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Key Graphic Design Terms Every Business Owner Should Know
We explain the most important graphic design terms you should know as a business owner.
In today’s visually-driven marketplace, graphic design plays a crucial role in shaping your business’ brand identity, from your logo to your website to your marketing materials.
But if you’re a small business owner, startup founder, or marketer, navigating design jargon can feel overwhelming.
This is especially true if you’re engaging with a graphic designer or agency for the first time and have no prior experience in the design field.
Terms like “vector graphics,” “negative space,” and “visual hierarchy” may appear in conversations with designers, leaving you unsure of what they mean and why they matter to your project.
In this article, we will explain the most important graphic design terms you should know as a business owner.
Our goal is to help you better collaborate with you design partner, to express your needs and concerns, and to empower you to make better decisions about your brand’s visuals.
Core Graphic Design Terms
Typography
Typography refers to the style and arrangement of text in a design, influencing how a message is conveyed.
It includes the choice of fonts, size, spacing, and alignment to create a visual hierarchy (see below) and enhance readability.
Read more about the role of typography for your brand’s visual identity in this article.
Font vs Typeface
A typeface refers to the overall design of characters (e.g., Arial), while a font is a specific variation of that typeface, such as its weight (bold, light) or size.
Color Palette
A color palette is the curated selection of colors used in a design or brand identity.
A good palette establishes a mood, ensures consistency, and creates instant recognition.
The color palette of a brand is typically broken down into main and secondary colors, as well as additional variants (e.g. for use on websites, buttons, etc.)
RGB vs. CMYK
Technically, RGB and CMYK are models for mixing color.
Every color can be expressed in terms of its RGB or CMYK value, depending on the use case.
RGB (red, green, blue) is used for digital screens, blending light to create colors, while CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is for print and combines pigments.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the detail and clarity of an image, typically measured in PPI (Pixels per inch) or DPI (dots per inch). Higher values = sharper quality.
High-resolution images (300 dpi) are critical for print, while lower resolutions (72 dpi) work for web use.
White Space (Negative Space)
White space (a.k.a. negative space) refers to the blank areas in a design that provide breathing room between elements.
White space prevents overcrowding and directs focus to key elements.
It’s a beginner’s mistake in design to try to fit as many elements (text, graphics, etc.) in a given space.
Contrast
Contrast refers to the visual difference between elements, such as light versus dark.
There needs to be sufficient contrast between elements to make sure that each is clearly visible (e.g., a bright picture on a dark background).
Alignment
The organization of elements along visual lines or grids, horizontally and vertically. Consistent alignment ensures designs look polished and professional.
For example, content on a web page may be left-aligned, right-aligned or centered.
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy refers to the arrangement of elements to show their importance. Larger text or bold colors often indicate primary focus points.
For example, a title is typically written with a larger font size than a subtitle, which in turn has a larger font size than normal text.
Visual Brand Identity
A brand’s visual identity is made up of its logo, color palette, typography, use of images and other elements. They define how the brand is perceived visually and emotionally.
These elements should be created and used under a single unifying vision to help communicate the brand’s core messages.
We provided a guide to crafting a strong visual brand identity in this article.
Design and File Format Terms
Logo Variations
Different formats or styles of a logo, such as horizontal, vertical, icon-only, or with a tagline, designed for flexibility across platforms.
Raster Graphics
Raster graphics are pixel-based images, like photos, that lose quality when enlarged. Common formats include JPG and PNG (see below).
Vector Graphics
In contrast to raster graphics, vector graphics are files expressed as mathematical points, not pixels, allowing them to be resized without losing quality. This makes them ideal for logos and illustrations.
For example, the same vector graphic can be used on a business card or billboard without it looking pixelated.
Mockup
A mockup is a realistic presentation of how a design will appear in its final application, like on a product, website, or billboard.
Bleed
The extra area around the edges of a design meant to be trimmed off during printing, ensuring the design extends fully to the edge.
Bleed is added to help prevent from valuable parts of the design being cut off during printing, for examples areas that contain important information.
Grid System
A framework of intersecting vertical and horizontal lines that helps designers align elements consistently and neatly.
Wireframe
A skeletal outline or blueprint of a design, often used for websites, showing layout and structure without final visuals.
Embedded Fonts
Embedded fonts are fonts included directly within a design file (like a PDF) to ensure consistent display across different devices.
This is done to ensure that the reading device, even if it doesn’t have the required fonts installed, can still display the design properly.
Brand Book (Brand Manual, or Brand Style Guide)
The brand book, a.k.a. brand manual or brand style guide is a comprehensive document that contains rules on how to use and how not to use the brand’s visual elements.
Brand books typically contain rules on the brand’s logo, typography, colors, images, etc. For more information about the brand book, read this article.
Design Principles & Concepts
Flat Design
A minimalist design style using clean lines, bright colors, and no textures or gradients. Common in modern UI/UX.
Mood Board
A visual collage of inspiration, including colors, photos, and styles, to define the direction of a design project.
Stock Images
Pre-licensed photos or illustrations available for commercial use, representing a free or cheap alternative to custom photography.
For a guide on how to choose photos for your brand, read this article.
Custom Icons
Unique, branded icons created specifically to align with a company’s style and message.
For more on the benefits of custom illustrations in branding, read this article.
Overlays
Semi-transparent design elements layered over backgrounds or images for added depth and emphasis.
Call-to-Action (CTA)
Design elements, like buttons or text, that encourage users to take specific actions (e.g., "Shop Now").
Drop Shadow
A design effect that adds depth by creating a shadow behind an element, giving it a lifted appearance.
Overlay Text
Text placed on top of an image or background, often paired with a semi-transparent overlay for readability.
Hover Effect
An interactive feature where an element changes appearance when a user hovers over it with a cursor.
This helps direct the user’s attention toward taking a desired action with the element (e.g. clicking a button)
Line Spacing
The vertical space between lines of text. Proper leading ensures text is easy to read.
Saturation
Saturation is the intensity or purity of a color. Colors with high saturation are bold and vibrant, while low-saturation colors have a softer, more subdued appearance.
Opacity
The transparency of an element. Lower opacity makes an element see-through, blending it into the background.
Gradient
A gradual transition between colors, often used to add depth or texture to a design.
Texture
A visual or tactile surface quality, either simulated (digital) or physical (print). It adds depth and realism to designs.
File Formats & Technical Terms
AI File
Adobe Illustrator’s native file format, used for vector graphics and editable design files.
As a client of design services, receiving the AI file at the end of the project is important to retain access to the original design, which can be worked upon in the future by the same or different design partner.
PSD File
Adobe Photoshop’s native file format, often used for raster-based designs and editable image layers.
As a client of design services, receiving the PSD file at the end of the project is important to retain access to the original design, which can be worked upon in the future by the same or different design partner.
SVG
Scalable Vector Graphics, a web-friendly file format for vector images that remains sharp on any screen size. SVG is the ideal file format for icons.
PNG
A lossless image format with transparency support, ideal for web graphics like logos or icons.
JPG/JPEG
A compressed image format, great for photos but not ideal for designs needing transparency or high detail.
If an image with a transparent background is saved in JPG/JPEG format, the background will be displayed as white.
A versatile file format often used for sharing designs, maintaining their integrity across devices.
Proof
A draft version of a design shared for client approval before finalizing or printing.
Compression
Reducing file size while retaining as much quality as possible, commonly used for web images.
