Putting the finishing touches on a graphic design project calls for a keen eye. But you already know this, because perfectionism is just a part of the job! You look at every nook and cranny of a project before you can consider it complete. While many people might not understand this attention to detail, this is exactly the kind of eye a designer needs — there is no such thing as “less than perfect” in this industry!

在图形设计项目上进行画龙点睛需要敏锐的眼光。 但是您已经知道这一点，因为完美主义只是工作的一部分！ 您需要先查看项目的每个细节，然后才能认为它已完成。 尽管许多人可能不理解这种对细节的关注，但这恰恰是设计师需要的那种眼睛–在这个行业中，没有“不完美”之类的东西！

Nothing goes unnoticed, even the spacing between individual pairs of letters. Yes, this could be considered perfectionism, but a good designer knows how important kerning is in typography. Mastering kerning is important if you want to pursue a career in graphic design.

没有什么不引起注意的，即使是成对的单个字母之间的间距也是如此。 是的，可以认为这是完美主义，但是好的设计师知道字距调整在版式中的重要性。 如果您想从事平面设计职业，那么掌握字距调整非常重要。

Although many clients might not understand the nuances of kerning, they would be able to identify poorly kerned typography. If you don’t know the ins and outs of kerning, you risk losing out on potential career opportunities after design school. In our industry, a graphic designer’s standard of creativity will influence the level of opportunities that come their way.

尽管许多客户可能不了解字距紧缩的细微差别，但他们将能够识别字距紧缩的排版。 如果您不知道字距调整的来龙去脉，则有可能在设计学校毕业后失去潜在的职业机会。 在我们的行业中，平面设计师的创造力标准将影响随之而来的机遇水平。

什么是紧缩？ 定义 (What Is Kerning? A Definition)

Kerning is the spacing between a pair of letters.

字距是一对字母之间的间距。

Whenever you are working on a project, you want to aim for an even typographic color (in other words: having no odd or uneven spacing between letters). In some instances (such as large headlines and blocks of copy), you should spend a bit more time kerning the type, while in other instances (such as large amounts of body copy) the default kerning settings, with some minor tweaks, can suffice. Even so, you might not always have to alter the kerning, but it’s good practice to ensure that you are being mindful of every aspect (big or small) of every design you do.

每当您在项目中工作时，都希望获得均匀的印刷色(换句话说：字母之间没有奇数或不均匀的间距)。 在某些情况下(例如大标题和副本块)，您应该花更多的时间对类型进行字距调整，而在其他情况下(例如大量的正文复制)，只需进行一些细微调整即可使用默认字距调整设置。 即使这样，您也不一定总是必须更改字距调整，但最好的做法是确保您对所做的每个设计的每个方面(大小)都有所注意。

But kerning is also more than just spacing — it’s also a strategic tool that increases the clarity of your message. Readers in the English-speaking world, for example, gravitate to Helvetica as their choice of font. This is why Helvetica is the most widely used font in the world (although many designers consider it to be the sweatpants of the font world).

但是字距调整不仅限于间距，它还是一种战略工具，可提高您消息的清晰度。 例如，英语国家的读者喜欢Helvetica作为字体选择。 这就是为什么Helvetica是世界上使用最广泛的字体的原因(尽管许多设计师认为它是字体世界的运动衫)。

It’s easy to read and the simplicity of the text allows it to be transferable to everything from public signs to t-shirt designs. But despite its widespread use and popularity, it’s often too plain in a lot of contexts. Its owner, Monotype, recently gave Helvetica a facelift (the updated version is called Helvetica Now) so that designers don’t have to constantly alter the type when it’s scaled up or down.

它易于阅读，文字的简洁性使其可移植到从公共标志到T恤设计的所有内容。 但是，尽管它得到了广泛的使用和欢迎，但在许多情况下通常还是太简单了 。 它的所有者Monotype最近对Helvetica进行了改版(更新版本称为Helvetica Now )，以便设计人员不必在放大或缩小时不断更改类型。

The relationship between letters is almost a scientific matter to a graphic designer. A good designer realizes that it only takes a slight adjustment in spacing to render a design as either awkward or perfect. These letters aren’t limited to the computer monitor that’s sitting before you, either.

