“If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.”

George S. Patton, General U. S. Army

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

Mark Twain

"The ancestor of every action is thought."

Emerson

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought."

Buddha

"When you are not told what to do you begin to think what to do."

Roger Cohen, Op-Ed Columnist New York Times

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."

Voltaire

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think."

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

"You and I are not what we eat; we are what we think."

Walter Anderson, The Confidence Course

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"

Winnie the Pooh

"Time to think matters ─ at least if we’re interested in getting the answers right."

Stephen L. Carter

"Thinking is always out of order, interrupts all ordinary activities and is interrupted by them."

Hannah Arendt, Life of the Mind

"Too often we…enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

John F. Kennedy

"The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds."

Will Durant

"Thinking is like living and dying. Each of us must do it for himself."

Josiah Royce

"Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar territory."

G. Behn

"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking."

Albert Einstein

"Pursuing our thoughts in silent contemplation takes an investment in time that few can spare."

Stephen L. Carter

"A moment’s thinking is an hour in words."

Thomas Hood

"Sometimes I think and other times I am."

Paul, Variete: Cantiques spirituels 192

"To think is to differ."

Darrow

"To think is to live."

Cicero

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

William Jones

"What we think, we become."

Buddha

"Our job is not to make up anybody’s mind, but to open minds and to make the agony of the decision-making so intense you can escape only by thinking."

Anonymous

"The person who thinks before he speaks is silent most of the time."

Anonymous

"Think ─ and you will be very lonely."

Anonymous

"Thought is action in rehearsal."

Anonymous

"We live in a world that leaves very little time to contemplate."

Anonymous

"Don’t worry too much about what people think because they seldom do."

Anonymous

"Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest."

Anonymous

"One cannot think crooked and walk straight."

Anonymous

"Think Differently + Do Things Differently = Better Results"

Anonymous

June 18, 2013

I Need My (White) Space

Tags: Design,

A friend visiting my home a while back gestured over to an empty wall and said, “You need to fill that space with pictures.”  From her viewpoint, the space looked unfinished, uninspiring, sadly wasted. To me, the whitespace (that wasn’t white by the way) looked sophisticated and uncluttered. A welcome pause that moved the attention to other points of interest.

When I present creative concepts to a client using whitespace as a design element, the typical reaction is, “Can we put another image/paragraph/logo/coupon/QR code on that space?”  I can. But I often don’t want to and here’s why.

The more whitespace you have, the more the eye is drawn to what’s actually there. And the faster the viewer can get to it. Whitespace speeds things up, guiding the attention to your compelling photography, catchy headline or pithy pull quote. It makes someone more keen to read your message because (1) it’s easier to find, and (2) they know they don’t have to invest too much of their time. Whitespace removes the distractions and serves as a guide to what’s important: Your message. Your brand. Your call-to-action.

Here’s a riddle for you: When is whitespace not whitespace?

When it’s whitespace with color. Any color. Like my wall. The key word here is space, empty, negative space that frames content and draws attention to what really matters.

The next time you see a cluttered e-blast, a confusing webpage, a packed advertisement, or printed piece crammed with copy and tiny photographs, ten bucks says you’ll be editing out the non-essentials in your head. It’s amazing what doesn’t really need to be there.

Since establishing Alvaré in 1981, Anita has guided the agency through 38 years of steady growth and success. A marketing communications entrepreneur who has done it all, she remains deeply involved in strategic planning and creative direction, bringing extensive knowledge and insight to each client project.

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Comments (1)

07.10.2013
Chuck Alvare

Try saying “pithy pull quote” 10x real fast…