Note (sentence to remember for intro of White chapter)
In presenting the varying forms and guises of white, this chapter will ask what it does, what it says, and how this comes to be.
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In Kenya Hara's worldview, white is not a color, but a design concept. In order to understand Hara's white we must depart from a Western way of thinking and try to connect with Japanese worldview.
Hara is not a designer who likes the color white, or one who does not use color. When he uses color he does so from a search for the representation of a particular sensation, and when he attains it, he does not use additional colors that he considers superfluous to his work.
What is white?
White is a state in which all colors have faded, a pure state, free of interference. White is tranquility, it is the absolute void, it is nothing and it is everything. White is death that is revealed in sun-bleached bones in the desert, white is the pure beginning of life embodied in the whiteness of a mother's breast milk. White exists on the boundaries of life, colors exist in life, and they are never detached from nature. All colors derive from white, and are partial appearances of it. In the world white is not pure white; it appears in thousands of shades and hues, for it is situated in material. We aspire to pure white out of empathy for everything that is beyond ephemeral in our world.
Hara bemoans the loss of Japanese sensitivity to the influence of modern life. The world is colorful chaos, and when sensitivity diminishes, life and the world become gray. The chaos, however, is not gray, but dynamic changes from which new colors constantly glimmer and which we must learn to distinguish.
White emerges from the chaos as perfection, it is not a mixture or a color, it is emptiness filled with everything that repeatedly evaporates in life's dynamic. To achieve the experience of white and colors, the senses must be trained; sensitivities must be developed in order to attain sophisticated discernment. White is the source of life to which designers should aspire to bring all of us closer. [source]
If the what (the action, the how to) is easy, then, then perhaps we should be much more concerned with the why - the purpose behind decluttering, the why-to. It's true that the why is considerably more difficult to discuss, because unlike the what, which is fairly universal, the nature of the why is highly individual. [...] By simply embracing the what without the why, a person gets nowhere. [Everything That Remains]
[...] The notion that colour is bound up with the fate of Western culture sounds odd, and not very likely. But this is what I want to argue: that colour has been the object of extreme prejudice in Western culture. For the most part, this prejudice has remained unchecked and passed unnoticed. And yet it is a prejudice that is so all-embracing and generalized that, at one time or another, it has enrolled just about every other prejudice in its service. If its object were a furry animal, it would be protected by international law. But its object is, it is said, almost nothing, even though it is at the same time a part of almost everything and exists almost everywhere. It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that, in the West, since Antiquity, colour has been systematically marginalized, reviled, diminished and degraded. Generations of philosophers, artists, art historians and cultural theorists of one stripe or another have kept this prejudice alive, warm, fed and groomed. As with all prejudices, its manifest form, its loathing, masks a fear: a fear of contamination and corruption by something that is unknown or appears unknowable. This loathing of colour, this fear of corruption through colour, needs a name: chromophobia.
Chromophobia manifests itself in the many and varied attempts to purge colour from culture, to devalue colour, to diminish its significance, to deny its complexity. More specifically: this purging of colour is usually accomplished in one of two ways. In the first, colour is made out to be the property of some ‘foreign’ body - usually the feminine, the oriental, the primitive, the infantile, the vulgar, the queer or the pathological. In the second, colour is relegated to the realm of the superficial, the supplementary, the inessential or the cosmetic. In one, colour is regarded as alien and therefore dangerous; in the other, it is perceived merely as a secondary quality of experience, and thus unworthy of serious consideration. Colour is dangerous, or it is trivial, or it is both. (It is typical of prejudices to conflate the sinister and the superficial.) Either way, colour is routinely excluded from the higher concerns of the Mind. It is other to the higher values of Western culture. Or perhaps culture is other to the higher values of colour. Or colour is the corruption of culture. [...]
