The fastest way between two points is not a straight line. It’s association. When we look at an image, logo, infographic, poster, etc., we unconsciously group elements together and discriminate between figure and ground relationships. Our minds look for motion, edges, color, contour and contrast to organize textures into basic forms and identify objects on the page. Your brain does this with the help of, quite literally, nothing at all! A negative space completely devoid of content can double, or triple, the point you want to communicate, along with an “Ah ha!” moment that reinforces memory.
Seeing what isn’t there…
Our schemas play an important role in how we process the information from images. Schemas are abstract representations of our world view, providing the context for which we judge new information. Strategically placing a few white circles with certain areas cut out over a red background could produce the outline of a Coke bottle in most people’s minds. This is because we can “see” the invisible lines connecting between the circles to form the shape we know and love that is associated with the color red.
Whatever new information we receive is going to fit into these mental frameworks we have. Schemas are activated by associations activated by a cue, such as the contours in the white space. They are then connected with related schemas to retrieve the information. Seeing the Coke bottle above is a matter of pop culture familiarity, which provides a sense of shared connection to the viewers who are able to make out the Coke. If you can get people to feel like they are a part of something, your design will win.
What is it?
Negative space is white space. It doesn’t have to be white, however, just a space without content. The two kinds of white space are active white space or passive white space. Active white space is there to guide the eye. Passive white space is accidental, such as the white space created between these words. Think proposal design: you need a layout that will point to your solution, not a layout that leads people away.
Negative space in proposals should actively foster focus on the content you want people to see rather than making them look everywhere for it. You should utilize negative space the same way in logo design and infographics to guide people toward a common association, not drive them away. That’s not to say there isn’t any room to get creative with passive white space.
Why use it?
Other than creating a shared connection and guiding people to what you want them to see, negative space offers a slew of benefits. Most often used in luxury brand layouts, negative space gives off a certain elegancy. This association automatically creates a stylishly professional design in the audience’s mind.
Negative space also offers better readability. Books are not complete walls of text from one side of the page to the other, there are borders of white space around the text that makes it the focal point for your eyes.
Many advertisements use negative space to emphasize its product. Solid colors creating a border around the subject allow viewers to concentrate more on the subject than any other area of the page.
There’s a reason people would rather read a page that is broken up by white space over one that is a solid wall of text. Two reasons, actually — balance and harmony. Negative space reduces the awkward busyness of a design and gives people a chance to relax. Don’t stress people out. Double up your message by using, and not fighting, the negative space of the page.
Source: Bridged Design
Further Reading:
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/adri-bodor-mark-szulyovszky-think-invisible