Pixels To Print: Negative Space Logos
March 21, 2019
Negative space is the empty space around the subject of an image. Some brands cleverly use negative space to their advantage in logo design by forming visuals with dual purposes and hidden meanings. Another benefit is being able to include additional design elements without the need of an additional color.
Take a look at the different logos below and see if you can spot the negative space images or hidden meanings!
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| This logo uses the space between the page elements to give the appearance of more pages, as though it is a magazine with it's pages fanned out. But if you picture looking at this straight on, it also looks like a circus tent. |
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| Much like the previous logo, repeating faces can be seen in this iconic icon above, putting even more emphasis on who they're talking about right in the logo. |
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| This logo is extremely unique and a testament to the designers who created it. It takes advantage of the organic shape of the tree to style it like animal faces on either side of the trunk. |
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| This logo takes some creative licensing to superimpose Africa into the empty space between the front and back legs of the elephant. |
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| This brand has a hidden animal in it's logo which isn't as apparent as the previous two logos we've seen. Think you can spot what it is? Here's a hint: look at the biggest white space in the center. Still can't see it? The mountain that makes up the majority of this logo is inspired by the Matterhorn located in the Swiss city of Bern, which is associated with...wait for it...bears! |
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| Yet another chocolate company makes our list with a hidden element in their logo. The famously unique shape of the Hershey's Kiss can be seen rotated 90 degrees between the letters 'K' and 'I' of the logo. See it now? |
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| Probably one of the most subtle and effective implementations of negative space on our list is Microsoft's Mouse logo. Can you spot the mouse? Microsoft uses a simple curve cut out to define the shape of the body of the mouse and uses the color pink on the letter 'O' to define the ear of the creature. However, the most clever element of design was placing the copyright symbol under the 'O' to create the eye of the mouse! |
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| Although there are no hidden creatures to be found in this logo, USA effectively makes their logo more fun and interesting by creating the 'S' out of negative space. |
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| This one personifies the idea of 'My' by turning the two letter forms into a hand. Can't see it? Try covering up 'Fonts' and just looking at the beginning of their logo. |
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| Last but not least, this unique design combines two ideas into one logo. Try and spot them both before we give it away! Can't figure it out? Looking closely, we see someone who has just finished their golf swing with lines depicting the arc that the club took. If we take a step back and look at the image as a whole, we can make out a face looking to the right wearing a Spartan helmet, cleverly playing on their name. |
Brands do a great job of using negative space to create images and meanings that may go unnoticed if you're not looking for them. So the next time you're you're checking out a new company's logo, make sure to look twice to see if they're hiding something in plain sight!
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