Knowledge is Power
Below are some common new media and graphic design terms.
Accessibility
Accessibility involves two key issues: first, how users with disabilities access electronic information, and second, how web content designers and developers enable web pages to function with assisting devices used by individuals with disabilities.
Alt Text
Alt text is an attribute in the HTML image tag. The text contained in the alt text attribute will appear in the web page if the image is broken or if the reader has turned off graphics. It will also be read aloud by a talking web browser.
Animated GIF
An animated GIF is a GIF image made of a series of individual images ("frames") which are displayed one after the other sequentially. The ability to save and display an animated image is part of the GIF89a standard.
Anti-Aliasing
Anti-aliasing is the process of making diagonal or curved lines appear smooth and continuous in computer-generated images. Images on a computer screen are made up of tiny squares, or pixels. When these are in a straight line, they have straight smooth edges, but when they are placed at an angle or curve to each other they can appear jagged.
ASP
Active Server Pages or ASP, as it is more commonly known, is a technology that enables you to make dynamic and interactive web pages.
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Backend Development
The actual coding and building of a web site or web application. BackEnd Development - PHP, Perl, ASP, .NET, XML, ColdFusion, Java Servlets and JSP.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data capacity of the connection between one computer or device and another. It's derived from a term in radio engineering, but has become a catchall term to mean processing capacity.
High bandwidth means lots of data can flow quickly. Low bandwidth means a smaller amount of data can move during the same time interval. Bandwidth is usually described in terms of bits per second as in a modem connection at 56Kbits per second or a T1 connection of 1.5 Megabits/sec.
Blog
Blog is short for web log. A web log is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site.
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Cache
Cache is a technique of storing frequently or previously requested data in local RAM or disk space to allow faster access to subsequent requests for the data. Caching is used in hardware applications as well as software and Web applications.
Cold Fusion
Online database management system from Macromedia.
CMYK
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK. It is the standard subtractive model used for color printing. (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are the three primaries, but together form a rather muddy color, so pure black ink is added to the mix for better printing results.)
Content
All of the text, messaging, images, videos etc... featured in a project.
Compression
Compression is a process that analyzes and condenses data in files, creating a smaller file while maintaining as much quality as possible. Large files, such as graphics or sound, are often compressed using various mathematical formulas, such as JPEG and LZW for graphics or MPEG for sound.
Comps
Preliminary designs for a graphic or Web presentation.
Connection Speed
The speed of a connection to the internet measured by the number of units, or bits, of information transferred in a second. Bits per second is abbreviated bps; a thousand bits per second is abbreviated Kbps; and a million bits per second is abbreviated MBps.
CSS
CSS, short for Cascading Style Sheets, a new feature being added to HTML that gives both Web site developers and users more control over how pages are displayed. With CSS, designers and users can create style sheets that define how different elements, such as headers and links, appear. These Style Sheets can then be applied to any Web page.
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Domain Name
A domain name is the text name corresponding to the numeric IP address of a computer on the Internet. A domain name must be unique. Internet users access your web site using your domain name. download .
Flash
Flash, a popular authoring software developed by Macromedia (now Adobe), is used to create vector graphics-based animation programs with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in an antialiased, resizable file format that is small enough to stream across a normal modem connection.
FLV
Flash Video (FLV) is a proprietary file format used to deliver video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player
Forum
A feature of online services and bulletin boards that allows subscribers to post messages for others to read, and to reply to messages posted by other users.
Frames
On the Web, frames are a method to display multiple HTML documents at once. The most popular implementation was introduced by Netscape Navigator 2.0.
Front End Development
Front-end development is considered a task that can be fulfilled by any application or even the export filter of a graphics development program.
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GIF
The GIF format is one of the most common graphics file formats used on the web. GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. The bitmapped format is based on LZW compression and it stores images using up to 256 colors. The GIF89a format also supports animation and transparency, but not all GIF viewers support the GIF89a format.
Graphic Design
Graphic design is the process of communicating visually using text and images to present information.
Hosting
Hosting is the business of housing, serving, and maintaining files for one or more Web sites.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language is the authoring software language used on the Internet's World Wide Web. HTML is used for creating World Wide Web pages.
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Identity Package
A unique logo, business card, letterhead, fax cover, envelope - they are part of your success, and they are the components of the business identity package.
Java
Java is a language developed by Sun Microsystems which allows World Wide Web pages to contain code that is executed on the browser.
Hexidecimal
Hexidecimal value is a six digit representation of an RGB color. Counting runs 0 to 9, then a to f. Black would be #000000; white would be #ffffff.
JPEG
The JPEG format was developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is a standard format for storing compressed images with up to 24 million colors. It uses lossy compression and works best on photographs and other continuous tone images.
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Logo
Short for "logotype." Sign, name, or trademark of an institution, firm, or publication, consisting of letter forms borne on one printing plate or piece of type.
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics are graphics that use video and/or animation technology to create the illusion of motion or a transforming appearance.
MP3
MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. Compression scheme used to transfer audio files via the Internet and store in portable players and digital audio servers.
MPEG
MPEG is an acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group, a compression procedure for moving pictures and audio.
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Photography
Photography is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium,
PHP
The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically used for developing web based software applications.
Pixel
A pixel is the basic unit of measurement for computers. It means "picture element." Most monitors have either 72 or 100 pixels an inch. The more pixels per inch, the higher the resolution, and the finer the display quality.
PNG
PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics format. It is intended to be a replacement for GIF and is a lossless compression method with all of GIF's features except animation. PNG has improved interlacing and compression, as well as added gamma information, alpha channel, full color support, and error detection. PNGs compress both horizontally and vertically, so solid blocks of color generally compress best.
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Security
Security in new media mainly is referring to the web. Rules and regulations are put upon the web site in order to protect sensitive information.
SEO
SEO is the active practice of optimizing a web site by improving internal and external aspects in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search engines.
SQL
Structured Query Language (SQL), pronounced "sequel", is a language that provides an interface to relational database systems.
Stock Photography
Images that are not photographed for a specific client or use, but are catalogued for review and selection by someone who may have a use for the image.
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Raster
A raster, sometimes also called a "scan line," is a single row of pixel information in a digital image. A "raster image" is an image made of such rows. The process of converting data into a bit mapped image made of rows of pixel data is called "rasterizing."
Rasterizing
Rasterizing is the process of converting vector data to a displayable bitmap.
Resolution
Resolution is the number of pixel s (individual points of color) contained on a display monitor. Most monitors are 72dpi (dots per inch = pixels per inch) Most print starts at 300 dpi and up.
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Vector
Vector graphics are graphics described by a set of mathematical instructions instead of as a series of discrete bits. They are typically line art illustrations. Graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw create vector-based graphics. Vector graphics are easily scaled or redrawn for different display devices without loss of quality.
WAV
WAV (pronounced WAVE) is an uncompressed Windows audio format, similar to the AIFF format used in Apple Macintosh computers.
WebVideo
Video featured on the internet. Currently Flash FLV and Quicktime are the top video formats.
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