glossary

abstraction

the visual simplification, distortion, or rearrangement of a recognizable image

analogous colors

colors created from adjacent colors on a color wheel, with minimal chroma differences

apex

the outer point where two diagonal stems or strokes meet, as at the top of an A or M or at the bottom of an M

arm

a projecting horizontal or upward diagonal stem or stroke not enclosed within a character, as in an E, K, or L

art nouveau

French for “new art”; also known as Jugendstil, German for “youth style”; an international movement and style of art, architecture, and applied art that was popular from 1890 to 1905 and characterized by organic, floral, and plant-inspired motifs

Arts and Crafts movement

an international movement that originated in Great Britain during the late 1800s through the writings of William Morris (1834–1896) and John Ruskin (1819–1900) and was characterized by simple form and a medieval style of decoration

ascender

the part of a lowercase letter that rises above the body of the letter, or x-height, as in a b, d, f, h, l, and t

asymmetry

a state of visual balance (also known as informal or dynamic balance) in which compositional elements are not identical but are perceived as visually balanced

axonometric

a drawing projection method where a form is viewed from a skewed direction to reveal more than one of its sides in the same picture plane

balance

a state of equilibrium in which visual forces of equal strength pull in opposite directions

baseline

a line on which the bottom of characters without descenders sit or align

bowl

a curved stem or stroke that encloses a counter, as in a b, p, or O

bracket

a curving joint between the serif and a stem or stroke; also known as a fillet

cap height

the distance from a baseline to the top of a capital character.

chiaroscuro

a technical term for achieving strong contrasts of light to create a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects

chroma

the amount of colorant in a pigment

cicero

a European typographic unit of measurement approximately equal to the British or American pica, or 4.155 mm

closure

a principle of visual perception in which the human eye visually completes an unfinished shape or form through the memory of that shape or form

color

a visual property of an object that depends on a combination of reflected and absorbed light from the spectrum, as well as inherent hues found in light and pigment

column

vertical alignments of type that create horizontal divisions on a page grid

complementary colors

any two colors found directly opposite one another on a color wheel

Constructivism

an art movement, originating in Russia in 1919, that rejected the idea of “art for art’s sake” in favor of art as a practice directed toward social purposes and needs

contrast

a visual principle in which differences in light, value, texture, and color create the illusion of depth

counter

an area enclosed by a bowl or a crossbar

crossbar

a horizontal element connecting two vertical or diagonal stems or strokes, or crossing a stem or stroke, as in an A, H, f, or t; also known as a bar or cross stroke.

cubism

a twentieth-century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, characterized by objects that are broken up and reassembled in abstract forms

descender

the part of a lowercase letter that falls below the body of the letter or baseline, as in g, j, p, q, and y

de Stijl

a Dutch art movement (also known as neoplasticism) founded in 1917 and characterized by pure abstraction, as well as essential reduction of form and color

ear

a small projecting stroke sometimes attached to the bowl of a g or the stem of an r

expression

a principle of visual perception concerning the emotional, cultural, and social content of a visual message

figure–ground

the relationship of foreground and background in a two-dimensional composition

figure–ground reversal

a visual effect where a figure can function as a ground and a ground as a figure

flow line

horizontal alignments that organize content into defined areas on a page grid

form

three-dimensional derivatives of basic shapes, such as a sphere, cube, or pyramid

gestalt

the perception of the whole image as opposed to its individual parts or elements

glyph

a simplistic form or element of writing

golden ratio

also known as the divine proportion, golden section, and golden rectangle; proportional relationship defined as the whole compared to a larger part in exactly the same way that the larger part is compared to a smaller one; its mathematical expression is the number 1.618

grid

a module system composed of a set of horizontal and vertical lines used as a guide to align type and image and create a uniform composition

gutter (or alley)

vertical spaces located between columns of type on a page grid

hierarchy

an arranged, established visual order of importance, emphasis, and movement given to elements in a composition

hue

a fundamental property of color defined in its purest form

International Typographic Style

a graphic design style developed in Switzerland in the 1950s and characterized by clean, readable, asymmetric layouts and use of the page grid and san serif typefaces; also known as the Swiss School

isometric

a drawing projection method where three visible surfaces of a form have equal emphasis, all axes are simultaneously rotated away from the picture plane at 30 degrees, all lines are equally foreshortened, and angles between lines are always at 120 degrees

joint

the angle formed where two strokes meet or intersect, as is a K or R.

