What do the ancient Greeks, Salvador Dali, and modern graphic designers have in common? They all use the golden ratio. And if you want to be on par with these artistic greats, you'll need to learn how to put this ratio to work for you.
The golden ratio—which is 1:1.618—occurs on its own in the natural world. It appears everywhere from nautilus shells to the human face. But people didn't start harnessing its power until a mathematician named Fibonacci created the sequence of numbers that describes the ratio. (If you're not a math nerd, all you need to know is that Fibonacci came up with the pattern that led the Greeks to discover the ratio itself.)
People began using the golden ratio for art—the Mona Lisa, for instance, uses it—and for other great achievements. They even discovered that they had unintentionally used it in architecture, like The Parthenon and the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Today, the golden ratio appears in many of the items you see, from web design to magazine layouts to photography. Even the Apple logo uses it. To help you put the golden ratio into practice, Company Folders has rounded up these great examples of how people have used it in the past—and how you can use it in the future.