Tracking

트래킹

Uniformly adding or removing space between every letter in a run of text — CSS `letter-spacing`.

Also known as: 자간Letter-spacing
···
html
<div class="stage">
  <h2 id="txt">DESIGN ATLAS</h2>
  <div class="readout">letter-spacing <span id="val">0.00</span>em</div>
</div>
css
h2{margin:0;font:800 clamp(20px,7vmin,46px)/1.2 system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:var(--fg);text-align:center;white-space:nowrap}
.readout{margin-top:12px;font:12px/1 ui-monospace,Menlo,monospace;color:var(--muted);text-align:center}
#val{color:var(--accent);font-weight:700}
js
const t = document.getElementById('txt');
const v = document.getElementById('val');
const start = performance.now();
function loop(now){
  const p = (now - start) / 1800;
  const val = (Math.sin(p) * 0.5 + 0.5) * 0.42;
  t.style.letterSpacing = val.toFixed(3) + 'em';
  v.textContent = val.toFixed(2);
  requestAnimationFrame(loop);
}
requestAnimationFrame(loop);

Where kerning fixes one specific pair, tracking adds or removes the same amount of space across an entire word or sentence. Positive tracking on all-caps logotypes or headlines feels spacious and premium; too much negative tracking on small body text crowds letters together and hurts legibility.

In CSS, set `letter-spacing` in `em` so it scales proportionally with font size. A common range is `0.05em–0.15em` for all-caps headlines and `0.02em–0.05em` for small labels.

Widening tracking on small body copy breaks reading flow, so it's usually reserved for short, emphasised text — all-caps titles, labels, buttons.

When to use

Positive tracking for all-caps headlines, logos, and badge labels. Keep body paragraphs at the default (normal).