Kerning by Eye: What I've Learned From Years of Manual Adjustment

Kerning is the adjustment of space between specific letter pairs. It's different from tracking, which adjusts overall letter spacing uniformly. Kerning is surgical: finding the pairs that are causing visual inconsistency and correcting them individually.

Most software offers three kerning modes: metrics (using the kerning tables built into the font), optical (the software's algorithmic attempt to create even spacing), and manual (you decide). For body text at reading sizes, metrics kerning is usually sufficient. For display type where individual letter relationships are visible, neither metrics nor optical is good enough. Manual kerning is required.

What You're Looking For

The goal of manual kerning is even color — the impression that the space between any two letters is approximately equal to the space between any other two letters in the same word. Not mathematically equal. Optically equal.

The problem is that letter shapes create different apparent spaces even at identical measurements. Round letters (O, C, G) placed next to vertical letters (H, I, N) appear to have more space than the same measurement between two vertical letters. The round shape creates a wider visual gap.

Similarly, letters with overhanging or undercutting shapes (T, V, W, A, Y) create large apparent gaps when placed next to certain combinations. A capital T followed by a lowercase a is one of the worst offenders in Latin typography. The T's crossbar overhangs the letter space below it, and the a's open counter faces the gap, making the space feel enormous.

My Kerning Process

When I need to kern a headline or display text element, I work through it systematically:

Full-word rhythm check first. I squint at the word and look for obvious gaps or tight spots. The worst problems are usually visible immediately. I fix those first before getting into the details.

Pair by pair pass. Starting from the left, I check each letter pair for visual evenness. I'm moving through the word systematically, not jumping around.

Final check at different sizes. At very large sizes, small kerning inconsistencies are obvious. At smaller sizes, they may not matter. I check at both the intended use size and at a size that's 50% larger. Problems visible at the larger size but not at the use size are worth fixing if I have time; problems visible at both sizes are required fixes.

The Pairs That Always Need Work

Some letter combinations require kerning in virtually every typeface:

• AV, VA, AT, TA, AW, WA — the diagonal and horizontal crossbar combinations
• To, Te, Tc, Ta — capital T followed by lowercase vowels and some consonants
• Yo, Ye, Ya — similar to T combinations
• LT, LV, LW — capital L with diagonal letters
• ry, vy, fy — lowercase combinations where ascenders create awkward relationships

These aren't universal rules — specific typefaces handle them differently — but they're the places I check first.

Tools and Practice

Most professional design software allows manual kerning with keyboard shortcuts (Option+Left/Right in Illustrator and InDesign). Getting fluent with these shortcuts is essential. If kerning requires navigating menus, the friction is too high and you'll do it less.

The other tool I use: print at final size and check on paper. Screen display slightly smooths and resolves visual inconsistencies that paper makes obvious. For any headline that will be printed, I print before finalizing the kerning.

Kerning by eye is a skill that improves with practice and deteriorates with neglect. If I haven't kerned any display type in a few weeks, my eye needs a few minutes to recalibrate. Build it into your process and it becomes automatic.