Topic summary

Negative space

Negative space

Space around an object Rubin's vase is an optical illusion in which the negative space around the vase forms the silhouettes of two faces in profile, a well-known example of figure-ground reversal by emphasizing that negative space. FedEx's logo displays an arrow between letters E and x. Not being in full silhouette, the effect is subtle and may not be noticed. Negative space in the 1993–2017 Formula One logo depicting the digit 1. In art and design, negative space or negative volume is the empty space around and between the subject(s) of an image. In graphic design this is known as white space. Negative space may be most evident when the space around a subject, not the subject itself, forms an interesting or artistically relevant shape, and such space occasionally is used to artistic effect as the "real" subject of an image. Overview The use of negative space is a key element of artistic composition. The Japanese word "ma" is sometimes used for this concept, for example in garden design. In a composition, the positive space has the more visual weight while the surrounding space - that is less visually important is seen as the negative space. In a two-tone, black-and-white image,