design.vecreal.com / workshop / V-to-e tightening · round 13
Brand reference · workshop · round 13 · 2026-05-12
V-to-e tightening — R4-Bw needs more compression to match Bhm interlock
Operator caught: "going back to R4-Bw undid some of the tightening we had on the V to the e." Math confirms — while R4-Bw and R4-Bhm share identical outer geometry, R4-Bw has a wider inner V at top (0.28u wider opening). That makes V's right-side mass feel less dense, so the same -0.12em V-to-e reads as more spacious. Testing -0.13em with proportional dot tightening to match the r11 symmetric-compression precedent.
V-to-e tightening with proportional dot ml — three variants
| Variant | V-to-e | Dot ml | Total tightening from rev-3 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | -0.11em | calc(0.03em + 2px) | 0 | rev-3 baseline (for reference) |
| B | -0.12em | calc(0.02em + 2px) | -0.02em | r11 lock candidate (current) |
| C ★ | -0.13em | calc(0.01em + 2px) | -0.04em | r13 proposed (tighter, symmetric) |
System held: V geometry R4-Bw @ y=33 (locked r11) + V+dot translateY 0.015em (locked r12 — V apex slightly above baseline, dot below, symmetric lift/descent) + Bold 700 + tracking -0.04em + V height 0.66em + dot 0.23em.
Section A · V-to-e at 80 px (marketing display)
Three variants stacked. Look at "V" / "e" interlock and "l" / "." gap simultaneously. The proportional dot tightening keeps the wordmark symmetrically compressed.
Section B · V-to-e at 140 px (display)
The closest-inspection size where small spacing differences read most clearly.
Three V-to-e variants at 140 px
Section C · V-to-e at 200 px (hero)
Hero size. At this scale 0.01em of margin shift = 2 px — clearly visible.
Section D · Small size sanity check — 24 / 32 / 48 px
At small sizes the 0.01em differences become sub-pixel. All three variants should render nearly identically below 48 px — verify legibility.
Spec summary + final lock decision
What's actually happening
R4-Bw + -0.12em reads spacier than R4-Bhm + -0.12em did. Same outer geometry, same V-to-e margin — but R4-Bw's inner V is 0.28u wider at the top. The right edge of V's clay mass at "e" x-height is in the same place, but the V's overall feel is less dense / more spread.
Compensating with -0.13em + proportional dot ml. The proportional rule from r11 says tighten both sides symmetrically — that's why dot ml shifts from calc(0.02em+2px) to calc(0.01em+2px) in the same step. Total compression from rev-3 baseline: -0.04em (was -0.02em at r11 lock).
Verdict: yes, tighten to C (-0.13em / calc(0.01em+2px)). The r13 variant brings R4-Bw's interlock back to the perception you had with R4-Bhm at -0.12em. Same visual density of compression, just achieved through different combination of geometry + margin.
If C feels too tight at 200 px hero (the most sensitive scale), drop back to B (-0.12em). But the wider-inner-V argument suggests C should read cleaner.
Final lock decision — call one:
A · -0.11em + calc(0.03em+2px) — keep rev-3 spacing (looser)
B · -0.12em + calc(0.02em+2px) — keep r11 lock (current)
C · -0.13em + calc(0.01em+2px) — r13 tighter ★ recommended
Once locked, rev-11 SVG regen runs with the FULL final spec:
R4-Bw @ y=33 + Bold 700 + tracking -0.04em + V height 0.66em +
translateY 0.015em coupled + dot 0.23em + locked V-to-e and dot ml.
Vecreal · brand workshop · 2026-05-12 · v-to-e tightening (round 13)