Prototype

Usually the first functional form of a new product, created to test a concept or prove out some aspects of design.

More terms you might want to know

Leading

All available space (line-height) between two consecutive lines of text; this measurement should be adjusted for either ascenders or descenders. In hand typesetting, leading referred to thin strips of lead inserted by hand between lines of type in the composing stick to increase vertical distance.

Printer's Proof

A print that the printer receives to monitor the progress of production. Proofing is a matter of looking at the print to ensure that it has been printed correctly and that the colours are rendered accurately.

RGB

Red, green, and blue. These colours can be used to form a wide variety of colours in different devices such as computer monitors and televisions.

TIFF File

A Tagged Image File Format is a file format for storing images losslessly.

Stem

The part of a letter, usually a vertical line, that rise above the x-height.

Avatar

A graphical representation of the user on a device, used to represent various users in different contexts. It can be a photo, image or drawing.

Design Debt

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.

Type Size

The height of a font, measured in points or pixels.

Blur

A type of design technique utilised in the creation of visuals and illustrations. Blur is used to create an impression of movement or a sense of depth.

Scope Creep

Scope creep is when the scope of a project starts to grow without any agreement on how it's going to be paid for. Creep happens because items and features are tacked on top of the original scope of work agreed upon in the original contract.

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