Why does the spacing between my logo letters look uneven?

Separate letter spacing from logo placement

Imagine a fictional brand named AVORA. Its symbol and wordmark sit in the correct place on a label, yet the space after the A looks much wider than the space near the O. Moving the whole logo will not fix that relationship. First determine whether the complaint concerns a specific pair, the entire name’s spacing, or the distance between symbol and name.

Adobe distinguishes kerning for character pairs from tracking for a block of text. This distinction provides the editing vocabulary. Our brand-review exercise starts with a plain wordmark at its actual reading size, without a mockup, shadow or decorative border competing for attention.

Make a pair-by-pair proof

Keep the chosen font, case, character shapes and overall presentation constant. Ask the designer to create a baseline and a second version changing only the suspect pairs. Identify them in a separate annotation rather than inserting review marks into the production name. Compare how the name reads as a word, not just whether two ruler measurements match.

These pairs are an illustrative exercise, not universal spacing instructions. Another font, weight or spelling requires its own review.

Build comparison A from the retained font, weight, case, type size and current spacing. In comparison B, change only the nominated pair, such as A–V. Keep tracking and symbol placement unchanged for that comparison. If the entire name needs adjustment, create a separate tracking comparison; otherwise two changed controls make the cause of the improvement unclear.

Adobe describes kerning and tracking as cumulative and relative to the type size. A numeric adjustment copied from another font or size is not a universal gap prescription. Record the actual font/version and editor settings available to the designer instead of asking for equal ruler gaps between differently shaped letters.

Check the intended reading conditions

Print the alternatives at the planned label size and place them in the actual storefront header. Ask reviewers to read the name before describing the spacing. A tightly packed version can look impressive on a large design board while becoming ambiguous on a small label. Reject collisions, lost letter distinction and a newly broken reading rhythm.

For AVORA, preserve the symbol and name size throughout the comparison. If a smaller application needs a separate approved wordmark version, name that version explicitly. Do not repeatedly tighten the master until every unrelated layout happens to fit. The purpose is a readable identity, not a minimum-width contest.

At the planned small label and storefront-header size, compare A and B without first telling reviewers which pair was changed. Ask what name they read and whether any letters collide or merge. Record the exact specimen and conditions; a few editorial observations are not a measured preference rate. If A–V improves but V–O becomes confusing after an additional global tracking change, inspect that second change separately.

Freeze the approved spacing in the handoff

Keep an editable typography master and a checked delivery copy using the agreed production format. Store a proof showing the approved spelling, pair adjustments, size and application. If the text remains live, confirm its font and spacing survive on the recipient’s system; if it becomes outlines, compare the resulting shapes with the approved proof.

CartVisual’s Logo studio can provide concept imagery, but it has no dedicated pair-kerning editor. Perform precise typography refinement in a suitable external editor. Use the live-type handoff guide for that delivery decision, and keep whole-logo optical placement as a separate approval.

Reopen the actual delivery copy in the recipient’s agreed workflow and compare it with the retained proof. A correct editable master does not prove a substituted font, outlined copy or raster export preserved its spacing. Keep the approved name, pair adjustments, size/application, source revision and delivered-file revision together. Preserve an editable master before outlining; do not overwrite the only adjustable source.