- It's one thing to understand how a car is made,
but that doesn't mean you can drive it.
The same is true with the golden section.
Now that you know about it,
you'll begin to see it everywhere.
But seeing it as the proportion of a window
on a modern building,
doesn't help me with a design layout solution.
So the question is,
how am I supposed to use the thing?
I've used the golden section and its ratio
on a variety of projects.
It can be the basis of the proportion of a book,
a containing shape,
a way to organize text and images.
This is my process.
I have a saved vector art file of the golden section
and rectangle I made in Adobe Illustrator.
You can either draw the rectangle
and section yourself using the geometric formula
or download the file here in the exercise files.
I placed this file on my page as an underlying guide.
Now, sometimes it won't fit the page or screen size exactly,
but that's okay.
This isn't a test in hardcore Swiss typography.
Unfortunately, few people will take the project
and measure the elements with a metric ruler.
Once the golden section diagram is placed,
I use it as a grid to size and place the text.
I line up the base of the headline
and use a vertical axis to locate the subhead.
I can also use it
as a basic proportion for the image
as a containing form.
Once the grid is invisible,
the elements work together harmoniously
using the same proportions.
Here, I don't want to make the white space
on the top arbitrary.
If it has no relationship to the image size,
it lacks harmony.
By applying the golden section,
I can lower the image to create negative space
and now relates mathematically to the image size.
The typography previously clumped together,
is now placed to fit within the same proportional structure.
Each piece of information now has its own presence
by separating the blocks of texts
and aligning with the grid.
The result is a layout that is asymmetrical
but feels balanced and pleasing
Every element and the negative space relate to each other.
The proportion can serve as a device
to organize disparate elements.
On this book cover,
I wanted the title to be large.
But secondary to the title, "Lost Worlds"
as if it were lost.
Using the golden section to determine placement,
gave the cover a strong dynamic.
It also held the three elements together
even though they were unrelated visually.
Applying the golden section to a layout is a great guide
and almost foolproof way to create a harmonious form.
Once again, this isn't a straight jacket.
Use the golden section as a guide,
but you're still the boss.