Nudging an icon slightly off its mathematical centre so it looks correctly centred to the eye. Shapes like triangles or arrows need this because measured centring can appear lopsided.
Synonyms
- optical centring
- visual alignment
Related terms
In plain words
- shifting an icon so it looks centred
- fixing an icon that looks off-centre even when it's measured centre
Usage example
The play triangle was pushed a couple of pixels right for optical alignment so it looked centred in the round button.
Don't confuse with…
- optical sizeOptical alignment adjusts position so a shape looks centred; optical size adjusts a design so it reads well at a particular scale.
Categories
- Iconography