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Information
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Glossary
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A
Acrobat
Acrobat is part of a set of applications developed by Adobe
to create and view PDF files. Acrobat is used to create the PDF files,
and the freeware Acrobat
Reader is used to read the PDF files.
Aliasing
In graphic design, aliasing occurs when a computer monitor,
printer, or graphics file does not have a high enough resolution
to represent a graphic image or text. An aliased image is
often said to have the "jaggies."
Alignment
The positioning of a body of text. Text can be positioned
to the left, right, or "center" of a page. For the best,
consistent alignment, web graphic designers use tables and
embedded tables.
ALT- attribute
Part of the image source tag in HTML. A good web designer
will always include text in all of your image sources for
two reasons: (1) if any of your visitors choose not to view
graphic images on your web pages, the alternative text will
be shown; and (2) if your visitors use Internet Explorer
as their browser and they leave the mouse over any graphic
image, they will view the text in your ALT-attribute.
Animated GIF
A GIF graphic file, which consists of two or more images
shown in a timed sequence to give the effect of motion.
Animation
Animation is the creating a timed sequence or series of
graphic images or frames together to give the appearance of continuous
movement.
Anti-Aliasing
Smoothing or blending the transition of pixels in an image.
Anti-aliasing the edges on a graphic image makes the edges
appear smooth, not jagged.
B
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the amount of information your connection to
the Internet can carry. On average, typical telephone lines
can carry 1K of information per second.
Banner
A banner is a graphic image (static, animated,
or rich media) that is placed on web sites as
an advertisement. Banners are commonly used for brand awareness
and generating sales.
Bevel
Adding a beveled effect to a graphic image gives the image
a raised appearance by applying highlight colors and shadow
colors to the inside and outside edges.
Bitmap Image
A graphic image stored as a specific arrangement of screen
dots, or pixels. Web graphics are bitmap images. A graphic
which is defined by specifying the colors of dots or pixels
which make up the picture. Also known as raster graphics.
Common types of bitmap graphics are GIF,
JPEG, Photoshop, PCX, TIFF, Macintosh Paint, Microsoft
Paint, BMP, PNG, FAX formats,
and TGA.
Bookmark
Just as a paper bookmark is used as a reminder of the page
you are on in a book, electronic bookmarks are used to bring
you back to a website or other site you may want to return
to. The Netscape browser lets you bookmark any site and
save the bookmarks in a file you can recall at any time.
Microsoft Internet Explorer uses the term "favorite" instead
of bookmark for the same concept.
Browser
The software used to view, manage, and access web pages
by interpreting hypertext and hyperlinks. The two most common
browsers are Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Web
pages often appear differently depending on the brand and
version of the browser intended to view them in.
C
Cast Shadow
A cast shadow is similar to a drop
shadow with added emphasis on perspective. Cast shadows
can be rotated, stretched, and skewed to create a realistic
3D effect.
CGI
Stands for Common Gateway Interface.
CGI is a programming language that enables you to use forms
on your website.
Check Box
In an online form, check boxes look like the following:
If you click your mouse on the boxes, you will be able to
select multiple services. A check box is different from
a radio button, which
can only accept one checked item at a time.
CMYK
Stands for the colors Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black.
In print design, colors are defined as a percentage of each
of these 4 colors. For example, the CMYK abbreviation for
the color black would be 0-0-0-100. In contrast, display
devices (i.e. computer monitors) typically define colors
using RGB.
Color Cast
A color cast changes the hue (color) of a selected part
of an image while keeping the saturation and brightness
intact. Viewing an image with a color cast can be similar
to viewing it through colored lenses on eyeglasses. A commonly
known color cast (in graphic design) is a duotone.
Compression
A method of packing data in order to save disk storage space
or download time. JPEGs are generally compressed graphics
files. Compression is a technique to make a file or a data
stream smaller for faster transmission or to take up less
storage space.
