Recently I played with positive and negative space while working on 2 concepts for book covers. Used negative space to say a lot with almost nothing.
In this case positive and negative space work together in the best way to achieve the most striking effect. The point was to display the resistance condition, that's why using only positive and negative space was the best option. Compositional balance is one of the reasons why negative space is so important in this work.
This concept emphasizes negative space. In the middle of the composition, there is a symmetrical gap, formed like guys silhouette. Portrait of the guy appear when you turn book upside-down: the curves of the gap create the illusion of ears, hair and shoulders. While the negative space itself has no defining details, the hard edges of the gap and its contrast to the rest of the image activate the area and allow your mind to fill in the blanks.
The Book Thief
(Bonus)
Eyes or hair clip? You decide.
