The numbers don't lie- how math and art found form.
<original story> (RetinArt.com)
With all the modern tools we have to aide in layout design, it was interesting to get back to the roots of the first prominent book makers and the conventions or canons they used to layout their work. At RetinArt.com there is a great article about several medieval designers who came up with systems which expressed similar ideas, developed independently, forming a familiar pattern of page layout throughout the history of text books.
If you have not looked into the Golden Ratio, I'd suggest checking it out- as an artist understanding the mathematical relationship with aesthetic appeal revolutionized the way I design. This method of proportions, represented both in the Fibonacci Sequence and the layout example above (Villard de Honnecourt- 13th century France) provide a subtle framework which can be used as an aesthetically pleasing template time and time again. The beauty of these proportional systems of layout is that you can scale the content to any size, and that content generated in this fashion scales to many sizes. This type of layout is great for today's modern era of cross-media production of similar information, making it easier to layout information across multiple sizes and platforms without losing the aesthetic appeal inherent with the system.
As an interesting tid-bit: The Mona Lisa is shown to contain many sections of the the Golden Ratio, as are many classical paintings (mostly associated with religion) from the Renaissance period. This under-written design technique was something like a trade secret, practiced by the masters and executed time and time again in a range of amazing works.
If it ain't broke- don't fix it. Check out these useful guides to page layout, add a little stylistic flair and let me know what you come up with! Hope this helps!
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