the staccato of bullets or numerals. Lists are usually formatted with a hanging indent, which provides additional white space and breaks the left margin in a regular pattern. They invite reading.

Lists also organize material in bite-sized chunks the reader can rapidly grasp. They’re the fast food of formatting. Therefore, when you mention more than two or three related items, try formatting them as a list.