A blue background with the words using the golden ratio in logo design

Using The Golden Ratio In Logo Design: Why & How?

by with No Comment Design

The ancient Egyptians and Leonardo da Vinci both knew that the Golden Ratio is key to making art pleasing to the eye. The golden ratio is an ancient geometric proportion that has been found to be prevalent throughout nature. The best way to describe it would be irrational numbers with respect to mathematics. When used properly within your designs or works of art, the golden mean can create compositions that appear organic and natural-looking due to its aesthetically pleasing aesthetic qualities – so how should we implement these proportions into our own design work?

What Is Golden Ratio?

There’s a lot of math behind the Golden Ratio. But designers, artists, and photographers don’t need to be high-level mathematicians. Let’s keep it simple by using 1.618 which is what this special number equals! The ratio itself comes from the Fibonacci sequence, a naturally occurring sequence of numbers that can be found everywhere, from the number of leaves on a tree to the shape of a seashell.

A drawing of a golden section with a circle in the center

The Fibonacci sequence is the sum of the two numbers before it. It goes 0, 1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on, to infinity. From this pattern, The Greeks developed the Golden Ratio to express better the difference between any two numbers in the sequence.

How does this relate to design?

You can find the Golden Ratio when you divide a line into two parts and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618. This formula can help you when creating shapes, logos, layouts, and more.

How To Use The Golden Ratio In Design?

The Golden Ratio is a mathematical ratio that can be applied in many creative fields. It allows designers to make their work more aesthetically pleasing and harmonious, which makes the design seem beautiful or balanced without having any training in color scheming or composition. Designers use this rule by multiplying an element’s size by 1.618 for other elements of proportional importance; it also works wonders when overlayed into grids and visual systems like typography, imagery, etc. as well as layouts!

Typography & Defining Hierarchy

Typography is a crucial element in any successful design. Using Golden Ratio principles can help create a harmonious text hierarchy, enhancing both visual appeal and readability. This method ensures that typography is balanced and as impactful as other design elements, such as layout, color, and imagery.

A page describing how to use the golden tattoo in graphic design

For example, if your body text is 21px, multiply it by 1.618 to get a proportional header size of 33px or 34px. Conversely, if your header text is 25px, divide it by 1.618 to determine a balanced body text size of around 15px or 16px. This calculated approach brings balance and professionalism to your design. Incorporating the Golden Ratio into your typography not only improves the aesthetics but also creates a better user experience. By mastering these principles, you can craft designs that are visually compelling and optimized for success. Make typography work for your design with this timeless technique.

Image Composition

The Golden Spiral is a quick alternative to stop and ponder the harmony of your images. Overlay it on your work, and you can find focal points, centralize headlines for maximum impact or shift elements around to give more energy to design.

A close up of a plant with a spiral in the middle

When cropping images, it’s easy to identify white space to cut out. But how can you ensure the image is still balanced when resized? The Golden Spiral will provide a guide for your composition in any situation! For example, if you overlay the spiral on an image before adjusting its size and position, then the focal point should be midway up one of its coils.

Layout

The golden ratio is a powerful tool for creating visually appealing UI designs that naturally guide the user’s attention to key elements. By applying this timeless design principle, you can establish harmonious proportions that enhance usability and aesthetics. For instance, if your layout features wide blocks of content on the left and narrower columns on the right, aligning these elements to the golden ratio helps create a balanced structure. This approach makes it easier to strategically place important information, ensuring users focus on what matters most.

A blue and white poster with the words sidebar, content, layout, and

Incorporating the golden ratio into your UI design not only improves visual appeal but also enhances the overall user experience, making your interface more intuitive and engaging.

Logo Design

The Golden Ratio is an essential principle for creating logos that are visually balanced and harmonious. By applying this timeless principle, you can create logos that are visually appealing and memorable. Iconic brands like Twitter, Apple, and Pepsi have successfully used the Golden Ratio in their logo designs, showcasing its effectiveness in creating impactful brand identities. Leverage the Golden Ratio to elevate your logo designs and achieve perfect balance and harmony.

