Graphic Design/Glossary

A

Alignment – The arrangement of elements in a design so they line up neatly.

Aspect Ratio – The proportional relationship between an image's width and height (e.g., 16:9).

B

Bleed - The area outside the trim edge that ensures no unprinted edges appear.

Brand Identity – Visual elements such as logos, colors, and typography that represent a brand.

C

CMYK - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black). CMYK is the standard colour mode used for printing.

Cropping – Removing unwanted parts of an image.

Composition - Arrangements and organization of visual elements.

D

DPI - Dots per Inch on a printed page.

G

Grid – A framework of lines used to organize content in a design.

H

Hierarchy - The arrangement of elements in a way that signifies importance.

K

Kerning - The spacing between individual characters in a word.

M

Mockup - A realistic model of a design used for presentation or feedback.

N

Negative Space - The empty space around and between elements in a design.

P

PPI - Pixels per Inch; number of pixels per inch in an image.

PNG – An image format that supports transparent backgrounds.

R

Raster Image - an image made up of thousands of pixels. Also known as bitmap image. Photos are an example of a raster image.

RGB - Red, Green, Blue. RGB is the colour mode used for screen output.

T

Typography - The art of arranging text to make it legible and visually appealing.

Tracking – Adjusting the spacing across a group of letters.

V

Vector Image - an image made up of points, as opposed to raster images which are made from pixels. Each point has a defined X and Y coordinates. Vector images can be resized without loss of quality.

W

Wireframe - A basic layout of a design that outlines structure without detailed visuals.

See Also

Superdream Glossary of Design Terms