The Golden Ratio in Design: Examples & Tips

This might feel like a math lesson but hang in there. The golden ratio combines a little bit of math, a little bit of nature, and a lot of practical application for designers. Let’s take a look at what the golden ratio means for design, and a few tips for using it in your design projects.

The golden ratio has been used throughout history to create design elements that have an ideal visual appeal. Because the shape is rooted in nature and mathematics, it’s the perfect combination of balance and harmony. And it’s a superb tool to have up your sleeve as a designer.

What Is the Golden Ratio?

Simply, the golden ratio (also called the golden rectangle and golden mean) is a shape with a proportion of 1 to 1.618.

More complexly, the math can be described like this as explained by the Interaction Design Foundation:

Each number in the Fibonacci sequence is simply the sum of the two numbers before it. It begins with 1, 1 (i.e., 1 + the unseen 0 = 1), and the first 10 members of the sequence are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55. It continues infinitely.

Mathematically calculate the ratio using the formula for Phi: A/B = (A+B)/A = 1.618033987 = Φ

The applications for print and web design projects are often less precise than that 1 to 1.618. Many designers will round numbers when creating a mathematic golden ratio for grids that are easier to work with.

When it comes to applying the concept, it’s often represented using a spiral, circles or triangles.

And it’s not “just a...