A bunch of different logos that are on a wall

Here are some of our golden ratio logo projects You can check it out also.

A diagram of a basketball court with numbers on it
Two logos for dolphin fish, but the bigger fish is a dolphin
A white and green brochure with a clock on it
A blue and white brochure with a stylized image of a plant
A blue and white logo for a construction company
A logo for rockett management group

Golden Ratio is Everywhere

The Golden Ratio is so important to design that it should be your new best friend. Multiply a font size or any other design element by the golden ratio and you’ll go one step closer to seeing what looks good on paper, literally! You can overlay the spiral as an easy guide for proportions too–just make sure all of your designs are within 1.618 magic.

Want to design your own logo using the golden ratio? Pixelap is the place for you!

A woman holding a megaphone while standing on a yellow background

Print Design: Essential Tips For Creating Print Design

by with No Comment Design

Print design is known as the subset of graphic design, which is a unique form of visual communication. It is used to send your message to your audience in graphical form. When the final shape is formed by using a stamp or dye to impress the paper’s surface, it can be regarded as printed matter.

As a marketer/developer, you need to learn a few things to create print materials, including creating documents and preparing files for print service providers. In this article, we will discuss the essential tips to ensure a perfect print design.

Back To The Basic

Achieving a keen, neat, and organized design is key to creating visually appealing and harmonious layouts. Focus on more than just individual elements; ensure you use the best-quality assets available. Select high-quality fonts, crisp images, a soft and complementary color palette, and incorporate a baseline grid for precise alignment.

A brochure with a picture of a plate of food on it

For instance, a well-designed menu layout template uses essential design elements to create an inviting and balanced atmosphere. Experiment with mixing fonts of different sizes to add visual interest and hierarchy to the design. However, ensure that these variations are thoughtfully placed to maintain clarity and avoid clutter.

Templates that skillfully combine multiple fonts while maintaining a cohesive structure serve as excellent examples of effective typography. With careful placement and attention to detail, your designs can achieve a clean, professional, and harmonious appearance, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

Don't Forget To Apply The Grid System

Whether you are designing a page or a few hundred pages, the grid is essential for creating a layout. You can use the grid to arrange text and images to make the page look neat and clean. The structure consists of intersecting horizontal as well as vertical lines. If you want to make the page complicated, add angles or curves.

A close up of a package of cookies

Whenever you pursue it in a project, a clean page is created. Even if the lines look like constraints, it depends on your creativity. The grid is open to various options that we can use. For example, the designer sometimes uses the grid just like he uses multiple layers in the document. Create depth and keep the page clean and minimal.

Use Vector Artwork Or High-Resolution Image

Assets are critical to successful print design. People are often eager to find images for their projects and search for open-source images on the Internet, pay for mediocre photos, or hire designers to touch them. This one usually has a resolution of 72 dpi, so what? It looks great on the screen, which means it can print well, doesn’t it? Incorrect.

A woman sitting at a desk in front of a computer

The 72 dpi screen display is very different from real life, and you want people showing your work to notice. So what is the solution? Always use high-resolution vector or bitmap images. Explain raster and vector.

For print media, the standard is 300 dpi. 100% beautiful, but start to pixelate 125% or more. 72 dpi images for the web will degrade faster and almost always print poorly. The vector image is based on mathematical calculations. There are no pixels here, only numbers. The vector image looks smooth and beautiful in the size of the map. It is on the wall. If you want to place the logo on the side of the space station, you need to use a vector. It is best for solid colors and illustrations, so before you start printing your project, first The things to consider are: Is your work high resolution? Is the logo transparent? Is it clear on postcards or posters? Banners or space stations?

Be Careful About Color

The world of design is full of vibrant colors. While some combinations are visually stunning, others can create challenges. The more colors you incorporate, the greater the risk of clutter and distractions. Excessive use of colors can also make text harder to read, impacting the overall effectiveness of your design. Striking the right balance is essential for creating a visually appealing and user-friendly design.

