{"id":16496,"date":"2020-02-18T16:48:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T21:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=16496"},"modified":"2023-04-28T20:25:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-29T00:25:49","slug":"how-to-use-negative-space-in-your-logo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-715453-3009179.cloudwaysapps.com\/blog\/how-to-use-negative-space-in-your-logo\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use Negative Space In Your Logo (With Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

To understand negative space in logo design, it helps to know the secret of the entire universe first. Luckily for you, we happen to have it, and we\u2019re going to teach you real quick.<\/p>\n

As Einstein pointed out, it\u2019s all about relativity. In logo design, this means that the so-called \u2018empty\u2019 space in and around your logo actually has an important relationship to the logo itself. So, when we talk about \u2018negative\u2019 space, we really mean where one area of a logo design interacts with another in a meaningful way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A classic example is the Daoist Taijitu. The \u2018Yin-Yang\u2019 symbol is the perfect example of the principle of positive and negative space and the interdependence of the two:<\/p>\n

\"yin<\/p>\n

In the symbol, we see two fish – order and chaos, light and dark, yin and yang – chasing each other’s tails. It shows us that there\u2019s no such thing as empty space, only a relationship between different elements. Like other negative space logos, the subject can change depending on your perspective. (Do you see a white fish on a black circle? Or a black fish on a white circle?)<\/p>\n

Overall, negative space refers to any contextual space that surrounds or appears within a subject, <\/strong>and it\u2019s a great way to highlight a relationship between different elements of your brand.<\/p>\n

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How to design negative space logos – and why they work<\/h2>\n

To help you get started, we\u2019ve put together a few logos in our logo maker<\/a>, clocking in at about 20 minutes of design time for each (but don\u2019t worry if you aren\u2019t that fast! It comes with practice!)<\/p>\n

Common examples of negative space in logos involve hidden imagery, double meanings, or a clever use of overlapped elements.<\/strong> Often, this involves looking at the characteristics of individual letters, shapes, and symbols, and seeing how they might naturally combine with other elements. For example:<\/p>\n

\"howe<\/p>\n

This logo plays off the natural shape created by the two white arrows to create an \u2018H\u2019 for \u2018Howe\u2019 in the negative space. (Notice how it\u2019s the black, and not the white space, that acts as the negative area for this logo.) See how the logo uses complementary space to bind together the two core elements of the company into one symbol?<\/p>\n

When you factor in the elevator-like shape of the logo on top of this, the final effect is a clear and impactful symbol that tells the viewer exactly what Howe Elevators does.<\/p>\n

Tip: Monogram logos<\/a> are a fantastic way to start thinking about negative space since there are so many ways to play with space around and within every letter. It\u2019s also a great way to keep the first letter of your brand in mind when your customer thinks of your product or service. <\/div>\n

However, negative space isn\u2019t just about creating clever overlays. It\u2019s also a more general way to balance your visual hierarchy<\/a> and draw the viewer\u2019s eye to meaningful pieces of information about the nature of your brand.<\/strong> Overlays like the above are just one way of doing it, and it\u2019s often hard to find such an \u2018exact match\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"twitwo<\/p>\n

In the above example, there are no tricks of the eye, just a simple use of negative space on the owl\u2019s face to suggest a core aspect of the brand. What kind of product do you think this logo represents? The heart and color suggest love, while the owl suggests wisdom, attention, and 360-degree vision. Coupled with the name, twitwo, this could be a great logo for a dating app, whose brand promise might be \u2018find love, the smart way.\u2019<\/p>\n

Come to think of it…this is a great brand identity<\/a>\u2026(*immediately runs to the trademark office*).<\/p>\n

\"lion<\/p>\n

In this example, the lion\u2019s head merges seamlessly with the top part of the column – the \u2018capital\u2019, as it\u2019s known to stonemasons (also from the Latin for \u2018head\u2019). The cool thing about this logo is how it captures feelings of strength and confidence in the characteristics of the lion<\/a>, which are also important attributes for reliable stonework. As you can see, negative space is a really effective way to create visual puns that combine more than one brand characteristic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the use of negative space involves creative combinations of shape, position, shadow, and color, to highlight a relationship between core elements of your brand. Like we said before, it\u2019s all about the relativity, baby!<\/p>\n

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Design a logo using negative space here! <\/h2>\n \n \n