Light-on-Dark Text Needs Three Fixes
MUST: Compensate light-on-dark type on all three axes at once — `line-height` +0.05 to +0.1, `letter-spacing` +0.01em to +0.02em, and optionally one step of body weight — because light glyphs optically bloom. One type spec cannot serve both themes.
Compensate light-on-dark type on line-height, letter-spacing, and weight, not just one
Bad
Good
Why it matters
Light glyphs on a dark field optically bloom: the bright strokes spill into the surrounding dark, so the same type reads heavier and tighter than it does inverted. The concrete remedy is all three axes at once - line-height up by 0.05 to 0.1, letter-spacing up by 0.01em to 0.02em, and optionally one step of body weight - because fixing only one leaves the block feeling wrong without telling you why. Ship a single type spec for both themes and one of the two is always mis-set.