Designs of the week: Indulging in negative space Customer Blog

Designs of the week: Indulging in negative space

In a world that tends to organize its visual real estate according to the Times Square model – cramming as many lines, colors and textures as possible into a given space – sometimes a feeling of clean spaciousness is the most outstanding attribute your design could have. In other words, what your design is may be just as important as where your design isn’t. The following logo and packaging designs master negative space, and their impact is undeniable.

This design for Ace of Trades handyman services, by designer drsheldon, accomplishes an elegant masculinity through its meticulous arrangement. No unnecessary gradients, no thick, clumsy slabs; just black and white text, luxuriously spaced, and a few clear symbolic centerpieces to distinguish it from the crowd. Purposeful and functional, this design would serve the side of a truck and the front of a business card just as well.

You can see Ace of Trades’ 99designs logo design contest here.

Gone are the days when all coffee companies felt compelled to stamp every inch of their packages with symbolism to announce their product. You’ll find no baskets of beans or traditional Colombian patterns on this winning packaging design for Red Star Coffee, by designer pooca. Heck, it’s not even brown, and is so much the better for it! Neither over nor under-designed, the package bears only a lightly faded red star, a silhouette of the country of origin, and narrow columns of text, all afloat with plenty of room to breathe.

Check out the Red Star Coffee packaging design contest here.

Come across any designs where negative space made a big impact (positive or negative)? Share them in the comments!

Alex Bigman is liaison to 99designs' awesome community of graphic designers. He is a recent grad of UC Berkeley, where he studied history of art and cognitive science.