A collage of business cards and envelopes design

Let’s face it: if your phone number is hard to read, you might miss valuable calls. Simplifying your design can improve readability and save money, especially when printing. Opting for single-tone or two-tone designs reduces printing costs, whether you use offset or letterpress methods. Adding more colors, such as three, four, or five, can increase costs and complexity. Successful print design is all about clear communication. When in doubt, keep it simple for a more effective and budget-friendly result.

Avoid Borders As Much As Possible

If you are looking for a way to add interest to a simple design, you might think that adding a decorative border around your copy will add a touch of elegance. No doubt, but the edges must be done correctly. Otherwise, you may mess up the document and make the design unattractive. Like other elements in the layout, you want them to stay within 0.25 inches and keep the text safe. If the registry is changed, the jagged edges will stand out like a sore thumb and ruin a successful design.

A person holding a letterhead and a business card design

Also, don’t try to put too many copies in the frame; just add the essentials. You can always add a URL as a call to action in response to an incident or request more details. Another thing to keep in mind: when working on a computer screen, people think this design is excellent, but if the copy is framed in some way, it will look great. After cutting, the frame of the product is natural.

The specific design works: If you pay for the printed proof, you will get more responses than the proof you see on the screen. Perhaps for all of us, eliminating borders is a better choice.

Time To Proofread

Ensuring error-free print designs is critical, as mistakes in physical prints are costly and irreversible. Unlike digital designs, you can’t simply go back and fix errors after printing. Careful proofreading is essential, but relying solely on spell checkers isn’t enough—they catch about 75% of errors but often miss grammatical issues, incorrect company names, and homophones like ‘their,’ ‘there,’ and ‘they’re.’

A series of brochures design with a woman holding her hand to her face

Beyond spelling, double-check key design elements like kerning and punctuation to ensure professional quality. For example, verify if you’re using the correct hyphen or if your quotation marks are smart quotes instead of straight quotes. Thoroughly reviewing your design for these details before submitting for printing can save time, money, and your design’s credibility. Attention to detail is the key to creating polished, error-free print layouts that leave a lasting impression.

Try To Be Versatile

Things will change: a new boss appears and disrupts your entire workflow, or your designer says it’s time to rebrand. Your needs in one place may not reflect the needs of another: your design and all printing methods. For example, you should not set the primary color of your brand to metallic.

A collage of photos with various print design

You need fast digital printing, invoice, menu, letterhead, t-shirts, roll-up banners, product packaging, and billboard: it will not appear on the logo. Therefore, in this case, you want the brand’s primary color to have certain recognizability, but it can be reproduced in different environments. Ensure that all printing resources are consistent when NT starts, regardless of a specific process or computer. There are many different ways to print additional business resources and office supplies, and the details are essential.

If you follow our techniques to create high-quality printed materials, we guarantee that they will look great. But this is the bonus tip: don’t wait until the last minute! Our portfolio is used for successfully printed design samples of various products, from business cards to posters, to wedding stationery and brochures.

Conclusion

If you are not familiar with print design, this will confuse you. Do you want to prepare and create a plan that works well on paper (which is a daunting task in itself!), but you also need to make sure that your project is set up correctly for printing because you try to do it in a certain way to avoid many misprinted design minefield often admitted by beginners. You need to consider the color profile, resolution, size, type of black, the application of your choice (such as Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), and of course cropping. We found that there is not enough information to handle it properly. But, after reading this article hoping that you will get all the relevant information you are seeking. If you love this article, don’t forget to share. Also, you can share the option in the comment section below.

Two cell phones sitting next to each other on a table

Typography in UI Design: Principles and Guidelines

by with No Comment Design

When branding, consider the boldness of the logo or the classic style of the black headline of The New York Times. When editing and calling, please keep your favorite magazine layout in mind, and consider how different fonts are used in various applications on the phone. However, when the typography is not good, it can be annoying, distracting, or illegible.

In the app, you may be confused by obscure text, obfuscated markings, or challenging to understand incomprehensible brochures or product packaging. However, in this article, we will discuss what typography is, its importance, and the basic principles of typography.

What Is Typography?

