Is there a set ratio to harmonious type, Header, Subheader and body.. say if you body was 9pt, then subheader would be 12 pt header 14/16pt? Os this done how i normally do it by eye untill it looks good?
1 Answer
There is a similar question to this already floating around on here, which pretty much comes to the same conclusion as I will.
In essence though, there are two main things that would make a golden ratio hard to apply to any typefaces or hierarchy:
- X-height.
- Font size.
A font that uses a high x-height will look short and fat, even when compared to another font with similar sized ascenders and descenders.
Some fonts are also considerably taller and shorter than other fonts by design, even at the same point size. It's entirely up to the foundry/typographer how they wish it to look.
Here is an article I think you might find interesting:
https://pearsonified.com/2011/12/golden-ratio-typography.php
It doesn't talk so much about the relation between levels of hierarchy, but more about font-size, line-height, line-length, and their relationships to one another. It does contain formulas for getting a "Golden Ratio", but once again, it's entirely subjective.
Here is a great example of font-pairing for hierarchy:
https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/best-font-combinations-typeface-pairings-guide/
In summary, there are far too many typographic styles and font variations to ever achieve a perfect ratio. Use your instincts!
