Stem

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

More terms you might want to know

Mood board

A collage consisting of images, colours and text that is assembled to convey an idea or theme.

Class

A selector that can be applied to any HTML element. Classes should be used when designing for multiple instances. For example, if you want all <h1> tags in the website to look blue, then you could use the class="blue-text" attribute.

Masthead

The name, logo, and other identifying information at the top of a newspaper or magazine publication.

Vector

A graphic element that has a definite length and direction. Examples of vectors would be straight lines, edges, or curves.

Affinity Diagram

A data visualisation tool that can be used to explore and group people's thoughts or reactions to a set of concepts. Affinity diagrams are often used in user research and design thinking as an experimental technique for generating new ideas or solutions.

The emergent patterns in these visual representations can help identify which aspects your audience will respond well to, thus enabling decisions on the information architecture and next steps in the process.

It is important to note that affinity diagrams were initially developed for qualitative research but have since been adapted for quantitative research (though they are not typically used with statistical data).

Colour Palette

A specific set of colours, usually with a limited number of values, chosen to suit the needs of a particular design.

White Space

The area of negative space around and between elements in a design.

Customer Experience

The sum of all experiences an individual has with a company or its delivery channels during their journey. From handling and registering a complaint to ordering new products, these interactions are monitored and analyzed at every touchpoint by frontline employees, developers, designers, and product managers for improvement opportunities.

Layout

Layout is a defining characteristic of design. It dictates the positioning of content and design elements. Layouts can range from the simple, such as a four- or two-column layout, to more complex designs like grids with multiple hierarchy levels.

Typography

The art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed.

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