FigureGroundesign.com is the portfolio web site of Nancy Zizza. Figure/ground describes the positive/negative relationship between subject and background. It is used by artists and designers in composition of two-dimensional work. The famous optical illusion depicting both a vase and two faces in profile (the Rubin vase) is often used to illustrate the concept. Depending on whether the vase or faces are seen as the figure or the background, the brain interprets the picture as two different images.