leg

a projecting diagonal stem or stroke extending downward, as in an R and a K; also known as a tail

ligature

a stem or stroke that connects two characters together creating a ligature or tied character

light

electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths visible to the human eye and used to create contrast, depth, brightness, and illumination

line

a fundamental element that consists of a number of points located next to one another in one direction

link

the stem or stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a g

loop

the descender of a g when it is entirely closed

margin

border or negative space surrounding a page’s format, grid, and content, and defining the live area of the page where type and image are located and composed

marker

graphic indicators for supporting page information, such as running headers or footers, folios or page numbers, or any other element that occupies only one location on a page or spread

module

individual units of space within a page grid separated by regular intervals that, when repeated across, create columns and rows

monochromatic colors

colors with varying values of a single color, created by adding white or black to a color

movement

a principle of visual perception that moves the viewer’s eye through a two-dimensional space

pattern

the combination of lines, shapes, and/or colors in a consistent, orderly, or repetitive motif

pica

a typographic unit of measurement where 12 points equal 1 pica (1/16 inch or 0.166 inch) and 6 picas equal 1 inch (0.996 inch)

Plakatstil

an early poster style of art that began in the early 1900s and originated in Germany

point

an abstract phenomenon indicating a precise location; also defined as the smallest typographical unit of measure; one point is equal to 0.0148 inches

primary colors

yellow, red, and blue are pure in color composition and cannot be created from other colors

proportion

a comparison of two ratios; includes an indication of how the two ratios are related

quadratic colors

created from colors located in the corners of a square or rectangle juxtaposed on a color wheel

radial balance

a state of visual balance (also known as rotative symmetry) in which visual forces of equal strength radiate or extend out from a central point

rhythm

an alternating repetition of shape and space or a planned movement of visual elements in a composition

saturation

a fundamental property of color defined by intensity, or the brightness or dullness of a color

scale

the relationship of size or a composition of size from one element to another

secondary colors

colors created by combining two of the three primary colors

semiotics

the study of sign processes or the significance and communication of signs and symbols

serif

the beginning or end of a stem or stroke, arm, leg, or tail drawn at a right angle or at an oblique to the stem or stroke

shade

a fundamental property of color defined by the amount of black in a color

shape

the external outline or contour of an object, figure, or mass

shoulder

the portion of a curved stroke, but not the hairline, connecting two vertical strokes or stems

space

an element of design that indicates area and depth on a two-dimensional plane

spatial zone

groups of modules that form distinct fields on a page grid for containing or displaying similar or alike information, such as groups of images or multiple columns of text

spine

the diagonal portion or main curved stroke of an S or s

spur

a small, pointed projection from a stem or stroke, sometimes found on the bottom of a b, t, or G

stem (or stroke)

the principal vertical or oblique element(s) of a character, as in an A, B, L, or V; except for curved characters where they are called strokes

stress (or axis)

the inclination suggested by the relationship of thin and thick stems or strokes in a character, which can be an inclined or vertical stress or axis

Suprematism

a Russian abstract art movement that focused on fundamental geometric forms such as the circle and the square

swash

a flourished terminal, stem, or stroke added to a character

symmetry

a state of visual balance (also known as formal balance or reflective symmetry) in which compositional elements are identical, equally balanced, and can be divided into two equal parts that are mirror images of each other

tail

the short stem or stroke that rests on a baseline, as in a K or R; or extending below a baseline, as in a Q or j. In K and R, also known as a leg

tension

a principle of visual perception in which the forces of balance or imbalance, stress, action, and reaction exist between the elements of any composition

terminal (or finial)

A stem or stroke ending other than a serif

tertiary colors

colors created by combining one primary color with one secondary color

texture

a design element that creates or implies the tactile quality and characteristics of a surface

tint

a fundamental property of color defined by the amount of white in a color

tone

a visual characteristic, also known as value or shade, based on the degree of light or dark apparent on the surface of an object

triadic colors

colors created from other colors that are equidistant from one another on a color wheel

typography

the arrangement and aesthetics of letters and letterforms

value

a fundamental property of color defined by the lightness and darkness of a color

vertex

the angle formed at the bottom of a character where the left and right strokes meet or intersect, as in a V or x

x-height

the height of the body of lowercase letters, exclusive of ascenders and descenders