Graphic Design
CPI
Characters Per Inch
L
Ellipse
Emboss
Embossing an image, gives it a three dimensional (3-D) quality. The 3-D effect is created with highlights and shadows on the edges of the image. Also see at Bevel.
Cmd J
Join
JPEG
Joint Photographic Experts Group, a compression format used for images used on the Internet.
Rectangle Tool
M
RSI
Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetition
Having elements repeat to create visual consistency. For example, the same font and point size for the body text throughout the page.
Running Head or Headers
Headings at the tops of pages that indicate the section and locations of materials. A running head can contain a page number, or folio. A running foot or footer is the same element positioned at the page foot.
X-height
Height of lowercase letterform, minus the ascenders and desenders, e.g. "x".
Cmd ;
Hide guides
HSB
Hue, Saturation and Brightness is a color model used to describe colors with three values.
Eyedropper Tool
I
Dingbats
Once known as "printer's flowers,"these are the small decorative marks, bullets, or symbols that usually make up a specialty face.
Back Matter
Supportive material that is not part of the text and can include items such as the appendix, notes, bibliography, glossary and index.
Texture
Surface qualities which translate into tactile illusions.
TIFF
Tagged Image File Format is a format for electronically storing and transmitting bitmapped, grayscale, and color images.
Appropriation
Taking a style of one thing and applying it to another.
Text Wrap
Text wrap is the spatial relationship that exists amongst graphics and blocks of text (or amongst two blocks of text). Usually a text wrap is rectangular in shape. However, a text wrap may also be arbitrary or irregular in shape.
Saturated
A color that contains little gray, an intense color. As saturation increases, the amount of gray decreases.
JPEG 2
A common compression method that shrinks a file's storage size by discarding non-important picture detail. Excessive jpeg compression can cause poor image quality.
TIFF 2
A common graphic file format used for saving bit-mapped images such as scans, photographs, illustrations and logos. Supports multiple layers.
Porportion
The visual size and weight of a each graphic element on the page.
Paintbrush Tool
B
CVS
Computer Visual Syndrome
Focus
The center of interest or activity, the focal point.
Weight
The measurement of a stroke's width.
Selection Tool
V
Z
Zoom
Reflect Tool
O
Perfect Binding
An adhesive binding technique. Edges of printing signatures are glued, then covered. The covered book is then trimmed clearly on the remaining three sides.
Ascender
Part of the lowercase letter that extends above the X-height, e.g. b, d or h.
Descender
Part of the lowercase letter that falls below the baseline, e.g. p, y, or g.
Asymmetrical
Off-balance. It offers a fun and energetic mood when designing.
M
Rectangle
Cmd D
Deselect
Cmd 0
Fit to screen
E
Free Transform
Cmd G
Group
Cmd Y
Outline view
Rotate Tool
R
RGB
Red, Green and Blue the colors on computer monitors.
Lowercase
Small letters of the alphabet, abbreviated as lc.
Type Tool
T
RGB 2
(Red, Green, Blue) is the model used to project color on a computer monitor. By mixing these three colors, a large percentage of the visible color spectrum can be represented.
Direct Selection Tool
A
Stroke
A Stroke is basically the outline of an element. You could also call it a "Border." Stroke is not limited to only shapes, but can also be used on line segments.
Sans Serif
A Typeface without serifs, e.g. Modern.
Drop Shadow
A commonly used visual effect consisting of drawing that looks like the shadow of an object, giving the impression that the object is raised above the objects behind it.
Filter
A filter is applied to images or art works to easily create special effects or to achieve a look that would be too difficult to create manually.
Alpha
A fourth color component in the RGB color model that represents opacity. By changing Alpha values, images can be rendered completely transparent to completely opaque.
Hierarchy
A good design contains elements that lead the reader through each element in order of its significance. The type and images should be expressed starting from most important to the least.
Duotones
A grayscale image printed with two printing inks instead of one. If you want to reproduce fine details in a black and white image, make it softer or tint it a color other than pure black, you use duotones. You usually print with black plus one spot color of your choice.