对于图形设计师来说，字母之间的关系几乎是科学问题。 优秀的设计师意识到，只需稍微调整一下间距即可将设计呈现为笨拙或完美。 这些字母也不仅限于摆在您面前的计算机显示器。

It’s important to examine your typography in the context where the design will live — on a 100% scale printout of your design or on the phone screen. Seeing how the type will look in context can and will affect your kerning decisions.

重要的是要在设计将要存在的环境中检查您的版式-在设计的100％比例打印输出上或在电话屏幕上。 查看类型在上下文中的外观可以并且将影响您的字距调整决定。

时刻紧缩：古代世界的例子 (Kerning Then and Now: Examples from the Ancient World)

To get a better look at kerning today, let’s go back a few centuries. This history lesson is as much of an artistic exploration as it is an exemplifier of modern kerning. In ancient Mesopotamia, Cuneiform, which is now the oldest written language, was dried on clay tablets. During this time, language was used as an accounting system. Everything under a monarchy’s rule was preserved by highly trained scribes.

为了更好地了解当今的字距调整，让我们回溯几个世纪。 这个历史教训既是艺术的探索，又是现代字距调整的典范。 在古老的美索不达米亚，楔形文字(现在是最古老的书面语言)在黏土板上干燥。 在这段时间里，语言被用作会计系统。 君主制下的一切都由训练有素的抄写员保存。

What the scribes of this era needed were clear slates. More importantly, they needed to pre-inscribe lines or margins that organized these slates for writing. These lines and sections, though difficult to see among the actual writing, allowed the scribe to imprint ideas without having the figures sway to the left or right. The Cuneiform text instead remained in legible sequences that readers can follow.

这个时代的抄写员需要的是清晰的板岩。 更重要的是，他们需要预先刻划用于组织这些板岩的线条或边距。 这些线条和部分虽然在实际的著作中很难看清，但允许抄写员在不使人物左右摇摆的情况下留下思想 。 相反，楔形文字保持清晰的顺序，读者可以跟随。

The purpose of letters and words has evolved over the centuries, but their intentions have always been the same. In ancient writing, kerning allowed a scribe to record important messages legibly and so that they could be preserved indefinitely. Today, kerning also supports the legibility of a message, but it also supports the overall visual appearance of a design. If the kerning is off-putting to a reader, they’re likely to walk away hating the design without paying any attention to its intended purpose.

字母和单词的目的已经演变了几个世纪，但它们的意图始终是相同的。 在古代写作中，字距调整允许抄写员清楚地记录重要的信息，以便可以无限期地保存它们。 如今，字距调整还支持消息的易读性，但也支持设计的整体视觉外观。 如果字距调整不适合读者，则他们可能会讨厌该设计，而无需关注其预期目的。

平面设计和字母紧缩的基础 (The Foundation of Graphic Design and Letter Kerning)

There are tools, common practices and theories to be applied when kerning. The basic philosophy behind “space adjustment” is communication. As a rule of thumb, no matter what you kern, adjust, or resize, your objective is to speak with clarity. Graphic designers must not only practice what they find visually appealing but must understand what pleases their targeted audience. Closing wide gaps or opening tight spaces is done as an effort to help readers understand a message. As Alan Barba, one of our New York teachers, says:

字距调整时，有一些工具，通用做法和理论可供应用。 “空间调整”背后的基本哲学是沟通 。 根据经验，无论您要调整，调整大小或调整大小，您的目标都是要讲清楚。 平面设计师不仅必须练习他们认为引人入胜的内容，还必须了解让目标受众满意的内容。 缩小差距或打开狭窄的空间是为了帮助读者理解消息。 正如我们纽约一位老师艾伦·巴尔巴(Alan Barba)所说：

Kerning is all about rhythm. If letters are not kerned correctly, it can put off the reader and disrupt the message.

