Design and print glossary

Lining elements up along a shared edge. Lines that start from the same edge make a design look tidy.

The document that explains how to use the logo, colours and typefaces. A printer, an agency or a new team member reads the same rules from it.

Everything people see of a brand beyond the logo: colours, typefaces, business cards, letterhead and social media templates. It makes them all look like they come from the same hand.

The short information given to the designer at the start: what is needed, who it is for, where it will be used and when it is due. A good brief means fewer revisions.

The minimum empty area that must be left around a logo. No other text or image enters it, so the logo never looks cramped.

A brand's main and supporting colours. Each colour's screen codes (HEX, RGB) and print codes (CMYK, Pantone) are listed in the brand guidelines.

The difference between two elements: light and dark, large and small, bold and thin. If the contrast between text and background is too low, the text cannot be read.

A typeface file. Some are free and some are licensed; the font used in a brand needs a licence for commercial use.

The order in which things are read in a design. It is built with size, weight and colour; the most important information is what catches the eye first.

The visual that carries your brand's name and mark, used the same way everywhere. It can be lettering only, a symbol only, or both together.

The same logo prepared for different places: horizontal, stacked, icon only, white and single colour. You use the one that suits each background and size.

A presentation image that shows a design on a real object: a business card, a sign, packaging or a phone screen. It lets you see how the design will look before anything is printed.

The area deliberately left empty around text and images; also called white space. It lets the design breathe and brings out what matters.

A round of changes requested on a presented design. How many rounds are included in the price is agreed at the start.

The part of a logo without the lettering. It is used on its own in tight spaces such as profile pictures, app icons and stamps.

The choice and arrangement of type: which typeface, what size, how much line and letter spacing. After the logo, it shapes a brand's voice the most.

Vector file types. AI is the design program's source file; EPS is often requested by printers, sign makers and promotional product suppliers.

The four inks a printer uses: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Files for print are prepared in CMYK; bright screen colours can come out slightly duller on paper.

An image made only of black, white and the greys in between. It is used for colourless printing such as newspaper ads or single-colour photocopies; your logo needs to stay readable here, too.

How a colour is written on the web: a six-character code starting with # (for example #FF4112). It is a short form of the RGB value.

A way to describe a colour by hue, saturation and lightness. It is used to find a lighter or darker version of the same colour; you will mostly meet it on the web side.

Text converted from letters into shapes. The file then opens correctly on a computer, or at a printer, that does not have the font installed.

A system of ready-mixed inks in which every colour has a number. When a colour must match on every print run, it is printed with that numbered ink instead of a CMYK mix.

A file type anyone can open. A PDF saved as vector is the most common way to send work to a printer.

An image made of dots (photos, PNG, JPG). It blurs as it is enlarged, so it has to be large enough from the start.

Pixel file types. PNG supports a transparent background and suits logos; JPG gives small file sizes for photos but always has a filled background.

The number of dots per inch. 300 DPI is used for print viewed up close; 150 DPI is often enough for posters and roll‑ups viewed from a distance.

The colour system screens use: a mix of red, green and blue light. Files for websites, social media and presentations are prepared in RGB.

The original, editable file of a design (usually AI or PSD), also called the working file. Another designer or a printer needs it to make changes.

The vector file for the web. It stays sharp on every screen and is small in size; it is the first choice for a logo on a website.

A logo with nothing behind it, so it sits on whatever background you place it on. PNG and SVG can be transparent; JPG cannot.

A file made of lines and curves. It stays sharp at any size, which is why logos are prepared as vectors.

The mark that turns a product's number into lines a checkout scanner can read. For products sold in shops, the number is issued by GS1.

The part of a design that extends past the edge where the paper will be cut; 3 mm on each side for most jobs. Even if the cut shifts slightly, no white strip is left at the edge.

Thick, stiff board. It is used for business cards, invitations, tags and small boxes.

Paper with a coated, smooth surface that makes colours look vivid. It comes in matt and gloss, and is the most used paper for brochures, catalogues and posters.

Thin lines at the corners that show where the print will be cut. A print-ready file includes them together with the bleed.

The drawing that shows where a box, a label or a custom-shaped piece is cut and folded. Packaging design is built on top of it.

Printing directly from the file, with no plates. It suits small quantities and urgent jobs; as the quantity grows, offset becomes cheaper.

Raising or pressing in the paper with a die. It leaves a mark you can feel, with no ink.

Metallic foil pressed onto paper with heat; it comes in gold, silver and other colours. It is used on small areas such as a logo or a title.

Where the paper is folded. How many folds a brochure has (bi-fold, tri-fold) decides its page layout and size.

Unbleached, brown paper with a natural look. It is popular for packaging, bags and labels; colours printed on it come out darker than they are.

A thin, clear film applied over the print. It is matt or gloss and protects the surface from scratches and moisture.

Printing from plates made for the job. Because the plates have a cost it is economical for large quantities, and colour stays consistent through the run.

The weight of one square metre of paper in grams; it indicates thickness. 115–170 gsm is common for flyers and 350 gsm for business cards.

The number of copies printed in one job. The cost per copy falls as the quantity grows.

A sample made before the actual print. Colours and text are checked one last time, and printing starts after your approval.

The zone inside the cut edge where text and logos should stay. Text placed too close to the edge can be damaged in cutting.

Paper with no coating: matt, and you can write on it with a pen. It is used for letterhead, envelopes and notepads.

A clear protective coat applied over the print. Spot UV is applied only to chosen areas (a logo, a title) and makes them glossy.

The admin screen that lets you update your site's text and images without knowing code. It is used to add a new product, news item or project.

Your site's address on the internet (for example logomony.com). It is rented yearly and has to be renewed before it expires.

The small icon shown in the browser tab next to the site name. Usually only the symbol part of the logo is used.

The server service where your site's files live and from which they are served to visitors. It is a separate service from the domain name.

A page about a single product or campaign that leads the visitor to one action (filling in a form, buying). Visitors coming from an ad usually land here.

The first version of a product, released with only its most essential features. The aim is to test the idea early with real users and develop the rest accordingly.

A square code scanned with a phone camera; it can hold a web address, a menu, Wi‑Fi details or contact information. Printed too small, it will not scan.

A site that rearranges itself for phone, tablet and computer screens. The same site reads comfortably on all of them.

The work done so that a site ranks higher on search engines such as Google: the right headings, pages that load fast and content that answers what people search for.

The certificate that encrypts the connection between the site and the visitor. An address starting with https shows it is in place; without it the browser warns that the site is “not secure”.

UI is the design you see on screen (buttons, colours, text); UX is how easily the user gets things done there. The two are designed together.