This
graphic design glossary contains vocabulary that many
designers use on a daily basis and may be confusing to new designers or
non-designers who need to communicate with designers. Remember, the
following terms are defined as they relate to graphic design
and desktop publishing. This is a work in progress and updates are made
frequently. If there is a term you think is missing, misrepresented or
incorrect, please
contact me.
Last Updated April 14, 2010.
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A B C D E F G H I J K
L M N O
P Q R S T U
V W X Y Z
AAIIllustrator Document
extension. See
Illustrator.
BBleedBleed is the
part of a printed document that is outside the bounds of the final size
of the piece. It is
used to make sure images and other design
elements print all the way to the edge of the paper. It is the
designer’s responsibility to set up the bleed in a document and an accepted
standard is
1p6, or 1/4 of an
inch, outside the size of the paper. When placing objects in a document that
must go all the way to the edge of the page, make sure they extend to
at
least this quarter inch mark. Photoshop and Illustrator do not have an
automatic way to add bleed, so it must be taken into account when setting up the
page size. In layout programs such as
InDesign, the bleed is set up separately from the actual
page size; in other words, the bleed is
in addition to the defined page
size.
BleedthroughAreas with heavy ink coverage can
soak through thin paper and show up on the other side. This is not the same as
being able to see the printing on the other side just because the paper is thin.
With bleedthrough, the
ink actually soaks into the paper and appears in
dark blotches on the other side. Check for this at the
press check.
Body/CopyThe body of a layout (also called copy or
body copy) is
the main text.
CCMYKCMYK stands for
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (or Key), the
colors a
printer works with, as opposed to the screen color space,
RGB. This is also known as process color.
CMYK is a subtractive color space; in other words, to make white, you take away
all the colors. There is a good description of the correspondence of CMY and RGB
in
The
Quick and Easy Guide to Color Correction Part 2.
CompressionThe process of an algorithm
making file sizes smaller by combining similar data. Most of
the time this is a good thing, but it can also cause severe loss of quality,
especially in regards to images.
CompsAlso
known as
comprehensives, these are the
step after thumbnails in the creative
process. This is usually where the designs are taken into the computer
and the details such as backgrounds, color schemes and images are more
thoroughly worked out. Comps are the
“first draft” of design.
Many times designers show several different styles in comps to a client and let
the client decide on a look and feel that he or she desires. Then the comps go
back to the designer with some feedback and changes from the client and usually
several rounds of this feedback process occur. Sometimes the client may ask (or
the designer may want to present)
mock-ups.
CrossoverImages and/or text running across
two or more pages. Look to see that they line up when you go to a
press check.
DDPIDots per
inch is the more exact way to define the resolution for a file that is
to be printed. Some use DPI and
PPI
interchangeably, though this is technically incorrect.
EElements of DesignThe
Elements
of Design are
Color,
Shape,
Size,
Space,
Line,
Value and
Texture
EPSEPS stands
for
Encapsulated PostScript (not to be confused with ESP: Extra
Sensory Perception). A
common file format for exporting Illustrator
files, it contains a bitmap preview of the image as well as
instructions written in the PostScript language that describe how the object is
to be printed. An EPS file is usually a
vector, but sometimes people place photos in Illustrator and
export them as an EPS, though I’m not sure why. Images for print should ideally
be exported as
TIFFs.
FFontTechnically, a
font is the
complete collection of characters and glyphs,
including numbers, symbols, accented characters, punctuation marks, etc. in a
given face design. A font also includes the design in various weights,
such as bold or italic; it is more comprehensive and complicated to design than
a
typeface.
FreehandFreehand is the Macromedia equivalent of
Adobe
Illustrator.
FireworksFireworks is the Macromedia equivalent of
Adobe
Photoshop.
GGhostingAlso
known as
screening back, it is where an
image is made
transparent so that the background shows through. Sometimes this can be
an undesired effect in the printing process due to too little ink being
transfered to the paper. Be sure to check for unwanted ghosting on the
press check.
GIFA
proprietary file format from CompuServe. It is
used in web
graphics and is
best for images that are made of solid
colors, like logos. GIFs support transparency (however, pixels are
either transparent or opaque, nothing in between) and they can be animated. GIFs
are also considered a
lossless format–meaning they do not suffer compression
artifacts–as long as they do not exceed 256 colors.
GradientA gradient is a
fade from one color
to another. There are many shapes a gradient can take, but generally it
is either linear (straight) or radial (round, where it fades from the center
outwards). Gradients can also be highly customized with many different color
patterns so that it is difficult to tell if an object actually has a gradient.
Generally gradients are used to add depth, or sometimes a shiny or metallic
look, to a design element, but they can also be used simply to color an
object.
HHickeyYes, this
is a real term in graphic design! Hickeys happen when foreign matter like dust,
blobs of ink or bits of paper make
marks on a print piece. You
should look for them at the
press check.
HSBHue, Saturation, Brightness is a
color space that you can use when dealing with images in
graphics programs. It separates the hue—what you think of as
color—from
the saturation—how much white is mixed with the hue—and the brightness—how much
black is mixed with the hue.
