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 to 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 sublimely use negative space 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
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
