Design - Tuesday, April 22, 2008 18:22 - 2 Comments

Proportions

How should you split an apple?  And while we’re asking, how do you split a line into pleasant lengths?

Answer: follow the golden section.
Think of it as “the golden rule” used heavily in good design.  A lot of designers won’t refer to it as the golden section, or golden ratio but simply as proportions.  When a product or design is “in proportion” it has a pleasant shape, harmonious form and true balance.  Proportions are so important yet designers find it hard to get this point across.  Engineers usually won’t get it and unfortunately find it very unnecessary.

It took me years to convince my dad, an engineer, that there is such a thing as good proportion in products and life.  The constant example I used to give is that when someone has a long neck, they just don’t look good.  Because they are out of proportion.  I’ll even be so bold as to say that, when a person has a long neck, you won’t find that person to be ”hot”.

But then again, life works in mysterious ways.  Usually,  “regular” people don’t have symmetrical faces, but professional models do.  That’s why they look so good through a camera lens.  In real life models look freakish, because we aren’t used seeing a person in symmetry.

I guess, if one wants to get really technical, it can be said that the total length of “a+b” is the longer segment than “a” as “a” is also longer than segment “b” . But who in their right mind wants to think like that?

Enjoy your apple!