IIllustratorA
vector program often used
by designers to create logos and work with or manipulate type.
ImpositionThe process of
setting up pages
in their correct order for print. This order is sometimes referred to
as a
Printer
Spread.
INDDInDesign Document extension. InDesign is used for
page layout—assembling images and text—and is the Adobe version of
Quark. It is capable of much more
intricate and precise control over text.
InDesignA
page layout or desktop publishing
program used by designers to combine text and images. There was a
series of InDesign articles published on Creative Curio:
You Still Use
Quark?!,
Making
Changes Easier with Master Pages,
Avoiding
Disaster with Paragraph Styles,
Avoiding
Disaster with Character Styles,
Understanding
InDesign Layers and a reference guide for
InDesign
Shortcuts.
JJPEGAn abbreviation for
Joint Photographic Experts Group, the committee that created this file type. The
file extension is .jpg. It is
best used for photographs or images that
have gradients.
JPEGs do not support transparency, unlike
GIF and
PNG, and
cannot be animated, unlike GIF.
LLabStands for
Luminance, a, b, where a is the amount of green/red in an image
and b is the amount of blue/yellow. An L of 0 (zero) would be
seen as black, 100 would be white.
a and
b are measured on
positive/negative scales, with negative
a being green and positive
being red (or magenta) and negative
b representing blue while a
positive value indicates yellow. Lab is
supposed to simulate more
scientifically and accurately how people view colors and which colors
humans can actually interpret. It was developed by Commission Internationale
d’Eclairage (translation: International Commission on Illumination), or CIE and
is sometimes referred to as CIELAB.
LoupeA
little
magnifying glass just like jewelers use to examine gems
(pronounced loop). Pressmen use this to check the registration on a print job
and make sure all the little ink dots are lining up on top of each other like
they should. Designers can use this tool at the
press check.
LosslessThe opposite of
lossy, lossless describes
file types where there is no
image data deleted or erased when that data is stored. Image formats
like
GIF,
PNG and
TIFF
(without
compression)
are considered lossless.
LossyDescribes
file types where compression is
applied and image data is deleted or erased in order to decrease the
files size. If done properly, this loss is not critical and it makes the image
much smaller, which helps to speed up download time and saves hard drive space.
JPG is a file format that is lossy. See also
lossless
MMock (or Mock-up)A
close-to-reality rendition of a project. This is often used in
packaging design to show how a proposed design would look on a box or other type
of package. It is used to give the client/stakeholders a better idea of the
final product. It can also be used in web design to show a rough approximation
of what the final website would look like in a screen shot of a browser.
PPDFPortable
Document Format. This file type is
often used to send print
materials to a print shop. It is also very useful for web, when there
are multi-paged documents, reports, forms, etc. that have been designed in a
specific format, which cannot be easily translated into HTML.
Note: PDF
is an Acrobat file,
not an “Adobe” file. Adobe is a company and the
manufacturer of Acrobat,
Photoshop,
Illustrator,
InDesign and many other programs related to media design
and production.
PickingWhen
ink is too sticky, it
can
take bits of the paper with it as the paper travels through
the press. This is the opposite of
slurring and both should be looked for at a
press check.
PixelPicture
element. It is the
basic digital component that makes
up a raster/bitmap
image.
PNG
(PNG-24)Portable Network Graphics are the ideal web graphic
file types. They are completely
lossless and they support alpha transparency. PNG-8 is
essentially a
GIF.
Press
CheckA press check is where the designer goes to the print shop while
the job is being set up to print. The printer will give you a press sheet to
look at and
this is the final time to check color and print
quality, not the time to check for typos; that should be done with the
proofs! When you go to a press check, in addition to accurate color,
look for crossovers, slurring, picking, ink smearing, hickeys, bleedthrough and
registration (ask to use a
loupe). Circle any problems you see and ask for another press
sheet. It’s ok to ask for the pressman’s advice on fixing color (sincere
flattery will do wonders for getting what you want!) and don’t be afraid to go
back several times and ask for adjustments and a new press sheet.
Principles of
DesignThe Principles of Design are Unity, Balance,
Contrast,
Economy, Direction, Emphasis, Proportion and Rhythm
PPIPixels per inch is part of how you
would define the
resolution of an object that is screen-based.
Some use
DPI and PPI interchangeably,
though this is technically incorrect.
PrintPrint
encompasses all
design that is not on a screen in its finished
state. Print can include brochures, reports, postcards, menus, billboards or
identity systems (letterheads, envelopes, business cards).
Printer SpreadsThe order in which
the printing company will lay out pages, generally for a multiple page
composition. The
pages are not printed in the order that they
appear in the final book. For example, in a 16 page book–assuming the
front cover is page 1 and the back cover is page 16–page 2 and page 15 would be
printed on the same sheet of paper next to each other. Pages 3 and 14 would be
on the next sheet, on the other side of that same sheet goes pages 4 and 13,
etc, so that when the pages are nested in the final book, they appear in the
correct order. The process of setting pages up in this order is called
imposition. Compare this with
Reader Spreads.
