A Client’s Guide to Graphic Design and Branding Terminology

A/B testing: Testing two different versions of a design or marketing campaign to determine which is more effective. This data-driven approach allows designers and marketers to optimize their campaigns and make informed decisions.

Adobe Creative Suite: A versatile collection of software programs commonly used in graphic design and media production, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. It is a popular choice for designers and branding experts due to its range of tools.

Adwords: A Google advertising platform that enables businesses to create and display targeted ads to specific audiences. It can be an effective way to generate brand awareness and drive sales.

Alt text: Crucial in web design and branding as it provides alternative descriptions of images for people with visual impairments, allowing them to understand and interact with the content.

Analogous colours: Refers to colors adjacent to each other on the colour wheel. They can create a sense of harmony and balance in a design, contributing to a cohesive and visually appealing layout.

Analytics: Involves collecting and analyzing data related to website traffic, user behaviour, and other metrics. This can be an essential tool in evaluating the effectiveness of branding and marketing efforts.

Aspect ratio: Refers to the ratio of the width to the height of an image or video. It is an essential consideration in design and branding to ensure that images and videos are correctly sized and formatted for different mediums and devices.

Audience segmentation: Involves dividing a target audience into smaller groups based on common characteristics or behaviours. This can help to create more targeted and compelling branding and marketing campaigns.

Banner ads: Online advertisements that use images or animations to promote a product or brand. They can appear on websites, social media, or other digital platforms, contributing to a brand’s online presence.

Baseline grid: A grid used in design to ensure that the text and other elements align correctly. It can help to create a consistent and visually appealing layout, improving the overall design’s effectiveness.

Behavioural targeting: Involves using data and analytics to understand and target users based on their behaviour and actions. This can help to create more personalized and compelling marketing messages and promotions.

Bleed: Refers to the area outside the document or design trimmed off when the final product is printed or produced. This ensures that the design or image extends to the edge of the final product without leaving any unwanted white space, creating a more polished and professional look.

Brand ambassador: An individual or group representing a brand and promoting its products or services. They can be influencers, employees, or others who strongly connect to the brand and its values, contributing to the brand’s overall image and reputation.

Brand architecture: Refers to how a brand is structured, including its sub-brands and products. It helps to clarify the relationship between different elements of a brand and can optimize branding efforts and communications.

Brand awareness: Refers to the degree to which potential customers recognize and remember a brand. It is essential in building a successful brand and driving sales, making it an important focus for branding and marketing efforts.

Brand book: A comprehensive guide to a brand’s visual identity, including guidelines for logos, typography, colour palette, and other visual elements. It can help to ensure consistency and cohesion in branding efforts, contributing to a recognizable and memorable brand.

Brand equity: Refers to a brand’s value and perception in the market. It is influenced by factors such as brand awareness, reputation, and customer loyalty and can significantly impact a brand’s success.

Brand extension: Involves using a brand name or logo to launch a new product or service. It can leverage existing brand equity and recognition to create a new revenue stream, contributing to a brand’s overall profitability.

Brand identity system: Includes the collection of visual and verbal elements representing a brand, including the logo, typography, colour palette, tone of voice, and other visual and textual elements. A robust brand identity system helps to create a cohesive and consistent brand experience across all mediums and touchpoints, contributing to a memorable and recognizable brand.

Brand guidelines: A set of guidelines that define the visual and verbal elements of a brand and how they should be used. They help to ensure that a brand’s identity is consistent and recognizable across all mediums and touchpoints, contributing to a strong and cohesive brand image.

Brand image: Refers to the perception and reputation of a brand in the eyes of consumers. Various factors can influence brand image, including visual identity, messaging, and customer experience, making it essential to create a positive and compelling brand image.

Brand loyalty: Refers to the degree to which customers feel committed and loyal to a particular brand. It is essential in branding and marketing efforts and can help generate repeat business and advocacy, contributing to a brand’s overall success.

Brand strategy: Refers to the long-term plan for building and managing a brand’s image and reputation. It should consider the target audience, competitive landscape, and business goals, making it an essential element in creating a successful and effective brand.

Brand voice: Refers to the style and personality of written or spoken communication used in a brand’s messaging. It is an integral part of the branding and can help to create a distinctive and recognizable brand image.

