Font kerning: Understanding kerning
Kerning refers to the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font. It is a crucial aspect of creating aesthetically pleasing and readable text. In modern design, digital fonts function similarly to traditional typesetting, where each letter is surrounded by an invisible box, emphasizing the importance of adjusting letter spacing to achieve a polished look in projects involving large, visible text. However, in the context of cybersecurity, kerning takes on a different, yet equally significant role. This article will delve into the depths of kerning, exploring its origins, its applications in cybersecurity, and the various techniques and considerations involved in its implementation.
While kerning might seem like a simple concept on the surface, it is a complex and nuanced field that requires a deep understanding of both typography and the digital landscape. The importance of kerning in cybersecurity is often overlooked, but it is a critical component in the fight against cyber threats. This post will cover everything about kerning, shedding light on its many facets and intricacies.
What is kerning?
Definition and importance
Kerning is the process of adjusting the space between individual characters in a font to achieve a visually pleasing and harmonious appearance. This meticulous adjustment is essential in typography, as it can significantly impact both the readability and aesthetic appeal of text. Proper kerning ensures that the spacing between characters looks natural and balanced, which is particularly important for large, highly visible text such as headlines, logos, and titles. When done correctly, kerning can make a substantial difference in the overall appearance of the text, enhancing its visual impact and making it more engaging for the reader.
History of kerning
The concept of kerning originated in print typography, where it was used to adjust the spacing between characters to create visually balanced and harmonious text. The term ‘kerning’ comes from the French word ‘carnet’, meaning ‘to notch’. In the early days of printing, kerning was a manual process, with typographers painstakingly adjusting each character by hand to achieve the desired effect.
With the advent of digital typography, kerning has become a much more precise and automated process. Modern design software allows designers to adjust kerning with pixel-level accuracy, enabling them to create text that is both beautiful and highly readable. Furthermore, modern font files allow for precise kerning adjustments, facilitating changes to the kerning table if the font license permits it. However, the principles of kerning remain the same, with the goal being to create text that flows naturally and is pleasing to the eye. High-quality fonts typically come with numerous kern pairs to automate the kerning process, making it easier to adjust letter spacing effectively, especially in larger text formats.
The role of font kerning in typography
Kerning plays a crucial role in typography, affecting both the aesthetics and readability of text. By adjusting the spacing between characters, font kerning can help to create a balanced and harmonious layout, making the text more visually appealing. Additionally, proper kerning adjusts the spaces between individual pairs of letters, improving readability by ensuring that characters are spaced in a way that is natural and easy to read.
However, kerning is not a one-size-fits-all process. Different typefaces and font sizes require different kerning adjustments, and what works well for one piece of text may not work for another. Therefore, kerning is often a process of trial and error, requiring a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of typography. Kerning settings can be adjusted using metrics kerning, which utilizes pre-defined spacing built into fonts, optical kerning, which adjusts spacing based on character shapes, and manual kerning, where designers customize spacing according to their specific project needs.
Types of kerning
Manual vs. automatic Kerning
There are two main types of kerning: manual and automatic. Manual kerning involves adjusting the space between individual letter pairs manually, using software or design tools. This approach allows for precise control over the kerning process, enabling designers to fine-tune the spacing to achieve the desired visual effect. However, manual kerning can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of typography.
On the other hand, automatic kerning uses algorithms and pre-defined kerning pairs to adjust the space between characters. This approach is faster and more efficient, as it relies on the kerning tables embedded in the font file to make adjustments. While automatic kerning can save time and effort, it may not always produce optimal results, especially for custom or unique typefaces. Designers often need to combine both manual and automatic kerning techniques to achieve the best possible outcome.
Kerning in cybersecurity
In the context of cybersecurity, kerning takes on a different, yet equally important role. Cybercriminals often use kerning to disguise malicious links or to create convincing phishing emails. By adjusting the spacing between characters, they can make a malicious link look like a legitimate one, tricking users into clicking on it and potentially compromising their security.
For example, a cybercriminal might use kerning to make the URL 'www.badsite.com' look like 'www.goodsite.com'. By adjusting the spacing between the 'b' and the 'a' in 'badsite', they can make the 'b' look like a 'g', tricking the user into thinking they are clicking on a safe link. This is just one example of how kerning can be used in cybersecurity, and there are many other potential applications.
Preventing kerning attacks
Preventing kerning attacks is a complex task, requiring both technological solutions and user education. On the technological side, software can be developed to detect and block kerning attacks, preventing malicious links from reaching users in the first place. This software can be integrated into email clients, web browsers, and other applications where users might encounter malicious links.
On the user education side, it's important to teach users about the dangers of kerning attacks and how to spot them. This can involve teaching users to carefully inspect URLs before clicking on them, and to be wary of links that look suspicious or out of place. Additionally, users can be taught to use secure browsing practices, such as only visiting trusted websites and using secure, encrypted connections whenever possible.
Techniques and considerations in kerning
There are many techniques and considerations involved in kerning, both in the realms of typography and cybersecurity. In typography, kerning involves adjusting the spacing between characters to create visually balanced and readable text. This requires a deep understanding of typography and an eye for detail, as well as a thorough knowledge of the specific typeface being used. Developing kerning expertise through practice and exposure is crucial, including working with kerning pairs, getting outside input, and utilizing kerning games and tutorials.
In cybersecurity, kerning involves disguising malicious links or creating convincing phishing emails. This requires a thorough understanding of the digital landscape and the ways in which users interact with it, as well as knowledge of the specific tactics and techniques used by cybercriminals. Both of these aspects of kerning require a high level of skill and expertise, making it a complex and challenging field.
