Five little optical puzzlesLetterspace
Letterspace
Sign Shop.
Good letters can still make a bad sign.
Bring five shop signs into balance, one tiny space at a time. You’re the painter. The alphabet is being difficult.
Select a letter pairOrder 1 / 5
← Bring them closerGive them room →
Arrow keys on the slider work too.
The highlighted rule shows your selected pair. Adjust until the word feels even, then ask the foreman. No clock, and no need to be perfect.
Measure the empty shapes.
Kerning is adjusting the space between a specific pair of letters. An A and a V have sloping sides: their empty corners can tuck together. Round letters make very different pockets of space.
Even numbers ≠ even rhythm.
Tracking spreads a whole word out equally. Kerning treats troublesome neighbours individually. Look for a steady visual rhythm, not identical distances. Squinting is a perfectly respectable design tool.