A PLACE FOR SPACE

There are Elements of Floral Design in every floral composition. The elements are defined by the AIFD GUIDE TO FLORAL DESIGN: Terms, Techniques and Traditions as the directly observable components, ingredients, and physical characteristics of a design. There are 8 Elements of Design that are recognized by AIFD. They are Line, Form, Space, Texture, Pattern, Fragrance, Size, and Color.
Space is one of the Elements of Design that can be one of the most friendly and impactful to make your floral styling have dramatic impact or, it can be a challenge that lessens the impact. Mastering its use makes the difference between a strong composition that has impact and a mediocre composition that lacks the visual WOW factor. Understanding space and mastering it uses does not cost any more in flowers or foliages, but can add the impact to make the difference so the arrangement looks like more dollars.
Space is the area in, around and between the components of the design, defined by the three-dimensional area occupied by the composition. Space is the difference between a flat or two-dimensional object and a three-dimensional object. An example of this is a circle on a piece of paper is a two-dimensional shape where by a sphere or orb is a three-dimensional form. Space gives a floral composition volume and fullness. As we first learn design, we often define the outline or form of a composition and then fill in the center. As we mature in our design ability, we often define the height, width, depth and focal area before adding additional placements to connect or visually bridge these points together.
Most often space is described as either positive or negative space. Positive space is the portion of a composition which is physically occupied by something such as a flower, a branch, a ribbon, a container or some other solid object. Negative space is the PLANNED area within a composition that is devoid or without any materials. To better understand this, hold your hand out with all your fingers touching each other. How many fingers do you have? The answer is really one. Although you know you really have 5 fingers, if you look at this presentation, there is not any space between each finger to define its area. Now, separate your fingers from the one next to it. How many fingers do you have? The answer is 5 because you have introduced negative space around each finger so it is not physically or visually joining the others. This addition of negative space did not cost you any more to add in, but yet instead of 1 finger, you now have 5. Let’s translate that to using a line flower in a floral composition.
Think of common line flowers such as Liatris, Gladiolus, or Snapdragons. If bunched together in a composition with little or no space in between the flowers, the viewer only sees on flower. As soon as you separate the flowers and surround them with negative space, you now have individual placements and the impact is much stronger and the dollars invested are more appreciated. Some design styles such as Formalinear depend greatly on the use of negative space to emphasize the impact of the forms and groupings of the placements which are characteristic of this style of design.
By using space in a pleasing ratio of both positive and negative, helps create impactful compositions whether in traditional designs or more contemporary designs. Remember it is like a room in your house, the more clutter, the less you see the important components. Keep it simple and clean for maximum impact!