[chrismorgan]

It reduced the space by arbitrary choice. You are just as capable of arbitrarily choosing four numbers as one ratio. I believe in you, though I don’t know you. In fact, I believe you will do a better job in your arbitrary choice of four numbers than in your choice of one scaling factor.

Although the four values from φ are usable, they’re unlikely to be excellent for the purposes of anyone in particular. You can easily choose more suitable, and will if you consider your content and intended design rather than just slapping a number on it.

[mikojan]

> Although the four values from φ are usable, they’re unlikely to be excellent

I am not a designer. Excellence is not for me by any stretch of the imagination.

It sounds like you have not yet figured that one out for yourself and are maybe severely misjudging your own capabilities. It is just absolutely, completely bonkers to suggest anybody can "easily" pull off "excellent" rhythm, space, dimensions, design.

"Just pick up the saxophone, wiggle your fingers, and off you go, Coltrane!"

What in the actual what are you talking about

[chrismorgan]

Very well then, I shall call the four values from φ lacklustre and uninspired; yet people have occasionally presented them as though they have objective value or virtue, which I deny. I say that if you possess the wherewithal to choose that value to compute your font-sizes from (which is far from trivial, and there’s no reason why you would think it’s any good unless someone told you it was and you believed them), you can choose four values that look good to you, possibly based on recommendations from others just like you surelyl did with φ, and get a result that is likely to be at least as good.

We’re comparing font-size values for headings, not anything more in the design. I didn’t say anything about pulling off excellent rhythm, space, dimensions or design, nor would I.