CEED key terms

The set of perceptual, reasoning, and making abilities tested in design entrance exams, including visual sensitivity, spatial thinking, observation, problem framing, and creative problem solving rather than factual recall alone.

The trained ability to notice and record details of objects, people, and environments accurately, including proportion, texture, light, and context, so that drawings and answers reflect what is actually present.

Awareness of how line, shape, colour, tone, and space combine to create meaning and emphasis, allowing a candidate to judge balance, contrast, and clarity in an image or composition.

A human-centred approach to solving problems that moves through understanding users, defining the problem, generating ideas, building prototypes, and testing them, with repeated cycles of refinement.

Restating a loosely described situation as a clear, solvable design question, deciding what to include, what to leave out, and whose needs matter most before generating solutions.

A short written statement that sets out the goal, target user, constraints, deliverables, and evaluation criteria for a design task, giving direction without prescribing the final solution.

A structured tool that records what a user says, thinks, does, and feels, helping designers move beyond assumptions and ground decisions in the user's actual experience and context.

An approach in which the needs, abilities, and limitations of the people who will use a product or space guide every design decision, often verified through testing with real users.

The ease with which people can learn, use, and be satisfied with a product or interface to achieve their goals effectively, efficiently, and with few errors.

A visual or physical cue that suggests how an object should be used, such as a handle inviting pulling or a raised button inviting pressing, guiding behaviour without written instructions.

A perceptible indicator, such as an arrow, label, colour, or icon, that communicates where an action should happen or what something means within a design.

The study of how people physically interact with products and environments, used to size, shape, and position things so they fit human bodies and reduce strain.

The measurement of human body dimensions and reach, used by designers to set heights, clearances, and grip sizes so objects and spaces accommodate real users.

Designing products and environments so they can be used by the widest possible range of people, including those with disabilities, without needing special adaptation or separate versions.

A limit on a design, such as budget, material, time, safety rules, or site conditions, that narrows possible solutions and often sparks more inventive thinking.

Building a quick, low-cost physical or digital version of an idea so it can be tested, shown to others, and improved before committing to full production.

The repeated cycle of testing, learning, and revising a design, where each version improves on the last based on feedback and observed problems.

A process in which the results of an action are observed and fed back to adjust the next action, helping designers correct errors and refine a solution over time.

The arrangement of visual elements within a frame, organised to guide the eye, create balance or tension, and communicate a clear focal point and message.

The deliberate ordering of elements by size, colour, position, or contrast so viewers notice the most important information first and read the rest in a planned sequence.

The distribution of visual weight in a composition, which may be symmetrical for stability or asymmetrical for dynamic interest, so no part feels awkwardly heavier than another.

A condition in which parts of a design correspond in size, shape, and position across an axis or centre, producing order, formality, and a sense of stability.

The degree of difference between elements in tone, colour, size, or texture, used to create emphasis, improve legibility, and separate foreground from background.

A framing guide that divides an image into a three-by-three grid, placing key subjects near the intersections to create a more dynamic and natural-looking composition.

The choice of what to include, exclude, and emphasise within the boundaries of an image, which shapes how a viewer reads the subject and its context.

Trimming the edges of an image or layout to remove distracting material, alter proportions, or strengthen the focus on the main subject.

The relative size of one part to another or to the whole, which when consistent makes a drawing or object look believable and well organised.

The size of an object or drawing relative to a known reference, such as a human figure, used to convey magnitude, fit, and spatial relationships.

A proportion of roughly 1 to 1.618, often used in layout and architecture because divisions based on it are perceived as harmonious and pleasing.

The body of principles explaining how colours mix, relate on the colour wheel, and affect mood, including primary, secondary, complementary, and analogous relationships.

The attribute of a colour that lets us name it, such as red, blue, or yellow, independent of how light or dark or how intense it is.

The lightness or darkness of a colour or tone, forming the basis of shading and contrast and allowing form and depth to be read in a drawing.

The purity or intensity of a colour, ranging from vivid and strong to muted and greyish, which strongly affects the energy and focus of a composition.

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional form and create dramatic emphasis and depth in drawing and painting.

A drawing system that represents three-dimensional space on a flat surface using horizon lines and vanishing points so objects appear to recede convincingly.

The point on the horizon where parallel lines in a perspective drawing appear to converge, anchoring depth and direction in an image.

The horizontal line in a perspective drawing that marks the viewer's eye level and determines where vanishing points sit and how objects are seen from above or below.

A three-dimensional drawing method in which parallel edges are drawn at fixed angles without vanishing points, keeping measurements true along each axis.

A method of drawing an object from multiple flat views, such as front, top, and side, with parallel lines and no perspective distortion, used for technical communication.

A precise drawing that uses standard conventions, dimensions, and line types to communicate how an object is built, assembled, or manufactured.

The finished depiction of a design or scene in which light, shadow, material, and colour are applied to make form and surface read clearly.

Producing an image from recollection rather than direct observation, testing how well a candidate retains and reconstructs form, proportion, and detail.

A sequence of small sketches that plans the key moments of a narrative, interaction, or animation, showing order, framing, and continuity before final production.

A small, quick drawing used to explore several layout or composition options cheaply before choosing one to develop at full size.

The ordered arrangement of images or steps so that each follows logically from the previous one, creating readable progression in time or process.

A rough freehand drawing that captures an early idea quickly, prioritising the thinking behind a form or solution over polished finish.

A full-size or scaled physical model of a design used to judge appearance, proportion, and handling before final construction.

Constructing three-dimensional representations from materials such as card, clay, or foam to test form, structure, and spatial relationships.

A curated collection of a candidate's work that shows process, range, and reflection, used to demonstrate design thinking and skill to reviewers.

The selection and arrangement of type to make text readable and expressive, covering typeface choice, size, spacing, and alignment.

The ease with which individual letters and words can be distinguished and read, affected by typeface design, size, spacing, and contrast against the background.

An underlying framework of columns, rows, and margins that organises elements on a page, bringing consistency and alignment to a layout.

The design and use of simplified pictorial symbols that stand for actions, objects, or ideas, relying on shared visual conventions to be understood quickly.

A repeated motif or arrangement of elements that creates rhythm and texture, and can also mean a recurring problem worth solving systematically.

Designing so that materials, energy, and end-of-life impacts are considered, reducing waste and harm across a product's whole life cycle.