When images of Pope Francis’ simple tomb were released, a surprising controversy broke out — not over the humble stone that hearkens back to his Italian roots, or the lack of grandeur, but over something usually invisible: the kerning.

For those unfamiliar, kerning is the practice of adjusting the space between letters to make words readable and balanced. When done well, you don’t notice it. When done poorly — as many designers quickly pointed out — you can’t help but see it. On the marble slab inscribed simply with “Franciscus” (Latin for Francis), uneven spacing made it look more like “F R A NCIS VS,” prompting a minor design-world uproar.