Manual kerning techniques
There are many techniques involved in kerning in typography. Kerning values are applied to letter pairs as a number by which the default character spacing should be increased or decreased. One of the most basic techniques is adjusting the spacing between individual characters, known as letter spacing, which adjusts spacing uniformly over a range of characters. This can be done manually, by moving characters closer together or further apart, or automatically, using software that adjusts the spacing based on predefined kerning tables. Manual kerning allows for meticulous adjustments and fine-tuning, offering a high level of control to achieve aesthetically pleasing results.
Besides manual kerning, another technique is adjusting the spacing between specific pairs of characters, known as letter pairs. Some pairs of characters naturally fit together more closely than others, and adjusting the spacing between these pairs can improve the overall balance and harmony of the text. Metric kerning relies on pre-set values in kerning tables, while optical kerning adjusts spaces based on visual perception. Optical kerning requires a deep understanding of the specific typeface being used, as well as an eye for detail. OpenType fonts utilize kerning tables that support class-based kerning, making them economical and efficient. When dealing with different letter shapes, straight letters often require more space when paired together compared to rounded letters, highlighting the importance of understanding these relationships for consistent visual spacing.
Optical kerning emphasizes visual judgment in adjusting the spacing between letters. Poor kerning can result in awkward gaps and visual tension, distracting readers and impairing reading speed and comprehension. The kerning principles for round letters and straight-edged letters should be applied to achieve consistent visual spacing. Tighter kerning is important for larger, display text to maintain legibility.
Cybersecurity techniques
As mentioned, in cybersecurity, kerning techniques often involve disguising malicious links or creating convincing phishing emails. One common technique is adjusting the spacing between characters in a URL to make a malicious link look like a legitimate one. This can be done manually, by moving characters closer together or further apart, or automatically, using software that adjusts the letter spacing based on predefined kerning tables.
Another technique is creating convincing phishing emails by adjusting the kerning in the email text. By making the text look professional and well-designed, cybercriminals can trick users into thinking the email is legitimate and clicking on malicious links. This technique requires a deep understanding of the digital landscape and the ways in which users interact with it, as well as a thorough knowledge of the specific tactics and techniques used by cybercriminals. Additionally, word kerning, which changes the kerning value only between a specific word's first character and the word space preceding it, can be used in text composition software to further refine the appearance of phishing emails.
Tracking vs. kerning: What’s the difference?
Key differences and applications
Tracking and kerning are two related but distinct concepts in typography. Tracking refers to the uniform adjustment of space between characters in a line of text, affecting the overall spacing and density of the text block. It is often used to change the appearance of a paragraph or a block of text, making it tighter or more open.
Kerning, on the other hand, focuses on the adjustment of space between individual letter pairs. This fine-tuning is crucial for achieving a balanced and harmonious appearance, especially in display text where the relationship between specific characters can greatly impact readability and aesthetics.
Understanding the difference between tracking and kerning is crucial for effective typography. While tracking adjusts the overall spacing of text, kerning fine-tunes the spacing between specific letter pairs. Both techniques are essential for creating visually appealing and readable text, and knowing when to use each can greatly enhance the quality of your typographic designs.
Future of kerning
The future of kerning is likely to be shaped by advances in technology and the evolving digital landscape. In the realm of typography, advances in design software and digital printing technologies are likely to make kerning a more precise and automated process, while the increasing importance of digital media is likely to make kerning an even more critical aspect of design.
In the realm of cybersecurity, the increasing sophistication of cyber threats is likely to make kerning an even more important tool in the fight against cybercrime. As cybercriminals become more adept at using kerning to disguise malicious links and create convincing phishing emails, it will become increasingly important for cybersecurity professionals to understand and counter these techniques.
Technological advances in kerning adjustments
Advances in technology are likely to have a significant impact on the future of kerning. In the realm of typography, advances in design software are likely to make kerning a more precise and automated process. For example, future design software might include advanced kerning algorithms that automatically adjust the spacing between characters to create visually balanced and readable text.
In the realm of cybersecurity, advances in technology are likely to make it easier to detect and block kerning attacks. For example, future cybersecurity software might include advanced detection algorithms that can identify kerning attacks and block them before they reach users. This could significantly reduce the risk of kerning attacks and help to protect users from cyber threats.
Digital landscape
The evolving digital landscape is also likely to have a significant impact on the future of kerning. As more and more communication moves online, kerning will become an increasingly important aspect of digital design. This will require designers to have a deep understanding of kerning and the ability to apply it effectively in a digital context. In contemporary digital design, digital fonts function similarly to traditional typesetting, where each letter is surrounded by an invisible box, making the adjustment of letter spacing crucial for achieving a polished look in projects involving large, visible text.
In terms of cybersecurity, the increasing sophistication of cyber threats is likely to make kerning an even more important tool in the fight against cybercrime. As cybercriminals become more adept at using kerning to disguise malicious links and create convincing phishing emails, it will become increasingly important for cybersecurity professionals to understand and counter these techniques.
Conclusion
Kerning is a complex and nuanced field that plays a crucial role in both typography and cybersecurity. In typography, kerning is used to create visually balanced and readable text, while in cybersecurity, it is used to disguise malicious links and create convincing phishing emails. Understanding kerning is therefore crucial for both designers and cybersecurity professionals.
As technology advances and the digital landscape evolves, kerning is likely to become an even more important aspect of both fields. Designers will need to master the art of kerning in a digital context, while cybersecurity professionals will need to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals who are using kerning to carry out their attacks. Despite the challenges, the future of kerning looks bright, with many exciting developments on the horizon.
This post has been updated on 13-01-2025 by Sofie Meyer.

About the author
Sofie Meyer is a copywriter and phishing aficionado here at Moxso. She has a master´s degree in Danish and a great interest in cybercrime, which resulted in a master thesis project on phishing.