Text not centered perfectly in vertical direction, since the descendant of the font is slightly bigger

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05-10-2024

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Unlocking Vertical Centering: Taming the Descender Dilemma

The Problem: Ever encountered text that seems stubbornly off-center, despite your best efforts? You might be facing the "descender dilemma." This happens when a font's descending characters (like 'g', 'y', 'q') extend below the baseline, creating a visual imbalance.

Scenario: Imagine a button with the text "Submit." You've applied display: flex and align-items: center to center the text vertically. However, the "g" in "Submit" dips below the imaginary center line, making the text appear slightly off-balance.

Original Code:

<button>
  <span>Submit</span>
</button>

button {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  background-color: #4CAF50;
  color: white;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 5px;
}

Analysis: The issue lies in the nature of fonts. While align-items: center aims to center elements based on their bounding boxes, the "g" extends beyond this box, creating the visual distortion.

Solutions:

1. Line-height Adjustment: A common solution is to adjust the line-height property of the text container. Increasing the line-height can visually push the text upwards, compensating for the descenders.

   button span {
     line-height: 1.4; /* Adjust as needed */
   }
   

2. Font Selection: Carefully choose fonts that minimize descender impact. Some fonts have shorter descenders, resulting in less noticeable imbalance.

3. Vertical-Align Property: While less common, you can directly manipulate the vertical alignment using the vertical-align property. Setting it to middle can help achieve the desired centered appearance.

   button span {
     vertical-align: middle;
   }
   

Additional Considerations:

• Font Size: Larger font sizes will accentuate the descender issue. Adjust font sizes to find a balance between readability and visual centering.
• Text Content: The presence of multiple descenders in a word or phrase will amplify the problem.

Example:

<button>
  <span>Submit</span>
</button>

button {
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 10px 20px;
  background-color: #4CAF50;
  color: white;
  border: none;
  border-radius: 5px;
}

button span {
  line-height: 1.4; /* Adjust as needed */
}

Conclusion: Centering text with descenders can be tricky. By understanding the nuances of font design and applying appropriate CSS techniques, you can create visually balanced layouts that eliminate the "descender dilemma." Remember, experimentation is key - adjust your code and explore different font choices until you achieve the desired centered look.