Cookie
A cookie is a message given to a web browser (such as Netscape
or Explorer) by a web server. The purpose of cookies is
to identify website users/visitors and possibly prepare
customized web pages for them.
Creative
Standard term for a banner advertisement; can refer to the
design or format of a banner. It can also refer to the process
of creating a design.
CSS
Stands for Cascading Style Sheet, a
new feature of HTML developed by the W3C.
With Cascading Style sheets, both web designers and end
users can create style templates (sheet) that specifies
how different text elements (paragraphs, headings, hyperlinks,
etc.) appear on a web page. Currently, not all browsers
support CSS.
D
Dedicated Line
A dedicated line is a permanent connection to the Internet
using an individual, separate phone line.
DHTML
Stands Dynamic Hypertext Mark-up Language.
DHTML is an HTML extension that allows web pages to react
to the end users' input, such as displaying a web page based
on the type of browser or computer end users are viewing
a page with.
Directory
A directory (such as Yahoo, commonly mistaken for a search
engine) depends on people for listings. The main difference
between a search engine and a directory is that a directory
does not make use of a spider or robot. One of the defining characteristics
of a directory is that it is usually divided into categories.
Dithered/Dithering
In order to display a full-color graphic image on a 256-color
monitor, computers must simulate the colors it cannot display.
They do this by dithering which is combining pixels
from a 256-color palette into patterns that approximate
other colors. At a distance, the human eye merges the pixels
into a single color. Up close, the graphic image will appear
pixelated and speckled.
DNS
Stands for Domain Name System. The
DNS translates URL text addresses (such as grantasticdesigns.com)
into a numeric Internet address (such as 201.214.12.6).
DPI
Stands for dots per inch. DPI specifies
the resolution of an output device, such as a printer
or printing press machine. Print resolution usually runs
from 300-1200 dots per inch on a Laser Printer and 125-225
dots per inch for photographic images on a print brochure.
(For information on input device measurements see
ppi.)
Drop-Down Menu
In an online form, a drop-down menu (also known as a pull-down
menu) looks like the following:
If you click your mouse on the arrows, you will be able
to select a product or service. Drop-down menus are commonly
used for website navigation.
Drop Shadow
A drop shadow gives an image depth by creating a shading
offset behind a selected image.
Duotone
The application of two colors to provide richer tones than
a monotone (single-color image, usually grayscale) can provide. A good duotone image
can simulate a wider range of the color spectrum than two
colors used separately. Duotones also use a hue (color)
to set the mood for a photo in a more stunning way than
a full-color image can.)
E
Emboss
Embossing a graphic image adds dimension to it by making
the image appear as if it were carved as a projection from
a flat background.
Export
To save a file in a different format (that of another program).
For example, many Adobe Photoshop files are exported to
become GIF or JPEG files.
E-Zine or Ezine
Stands for electronic magazine and is a name for a website
which is either (a)modeled after a print magazine or (b)
a magazine that is only available online or through email.
F
Feathering
Feathering the edge of a graphic image gradually dissipates
the edge, making the edge look blurry.
Flash
Vector graphic animation software from Macromedia
that allows Flash graphics to look the same across all browsers,
as long as the plug-in is installed. One of the advantages
of Flash animations is their relatively fast download time.
Font
A font is a complete set of characters in a particular size
and style of type. This includes the letter set, the number
set, and all of the special character and diacritical marks
you get by pressing the shift, option, or command/control
keys. For example, Times NewRoman Bold Italic is one font,
and Times NewRoman Bold is another font. Times NewRoman
is a single typeface.
Forms
HTML tags that define and label text-entry
boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, and/or drop-down menus to create simple on-screen forms
for collecting information from the viewer.
Frame
In animation, a frame is a single graphic image
in a sequence of graphic images.
Frames
In HTML, providing the ability to break a web page into
multiple, separately scrollable areas. Because some search
engines cannot follow links in a framed website, a good
web designer will contain text in a NOFRAMES-tag and provide
a link for search engines to index your site.
Freeware
Software distributed for free on the web.
