For the most part, I think it is all in the understanding of what their main goal or intention is during the project. Essentially, if it is their style, then you may see it appear in every one of their designs because they stick with what they are comfortable with.

On the other hand, I believe that every designer is capable, but some have the natural ability to make use of whitespace more effectively.



By the way, "itsnicethat" is listed twice.