What Causes the ‘Golden Ratio’ to Be So Widely Used in Art and Design?

The Golden Ratio is used in art and design because it feels naturally pleasing to our eyes, like a perfect balance between two things.

Imagine you have a rectangle, think of a chocolate bar or a tablet you use to watch videos. If the sides of this rectangle are in the Golden Ratio, it means that if you divide the longer side by the shorter one, you get around 1.618, and this number feels just right to us.

Our brains like patterns and balance. The Golden Ratio appears in nature too, think of how leaves grow on a stem or how seashells curl up. When artists use it, they're copying something we already find beautiful in the world around us, like a flower or a tree.

If you draw a rectangle with the Golden Ratio, and then divide it into smaller shapes inside, those shapes also follow the same rule. This makes pictures feel harmonious, like when you arrange toys on a shelf so everything looks balanced and not too crowded.

Using the Golden Ratio is like giving your drawing or painting a special kind of rhythm that feels natural to us, just like music has beats that make it sound good.