A Glossary of Website Design and Art Terms:
accessibility - in the case of websites, making pages available to people with disabilities, older computer systems and slow connections.
alt tags - a verbal description of an image in case the viewer has shut off the pictures, or there is technical problem in displaying the picture or the viewer is disabled.
comp or composite - a rough layout of graphics for print or website to understand what the goals are for the final result.
CSS - cascading style sheets. a method of putting all the styling of a website (typefaces, backgrounds, layouts etc) which allows for faster loading of web pages and facilitates making overall changes to a website without having to individually change each page.
domain name registration - every website needs a domain name. eg.ericstudio.com, paypal.com etc
e-commerce - the ability to conduct sales from a website
flash - a controversial method of presenting animated content and video on a webpage. it requires the user to have Flash Player installed on the computer. the main limitation it imposes is that, if a site is entirely made of flash components, it's difficult to configure so that search engines such as Google can find it.
frames - the web page is actually composed of small web pages that interact with each other. it has fallen out of use, mostly because it thwarts search engines such as Google.
giclee - a method of printing high quality pigmented inks onto archival paper resulting in high quality prints with a long lifespan. can be used to reproduce fine art at a reasonable cost.
hand-coding - web pages can be created in a simple text editor such as notepad. even if the page is created in a web page editor, hand-coding allows for careful refinements.
HTML and XHTML - Hypertext Markup Language - the underlying code that makes up a web page. XHTML is the latest version with the greatest improvements in accessibility and flexibility for upgrades to meet future technology.
ISP or Internet Service Provider - this basically the equivalent of a television cable provider. for a monthly fee, you can have your website available on the web 24 hours a day.
kerning - the art of spacing letters. this is a subtle art that can make a huge difference in the readability and professional appearance of a website.
keyword - keywords are words and phrases people type into search engines to find things. keywords are placed in the code of a web page for search engines to find and catalogue a web page.
links - words or phrases that take the web page viewer to another location - either on the same page, another page on the same website, or another website altogether.
load time - the time it takes for a web page to load
LOGO or LOGOtype - a LOGO is a graphic symbol used to identify an organization. a LOGOtype is a LOGO used in conjunction with the full spelling of the organization's name.
PHP - a programming language that allows for creating interactive web pages such as form-processing.
PayPal - a method of payment used to allow credit card transactions over the internet without exposing the payee's actual credit card information. Paypal provides high levels of encryption and security and is very easy to set up and use.
raster vs. vector - see vector graphics.
roll-over - when the cursor is moved over a word or graphic causing a change to let the viewer know the spot is active - usually as a link.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization - methods of creating and maintaining a website so that it achieves high ranking (first on the list) on search engine results.
standards compliant - see "web standards"
storyboard - a map showing incremental points in a larger picture. in planning a film for instance, a storyboard is used to plan the visual rhythm. in website design, the storyboard is used to map out the pages of a website.
the current sitemap for this website is basically a story board.
SVG or Scalable Vector Graphics - allows images to be re-scaled dynamically on a web page. for instance, to display an image on any output device - widescreen large display or cell phone.
typography - the art of typefaces. choosing fonts, weights, colours, layout etc to communicate, sometimes to decorate.
usability - facilitating the use of a website. easy to read, easy to understand how to navigate the site.
vector graphics vs. raster graphics - raster graphics are pictures that are broken into square dots (pixels). vector graphics are created with geometrical shapes. vector graphics can be resized large or small without any degradation of image quality and colour changes are very often just a few clicks. vector graphics are usually smaller file sizes and load faster in computers.
W3C or World Wide Web Consortium - sets the standards for how the web should be used.
web standards - these are the standards set by the W3C. interestingly, the W3C provides a website where any webpage can be tested for compliance to their rules at: http://validator.w3.org/ . you could try the page you are on now by entering http://future-domain-name.com and pressing the check button. it is also interesting how many large corporate web pages don't pass this test. once a page is validated, it can bear the following icons: the first for W3C compliance, the second for CSS compliance.
WYSIWYG or “What You See Is What You Get” - software that allows computer programming to show the outcome results as you work in real time.
XHTML - see HTML
