What Is Negative Space? Design, Psychology & the Power of Emptiness

In a world saturated with images, messages and noise, what’s not there can be just as powerful as what is. Negative space—the intentional use of empty areas around or between visual elements—is easy to overlook, but it plays a crucial role in how we perceive, interpret and emotionally respond to the world around us. Whether in a minimalist logo, a calming interior or a thoughtfully designed interface, negative space shapes our experience for the better by guiding focus, creating balance and offering moments of pause in an otherwise crowded visual landscape.

However, the influence of negative space extends far beyond aesthetics. It taps into deeper psychological and cultural dimensions, influencing how we think, feel, and even behave. From the Japanese concept of Ma to the design choices behind your favorite app, negative space invites us to embrace simplicity and intentionality.

Defining Negative Space

A woman’s hands using a Micron pen to complete a floral illustration on a white piece of paper. The flowers, vines and leaves cover nearly the entire page, except for a blank circular space in the middle. — In the Skillshare class “Floral Illustration: Composition Meets Negative Space,” teacher Peggy Dean balances intricate floral designs with empty space that’s full of potential.

Negative space, also known as “white space” or “blank space,” is the area surrounding and between the main elements of a composition or area. In visual disciplines such as art and design, it serves a critical yet often overlooked role. While positive space contains the primary focal points, negative space provides the breathing room that allows those focal points to stand out and grab viewers’ attention.

That’s why artists and designers use negative space not only to frame or separate elements, but also to create balance, guide the viewer's eye and even suggest forms that aren't explicitly drawn. For example, the silhouette of a vase might emerge from the empty space between two human profiles—in that classic optical illusion, negative space becomes a subject in and of itself.

More practically, negative space can also serve to enhance readability, establish hierarchy and evoke a sense of elegance or minimalism. On a website, for instance, it can lead a viewer’s gaze to the most important elements of the page, all while contributing to a clean, visually pleasing layout design.

The Psychological Effect of Emptiness

A watercolor painting that depicts an overhead view of a woman sitting on the ground with an open book in front of her. She is surrounded by large green leaves. The book appears to be emitting glowing orbs of light, which appear brighter because the artist left them white. — In the Skillshare class “Watercolor Negative Painting: Create Depth in Your Illustrations,” teacher Madalina Buzenchi demonstrates a negative painting technique that helps to create more engaging illustrations.

While it may be empty by definition, negative space plays a powerful psychological role in how we perceive and emotionally respond to visual information. By creating areas of visual rest, it helps to reduce cognitive load, which in turn allows the brain to process and interpret content more efficiently. This clarity not only enhances viewers’ focus, but also evokes a sense of calm, order and openness, especially in cluttered or overstimulating environments.

From a perceptual standpoint, negative space can gently guide the viewer’s eye, directing their attention to key elements without the need for obvious cues. That’s why clean, spacious layouts in web and product design tend to result in improved usability and more positive user experiences.

Emotionally speaking, negative space can evoke wildly different feelings—just ask a die-hard minimalist and a devoted maximalist. For instance, ample white space may communicate elegance and serenity, while a lack of it can induce tension or confusion. But depending on how it’s used, negative space can also come across as boring or cold, while filling that space can add visual interest and create a cozier feel.

Cultural perspectives on negative space vary widely, too. In Western design, for example, space is often seen as a tool designers can use to enhance readability and create balance. On the other hand, traditional Japanese aesthetics embrace the concept of Ma, which values the space between things as meaningful in itself.

In the words of Kiyoshi Matsumoto, Ma “has been described as a pause in time, an interval or emptiness in space.” Even the kanji symbol for Ma “combines door (門) and sun (日). Together these two characters depict a door through the crevice of which the sunlight peeps in (間).”

By understanding these psychological and cultural implications, you can utilize negative space not only as a tool for creating cleaner designs, but also as a means of telling a story and conveying emotion.

Blank Space in Everyday Life

In the Skillshare class “Graphic Design Theory - Space,” teacher Martin Perhiniak explores the ways in which blank space can be used to create stunning designs.

Negative space permeates the designed environments we navigate every day. Whether it's the interface of a mobile app, the margins of a book or the layout of a public space, negative space shapes how we experience and interact with the world.

As Skillshare teacher Amélie-Maude Bergeron put it, negative space is “always present. There is no forgetting about it, because whatever you do, it's there, just like the world is around you.”

