ModularscaleAdd baseRemove baseSelect a ratioAdd scaleRemove scaleHelp panel

How do I use this?

Use a scale like you would use a ruler. Many people set heading type sizes with numbers from a scale, but that's just one possibility. You can use a scale to measure or set the size of any element or negative space in a composition — including grids, and the overall dimensions of the composition itself. Introduced at Build 2010 (video, Tim Brown) Read More Meaningful Typography (Tim Brown)

What’s a good base?

Body text type size is a good place to start. If you want to get more nerdy, dig into the font metrics of your typeface (x-height, for example) and use that data as a base. If your layout has important fixed-width images or ads, you could use those widths.

What’s a good ratio?

Ratios can be chosen carefully and meaningfully, drawing inspiration from the history and character of a typeface or other elements in a project. Billy Whited gave several tips for choosing a scale, and Nathan Ford wrote about choosing ratios as part of deriving layout from your typeface. Owen Gregory thinks we might look to musical scales for better harmony.

Can I use more than one ratio?

Sure! One base with one ratio is a modular scale. Any more than that is a multi-stranded modular scale. (Try entering a second base or ratio, and you'll see the a/b labeling in this calculator's output pane.) Multi-stranded modular scales are powerful because they add more numbers to your scale, and that flexibility means it's more likely that a number from your scale will work in your project.

Why can't I use multiple bases and ratios?

Because that would really dilute the scale. If multiple ratios share the same base, they are united by that base. Even if two numbers in the scale's output are from different strands, they began at the same place. Similarly, if multiple bases share the same ratio, that's what ties the scale together.