Optimize Brand Typography with CorelDRAW Kerning

Kerning is the process of adjusting the proportional space between specific pairs of characters to achieve optical balance and readability. In brand typography, default metric kerning often introduces distracting visual gaps or overlaps, particularly at large display sizes such as in logos, headlines, and billboard signage. This guide outlines the essential letter pairings that require manual correction and details the exact techniques to execute optical kerning pair adjustments inside CorelDRAW.

High-Priority Kerning Pairs to Audit

Certain character geometries consistently create irregular negative space. When establishing a visual identity, audit these common problem pairings:

  • Slanted Letter Combinations: Glyphs with diagonal strokes—such as A, V, W, and Y—leave large triangular voids when placed next to each other or straight-sided letters. Prioritize pairs like Av, Aw, Ay, Va, Ve, Wa, and Ya.
  • Overhanging Uppercase: Characters with wide crossbars or top-heavy forms—such as T, F, and P—create visual breaks before lowercase letters or punctuation. Focus on Ta, Te, To, Tr, Tu, P., and F..
  • Straight and Round Transitions: Transitions between vertical stems and curved characters—such as H with O, or O with T—can read as uneven. Ensure To, Do, and Lo maintain optically uniform distance.
  • Punctuation Pairs: Apostrophes, quotation marks, periods, and hyphens often sit too far from capital letters, particularly in combinations like L’, T., P., or W-.

Methods for Adjusting Kerning in CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW provides multiple methods to adjust character spacing, ranging from broad OpenType settings to precise, pair-level manual shifts.

1. Enable Built-In Pair Kerning

Before making manual overrides, confirm that CorelDRAW is reading the font's embedded kerning table:

  1. Select the text frame using the Pick Tool.
  2. Open the Text docker by pressing Ctrl + T.
  3. Expand the Character section.
  4. Ensure the Pair Kerning checkbox is enabled. This applies the type designer’s pre-programmed spacing rules.

2. Manual Keyboard Kerning Between Specific Pairs

For display typography and logomarks, automated kerning rarely suffices. To manually kern a specific pair:

  1. Select the Text Tool (F8).
  2. Click between the two characters requiring adjustment.
  3. Hold Ctrl + Alt and press the Left Arrow to tighten spacing, or the Right Arrow to loosen spacing.
  4. Alternatively, use the Character Shift fields inside the Text Properties docker to input exact numerical values for horizontal offset.

3. Visual Kerning with the Shape Tool

CorelDRAW allows direct visual manipulation of individual character placements:

  1. Select the Shape Tool (F10).
  2. Click the text block. Each letter displays an individual node at its lower-left corner.
  3. Click the node of the character you wish to move.
  4. Drag the character horizontally to manually balance the negative space, or use the keyboard arrow keys for fine, nudged adjustments.

Best Practices for Brand Polish

  • The Inversion Check: Rotate your logotype upside down (180 degrees) using the Property Bar. Inverting the typography strips away semantic meaning and allows you to judge character spacing purely as abstract shapes and volume of negative space.
  • Test at Scale Extremes: Check kerning adjustments at 16 pixels (favicon scale) and 500 points (signage scale). A kerning pair that looks cohesive at billboard size can become illegibly cramped at small print sizes.
  • Convert Approved Text to Curves: Once kerning is finalized for static brand assets such as master logo files, convert the typography to vector curves by selecting the text and pressing Ctrl + Q. This eliminates the risk of kerning shifts caused by missing fonts, platform variations, or different rendering engines across vendor workflows.