Chromophobia manifests itself in the many and varied attempts to purge colour from culture, to devalue colour, to diminish its significance, to deny its complexity. More specifically: this purging of colour is usually accomplished in one of two ways. In the first, colour is made out to be the property of some ‘foreign’ body - usually the feminine, the oriental, the primitive, the infantile, the vulgar, the queer or the pathological. In the second, colour is relegated to the realm of the superficial, the supplementary, the inessential or the cosmetic. In one, colour is regarded as alien and therefore dangerous; in the other, it is perceived merely as a secondary quality of experience, and thus unworthy of serious consideration. Colour is dangerous, or it is trivial, or it is both. (It is typical of prejudices to conflate the sinister and the superficial.) Either way, colour is routinely excluded from the higher concerns of the Mind. It is other to the higher values of Western culture. Or perhaps culture is other to the higher values of colour. Or colour is the corruption of culture. [...]
[David Batchelor - Chromophobia]
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
This verse conveys an image that is extraordinarily white. A white square appears which is whiter than the one that preceded it. The within it another white square appears which is whiter still. We can say that this series of whites is highly conceptualised, but if we think of white as sensual experience, the poem brings us closer to white's essential quality. Furthermore, picturing white as a square makes its whiteness all the more striking (White, Kenya Hara)
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
a white square
within it
This verse conveys an image that is extraordinarily white. A white square appears which is whiter than the one that preceded it. The within it another white square appears which is whiter still. We can say that this series of whites is highly conceptualised, but if we think of white as sensual experience, the poem brings us closer to white's essential quality. Furthermore, picturing white as a square makes its whiteness all the more striking (White, Kenya Hara)
There is no such thing as "white". Rather, "white" exists solely in our perception. Therefore, we must not attept to search for "white". Instead, we must search for a way to feel the whiteness. Through this process, we gain an awareness of a white that is slightly whiter than the white we experience normally. [White by Kenya Hara, page 001]
Is white a color? It is like a color, yet at the same time we can also conveive it as a noncolor. What then, we must ask, is color in the first place? The mechanism of color has been organized into clear systems, themselves products of modern physics. The two most common methods of color classification are Munsell's and Ostwald's. In their systems the three elements of color - value, chroma and hue - can be explained by constructing a three dimensional circular object which allows us to visualize the physical phenomenon (i.e. color) more easily. The object thus constructed, however, does not able us to achieve a full sense of what we perceive as color. [White by Kenya Hara, page 002].
The etimology of the words shiro, or white, one of the four traditional Japanese colors, is rooted in the ancient word shiroshi, which is in turn connected to the words itoshiroshi and ichijirushi. All of these terms are based on the corporeality of things. Ichijirushi is a clear and objective condition which manifests itself in the purity of light, the lucidity embodied in a drop of water, or the force of a crashing waterfall. Shiroshi, on the other hand, is the state of consciousness we enter when we focus on these things, when our senses seem to vibrate like the strings of a koto. Over the long history, these ancient words were absorbed into the concept of "white" or shiro, and established as an aesthetic principle. [White by Kenya Hara page 006].
We can place white within this real of mutating and evolving life forms. White is the most singular and vivid image that arises from the the center of chaos. It works against the principle of mixture, revealing itself by breaking the gravity that pulls everything towards grey. White is the most extreme example of this singularity. It is not a mixed entity; it is not even a color at all. [White by Kenya Hara, page 009].
The national flag of Japan is white with a red disk in the centre. We can say that the flag is a symbol that exemplifies the meaning of emptiness. The red circle has no meaning. It is simply a red circle, and nothing beyond that. [...] Accordingly, the power of a symbol goes in tandem with its receptiveness. Because the simple and abstract quality of a red circle on a white background is so equivocal, it can be filled with various images. Its composition is one case where a figure signifies something only in relation to the background. [White by Kenya Hara, 048-049]
Spenser, writing rapturously of swans, claimed,
"Two fairer Birds I yet did never see:
The Snow which doth the top of Pindus strew,
Did never winter show,
Nor Jove himself when he a Swan would be
For love of leda, whiter did appear:
Yet Leda was they say as white as he,
Yet not so white as these, nor nothing near;
So purely white they were..." (White Graphics, page 8)
[...] in graphic design, white is too often thought of as something to cover up or get rid of, not something to explore and celebrate. [...] Like all cats, White Space goes his own way. Designers would all benefit from occasionally giving the color white free rein and seeing what happens. (White Graphics, 09)
Some of the most potent design today uses little in the way of imagery or color at all. Take this cover for Critique magazine by James Victore, for example. The theme of the issue was "Economy" and Victore's thrifty use of black type on a white field hones us right to the message. There is very little to get in the way of the concept. On the other hand, white on white can be just as effective when used in the right context.
