Which technique is commonly used to adjust the visual weight of text?

The technique that is commonly used to adjust the visual weight of text is kerning. Kerning refers to the adjustment of space between individual characters in a word to create a more visually appealing and readable piece of text. By modifying the distance between letters, designers can affect how balanced and cohesive the text appears, thereby influencing its overall visual weight.

For instance, if letters are spaced too far apart, the text may seem disjointed or light; conversely, letters that are too close together can appear cramped and heavy. Proper kerning helps in harmonizing the text, enhancing legibility, and conveying the intended message more effectively.

Other options like color matching, leading, and contrast adjustment serve different purposes in typography and design. Color matching focuses more on aligning colors across elements to create a visual consistency. Leading pertains to the vertical spacing between lines of text, which affects readability but does not impact the visual weight of individual characters in the same way that kerning does. Contrast adjustment deals with the differences between elements, such as lightness and darkness or color variance, rather than the spacing between letters. Therefore, kerning is the definitive technique for adjusting the visual weight of text.