Toolbox

abstract

a simplified or manipulated version of an image

abstract painting

A painting that emphasizes a derived style or symbol of the objects portrayed by the artist

aesthetics

the appreciation of beauty or good taste

aesthetics

the visual appeal of a design

alignment

the placement of elements in a composition in relation to imaginary axes, like margins, or to other design elements in the composition

allegory

a composition that is designed so that every element in the composition represents a single idea or theme, such as love, death, or faith

alpha test

the first test of a new product; it takes place in a laboratory setting with the developers

anthropometry

the study of the size and proportion of the human body through measurement

applied arts

art that responds to both visual appeal and functional needs

art

the product of human creativity and expression

ascenders

the parts of lowercase letter strokes that extend above the x-height

asymmetrical balance

a design that has evenly distributed design elements in order to provide a visual, off-center balance without being the same on two sides

audience

people for whom a design is intended

audience analysis

research done to ensure that a design meets the needs of the group for which it is intended

baseline

the imaginary line on which a line of text sits

beta test

the second test of a new product; it happens in the real world, performed by users under normal operating situations

calligraphy

an artistic form of writing

center alignment

text alignment in which each line of text is centered on the same vertical axis

chiaroscuro

the Italian word for “light and dark” used to describe the use of light or shade to create depth or perspective in a piece of artwork, most commonly used in sculpture

clip art

an electronic image that designers click on to select and place into designs

closure

when the viewer’s eye automatically fills in the missing parts of familiar shapes, so partial shapes look complete

cognitive overload

an excess of demands on the brain

communication

the process of conveying the intended message

complementary colors

colors exactly opposite on the color wheel

content

the meaning of a piece of artwork

context

the purposeful use of the design, or the environment in which the designed item is to be used

continuance

how the viewer’s focus moves through a design

contrast

The visual difference between two design elements

cool colors

all shades, or values, of blues, greens, and violets

copyright infringement

the violation of copyright laws

counter

the negative space enclosed in a letterform

crop

the process of digitally removing parts of an electronic image

cross-hatching

the technique of stacking sets of parallel lines on top of one another in opposite directions in order to create lightness or darkness in a composition

cut and paste

the use of keyboard commands or mouse clicks to move selected data from its original position in an electronic document to another location

decoration

visual components that serve no other purpose than for visual appeal

demographics

the shared characteristics of a group of people

descenders

the parts of lowercase letter strokes that extend below the baseline

design (n.)

the purposeful organization or plan of something that may or may not be artful in its execution

design (v.)

the process of creating a plan for something while keeping in mind its purpose, audience, communication, efficiency, and appeal

discord

lack of order and harmony

dominance

the idea that all designs should have a focal point

dominant level

the level of a composition that contains the elements with the most visual emphasis

drawing

a 2-D image created by using pencils, charcoal, pastels, or a variety of different types of pens or pencils

engraving

any design that is etched and printed onto some sort of medium

ergonomics

the process of designing products that meet humans’ physical and psychological needs

figure

the information that a designer wants to stand out

fine arts

art that has little or no practical function

flowing rhythm

pattern provides a calm, organic arrangement of elements

foreshortening

a form of perspective where the sizes and shapes of objects in an image are manipulated to create the illusion that the object is projected into space

functionality

the ability to serve an intended purpose

gradation

series of gradual, successive changes

ground

the information in which a designer does not want to stand out

harmony

the design principle that helps artists and designers to unify their compositions

horizon

the imaginary line where the ground meets the sky

imaginative phase

the first phase of the design process, which involves thinking about all of the possibilities

justified alignment

text alignment in which is flush along both the left and right margins; the spacing is altered in order to align both sides of text

kerning

the adjustment of letter spacing

leading

the amount of space between lines of text

left alignment

text alignment in which the text is aligned flush with the left margin

ligature

a combination of two letterforms that creates one unit

line

a mark that connects two points without intersecting with itself

linear perspective

the use of lines and focal points to create the illusion of depth

linear perspective

the artistic technique of using lines and a focal point to create the illusion of space and depth on a two-dimensional surface

mass media

the transmission of information and entertainment through film, radio, television, the Internet, and recorded music

media

the plural form of medium

medium

the technique, material, or creative method by which a designer creates a work of art

monoprint

a piece of 2-D artwork in which there is only one copy

mosaic

an art form that involves creating designs using small pieces of glass or ceramic

negative space

the secondary content of a design

nonlinear perspective

a technique of manipulating elements on a flat, two-dimensional surface so they create the illusion of space and depth

nonlinear perspective

the artistic technique of manipulating elements on a flat, two-dimensional surface so they create the illusion of space and depth

one-point perspective

an artistic view where you can only see one side of an object

ornament

a decorative element that serves a purpose

orphan

a single line of text, usually the beginning of a paragraph, which appears at the bottom of a page

point of view

the location at which the viewer is standing relative to the object in the composition

point size

the basic measure of the font size

portrait

A representation of a person

positive space

the primary content of a design

practical phase

the second phase of the design process, which involves determining how to make ideas work

primary color

a color that cannot be created by mixing other colors together

principle of proximity

elements that are close to each other in a composition appear to be related

problem solving

the process of finding an effective solution to a dilemma or obstacle

progressive rhythm

pattern that involves an element that repeats throughout a composition but alters in a consistent way each time it appears

radial balance

a design that involves elements radiating out from a central point

realism

a composition that attempts to represent the subject matter as realistically as possible

regular rhythm

pattern that provides a steady, organized pattern of similar elements

reproduction

a copy of an original piece of artwork

rhythm

repetition and patterns created by similar or varying design elements in a composition

right alignment

text alignment in which the text is aligned flush with the right margin

sans serif

a font that does not have serifs

sculpture

a 3-D type of artwork

seascape

An artwork depicting the sea or ocean

secondary color

a color created by mixing two primary colors

self-portrait

an artist’s representation of him or herself

serif

the short, decorative strokes that extend from strokes in a typeface

space

the depth and dimension of a composition

stele

a stone pillar that contains some of the oldest examples of Chinese writing

stem

the main vertical or diagonal stroke that make up a letterform

still life

an artwork depicting inanimate objects

still life

a type of painting (or other art form) in which the subject is an inanimate object

stroke

any single mark that makes up part of a typographic symbol

subdominant level

the level of a composition that contains the elements in the middle ground

subject matter

the subject or objects included in a composition

subordinate level

the level of a composition that contains the elements in the background or negative space

substrate

any substance on which you can make a mark

symmetrical balance

a design that has design elements reflected across central line

tactile texture

the way an object feels

technology transfer

technology that is shared and applied from one field to another

tertiary color

a color created by mixing a primary and a secondary color; also called an intermediate color

three-point perspective

an artistic view where you can see three sides on an object

two-point perspective

an artistic view where you can see two sides on an object

type attributes

a characteristic of text, including bold, italicized, underlined, or tinted with a variety of hues

typeface

a collection of digital font families (different sizes of the same typeface design) selected in desktop publishing and word processing programs

typeface

the design of individual typographic characters, including letters, numbers, and punctuation marks; also known as font.

vanishing point

the common point on the horizon that all lines in a composition should meet at

visual literacy

the ability to communicate to others through the use of visual elements and understand and interpret meaning from visual elements

warm colors

all shades, or values of reds, oranges, and yellows

widow

a single word or partial word that appears on its own line of text at the end of a paragraph