Rule of Thirds
A rule of thumb which applies to the process of composing well-design visual images such as designs, films, paintings, and photographs.
Origin
English painter John Thomas Smith coined the term in his 1797 book Remarks on Rural Scenery, discussing the balance of light and dark in paintings, inspired by the golden ratio dating to ancient Greece. From 1869 to 1942, the compositional tip remained consistent: a subject gains strength when moved from center toward (but not too near) the edge. In 1942, the name "rule of thirds" was first formally attached. The rule divides images into ⅓ and ⅔ sections horizontally and vertically, derived from pictorialist photographers basing their method on the classical golden mean. The golden ratio has aspect ratio 1.618:1, whereas the rule of thirds is independent of aspect ratio.