Streszczenie:
In 1923 Laszlo Moholy-Nagy stated that “typography is a tool
of communication”. Decades after the golden age of Bauhaus,
graphic design theorists and practitioners agreed on the naming
of their field being outdated, and proposed the term ‘visual
communication’ as an alternative.
This research is aimed to understand the theoretical background
of negative space in typography, as well as in related
fields of design, for conscious and reasonable use in visual
communication practice. By juxtaposing the negative space
both as emptiness and a constructive unit, it was intended
to provoke a rediscovery of negative space, considering it as
equal to the positive elements.
The following thesis researches the nature of negative space as
a constructive tool in context of typography and focuses on its
role in performing a visual dialogue, mediating the message of
the artwork to its recipients. A comparative analysis of Asian
(Japanese, in particular) and European spiritual, sociocultural,
and historical discourses was conducted to find certain similarities
and differences in views on negative space in typography.
The thesis also refers to classic works on space in art and
typography along with contemporary thoughts on negative
space in typography, accentuating its use in digital media.