this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2025
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[–] Satellaview@lemmy.zip 12 points 8 months ago

And here I thought I was just being weirdly picky about this!

…Well, I mean, it’s still probably weirdly picky, but now I’m part of a tradition of being weirdly picky about it!

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I love when these patterns are naturally occurring. Didn't know they had a name. Cool.

[–] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 5 points 8 months ago

Also, one should apparently fight them with nail and teeth

[–] troglodyte_mignon@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

I didn’t know the English word for that. I like it, it’s kind of poetic.

[–] Unleaded8163@fedia.io 5 points 8 months ago

Just Savage:

A carefully composed text page appears as an orderly series of strips of black separated by horizontal channels of white space. Conversely, in a slovenly setting the tendency is for the page to appear as a grey and muddled pattern of isolated spats, this effect being caused by the over-widely separated words. The normal, easy, left-to-right movement of the eye is slowed simply because of this separation; further, the short letters and serifs are unable to discharge an important function—that of keeping the eye on "the line". The eye also tends to be confused by a feeling of vertical emphasis, that is, an up & down movement, induced by the relative isolation of the words & consequent insistence of the ascending and descending letters. This movement is further emphasized by those "rivers" of white which are the inseparable & ugly accompaniment of all carelessly set text matter.[7]

[–] silverchase@sh.itjust.works 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Me and my homies hate justified alignment

[–] Hjalamanger@feddit.nu 5 points 8 months ago

Nah, it looks cool up until you go to actually read the text

Also, this can happen with unjustified text

[–] Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 8 months ago
[–] tonytins@pawb.social 3 points 8 months ago

This explains so much.

[–] salvaria@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 8 months ago

Does anyone else unironically love when this happens??