Computer screens are rectangular because this shape is the most efficient for displaying text and graphics, maximizing the display area while facilitating reading and manipulation of windows and applications.
The rectangular screens we use actually come from traditions that are much older than computing itself. For a long time, people have adopted the rectangular format to view and represent images. First, think of paintings, canvases, or photographs; their rectangular shape is anything but a coincidence: it's a practical choice that aligns with our natural visual field, which is more rectangular than round. When cinemas emerged, they followed this logic with rectangular screens, adapted to films shot in widescreen. Then, when television came along, it simply continued the tradition started by cinema. In short, when computers entered our lives, it was already logical to adopt this format because our eyes, our visual culture, and all these habits accumulated over centuries had already largely convinced us that viewing a rectangular image was just more practical.
Our natural field of vision forms an elongated rectangle rather than a perfect circle, which is why our eyes feel more comfortable with a screen of that shape. This rectangular format allows for a more natural visual scanning, which is less tiring, even after hours in front of the screen. Another practical point is that this shape easily accommodates displaying multiple windows side by side, facilitating comfortable and hassle-free multitasking. Additionally, our usual content such as videos, texts, or web pages is almost all designed in horizontal rectangles; as a result: optimized display, better space utilization, and more visual comfort in daily life.
Our screens are rectangular largely due to how their technology works. Most of the screens we use today are based on pixels, those tiny little squares lined up in a grid that make up the image. And clearly, aligning small squares on a grid is much more convenient when the overall shape of the screen is rectangular rather than round or oval, right? Another point is that technologies like the early cathode ray tubes (CRT) projected a beam of electrons sweeping from left to right and top to bottom on a flat surface, which is simply easier to manage in a rectangular shape. It resulted in less waste of space and resources, allowing for better resolution and more economical production. Even today, with LCD, OLED, or LED technologies, it’s just much easier and more efficient to manufacture, control, and assemble screens with flat, rectangular panels. In short, tech loves right angles!
If screens are now rectangular, it's partly due to very practical industrial standards. Specific standards like aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9) have become established to simplify manufacturing, broadcasting, and compatibility between devices and content. Televisions, computers, tablets, and smartphones thus follow common formats, greatly facilitating our digital daily lives. Mass-producing screens in a standardized format also allows manufacturers to reduce costs and speed up production. In other words, it's simply easier, more practical, faster, and more economical for everyone to agree on rectangular rather than dealing with… exotic formats.
The very first cathode ray tube television screens were circular, but since part of the screen was often obscured by the rectangular outer structure of the casing, this initiated a lasting trend towards the rectangular screens we know today.
Tests were conducted with square and circular screens. However, these shapes made it harder for users to follow the lines of text, resulting in fatigue during long reading sessions.
The 'golden rectangle', a specific rectangle characterized by a ratio of about 1.618, is sometimes used in the design of screens and interfaces to enhance aesthetics and visual comfort.
The display format of screens is often expressed as a ratio (16:9, 16:10, 4:3). The 16:9 ratio, adopted by the audiovisual industry, closely corresponds to the human field of vision and provides an optimal immersive experience.
The majority of multimedia content uses a rectangular format to align with human vision, which favors a more horizontal and panoramic perception. This format allows for a more natural and comfortable immersion for the user.
Old monitors adopted a nearly square format (like the 4:3 aspect ratio) due to the technological constraints and industry standards of the time. With technological advancements and a shift in multimedia consumption habits (such as movies in Cinemascope format), screens have gradually expanded to wider formats (like 16:9 or even 21:9).
Indirectly, yes. A well-designed rectangular screen allows for optimal readability and a natural movement of the eyes, which reduces unnecessary visual strain. In contrast, a round screen or one with an unusual shape could create areas that are difficult or complex to view, making the experience more tiring over time.
Yes, circular screens do exist, especially in certain devices like smartwatches or dashboard instruments in vehicles. However, their use remains limited as the rectangular format better meets the needs of traditional computing and multimedia.
The rectangular format of screens promotes better management of virtual space, optimizing multitasking practices and facilitating the simultaneous viewing of multiple applications or windows, which overall enhances productivity.
No one has answered this quiz yet, be the first!' :-)
Question 1/6
