Golden Ratio in Logo Design - Zeka Design (2024)

The Golden Ratio also called golden section, golden mean, divine proportion or the greek letter phi originates from a series of numbers called Fibonacci Sequence starting with 0 and 1, and each number from Fibonacci sequence comes from adding the two previous numbers in the sequence together. The numbers in the sequence are getting larger and the ratio between them is 1.618 approximately, and this number is called Phi Number.

Now that we already know what is Fibonacci Sequence that goes 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21… and goes, this Sequence was used by Greeks to form a visual pattern to aid their design called Golden Ratio to express the difference between the number in this sequence and nowadays graphic designers use the golden ratio and golden spiral to elaborate shapes, logo design and graphic design layouts.

To create a Golden Spiral the first step is to create a rectangle with Golden Ratio proportions to make it we need to create a Square shape and later multiply one of the sides of the square by the golden number 1.618 to obtain a rectangle with harmonious proportions.

The next step is to lay the square over the newly formed rectangle and repeat the process with the new rectangle formed and when we obtain the series 0,1,1,2,3,5,8 we draw an arch starting from one corner and ending in the opposite one starting from the smaller square, and make this on all the squares, in the end, you will produce Golden Spiral also known as Fibonacci Spiral.

As mentioned in the introduction golden ratio and golden spiral are commonly used in graphic design as it makes a very easy way to create a harmonious and eye-pleasing design just by multiplying the size of a graphic element by 1.168 or by using the Golden Spiral to adjust the placement of the elements inside a graphic design layout.

You can see examples of the use of golden ratio or golden number in numerous design areas as it can be Typography hierarchy, graphic design layout, image composition and this post topic Logo Design, the golden spiral and golden ratio in logo design is applied to improve it by adding more harmonious proportions.

A simple and well-conceived logo design that represents your brand is a vital part of your whole brand identity to make people easier to understand your brand message and values that is why many graphic designers and companies opt to use Golden Spiral and Golden Number to design their brand logos.

By using golden ratio and golden proportions in logo design process it helps to create a harmonious logo that draws viewers attention and due to the visual balance and aesthetically pleasing design composition makes it easier for the viewer to memorize it and feel a connection with your logo design.

Some examples of famous brand logos made using the golden number or golden ratio are Apple, Pepsi or Twitter logos.

Now that we already know what is the golden ratio, how to form a golden spiral and how to use Fibonacci sequence in graphic design let’s see some examples of famous logo design that are based on Fibonacci logo and golden ratio numbers.

• Twitter

Twitter Logo Design use perfect circular shapes to form their logo design and these circles are following the Golden ratio proportions, as you can see it’s a very simple logo design making it very recognisable and the most surprising part is that if you see the grid used to create it it’s completely the opposite of simple.

• Apple

Apple logo design is another example of a simple and recognizable logo design who follows the 7 qualities of a good logo design that you can see on this post. Apple logo is also following a complex grid system based on the golden ratio and using the golden spiral.

• National Geographic

Maybe it’s a surprise to see National Geographic logo design as an example of a golden ratio logo, but if you pay attention the internal space from the yellow frame use the golden ratio of 1:1,61.

• Pepsi

The last example of logo design using the golden numbers is the Pepsi logo design that uses the golden ratio in the diameter of the circles if we see the Pepsi logo grid system we can appreciate two circles being one the border of the logo and the second circle forms a curve on the blue part of the logo design.

As a conclusion, it’s important to know that there will be always an open debate about what is a good graphic design and it all will be depending on the perception of everyone as for you can be a good design something that is completely opposite from another person, but the closest thing to a good design in mathematic terms is the Golden Ratio proportions.

I hope you have learnt what is about the golden ratio and how to use golden spiral in graphic design to create logos with harmonious proportions and if you want to discover more graphic design tips about logos, I recommend you this post where I show you the 7 Qualities for a Good Logo Design! or if you want to learn more about logo I recommend you these posts.