FTP
Stands for File Transfer Protocol.
FTP allows you to copy or send files (HTML-documents, graphic
images, spreadsheets) from one computer to another via the
Internet.
G
GIF
Stands for Graphics Interchange Format.
GIF images are the most widely used graphic format on the
web. GIF images display up to 256 colors.
Glow
A glow is the opposite of a shadow in that it creates a
surrounding highlight of an image. A high radiance creates
a soft, subtle glow and a low radiance creates a hard, bright
glow, such as a neon glow.
Gradient
A gradient is a gradual transition of colors. Many metallic
images are gradients. Web images that use gradient fills
as a special effect should be saved in a JPEG
rather than a GIF format.
Graphic Backgrounds
The bottom-most layer on a web page, usually with either
a design or color that highlights the above copy. A small
graphic can be tiled to create a background texture for
a web page.
Grayscale
An application of black ink (for print) or the color black
(for the screen) that simulates a range of tones. Grayscale
images have no hue (color).
In print design, a grayscale graphic image appears to be
black, white, and shades of gray, but it only uses a single
color ink.
H
Hexadecimal
A numbering system which uses a base of 16. The first ten
digits are 0-9 and the next six are A-F. Hexadecimal numbers
are used to color web pages. For example, the hexadecimal
equivalent for the color white is #FFFFFF.
HTML
Stands for Hypertext Markup Language;
a cross-platform text-formatting system for creating web
pages, including copy, images, sounds, frames, animation
and more.
Hue
The actual color of an object. Hue is measured as a location
on a color wheel, expressed in degrees. Hue is also understood
as the names of specific colors, like blue, red, yellow,
etc.
Hyperlink
A hyperlink, more commonly called a link, is an electronic
connection between one web page to either (1) other web
pages on the same website, or (2) web pages located on another
website. More specifically, a hyperlink is a connection
between one page of a hypertext document to another.
Hypertext
Hypertext is any text that can be chosen by a reader and
which causes another document to be retrieved and displayed.
I
Image Map
An image map is a single graphic image containing multiple,
clickable links.
Information Page
A static web page that is designed, coded, and written for
optimal search engine and directory positioning.
Interlace
Storing partial data from a single graphic image in multiple
sequences. The purpose of interlacing is to have a partial
image initially appear on screen rather than having to wait
for the image to appear in its entirety. With interlacing,
equally spaced sets of lines from the original image are
stored together, and these sets appear one on top of the
other in sequence.
Interstitial
An interstitial is a web advertisement that appears in a
separate browser window, other than the target web page.
J
Java
Java is a programming language, created by Sun Microsystems,
which allows small applications to be downloaded into your
computer for playback. Java can be used for such simple
applications as animation to more complex applications such
as a calculator.
Javascript
Javascript is a scripting language developed by Netscape.
Javascript can make web pages more animated and dynamic
in terms of graphics and navigation. One of the most common
graphic Javascript effects is called a mouseover, and Javascript navigation is commonly
created using drop-down
menus.
JPEG
Stands for Joint Photographic Experts
Group. File format for full-color and black-and-white
graphic images. JPEG images allow for more colors than GIF
images and are usually smaller in size.
K
Kerning
The horizontal spacing between the letters in a word.
L
Leading
The vertical spacing between lines of text.
List
Text that is categorized, be it bulleted, numbered, or unnumbered.
The default list bullets and numbers are black with no special
effects. To make a bulleted list using graphic images as
bullets, web graphic designers use a table format.
The following is an unordered, or bulleted,
list:
- Logo design services
- Web graphics services
- Banner design services
The following is an ordered, or numbered, list:
- Logo design services
- Web graphics services
- Banner design services
Lossless Compression
In graphic design, lossless compression refers to a data
compression technique where the file quality is preserved
and no data is lost. Lossless compression is commonly used
on GIF images, but can only reduce file size to about
half of its original size. Lossy compression, by contrast,
eliminates some data can further decrease file size.
