B

Balance – A term used to describe the aesthetic or harmony of elements, whether they are photos, art or copy, within a layout or design.

Balloon – Anything that encircles copy / text.

Banner (Web) – A web-based advert, either static, animated or interactive.

Baseline – In typography, this refers to the imaginary line upon which sits the text. Rounded items will actually sit just below this line to give balance as visually, a letter with a rounded bottom will appear to sit slightly higher than it actually does.

Below The Line – Marketing that is direct, such as Direct Mailers.

Bezier line – A path defined by the position of the four control points that are located at the ends of the tangents of the vertices. The length and angle of the tangents describe how a path deviates from linear between its vertices.

Bible Paper – A lightweight, yet reasonably strong paper of the sort typically used in bibles.

Bind – Most frequently refers to books, but can include any printed material where the sheets are bound by string, wire, glue, or other method.

Bitmap – A graphics mode where the resulting image is constructed of pixels (as opposed to vectors).

Bleed – In printing, the bleed refers to an area that ‘bleeds’ over the edge of the document area. This is done so that background colours / images and so on will not have have white borders due to minor error margins that can occur when trimming printed objects.

Blind Image – This refers to an image that is embossed, de-bossed, stamped or watermark that is created through creating the image as part of the papers texture and not using inks or foils.

Blocking – This is when printed sheets (usually freshly printed) stick together, resulting in damage when they are separated.

Blow-Up – An enlargement of an image.

Blurb – A brief description that is found on the back of book jackets. They are designed to entice the reader.

BMP – Windows bitmap file format. It ‘lossless’, meaning uncompressed so that image quality is preserved. Its use is dwindling as there are better options available.

Body – In print or on the web, this refers to the main text area.

Borrowed Interest – A technique of using something already famous to help sell a product or service. Examples are celebrity endorsements and give-aways.

Brand (Branding) – The brand is what sets a product apart from its competitors. The idea of the brand transcends the physical properties of the product and incorporates a great deal of other elements.

Brand Loyalty – This is the trusting relationship that customers feel towards a particular brand and the reasons why they like it.

Bronzing – An effect which is created by dusting wet ink with a metallic powder.

Z

Z-Axis – Vertical plane of a three-dimensional plot.

Z-Index – The arrangement of layers on a webpage. Layers can be overlaid on one another so they are assigned a Z-Index to dictate in what order they appear.

Y

Y-Axis – Vertical 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 x-axis.

X

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.

W

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.

V

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.

U

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.

T

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.

S

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.