This Week:
The Golden Ratio: From Pythagoras to Picasso and Beyond
Ah, the Golden Ratio—a number so divine it could only have been conceived by the gods themselves, or perhaps just a very clever Greek with too much time on his hands. This peculiar proportion, approximately 1.618, has been lurking in the shadows of human creativity for millennia, like a mathematical James Bond, seducing architects, artists, and designers with its promise of perfection.
Its origins, naturally, are steeped in the kind of ancient mysticism that makes you wonder if the ancients didn’t just have better drugs. Pythagoras, who seemed to have a particular fondness for numbers that made his brain tingle, is often credited with first sniffing out the significance of this ratio. But it wasn’t until Euclid put quill to papyrus in his Elements around 300 BCE that the Golden Ratio got its first big break. Euclid’s description was as clear as mud—something about dividing a line so that the ratio of the whole to the longer part is the same as the ratio of the longer part to the shorter part. Got that? No? Don’t worry, neither did anyone else at first.
But here’s a quote from Euclid that does hit the mark: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Now, this may sound like the kind of thing you’d find in a fortune cookie, but in the context of the Golden Ratio, it’s profound. It suggests that when you apply this ratio, the resulting composition isn’t just good—it’s transcendent. And who doesn’t want a bit of transcendence with their architecture or their art? From the Parthenon to Picasso, this ratio has been the secret sauce behind some of the world’s most celebrated creations, even if most of the creators didn’t know they were using it. It’s as if the universe itself is whispering in their ear, “1.618… trust me on this.”
The Golden Ratio in Design: A Cheat Code for Beauty
So here we are, two thousand years later, and the Golden Ratio is still pulling the strings, like a mathematical puppet master. Designers, whether they realise it or not, are constantly under its spell. It’s the Fibonacci sequence of good taste, the foolproof formula that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. If you’ve ever wondered why some designs just feel right, it’s because they’re likely adhering to this age-old principle.
Take logo design, for example. It’s not just about slapping a few shapes together and hoping for the best—though, let’s be honest, that’s often how it’s done. The great logos, the ones that lodge themselves into your brain like an annoyingly catchy jingle, are often rooted in the Golden Ratio. Apple’s logo? Twitter’s bird? They didn’t just happen by accident. These designs use the Golden Ratio to create a sense of balance and harmony that’s as satisfying as a well-timed punchline.
And the best part? The Golden Ratio is so ingrained in our subconscious that you don’t even need to know you’re using it for it to work. It’s like the autopilot of design principles—just sit back, relax, and let Phi do the heavy lifting. You’ll find it in everything from the layout of a magazine to the composition of a photograph, quietly making things look better than they have any right to be.
The Golden Ratio in Culture: The Midas Touch
But the Golden Ratio isn’t content to sit quietly in the realm of visual design. Oh no, it’s got bigger plans. It’s spread its influence across the arts, like some kind of numerical Midas touch, turning everything it touches into gold—sometimes literally.
Consider the music of Béla Bartók, a Hungarian composer who was more interested in folk tunes and dissonance than in mathematical principles—at least on the surface. But dig a little deeper into his Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, and you’ll find the Golden Ratio embedded like a hidden Easter egg. The climax of the piece occurs at exactly the point you’d expect if you were following the Golden Ratio. It’s as if Bartók knew, on some instinctive level, that this ratio was the key to creating music that resonated on a deeper level.
Then there’s the fashion world, where Coco Chanel—who likely wouldn’t have been caught dead with a calculator—still managed to channel the Golden Ratio into her designs. The proportions of her classic jacket, the way it fits the human body, the positioning of every detail—Phi is there, working its magic, even if Chanel herself would have laughed at the idea of divine geometry in couture. Yet, her designs endure, timeless and elegant, a testament to the power of proportions that just feel right.
These examples show that the Golden Ratio isn’t just a tool for making things look good; it’s a universal principle that taps into something fundamental about the way we experience the world. It’s the secret sauce in everything from music to fashion, a reminder that beauty isn’t just skin deep—it’s mathematically profound.
The Golden Ratio at Work: The Cognitive Approach
At We Are Cognitive, we’ve made a habit of using the Golden Ratio to give our work that extra bit of polish—the kind that makes people sit up and take notice. When we’re crafting a whiteboard animation or an explainer video, we’re not just throwing ideas at a wall to see what sticks. No, we’re subtly guiding the viewer’s eye, making sure that every element is where it needs to be, at precisely the right moment, thanks to a little help from our old friend Phi.
Take one of our recent projects, for example. The storyboard was carefully planned so that the most crucial pieces of information aligned with the Golden Ratio’s guiding lines. The pacing of the animation was designed to reach emotional peaks in perfect time, ensuring that the message didn’t just inform but also left a lasting impression. It’s like the difference between a meal that fills you up and one that you’ll remember for years. We’re aiming for the latter.
And it’s not just our animations that benefit from this approach. Our illustrations and rich pictures are also infused with the Golden Ratio’s quiet power. When you’re dealing with complex information, the way it’s presented can make all the difference. By using the Golden Ratio, we ensure that our designs are not only clear and understandable but also pleasing to the eye—making the whole experience smoother and more enjoyable. It’s like offering someone a gourmet meal instead of fast food—they might not know exactly why it’s better, but they sure can taste the difference.
The Golden Ratio and Our Pillars: The Perfect Alignment
Let’s not forget our four pillars—Inform, Develop, Enable, and Animate. These aren’t just buzzwords we throw around to sound important; they’re the foundation of everything we do. And guess what? The Golden Ratio plays a starring role here too.
When we inform, we use the Golden Ratio to present data in a way that’s not just clear but also compelling. It’s about making sure that the information doesn’t just sit there, but leaps off the screen, demanding your attention. When we teach, we apply the Golden Ratio to ensure that every step of the instruction is as smooth and logical as possible—because no one ever learned anything from chaos.
When we enable, we guide decisions with designs that follow the Golden Ratio, making it easy for people to know where to look and what to do next. It’s like giving them a roadmap where the destination is always in sight. And when we inspire? That’s where the Golden Ratio really shines. It helps us create visuals that resonate on a deeper level, stirring something within the viewer that goes beyond words. It’s not just about what they see—it’s about what they feel, long after the screen goes dark.
Further Reading: The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World’s Most Astonishing Number by Mario Livio
If this exploration of the Golden Ratio has whetted your appetite for more, then Mario Livio’s The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World’s Most Astonishing Number should be at the top of your reading list. Livio takes what could be a dry subject and breathes life into it, weaving together history, mathematics, and cultural insights in a way that’s as engaging as it is informative.
This book isn’t just for mathematicians or designers—it’s for anyone who’s ever wondered why certain things just work. Livio delves into the significance of the Golden Ratio across various fields, from the pyramids of Egypt to the spirals of galaxies, showing how this number has shaped the world in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
Why recommend this book? Because it doesn’t just explain the Golden Ratio—it celebrates it. Livio’s writing is sharp and accessible, making complex ideas easy to grasp without dumbing them down. It’s a book that will change the way you see the world, revealing the hidden patterns that make life not just logical, but beautiful. And really, isn’t that what we’re all searching for?
If you could pin down the essence of truth, could you draw it? That’s the question that lingered in my mind after speaking with Dan Ariely for my RSA Animate documentary—a project allowing me to reconnect with some of the most compelling thinkers of our time.