What Is Negative Space?

Key takeaways

In graphic and UX design, negative space refers to the area surrounding the primary objects (or positive space) in a scene or graphic representation. 

• The term negative space originates from photography, in which it references all of the space around the focal point. 

• Negative space complements and balances positive space to make the message stand out and engage readers.

• You can use negative space in graphic and UX design careers to improve the readability, arrangement, balance, and tone of your scene or graphic representation.

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What is negative space?

Designers create scenes that revolve around primary objects like images, graphics, or text, so to understand negative space, think of it as all the area that surrounds these objects. Negative space complements and balances positive space to make the designer’s message clearer and more compelling.

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 includes all of the space around the focal point. 

The importance of negative space in graphic and UX design

To create eye-catching designs, graphic artists and UX designers make use of multiple design principles. One of these principles, negative space, plays an important role in the readability, arrangement, balance, and tone of a scene or graphic representation. In other words, it can help make the design more attractive and the viewing or reading experience more pleasant.

How to see negative space

When viewing a particular scene, shift your perspective by thinking of the space surrounding the primary object or objects like a stencil. To train students to see all the parts of a scene (positive and negative space), art teachers often ask students to focus on negative space in art by drawing or painting the space around an object instead of the object itself.

Why is negative space used in design? 

Graphic and UX designers use negative space for a variety of reasons. It can help:

• Improve readability: Using negative space 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: A balance between positive and negative space can help gain a reader's attention by breaking up text on a page, and it can elicit a calming effect by reducing clutter. 

• Set tone: The tone of a design can change based on the use of negative space. For instance, a designer creating a page displaying luxury jewelry might use a good portion 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. 

Read more: Graphic Design Jobs: Career Paths to Explore 

Related terms

• Mockup

• Digital design

• Graphic design

• Design management

• UI design

• UX design

• User journey maps

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