紧缩与节奏有关。 如果字母的字距不正确，则可能会使阅读器延迟并打乱消息。

Communication is a vital part of what we do as graphic designers, and kerning plays a key role in that communication. When you don’t pay attention to the letters and space between them, it can have unexpected and undesirable outcomes (seriously, just look at these examples).

沟通是我们作为图形设计师所做工作的重要组成部分，字距调整在沟通中起着关键作用。 当您不注意它们之间的字母和空格时，它可能会产生意想不到的不良结果(严重的是， 请看一下这些示例 )。

When a designer is in the midst of creating something, they to make a choice to either move an element here or there — a very minute choice. However, all those minute choices add up to make your type very easy to read and understand. It’s only when you understand the power that you have through those (seemingly minor) decisions you make that you can create a seamless process.

当设计师在创作某些东西时，他们可以选择将元素移至此处或此处 ， 这是非常微小的选择。 但是，所有这些微小的选择加起来使您的类型非常易于阅读和理解。 只有当您了解自己通过这些(看似次要的)决策所具有的力量时，才能创建一个无缝的流程。

Limiting your kerning definition as only spacing left and right is, therefore, a nearsighted viewpoint. The relative positioning of an entire design piece is taken into consideration as we work. This is why it helps to know about the elements that provide us with our core decisions.

因此，将字距调整限制为仅左右间距是近视视点。 我们在工作时会考虑整个设计作品的相对位置。 这就是为什么它有助于了解为我们提供核心决策的要素的原因。

紧缩的错觉 (The Optical Illusion of Kerning)

Look at the spacing and positioning of your letters as if they were an optical illusion.

看一下字母的间距和位置，就好像它们是错觉一样。

As you kern, you may begin to realize that the principles that worked from a prior project simply won’t have the same leverage within a current design piece. This has to do with the factor of communication that exists within each design that you create. Every design you make should be unique and that is why letter kerning is a creative art.

当您精打细算时，您可能会开始意识到，先前项目中的原理在当前设计中根本不会具有相同的影响力。 这与您创建的每个设计中存在的通信因素有关。 您制作的每个设计都应该是独特的，这就是为什么字母字距调整是一种创造艺术。

It’s important to understand the consistent rules of kerning, but it’s also important that you take this knowledge and manipulate what you know to apply it to a particular design. Approaching each kerning scenario as if it were an optical illusion will enable you to pay greater attention to what’s necessary as opposed to what might work based on set rules. Consider this principle as inline with the old adage, “Things are not always what they seem.” Adjust accordingly.

理解字距调整的一致规则很重要，但是掌握这些知识并操纵所知道的知识以将其应用于特定设计也很重要。 像处理错觉一样接近每个字距调整场景，使您可以更加注意必要的内容，而不是根据设置的规则可能起作用的内容。 将此原则视为一句古老的格言：“事物并不总是看起来像的。” 相应地调整。

文字在字距调整中的理想位置 (Ideal Places Within Your Text for Kerning Typography)

Let’s take a closer look at some of the ideal places to use letter kerning in:

让我们仔细看看在其中使用字母字距调整的一些理想位置：

Headline: The headline of a design (digital or printed) is typically its focal point. You can influence a person’s opinion about your entire company by what they see first when visiting your website. You can also manipulate their emotional connection to your brand — like creating an eerie sensation during October or capturing the feeling of festivities for your seasonal products in winter. The colors and fonts are important in and of themselves, but spacing also matters.

标题：设计(数字或印刷)的标题通常是其焦点。 您可以通过一个人在访问您的网站时首先看到的信息来影响他们对整个公司的看法。 您还可以操纵他们与品牌的情感联系，例如在十月期间产生令人毛骨悚然的感觉，或在冬季捕获季节性产品的节日感觉。 颜色和字体本身很重要，但是间距也很重要。

Logos: Logos have to say a lot with very little space, time, and few letters. If you adjust the kerning between one pair of letters, you will have to adjust the others, similar to a domino effect — and do not rely on default software settings.

