In art, negative space is the background space around the main object of an image. In a two-tone image (eg. black and white), the object is usually depicted in a darker color (black) than the background (white), thereby forming a silhouette. Sometimes, the tones are reversed and white is used to fill the silhouette (refer Coke examples below). When an artist carves out a shape in the silhouette, in a way that the background creates a visual of its own, that’s when the magic happens.

Today’s post is a collection of illustrations, ads, posters, and book covers that use negative space in a sublime manner to get the message across. The list includes award-winning campaigns, public service announcements (PSAs), covers of best sellers, and more. Check them out below.

Colsubsidio Book Exchange

Agency: Lowe/SSP3, Colombia

ITV: Injustice

Agency: BBH London, UK

Philips LED Torch

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Gurgaon, India

SANCCOB: Save Penguins

Agency: Bittersuite, South Africa

WWF

Agency: BBH China

Criminal Underworld

Artist: Simon C. Page

UNEP: Skyline

Creative Directors: Vinay Saya, Siddarth Basavaraj

Fiat: Don’t Text and Drive

Agency: Leo Burnett Tailor Made, Sao Paulo, Brazil

An American Werewolf In London

Artist: Olly Moss

The Body Artist by Don DeLillo

Artist: Noma Bar

Coke: Hands

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai

Coke: Let’s Eat Together

Agencies: McCann Erickson and MRM Worldwide Romania

Coke: Happiness Makes Friends

Coke: Plants Make Us Happy

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, New York

Bordeaux Wine

Agency: Isobel, London, UK

Hut Weber: It’s the hat

Agency: Serviceplan Hamburg / München, Germany

Coffee & Cigarettes

Artist: Viktor Hertz

The Support Center Union for Victims of Sexual Assault in Israel

Agency: Mccann Erickson, Tel Aviv, Israel

Sidanne Hair Gel

Agency: Punto 99, Quito, Ecuador

Pirelli: Panda

Agency: Leo Burnett, Milan, Italy

World Sanitation

Artist: Kofi Opoku

Jeep: Two Worlds

Agency: BBDO Proximity, Malaysia

Volkswagen: Features

Agency: DDB Mudra, Gurgaon, India

Canon: Point of View

Agency: dentsuINDIO, Philippines

Hamlet & Titanic Posters

Artist: Milutin Markovic

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival

Artist: Kaushik Shivanagere Badarinarayana

Negative Space of Mind

By Vignesh Seshadri & Kathryn Kvas

Volkswagen: See film differently

Artist: Noma Bar | Agency: Adam & Eve/DDB London

IBM: Smarter Planet

Agency: Ogilvy, Paris, France

The Kamasutra

Artist: Malika Favre

World Food Programme

Artist: Noma Bar | Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day New York

Tribute to Steve Jobs

Artist: Jonathan Mak Long

SEE MORE …

Which one’s your favourite? Share this post and voice your views in the comments below. You might also like these negative space logos with hidden meanings.



