![thumb Leading](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/thumb11.jpg)
What is leading?
Leading — pronounced ledding — is the spacing between lines of type. Leading was traditionally measured in points (just like fonts). The term originated with old-style letter presses, when type was set by hand. Lead strips were placed between lines of type to keep everything in perfect alignment. Since the advent of digital publishing, leading has frequently been confused with line-height. Line height is all of the space from one baseline — the imaginary plane on which letters such as 'a', 'x' and 'n' sit — to the next. Leading, by contrast, is the space from the bottom of a letter on one line, to the top of a letter on the next: it is literally the line height minus the text height. In digital typography, particularly web typography, the terms leading and line height are often used interchangeably. In CSS for example, there is no leading value, we use line-height instead. Whereas leading was once a physical, measurable value, it is now most commonly used as a concept: the visual impression of space between two lines. How leading is used in a block of text can affect readability. There is a fine line between type being too close together and too far apart. Either extreme can be tough on a reader’s eyes. Leading is all about altering the density of type. The key is understanding what message you intend for your type to convey and matching the leading accordingly.No perfect solution
![facebook Facebook](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/facebook.jpg)
Keep it tight
![branch Branch](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/branch.jpg)
![regenerate Regenerate Music co](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/regerate.jpg)
Loosen up
![onst Onst Creative](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/onst.jpg)
![alistapart Alistapart](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/listapart.jpg)
![blogges The Bloggess](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/blogges.jpg)
Background colors and leading
Color and contrast are especially important when choosing a line height. On dark backgrounds, you may want to use slightly more leading than you might on a lighter background to help alleviate a feeling of mass. Dark colors can add weight to your design as can tight leading, but choosing to use just one or the other you can create more balance. The same is true when using type of a color. Colors, other than black and dark grays, can add different amounts of weight to your design. Depending on the background color, some text can even have the appearance of bleeding onto the background — this happens for some people especially when reading red lettering on a white background. The addition of leading can help make these types of text more readable.Changing widths and leading
![happycog HappyCog](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2012/06/happycog.jpg)
Conclusion
Now that you are armed with a variety of leading tips and tools, where do you start? There is no checklist. Your best bet is to take a look at the type and see how it feels (use the good old-fashioned eye test). Let it sit for a while and come back to it again later. Do you still feel the same way about the text? Does the feeling you get match the feeling you have in mind for your site design? Note that this is most effective when the text block contains actual copy rather than placeholder text. You want to get a realistic view and placeholder options sometimes contain odd numbers of letters that aren’t used all that often in real copy. Play with it. Show your text design to someone else for extra opinions. Ask them how they feel about it. Also make sure to pair your text block with the rest of the elements in the design. This may not be the first step but sometimes putting it all together can create unintended effects. Make sure it passes the eye test again.Carrie Cousins
Carrie Cousins is a freelance writer with more than 10 years of experience in the communications industry, including writing for print and online publications, and design and editing. You can connect with Carrie on Twitter @carriecousins.
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