ACA JJO key terms

A written statement of what a design project will and will not include, such as deliverables, number of revisions, and supported media. It protects both designer and client from unplanned work.

A short planning document that captures the client's goals, target audience, key message, budget, and deadlines. Designers use it to align decisions with business objectives before starting artwork.

Any final file or artifact handed to a client or publisher, such as a print-ready PDF or a set of web images. Deliverables are usually listed explicitly in the project scope.

Formal client approval of a stage or final artwork, often recorded in writing or email. Once given, further changes typically require a new change order or additional fee.

The specific group of people a design is meant to reach, defined by factors such as age, interests, or reading context. Audience characteristics guide choices in color, type size, and tone.

A documented amendment to an approved project that records added work, revised deadlines, or extra cost. It keeps scope changes visible and prevents unpaid labor.

The arrangement of elements so viewers notice the most important content first, then move through secondary information. Size, contrast, position, and color are the main tools for building it.

The area of a composition that first attracts the eye, often created through contrast, isolation, or placement near a strong axis. A layout usually needs one clear focal point.

A composition guideline that divides a frame into a three-by-three grid and places key subjects near the intersecting lines. It tends to produce more dynamic images than dead-center placement.

The distribution of visual weight across a composition. Symmetrical balance mirrors elements around an axis, while asymmetrical balance offsets a large shape with smaller or darker ones.

The degree of difference between elements in value, color, size, or shape. Strong contrast improves legibility and creates emphasis; weak contrast can make a design feel flat or hard to read.

Empty or unoccupied areas in a layout, including margins, gutters, and space around text. It is an active design element that improves readability and gives content room to breathe.

The placement of elements along shared edges or invisible axes so they relate to one another. Consistent alignment makes a layout look intentional and organized.

An underlying structure of columns, rows, and margins that guides where elements are placed. Grids create consistency across pages or screens and speed up layout decisions.

The space between the edge of a page or artboard and the content area. Margins frame the design and protect content from being trimmed or clipped.

The space between columns of text or between facing pages in a spread. Adequate gutters keep columns distinct and prevent text from running together.

A smooth curve defined by anchor points and direction handles that control its shape. Vector drawing tools use Bezier curves to create precise, scalable paths.

A point on a vector path where the path changes direction or where a curve begins and ends. Anchor points can be moved, added, or deleted to reshape artwork.

A vector line or shape made of anchor points connected by straight or curved segments. Closed paths enclose a fill area; open paths can be stroked but do not enclose space.

A control extending from an anchor point that determines the angle and length of the curve leaving that point. Dragging a handle reshapes the adjacent segment.

The interior color, gradient, or pattern applied inside a closed vector shape. Fill is independent of stroke and can be set to none to leave the shape hollow.

The outline painted along a vector path, defined by color, width, and dash pattern. Stroke settings determine how thick or visible the edge of a shape appears.

Two or more paths combined so they behave as a single object, allowing holes such as the center of the letter O. Overlapping areas can be excluded from the fill.

A set of operations that combine or subtract overlapping vector shapes, producing results such as unite, minus front, and intersect. It is a fast way to build complex silhouettes.

A feature that converts raster images into editable vector paths by detecting edges and color regions. Results usually need cleanup because tracing can create excessive anchor points.

Artwork described by mathematical paths and points rather than a grid of pixels. It can be scaled to any size without loss of sharpness, making it ideal for logos and signage.

A picture made of a fixed grid of pixels, such as a photograph or scanned artwork. Enlarging it beyond its native size reveals visible pixelation and softens edges.

The smallest addressable square of color in a raster image or on a screen. Image dimensions and file size are commonly expressed as a count of pixels.

The amount of detail an image or output device can represent, often stated in pixels per inch for images or dots per inch for printers. Higher resolution yields finer detail at a larger file size.

The numerical system used to describe color in a document, such as RGB for screens or CMYK for process printing. Choosing the correct mode early prevents unwanted color shifts later.

A subtractive color model using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, standard for commercial offset and digital printing. Colors are created by ink absorbing light reflected off paper.

An additive color model using red, green, and blue light, used by monitors, phones, and cameras. RGB files usually must be converted for print because some bright colors cannot be reproduced in ink.

A pre-mixed ink printed from its own plate rather than built from process inks, often specified by a numbered swatch system. Spot colors give consistent, sometimes unattainable, results and add plate cost.

The range of colors a device or color model can reproduce. Colors outside a printer's gamut are described as out of gamut and will shift when converted.

A named, saved color or gradient stored in a document's palette so it can be applied consistently. Editing a swatch updates every object that uses it.

Adjustment of the space between a specific pair of characters to correct awkward gaps, such as between an A and a V. It is applied manually rather than across whole ranges of text.

Uniform adjustment of spacing across a range of characters, loosening or tightening an entire word or paragraph. Unlike kerning, it affects all letter pairs equally.

The vertical distance between baselines of consecutive lines of text. Too little leading crowds lines; too much breaks the reader's flow down the page.

The invisible line on which the bottom of most letters sits, excluding descenders. Leading is measured from one baseline to the next.

A complete design of letters, numbers, and symbols sharing consistent visual characteristics, such as Helvetica or Garamond. A font is the specific file or style of that design.

The specific digital file or style instance of a typeface, such as bold or italic at a given size. People often use the word loosely to mean typeface.

The use of size, weight, color, and spacing to rank headings, subheads, and body copy so readers can scan in order of importance. It mirrors visual hierarchy at the text level.

A panel that lists stacked objects or groups, letting you select, hide, lock, and reorder them. Layers keep complex documents manageable and control which items appear in front.

A defined drawing area within a document that represents one page, screen, or output size. Multiple artboards let one file hold several versions or formats.

A placed image that remains stored in an external file and is referenced by the document rather than embedded. Links keep files small but require the original to be present or packaged.

A placed image whose data is stored inside the document file. Embedding makes the file self-contained but increases its size and prevents automatic updates from the original.

A command that gathers a document and all its linked files and fonts into one folder for handoff or archiving. It helps prevent missing-asset errors at a print vendor.

An automated check for output problems such as missing links, low-resolution images, or RGB colors in a print job. Running it before export catches costly errors early.

Extra artwork extending past the trim line so color reaches the paper edge after cutting. Without bleed, slight misalignment leaves thin white slivers on finished pieces.

The final dimensions of a printed piece after it is cut down. Design files are built larger than trim size to include bleed and crop marks.

Short printed lines outside the trim area that show the printer where to cut. They are added during output and must sit outside the bleed.

A saved set of export settings, such as format, resolution, color space, and compression, tailored to a destination like print or web. Reusing profiles keeps output consistent.

Dots per inch, a measure of how many printer dots fall in one inch of output. Higher values produce finer print detail; it differs from pixels per inch used for screen images.

A preview of the design as it will be produced, used for checking color, text, and layout before final output. Clients often approve a proof before printing begins.

A setting that prints one ink on top of another instead of knocking out the area beneath it. It is used to avoid registration gaps but can cause unexpected color where it is unintended.