Scale & ProportionThe proportional systems designers use, and what each is good for.Art & DesignRatios of the short side to the long side.SystemRatioPropertySquare1 : 1Static, no directionRoot two, the A series1 : 1.414Halves into its own shapeGolden section1 : 1.618Remainder repeats the shapeRoot three1 : 1.732Hexagonal relationshipsTwo to three1 : 1.535 mm film, common printsDouble square1 : 2Strongly directionalA ratio has no aesthetic power on its own. It is useful because itproduces repeatable relationships across a whole design.Scale & Proportionlearnposters.com
Scale & Proportion — printable design wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Scale & Proportion poster

A 6-row table: System · Ratio · Property.

Ratios of the short side to the long side.

A ratio has no aesthetic power on its own. It is useful because it produces repeatable relationships across a whole design.

Questions about the Scale & Proportion poster

What’s on the Scale & Proportion poster?
A 6-row table: System · Ratio · Property. Ratios of the short side to the long side. Square — 1 : 1 — Static, no direction; Root two, the A series — 1 : 1.414 — Halves into its own shape; Golden section — 1 : 1.618 — Remainder repeats the shape; Root three — 1 : 1.732 — Hexagonal relationships; Two to three — 1 : 1.5 — 35 mm film, common prints; Double square — 1 : 2 — Strongly directional. A ratio has no aesthetic power on its own. It is useful because it produces repeatable relationships across a whole design.
Who is the Scale & Proportion poster for?
Scale & Proportion belongs to the Art & Design section rather than to a school year, because design is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning colour & composition can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Scale & Proportion poster?
Use it when choosing page or canvas proportions rather than accepting a default. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Scale & Proportion belongs on the wall where that design work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Scale & Proportion?
The Rule of Thirds, Colour Contrast and Additive & Subtractive sit alongside Scale & Proportion in the Art & Design section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.The Rule of ThirdsColour ContrastAdditive & Subtractive
Is the Scale & Proportion poster free to download and print?
Yes. Scale & Proportion downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Art & Design section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Scale & Proportion poster print at?
Scale & Proportion is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Scale & Proportion loses nothing.Printing guide

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