徽标：徽标必须用很少的空间，时间和很少的字母来表达很多。 如果在一对字母之间调整字距调整，则必须调整其他字母(类似于多米诺骨牌效果)，并且不必依赖默认软件设置。

Business Cards: Business professionals are always looking for a competitive edge. Some will even boast about the quality of their business cards as opposed to others’. Expanding on the design features of these “small windows of opportunity” can be done by looking closer to the letters being used.

名片：业务专业人员一直在寻找竞争优势。 有些人甚至会吹嘘自己名片的质量，而不是别人的名片。 可以通过仔细查看所使用的字母来扩展这些“机会之窗”的设计功能。

You’re in control of the balance, hierarchy, contrast and alignment. Due to the limited amount of copy and messaging on the business cards, the typography might be scrutinized even more closely.

您可以控制天平，层次结构，对比度和对齐方式。 由于名片上的复制和消息传递数量有限，因此可能会更仔细地检查字体。

Font Changes: The font sizes that are set between 10 and 12 aren’t likely to benefit from vast adjustments, but expect to do more work as your text gets larger. Most fonts are developed for the common typing sizes that we use. And while you might find a need to put a legal disclaimer or logotype into an 7 or 8-pt sized font, the default settings within the font will still work. You just may need to tweak them a bit.

字体更改：字体大小设置在10到12之间不太可能从大量调整中受益，但是随着文本变大，期望做更多的工作。 大多数字体是针对我们使用的常见键入大小而开发的。 尽管您可能需要将合法的免责声明或徽标放入7或8磅大小的字体中，但是该字体中的默认设置仍然可以使用。 您可能只需要稍微调整一下。

紧缩的三种类型 (The Three Types of Kerning)

In addition to examples where you could use kerning in everyday designs, there are also three different types of kerning you’ll come across:

除了可以在日常设计中使用字距调整的示例之外，您还将遇到三种不同类型的字距调整：

Metrics kerning: This type of kerning uses kern pairs, which contains information about the spacing of different pairs of letters. Examples include To, Tr, LA, We, Ya, etc. These are included with most fonts and certain platforms use metrics kerning default so that these pairs of letters are automatically kerned so you don’t have to spend any additional energy kerning when you type or import a text. Metrics work best for body copy since it’s typically looser.

度量字距调整：这种类型的字距调整使用字距对，其中包含有关不同字母对间距的信息。 例如To，Tr，LA，We，Ya等。这些字体包含在大多数字体中，某些平台默认使用度量标准字距调整，以便这些字母对自动调整字距，因此您在使用时不必花费任何额外的精力字距输入或导入文本。 度量标准最适合正文复制，因为它通常比较宽松。

Optical kerning: This adjusts the spacing between adjacent characters in accordance with their particular shapes. Some design software provide this as an alternative to their default metrics option. Optical kerning is ideal for situations that call for tighter fonts (like headlines).

光学字距调整：可以根据相邻字符的特殊形状调整它们之间的间距。 一些设计软件将其作为其默认指标选项的替代方法。 光学字距调整是需要更紧字体(例如标题)的情况的理想选择。

Manual kerning: This type of kerning is exactly what you’d assume based on its name — it’s when you kern type based on the specific requirements of whatever project you’re working on. Any time that you can’t find the right setting within your software, you can enter the dimensions, spacings and shapes to your exact preference.

手动字距调整：这种字距调整正是您根据其名称所假定的—是在您根据正在处理的任何项目的特定要求进行字距调整时。 每当您在软件中找不到正确的设置时，都可以根据自己的喜好输入尺寸，间距和形状。

There is one obstacle to be aware of with this choice, though: it will take more time to achieve an end result because you must enter each detail as if working from a fresh, raw slate.

