Don’t be afraid of white (or “negative”) space.

It is not evil. It will not hurt you. Resist the temptation to fill up every pixel on the screen. Keep your site clean. Give your content and graphics some breathing room.

People often equate white space with wasted space. They see it as room for one more call to action, or one more gratuitous photo of people shaking hands. In the print world it has been said that the difference between desktop publishing and graphic design is white space. It gives the eye a place to rest. It gives power to the other elements on the page. In fact, if you want to emphasize something, surround it with white space. It can help you direct your viewers where you want them to go.

It takes a combination of artistic talent and marketing savvy to know when to say when with regards to adding items to your page. If you’re are not a designer, then I would challenge you to have enough white where it begins to make you uncomfortable—you’ll probably be close to the right amount.