White space draws attention to whatever it contains. White space provides context, organisation, and a restful place for the eyes. It can convey a variety of moods, from a mannered, classic arrangement of type to a dramatic spotlight for a photograph.
Some of the earliest printed books show us that horror vacui, of fear of empty space, is nothing new in design. Long before graphic design had a name, typesetters were busy arranging words and pictures on paper. Illuminated manuscripts, produced when every book was hand-written and hand-drawn, are full of generous white margins. Books were so labor-intensive, and took so long to produce, that the pleasing use of white space was practical and economical. [...] Why should you? Well, as any designer knows, it just looks better. White space draws attention to whatever it contains. White space provides context, organization, and a restful place for the eyes. It can convey a variety of moods, from a mannered, classic arrangement of type to a dramatic spotlight for a photographs.
Bibliography:Finke, G. D. (2001) White Graphics: The Power of White in Graphic Design. Gloucester, MA: Rockport Publishers.In-line Citation:(Finke, 2001)
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Sci-Arts Spring Lectures Poster
Jennifer Sterling Design
White space provides a grid organising this giant poster for a series of lectures about architecture. Mysterious images, bright matte colors, and provocative arrangements of type complement the chalky white paper stock. A grid of dotted lines seems to invite the reader to cut the poster into individual rectangles, perhaps to assemble them into a book.
The designer is primarily confronted with three classes of material: a) the given material [...] Ad the material furnished him is often inadequate, vague, uninteresting, or otherwise unsuitable for visual representation, the designer's task is to re-create or restate the problem. This may involve discarding or revising much of the given material [...] (Paul Rand, Thoughts on Design, pag 12)
"By carefully arranging type areas, spacing, size, and 'color', the typographer is able to impart to the printed page a quality which helps to dramatize the contents. He is able to translate type matter into tactile patterns. By concentrating the type area and emphasizing the margin (white space), he can reinforce, by contrast, the textural quality of the type. The resulting effect on the reader may be properly compared to the sensation produced by physical contact with metal type.
... In ordering his space and in distributing his typographic material and symbols, he is able to predetermine, to a certain point, the eye movements of the spectator" (Paul Ran, Thoughts on Design page 76-78)
"The process of reaching an ideal state of simplicity can be truly complex, so allow me to simplify it for you. The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction. When in doubt, just remove. But be careful of what you remove" (John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 1)
"Lessen what you can and conceal everything else without losing the sense of inherent value. EMBODY-ing a greater sense of quality through enhanced materials and other messaging cues is an important subtle counterbalance to SHRINK-ing and HIDE-ing the directly understood aspects of a product. Design, technology, and business work in concert to realize the final decisions that will lead to how much reduction in a product is tolerable, and how much quality it will embody in spite of its reduced state of being. Small is better when SHE'd." (In reference to the SHE explanation, John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 9)
"Simplicity and complexity need each other. The more complexity there is in the market, the more that something simpler stands out. And because technology will only continue to grow in complexity, there is a clear economic benefit to adopting a strategy of simplicity that will help set your product apart. That said, establishing a feeling of simplicity in design requires making complexity consciously available in some explicit form. This relationship can be manifest in either the same object or experience, or in contrast with other offerings in the same category - like the simplicity of the iPod in comparison to its more complex competitors in the MP3 player market" (John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 46)
"[...] All designs have upheld the common priority of maximising "white space" - essentially all these blank areas of the page that surround the text. Such surfaces invite chaos, in the same way that a countertop at home collects change, mail, keys and so fort. Similarly we might scribble notes in these empty spaces that surround, and also in the gutters that separate lines of text" (John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 54)
"Complexity and simplicity are two symbiotic qualities. As raised in the fifth Law of DIFFERENCES, each needs the other - its respective definitions depends upon the other's existence. To realize a world of complete simplicity would mean that complexity would have to become completely eradicated. And with only simplicity remaining, how would you what is truly simple? Thus failing to achieve simplicity is an important service to humanity." (John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 84)
"Simplicity is hopelessly subtle, and many if its defining characteristics are implicit (noting that it hides in SIMPLICITY)" (John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity, pag 89)
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Grounded Theory is an inductive methodology. Although many call Grounded Theory a qualitative method, it is not. It is a general method. It is the systematic generation of theory from systematic research. It is a set of rigorous research procedures leading to the emergence of conceptual categories. These concepts/categories are related to each other as a theoretical explanation of the action(s) that continually resolves the main concern of the participants in a substantive area. Grounded Theory can be used with either qualitative or quantitative data.