Display Face
A larger and bolder version of a text face (14 points or more) which is used for headlines and sub-headlines.
Opacity
A layer's overall opacity determines to what degree it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it. A layer with 1% opacity appears nearly transparent, whereas one with 100% opacity appears completely opaque.
Master Page
A master is like a background that you can quickly apply to many pages. Objects on a master appear on all pages with that master applied. Changes you make to a master are automatically applied to associated pages. Masters commonly contain repeating logos, page numbers, headers, and footers.
Mood board
A mood board is a type of collage that may consist of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition of the choice of the mood board creator. Designers and others use mood boards to develop their design concepts and to communicate to other members of the design team.
Widow 2
A paragraph-ending line that falls at the beginning of the following page/column, thus separated from the rest of the text.
Orphan 2
A paragraph-opening line that appears by itself at the bottom of a page/column. A word, part of a word, or very short line that appears by itself at the end of a paragraph. Orphans result in too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page.
Bitmap
A pattern used in forming paint-type graphic images or type characters with a series of dots, with a certain number of dots per inch.
Belly Band
A plastic or paper loop that is used to enclose the pages of a publication.
Glyph
A representation of each character within a given typeface.
Illustrator
A resolution independent, vector graphics and illustration application used to create logos, icons, drawings, typography and complex illustrations for any medium.
Swatch
A sample of a specific color, either printed or stored digitally, used to describe a particular printing ink or combination of printing ink colors.
Typeface
A set of characters that share common characteristics such as stroke width and the presence or absence of serifs.
Widow
A short line, word, or part of a word left bereft at the end of a paragraph. Widows and orphans are often used interchangeably.
Widow Line
A single word on a line of a paragraph at the bottom of a page or column.
Thumbnail
A small drawing on paper (usually part of a group) used to explore multiple ideas quickly. Thumbnail sketches are similar to doodles, but may include as much detail as a small sketch.
Thumbnail 2
A small drawing on paper (usually part of a group) used to explore multiple ideas quickly. Thumbnail sketches are similar to doodles, but may include as much detail as a small sketch.
Visual Hierarchy
A solution in which the viewer knows what to look at first, second, third etc.
Ligature
A special double character in a font representing two letters as one.
Spread
A spread is the joining of two facing pages that are created to work as a unit in a double-sided document.
Style Guide
A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting within a document and across multiple documents.
Point
A unit of measurement in typography. 12 points in a pica or 1/72 of an inch.
Pica
A unit of measurement used for type. A pica is equal to 12 points and 1/6th of an inch.
Vector
A vector graphic is created in paths. The paths permit a person to change an image's size easily without pixilated edges.
Tracking
Adjusting of the letter spacing throughout copy.
Kerning
Adjusting the spacing between specific letters/characters.
Alignment
Align images, text and graphics for structure and to achieve a more visually appealing page. It is the arrangement of elements in a fixed or predetermined position.
Flowlines
Alignments that break space into horizontal bands. They are not actual lines but a method for using space and elements to guide a reader across a page.
Family
All the type sizes and styles of one typeface.
Gradient
Allows the user to fill an object/ image with a smooth transition of colors.
Bleed
An area of text or graphics that extends beyond the edge of the page. Images that are supposed to run all the way to the paper edge has to be printed with bleed. Image must extend a bit outside of the page format, around 5mm or 1/8". Bleed is the portion of art at the edge of the page that extends beyond the trim size. If your art goes to the edge of the page, it is important that there is enough extra art to extend past the trim line. This is so that we can cut into the art so no white edge will be left on the page after trimming. Art that extends into the bleed will be cut off at the trim line & should never include type (unless you want them to be trimmed off at the page edge for some artistic reason).
Sharpening
An image enhancement technique in which the contrast between specific pixels is enhanced.
Silhouette
An image where the background has been eliminated, leaving only a figure or object.
Baseline
An imaginary line upon which characters seem to stand.
Grids
An invisible structure used as a guide, to help arrange elements on the page.
