ELI5: What Is Negative Space?

Negative space is the empty area around and between things that gives them room to exist and be noticed.

Imagine holding your hand up and spreading your fingers wide. Your hand and fingers are the positive space because they are the actual objects you can touch. The empty air between your fingers is the negative space. Even though you cannot touch that air, the shape of the empty space is what lets you see each finger clearly.

We use negative space every day, even if we do not realize it:

• Your bedroom floor: Your bed, toys, and dresser are the objects, but the clear carpet where you walk is the negative space. Without that empty room, your bedroom would just be a messy pile where you could not move.
• A glass of water: The glass and the water are physical things, but the empty space inside the cup is what allows it to hold your drink in the first place.
• Music and talking: When you sing a song or talk to a friend, the quiet pauses between words are negative space. If you made sound without ever stopping, it would just be noisy yelling instead of words.
• Writing on paper: The letters in a book are dark shapes, but the clean white paper around the words makes them easy to read. If there were no gaps between the words, everything would blur together.