但是，使用此选择要意识到一个障碍：要获得最终结果会花费更多时间，因为您必须像输入新鲜的原始石板一样输入每个细节。

在大多数情况下使用相等的感知空间 (Using Equal-Perceived Space in Most Cases)

Though we will get into different manual kerning options, perception is established as a process within our common work cycle. It deals with the art of “finding equality” between letters. Perception is more important than the actual measurement of spaces. What we discovered is that the shape and irregular patterns of some letters can make words seem like there’s less or more space between each part. We have to adjust for this — and the adjustment is made by using the eye, not a ruler.

尽管我们将采用不同的手动字距调整选项，但感知是我们共同工作周期中的一个过程。 它涉及在字母之间“寻找平等”的艺术。 感知比实际测量空间更重要。 我们发现，某些字母的形状和不规则图案会使单词看起来每个部分之间的空间越来越少。 我们必须对此进行调整，并且调整是使用眼睛而不是尺子进行的。

In some typography, for example, you can find an “uppercase T” with its right-wing hanging well over the letter that follows it. The overall design that’s being worked on is the deciding factor for your decision, but the closing of space in this manner may lead to the entire sequence finding its balance. We can only know this through the end effect. The result of your spacing and the flow of your typography is more important than the mathematical distance that each letter stands at.

例如，在某些字体中，您可以找到“大写字母T”，其右翼很好地悬挂在其后的字母上方。 正在进行的总体设计是您做出决定的决定因素，但是以这种方式关闭空间可能会导致整个序列找到平衡。 我们只能通过最终效果知道这一点。 间距和排版流程的结果比每个字母所代表的数学距离更重要。

The core shapes that you will work with are A, O and H. These create the basic combination of angles, curves and straight lines that can be difficult to manage at times. Leaving your kerning to the default settings of your software is likely to cause problems because of basic patterns. You certainly won’t achieve a personal touch if you leave the settings as they are.

您将使用的核心形状是A，O和H。它们创建了角度，曲线和直线的基本组合，有时可能难以管理。 由于基本模式，将字距调整保留为软件的默认设置可能会导致问题。 如果将设置保持原样，您肯定不会获得个人风格。

如何掌握字距调整 (How to Master Kerning)

If you’re new to kerning, it’s probably pretty apparent by now that it’s not a straightforward practice. It’s time-consuming, complex and can even take the most experienced designers a bit of time before it becomes second nature to them. But have peace of mind knowing that as you practice, you’ll slowly start to master all the nuances of kerning. And soon, the challenges won’t feel as challenging. These are two ways to begin mastering kerning:

如果您是字距调整的新手，那么现在这可能已经很明显了，这不是一个简单的练习。 这是耗时，复杂的，甚至可能要花一些时间才能使最有经验的设计师成为他们的第二天性。 但请放心，在您练习时，您将慢慢开始掌握字距调整的所有细微差别。 很快，挑战将不再具有挑战性。 这是开始掌握字距调整的两种方法：

Know what letters are trickier to kern

知道哪些字母更难掌握

Letters that take up more space are more difficult to kern because they create challenges when put next to other upper or lowercase letters. Diagonal sided uppercase letters (A, W, Y) are the most problematic, but so are letters that have larger arms (F) or crossbars (T). The most common letter combinations that need kerning at larger sizes are: AW, VA, Fa, LV, Wa, AD and AT. But that doesn’t mean that lowercase letters don’t require just as much attention as uppercase letters can. As you practice, you’ll begin to understand how to kern pairs of rounded letters (like “oo”), straight-sided letters (like “in”) or a combination of both (like “on”).