Die-cutting
An off press process. Printed products that should have a shape other than a rectangular one are die-cut. The die-cut or blade must be specially ordered and adds to the overall cost of the job.
Grid
An underlying structure of columns, rows, margins, and lines, that dictate the way information is organized on a page.
Margin
Any deliberately un-printed space on a page, especially surrounding a block of text. Margins are used not only to aid in the aesthetics and the readability of a page, but also to provide allowances for trimming, binding, and other post-press operations.
Halftone
Any image--such as a photograph--that exists as a series of small dots of varying size and color density, which serve to simulate the appearance of continuous gradations of tone. Halftones are necessary in the reproduction of photographic images; most printing presses cannot print continuous tones, so photographic images must first be converted to a series of dots in order to be effectively printed.
Shape
Areas defined by edges within the design, whether geometric or organic.
Proximity
Arranging similar elements together on a page, closeness. The appropriate spacing of elements in the layout. Elements that have a relationship should be placed close to each other.
Principles of Design
Balance, Alignment, Gradient, Repetition, Proximity, Unity/Harmony, Hierarchy, Similarity/Contrast, Variety, Rhythm, Dominance/Emphasis, Movement, Mass/Size, Perspective, Pattern, Scale/Proportion, White Space, Simplicity, Function, Negative Space and Focus.
Saddle Stitched
Binding with wires, similar to staples.
Bitmap Images
Bitmap images technically called raster images, are based on a grid of colors knows as pixels. Each pixel is assigned a special location and color value. In working with bitmap images, you edit groups of pixels. Bitmap graphics can represent subtle gradations of shade and color, so they are appropriate for continuous-tone images such as photographs. Bitmap images = raster images = pixel based.
Blend Mode
Blending modes determine how the pixels in a layer blend with pixels on underlying layers. Most commonly used modes are Normal, Multiply, Screen and Overlay.
Uppercase
Capital letters or caps of the alphabet. Abbreviated as Caps, UC or simply C.
Symmetrical
Centered and Balance. It offers a conservative, safe and peaceful atmosphere when designing.
Invert
Changing the colors of an image or a layer mask to the opposite colors on the color wheel.
Cmd I
Check sspelling
CMS
Color management is the controlled conversion between the color representations of various devices, such as image scanners, digital cameras, monitors, TV screens, film printers, computer printers, offset presses, and corresponding media. The primary goal of color management is to obtain a good match across color devices
Design
Communicating a clear message to the audience.
Contrast
Contrast is a mix of elements to stimulate attention. Contrast in size or color, of different elements on a page to make it visually interesting.
Raster Image Processor, RIP
Converts fonts and graphics into raster images, which are used by the printer to draw onto the page.
Acrobat
Create, edit, convert, digitally sign, encrypt, export and publish PDF documents and forms.
CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, the four used in full-color process printing.
DTP
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout skills on a personal computer.
DPS
Digital Publishing includes the digital publication of e-books, EPUBs, Digital Magazines (also sometimes known as electronic articles), and the development of digital libraries and catalogues.
Bridge
Digital asset management application for centralizing your creative assets.
Lightroom
Digital photo processing and editing application.
A
Direct Selection
Dominance
Dominance is created by contrasting size, positioning, color, style, or shape. The focal point should dominate the design with scale and contrast without sacrificing the unity of the whole.
Free Transform Tool
E
Balance
Equal distribution of weight. When a design is balanced we tend to feel that it holds together. Symmetrical and asymmetrical balance.
I
Eyedropper
Feather
Feathering is a technique used to smooth or blur the edges of a feature.
TrueType
Fonts that can be used for both the screen display and printing, thereby eliminating the need to have two font files for each typeface.
FPO
For Position Only is to indicate that the image (as seen) has only been added to the design to indicate its position on the layout and thus is not indicative of the appearance of the final printed image.
Reader
Freeware to view, print and annotate PDF files.
Gradient Tool
G
GIF
GIF images display up to 256 colors. GIF images generally have very small file sizes and are the most widely used graphic format on the web. The low quality resulting from compression makes them unsuitable for professional printing.