Typography is one type of art that involves setting fonts in different combinations of font, size, and spacing to impress people. Designers use typography to incorporate text into the design. They strategically use fonts to make the text legible and impress the audience. For brand graphic designers, many important considerations are considered when using typography. You need to make an informed decision about font, size, text, spacing, position, and many other aspects of using the font.

Typography displayed in blue and white colors, emphasizing the artistic arrangement of letters and words

Why Is Typography Important?

Typography is more than just choosing beautiful fonts. It is an integral part of user interface design. Good typography enhances clarity and engagement, guiding the reader’s attention and making the content more accessible. In design, it’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about creating a visual hierarchy that communicates the importance and relationships of the content effectively.

A visual guide illustrating the essential steps to effectively build and establish a successful brand identity

Typography Can Increase Brand Awareness

Own your brand on your website. Unique and consistent fonts will help you build a strong following, build user trust, and drive the brand forward. If your typography is good, it will help to grab the attention of your customers. Indeed, it will increase the brand value of your company and make your company more trustworthy.

Typography Influences Decision Making

Typography profoundly impacts how users process and perceive the information conveyed in the text. The style, size, and arrangement of text can evoke specific feelings, create trust, or even prompt action. For example, bold, clear fonts might instill confidence and urgency, leading to quicker decisions, while elegant, serif fonts can convey sophistication, encouraging thoughtful consideration.

A man stands in front of a wall covered in colorful sticky notes, deep in thought and contemplation

By shaping the visual experience, typography subtly guides our perceptions and choices, making it a powerful tool in communication and design. So, you need to keep in mind that your first impression should be impressive. If it’s positive, then it will influence a lot for the decision-making of your customers.

Typography Attracts The Attention Of Readers

Good typography can make a difference if you stay on the site for a minute or half an hour. The important thing is that your website must be visually stimulating and memorable, and typography plays a vital role in this process.

A woman seated in a chair, engaged with a tablet computer, showcasing a moment of concentration and technology use

High Impact

Typography can be seen on the interface of almost every product or digital device. For example, typography appears in the content of billboards, coffee cups, online or printed articles, etc.

A red paper arrow directed upward against a vibrant blue background, symbolizing progress and direction

This information is targeted at the audience and may have subliminal details, depending on the design intent. Creators deliberately use typography to evoke the audience’s reaction, to see how they interact with the brand and what adjustments need to be made.

A suited individual holds a paper, with a piggy bank positioned beside them, symbolizing financial planning or savings

The Value Of The Increased Sales

The value of increased sales is not only measured in revenue but also in how effectively a brand communicates with its audience, and typography plays a key role in this. Well-chosen typography enhances the readability and appeal of marketing materials, making them more persuasive and memorable. This can lead to higher engagement, stronger brand recall, and ultimately, increased sales.

Basic Principles Of Typography

Consistency in typography maintains a cohesive look across all materials, reinforcing the brand’s identity and improving the overall reading experience. Here you will get an idea about some basic principles of typography:

Hierarchy

One of the most important ways to effectively convey content is to use a printed hierarchy. There are not many interfaces without text on the page. Most user interface layouts consist of several standard elements: text, rectangles/boxes, buttons, and icons. Use these elements that can create or destroy the interface. 

Logo of Pixelap, a digital agency, showcasing modern design elements and vibrant colors representing creativity and innovation

The hierarchical structure helps us improve the scanning and readability of the user interface so that users can find important information faster. You should use bigger and bolder text for our text, which is more important because it attracts people’s attention. Smaller, lighter text is ideal for the least important information.

Font Choice

Serif or sans-serif is a safe choice. Choose a font that fits different sizes. Typography can be tricky, and sometimes it’s not worth it. The good news is that IOS and Android have their system fonts that support different thicknesses, sizes, styles, and languages so that we can create an easy-to-read and exciting experience in any application. On Android, the primary font is Roboto, and Noto is the default font for any language. When we use text styles in our writing system, we also support dynamic fonts and larger font sizes for accessibility, which provides greater flexibility by allowing readers to choose their preferred text size.

