Meaningful Jargon Or, All You Need to Know to Speak Like a Geek Design and Typography 3/3/98

Format. Format deals directly with the space, size, and shape of the area you are working with. Format deals directly with the space, size, and shape of the area you are working with.

Design. Design is organizing elements to support a concept. Design is organizing elements to support a concept.

Design Elements. Line. Typography. Shape. –Any element that a designer uses to give form. Texture. –An object's visual or tactile surface characteristics.

Balance. The organization of design elements to create a sense of equal (but not necessarily symmetrical) distribution of the visual weight throughout the page. –The lack of balance can create tension, which may be used creatively in a design.

Value. The relative lightness or darkness of any design element.

Contrast. A distinctive difference in... –shape. –texture. –size. –color or light value. –typeface. –concept.

Unity. Successful coordination of all the individual components of the design. –May often be obtained by use of a grid. –And/or by using similar design elements.

Font. A typeface or letter set created by a type designer.

Styles. Variations within a font (typeface). font: Optima

Serif Fonts. These fonts have either sharp triangles or heavy square rectangles (serifs) on the ends of their strokes. Serifs are used to carry the reader's eye across the page. font: Times

Lineal (San Serif) Fonts. These fonts have a consistent stroke all the way through, lacking serifs, with a modern, utilitarian appearance. font: Helvetica

Script Fonts. Script fonts resemble handwritten or calligraphic letters. They may be formal or casual in style.

Proportional Font. Most fonts used in typographic applications are “proportional.” Each letter occupies a different amount of horizontal space, depending on the design of the individual letter.

Monospaced Font. Characters as typed by most typewriters are monospaced. Each character occupies the same amount of horizontal space. Width font: Courier

Point. A unit of typographical measurement. –Used to indicate the body size of a font (its point size), or the vertical space between lines of type (leading). There are 72 points to the inch.

Leading. The vertical space between lines of type. –Expressed in number of points.

Kerning. The space specified between particular pairs of letters (kerned pairs).

Tracking. Some typographical applications allow the adjustment of how “tight” or “loose” the characters may be set.

Em Dash; En Dash. Dashes as used in typography. –The em dash (shift - option - hyphen) is longer: —. –The en dash (option - hyphen): is shorter –.

Alignment. The organization of the individual lines of text in a text block: –Left aligned. All lines begin at the same point. –Right aligned. All lines end at the same point. –Center aligned. All lines are centered at the same point.

Justified. Text alignment in which all lines begin and end at the same point. Encompassing 110,000 square miles, Nevada is the seventh largest state in the Union. It’s home to huge hunks of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts and boasts more than 200 individual mountain ranges, half a dozen rivers to nowhere, and the majority of the wild horses in the country.

Display Type. A typeface (font) that has eye-catching characteristics which, while not designed for easy readability, make it stand out and command attention. –Used for headlines, titles, and advertising slogans. font: Igloo Laser

Body Type. A typeface which is designed for maximum effeciency and readability, allowing the eye to flow easily throughout. Usually a serif font. Encompassing 110,000 square miles, Nevada is the seventh largest state in the Union. It’s home to huge hunks of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts and boasts more than 200 individual mountain ranges, half a dozen rivers to nowhere, and the majority of the wild horses in the country. font: Times New Roman

Widows. A widow is the last line of a paragraph, printed by itself at the top of a page. –Avoid if possible. of the States. Geography Encompassing 110,000 square miles, Nevada is the seventh largest state in the Union. It’s home to huge hunks of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts and boasts more than 200 individual mountain ranges, half a dozen rivers to nowhere, and the majority of the wild horses in the country.

Orphans. An orphan is the first line of a paragraph, printed by itself at the bottom of a page. –Avoid if possible. Geography Encompassing 110,000 square miles, Nevada is the seventh largest state in the Union. It’s home to huge hunks of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts and boasts more than 200 individual mountain ranges, half a dozen rivers to nowhere, and the majority of the wild horses in the country. Population The aboriginal people of the