Whitespace

Part of looking deeper, iji's mantra, is probably better described as "looking differently". Change your focus, your perspective, your angle. Reverse the assumptions and see where that leads you.

One good example of such vision is the use of whitespace. Whitespace is a term from the visual arts that refers to those areas in a design that is left unmarked, the space between graphics and text. It's not just blank space, but an intentional and sometimes integral part of a good design. It is sometimes termed "negative space", but I don't like that term.

A fun usage of white space happens in logo design. Probably the most well-known example of it is the Fedex logo. It uses the white space between the capital E and the x to form an arrow.

This sort of clever use of white space can also be found in logos for:

• Goodwill
• Carrefour
• Hartford Whalers (hockey team)
• Hershey's Kisses
• Big 10 Conference (look for an eleven)
• ED (Home appliances)
• Yoga Australia
• And, to tie it back to insurance, Safe Auto – look for a rear view mirror