Bibliography:, A. (2014) Grounded Theory Institute - The Grounded Theory Methodology of Barney G. Glaser, Ph.D - What is GT? Available at: http://www.groundedtheory.com/what-is-gt.aspx (Accessed: 25 October 2015).
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Semiotics, also called Semiology, the study of signs and sign-using behaviour. It was defined by one of its founders, the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, as the study of “the life of signs within society. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014)
Bibliography:The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2014) ‘semiotics | study of signs’, in Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/science/semiotics (Accessed: 25 October 2015).
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"White is not just a colour. White must be called a design concept" (pag. 213, Designing Design, Kenya Hara)
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"White is not white. The receptivity that senses white is what gives birth to whiteness. So we cannot look for white. We need to search instead for a way of feeling that will sense white. [...] With that ability, we will become conscious of white. " (Designing Design, pag 213, Kenya Hara)
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"The black of type is not born of the blackness of letters, but the black couples with the white of the paper. The red cross in the Red Cross logo is red not only because of the red of the cross. The red glimmers by dint of the quality of the white it is placed. A margin, be it blue or beige, inherently comprises white. A margin is neither a mere absence nor a remainder. It is white that has come into existence as the result of the filling in of a space. Sometimes, because of the margin's necessity for existence, its nonexistence imports a stronger presence than an actual margin" (Kenya Hara, pag 213, Designing Design)
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"Is white a color? It could be said to be like a color, but not a color. So what is color? As a result of modern physics, today we have clear systems by which the mechanism of color is organized: the Munsell and Ostwald color systems, established by Albert H. Munsell and Friederich Wilhelm Ostwald. Their systems represented in three dimensions based on value, chroma, and hue (the degrees of lightness and hue, as well as a scale of hue in circular form) lead us to an easy understanding of color's structure as a physical phenomenon. But we don't sense color in terms of these systems. The glossy freshness of a deep yellow yolk spilling out of a broken eggshell, or the russet color of tea in a cup are not only colors, but also textures, with materiality, in which taste and smell are also deeply enmeshed. People sense color as an amalgamation. So color is not just visual, but something relating to all of our perceptions. " (Kenya Hara, pag 214, Designing Design)
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"[...] color is no more than a single aspect of white. Insofar as it avoids color, and thus ore strongly awakens physicality, it is a materiality; like empty space or a margin, it is pregnant with time and space. It even entails abstract concepts like absence and absolute zero" (Kenya Hara, pag 216, Designing Design)
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"Advertising communication is generally thought to be the process of clarifying the point that you want your audience to comprehend, turning it into an easily understood message, choosing the appropriate media, and circulating the message. But not all advertising has to follow this method. In some cases, communication happens when the recipient, offered not a message but an empty vessel, supplies the meaning himself.