Grayscale
Grayscale images contains black, white and 254 shades of gray.
Font Family
Group of typefaces with similar characteristics. For e.g. sans serif Arial, Arial Bold, Arial Bold Italic, Arial Italic.
Spatial Zones
Groups of modules or columns that can form specific areas for type, ads, images, or other information.
Guide
Guides help you position images or elements precisely. Guides appear as non-printing lines that float over the image. You can move and remove guides. You can also lock them so that you don't move them by accident.
Hand Tool
H
H
Hand
Fireworks
Image editing for websites and apps.
Noise
Image noise is random (not present in the object imaged) variation of brightness or color information in images, and is usually an aspect of electronic noise. It can be produced by the sensor and circuitry of a scanner or digital camera.
Front Matter
In a book, copy preceding the main text, such as title page, copyright and contents.
Greeking
In computing, a means of speeding up the display redraw rate of a computer monitor by representing text characters below a certain size as gray lines, boxes, or illegible dummy type.
Masthead 2
In newspaper and magazine publishing, the listing of the publication's staff, management, address, etc., commonly printed toward the beginning of the publication.
Composition
In the visual arts - in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture - composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art.
Sans Serif 2
In typography, a sans-serif, sans serif, gothic, san serif or simply sans typeface is one that does not have the small projecting features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. The term comes from the French word sans, meaning "without". Sans-serif fonts tend to have less line width variation than serif fonts. In print, sans-serif fonts are used for headlines rather than for body text.
Serif 2
In typography, a serif is a small line trailing from the edges of letters and symbols, such as when handwriting is separated into distinct units for a typewriter or typsetter. A typeface with serifs is called a serif typeface.
Leading 2
In typography, an alternate and more popularly used term for line spacing.
Tracking 2
In typography, the adjusting of the letter-spacing throughout a piece of typeset copy.
Kerning 2
In typography, the reduction of letter spacing between certain character combinations in order to reduce the space between them, performed for aesthetic reasons.
Gutter 2
In typography, the term refers to the space between columns of type, usually determined by the number and width of columns and the overall width of the area to be filled.
Modules
Individual divisions separated by consistent space, providing a repeating, ordered grid.
Characters
Individual letters, punctuation, numerals and other elements that are used when setting type. A symbol in writing.
Flash Professional
Interactive animation, game and mobile app design.
Masthead
It contains information about the publication along with a list of people involved with a publication and their job titles.
KISS
Keep it simple, stupid, this principle highlights that fact that simplicity is a desirable objective in producing effective designs.
Layers
Layers are like sheets of stacked acetate. You can see through transparent areas of a layer to the layers below. You move a layer to position the content on the layer, like sliding a sheet of acetate in a stack. You can also change the opacity of a layer to make content partially transparent. They allow the user to assemble, organize and re-edit their artwork with ease.
Leading
Line spacing, which is calculated from base line to base line.
Elements
Line, Form, Space, Shape, Color, Texture and Typography
Trim Mark
Lines drawn or printed on a photograph, overlay, or printed product to indicate the proper cropping of the image or print in question.
Y
Magic Wand
Body Copy
Main text part of an advertisement or any printed matter (as distinct from the logo, headline, subheadings, and graphics) that provides the 'meat' of the communication. Usually a professional copywriter writes the body copy.
Layout 2
Master plan or blueprint of a printed or published work (such as an advertisement, book, magazine, newspaper, or website) that lays out the arrangement of its different graphic elements (such as body copy, colors, headlines, illustrations, scale). It establishes the overall appearance, relative importance, and relationships between the graphic elements to achieve a smooth flow of information (message) and eye movement for maximum effectiveness or impact. Often alternative layouts (called roughs) are prepared to explore different arrangements before the final layout is made for printing or production.
Bezier Curve
Mathematical equations commonly used to describe the shapes of characters in electronic typography.
Bezier Curve
Mathematically defined curve used in two-dimensional graphic applications. The curve is defined by four points: the initial position and the terminating position (which are called "anchors") and two separate middle points (which are called "handles").