Call to action: A prompt or request for the user to take a specific action, such as purchasing or signing up for a newsletter. A clear and compelling call to action can help to drive conversions and engagement, making it a critical element in digital marketing.

CMYK: A colour model used in print design for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). It creates a wide range of colours by combining different percentages of each colour, contributing to a vibrant and appealing design.

Colour modes: Refer to the different ways colours are represented in digital design, including RGB and CMYK. They can affect the final appearance of a design and how it is printed or displayed, making it essential to choose the right colour mode for the specific design project.

Colour psychology: The study of how colours affect human behaviour and emotions. Different colours can have different connotations and meanings and can be used to create a specific mood or tone in a design or marketing message, contributing to a more compelling and effective branding and marketing efforts.

Competitive analysis: The process of analyzing and comparing a brand’s products or services to those of its competitors. It can help to identify areas of strength and weakness and can inform branding and marketing strategies, contributing to a more effective and competitive brand.

Content management system (CMS): A software platform for creating and managing digital content, such as websites or blogs. It can be an effective way to organize and publish content without requiring specialized coding skills, contributing to a more efficient and effective content creation process.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO): Refers to the process of optimizing a website or digital product to improve the percentage of users who take a specific action, such as purchasing or subscribing to a newsletter. It can be essential to digital marketing and help improve conversion rates, contributing to a more effective and profitable digital presence.

Corporate identity: Refers to the visual and textual elements representing a company, including the logo, colour palette, and other visual and textual elements. It is an integral part of branding and can help to create a recognizable and memorable brand, contributing to a strong and cohesive brand image.

CSS: Stands for Cascading Style Sheets, a style sheet language used in web design to define the visual appearance of HTML elements. It can control a website or web application’s layout, typography, and other visual aspects, contributing to a more polished and professional website.

Customer journey: Refers to the process a customer goes through, from the initial awareness of a product or service to the final purchase or conversion. Understanding the customer journey can be crucial in creating effective marketing and branding strategies, contributing to more successful and targeted marketing efforts.

Customer persona: A fictional representation of a brand’s ideal customer based on research and data. Customer personas can help create targeted marketing and branding efforts that are more likely to resonate with the intended audience, contributing to more successful and personalized marketing strategies.

Data visualization: Refers to creating visual representations of data, such as charts or graphs, to help communicate complex information. It can be an effective way to make data more understandable and engaging, contributing to more successful data-driven decision making.

Demographics: Refer to characteristics of a population, such as age, gender, income, and education level. Demographic information can be used to create targeted branding and marketing campaigns, contributing to more effective and personalized marketing efforts.

Design system: A set of rules and guidelines for creating consistent and cohesive visual designs across different products and platforms. Design systems can help to improve efficiency and consistency in design efforts, contributing to a more polished and professional brand image.

Design thinking: A problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and experimentation. It is often used in product design and innovation to create user-centered solutions, contributing to more successful and user-friendly product design.

Digital marketing: Refers to using digital channels, such as social media, email, and search engines, to promote a brand or product. It can be more targeted and cost-effective than traditional marketing methods, contributing to more successful and efficient marketing efforts.

DPI: Stands for dots per inch, a measurement of the resolution of an image or print. DPI is essential in print design to ensure the final product is crisp and clear, contributing to a more professional and high-quality print design.

EPS: Encapsulated PostScript is a scalable vector graphics format commonly used in print design. Its flexibility allows for editing without a loss of quality, and its complexity lies in its ability to create intricate designs with detailed accuracy.

Favicon: A small but mighty icon displayed in the browser tab or address bar, the Favicon is an essential consideration in creating a solid brand image. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to convey a brand’s identity in a condensed format.

Flat design: Characterized by simple shapes, bold colours, and minimalistic typography, Flat design is an effective way to create a clean and modern visual style. Its uniqueness lies in the combination of simplicity and boldness, creating a design that is both intriguing and captivating.

Footer: The bottom section of a webpage that often contains copyright information, contact details, and other relevant information. The Footer design is an essential consideration in layout and composition. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to provide necessary information while keeping a design cohesive and balanced.

GIF: Graphics Interchange Format is a file format used for short animations and simple graphics. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to create engaging and shareable content through short, easily-digestible animations.