Let's take the example of Japan's national flag. The red circle in the center carries no meaing. It's just a geometric figure. People supply the meaning. [...] The interpretation depends on the interpreter. Because it is not aligned with any one interpretation, this national flag functions well, accepting all. The simple, red circle is an empty vessel. Being empty, it can accomodate the impression of every individual. This is the essence of a symbol. The symbol's function is as large as the meaing that can be attributed to it." (Kenya Hara, pag 241-242, Designing Design)
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To understand Japanese design, it is helpful to understand the genealogy of the aesthetics behind it. Japan has sutained cultural homogeneity for over a thousand years and the present era is a natural continuation of this. At a glance Japanese design looks simple, but its simplicity differs from that discovered by Western modrnism, which was based on rationality. I call the simplicity of Japanese design 'emptiness'. Instead of disseminating a precise, articulate message, extreme plainness - emptiness - can invite a variety of interpretations, just like an empty vessel. The nō masks used in the traditional Japanese musical theatre wear a plain expression, with no sign of the human emotions of joy, anger, pathos or humour. Whether they appear to be crying or laughing depends on the context of the performance. The universality born from these plain expressions allows for the insertion of any emotion that might be imagined. This kind of emptiness is reflected in Japan's architecture, spaces, garden, ikebana and poetry, as well as in contemporary design. When looking at Japanese culture armed with knowledge of this concept, a number of things become apparent that perhaps we hadn't noticed before. (pag 11, WA: The essence of Japanese design, Kenya Hara)
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SIMPLICITY AND WESTERN MODERNISM
The difference between emptiness and simplicity deserves an explanation. Without risking misunderstanding, I suggest the concept of 'simplicity' began with European modernism. The world came into being out of complexity. In both the East and the West, at the dawn of civilization when sole rulers governed, objects were covered with gorgeous decorations to symbolize power. Yet, with the advent of modern society, eras in which citizens were no longer ruled by royalty and titled nobility, the relationship between objects and people underwent a revolutionary change. As people began to live more freely, there came a change in the way they thought about art, ideology, literature, literature, artefacts and clothing. The idea of a necessary review of the relationship between functionality, materials and form through the perspective of rationality came into being. From the first World Exposition held in London in 1851 to the creation of Bauhaus in 1909 and the founding of Domus in 1928 in Milan by the architect Gio' Ponti, a concept of simplicity that pivoted on rationality began to penetrate world culture. Subsequently, Wstern modernism has made unfathomable contributions to modern civilization, which we continue to learn from today. (pag 11, WA: The essence of Japanese design, Kenya Hara)
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SPACE
Space is an important compositional factor that the designer must consider. If used competently, space provides visual contrast and contributes to an effective ordering system. The empty compositional space brings the visual elements alive; it is the invisible energy of the design and must be considered a dominant element. The designer must focus attention toward the activity (or inactivity) of the negative space to activate the visual elements that reside within it. Space is needed in all compositions - it is imperative to accessibility and navigation. It provides pathways, or channels, that lead the eye through the design, while directing the visual focus toward the positive areas of the compositional space (pag 78, Layout Workbook, Cullen)
Bibliography:Cullen, K. (2010) Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design. Gloucester, MA: Rockport Publishers.In-line Citation:(Cullen, 2010)
Semiotics, also called Semiology, the study of signs and sign-using behaviour. It was defined by one of its founders, the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, as the study of “the life of signs within society. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2014)
Bibliography:The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2014) ‘semiotics | study of signs’, in Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/science/semiotics (Accessed: 25 October 2015).
