spacingalso

Spacingalso is a designer-coined term describing a principled approach to typographic spacing in which inter-letter spacing, inter-word spacing, and surrounding white space are treated as parts of a single adjustable system. The idea is that spacing should respond to font metrics, line length, and justification to create a consistent optical rhythm across a page or screen.

Origins and usage: The term appears in contemporary design discourse and signals a broader shift toward micro-typography that emphasizes global spacing decisions as much as local adjustments like kerning. It is not part of established typography standards and is used mainly in designer blogs, editorial studies, and experimental layouts.

Principles and methods: Spacingalso often involves tuning letter-spacing and word-spacing together rather than in isolation, balancing rag and whitespace, and coordinating with line-height and hyphenation. In practice, it may be implemented with responsive typography so that spacing adapts to viewport width, font family, and display size. Tools include typographic grids, optical metrics, and variable fonts.

Applications and benefits: It is applied in book and magazine design, web typography, and digital interfaces to improve legibility and perceived harmony, especially in justified text or dense layouts. Potential drawbacks include complexity, inconsistent rendering across fonts, and the risk of over-optimization that harms readability.

Relationship to other concepts: Spacingalso overlaps with tracking, kerning, leading, and microtypography. It complements but does not replace established techniques for proper spacing, justification, and readability. See also: kerning, tracking, leading, microtypography, typography.