Lossy Compression
A term coined by graphics programmers to refer to a technique
of shrinking file sizes by giving away some precision of
detail. JPEG is an example of a file
that is compressed this way. By reducing the so-called quality
of a picture when you save it, you can make the file size
smaller. Many photos can take of loss of fine detail before
it becomes noticeable on a web page.
M
Masthead
A masthead is a graphic image placed on top of a web page
that tells end users what page they are on. Masthead images
can contain photos, text, shapes, and/or image maps.
Meta-tag
Meta-tags are HTML tags that can be used to identify the
creator of a web page, what HTML specifications a web page
follows, the keywords and description of the page, etc.
The most common use of a meta-tag in online marketing is
the keyword and description tags, which tell the search engines that index meta-tags what description
to use in their search query results.
Modem
A modem (modulator/demodulator) is the hardware required
to connect telephone lines and is essential for dial-up
connections to the Internet.
Moderated Discussion List/Newsgroup
The person who categorizes the topics and selects posts
is the moderator. Thus, a moderation discussion list or
newsgroup is a service in which the moderator organizes
participants' comments or suggestions are organized into
topics or categories.
Mouseover
A popular special effect for web graphics, generally programmed
in Javascript, that changes switches color or
a graphic image when you place your cursor over it. Mouseovers
can also be used to trigger navigation changes and pop-up
windows.
Multimedia
A form of communication combining text with graphics, page
layout, video, audio, animation, and so forth.
N
Neon Glow
Type of glow on a graphic image that gives the appearance
of neon lighting.
Netiquette
Accepted, proper behavior on the Internet. The term especially
applies to email and newsgroup posts.
Newbie
Someone who is new to the web, a newsgroup or e-mail, or
any other application.
O
Online
If you are connected to the Internet, you are online. Online
advertising is done exclusively on the web or through e-mail.
Online Marketing
Online advertising is done exclusively on the web or through
e-mail. Various types of online marketing include:
- affliliate programs
- search engine optimization
- banner advertising
- directory enhancement
- posts to moderated discussion lists,
newsgroups, and forums
- email advertising
- online press releases
Opt-In
An email marketing term in which the email recipient specifically
requests receiving email related to a specific topic of
interest
Outline
In graphic design, tracing of the outer edge of text or
a graphic image. If the outline is feathered, then the effect is generally referred
to as a glow.
P
PDF
Stands for Portable Document Format.
Created by Adobe Systems in its software program Adobe Acrobat
as a universal browser. Files can be downloaded via the
web and viewed page by page, provided the user is computer
has installed the necessary plug-in which can be downloaded
from Adobe's own website.
Plug-In
A software extension that provides added capabilities
to the browser, for purposes such as viewing, hearing,
or saving specially formatted files. Most plug-ins are
available via the creator's web page for downloading.
PNG
Sands for Portable Network Graphics
format. PNG is used for lossless compression and displaying images on
the web. The advantages of PNG is that it supports images
with millions of colors and produces background transparency
without jagged edges. The disadvantages are that PNG images
will not show up on older browsers, and still can be comparatively
larger in file size than GIFs.
PPI
Stands for pixels per inch. PPI
specifies the resolution of an input device,
such as a scanner, digital camera, or monitor. Web page
resolution ranges from 72-96 pixels per inch. (For information
on output device measurements see dpi.)
A post is a single message sent to a newsgroup
or message board.
Q
Query
A search request submitted to a database (such as the
search engine and directory databases) to find a particular
piece of information or all records that meet the search
criteria.
Quick Time Video
Quick Time Video is the Apple technology that allows video,
digitized sound and music, 3D, and virtual reality to
be viewed on your website. It's available for Macintosh
and Windows-based computers.
R
Radio Button
In an online form, radio buttons looks like the following:
If you click your mouse on the radio buttons above, you
will only be able to select one answer. A radio button is
different from a check box, which
can accept multiple checked items at a time.
RGB
Stands for the colors Red-Green-Blue.
