Basic Graphic Design Terms

1. Basic Graphic Design Terms

2. Anti-Aliasing is the smoothing of jagged pixel edges in an image or graphic. In computer graphics, antialiasing is a software technique for diminishing jaggies. Jaggies are stairstep-like lines that should be smooth. Jaggies occur because the output device, the monitor or the printer doesn't have a high enough resolution to represent a smooth line. Antialiasing reduces the prominence of jaggies by surrounding the stairsteps with intermediate shades of gray (for gray-scaling devices) or color (for color devices). Aliasing is the visual stair-stepping of edges that occurs in an image when the resolution is too low. The letter on the left is aliased. The letter on the right has had anti-aliasing applied to make the edges appear smoother.

3. Bevel Applyinga beveled effect gives a 3D appearance to an otherwise flat looking graphic. This is achieved by adding highlights and shadows to an object’s edges.

4. Bleed (bleed edge) Bleed (bleed edge): when creating a design for print, a “bleed edge” of ¼” on each side needs to be added to the document’s page size. For example, a brochure with the dimensions  8″ x 10″ needs to be created at 8.5″ x 10.5″. This leaves room for the design to extend past the cut area when the job is printed and trimmed.

5. CMYK A very common color mode used for printing, also known as “process colors.” The CMYK stands for the colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The letter K represents black. When printing in CMYK, not all colors are achievable (ex: bright blues). For this reason, spot colors (pantone colors) can be used to add shots of necessary colors (see “spot colors”)

6. Duotone Just like the name implies(duo = two), a duotone is simply an image consisting of 2 colors. Printing an image with 2 colors rather than 1 will result in an image that has more depth than a single monotone (1 color) color print.

7. File Format A 2, 3 or 4 digit series of letters after a file name that identifies what type of file it is, as well as which software program it originates from.

8. Gamut A range of available color. There are color modes in graphic design (i.e. RGB, CMYK). Each mode consists of a certain amount of colors. This range of available color is referred to as “gamut.” Any color that falls out of this range is called “out of gamut.”

9. GIF One of the most widely used graphic image file formats on the web. GIFs are web browser friendly, and their small file size is great for web pages. GIFs support background transparency, but they are limited to only 256 colors. Photos don’t look good saved as GIF. (JPEG is better for photos)

10. Gradient A gradual transition of colors. The way the sky fades from one color to another during a sunset is an example of a gradient.

11. JPG (also spelled JPEG) This image format is the most commonly used web format when it comes to photos or detailed imagery. Some quality is lost with JPGs to achieve their smaller file size. JPGs look great on a monitor, and support a higher number colors than gifs, but the file sizes are larger.
They are web browser friendly and ok for print if saved as highest quality. Saving JPG images at high quality will result in better picture quality but longer loading times on the internet. Saving at low quality will result in lower picture quality but fast web page loading times. Unlike “PNG” and “GIF” file formats, JPG’s don’t support background transparency.

12. Kerning The horizontal spacing between a pair of letters in a word. Certain letter pairs look awkward together, so sometimes it’s necessary to move the letters closer together or further apart. Examples of how spacing varies with various letter combinations: AV, PA, AT, and AY. Kerning is often confused with the term “tracking” (see “tracking”). Tracking is used for spacing larger groups of letters or text.

13. Pantone Matching System (PMS) A color matching system allowing designers and print shops to more easily match colors. This is accomplished by referencing Pantone swatch books (guides) for the proper recipe of colors. The Pantone system is not perfect, but it has become the industry standard for color matching.

14. PDF (Portable Document Format) A document format that allows for the reading and writing of multi-page documents. A PDF will keep the same format, layout, and fonts of a document across any computer platform. A free software program like Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview is needed to read PDF’s. PDF’s are a good way to show images and design layout work to a client.

15. Pixelation Raster images (see “raster”) are comprised of tiny squares. The more squares that fit into a certain area (1×1″ for example), the higher the resolution. Often images with low resolution appear “blocky” or pixelated because of their lack of pixels per inch (see “PPI”). This blocky appearance is referred to as pixelation. Vector (see “vector”) images are void of pixelation. To understand pixelation, think of the old Atari video games. Remember how the graphics were made up of tiny blocks. Each of these blocks are called pixels. Now look at today’s video games, monitors, and TV screens where the pixels are much less noticeable. The reason is the pixels are smaller and more crammed. This results in a more detailed viewing image.

16. PNG A common image format used for displaying images on the web. Offers background transparency which is great for web. Larger in file size than a gif. Displays many colorsanddisplays text more crisply than jpg images.

17. PPI (pixels per inch) Specifies the resolution of an input device (computer monitor, digital camera, scanner.) Web pages run at a resolution of 72-96 PPI. PPI is often confused with the term “DPI” (see “DPI”), which refers to the resolution of an output device (printer.)

18. Raster A raster image is an image that is made up of pixels (tiny dots). Raster graphics or images are resolution dependent, meaning they cannot scale to arbitrary size without apparent loss in quality. Photographs are raster images. Vector (see “vector”) images on the other hand, can be scaled to any size, with no worries of pixelation (see “pixelation”) or quality loss associated with raster imagery.

19. Resolution The detail of an image is based on how many pixels (dots) are included in 1 square inch of space. The more pixels (see “pixels”) included in that space, the higher the resolution. Computer monitors use no more than 72 pixels (dots) per inch, so going higher is pointless. However a minimum of 300 dots per inch is usually recommended for printing.

20. RGB The color mode that is read by computer screens and the web. The RGB mode consists of red, green, and blue color combinations. Anything created for web use should be created in RGB color mode, while anything for print should be created in CMYK color mode.

21. Sans Serif vs. Serif Fonts Sans Serif: A kind of font type that is void of the strokes on the end of letters that can be found on a “serif” typeface. (sans means “without”) Serif: A type of font that has exaggerated strokes or details at the end of its letters (unlike “sans serif” typefaces).

22. Spot Color When printing in CMYK color (see “CMYK”), often times certain colors cannot be achieved. This is when “spot colors” are called upon. An extra printing plate with the spot color is added to the printing process (costing extra money). Spot colors are also used for limited color print jobs, since it’s sometime cheaper to print just the 1 or 2 spot colors rather than the entire 4 used in CMYK process printing. The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is the most widely recognized system for spot colors.

23. TIFF (also spelled TIF) Animage format commonly used when printing of high quality is necessary. Unlike the “JPG” format that sacrifices quality for file size, TIFF’s sacrifice file size for quality. TIFFs can be very large file sizes, but they are a great format for printing. They are not web friendly due to large file sizes.

24. Tracking The adjustment of space between a group of letters or entire blocks of text. A change in tracking can result in easier to read text, making it feel more “airy” and open. Tracking is often confused with “kerning” (see “kerning”). Kerning is the spacing between just 2 letters or characters.

25. Vector Agraphics format that uses curves and paths (lines) to form graphic images. Vector graphics are resolution independent and regardless of how magnified, all edges will remain crisp, clear, and smooth. This ability to stay crisp at any size means vector graphics are great for logos, line art, and other designs that don’t require complicated coloring or textures.