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"White is not just a colour. White must be called a design concept" (pag. 213, Designing Design, Kenya Hara)
-
"White is not white. The receptivity that senses white is what gives birth to whiteness. So we cannot look for white. We need to search instead for a way of feeling that will sense white. [...] With that ability, we will become conscious of white. " (Designing Design, pag 213, Kenya Hara)
-
"The black of type is not born of the blackness of letters, but the black couples with the white of the paper. The red cross in the Red Cross logo is red not only because of the red of the cross. The red glimmers by dint of the quality of the white it is placed. A margin, be it blue or beige, inherently comprises white. A margin is neither a mere absence nor a remainder. It is white that has come into existence as the result of the filling in of a space. Sometimes, because of the margin's necessity for existence, its nonexistence imports a stronger presence than an actual margin" (Kenya Hara, pag 213, Designing Design)
-
"Is white a color? It could be said to be like a color, but not a color. So what is color? As a result of modern physics, today we have clear systems by which the mechanism of color is organized: the Munsell and Ostwald color systems, established by Albert H. Munsell and Friederich Wilhelm Ostwald. Their systems represented in three dimensions based on value, chroma, and hue (the degrees of lightness and hue, as well as a scale of hue in circular form) lead us to an easy understanding of color's structure as a physical phenomenon. But we don't sense color in terms of these systems. The glossy freshness of a deep yellow yolk spilling out of a broken eggshell, or the russet color of tea in a cup are not only colors, but also textures, with materiality, in which taste and smell are also deeply enmeshed. People sense color as an amalgamation. So color is not just visual, but something relating to all of our perceptions. " (Kenya Hara, pag 214, Designing Design)
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"[...] color is no more than a single aspect of white. Insofar as it avoids color, and thus ore strongly awakens physicality, it is a materiality; like empty space or a margin, it is pregnant with time and space. It even entails abstract concepts like absence and absolute zero" (Kenya Hara, pag 216, Designing Design)
-
"Advertising communication is generally thought to be the process of clarifying the point that you want your audience to comprehend, turning it into an easily understood message, choosing the appropriate media, and circulating the message. But not all advertising has to follow this method. In some cases, communication happens when the recipient, offered not a message but an empty vessel, supplies the meaning himself.
Let's take the example of Japan's national flag. The red circle in the center carries no meaing. It's just a geometric figure. People supply the meaning. [...] The interpretation depends on the interpreter. Because it is not aligned with any one interpretation, this national flag functions well, accepting all. The simple, red circle is an empty vessel. Being empty, it can accomodate the impression of every individual. This is the essence of a symbol. The symbol's function is as large as the meaing that can be attributed to it." (Kenya Hara, pag 241-242, Designing Design)
-
To understand Japanese design, it is helpful to understand the genealogy of the aesthetics behind it. Japan has sutained cultural homogeneity for over a thousand years and the present era is a natural continuation of this. At a glance Japanese design looks simple, but its simplicity differs from that discovered by Western modrnism, which was based on rationality. I call the simplicity of Japanese design 'emptiness'. Instead of disseminating a precise, articulate message, extreme plainness - emptiness - can invite a variety of interpretations, just like an empty vessel. The nō masks used in the traditional Japanese musical theatre wear a plain expression, with no sign of the human emotions of joy, anger, pathos or humour. Whether they appear to be crying or laughing depends on the context of the performance. The universality born from these plain expressions allows for the insertion of any emotion that might be imagined. This kind of emptiness is reflected in Japan's architecture, spaces, garden, ikebana and poetry, as well as in contemporary design. When looking at Japanese culture armed with knowledge of this concept, a number of things become apparent that perhaps we hadn't noticed before. (pag 11, WA: The essence of Japanese design, Kenya Hara)
-
SIMPLICITY AND WESTERN MODERNISM
The difference between emptiness and simplicity deserves an explanation. Without risking misunderstanding, I suggest the concept of 'simplicity' began with European modernism. The world came into being out of complexity. In both the East and the West, at the dawn of civilization when sole rulers governed, objects were covered with gorgeous decorations to symbolize power. Yet, with the advent of modern society, eras in which citizens were no longer ruled by royalty and titled nobility, the relationship between objects and people underwent a revolutionary change. As people began to live more freely, there came a change in the way they thought about art, ideology, literature, literature, artefacts and clothing. The idea of a necessary review of the relationship between functionality, materials and form through the perspective of rationality came into being. From the first World Exposition held in London in 1851 to the creation of Bauhaus in 1909 and the founding of Domus in 1928 in Milan by the architect Gio' Ponti, a concept of simplicity that pivoted on rationality began to penetrate world culture. Subsequently, Wstern modernism has made unfathomable contributions to modern civilization, which we continue to learn from today. (pag 11, WA: The essence of Japanese design, Kenya Hara)
