NIFT key terms

A circular diagram arranging hues by their relationship. Primary colours sit apart, secondary colours form by mixing adjacent primaries, and opposites show complementary pairs used for contrast or harmony in design work.

Two hues positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green. Placed side by side they intensify each other; mixed together they neutralise towards grey or brown.

The relative lightness or darkness of a colour or grey, independent of hue. Value creates form, depth and readability in a composition, and a value scale is often used to test contrast.

The purity or intensity of a colour, describing how far it sits from neutral grey. A highly saturated hue looks vivid; a desaturated one looks muted, dusty or washed out.

Rules describing how viewers group visual elements into wholes, including proximity, similarity, closure, continuity and figure-ground. Designers use them to control how a layout is read at a glance.

The perceptual split between the object a viewer focuses on (the figure) and the surrounding field (the ground). Strong designs keep this separation clear; ambiguous designs deliberately make it flip.

The empty or unoccupied area around and between elements in a composition. Treated actively, it gives breathing room, shapes silhouettes and balances dense areas of visual information.

The distribution of visual weight across a composition. Symmetrical balance mirrors elements around an axis, asymmetrical balance offsets a large mass with a smaller or darker one, and radial balance radiates from a centre.

The use of repeated shapes, lines, colours or motifs at regular or varied intervals to create movement and visual tempo. Gradual change in size or spacing produces progressive rhythm.

The deliberate drawing of attention to one area of a design through contrast, isolation, scale or placement. A clear focal point gives the viewer an entry point before the rest of the layout is scanned.

The ordered ranking of elements so the most important reads first, then secondary, then supporting detail. Size, weight, colour, position and spacing all signal rank to the viewer.

An underlying structure of columns, rows and margins that aligns elements consistently across a layout. Grids speed up decisions, keep multi-page work coherent and can be broken intentionally for emphasis.

The selection, sizing and arrangement of type to communicate clearly and set tone. Key decisions include typeface choice, measure, leading, tracking and alignment within the available space.

Kerning adjusts space between individual pairs of letters; tracking adjusts spacing uniformly across a whole word or block. Both affect legibility and the overall texture of set text.

The vertical distance between consecutive lines of type, measured baseline to baseline. Too little crowds lines together; too much breaks the reading flow of a paragraph.

A method of representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface so objects appear to recede. Parallel lines converge at vanishing points on a horizon line, giving depth and scale.

The point on the horizon line where receding parallel lines appear to meet in a perspective drawing. One-point, two-point and three-point perspective are named by how many such points are used.

The horizontal line in a perspective drawing marking the viewer's eye level. Objects above it are seen from below, objects below it from above, and its height sets the whole viewpoint.

A three-dimensional representation using parallel projection in which the three axes are drawn at equal 120-degree angles. Parallel edges stay parallel, so there is no vanishing point and scale remains consistent.

A method of drawing an object from multiple flat views, such as front, top and side, each showing true shape without perspective distortion. It is standard for technical and product drawings.

A very small, quick rough drawing used to explore many layout or composition ideas cheaply before committing. Thumbnails test arrangement, proportion and visual flow rather than fine detail.

The finished depiction of a design showing materials, light, shadow and surface texture. Rendering communicates how a concept would actually look and feel rather than only its structure.

A proportion of roughly 1:1.618 in which the whole relates to the larger part as the larger part relates to the smaller. It is used as a guide for pleasing rectangles and layout divisions.

A recurring visual element, shape or theme repeated across a design, textile or surface pattern. A motif may be rotated, mirrored or scaled to build a repeat without losing identity.

A logo is a distinctive mark identifying a brand; a logotype sets the brand name itself in customised type. Both must stay legible when reduced to small sizes or single colours.

Guarantees in Part III of the Indian Constitution, including equality, freedom of speech, and protection from exploitation. They are enforceable in courts, though some are subject to reasonable restrictions.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution directing the state towards social and economic welfare. They are not directly enforceable in court but are fundamental to governance and policy-making.

The opening statement of the Indian Constitution declaring the source of authority as the people and listing ideals such as justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It is used as an aid to interpretation.

A place of outstanding cultural or natural value inscribed on an international list maintained by UNESCO, which encourages its protection. India has many such sites, including monuments and national parks.

Codified performance traditions including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya. Each has distinct costume, repertoire, musical accompaniment and regional origin.

A folk painting tradition from the Mithila region of Bihar, known for dense line work, natural dyes and motifs of fish, lotus, parrots and deities. Traditionally painted on walls and floors during festivals.

A tribal art form of the Warli community in Maharashtra, using white rice-paste pigment on a mud-brown ground. Figures are built from triangles and circles, often in scenes of daily and ritual life.

Regional weaving and printing traditions such as Banarasi brocade, Kanjeevaram silk, Bandhani tie-dye, block printing and Kalamkari. Each is identified with particular materials, motifs and producing regions.

A way of expressing a number as a fraction of one hundred. To find a percentage of a quantity, multiply by the rate and divide by 100; percentage change compares a difference with the original value.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind; a proportion states that two ratios are equal. Problems usually involve dividing a total in a given ratio or scaling a recipe or mixture.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. It is used with totals to find missing values, and it shifts predictably when a value is added or removed.

Calculations comparing selling price with cost price. Profit equals selling price minus cost price, and profit percentage is taken on the cost price unless the question states otherwise.

Simple interest is calculated only on the original principal each period. Compound interest is calculated on principal plus accumulated interest, so the amount grows faster over multiple periods.

Distance equals speed multiplied by time, provided units are consistent. Standard variants include average speed over two legs, relative speed of moving objects and problems involving trains or boats.

Permutations count ordered arrangements, while combinations count selections where order does not matter. The choice between them depends on whether rearranging the same items creates a new outcome.

A measure between 0 and 1 of how likely an event is, calculated as favourable outcomes divided by total equally likely outcomes. Complementary events add up to one.

A synonym is a word with a closely similar meaning; an antonym is a word with an opposite meaning. Questions test whether you can match words by sense rather than by sound or spelling.

An expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to let the cat out of the bag'. Idioms are fixed in wording and usually informal in register.

In active voice the subject performs the action; in passive voice the object becomes the subject and the doer may be omitted. Passive is used when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Direct speech quotes a speaker's exact words in quotation marks; indirect speech reports them, shifting pronouns, tenses and time words. Reporting verbs such as 'said' or 'asked' introduce the reported clause.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. Errors commonly arise with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and subjects joined by 'and', 'or' or 'nor'.

Answering questions about a passage by locating stated detail, inferring implied meaning, identifying the main idea and judging the writer's tone. Answers should be supported by the passage, not by outside opinion.