Every industry has its own set of jargon. The world of graphic design is no exception. Graphic designers use industry terms that may sound familiar, but these terms are 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. You can use this article as a handy glossary of the most common terms you will hear from your peers.
1) The initials A.A.
These initials stand for author s alterations. These initials refer to any alteration made in the text or design matter. Designers often use these initials to indicate that there has not been a printer s error.
2) The Account Executive
This is the title of 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 as a graphic designer in advertising, you will become familiar with your Account Executive as you work on a project.
3) Art.
Of course, we all know what art is, more or less. But with graphic design, the meaning shifts slightly. When we use this phrase in graphic design, it refers to all original copy. This copy can include any design element prepared by camera, the artist, or another type of machine.
4) The baseline.
You will recognize the term, the baseline, as a beginning graphic designer. The base plan is a horizontal line upon which all the characters in a line stand.
5) Black letter.
This term is used to indicate Gothic. It refers to a popular style of handwriting that dates back to the fifteenth century.
6) Body matter.
The body matter may be referred to as the body copy. This is the text, the regular reading matter that is contrasted with display lines.
7) A broadside.
A broadside is generally a large printed sheet folded for mailing. The broadside gained popularity as an illustrated way to share and pass along poetry.
8) Camera ready art.
This refers to copy that designers have assembled to ready it for photography through a process camera with a minimum amount of steps.
9) Continuous tone copy.
This graphic design term refers to any image that ranges in tones from white to black.
10) The dummy.
This term refers to the preliminary layout of a soon to be published printed piece. The dummy (also sometimes called a mockup ) shows how various elements of the layout will be arranged in relation to one another.
11) First proofs.
This refers to proofs that were submitted for checking by the proofreaders or copy editors.
12) The galley proof.
Also, sometimes referred to as the proper approval. The galley proof is 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.
13) Kerning.
Kerning is the process of adjusting the space between different letters so that part of one letter will extend over to the body of the next.
14) The layout.
The layout is the blueprint of the design. It shows the basic elements of a design, and how different elements will look in their proper positions.
15) The masthead.
This refers to the design or logo used to identify a magazine, newspaper or other regularly printed publication.
16) P.E. – Printer s error.
17) Pica.
This can be commonly seen written or heard spoken around hard core graphic designers. Pica is basically just a typographical unit of measurement.
18) Proofs.
Proofs are trial prints, or a sheet of printed material that the designer checks against the original manuscript.
Author Resource:
Visit Brian Scott's website, http://www.FastCashDesign.com and learn about making money as a graphic designer. For graphic design jobs, visit http://www.GraphicDesignFreelanceJobs.com
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