X-Axis – Horizontal plane of a two-dimensional plot. Or one of the two horizontal planes of a three-dimensional plot where it will be at a right-angle to the y-axis.
XHTML – Abbreviation for Extensible Hypertext Mark-up Language and is a hybrid of XML and HTML. Web pages designed in XHTML should look the same across all platforms. XHTML is a reformation of HTML as an XML vocabulary.
XML – Abbreviation for Extensible Mark-up Language. XML A language specification from the W3C that allows users to develop their own markup languages (often called vocabularies), and format their documents using stylesheets to be presented on a browser if desired.
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White Space – Refers to the blank areas around items in a design. Sometimes referred to as “air”, it doesn’t have to be white, it’s just any area that isn’t occupied with text or graphic elements. Used correctly it can increase readability and impact. (See Negative Space to read about the difference between the two.)
Wire Frame – A method used to help aid the web design process. Wire frames, like they sound, are basic representations of web sites created so that design and layouts can be developed and explored rapidly.
WYSIWYG – What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get. The term originally arrived with the emergence of DTP and means that what is displayed on-screen when creating means that it will also appear the same when out-putted. Now it covers a great number of applications.
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Validation – Checking HTML and CSS code to ensure that it is valid and cross-browser friendly so that it complies with the standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium. W3C.
Vector – Vectors are methods of drawing which store data, such as points of a line and mathematical formulas to calculate curvature etc. and then use this data to render images on screen. As a result, vector graphics are smaller in files size and can be scaled up or down with no reduction in quality.
Vignette – (1) A vignette, in graphic design, is a decorative design usually placed to separate sections or chapters in books. (2) A brief scene, either in literature, a play or film that gives a greater insight into one particular aspect.
Vignetting – This refers to the darkening or reduction in quality (most noticeably in the corners) of photographic images. This can be due to mechanical or optical effects, or may have been added post-production.
Viral – Used to describe how marketing and other media can spread via word of mouth.
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Universal Access – Enabling your website to be accessible to all, despite disabilities that users may have.
URL – A web address or location of a particular page of file online, for example http://www.jeffreydriver.co.uk.
Usability – A term referring to the ease of use of a device or user-interface.
USB – A now universal computer interface allowing a variety of devices and peripherals to be attached.
User Centered Design – This is more of a philosophy than anything else. It means to concentrate on the needs of customers/users and designing for them, not yourself.
USP – Unique Selling Point. Something which sets you apart from your competitors.
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Tagline – A sentence that clearly and concisely sums up the campaign message.
Target – Often followed by “Audience” this is the demographic which a campaign, product or service is aimed at.
Template – A template is something which acts as the basis for something else. For example, a WordPress template defines the overall look of a site, but each page can be customised. The same applies to print where a set template is created and then different pages are variations of it.
Text Wrap – Where text, instead of extending past the visible screen or defined boundary automatically drops to the next line..
TIFF – A high quality image file format.
Thumbnail – A small image, often a scaled-down version of a larger image used to help aid navigation or help the viewer choose what’s relevant / interests them.
Through The Line – This refers to interactive media advertising.
Truisms – Simple “facts of life” that can be effective is their use as they are widely recognised, simplistic, and hard to argue against.
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Sans-Serif – Refers to fonts which don’t have the small extrusions on the letters. Arial is a common sans-serif font.
Saturation – This is the intensity of a colour, the less saturated, the more neutral it becomes, leading to grey.
Serif – Opposite of Sans-Serif. Times New Roman is an example.
Seven Deadly Sins – The sins refer to human weaknesses and are ideal targets that your marketing can aim for. i.e. identify which sins are likely to be relevant to your target audience and explain how your product / service will either resolve or pander to it. The sins – Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride
SLIP IT – In marketing, an acronym that reminds you that an ad should make the viewer Smile, Laugh, Inform, Provoke, Involve and /or make you Think.
Spot – A single TV advert.
Spot Colour – A pre-mixed ink that is used in a print job. This is done when a very specific colour is required and/or may be difficult to achieve with CMYK colour processes. The finish of a Spot Colour is superior.
Stock – Refers to any pre-made resources not specifically created for the project.
Support Points – Several points or facts that back up a proposition.
Symbol – A type of visual metaphor, usually quite simple. e.g red = danger.
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Radio Button – Thos round selectable buttons that will only allow one to be selected at a time.
Raster – A raster image is one that is made up of pixels. As opposed to vector.
Reductionism – The act of reducing elements of an advert down to the essentials so that the ad still works.
Render / Rendering – Renders are the outputs, such as a video or image from a 3D modelling package, or a video from a video production package. This can be a lengthy process depending on the project and the machine that is doing the rendering.
RGB – The colour mode that colour electronic displays use.
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PDF – Portable Document Format. A common and versatile file format for sharing documents and sending print-ready artwork to printers.
PHP (Hypertext Pre-Processor) – A scripting language which resides on the servers where a website is held. PHP carries out all its work on the server and then generates HTML which it then presents to the web browser.
Pixel – The basic parts that make up a raster image, such as a photograph. The image is made up of a number of pixels.
Pixilation – This occurs when the DPI (dots-per-inch) is too low. Often seen when an image pulled from the web has been printed out.
Plug-In – Additional add-ons that can be applied to a piece of software, such as extensions for web browsers or WordPress.
PNG – An ideal image format for preparing images for the web. It’s lossless and it also supports alpha transparency.
Printer Spread – The order in which a printing company differs from how they are finally presented when printed and bound. A Printer Spread is the name for this layout which is usually all the pages printed on one large sheet which is then cropped.
Problem – This word is used to describe the issues facing your customers or reason behind a project. By defining it as a problem you start to look for solutions.
Proposition – That is the promise that your product / service makes.
Prototype – An advanced mock-up of a project, usually more tangible. For instance, for a web project, several working web pages might be created.
Push It – A phrase used in the design / marketing industry to encourage a project to be reworked.
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