When you need to create separation between two elements, try to resist immediately reaching for a border.

While borders are a great way to distinguish two elements from one another, they aren’t the only way, and using too many of them can make your design feel busy and cluttered.

The next time you find yourself reaching for a border, try one of these ideas instead:

1. Use a box shadow

Box shadows do a great job of outlining an element like a border would, but can be more subtle and accomplish the same goal without being as distracting.

2. Use two different background colors

Giving adjacent elements slightly different background colors is usually all you need to create distinction between them. If you’re already using different background colors in addition to a border, try removing the border; you might not need it.

3. Add extra spacing

What better way to create separation between elements than to simply increase the separation? Spacing things further apart is a great way to create distinction between groups of elements without introducing any new UI at all.