Home > Blog > The beauty of odd aspect ratios
Recently I’ve began using screens with 5:4 aspect ratios on my workstation and gaming setup. Yes, they’re 14 years old. No, it’s not just because I had them laying around. Please trust me, I’m not going insane just yet.
Not just for cinephiles
Odd aspect ratios are a favorite among filmmakers, as it allows them to broaden or narrow their shots and visual scope of scenes. A square shot of someones face up close will come across as more claustrophobic. A film company famous for playing with aspect ratios is A24, known for movies like Midsommar, The VVitch or Hereditary. For designers, limiting space or content can also be freeing.
The reason I like them is because I hate wasted space. A desk can only be so big. So why plonk down another 16:9 monitor, when I could use a 16:10 and fit more code on my screen, or a 4:3 or 5:4 for text editing with just the right amount of information bombarding me. On the other hand, these issues may be fixed by using a tiled window manager or an ultrawide display.
Here you can see some examples of what I’m talking about. There’s very little wasted space. No empty columns and less distractions.
These square monitors are also cheap as bits to buy! As they’re often cast aside for the most popular aspect ratio (16:9) these odd ducklings can be had for cents on the dollar or euro. The nice ones with swiveling arms or modern video inputs can be a bit more expensive.
My workstation is as of now two 1080p screens, one of which is on an arm alongside a 1280×1024 screen. My gaming setup is as of now a 144Hz 1080p monitor on an arm and a 1280×1024 screen on the side.