Figure / Ground
"Figure/ground relationships shape visual perception. A figure (form) is always seen in relation to what surrounds it (ground, or background) - letters to a page, a building to its site, a sculpture to the space within it and around it"
The backgrounds within design and photography can be thought of as unimportant and irrelevant in relation to the dominant subject. Yet designers and visual artists focus in on this space and they think of them as "active forms in their own rights".
Graphic designers usually create a balance between figure and ground, creating an order in their work. They build contrasts between the form and counterform. This then allows designers to create logos, illustrations, compositions and patterns that stimulate the viewer. Creating figure/ground tension can create ambiguity and a certain visual energy within a piece. Even subtly, the ambiguity can shift the direction and impact of a work.
Figure/ground is also known as positive and negative space.
"Recognising the potency of the ground, desingers strive to reveal its constructive necessity. Working with figure/ground relationships gives designers the power to create - and destroy - form."
Stable/Reversible/Ambiguous
A Stable figure/ground relationship exists when a form or figure stands clearly apart from its background. Below is a photographic example of this that I took on a street photography shoot. The figure clearly stands out from the setting behind.
Reversible figure/ground occurs when positive and negative elements attract our attention equally and alternately. Reversible figure grounds motifs can be seen in ceramics, weaving and crafts/cultures around the globe.
Images and compositions featuring ambiguous figure/ground challenge the viewer to find a clear focal point. The cubist paintings below of Picasso mobilise this ambiguity.
