The Great Graphic Design Glossary
| Term | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Vector | Vectors are a type of graphic file. Unlike a traditional image (.jpeg, .gif, .png) the lines that make up a vector image are computer generated - every time you open a vector graphic, your computer 'draws' the lines again. This means that you can zoom in on the image infintely without the picture becoming pixelated. When you zoom in, the lines that form the picture are 'drawn' by the computer again. Because of this, vector images are often used for logos as you can use the same image for almost any sized application - from billboards to post cards. |
File Type |
| Additive Colour | This refers to a way of viewing colours. Additive colours are colours created by shining (or adding) light to them. Computer and TV screens show additive colours - they are creating the colours with light rather than refelcting light from an already coloured surface. |
Colour |
| Subtractive Colour | The opposite of Additive Colour. Subtractive Colour refers to colour that is reflected from a surface, like paint or printed paper.??? | Colour |
| Kerning |
Kerning refers to the spacing between the individual letters of a font. Eg: L ???a ???r ???g ???e ??? ???k ???e ???r ???n ???i ???n ???g ???. |
Typography |
| RGB | Red Green Blue. Refers to the three primary colours used in Additive Colours. | Colour |
| CMYK | Cyan Magenta Yellow Key.???The four colours that, when mixed, produce an colour in Subtractive Colours ('key' refers to black). | Colour |
| Leading | Also called Line Height, Leading (pronounced like led-ing) refers to the space between lines of text. | Typography |
| X-Height | Used when creating a font, the x-height refers the height of the fonts lower case 'x'. All other letters in the font should adhere to these height proportions.??? | Typography |
| Adobe Illustrator | The industry standard program for creating vector graphics and illustrations. Commonly used to design logos and fonts due to vector images scalability. | Software |
| Adobe Photoshop | The industry standard program for editing images and photographs. Commonly used for enhancing and manipulating photos. | Software |
| Adobe Indesign | The industry standard program for creating book, pamphlet and magazine layouts. Works hand in hand with images and graphics created in Photoshop and Illustrator. | Software |
| .eps | Encaptulated Post Script.???A common vector graphic file format.??? | File Type |
| Serif Font | Referring to a group of fonts that have little 'feet' or 'hands' on the edges. | Typography |
| Sans-serif Font | Referring to a group of fonts that have featureless or rounded edges. | Typography |
| Web Safe Font |
A group of fonts that are considered 'safe' for use on all websites - all computers have these fonts pre-installed and so will be able to render them on a web page. Currently, web-safe fonts are:???Georgia,???Palatino Linotype,???Times New Roman,???Arial,???Comic Sans,???Impact,???Lucida Sans,???Tahoma,???Trebuchet,???Verdana,???Courier New and???Lucida Console. |
Typography |
| ???Deep Etching | ???Refers to the process of removing a foreground image from its background. | ???Techique |