TypeTalk: Letterspacing
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Q. I occasionally letterspace type, but some people tell me it’s a type crime. Why is that?
A. Letterspacing is the practice of adding additional space between a range of characters to produce a very open look (as opposed to adding space to compensate for tight spacing). Most people letterspace by using the tracking feature in design software.
The upper example is much more readable than the lower one, which has been letterspaced. Set in Gill Sans.
When letterspacing is applied to lowercase characters, it’s considered a poor typographic practice because it greatly reduces readability. When we read running text, we recognize a word by its shape, which to a large degree is created by the word’s ascenders and descenders. When the overall letterspacing is increased beyond normal, the eye and brain take longer to recognize the word shape, thus reducing readability. (Many type traditionalists, myself included, also think letterspacing is plain ugly, but that in itself is not enough of an explanation.)
This example, set in Adobe Caslon Pro, also shows reduced readability after letterspacing.
It’s more acceptable to letterspace all-cap settings. They’re less affected by readability issues because they’re less readable than upper and lowercase to begin with. In addition, all-cap settings have a certain geometry that’s not affected when spaced out.
We recognize words by the shapes that they make. Upper/lowercase settings with normal spacing (top example) are inherently more readable than all cap settings (lower example). Set in ITC Franklin Gothic.
“Anyone who would letterspace lower case would steal sheep.” This quote is attributed to Frederic Goudy, the well-known American type designer of the 20th century. Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger referenced the quote in the title of their clever typographic guidebook, Stop Stealing Sheep. But for the record, it has been said Goudy was not referring to lowercase, but to blackletter, and the verb he used was not “stealing” but a British slang term that would be in poor taste to repeat here. ;)
This quote, attributed to Fredrick Goudy, is set in ITC Goudy Sans Pro.
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In your example of the two spacings of Gill Sans, I prefer the wide space version, as I always do with Gill Sans. It strongly appeals to me; funny, Gill Sans always looks better spaced out very wide.
something SHAG sheep but that was too hot so it has been changed to “steal”.
In the examples in this article, I get a different sense of the meaning and weight of the message in the letterspaced version. “Is it that time again?” with spaces encourages me to wonder what is special about “that time” and what I should be thinking about it. It becomes more than an ordinary statement. Because it’s a little harder to read, it’s not something I skim or skip over, but pause over — and that slight pause seems to trigger my brain to think more about the message than it would have otherwise.
I might use letterspacing in an ad or headline where I’d want people to think about the message I’m about to deliver and be encouraged to look further.
Hi Ilene. Once again you’re dispensing some good advice. I would only add that whenever I use small caps as a lead-in to a column of type I find that when I slightly l/s those words they look and read better.
Bob Callahan
Stamford
It is customary in German to letterspace as a form of emphasis. I certainly find it arresting.
James Salmon