watch the space in between letters northwestern

WATCH THE SPACE IN BETWEEN LETTERS NORTHWESTERN FULL

The text on the SOURCE logo located outside The Daily’s office on the third floor of Norris tracks out widely, and this makes symbolic sense.

WATCH THE SPACE IN BETWEEN LETTERS NORTHWESTERN FULL

If you track a word out too long, it reads very slowly, while if you track a word out too short, it resembles a television screen full of static. This seems like an incredible tool in theory, but tracking has to be done carefully so that you don’t make the word t o o h a r d to read. Tracking is defined as the amount of space between each letter for an entire segment of text - so a line can be tracked l o n g or short to fill exactly the allotted space on the page. This magic is only possible because designers at The Daily adjust the “tracking” of the body text.

You’ll notice that the body text for every story in a copy of The Daily fills exactly the amount of space that it needs to: Every reporter’s email is always on the last possible line it could be printed. I hope this series will reveal the powerful ways fonts can redefine arguments and dramatically change a text’s meaning. I’m the former creative director at The Daily, and I’m writing a new series of columns about how typography subtly and thoroughly pervades our lives.

Watch the space in between letters northwestern