Grid layout: A type of layout that uses a grid system to align and organize visual elements, Grid layouts can help create a balanced and visually appealing design and effectively incorporate multiple visual elements into a design or branding effort. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to create a clear and organized design while still allowing for creativity within the grid.

Hamburger menu: A navigation icon consisting of three stacked horizontal lines, the Hamburger menu is commonly used in mobile and web design to indicate the presence of a hidden menu or navigation options. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to simplify and streamline navigation while keeping a design visually appealing.

Iconography: The use of symbols or icons to represent concepts or ideas, Iconography can be an effective way to convey complex information or ideas simply and memorably. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to condense complex information into a single, easily recognizable symbol or icon.

Identity design: Creating a company or organization’s visual identity or branding system, Identity design includes elements such as the logo, colour palette, typography, and tone of voice and helps to create a consistent and recognizable brand image. Its complexity lies in the ability to create a visual representation of a company’s identity.

Infographic: A visual representation of data or information, often using graphics, charts, or illustrations. Infographics can be an effective way to convey complex information or ideas simply and memorably. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to present data in a visually engaging and easily understandable way.

JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group, a commonly used image format with lossy compression. JPEGs are widely supported and can be compressed to reduce file size but can lose image quality. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to provide a high-quality image in a relatively small file size.

Kerning: The adjustment of spacing between individual letters in a word or phrase. Kerning can improve the legibility and readability of text and can be an essential consideration in typography. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to create a visually pleasing and easy-to-read text.

Keywords: Words or phrases used to optimize search engine content. Keywords can help to improve the visibility and ranking of content in search engine results pages. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to attract more traffic to a website by increasing its visibility in search engines.

Landing page: A web page designed to receive traffic from a specific marketing or advertising campaign. Landing pages are often used to generate leads or drive conversions and should be optimized to be simple and persuasive. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to convert visitors into customers or leads.

Line height: The vertical space between lines of text in typography. Line height can be an essential consideration in typography and design. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to improve the readability and legibility of text.

Line spacing: The vertical space between lines of text in a design or branding effort. Line spacing can affect the legibility and readability of text and should be optimized for the specific font and design used. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to create a visually pleasing and easy-to-read text.

Link building: The process of acquiring links from other websites to a specific webpage or website. Link building can be crucial in search engine optimization and digital marketing. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to improve the visibility and ranking of a website in search engines.

Logo: A visual symbol or icon that represents a brand or organization. Logos are an essential part of the branding and can help to create a memorable and recognizable brand image. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to convey a brand’s identity in a single visual representation.

Logo lockup: Arranging a logo and brand name in a specific configuration, logo lockups should be consistent across all mediums and touchpoints to create a recognizable and memorable brand image. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to create a consistent and recognizable visual representation of a brand.

Long-tail keyword: A specific, niche keyword phrase used in digital marketing and search engine optimization to target a particular audience. Long-tail keywords can be an effective way to generate targeted traffic and improve conversion rates. Its effectiveness lies in its ability to attract highly targeted traffic to a website.

Metadata: the information associated with a digital file, such as the title, author, and date of creation. When it comes to digital publishing and search engine optimization, metadata should be a crucial consideration.

Mission statement: a declaration that outlines a company’s or organization’s purpose and objectives. Mission statements can help to clarify a brand’s values and priorities and are an essential aspect of branding and marketing efforts.

Mobile-first design: creating websites and other digital products for mobile devices first, and then scaling them up for larger screens. In today’s mobile-centric world, mobile-first design is vital and can help create more accessible and user-friendly digital experiences.

Mockup: a realistic visual representation of a design or product that is often used for presentation or demonstration purposes. Mockups can be an effective way to communicate design ideas and concepts to clients or stakeholders.

Mood board: a collection of visual elements, such as images, colors, and typography, used to convey the mood or tone of a design or branding effort. Mood boards can help to ensure a consistent and cohesive visual style across all mediums and touchpoints.

Negative space: the empty or white space surrounding visual elements in a design. Negative space can help to create balance and contrast in a design and is an essential consideration in layout and composition.

Offset printing: a printing technique that uses plates to transfer ink onto paper or other materials. Offset printing is often used for high-quality, large-volume printing jobs.

On-page optimization: the process of optimizing individual web pages for search engine ranking and user engagement. On-page optimization is crucial in search engine optimization and digital marketing.

