Working with a graphic designer is the best way to make sure your website or printed materials look professional. But sometimes it might sound like your designer speaks a different language. Learning common design terms will help you and your designer communicate and be on the same page.
1. Serif
Serif fonts have a line crossing the ending of a stroke and are sometimes described as having “wings” and “tips.” Serif fonts like Times New Roman are time-honored classics that make printed materials easier to read but can be difficult to read in online body copy.
2. San Serif
Sans serif fonts like Calibri and Helvetica do not have that extra line and lend a more modern feel to text, especially on the Internet. The “y” on the image above is from a sans serif font.
3. Raster Image
A raster image is made up of individual pixels. When you try to enlarge a raster image it looks pixelated because you are taking each block of information (pixel) and just making it bigger. Raster images are often created in programs like Photoshop and have the extension .JPEG or .GIF
4. Vector Image
A vector image, on the other hand, is made up of points connected along a curve (or vector). Basically, the visual information is contained in the relationship between the points, not the points themselves, so the image can be expanded to an infinite size. Vector images are created in programs like Illustrator and have the file extension .EPS.
5. CMYK
Also known as four-color process, this abbreviation stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and key, which refers to black. This is a color model that refers to the four inks used in some color printing.
6. RGB
This abbreviation stands for red, green, blue. It’s a color mode for all images shown through an electronic display, such as a computer or television.
7. Resolution
Resolution is a measure of dots per inch (DPI) for printed works and pixels per inch (PPI) for digital work. If the resolution of an image is too low, your final product will come out looking grainy or pixelated. Even if your smartphone shoots 41 megapixels, trust your designer if he or she says the image won’t work.
If you’re downloading a stock photo, shoot for 300 DPI (at the very least) for print-quality images and 72 PPI (don’t short-change it) for web work. And don’t try to scale up a too-small image; that only works if you’re using a vector image.
8. Negative Space
It’s easy to focus on the words and text on the page, but a good way to get the best design is to look also at the negative space – the space around the words and text.
Sometimes the negative space is in the form of a column gutter—the space between columns – or a runaround – space created inside a block of text for an image. Sometimes you’ll also see a knockout – a runaround that doesn’t yet have an image in it and is using white space as a placeholder
9. Alignment
As you think about layout, you’ll want to know more about the alignment of your text or how it spans the column. Centered text can be harder to read but is often used for a headline because it draws attention. Other options are to left- or right-align your text. You can also have text that is justified—spread evenly to both margins or your designer can leave a ragged right margin or a ragged left margin. Ragged edges are often easier to read and a comfortable reading experience is an outcome of better design.
10. Pixel
The smallest element of an image. Images are comprised of many minuscule pixels, providing a clear, high-quality image to the viewer.
[chrysta-hooper]