Glossary

You can find these items on the internet, but here they are collected on a single page for you—and written in plain English.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash (Brett Jordan on Unsplash)

A

Adobe: Adobe is a software company. It makes the industry standard software for graphics, like Photoshop and others.

Acrobat: Acrobat is NOT “the Adobe”. It is an Adobe product. The free reader version allows you to view and mark up documents that look “real”. It is made to be interchangeable between platforms, such as Windows and the Apple Macintosh. It is Postscript based but can contain bitmap (picture) files. The file extension of an Acrobat file is .PDF, or Portable Document Format. Commercial printers use Acrobat as the basis for their workflow.

Ai: or “.ai” A vector format like “.eps”. It supports transparency. It is the native file format for Adobe Illustrator files. It is most commonly used for print and video.

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. Not to be confused with .ai.

Ascender: The parts of a lower-case letter above the “x-height”, such as: d, f, h, k, l, and t.

B

Best graphic designer: Why, Logo Hammer of course!

Binding/Bindery: Essentially the spine of a book. For most multiple-page marketing print pieces, it involves two staples in the center, or gutter. This is called Saddle-stitched. There is also “Perfect binding”, GBC and Wire-O.

Bitmap: An image file made up of pixels. Enlargement is limited.

Bleed: This is the “extra” paper that gets cut off on a print job, so that the desired colors appear to go to the edge of the paper.

Bug: Marketing slang for a logo.

C

Cap height: It is literally the height of a capital letter. Go figure.

Concept: An idea that aligns with the creative strategy. Sometimes called “ideation”, a made-up word.

Copy: The trendy word is “text”. It is the writing or copywriting of a job. Computer geeks changed a lot of advertising jargon.

CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black. Why “K” instead of “B”? To avoid confusion with process blue, often used instead of Cyan. This process is similar to what both an inkjet printer uses and a commercial offset press. The size and complexity difference is huge, but the basic principle applies to both.

Creative: The product of creative people. The plural is sometimes used to define the people or product; this is not accurate though commonly used.

D

Dean, Lee: The guy to call for information on design.

Descender: The parts of a lower-case letter below the “x-height”, such as: g, j, p, q, and y.

D.P.I.: Dots Per Inch. Also referred to as P.P.I., or Pixels Per Inch. Both of these abbreviations refer to the quality or resolution of an image. If it’s too high, transmission and print times may be slow. If it’s too low, it will look bad. The typical minimum for print is a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch). For screen use, 72 dpi is the norm. For PowerPoints, 240 dpi looks really good.

E

EPS: Or “.eps” A vector format that can include bitmap files. It supports transparency. It stands for Encapsulated Post Script. This is simultaneously the most accurate and largest of files if it contains a bitmap.

F

File Format: How computer information is formed for computer files. This easiest way to identify which format is being used is by looking at the file extension, for example a Word document is .doc or .docx.

Font: A font is a subset of a typeface. Typically, a font is a subset consisting typically of Bold, Roman/Regular, Italic, Semi-bold, etc., of the typeface family. Font is often mistakenly substituted for the word “Typeface”. For example, Times Roman is NOT a font. Times Roman Bold IS a font of the typeface Times Roman. Computer geeks have ruined basic taxonomy in the trade.

G

GBC binding: This is sometimes called a comb. It is the really ugly plastic tube used to hold booklets together. Rectangular holes are punched into the document, and it is bound with the GBC tube. If you need to do this sort of thing, go with Wire-O. It’s much nicer.

GIF: Or “.gif” A compressed, lossy, bitmap format. It stands for Graphical Interchange Format. These files can be animated and are often seen on websites.

H

High resolution: This refers to image clarity. What looks fine on screen may look terrible in print. The typical minimum for print is a resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch). For screen use, 72 dpi is the norm. For PowerPoints, 240 dpi looks really good.

I

I don’t understand what the designer is saying. Call Lee Dean! (214) 697-9849

J

Jaggies: This is what a series of pixels are called when they show up in an unwanted fashion. They are most obvious on curved shapes; you’ll see a stair-step effect making the curve look rough. Or, if an image has been enlarged too much, it can look like blobs all over the image, similar to when they disguise innocent people’s faces on a newscast.

JPEG: Or “.jpg” A compressed, lossy, bitmap format. It stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It’s the most common image/photo format.

K

KB: Kilobyte. A computer term used to describe a small or optimized image. The smaller in kilobytes, the faster the image will appear on screen. A kilobyte is about a thousand times smaller than a Megabyte.

L

Line art: Literally art made up of line work; cartoons, illustrations, designs. Originally all black and white.

Live area: Also called the “safe area”. Normally associated with print ads as the area that won’t get cut off in bindery. I’ve found it can also apply to social media graphics, based on pixel dimensions.

Layers: As the name implies these are sections stacked one on top of another in popular graphic art programs. They can be turned off and on to hide objects within them. They help separate overlapping elements in order to work on them without visual obstruction. They can be made semi-transparent so that what’s beneath them can be seen.

Logo: The company logo such as you see for AT&T, Nike, Amazon, etc. As opposed to “service marks” which can be subordinate products and services of a company. For example, AT&Ttv is a service mark of AT&T.

Logotype: What is a logotype? It is a logo that is primarily made of letters. Think ExxonMobil or FedEx, as opposed to the Nike swoosh.

