As a graphic designer, I’ve spent years talking about whitespace. It's that glorious breathing room around a design that makes it elegant, balanced, and easy on the eyes.
Clients don’t always get it:
“Can’t we just squeeze in one more tagline, and a QR code, and maybe make the logo bigger while we’re at it?”
But here’s the thing — parenting three kids under six has taught me that whitespace is just as mythical at home as it is in the print world.
The House with No Margins
In design, margins protect the important stuff. In dad life, margins don’t exist. Kids colour outside the lines — literally. Crayon masterpieces extend from paper to wall, spaghetti sauce goes from plate to ceiling, and bedtime stories creep into the next day’s deadlines.
There’s no “safe zone.” Every inch of the house is fair game. Kitchen bench? Toy dump zone. Bathroom? Indoor waterpark. Even my office chair somehow doubles as a rocket ship.
Overprint Everywhere
In printing, “overprint” is when one colour sits on top of another — sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident.
Parenting is 100% accidental overprint. My carefully planned Sunday morning has a “Play-Doh blue” layer over the “grocery run yellow” with a sudden “tantrum red” thrown in just to make the design unreadable.
The Illusion of Balance
Clients say, “It just feels a bit empty, can you fill that gap?”
Kids say, “Dad, I’m bored.”
Same problem, different audience.
Whitespace doesn’t last more than 30 seconds in either world. Someone will always rush in to fill it — with requests, noise, or a super sticky snack.
Final Proof
So here’s the truth: whitespace is beautiful, essential, and utterly impossible in both design and dad life. The best you can do is embrace the chaos and pretend the clutter is “part of the concept.”
Because whether it’s a print file or a family living room, someone’s always going to want to fill the gap.
Dad Point of Hue — Where CMYK meets ABCs.
✍️ Author: Rob Allen
Dad of three under six, wrangler of fonts, print runs, and bedtime routines. Writing from the messy overlap of design proofs and parenting fails.
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