pipemakersforum.com

We've discussed the golden ratio in regards to what makes a particular design aesthetically pleasing or not. I found this article quite interesting:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3044877/the ... codesignss

I've always seen the golden ratio to be a rule of thumb, not a law. Back when I lived in Germany, there were several buildings built specifically with the golden ratio in mind. Sometimes it's used deliberately by the artist.

if you read the comments below the article you end up at this link https://cosmosmagazine.com/mathematics/ ... lden-ratio
which just made me want to tile a floor with some cool repeating pattern

This is fun stuff to talk about.

If the golden ratio itself is maybe not so important in terms of actual sizing, the type of curve generated by the math is pretty nice.

The relations between beauty and mathematics are pretty deep and I think not well understood yet. Everything from phi to fractals seems to play a role, but maybe at the end of the day, mimicing the curves we find "sexy" is all it takes to have something beautiful...it's all fun to think about and sort through...

I will think about this for the rest of my life; meanwhile I will just continue on as I see it!!!

Once, as a personal test of the golden ratio, I drew three similar designs for Christmas ornaments, one using the golden ratio and the others not, one squatter and one longer. I asked a number of people which they preferred as a survey. Everyone chose the one with the golden ratio. It's to me that we are somewhat preprogrammed to find that ratio, or close to it, pleasing to the eye. Since I want people to like the pipes and other items I make, I'll keep using it as a general guide.

The golden ratio works in certain situations, not so much in others. There's a misconception people have that ALL beauty is tied to it, and that's simply not true. I frankly don't worry about if I'm golden ratio-ing or not. I think a more useful thing to develop is an eye for curves in general. Nice clean continuous curves that don't have breaks or flat spots in them are generally very attractive and worth learning to use.

A well written, level headed, fact-based article on what the golden ratio is and is not:

http://www.goldennumber.net/golden-ratio-myth/

Some interesting reads, gentlemen!
Like the Little Yeti, I also do not use it at all. I just do what looks right at that moment (which can be wrong).