Lossy: Graphics formats that “lose” information (pixels) as they are copied. This is based on an algorithm that makes the file smaller for display and transmission. Examples are JPEG (.jpg), GIF (.gif) MP3, MP4, etc. The opposite or “lossless” are TIFF (.tif) PNG (.png), EPS (.eps), PDF/A (.pdf)

M

Mark: This is a logo with the emphasis on the graphic. The company name is typically subordinate in this context.

MB: Megabyte. A computer term used to describe a medium or large file. Print images and videos commonly use this measurement. A megabyte is about a thousand times bigger than a kilobyte.

Moiré: A ripple or effect, usually undesirable in print or on screen. Think of a weatherman’s tie that unintentionally goes pattern crazy when he’s in front of a green screen, showing the view the weather map. As the resolution of both print processes and screens increase, the less chance of moiré happening.

N

Negative space: Also called “white space”. This is a tool used to set off an element from the rest of the space on which it resides. Unfortunately, many see this as a waste of space. Improperly used, it can be. Properly used, it is very effective.

O

OMG: Call Lee Dean at Logo Hammer to understand what the designer is talking about: (214) 697-9849.

P

PDF: or Portable Document Format. It is the file extension for an Acrobat file. Commercial printers use Acrobat as the basis for their workflow. It is compatible with Windows and the Apple platforms.

Pixelated: Pixels of an image enlarged too much, so they are visible and distracting. Also called “jaggies”.

Perfect binding: Pages are glued together much like a real book is stitched. No staples or other combs are used.

Postscript: A programming language invented by Adobe systems. It is a mathematical mapping program, or vector mapping program. Since it is not made of pixels, Postscript can make vector graphics as smooth as the output capabilities of the device using it. This avoids “jaggies” or pixelization altogether. It is the basis for smooth type in print and on screen. PCL is Microsoft’s answer to Postscript.

PNG: Or “.png” A compressed, lossy, bitmap format. It stands for Portable Network Graphic. It supports transparency. It is native to both Mac and Windows operating systems.

Q

QR code: This is the symbol that looks like a checkerboard with missing pieces. There are phone apps you can use to read QR codes that will instantly take you to the intended website.

R

Resolution: As in “high resolution” or “low resolution” images. This is about the clarity of an image. If it’s too low, you’ll see pixels, or “jaggies”. Always take the “hi res” as it can be reduced to fit. It doesn’t work the other way around very well. A print file on final output needs 300 dpi (dots per inch) resolution, where a web file needs only 72 dpi at final size. When you drag an image off a website (assuming you have intellectual property rights to it) to use for a print job, it will have to be roughly a third of the screen size in print, to be “high resolution”.

RGB: Red, Green & Blue. These are the colors that make up light. This is how your computer screen makes images you can see. It is also a color “mode” for various file formats, such as JPEGs, GIFs and PNGs.

S

Saddle-stitched: A printer’s term, typically meaning the staples applied to the gutter or fold of a brochure.

Self-branding logo: Okay, someone is making up words now. This is simply a regurgitation of what a brand is: A unique visual symbol representing your personal professional identity, acting as your brand's "fingerprint" to make a first impression and build recognition with your audience.

Service Mark: Subordinate products and services of a company. For example, AT&Ttv is a service mark of AT&T.

SVG: or “.svg” A vector format like “.eps”. It supports transparency. Its most common use is for internet graphics.

T

Text: Also called the “copy” or “body copy” in a piece of advertising, blog, message, etc.

TIFF: Tagged Image File Format, or “.tif” A bitmapped file commonly used for Photoshop output. It is a “lossless” format and can be compressed. Even so, the file size can be quite large compared to “lossy” format such as JPEG (.jpg)

Trim: For print pieces, this is the part of the paper that gets cut off. A print piece is printed larger than the final size, so that images can run up to the edge without a border. The part outside the trim area is called the “bleed”.

Typeface: The family of type containing various fonts. E.g., Times is the typeface, but Times Bold is a font.

U

Underlines: U Like that. Never use that. That’s why we now have italics. Underlines were used pre-computer, to indicate italics to a typesetter. Yet they persist. They may be unavoidable for hyperlinks sometimes, but nevertheless usually make the letterforms hard to read.

V

Vector: Vector files are made of mathematical formulas as opposed to “bitmap” images, which are made of pixels. That means they are resolution independent, in other words, they remain smooth at any size they are produced, no matter what kind of printer is used. Vector files are Postscript in origin, but not to be confused with a bitmap ‘eps’ file that Photoshop can generate. Typical extensions for vector files are “.ai”, “.eps” and “.svg”. This is important to note: Importing/inserting a bitmap file into Illustrator or vector formats does not make it a vector file. For instance, dropping a JPEG into Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Acrobat file, is still a JPEG in a vector wrapper. Sometimes this is attempted in order to satisfy the extension preference, but it does not convert the original bitmap.

W

Wire-O binding: This is a double metal spiral, that fits into square holes in the paper. It is a better binding process than GBC. Better quality notebooks use this, and it can be specified for presentations and catalogs.

X

X-height: This is the height of lower-case letters without ascenders or descenders, such as: a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z.

Y

You: You need to call Lee Dean for consultation. Therapy not included.

Z

Zee last thing: My email is lee@logohammer.com