InType: Using White Space Characters

Ilene Strizver

This article appeared in Issue 84 of InDesign Magazine.

The long and sometimes mysterious list of options located under Type > Insert White Space (Figure 1) is frequently overlooked and quite often misunderstood by designers.

Figure 1: Who ever thought there could be so many ways to make space?

Not only are the characters’ meanings and usages unfamiliar to many, but the path to their navigation can be trying, due to the zigzaggy nature of the path you have to take to get to them. Also, as you can see from the menu, some of them have keyboard shortcuts, others don’t. But they are important and useful elements that should be known to every designer wanting to finesse their typography for the most professional results. I personally admit negligence in the use of white space characters, usually opting for the kerning or tracking feature. But in researching this article, I’ve come to find out this is not the best, nor I daresay the most professional, way to add space. The use of white space characters is considered to be the more elegant, professional solution, and will avoid the creation of overrides when using styles, which can be problematic later in the production process.