Golden Section... What's all the fuss?

12 Aug 2011  Dan Clausen

One of our team recently gave a talk on the use of grids in web design

During the course of this talk, the term 'golden section' inevitably came up and how it played an integral part in calculating the grid. Like most of us, I know a little about this 'golden section' but decided to try and find out a little bit more...

Firstly, it seems that the purpose of this 'golden ratio' is to give a sort of harmony and beauty to what ever art form it is applied to. It's application can be found in art, sculpture, photography, design and even music. It is said to naturally appear in nature (although this has been disputed) and has recently been found to exist even on a molecular basis!

It is said to have been “discovered” by the greeks back in 500BC and can be found in their architecture and sculptures. Along the way, it has also been utilised by the Egyptians and Aztecs in their pyramids, and Renaissance artists and composers such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Mozart. It has also recently been made famous in movies and programmes such as “The Da Vinci code” and “Num3ers”.

So what exactly is this golden section (also known as 'phi') and why all the fuss? Basically, 'phi' can be described in a mathematical formulae where 'a line that is divided into unequal segments will always (when calculated) equal the sum of the length' or '1.6180339887...' for short. This formula can then be applied proportionally to 2D & 3D objects and space. Of course for those of you keen to investigate the intricacies of this formulae, there is a wealth of information out there on the internet...

For those of us more interested in it's practical applications, it seems that you can apply this formulae to practically any artistic endeavour you are working on and we sometimes intuitively do it without even realising. It does however appear that when you consciously apply the golden section, you will achieve a more harmonious outcome which will evoke a more emotive and aesthetically pleasing reaction in your audience... Strangely enough, it doesn't appear that we know exactly why it causes this emotive reaction, just that it does.

So before you start your next artistic endeavour (whatever that may be) it might be a good idea to think about your old friend 'phi' and what it can add to your project. :-)

[With thanks & acknowledgment to Tony Xia and of course the interweb!]