What Is The Golden Ratio?

Date First Published: 3rd August 2022

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Design

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 6/10

Learn more about what the golden ratio is in this article.

The golden ratio, also known as the golden rectangle or divine ratio, is a special formula that is equal to 1.618, illustrated with seashell-shaped spirals, that dates back to over 4000 years ago when scientists discovered that most old buildings comply with the golden ratio. It can be applied to web design as it is the mathematical formula between elements of different sizes and is used to naturally balance content that is text heavy and draw the eyes of users to certain areas. It can also be used to determine how to place elements on the website, create grids, and divide the space between the content and the sidebar. Even though it is not absolutely necessary for the golden ratio to be used, it can be served as a guideline for web designers to create visually appealing websites for users.

The golden ratio can be used for images, logos, typography, and more. It is believed that users can scan images and process information more quickly when it is presented in a golden rectangle with the longest side around 1.6 times as long as the vertical sides.

How To Calculate The Golden Ratio?

The golden ratio can be calculated by this example:

A web designer wants to create a fixed width layout and the width of their layout is 1000 px. They want to have a large block of the layout for their content and a small block for the sidebar. The widths of the columns would be calculated by the following steps:

1. The width of the content block will be calculated and the ratio between this block and the overall layout will need to be 1.62. In order to get this, 1000 px needs to be divided by 1.62, which equals 617 px.
2. 617 px needs to be taken away from the overall layout width (1000 px). 1000 px - 617 px = 383 px.
3. Now, it is known that the main content element will be 617 px in width and the sidebar will be 383 px. A page with these dimensions is laid out in accordance with the golden ratio principle.