Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
VARIED CONTRASTS IN
positive and negative areas—such as those between the angular, linear
beak; the round dot; the curved shoulders; and the sharp claws in this griffon image—spark in-
terest and engage the viewer's mind.
Vicki Li
Iowa State University, United States
Positive and Negative
Form is considered a positive element, a solid thing or object.
Space is considered negative—not in a bad way, but as the absence, or opposite,
of form. Space is the “ground” in which form becomes a “figure.” The relationship
between form and space, or figure and ground, is complementary and mutually depend-
ent; it's impossible to alter one and not the other. The confrontation between figure and
ground defines the kind of visual activity, movement, and sense of three-dimensionality
perceived by the viewer. All these qualities are inherently communicative—resolving
the relationships between figure and ground is the first step in creating a simple, over-
arching message about the content of the designed work, before the viewer registers the
identity of an image or the content of any text that is present. Organizing figure—the
positive—in relation to the ground—or negative—is therefore one of the most import-
ant visual aspects of design because it affects so many other aspects, from general emo-
tional response to informational hierarchy. The figure/ground relationship must be un-
derstandable and present some kind of logic to the viewer; it must also be composed in
such a way that the feeling this compositional, or visual, logic generates is perceived
as appropriate to the message the designer is trying to convey. The logic of composi-
