Crazy Optical Illusion

At first glance, the above image may appear to be four separate photos collaged together. In actuality, it is all one image with objects strategically placed to create the illusion of edges. See below for another angle.

The image was created by photographer Bela Borsodi as an album cover for the band VLP's "Terrain."

(via Huffington Post)  

Figure/Ground

These reversible figure/ground illusions come from The Ultimate Book of Optical Illusions by Al Seckel. This first one nearly drove me crazy. It is a great example of figure/ground since, as an illusion, it is designed to force the viewer to stare and really work at seeing the image. With so many floating, contrasting shapes, it becomes difficult to determine what is positive space and what is negative. After that "AHA" moment, you realize the two fields work together to suggest a man with a beard.

This next one's a little easier, with the arrows reminding me of the FedEx logo. Also note the complimentary colors. Its a nice two-for-one example.