Have you ever looked at two designs side by side, and instantly felt that one just looks better than the other? You can almost always tell which one is more polished, but most of us can’t explain why the better one works. As designers, we spend years trying to figure out that “why” – hours diving deep into typography, spacing, alignment, and everything in between. But what if you didn’t have to spend all that time and could skip ahead by learning a few tried-and-tested tricks? That’s what we’re here to do today. I’m going to share six practical UI hacks that can instantly elevate your design game, focusing on text and spacing. Let’s make sure you don’t fall into the same design traps I did when I started out!
Typography isn’t just about picking a cool font and running with it. A good design involves understanding the subtleties that make text easier to read and visually pleasing, and line height is one of the quickest ways to transform your layout. So, what is line height? It’s the space between text lines, and adjusting it can take your design from cluttered to clean in seconds.
Take a look at the pros like Google, Dropbox, and Uber – they all use a line height of around 1.2x to 1.5x the text size for headings and 1.4x to 1.5x for body text. The larger the font, the smaller the line height, which keeps things neat. So, a rule of thumb: aim for 1.1x to 1.3x the text size for headings and 1.3x to 1.5x for body text. Trust me, this tiny adjustment will make your designs feel polished.
Oh, and remember to avoid cramming too much space or too little. Otherwise, your design might either look like it’s suffocating or, well, like it just woke up from a nap in the 2000s. We’ve all been there.
If you want your design to have that sharp, professional look, pay attention to letter spacing (also called kerning). This is the space between individual characters in a piece of text. Tighten this up, especially in headings, and you’ll notice your design instantly becomes crisp. Think of it as giving your text a snappy haircut – suddenly, it’s sleek, bold, and refined.
A little secret: most well-designed headings use negative letter spacing. Yes, negative! While body text should keep a neutral or positive spacing for readability, headings can handle tighter spacing without losing clarity. Start with -1% to -2% letter spacing for headings and adjust according to the font you’re using. It’s a small tweak that packs a punch.
Just be careful: if you go too negative, your text might look like it’s in a hurry to squish together. And for body text, don’t even think about it. Keep it wide and readable, like a nice stroll in the park.
Alignment seems simple enough, right? But get it wrong, and your design can go from polished to chaotic in a heartbeat. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is mixing different alignments within the same section of text. For example, if your heading is center-aligned, your body text should not be left-aligned, and vice versa.
When it comes to body text, stick to left alignment for anything longer than three lines. Center alignment can work wonders for headings or short text blocks, but longer sections? That’s a recipe for frustration. Every time the reader’s eyes move from one line to the next, they’ll struggle to find the starting point again, and reading becomes a chore. Do you want your user to work harder to read your text? Didn’t think so.
In summary: stick to one alignment for each section of your design, especially if it’s a long chunk of text. No remixing!
Now, imagine you open a webpage and see a single line of text stretching across the entire screen like an endless highway. Feels daunting, doesn’t it? That’s because long lines of text can be overwhelming. According to a UX study by the Baymard Institute, users tend to avoid reading lengthy lines of text because they feel intimidating.
So how do we avoid turning away readers? Keep your text width under control. Ideally, your body text should fall between 50 to 75 characters per line – it’s a sweet spot that’s easy on the eyes. On a desktop screen, this typically translates to a width of around 600 pixels. This also has a direct impact on conversion rates. Too long, and your audience may not absorb important information – and that could mean fewer clicks, fewer sales, and more unhappy clients. Nobody wants that!
Ever find yourself going wild with font sizes to create hierarchy in your designs? I get it. It’s tempting to throw in a different size for every heading and subheading, but it can quickly spiral out of control, leaving your design feeling random and disjointed.
Here’s the fix: stick to just two font sizes, one for your headings and one for your body text. Instead of going crazy with sizes, use font weights and subtle color differences to create hierarchy. For example, bold your headings or use a slightly darker or lighter color to make them stand out. This keeps everything clean and professional while still conveying a clear hierarchy.
Remember, less is more. Overcomplicating your font sizes is like trying to win a race with 12 different cars. It’s unnecessary, and it’ll probably just cause a traffic jam (in your design, that is).
Space in design is like the awkward silence in a conversation – most beginners try to avoid it. But in UI, space isn’t awkward; it’s essential. Without enough space, your text elements will look cramped, and users won’t know where to focus.
When I talk about space, I’m not just talking about margins or padding. I’m referring to the invisible relationships between different elements. For instance, a heading should always be closer to the text it introduces, not to the block of text above it. One way to approach this is by using multiples of the same value for spacing. For example, if you use 16px between a heading and its associated body text, use 32px between that heading and the unrelated body text above it. This creates a structured, harmonious layout that’s easy to follow.
Design legend John Maeda once said, “Whitespace is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background.” That means spacing should be as intentional as your typography, images, and buttons.
Design isn’t just about flashy visuals or complex animations – it’s about making things clear, readable, and enjoyable to use. By mastering these six UI hacks, you can elevate your design game instantly and create layouts that not only look good but feel good. And remember, design is a journey. The pros you admire now were once beginners who fumbled through typography and alignment too. So, take these hacks, apply them, and watch your work transform.
And hey, next time you see an overcrowded, misaligned design, don’t just know that it looks bad – understand why!
