Why Does the Golden Ratio Matter in Design?

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Why Does the Golden Ratio Matter in Design?

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In Wedding Dresses
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Throughout history the ratio for length and width of rectangles of 1.618 has been considered the most pleasing to the eye. This ratio was named the golden ratio by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, the numeric value is called “phi”. The ratio, or proportion, determined by phi (1.618) was known to the Greeks as the “dividing a line in the extreme mean ratio” and to Renaissance artist as the “Divine Proportion”. It is also called the Golden Section, Golden Ratio and the Golden Mean.

The golden ration is applied in nature, art, photography (known as the rule of thirds), drawings, design, sculpture, music, logo design, human body, architecture and many more.

The Fibonacci Sequence has been nicknamed ‘nature’s code’, ‘the divine proportion’, ‘the golden ratio’, ‘Fibonacci’s Spiral’ amongst others.

What exactly is the Fibonacci Sequence?

Simply put, it’s a series of numbers:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610…

The next number in the sequence is found by adding up the two numbers before it. The ratio for this sequence is 1.618. This is what some people call ‘The Divine Proportion’ or ‘The Golden Ratio’.

When you make squares out of those values, it makes a nice-looking spiral:

Fibonacci Sequence

The mathematical Fibonacci Sequence (the Golden Ratio) is known for its ability to create scale and proportion.

Here is a representation of the golden ratio in human body.

Golden Ratio

Throughout time, designers have used concepts like proximity, similarity, continuation, repetition and rhythm to illustrate harmony and unity. Symmetry, asymmetry and radial patterns are used to create balance.

Many designers avoid using the Golden Ratio as the basis for their designs. The sense of scale created by these numbers can easily get out of hand, making things way too big or too small. The idea is to strike a balance with the numbers, making sure that they fall within a range that is pleasant to the eye without getting to extreme.

I am not suggesting that every numerical value in the design needs to follow this pattern(1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55 etc.) but when used in subtle ways it can lead to a pleasing visual hierarchy.

It’s really all about creating a visual hierarchy with the right amount of negative space. So many naturally occurring objects have this subtle sequence as their underlying structure that the average observer rarely takes notice.

The composition is important for any image, whether it’s to convey important information or to create an aesthetically pleasing image. The Golden Ratio can help create a composition that will draw the eyes to the important elements of the design and that is the reason why Nivaldo likes to base the designs on the golden ratio.

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