A theory in psychology that discusses the general idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's based on a human need to search for stability and meaning, which leads to organic movements towards wholeness. Gestalt Theory assumes there are inherent flaws in how we perceive forms and patterns, and it holds that this innate tendency transforms into an active process of looking for order in reality.
Colours on the same side of the colour wheel as red, such as pink, orange and yellow.
A concept used in systems design to describe the negative consequences of making seemingly innocuous design changes. Shorthand for a product's delayed but inevitable need to be reworked due to earlier, seemingly trivial decisions not having been fully thought through in the original release.
Designers incur this "debt" by making quick and easy choices that save time in the present but cause more complex problems later on down the road when it becomes necessary to change or add something.
A set of colors which can be used to create a particular visual effect. It is usually composed of multiple primary, secondary, and tertiary colours.
A design style first introduced by Microsoft Design Language based on minimalism and simplicity. This newer trend focuses on reducing nonsensical designs and makes the content more accessible for all users.
In this way of designing, fewer elements are used to create shapes and less emphasis on gradients and textures. This modern trend moves away from skeuomorphism. Instead, it focuses on a realistic view or illustration with buttons and icons appearing flat with no shadows.
Text that is used to fill in a gap in a document.
Framing consisting of cutting off or obscuring most of the surrounding of a subject, removing distractions from the background and emphasising the subject.
A measure of the height of a set of text on an element.
A digital image captured by a digital camera or scanner that has not been processed in any way by the camera software.
The height of a font, measured in points or pixels.
Typefaces that are used across large bodies of text like headlines. Text typefaces are generally more varied than body-text typefaces.