diff --git a/ci/release/changelogs/next.md b/ci/release/changelogs/next.md
index 823e8dd45..0202204b5 100644
--- a/ci/release/changelogs/next.md
+++ b/ci/release/changelogs/next.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #### Improvements 🧹
 
 - Display version on CLI help invocation [#1400](https://github.com/terrastruct/d2/pull/1400)
+- Improved readability of connection labels when they overlap another connection. [#447](https://github.com/terrastruct/d2/pull/447)
 
 #### Bugfixes ⛑️
 
diff --git a/d2renderers/d2svg/d2svg.go b/d2renderers/d2svg/d2svg.go
index 11996eb54..0c9c44943 100644
--- a/d2renderers/d2svg/d2svg.go
+++ b/d2renderers/d2svg/d2svg.go
@@ -516,6 +516,8 @@ func drawConnection(writer io.Writer, labelMaskID string, connection d2target.Co
 
 		if label.Position(connection.LabelPosition).IsOnEdge() {
 			labelMask = makeLabelMask(labelTL, connection.LabelWidth, connection.LabelHeight, 1)
+		} else {
+			labelMask = makeLabelMask(labelTL, connection.LabelWidth, connection.LabelHeight, 0.75)
 		}
 	}