A designer's guide to the Golden Ratio

By Rosie Hilder
last updated

If you're a designer or artist, you should know about the Golden Ratio. We explain what it is and how you can use it.

Here are some tools and tutorials to help you use the Golden Ratio in your designs, and create pieces that work proportionally...

01. What is the Golden Ratio?

This popular video from Tipping Point Math offers a more in-depth look at the Golden Ratio. It covers its origins, and use in mathematics. Beware: sections of this are quite confusing if you're not mathematically minded! 

02. Golden Ratio calipers

Golden Ratio: calipers

Calipers can be used to measure the proportions of your artwork on the page (Image credit: Golden Mean Calipers)

There are plenty of ways for you to measure ratios digitally, but here's a tool for traditional artists. Golden Ratio calipers can be used to measure the proportions of your artwork on the page. You can buy them in different sizes, depending on the scale you usually work at.  

03. How to design a logo using the Golden Ratio

This handy video tutorial shows you how to use Golden Ratio to design a logo in Illustrator. If you can get past the odd robotic voice, this is a great guide to using the principles in practice.

04. Golden Ratio Typography Calculator

This calculator helps you to create the perfect typography for your website in line with theory's principles. Just enter a font size, content width, or both into the field on the website, and click the Get my GRT button. 

05. Golden Ratio: Phicalculator

Golden Ratio: Phicalculator

Phicalculator does one job, and it does it very well (Image credit: Phicalculator)

Phicalculator is a simple but useful free app is available for both Mac and PC. Give it any number and it will calculate the corresponding number according to the golden ratio.

06. The Golden Ratio in Web Design

Golden Ratio: Web design

Apply the principles of the Golden Ratio to your web design projects (Image credit: Tuts+ / Jarel Remick)

This tutorial from Tuts+ explains how to apply the principles of the Golden Ratio to your web design projects. In it, the writer considers the typical elements of a web page, and explores how the Golden Ratio relates. It was first published in 2008, but there's plenty that's still relevant here.

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Rosie Hilder
Rosie Hilder

Rosie Hilder is Creative Bloq's Deputy Editor. After beginning her career in journalism in Argentina – where she worked as Deputy Editor of Time Out Buenos Aires – she moved back to the UK and joined Future Plc in 2016. Since then, she's worked as Operations Editor on magazines including Computer Arts, 3D World and Paint & Draw and Mac|Life. In 2018, she joined Creative Bloq, where she now assists with the daily management of the site, including growing the site's reach, getting involved in events, such as judging the Brand Impact Awards, and helping make sure our content serves the reader as best it can. 

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