Graphic Design Vocabulary in English

Vector graphics are defined by mathematical paths — lines, curves, and shapes — that can be scaled to any size without any loss of quality. They are ideal for logos, icons, illustrations, and any graphic that needs to appear at multiple sizes. Raster graphics are made of a fixed grid of pixels; when enlarged, individual pixels become visible and the image appears blurry. Photographs are raster; logos should always be supplied as vector files.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type — selecting typefaces, sizes, weights, line spacing, letter spacing, and overall layout — to make written language legible, readable, and visually effective. Good typography is largely invisible: it guides the reader comfortably through content. Poor typography creates friction — text that is hard to read, feels wrong, or fails to communicate the brand's personality.

Kerning is the manual adjustment of the space between specific pairs of letters to achieve optically even spacing — for example, reducing the gap between A and V so they sit naturally close together. Leading (pronounced “ledding”) is the vertical space between lines of text. Both are tools for fine-tuning typography to improve readability and aesthetics. Tracking is a related term: it adjusts the overall letter spacing across a whole block of text, not just specific pairs.

Visual hierarchy is the organisation of design elements so that the viewer's eye moves in a deliberate sequence, from the most important to the least important information. It is achieved through differences in size, weight, colour, contrast, and position. A strong headline, medium subheading, and smaller body text creates a clear three-level hierarchy. Without hierarchy, a layout feels flat and readers do not know where to focus.

White space (also called negative space) is the empty area in a design — space that contains no text, image, or other element. Far from being wasted space, white space gives layouts breathing room, reduces cognitive load, helps direct the viewer's attention, and creates a sense of quality and refinement. Premium brands use generous white space in their communications. Crowded, busy layouts feel cheap and are harder to read.

Bleed is the area that extends beyond the final trim size of a printed document. When paper is trimmed after printing, slight variations in the cutting process can leave thin white borders if the design stops exactly at the trim edge. Extending backgrounds, images, and colours 3mm beyond the trim edge — into the bleed area — ensures a clean edge with no white gaps. Bleed is essential for any professionally printed document.

A wireframe is a low-fidelity structural sketch that shows the layout and placement of elements without final colours, real images, or final typography — essentially a blueprint. A mockup is a high-fidelity static representation of the final design, showing accurate colours, fonts, real imagery, and visual detail, but without interactivity. Wireframes are used for planning and agreement on structure; mockups are used for client approval of visual design.

Resolution is the number of pixels (for screens) or dots (for print) per inch. Screen designs are typically created at 72–96 ppi and look sharp on monitors. Print designs require at least 300 dpi to appear sharp when printed, because the printed dots are physically tiny. An image that looks fine on screen at 72 ppi will appear blurry when printed because there are not enough dots to reproduce the detail at physical scale.

Design and media vocabulary appears in Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced texts on art, technology, and business. Words like layout, composition, hierarchy, and contrast are useful in descriptive and analytical writing tasks. Specialist print terms like bleed and kerning are more relevant in professional design contexts than in mainstream English exams.

Flash Cards are ideal for learning pairs like vector/raster and mockup/wireframe. Wordsearch reinforces spelling of longer words like composition and infographic. Reading English-language design publications — Creative Bloq, Design Week, or Smashing Magazine — provides authentic professional vocabulary in context. Note that design professionals use these terms precisely, so understanding exact meanings is more important than simply recognising the words.