Feb 15, 2011
(Original Post from weburbanist.com)
What makes creative logo design really pop? Clever use of negative space.
Using “whitespace” as an active part of the design doesn’t just create visual harmony – it can also produce optical illusions that elevate this vital element of brand identity from forgettable to iconic.
Adept incorporation of negative space into a logo helps designers make the maximum visual impact with the simplest elements possible.
ED ‘Elettrodomestici’
Perhaps it’s just a grand coincidence that the letters ‘E’ and ‘D’, which stand for Elettrodomestici (or ‘household electric appliances’ in English), happen to form the shape of a plug. But what could really explain the stark mathematical perfection of this logo by Gianni Bortolotti, other than artistic genius?
Egg-n-Spoon
At first glance, this “e” isn’t all that interesting. But consider that the logo was created for a courier service called Egg-in-Spoon – with the tagline, “Sameday Couriers – Speed with Care” – and take another look. The reader comments on the design firm’s blog enhance the fun: “i hope no-one poaches it…” “We were thinking eggs-actly the same thing…” “Did you have to scramble around for that idea?”
Guild of Food Writers
Like a classic optical illusion, some people will see this logo as a certain object and to others, it is something else altogether. A pen nib, or a spoon? Look carefully, and you’ll see it’s both. Logo design doesn’t get much more succinct than this, created for the Guild of Food Writers by top UK design firm 300million.
Bermuda Aquarium
It’s just a concept, developed by Schuster for the Bermuda Aquarium, but perhaps they should consider a change. This design is considerably sleeker, more modern and far more eye-catching than the one they’re currently using. Exceedingly simple shapes are all that’s needed to convey an image of fish swimming side-by-side.
Café Melody
Designed by Jure Klaric for a lounge bar in Croatia, this logo gets more effective the longer you look at it. Not only do the two simple shapes make a somewhat stylized “C” for “café”, they also form a coffee cup on a saucer as seen from above – and the shape of a volume button.
Fed-Ex
It might just be one of the most famous examples of using negative space in logo design, but it’s also among the most subtle. Fed-Ex’s little white arrow, formed by the space between the E and the X, is a detail that many people don’t even notice, but it’s appreciated by fans of good logo design. In an interview with TheSneeze.com, designer Lindon Leader of Leader Creative explained its inclusion.
“An arrow, in and of itself, is one of the most mundane graphic devices in visual communications. Truly, there is nothing unique or particularly strategic (marketing-wise) in using an arrow as a brand identifier… The power of the hidden arrow is simply that it is a hidden bonus. Importantly, not ‘getting the punch line’ by not seeing the arrow, does not reduce the impact of the logo’s essential communication.”
8 Fish
Using images of eight fish to illustrate the company’s name would be far too busy for a logo design… if it weren’t as well done as this. Designer Jerrod Ames managed to fit them all into a logo that is still crisp and minimalist.
Hartford Whalers
Just two graphic elements plus the white negative space around them combined to create an incredibly simple and evocative logo for hockey team The Hartford Whalers. Formed between the ‘W’ and the shape of a whale’s tail is the ‘H’ standing for ‘Hartford’. The logo, designed by Peter Good, was updated in 1992 to incorporate a silver background.
Yoga Australia
What appears, at first, to be a simple image of a woman doing yoga reveals itself after taking a closer look at the white space created between the woman’s arm and leg. It forms a rough approximation of the shape of Australia, without distorting the figure of the woman.
Harris Structures
In this logo, two ‘H’s – including one formed by negative space – come together to form a structure as seen from an angle, perfect for a company called ‘Harris Structures’. Designed by Ahab Nimry of St. Louis.
Invisible Children
Identified by the designer as “just practice”, this redesign idea for an effort to help children affected by war in Northern Uganda turns the shape of Africa into a child’s foot, with the words ‘Invisible Children’ formed with negative space.
Weisinger Music
No two letters in the alphabet are more perfect for creating a sleek, graphic piano logo than W and M. For a piano shop called ‘Weisinger Music’, a monogram that forms piano keys couldn’t be more harmonious.
Microsoft’s ‘Mouse’
It’s the word ‘mouse’. It’s a mouse (as in the animal) with the ‘o’ as its ear. But it’s also the shape of a computer mouse – a clever combination for Microsoft’s “Mouse” awards, formerly known as the “Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions Creative Awards”.
NBC
It took NBC a lot of tries to get it right. The television network went through no less than 6 ineffective logos, including a xylophone and a much busier version of its current peacock, before settling on what is now considered a classic example of effective logo design. Designers Chermayeff and Geismar took the peacock, which had already become a widely recognized symbol for the network, and simplified it with the use of negative space.
