Website Imagery

If you've wandered through our website, you've surely noticed the images at the top of each page. Perhaps wondered "why those?" What do butterflies and violins have to do with consulting, analytics, and insurance?

The common theme is the Golden Ratio. The Golden Ratio – alternatively known as the golden mean, phi, and the divine proportion – is a mathematical formula that can be expressed most simply that number x where: (x + 1) / x = x. Wolfram's MathWorld gets into the math more deeply, for those so inclined. You can also read more about it in the wonderful book by Mario Livio. The actual number itself is an irrational number (meaning, it can't be reduced to a simpler fraction; the most well-known example of an irrational number is pi, ∏) of approximately 1.618.

It is directly related to the Fibonacci sequence. As you get higher into the sequence, the ratio of one number to the next is the Golden Ratio.

This ratio can be found throughout nature, and some of the photos on the site reflect those examples. My favorite is the chambered nautilus, found on the main page. It's also been suggested that the ratio provides the most aesthetically pleasing proportions in art and architecture, not to mention human forms. The best violins reportedly demonstrate the Golden Ratio in the proportion of the body and the neck of the instrument. Adhering to this proportion generates the most resonant tones.

So, whether in nature, art, music, or such, we find, by looking a bit deeper, these simple yet elegant mathematical truths. Patterns that we couldn't discern at first glance. The same is true in our businesses. By looking deeper, we find patterns in the data, patterns in seemingly random customer actions and decisions. Those who can uncover, read, and understand these patterns will be at a great advantage.