A collection of colorful paper cut-out letters arranged in a playful manner, showcasing various hues and styles

Text Size, Color, Font And Readability

To make fonts easily read and provide assistance to people with disabilities, such as color blindness, low vision, hearing impairment, etc. we must follow the “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines” (WCAG). Here are some standards for adjusting our user interface to improve readability. Rule of thumb: text size must be at least 16. However, for example, if it is a TV interface, the text should be more significant.

A collage of various news headlines and articles, emphasizing the abundance of current news coverage and updates

Download the Stark plugin to ensure it meets this standard in XD, Sketch, and Figma. For example, the error status should be displayed with multiple red outlines. Use warning symbols and descriptive text to draw your attention to the problem. The text size should be at most 200% without affecting the readability of the content or the use of functions. Do not use unnecessary text images like logos.

Line Height

Line height is the vertical space between lines of text. It plays a crucial role in readability and the overall visual appeal of a design. Proper line height ensures that text is comfortable to read, preventing lines from appearing too cramped or too spaced out. The right balance improves legibility, making it easier for the reader to follow the text without straining. Adjusting line height appropriately can enhance the clarity and aesthetic of the content, contributing to a more pleasant and effective reading experience.

Image depicting a call to action: "Contact us to begin your journey with our services today."

Letter Spacing

Use a larger font and reduce letter spacing to improve readability. Use a smaller font size and increase letter spacing to enhance readability. The monitor’s contrast is more vital than the paper’s, so it is more difficult to read in complete contrast. If the blank is not balanced, please copy it. It will be difficult to read.

A precise design measurement tool displayed on a clean surface, showcasing its features and functionality for accurate measurements

Measurement

The measurement indicates the line width in a paragraph. It can be in a column too. Text blocks that are too wide can make reading difficult. When forced to move along the horizontal line continuously, eye movements can quickly cause nervousness. On the other hand, very narrow lines of text can cause more pauses in thinking, making it easier to lose context and meaning.

Size Is Important

Text size is important because it directly impacts readability and accessibility. The right text size ensures that content is easy to read for a broad audience, reducing eye strain and making the information more approachable.

An image displaying various font sizes to illustrate the differences in text dimensions visually

Larger text sizes can emphasize key messages, drawing attention to important points, while smaller sizes are useful for less critical details. Properly scaling text size across different devices and formats also enhances the user experience, ensuring that content remains clear and legible in any context.

Leading

The leading is also called line height. It mainly describes the space between lines in a text block. If the white space is appropriately set, it should guide the reader’s eyes through the flow of content, not distract attention. If you don’t become careful about the line height, it may make your text cluttered. High altitude indicates that it is hard to distinguish every paragraph.

The word "abc" displayed in a vibrant purple and white color scheme, emphasizing its bold and modern design

Weight

Text weight refers to the thickness or boldness of a font and plays a crucial role in creating visual hierarchy and emphasis within a design. Heavier text weights, such as bold or semibold, draw attention to key elements like headings, important points, or calls to action, making them stand out to the reader.

A visual representation of the font named "aa" repeated multiple times in a stylized format

Lighter weights, like regular or thin, are typically used for body text, maintaining readability without overwhelming the eye. By varying text weight, designers can guide the reader’s focus and convey the relative importance of different pieces of information.

An illustration depicting the four types of the word "center," showcasing their distinct meanings and uses in language

Alignment Is Critical In Typesetting

Non-designers tend to center the alignment of everything. However, center alignment is difficult for the eyes, and the reader cannot tell when the sentence begins or where it ends. This will make people ignore your content thoroughly. Left alignment can do wonders for typography. When we read, we usually focus on the left side, hoping that the content will start here. Be careful when mixing—the alignment in the design. Alignment consistency is the best choice.

Conclusion

Typography is more than just choosing a good font. When used effectively, it can improve the ease of use, readability, accessibility, and hierarchical structure of the interface. In this article, we discussed some general tips and principles of professional typography in user interfaces. Printing terminology constitutes the basis of our knowledge of printing. Typography like kerning, line spacing, and weighting are levers that we can use to create more readable and aesthetic designs.