In web design and design for computer monitors, colors are
defined in terms of a combination of these three colors.
For example, the RGB abbreviation for the color blue shown
below is 0-0-255. In contrast, print designers typically
define colors using CMYK.
Rich Media
Typically, a website or banner ads that use technology more
advanced than standard GIF animation. Rich media banners
include: Flash, Shockwave, streaming video, Real Audio/Video,
pull-down menus, search boxes, applets that allow for interactivity,
and other types of special effects.
Royalty-Free Photos or Images
Photos, graphic images, or other intellectual property that
are sold for a single standard fee and may be used repeatedly
by the purchaser. Typically with royalty-free clauses, the
company that sells you the images still owns all of the
rights to the images, and they are allowed for use only
by the purchaser (i.e., the same images cannot be used by
another company or individual without repurchase).
Rules
These HTML-tags enable you to insert horizontal lines as
separators or dividers. Web graphic designers will vary
the length and color of horizontal rules to add emphasis
and flair. The following line is a horizontal rule set at
a width of 50 percent.
S
Sans Serif
A style of typeface that means "without feet." Common serif
typefaces include Arial, Helvetica, AvantGarde and Verdana.
The following graphic image shows sans serif typefacesthe
color intensity of an image. An image high in saturation
will appear to be very bright. An image low in saturation
will appear to be duller and more neutral. An image without
any saturation is also referred to as a grayscale image.
Saturation
The color intensity of an image. An image high in saturation
will appear to be very bright. An image low in saturation
will appear to be duller and more neutral. An image without
any saturation is also referred to as a grayscale image.
Screen Font
A part of the font suitcase (of Adobe Type 1 fonts), describes
the shape of each character to the operating system so that
the font can be seen onscreen.
Search Engine
A search engines is a program that searches documents
(i.e. web pages, which are HTML-documents) for specified
keywords and returns the list of documents. A search engine
has two parts, a spider and an indexer. The spider is the
program that fetches the documents, and the indexer reads
the documents and creates an index based on the words or
ideas contained in each document.
Serif
A style of typeface that has "little feet." Common serif
typefaces include Times Roman, Garamond, and Palatino. The
following graphic image shows serif typefaces.
Spider/Robot
A software program that search engines use which visit every
site on the web, following all of the links and cataloguing
all of the text of every web page.
T
Text-Entry Box
In an online form, text-entry boxes look like the following:
If you place your cursor inside the text boxes, you will
be able to type information into the online form.
Thread
A series of messages related to the same topic in a discussion
group or newsgroup, such as an original post and related
follow-ups.
Thumbnail
A small version of a graphic image. For example, the image
below is a thumbnail image of this web page.
Traffic Node
A group of information pages on a website.
Typeface
A typeface contains a series of fonts.
For example, the typeface Arial contains the fonts Arial,
Arial Bold, Arial Italic and Arial Bold Italic.
UV
URL
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator
and is an address referring to an HTML document on the Internet.
In other words, it is the address of your website on the
Internet.The syntax of a URL consists of three elements:
- the protocol, or the communication
language, that the URL uses;
- the domain name, or the exclusive
name that identifies a website; and
- the pathname of the file to be
retrieved, usually an HTML document.
Vector Graphic
A graphic image drawn in shapes and lines, called paths.
Images created in Illustrator and Freehand (graphic design
software) are vector graphics. They are usually exported
to be bitmap images.
Video
A series of framed images put together, one after another,
to simulate motion and interactivity. A video can be transmitted
by number of frames per second and/or the amount of time
between switching frames. The difference between video and
animation is that video is broken down into
individual frames.
WXYZ
Web site or Website
A website is a collection of electronic pages formatted
in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) that can contain text,
graphic images, and multimedia effects such as sound files,
video and/or animation files, and other programming elements
such as Java and Javascript.
XHTML
Stands for Extensible Hypertext Mark-up
Language and is a hybrid of XML and HTML. Web pages
designed in XHTML should look the same across all platforms.
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