The Figure / Ground Relationship

This essay by Michael Bierut (a partner at design agency Pentagram) explores the facts of real-world design, once the designer leaves the safe creative haven of education.

“If you want to be a designer, no matter how compelling your personal vision or how all-consuming your commitment, you need other people in order to practice your craft.”

However, along with these cautionary notes, he also gives us glimpses of why a career in design is worth the effort:

“...this is one of the most magical things about graphic design. It’s the idea that the spaces between the letterforms are as important as the letters themselves, that the empty space in a layout isn’t really empty at all but as filled with tension, potential and excitement.”

The essay is adapted from the foreword to Graphic Design: A User's Manual: an interesting read.