Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
GLOSSARY
A
@font-face.
A cascading style sheet (CSS)
rule that allows fonts from a third-party
website to be viewed with a user's browser,
allowing designers to select fonts that may
not be widely available.
ABA form.
A design principle of form
interrelationships, involving repetition and
contrast.
Accents.
Small marks over, under, or
through a letterform, indicating specific
punctuation or changes in stress.
Agate.
A vertical unit used to measure space
in newspaper columns, originally
5 1/2-point type. Fourteen agate lines equal
approximately one inch.
Alignment.
Precise arrangement of
letterforms upon an imaginary horizontal
or vertical line.
Alphabet length.
Horizontal measure of the
lowercase alphabet in a type font, used to
approximate the horizontal measure of type
set in that font.
Ampersand.
A typographic character (&)
representing the word
and
.
Antialiasing.
The blurring of a jagged line or
edge on a screen to give the appearance of a
smooth line.
App.
Abbreviation for mobile application. A
self-contained program designed for mobile
phones, tablets, and some computers that
performs a specific task assigned by its
developer.
Application program.
Computer software
used to create and modify documents.
Ascender.
A stroke on a lowercase letter that
rises above the meanline.
Aspect ratio.
The ratio of an image, screen,
or other medium's height to its width.
Images will become distorted if forced into
a different aspect ratio during enlargement,
reduction, or transfers.
Auto-flow.
A page-layout program setting
for placing blocks of text from page to page
without user intervention.
Auto-runaround.
A page-layout program
feature that flows text smoothly around
graphics or headlines placed within the
normal text area.
B
Backslant.
Letterforms having a diagonal
slant to the left.
Baseline.
An imaginary horizontal line upon
which the base of each capital letter rests.
Bezier curves.
A type of curve with
nonuniform arcs and defined by specifying
control points that set the shape of the curve.
Used to create letter shapes and other vector
graphics.
Binary code.
Number system using two
digits: zero and one.
Bit.
Contraction of binary digit, which is the
smallest unit of information that a computer
can hold. The value of a bit (1 or 0) represents
a two-way choice, such as yes or no, on or off,
positive or negative.
Bitmap.
A computerized image made up of
dots. These are “mapped” onto the screen
directly from corresponding bits in memory.
Body size.
The depth of a piece of metal
type, usually measured in points.
Body type.
Text material, usually set in sizes
from 6 to 12 points. Also called text type.
Boldface.
Type with thicker, heavier strokes
than the regular font.
Byte.
Unit of computer information. The
number of bits used to represent a character.
For personal computers, a byte is usually
eight bits.
Chase.
A heavy metal frame into which
metal type is locked for proofing or printing.
Cicero.
A European typographic unit
of measure, approximately equal to the
American pica.
Cold type.
Type that is set by means
other than casting molten metal. A term
most frequently used to indicate strike-on
composition rather than photo or digital
typesetting.
Colophon.
An inscription, frequently placed
at the end of a book, that contains facts about
its production.
Column guide.
Nonprinting lines that define
the location of columns of type.
Comp.
See
Comprehensive layout
.
Compensation.
In visual organization, the
counterbalancing of elements.
Composing stick.
An adjustable handheld
metal tray used to hold handset type as it is
being composed.
Comprehensive layout.
An accurate
representation of a printed piece showing all
type and pictures in their size and position.
Comps are used to evaluate a design before
producing final type and artwork.
Condensed.
Letterforms whose horizontal
width has been compressed.
Connotation.
An idea that communicates
implicit meaning and encourages
associations based on personal experience.
Consonance.
In design, harmonious
interaction between elements.
Copyfitting.
Calculating the area that will
be occupied by a given manuscript when set
in a specified size and style of type.
Counter.
The space enclosed by the strokes
of a letterform.
Counterform.
Negative spatial area defined
and shaped by letterforms, including both
interior counters and spaces between
characters.
CSS.
Abbreviation for cascading style sheets.
A style-sheet language used to describe the
look and format of web pages, including
typography specifications.
C
Cap height.
The height of the capital letters,
measured from the baseline to the capline.
Capitals.
Letters larger than, and often
differing from, the corresponding lowercase
letters. Also called uppercase.
Capline.
An imaginary horizontal line
defined by the height of the capital letters.
Caps.
See
Capitals
.
Caption.
A title, explanation, or description
accompanying an illustration or photograph.
Character.
A symbol, sign, or mark in a
language system.
Character count.
The number of characters
in a block of text. In typography, spaces are
counted but other nonprinting characters
usually are not.
