Briem’s notes on type design: How to imitate spacing¶
Study good work. You can learn a lot (as I mentioned in the section about decisions.)
There are many approaches to good spacing. They change with the times. Individual tastes play a part, too. Here’s an example.
![](https://i.fontlab.com/fl8/briem/gif/briem-5-06-f-baskerv.gif)
These are the sidebearings of the Baskerville letter f.
![](https://i.fontlab.com/fl8/briem/gif/briem-5-06-f-zapf.gif)
The right sidebearing of the same letter in Zapf International is wider.
To demonstrate the difference, I borrowed sidebearings from two designs and used them to respace Times Roman. Here are the results.
![](https://i.fontlab.com/fl8/briem/gif/briem-5-06-times-baskerv.gif)
This is Times with sidebearings from Baskerville. The approach is classical, the spacing loose.
![](https://i.fontlab.com/fl8/briem/gif/briem-5-06-times-zapf.gif)
And here’s is Times with the sidebearings of Zapf International. The spacing is tight, the approach modern.
If you’re in doubt about your own spacing, take a look at designs you admire and trust. Trying their sidebearings may help you make up your mind.
Notes on type design. Copyright © 1998, 2001, 2022 Gunnlaugur SE Briem. All rights reserved. Republished with permission in 2022 by Fontlab Ltd.