Golden Ratio In Logo Design
From Apple and Nike to Toyota and Mastercard. Many of the world’s strongest logos are designed according to the principles of the Golden Ratio.
The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio that has been revered for centuries for its aesthetic appeal. Found in nature, art, architecture, and design, this ratio is believed to create compositions that are pleasing to the human eye. Hence the popularity of the Golden Ratio in logo design.
Usually written as the Greek letter phi (φ), the Golden Ratio is strongly associated with the Fibonacci sequence, where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones.
1 + 0 = 1
1 + 1 = 2
2 + 1 = 3
3 + 2 = 5
5 + 3 = 8
8 + 5 = 13
13 + 8 = 21
21 + 13 = 34
34 + 21 = 55
Interestingly, once the numbers are sufficiently large, starting from 55 and upward, the ratio between consecutive numbers is always approximately 1.618. The larger the numbers, the more accurate the ratio becomes.
55 / 34 ≈ 1,6176
89 / 55 ≈ 1.6182
144 / 89 ≈ 1.6181
233 / 144 ≈ 1.6180
This size ratio can be most simply expressed in squares. Each square’s side length is 1.618 times larger than the side length of the previous square:
You can also draw a rectangle with a height-to-width ratio of 1.618, resulting in the following shape:
Let’s make it even more interesting by drawing a logarithmic spiral (sometimes referred to as The Golden Spiral) with the growth factor of the Golden Ratio, 1.618. When added to our rectangle, we get the following result:
The Golden Ratio in Art
The Golden Ratio has been known since 300 BCE, and some suggest that we are naturally drawn to it because its proportions appear around us in nature; for example, in certain shells, leaves, pinecones, and the sunflower’s seed spiral. It is simply a naturally balanced and predictable form.
We can also see it in both art and architecture. Sometimes it has arisen unconsciously, while in other cases, it is something the artist has deliberately tried to capture.
The Golden Ratio can be found in classical paintings such as Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503–1506) and Girl With a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer (1665):
It is even more evident in The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1832), where the Golden Ratio creates an interesting calm in an otherwise violent and dramatic painting:
The Golden Ratio is also prominent in Michelangelo’s masterpiece Creation of Adam (1510):
The Golden Ratio in Logo Design
Since the Golden Ratio creates balance and calm, it is often used in logo design. In its simplest application, the Golden Ratio can be seen in the height-to-width ratio of the National Geographic logo:
In many cases, the Golden Ratio, is easy to spot, like in Nvidia’s eye symbol:
Toyota’s logo is also clearly drawn from the Golden Ratio:
In Adidas’s logo, the Golden Ratio creates a sense of both movement and order:
Sometimes only part of the Golden Ratio is used in a logo, as in Amazon’s smiling arrow that follows the curvature of the golden spiral:
You can also see the Golden Ratio in McDonald’s Golden Arches, where each arch has a proportion of 1.618:
Another way to use the Golden Ratio in logo design
A clever and creative approach to the Golden Ratio in logo design is to use it as circles with a radius relation of 1.618:
We can see how Nike’s logo follows the golden spiral and how the circles are used to shape the Swoosh:
Mastercard is a perfect example of how the circles in the Golden Ratio can be used to create a very simple yet beautiful and balanced logo:
Pepsi uses the Golden Ratio’s relationship between circles to create the Pepsi Globe:
One of the world’s most expensive rebranding was done by BP, resulting in a flower with a strong resemblance to the Golden Ratio.
Creativity is the only limit to how the Golden Ratio can be used to design logos.
Every part of Apple’s beautiful symbol is drawn with shapes circles with the ratio of 1.618. Would the symbol have had the same beauty and balance if it were drawn without considering the Golden Ratio?
A fun example of the Golden Ratio can be found in Lego’s logo, where many curves can be drawn with circles having the ratio of 1.618. Is it a coincidence or are they deliberately using the Golden Ratio in their logo design?
Finally, I think Twitter is a fantastic example of how the Golden Ratio can be used to draw a beautiful and balanced symbol. Just as in Apple’s logo, every single little shape in the bird is drawn with circles in the ratio of 1.618.
Summary of the Golden Ratio in logo design
The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio that creates aesthetically pleasing forms. We can see the Golden Ratio in art and architecture. And we can see the Golden Ratio in logo design.
By understanding and utilizing the Golden Ratio, one can create logos that are beautiful, harmonious, and exciting.
Good luck!
