Leave No One Unkerned

I got an email from my bank the other day and this stopped me cold:

No, it wasn't their generous offer that stopped me in my tracks, but rather their failure to properly kern the space between the "1" and "0." Kerning is the space between letters that affects their visual treatment. Compare the space after the "1" to the space between the zeroes. Quite a noticeable gap, wouldn't you say? This now-common disregard or ignorance of proper kerning can be attributed to the rise of digital typography. Most digital fonts allot a certain set amount of space between letters, without discerning whether that space is appropriate for that letter. To the computer, the skinny "1" is entitled to the same amount of space as a fat "0," resulting in a certain visual discord.

Back before the days of digital typography, a typesetter would make manual adjustments to metal type pieces for optimal spacing and readability. Since that method has gone the way of the dinosaur, so has considerations for proper kerning. I doubt that whoever designed this email thought about kerning at all. Most people accept whatever the computer spits out, without even knowing that most design programs now enable you to make minor adjustments that will produce a more pleasing result.

Compare the above with the below:

More pleasing, wouldn't you say? It may seem like a minor point, but as they say, "God is in the details." Noticing and caring about such details can only elevate design, which ends up benefiting us all.

- Stephanie Han

Stephanie is a Senior Art Director at JDA Inc, a graphic design firm that specializes in supporting companies' branding and retail efforts with a Unified Marketing approach. To learn more, click here.

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