Anyone who has read my blogs or listened to my podcast knows that I rarely pay attention to ‘rules’, ‘hacks’ or ‘trends’ because they are usually just someone else’s idea of what works and I prefer to trust my intuition and create what makes me personally happy.

When it comes to hanging artwork and creating layouts, there is some genuine brain science behind it. Our brains are drawn to odd numbers and thirds. The Golden Ratio has been present in art, architecture and more for thousands of years. Euclid first discussed the idea in his book Elements in 300 BCE and many philosophers and mathematicians have discussed it since. I was taught to use the golden ratio in art class. The idea is that compositions feel more balanced when the focal point is a third of the way into the image or space. You may have spotted this used on smart phones when the 3 by 3 grid pops up to help with framing.

The same concept can be helpful when hanging your artwork.