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(Text)
space
10
Space is an essential de-
sign element in all visual
communications. Howev-
er, unlike other elements
such as line, shape, form, color, and texture, space cannot be
placed or located in a composition. Space refers to the distance or
area between, around, above, below, or within other elements
“I think that the ideal space must contain elements of magic,
serenity, sorcery, and mystery.”
Luis Barragán (1902—1988), Mexican, Architect
space \'spa
¬
s\ n
2 a: a limited extent in one, two, or
three dimensions: distance, area, volume
4 a: a boundless three-dimensional
extent in which objects and events occur
and have relative position and direction
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th e la n guag e of gr ap hic d es i gn
(Text)
1939
Boy and Girl on a Fence,
Rural Electrification Administration Series Two
New York, New York, USA
Lester Beall (1903–1969) was a twen-
tieth-century American graphic designer
notable as a leading proponent of modern-
ist graphic design in the United States.
He was born in Kansas City, Missouri,
and later moved to Chicago, where he stud-
ied at the University of Chicago and later at
the Art Institute of Chicago. As a self-taught
graphic designer, he initially designed ex-
hibits and wall murals for the 1933 Chicago
Century of Progress World’s Fair. In 1935,
he relocated to New York City and eventu-
ally opened his own design consultancy in
Wilton, Connecticut.
Beall was deeply influenced by the
European avant-garde and produced award-
winning work in a minimalist, modernist
style for clients such as the Chicago Tribune,
Hiram Walker, Collier’s, Abbott Laborato-
ries, Time-Life, and International Paper.
Throughout his work and career, he was
known for utilizing angled elements, vib-
rant colors, iconic arrows, silhouetted pho-
tography, and dynamic shapes in an innova-
tive and provocative manner.
Among his most recognized works
are a series of public information posters
that he designed for the u.s. government.
The Rural Electrification Administra-
tion (rea) was one of the primary public
improvement projects initiated by Presi-
dent Franklin Delano Roosevelt to revive a
battered u.s. economy by building dams and
hydroelectric power plants in rural areas
of the country. The rea, a part of the u.s.
Department of Agriculture, was respon-
sible for promoting the use of electric-
ity in rural areas throughout the United
States. This now classic series of large-
format posters received national and
international attention. All three sets of
six silk-screened posters for the rea were
such as lines, shapes, forms, colors, textures,
frames, and images in a composition. It can
be two dimensional or three dimensional
and described as flat, shallow, deep, open,
closed, positive, negative, actual, ambiguous,
or illusory.
The fundamental principle of space is
an integral design element to be considered
in any two-dimensional composition and can
appear open, dense, compact, loose, empty,
full, flat, or voluminous depending on how
space is being used, organized, divided, or in
other words—activated.
Describing Space
Space is usually identified as negative space
or white space—terms that refer to the
empty but often active areas of any visual
composition that are void of the graphic
elements. Space containing elements such as
shapes, forms, images, and such is identi-
fied as positive space. The varied degrees or
amounts of negative or positive space in any
composition can create an illusion of depth
through the careful, established spatial rela-
tionships of foreground and background or
figure–ground relationships. When negative
and positive space are equal, spatial depth is
lacking and a more visually static composi-
tion is created.
For example, think of compositional
space as a room in your home. The room is
a three-dimensional space containing your
personal possessions—or compositional ele-
ments. Is it cluttered or is there ample room
to live, work, and relax? You design the room
by filling it with objects on its walls, floors,
and ceilings. The graphic designer does the
same thing by creating a composition with
shape, form, color, image, and type within a
two-dimensional space.
(continued on page 106)
Voice
Adelaide, Australia
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