Organic search: search engine results that are generated naturally, without paid promotion or advertising. Organic search is crucial in search engine optimization and digital marketing.

Pantone PMS colors: a standardized color-matching system used in the printing industry. Pantone PMS colors ensure consistent and accurate reproduction across different printing methods and materials.

Pay-per-click (PPC): a type of digital advertising where advertisers pay for each click on their ad. PPC can be an effective way to generate targeted traffic and improve conversion rates.

Persona: a fictional representation of a target audience or customer segment. Personas can be used to create targeted marketing and branding campaigns and help ensure that products and services are designed to meet the needs and preferences of the target audience.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics): a commonly used image format with lossless compression. PNGs are widely supported and can be used for transparent images, resulting in larger file sizes than other formats.

Positioning statement: a concise statement that defines a brand’s unique value proposition and differentiates it from competitors. Positioning statements can help to clarify a brand’s message and inform branding and marketing strategies.

Responsive design: involves creating websites and other digital products that can adapt to different screen sizes and devices. Responsive design is essential in today’s mobile-centric world and can help create a more accessible and user-friendly digital experience.

RGB: stands for Red, Green, Blue, and is a color model used in digital design and photography. RGB colors are additive, meaning they are created by adding light to create different hues.

Sans-serif font: does not include serifs or small decorative strokes at the ends of letters. Sans-serif fonts are often used for digital and screen-based design, as they are easier to read at smaller sizes.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): is the practice of optimizing content for search engines to improve visibility and ranking. SEO techniques can include keyword research, content optimization, and link building and are essential in digital marketing and branding efforts.

Serif font: includes small decorative strokes at the ends of letters. Serif fonts are often used for print and traditional design, as they can convey a sense of formality and elegance.

Sitemap: is a visual or text-based map of a website’s content and structure. Sitemaps can be essential in website design and help improve user experience and search engine optimization.

Style guide: is a document or set of guidelines outlining a brand or organization’s visual and messaging components. Style guides are essential to branding and help ensure consistency and coherence across different marketing channels.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics): is a format for vector images that can be scaled to any size without losing quality. SVGs are commonly used in web and digital design.

Tagline: is a memorable phrase or slogan used in branding and marketing efforts. Taglines can help to create a distinctive and recognizable brand image and should be unique and easy to understand.

Target audience: is the specific group of people that a product or brand is designed for. Identifying and understanding the target audience is vital to branding and marketing efforts.

Thumbnail: is a small image or icon representing a larger image or video. Thumbnails can be an essential consideration in digital design and can help to improve user experience and engagement.

Tone of voice: refers to the style and personality of written or spoken communication. The tone of voice is an integral part of branding and can help to create a distinctive and recognizable brand image.

UI (User Interface) design: involves a digital product’s visual and interactive components that allow users to interact with it. UI design is essential in creating a user-friendly and engaging digital experience.

UX (User Experience): refers to the overall experience and satisfaction a user has when interacting with a product or service. UX design is essential in creating a user-friendly and engaging digital experience.

Vector image: is created using mathematical equations rather than pixels. Vector images can be scaled to any size without losing quality and are often used in print and digital design.

Visual identity: refers to the visual components of a brand, including the logo, typography, color palette, and other visual elements. Visual identity is an integral part of branding and can help to create a distinctive and recognizable brand image.

Web standards: are guidelines and best practices for creating accessible, interoperable, and user-friendly websites and digital products. Web standards ensure compatibility and accessibility across different platforms and devices.

White space: refers to the empty or negative space in a design. White space can help to create balance and contrast and can be an essential consideration in layout and composition.

Wireframe: is a visual representation of a digital product’s basic layout and structure, such as a website or app. Wireframes can be used to test and refine a digital product’s user experience and functionality.

Wordmark: is a logo that uses the brand name as the primary visual element, often in a distinctive font or typography. Wordmarks can be an effective way to create a memorable and recognizable brand image.

WordPress: is a popular content management system for creating websites and other digital products. WordPress is open source, highly customizable, and popular for businesses and individuals.

Z-pattern: is a pattern of eye movement in which the eye scans a design or layout from the top left to the top right, down to the bottom left, and across to the bottom right. The z-pattern is an essential consideration in layout and composition, as it can affect the readability and engagement of a design.