# Negative Space Ads These Ads Creatively Make Use of Negative Spaces to Show Products' Use By Riley von Niessen | Published 2016-06-15 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/negative-spaces References: [designtaxi](http://designtaxi.com/news/386682/Skillfully-Crafted-Ads-And-Illustrations-That-Make-Great-Use-Of-Negative-Space/) & [digitalsynopsis](http://digitalsynopsis.com/advertising/negative-space-design-art-illustration-ads/) Advertising agencies 'Lowe/SSP3,' 'Colombia,' 'Ogilvy & Mather,' 'Leo Burnett' and more created a [series of ads for print](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/outdoor-advertising-campaign) that use negative spaces to send a message to consumers. The images resulting are [sleek and minimalist](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pointillism), with shapes driving the products without overwhelming its viewers. With this, the negative spaces prompt audiences to stop and stare at the interesting imagery, getting potential consumers to read the product descriptions and listed brand names in order to understand what is being sold. By doing this, the agencies offer artful renditions on the functional uses of the products being promoted. An example is an ad for [Philips](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dioriviera-summer), an electronic company, that works to sell a flashlight by placing the product at the bottom of two cliffs -- using the white space in between to show the power of the light. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.5/10 - Popularity: 92% | Activity: 65% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Branding](https://www.trendhunter.com/branding) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Negative Space Advertising:** Advertising agencies are experimenting with the use of negative space, which could become a signature element in brand advertising. - **Minimalist Advertisements:** Ads using minimalism are becoming popular, which creates opportunities for bold brands to stand out by using creative visuals that make clever use of empty spaces. - **Artistic Advertising:** Agencies are approaching advertising as an art form, with negative space being just one of the many ways to create ads that are visually engaging rather than just promotional. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Advertising Industry:** The advertising industry should consider adopting negative space and minimalist ad designs as a trend that can make their client's products standout in a visually crowded medium. - **Graphic Design Industry:** The graphic design industry can explore using negative space and minimalist designs more creatively as a disruptive innovation to help clients create more attention-grabbing visual content. - **Product Design Industry:** The product design industry could collaborate with ad agencies to explore ways to showcase the unique features of their products through creative negative space and minimalist designs for advertising purposes. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Calmly Dimmed Billboard Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/decaf-billboard.md) - [Ice Cream Popsicle Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/devoured-campaign.md) - [Energy-Saving Beer Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ad-that-saves-energy.md) - [Playful Creative Design Billboards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-billboards.md) - [All-Dark Marketing Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/darkest-campaign-yet.md) - [Made-to-Order Burger Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/burger-kings-advertisements.md) - [World-Class Billboard Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/corona-sun-activated-billboard.md) - [Retail Advertising Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-hides-price.md) - [Innovative Outdoor Advertising Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/outdoor-advertising-campaign.md)