占用更多空间的字母更难区分，因为它们在与其他大写或小写字母相邻时会带来挑战。 对角边的大写字母(A，W，Y)是最有问题的，但是具有较大的手臂(F)或横线(T)的字母也是最有问题的。 需要较大字距调整的最常见字母组合为：AW，VA，Fa，LV，Wa，AD和AT。 但这并不意味着小写字母不需要大写字母那么多的关注。 在练习时，您将开始了解如何区分成对的圆角字母(如“ oo”)，直角字母(如“ in”)或二者的组合(如“ on”)。

But what about in instances where letters are straight-sided and rounded? These letters (b, g, q) can be frustrating to kern depending on how early you are in your practice. A good rule of thumb is to practice kerning in groups of three. Not only does it help ease the process, but it also distracts you from the meaning of the word or phrase you’re kerning.

但是，如果字母是直角和圆形的，该怎么办？ 这些字母(b，g，q)可能令人沮丧，取决于您练习的时间有多早。 一个好的经验法则是每三个练习一组字距调整。 它不仅有助于简化流程，而且还使您无法专心处理字词或短语的意思。

Don’t focus on a word’s meaning

不要只关注单词的意思

When you put so much time into a project, it’s sometimes hard to turn the creative side of your brain off to focus on design techniques like kerning. You chose certain fonts or words for a reason, but what if the meaning of those words negatively influenced the end result of your design? It can — and does — happen more frequently than designers realize. In psychology, it’s called priming. It’s when the mind makes associates with certain words or phrases. In design, this can affect the way a designer kerns type (and they don’t even realize they’re doing it).

当您在项目中投入大量时间时，有时很难将大脑的创造力转移到专注于字距调整等设计技术上。 您选择某些字体或单词是有原因的，但是如果这些单词的含义对设计的最终结果产生负面影响，该怎么办？ 它可能并且确实比设计人员意识到的发生得更频繁。 在心理学中， 这称为启动 。 这是头脑使某些单词或短语与他人联系的时候。 在设计中，这可能会影响设计人员的键入方式(他们甚至没有意识到自己正在这样做)。

For example, if you are kerning the word “small,” you might feel the need to kern it tighter because of your association with the meaning of the word. Global Managing Director of Shillington Education, Anthony Wood, provides a solution for this:

例如，如果您要紧缩单词“ small”(小)，您可能会因为与单词的含义相关联而感到更紧缩。 希灵顿教育全球董事总经理Anthony Wood为此提供了一个解决方案：

Try and view the words as just shapes so you can focus on the spaces created by the letters. A simple trick of turning the page upside down can help you focus. Instead of seeing the word for its meaning, you’ll see it for its spacing.

尝试将单词看作只是形状，以便您可以专注于字母创建的空间。 将页面上下颠倒的简单技巧可以帮助您集中精力。 与其看到单词的含义，不如看到它的间距。

If something as seemingly small as perfecting the spacing between letters excites you, you know you’re a graphic designer. While kerning can be a complex process to master, bringing perfect kerning together with all of the other elements of design is how you achieve a complete, harmonious project. Great kerning can make type sing and if you’d like to practice, here is a fun kerning game you can play!

如果看起来像使字母之间的间距完美的小东西使您兴奋，那么您知道您是一名平面设计师。 虽然字距调整可能是一个复杂的过程，但完美的字距调整与所有其他设计元素结合在一起是您完成完整，和谐的项目的方式。 大字距可以使型唱歌，如果你想练习， 这里是一个有趣的游戏字距可以玩！

Header image by #ShilloNY teacher Nikita Prokhorov.

#ShilloNY老师Nikita Prokhorov的标题图片。

For more typographic resources, check out this list of typography terms and rules to follow. And if you’re curious about the typefaces that we think will be big this year, take a look at our top 20 font picks.

有关更多印刷资源， 请查看 此印刷术术语和规则列表。 如果您对我们认为今年会流行的字体感到好奇，请查看我们的 前20个 字体精选。

Thinking about launching a new career? Find out more about our graphic design course and how you can become a designer in just 3 months full-time or 9 months part-time.

想开始新的职业？ 了解有关我们的 图形设计课程的 更多信息， 以及如何在短短3个月的全职工作或9个月的兼职工作中成为一名设计师。