Steven Heller, George Bokhua and Paula Scher assess the true value of the golden ratio

“The golden ratio is when one segment of design is about 1.6 times longer than it is wide,” George explains of the process. “The given proportion was and is considered by some as a most appealing ratio.” However, it comes down to personal preference. When designing icons and symbols, George says he prefers the ratio of his design to be closer to square “because it's more practical and also it's easier to balance in regards to the assisting type”. However, it’s always useful to have a range of techniques ready to deploy, depending on the design challenge.

The golden spiral, George says, has its place. “[It] should be used in cases where the opportunity presents itself. If I am designing the shell of a snail, it’s obvious that the proportions are not going to work, simply because the decay of the spiral in a snail shell is lesser in value then the golden ratio (1.618...). But, if I am designing a swan’s neck, even though in real life the swan's neck does not 100 per cent correspond with the golden ratio, I still take the liberty to design it so – simply because it is closer in value to the golden spiral. Also I take pleasure in paying homage to the ‘romantic’ idea of the golden spiral being a sort of beauty standard.”

Importantly these are guidelines, not shackles. Creatives shouldn’t see them as restrictions rather frameworks within which to roam free. “The designer has the liberty to choose whatever they find appealing to the eye,” George continues, “as long as some cohesion is present. Grids just help to structure geometric shapes and other design elements so that the piece has solid, well-thought-out composition. If the sign/graphic has an abundance of organic shapes, there is a good chance that the connection of those shapes create spiral-like elements. In that case, if those spiral-like elements are close in value with the golden spiral, then I use the golden spiral as a guiding tool to grid that particular area of the piece.”

Steven Heller is a world renowned expert on graphic design, having been an art director at The New York Times for a whopping 33 years, a teacher at the School of Visual Arts for decades (he has his own Skillshare class too) and author, co-author or editor of over 170 books on design and popular culture. Most pertinent to this subject, he co-authored with Gail Anderson The Logo Design Idea Book. Within the book, the authors took 50 of the most recognisable logos in today’s culture – from IBM to eBay, Lego to NASA – and dissected them, analysing their components, design and ultimate success, as a method by which to inspire and guide aspiring logo designers.

So, does he believe the golden proportions lie beneath every good logo? “Yes and no,” he says. “Classic proportions make for excellent design but not all logos are rooted in perfection. Indeed not all good art is perfect. So it really cannot be generalised unless that is your underlying philosophy – perfection in the classic sense, that is.” Either way, it seems learning the theory can at the very least inform your own individual design approach, whether that be classical beauty, or disruptive visuals that purposely go against the former.

The by-proxy benefit of adding this particular skill to your creative toolbelt, Steven says, is discipline. “It is always good to have an armature on which to hang anything, then expand from there or destroy it entirely. That's the ideal. Some destruction is simply bad.”

In November 2019, Pentagram’s Emily Oberman revealed her redesign of the Warner Bros shield logo, which had been redrawn to appear more “sleek and clean” while the letters were intended to appear more “balanced”. At the time, Oberman explained that she and her team had employed the use of the golden spiral to guide the redesign, with the new shield form “based on the classical proportions of the golden ratio”.

By way of balance, fellow Pentagram New York partner and Skillshare teacher Paula Scher sits firmly in the opposite camp, when it comes to the golden spiral theory. When asked if she believes the golden proportions lie beneath every good logo she quips: “I have no idea. I am suspicious of rules in the first place.”

Conversely, Steven Heller says it’s vital to understand context. “Everybody needs to know what it is they are rebelling against. Learning basics never hurt anyone. It is fundamental. Breaking is dangerous and courageous and often foolhardy.”