Here’s how it manifests across three key disciplines:

Graphic Design

In graphic design, negative space helps create visual hierarchy, guide the viewer’s attention and enhance readability.

Logo design: The FedEx logo utilizes negative space to form an arrow between the "E" and the "x," conveying speed and direction.
Printed text: Magazines and books use margins and spacing to reduce visual fatigue and make text easier to read.
Product packaging: Apple’s packaging, for example, evokes sophistication and draws more focus to the product itself.

Architecture

Architects use negative space—often referred to as “voids” or “open areas”—to influence how people move through and feel within a space. It balances mass and volume, creating breathing room in otherwise dense and overwhelming environments.

Courtyards: These central, open-air spaces provide light, ventilation and calm to large buildings.
High ceilings: Vertical negative space can create a sense of grandeur, freedom and tranquility, which is why you’ll often find them in churches.
Parks and squares: Public spaces like these are often filled with greenery and offer a source of tranquility in the middle of cities and towns.

UX/UI Design

In digital interfaces, negative space is essential for usability and aesthetics. It reduces cognitive load, increases readability and ensures a smooth, intuitive user experience.

Button spacing: Proper padding around buttons prevents accidental clicks and improves accessibility.
Whitespace in forms: Improves clarity when filling out complex, multi-step forms like tax returns.
Minimalist dashboards: Strategic use of empty space helps users focus on key metrics or content without distraction.

Is Less Really More?

An over-the-shoulder shot of a woman drawing on white paper with charcoal pencils. She is drawing an image of a baby horse, with a more rough sketch of the same drawing visible to the left. — In the Skillshare class “Perceiving Negative Space: A Positive Way To Strengthen Drawing Skills,” teacher Amélie-Maude Bergeron shows students how to use negative space when drawing from observation.

In an age filled with constant notifications, endless feeds and ever-expanding libraries of content, negative space offers a compelling lesson: less can indeed be more. As our digital and mental landscapes become increasingly crowded, the strategic use of emptiness becomes not just an aesthetic choice, but a way of demonstrating clarity, restraint, and respect for viewers’ attention.

For Content Creators

Writers, videographers and designers can use negative space to sharpen their message. Just as silence enhances music, well-placed pauses and visual breathing room give content the space it needs to resonate.

Clearer messaging: Stripping away nonessential elements helps the core idea stand out.
Better pacing: In both video and audio, moments of quiet can deepen emotion and improve engagement.
More impactful visuals: A single striking image surrounded by white space can be more instantly impactful than a busy collage. (Don’t get us wrong, collages still have their place, but when you want to make a point quickly, negative space can help you do it.)

For Marketers

With the use of loud noises, bright colors and rapid-fire information, it’s easy to grab consumers’ attention for a fleeting moment. But if you want to hold their attention, you’ll need to use a little more finesse. That’s where negative space comes in: It can give audiences a much-needed moment to reflect, absorb and connect.

Simplified branding: Logos and campaigns with clean, open design can appear more modern and trustworthy.
Focused calls to action: Sparse layouts highlight important elements (such as a “buy now” or “get a free quote” button), which can increase conversion rates.
Emotional appeal: Ad campaigns that utilize silence, emptiness, or minimal text can convey a sense of boldness, confidence, and emotional maturity.

For Everyday Life

Outside of creative professions, we all make daily choices about how we arrange our spaces, time and communication. Negative space offers a gentle reminder to slow down and make room.

In conversations: Pauses can add meaning, allow space for thought and foster better listening.
In-home organization: Uncluttered environments promote calm, focus and mental clarity.
In scheduling: Leaving open time in your day can lead to more creativity, rest, and presence.

Negative space teaches us that emptiness is not necessarily a void to be filled, but a space to be honored. And in a time when companies are constantly urging us to buy more, do more and be more, it invites us to value silence, simplicity and intentionality.

Add Some Emptiness to Your Toolkit

For designers, artists, marketers and everyday communicators alike, embracing emptiness isn’t about embracing minimalism for minimalism’s sake; it’s about making space for what truly matters. Whether it’s white space on a page, a pause in a conversation or a moment to relax, negative space can give your message—and your mind—room to breathe.

Sound like something you could benefit from? Try consciously incorporating thoughtful negative space into your creative and everyday life—you might just gain a powerful tool for creating impact without excess.

Written By

Carrie Buchholz

Carrie Buchholz is a freelance writer who lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and dog.