Mock-up
Mock-ups are used by designers mainly to acquire feedback from users about designs and design ideas early in the design process. Mock-ups are very early prototypes.
Pencil Tool
N
Terminals
Not serifs but ends of certain letter shapes such as the letters f, j, y, r and a.
Crop
One basic way to modify images is to crop them — remove some part of the image. Cropping changes the appearance of images in order to better fit the layout, make a statement, or improve the overall appearance of the design.
Balance 2
One of the principles of design, balance places elements on the page so that text and graphic elements are evenly distributed. In layouts with an even balance the graphics don't overpower the text and the page doesn't seem to tilt to one side or the other.
Pen Tool
P
InDesign
Page design and layout for print and digital publishing. It can be used to create digital magazines and publications, print media, books and e-books.
B
Paintbrush
Focal Point
Part of the design that is emphasized, so the viewer sees it first.
Cmd F
Paste in Front
P
Pen
N
Pencil
PSD
Photoshop document, the default file extension of the proprietary file format of Photoshop.
Pixel
Picture Element, it is a square dot that represents the smallest unit displayed on a computer screen. Also, a single point in an electronic image.
Pixel Mask
Pixel masks determine opacity values based on a raster image with grayscale values that correspond pixel for pixel to the original layer. This makes them ideal for masking complex photographic imagery (e.g. the hair on a model or leaves on a tree). Pixel masks allow 100 shades of gray, which correspond directly to opacity percentages.
Photoshop
Pixel-based, image editing and compositioning application which is the de facto industry standard in raster graphics editing.
PPI
Pixels Per Inch. A measurement of the resolution of a scanned image.
Entry Point
Point or points on the layout where the reader can start reading. The designer has to help readability by adding entry points.
Portable Document Format
PDF 2
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout flat document, including the text, fonts, graphics, and other information needed to display it.
PNG
Portable Network Graphics format. PNG (usually pronounced "ping"), is used for lossless compression. The PNG format displays images without jagged edges while keeping file sizes relatively small, making them popular on the web. PNG files are however generally larger than GIF files. PNG supports transparency.
Cmd K
Preferences
Spot Color
Printing inks of special colors, for example from the PMS system. Used to achieve an exact color that four color inks cannot provide because spot color is mixed according to a recipe.
Proportion
Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole.
Bevel
Raised effect created by applying highlight and shadow colors to the inside and outside edges of the border of an image or text area in order to create the illusion that the image or text area has three dimensions.
Rasterize
Rasterisation (or rasterization) is the task of taking an image described in a vector graphics format (shapes) and converting it into a raster image (pixels or dots).
Spot Color 2
Refers to a method of specifying and printing colors in which each color is printed with its own ink. In contrast, process color printing uses four inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to produce all other colors. Spot color printing is effective when the printed matter contains only one to three different colors, but it becomes prohibitively expensive for more colors. There are a number of color specification systems for specifying spot colors, but Pantone is the most widely used.
Letter or Word Spacing
Refers to the space between letters and words respectively.
Font Style
Refers to the specific characteristics of the font, e.g. italic, bold, bold italic and roman.
O
Reflect
Responsive Design
Responsive web design (RWD) is a web design approach aimed at crafting sites to provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling— across a wide range of devices (from desktop computer monitors to mobile phones).
Rhythm
Rhythm in design is also called repetition. Rhythm allows your designs to develop an internal consistency that makes it easier for your customers to understand. Once the brain recognizes the pattern in the rhythm it can relax and understand the whole design.
R
Rotate
Cmd R
Rulers
Rulers
Rulers help you position images or elements precisely. When visible, rulers appear along the top and left side of the active window. Markers in the ruler display the pointer's position when you move it.
Scale Tool
S
Saturation
Saturation is the overall intensity of the color, any color that appears dull is referred to as desaturated.
S
Scale
C
Scissors
V
Selection
Selection
Selection refers to an area of an image that is selected (isolated) so it can be edited while the rest of the image is protected.