Process ColorAlso known as
CMYK
PSDPhotoshop Document
extension.
PhotoshopA design
program used to
manipulate raster (bitmap)
images.
QQuarkXPressQuarkXPress, or just Quark for short, is a
page layout or desktop publishing program similar to Adobe
InDesign that is used by
designers to combine text and images.
RRasterA raster or
bitmap image is
made out of pixels. Raster images are typically photos, but they
can also be illustrations that have been turned from
vectors into pixels.
Reader SpreadsThe
pages of a
composition set up in the order a reader would see them, page 1, 2, 3,
4, etc. Compare this to
Printer Spreads.
RenderA
render is a
rendition or draft of a project. When someone talks
about render, it can mean the project’s
appearance: “It’s a
pencil render” means it’s a sketch. A render can also be a
draft: “I’m waiting for the 3D model to render” means the
computer is calculating the appearance of the model, which can include textures,
lighting, transparency, etc. A “final render” is the finished project, ready to
be presented, printed or shipped.
ResolutionThere are so many different meanings
for “resolution” depending on who you are and what you do. The best definition
I’ve read is from Real World Photoshop. The authors define resolution as
“
the number of pixels in each unit of measure.” There are two
main ways to discuss resolution: you can talk about
resolution in terms
of image size: “The document is 5×7 inches at 300 ppi,” or you can talk
about
resolution as dimensions: “The document is 1500×2100
pixels.” Some people talk about resolution and want to know the file size, but
then you have to start becoming familiar with
a new way to measure
things. Remember the image size dialog box in Photoshop? There is an input
field for Resolution (the pixels per unit), and also a drop down box for the
unit of measure, which is separate from the fields for the width and height of
the image. In reality, these are all just different ways of talking about the
same thing:
the amount of image information. So if
someone asks you the resolution of an image and you merely reply, “300 ppi,”
you’re not telling the whole story.
RGBRed, Green and Blue are a monitor’s color
space. RGB is considered an additive color space, meaning to make white
you add all the colors together. You view the world in RBG, not
CMYK. There is a good description of
the correspondence of CMY and RGB in
The
Quick and Easy Guide to Color Correction Part 2.
SSlurringIf
ink has a low “stickiness,” it can create a
soft or
blurry look. Look for slurring, which is the opposite of
picking, on
press checks.
Spot
ColorInks that are not mixed from the four process colors. They are used
for items, like logos, that need to be a consistent color no matter how or where
they are printed. Any time you add an extra ink to a print job, it increases the
price. Metallic inks are also spot colors.
StockYou
often hear terms like “stock photography” in a graphic design environment.
Stock refers to something that is pre-made–photos that
have already been taken in a variety of general scenarios with a general
selection of smiling people, illustrations or icons with a general or abstract
theme. Notice the term
general here; you probably won’t ever find that
perfect artwork you need, but it’ll be close enough and cheaper than, say,
staging your own photo shoot. (Stock can also refer to the paper a project is
printed on)
TTIFFBasically, the
raster version of
EPS. TIFF stands for Tagged Image File
Format and like EPS it is a common way to move files between raster programs
like Photoshop and Fireworks. It can also be used for images in
InDesign or
Quark. It can be a lossless format if
you choose the No Compression option, which is the default in Photoshop. TIFF
supports percentages of opacity like PNG and is
ideal for the final file
type of pixel-based images for print. You can also have layers in the
TIFF format, but this will increase the file size.
ThumbnailsSmall scale rough sketches of a
design concept. They are among the first stages of the creative
process. Before thumbnails, designers often collect a design or creative brief,
do research and/or word associations and sometimes
wire frames as a separate
step. Thumbnailing is a process that designers use to quickly illustrate ideas
for a design. The longer a designer spends in the thumbnail stage, the more
detail that is put into these sketches, the faster the next stage,
comps, goes. Thumbnails are to design
what an outline is to writing a paper.
TypefaceA typeface is simply a
design or
look of letters and maybe numbers. It
does not include glyph
and character variations or weights like bold (think display or ornamental faces
such as
Grave
Ornamental or
Willow), and may
not even include numbers or upper or lower case letters (obviously it would have
to include either upper or lower case letters, but not necessarily both). A
typeface also does not mean that a design is complete; many movie title
treatments are merely typefaces (only the letters in the title have been
created), though some have been developed further into
fonts.
VVectorVectors can
most readily be recognized as illustrations, particularly from programs like
Illustrator or Freehand.
But not all illustrations are necessarily vector-based. Vectors work by
defining points and what fills the space between those points
in a document and they are
stored as mathematical formulas.
Vector files (like Illustrator files) are fractions the size of
raster files because there is less
data needed to create the images.
WWire
frameA wire frame is a
basic layout without design
elements. It is generally used in web design as a means to
plan
where navigation and content will sit on the page.
XXtensionA
Quark plugin (not a specific one,
just the name for Quark plugins in general).
Source: http://creativecurio.com/graphic-design-glossary/
