Composition

Vertical Rhythm

Vertical rhythm is the repeated spacing pattern created by leading, paragraph spacing, baselines, and aligned text structures across a layout.

Reviewed 2026-08-20Design-system conventionContext required
CategoryComposition
Rule strengthDesign-system convention
Locale applicabilityall
Avellio detectionSupported
Issue identifiersRHYTHMVERTICAL_RHYTHM
Correction authorityManual design-system review only.

Definition

Consistent rhythm can organize pages, but not every element should share identical leading or baseline alignment. Headlines, captions, tables, and display structures can use deliberately different systems.

BAD vs GOOD

BAD
Unexplained drift

Body paragraphs alternate between unrelated leading and spacing values.

GOOD
Intentional system

Body, headings, captions, and exceptions follow documented spacing roles.

Why it matters

Unexplained spacing drift makes templates feel unstable and can reveal local formatting or inconsistent styles.

Rule strength

Design-system convention. This is not an absolute linguistic law; locale, genre, content, and house style can change the correct decision.

Exceptions and editorial considerations

  • Optical adjustment can override a strict baseline grid.
  • Display type and mixed scripts may need different leading.

How to fix it manually

  1. Identify the canonical paragraph styles.
  2. Compare leading, Space Before/After, baseline-grid settings, and frame alignment.
  3. Repair the style system before clearing local exceptions.

Adobe InDesign guidance

Use paragraph styles, baseline grids, and frame options consistently; verify whether Align to Baseline Grid is intentional for each style.

How Avellio detects it

Avellio emits RHYTHM and VERTICAL_RHYTHM for line-height and page-level rhythm inconsistencies.

Action safety

Manual design-system review only.

Check this automatically in Adobe InDesign

Language and locale differences

This principle has no separate Avellio locale override in the current registry; composition and house style can still affect judgment.

Compare all published language and locale guides.

Authoritative references

  1. Avellio User Manual — Complete issue identifier referenceAvellio product source
  2. Adobe InDesign — Adjust line spacing with leadingAdobe documentation
  3. Adobe InDesign — Use a baseline gridAdobe documentation

Avellio references document product behavior. External standards and authorities support the general or locale-specific typographic guidance. Where traditions disagree, this page states the disagreement instead of manufacturing one universal rule.