Slug
Slugs hold printing information, customized color bar information, or displays other instructions and descriptions for other information in the document. Objects (including text frames) positioned in the slug area are printed but will disappear when the document is trimmed to its final page size.
Smart Object
Smart Objects are layers that contain image data from raster or vector images, such as Photoshop or Illustrator files. Smart Objects preserve an image's source content with all its original characteristics, enabling you to perform nondestructive editing to the layer.
Cmd U
Smart guides
Soft Proof
Soft proofing is simply a mechanism that allows you to view on your computer monitor what your print will look like when it is on paper. A specific paper. That paper and ink combination has been defined by the profile that you or someone else has made for your printer / paper and ink combination. To get an accurate soft proof your monitor has to be calibrated.
Running Text
Solid copy, normally not interrupted by headings, tables, illustrations, etc.
Emphasis
Something that is singled out or made more prominent has emphasis. An element of a design that dominates or becomes the center of interest has emphasis.
Stock Photo
Stock photos (stock photography) are professional photographs of common places, landmarks, nature, events or people that are bought and sold on a royalty-free basis and can be used and reused for commercial design purposes.
CMYK 2
The CMYK color model (process color, four color) is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).
Pantone
The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.
Live Area
The area that all important art, type, should appear. No necessary art, type or graphics should appear outside this area. If your supplied art contains type or image outside the live area there is the possibility that it will be cut off during trimming.
Layout
The arrangement of elements such as type and visuals on a page or screen.
White Space
The background area without text, images or graphics. Use of adequate white space in a layout ensures visual breathing space for the viewer. It can help define proximity and organize elements.
Baseline Shift
The baseline is an invisible line onto which all type characters sit. Moving characters up or down in relation to the baseline and using it effectively can make a huge difference to the professional look of your type.
Brightness
The brightness (light/dark) of an image, the intensity of a light source or color luminance.
Style Sheet
The collection of all the styles used for one publication.
Ideograph
The combination of two or more pictographs to represent a concept.
Font
The complete set of characters for one typeface at one particular type size, excluding attributes such as bold or italic.
Sink or Sinkage
The distance down from the topmost element on a page.
Trim
The edge of the page. This is the finished size of the job.
Unity
The elements in a design that look as though they belong together. It gives a sense of oneness with consistency and repetition.
Bowl
The enclosed oval or round curve of letters like D, g, b and o.
Orphan
The first or last line of a paragraph that has become separated from the rest of its paragraph and is positioned at the bottom or top of a page or column, alone.
Rhythm
The flow or movement established by repeating or varying the visual elements.
Cap Height
The height of the uppercase letters within a font.
Contour/Silhouette
The image of a person, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the whole is typically presented on a light background, usually white, or none at all.
Alias
The jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines in a bitmap image are known as aliasing. Aliasing can be minimized with a smoothing process called anti-aliasing which adds additional pixels to make the edges appear less jagged.
Resolution
The number of dots in an image's screen display or printed output.
Hue
The primary value of a color and how the color red, green, blue, purple, etc. is perceived through the eye.
Process Color
The printing of "full color" images utilizing a photographic color separation process in which each of three primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow, plus black) are separated from the original art and given their own printing plate.
Branding
The process by which an identity is given a visual expression.
Resolution 2
The resolution of an image is an important factor in determining the attainable output quality. The higher the resolution of an image, the less pixilated it will be.
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds states that an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds — both vertically and horizontally. It is a powerful compositional technique for making designs more interesting and dynamic.
Font, Type or Point Size
The size of type, measured in points between the bottom of the descender and the top of the ascender.
Serif
The small finishing strokes or hairline strokes that project from the main stroke of a letter, e.g. Times New Roman.
Pixel 2
The smallest picture element (used to display an image on a computer), that can be independently assigned a color.
Negative Space
The space between shapes and masses, used mostly in referring to fine art, sculpture or music.
Gutter
The space between two facing pages, sometimes used to refer the space between two columns.
Negative Space 2
The space not occupied by the text or images. Negative or white space has the same importance as the text and images on the layout. Without proper use of negative space the design will look messy and crowded.