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SPACE
Space is an important compositional factor that the designer must consider. If used competently, space provides visual contrast and contributes to an effective ordering system. The empty compositional space brings the visual elements alive; it is the invisible energy of the design and must be considered a dominant element. The designer must focus attention toward the activity (or inactivity) of the negative space to activate the visual elements that reside within it. Space is needed in all compositions - it is imperative to accessibility and navigation. It provides pathways, or channels, that lead the eye through the design, while directing the visual focus toward the positive areas of the compositional space (pag 78, Layout Workbook, Cullen)
Bibliography:Cullen, K. (2010) Layout Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Building Pages in Graphic Design. Gloucester, MA: Rockport Publishers.In-line Citation:(Cullen, 2010)
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Negative Space Defined
Negative space is the empty or open space around an object that defines it. In layman’s terms, it is the breathing room around the subject that determines how appealing it looks. The majority of people don’t like it when designs are too crowded. Giving your subject and other objects plenty of negative space gives them much more definition. Design elements don’t visually melt into a single large blob. Instead, elements are broken down into sections, making them easier to process the information in discrete chunks. This is much easier that trying to process the entire design and all of its parts at once. Lets take a look at a few examples. (George, 2012)
Negative Space Defined
Negative space is the empty or open space around an object that defines it. In layman’s terms, it is the breathing room around the subject that determines how appealing it looks. The majority of people don’t like it when designs are too crowded. Giving your subject and other objects plenty of negative space gives them much more definition. Design elements don’t visually melt into a single large blob. Instead, elements are broken down into sections, making them easier to process the information in discrete chunks. This is much easier that trying to process the entire design and all of its parts at once. Lets take a look at a few examples. (George, 2012)
Bibliography:George, J. (2012) A Solid Understanding of Negative Space - DesignFestival. Available at: http://www.sitepoint.com/a-solid-understanding-of-negative-space/ (Accessed: 26 October 2015).
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If the color white is so prevalent in design that it is no longer noticed then it becomes philosophically invisible and it is through this invisibility that it gains its strength to spread.
(pag 66)
(DeLong and Martinson, 2013)
Bibliography:DeLong, M. and Martinson, B. (eds.) (2013) Color and design: ed. by Marilyn DeLong and Barbara Martinson. New York: Berg Publishers.
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Anne Varichon notes the manner in which Wassily Kandinsky relates to the positive silence of white as a color filled with possibilites. She says, that for Kandinsky, "white silence is not dead.... white is the oblivion before the beginning, before birth" (Varichon 2006: 15). In Concerning the Spiritual Art Kandinsky writes about the problems of breaking through silence and how white can assist in the process: "A great silence, like an impenetrable wall, shrouds its life from our understanding. White therefore has this harmony of silence which works upon us" (Kandinsky 1977: 46). (pag 67)
(DeLong and Martinson, 2013)
Bibliography:DeLong, M. and Martinson, B. (eds.) (2013) Color and design: ed. by Marilyn DeLong and Barbara Martinson. New York: Berg Publishers.
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The silence and silencing qualities of white are framed in language but the visuality of white is fraught with contradictions and ambiguities. Because of white's simultaneous being and not being, it can only ever be truly stable in a language that controls its meaning. Richard Dyer writes that white as a symbol only "remains firmly in a place at the level of language" (2001: 60)
(pag 69)
(DeLong and Martinson, 2013)
Bibliography:DeLong, M. and Martinson, B. (eds.) (2013) Color and design: ed. by Marilyn DeLong and Barbara Martinson. New York: Berg Publishers.
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Hierarchy
In design, hierarchy is usually discussed and referred to as visual hierarchy. Visual hierarchy is extremely important in design since it controls how the human eye perceives the order of the information on the page - "it tells a story about your page site." Creating visual hierarchies makes it simple for the viewer to identify what is most important on page and what they should be looking for.
Bibliography:Gardner, S. (2014) Elements of visual design - hierarchy. Available at: https://605.wikispaces.com/Hierarchy (Accessed: 31 October 2015).In-line Citation:(Gardner, 2014)
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