What Is Negative Space?

In graphic design, negative space is the area surrounding the primary objects (or positive space) in a graphic representation. Understanding and utilising negative space can enhance the impact of your designs and make your work more aesthetically pleasing. By learning more about negative space, you can create visually appealing designs and effectively communicate your intended message.  

Where does the term negative space come from?

The term negative space originates from photography. If you think of a familiar photo, the positive space includes the object or objects that make up the focal point of your photo, and the negative space consists of all the space around the focal point. 

The importance of negative space in graphic design

Graphic artists use multiple design principles to create eye-catching designs, one of which is negative space or white space. This design tool plays an important role in the readability, arrangement, balance, and tone of a graphic representation. In other words, it can help make the design more attractive, and the viewing or reading experience more pleasant.

How to use negative space in graphic design

Graphic designers use negative space in various ways to direct the viewer's eye through the work. The following list highlights additional benefits of learning how to use negative space effectively.

• Improve readability: Negative space, used to break up blocks of text, helps improve the readability of web pages, infographics, product labels, and more.

• Reduce reading time: Negative space contributes to visual hierarchy, a principle used to arrange design elements based on importance to the viewer. Surrounding important elements like headers with negative space helps readers find the information they need quickly.

• Add balance: You can use negative space to create balance in graphic design. Balance helps hold a reader's attention by breaking up text, and it can help keep a viewer or reader calm by reducing clutter on a page. 

• Set tone: The tone of a graphic design can change based on the use of negative space. For instance, a designer creating a page displaying luxury jewellery might use a lot of negative space to elicit a minimalist tone. A designer wanting to impart a sense of mystery might use negative space to hide an image or a secret message on a page. 

Getting started with Coursera

Understanding and effectively utilising negative space in graphic design enhances the visual impact, improves readability, and sets the tone of the design. The result is a more aesthetically pleasing and communicative product.

Learn more about design from the professionals at Google in the UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. You'll explore the user experience (UX) design process, build a foundation in UX research, and work on three UX design projects you can add to a professional portfolio. When you finish the course, you'll have a certificate from Google to share.