Common Terms Used in Graphic Design - DIGRAPE.com

Common Terms Used in Graphic Design - DIGRAPE "Diseños Gráficos Peña" - http://digrape.com

Every industry has its own set of jargon, and the world of graphic design is no different.  Graphic designers often tour around, in terms that may sound familiar to the rest of us, but which would be hard to define if you don't work in graphic design.  Here are some of the most common terms that you will hear in graphic design.  Some of these refer to typefaces, methods, different design roles, schools of aesthetic, and many more.  Here it is a handy glossary of the most common terns you will hear used in the graphic arts and design industry.  

The initials A.A.- these stand for author's alterations.  These initials can refer to any alteration that has been made in the text or matter.  They're often used to indicate that there has not been a printer's error.  

The Account Executive-this is a person who is responsible to speaking with clients, starting new accounts, and acting as a bridge between the agency and the client.  If you work graphic design in advertising, you will become very familiar with your account offer executive when you're working on a project.  

Art: Of course, we all know what art is, more or less.  But with graphic design, the meaning shifts a little.  When this phrase is used in graphic design, it refers to all original copy.  This can be anything that has been prepared by the camera, the artist or another type of machine.  

The baseline: This is one of the first things you learn about when you first began to steady graphic design.  The base plan is essentially a horizontal line upon which all the characters in a line stand.  

Black letter: This is a term that is often used to indicate Gothic.  It refers to a popular style of handwriting that dates back to the fifteenth century.  

Body matter: This may also be referred to as the body copy.  This is basically the text, the regular reading matter that is contrasted with display lines.  

A broadside: This is generally a large printed sheet that has been folded for mailing.  The broadside gained popularity as an illustrated way to share and pass along poetry.  

Camera-ready art: This refers to copy that has already been assembled and which is ready for photography through a process camera with a minimum amount of steps.  

Continuous-tone copy: This is a graphic design turn that refers to any image that has a range of tones from white to black.  

The dummy: This term is used to refer to the preliminary layout of a soon-to-be published printed piece.  The dummy shows how the various elements of the layout will be arranged in relation to one another. 

First proofs: This refers to the proofs that were submitted for checking by the proofreaders or copy editors.  

The galley proof: Sometimes this is called the proper approval.  The galley proof is essentially an impression of type.  It is usually not spaced out or assembled completely, thus allowing the typographer and the client to see if the job has been set properly.  

Kerning: This refers to the process of adjusting the space between different letters so that part of one letter will extend over to the body of the next.  

The layout: This refers to the plan which acts as a kind of blueprint.  It shows the basic elements of a design, and how different elements will look in their proper positions. 

The masthead: This refers to the design or logo that is used to identify a magazine, newspaper or other kind of regularly printed publication. 

P.E.: Printer's error. 

Pica: This can be commonly seen written or heard spoken around hard-core graphic designers. Pica is basically just a typographical unit of measurement. 

Proofs: These are the trial prints, or a sheet of printed material that is used to check against the original manuscript.

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