Body Type
The specific typeface that is used in the main text.
Typography
The study and process of typefaces; how to select, size, arrange and use them in general.
Identity
The sum of the qualities that are synonymous, with the level of service with an organization.
Head
The top of a book, page, or column. In typography, the term head is also an abbreviation for the term heading.
Ragged
The uneven alignment of text lines.
Line
The visual path that enables the eye to move within the design.
Compression
There are two types of image file compression algorithms: lossless and lossy. Lossless compression algorithms reduce file size while preserving a perfect copy of the original uncompressed image. Lossy compression algorithms on the other hand allow for variable compression that trades image quality for file size.
Vector Graphics
They are made of lines and curves defined by mathematical objects called vectors.
Object Graphics
They are more accurately appropriate for today's software. These graphics retain their crispness whether they are moved, resized, or have their color changed. Vector graphics are appropriate for illustrations, type, and graphics such as logos that may be scaled to different sizes. Object graphics are based on bezier curves. Vector graphics = lines and curves = crisp edges even when resized (Object graphics).
Markers
They help a reader navigate a document. Indicating placement for material that appears in the same location, markers include page numbers, headers and footers and icons.
T
Type
Mesh Tool
U
Lorem Ipsum
Used as placeholder text because it approximates a typical distribution of characters in English.
Em Dash
Used for grammatical or narrative pauses.
Asymmetrical Grid
Used for page layout that is the same on both the recto and verso pages.
En Dash
Used for the passage of time or to connect numbers, it is half of an Em Dash.
Shift Key
Used to constrain (scale) an element or a layer in proportion.
Tracing
Using an image that you recreate by drawing over it on another layer. Live trace is an automated tracing feature in Adobe Illustrator.
Graphic Design
Using text and images to artfully communicate a visual message to the end user.
Graphic Design II
Utilizes ideas, concepts, text and images and presents them in a visually engaging form through print, electronic or other media.
Value
Value is present in all design. It is the lightness or darkness of an object, regardless of color. Value is relative to the background color and other items on the page.
Vector Mask
Vector masks pick up where pixel masks fall short. By defining the mask's shape using paths, vector masks provide a superior level of finesse and flexibility. They're ideal for defining shapes with clean, crisp lines, such as interface elements.
Columns
Vertical containers that hold type or images.
Vibrance
Vibrance is a smart-tool which cleverly increases the intensity of the more muted colors and leaves the already well-saturated colors alone.
Graphic
Visual art, imagination, expression. It involves many mediums such as drawing, painting, engraving or lettering, giving clear and explicit detail.
Blend Tool
W
Dreamweaver
Web and mobile design and development application.
Visual Unity
When all elements are in agreement, a design is considered unified. No individual part is viewed as more important than the whole design. A good balance between unity and variety must be established to avoid a chaotic or lifeless design.
Bleed 2
When an image or printed color extends beyond the trimmed edge of a page, it is called a "bleed". Bleeding ensures that the print extends to the edges of the paper. The paper is usually trimmed to the desired size after printing.
Asymmetrical Balance
When the left and right sides of the design are unequal. It is created with a mismatched number of different elements.
Wireframe
Wireframes are an important design tool used in Web development. It is a visualization tool for presenting proposed functions, structure and content of a Web page or Web site.
Canvas
Working area in Adobe Photoshop, which can be extended or reduced to fit more image content into the document.
Zoom Tool
Z
Contiguous
is a term used in Adobe Photoshop for a couple of tools (like the Magic Wand). It means neighbouring, adjacent or connected. If this option is checked then the Magic Wand will only sample from neighbouring areas with similar colours and will stop at the edges. When turned off the selection can spread freely.
Scale
is relative. A graphic element can appear larger or smaller depending on the size, placement, and color of the elements around it. When elements are all the same size, the design feels flat. Contrast in size can create a sense of tension as well as a feeling of depth and movement.
Margins
the white area above, below, left & right of the live area. Art can continue outside the live area into the margins, but this should never be a crucial part of the page as it comes close to the trim line & could be cut off.
