Two workshops · one exercise · two rooms of design educators

Mapping Design Research
& Scholarship, combined & expanded

The same crowdsourced sticky-note exercise, run independently at two venues — AIGA's Design Educators Community and a Design Research Society conference — merged into one reference document, with a unified field atlas, a full index of every named source across both, and a clearly-marked added layer that fills gaps the two rooms left open.

● AIGA DEC edition ● DRS FoE edition — both apparently produced by Design Incubation — ● inferred from responses ● general domain knowledge

A note on sources

Both uploaded PDFs are the source — DEC‑Mapping of Design Research and Scholarship (AIGA DEC edition) and DRS_FoE_Mapping_of_Research_and_Scholarship.pdf. Each is a photographed corkboard of anonymous sticky notes from a live workshop; neither is a set of researched claims, so most individual entries have no citation beyond "an anonymous participant wrote this." I've kept every specific named person, institution, publication, and URL that participants themselves wrote, exactly as written, and compiled all of them into one index — jump to Sources & References Index ↓ — so anything "sourced" in the ordinary sense is easy to find in one place rather than buried in sticky notes.

Where a document quoted someone else's published work (an essay by Audrey Bennett, a diagram from Chris Jones's Design Methods redrawn in Meredith Davis's Graphic Design Theory, a line from designer Cheryl D. Miller, and verbatim institutional policy language from MICA and a "College of Arts, Media and Design"), I paraphrased rather than reproduced the wording — flagged in amber wherever it appears below.

As with the individual atlases, the underlying text extraction doesn't preserve exact spatial position on either corkboard, so notes are regrouped under each page's own stated question, with a handful of ambiguous items placed by best judgment rather than false precision.

This expanded edition adds a fourth and fifth provenance tier to the Field Atlas only. Purple items are inferred from the responses — relocating things the participants themselves said elsewhere in the documents into clusters where they logically belong (e.g., filling the DRS room's empty "Movements" circle with that room's own scattered language). Gold items come from general domain knowledge of the field — Claude's additions, not the participants' — used to fill categories neither room mapped. Gold items carry no evidentiary weight from the workshops; where they reference real works, journals, or organizations, those are listed in the appendix under "References supporting the added layer." Chapters I–III remain pure transcription, untouched.

AIGA Design Educators Community — crowdsourced workshop
I

Naming the Work

How respondents describe their specialization, what counts as output, where it goes, and how their institutions recognize any of it as "research."

What is your research / scholarly activity / area of specialization or practice?topics +
Impact of print design on culture
Play and alternative pedagogies for creativity
Writing about design, culture, and diversity
Visual design, web design and practice, digital media
Typography
Visual Information Mapping
Culture of Design Industry
Role of the graphic designer in creative networks — focus on tools
Packaging design / food labeling policy
Creativity
Design for change, based on strategy and futures
Hybrid of studio practice and critical writing
Visual work
Design as citizenship
Design pedagogy / design pedagogies
Investigating the knowledge claims that ground our field
Interaction and creative coding
Rhetoric of user interfaces
Knowledge mobilization
Socially engaged design
Integrated marketing
Semiotics of user interfaces
Aesthetics of user interfaces
Cooperative learning and community building
User experience and interaction aesthetics
Design collaborations
Semiotics of communication design
Rhetoric of communication design
Aesthetics of communication design
Pedagogy
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Cultural identity
Illustration and design
Process
Pleasurable design / delightful design
Multimodality applied to design
Social semiotics applied to design
Social impact design
Climate change advocacy
Kinetic typography
Global health
Information design / generative design
Type and publication design
Data visualization
Design research to build human-centered structures / organizations
Public–private partnerships
Design studies (historical analysis)
Visual strategy
Grassroots creative interventions in public spaces / vernacular creative placekeeping
Building community relationships; community workshops / co-design
List 5–10 things included in your output or processoutput +
Published writing (trade or academic)
Journal articles
Journal articles, book proposals, conference talks, interactive/web-based design projects, digital media art works, book chapters, residencies
Design awards
Collaborative writing projects
Conference papers, journal articles, books, friends
1. Submission to a peer-reviewed publication · 2. Peer-reviewed presentation · 3. "Creative activity" that is visible / usable / exhibited / published · 4. Professional practice · 5. Grant writing
Conference presentations / proceedings
1. Festival · 2. Exhibition · 3. Grants · 4. Public art · 5. Writing · 6. Guest speaking
Design awards, grants, public art/design, exhibitions, published works
Presentations
Zines
Grants
Essays
Personal essays related to design, the professional field, and personal/professional life
Creative writing
Chapters / chapter of a book
Interviews
Maps
Peer-reviewed articles / peer-reviewed publications
Peer-reviewed conference papers
Public talks
Tell us 5–10 channels through which you disseminate your workchannels +
AIGA DEC website, conferences, speaking at universities
Design and Culture journal
AIGA Eye on Design
CAA (College Art Association)
Conference podcasts
PDC, EAD, DRS, The Design Journal, IASDR
Exhibitions / juried exhibitions
Conferences
US Postal Service
AIGA conferences and summits
GDUSA Awards
TDC Awards
Creative Quarterly Awards
Academic journals, conferences, clients, exhibitions, design awards
Slanted Magazine
Publishing
The internet / social media
Instagram, Twitter, are.na, Discord
"Rogue" (no formal channel at all)
Communication Arts magazine design awards
Dialectic (design journal)
PCA/ACA (Popular & American Culture Associations)
Conference film/video
Awards, competitions, exhibitions, articles, et al.
National and international organizations
Design award online galleries
Talks and conferences
Press / articles
Client dissemination
How does your school/department define "research"?institution +
Not sure / unclear
Broadly — but primarily as studio practice; must disseminate practice-based work
Peer review
Determined/evaluated by the dean
Do lots of work
Impact on the field. Creating new knowledge.
Peer review and competitive selection
Funding secured ($$$$$$)
Real-world impact
Whose work do you admire, when struggling to place your research in the discipline?admired scholars +
Dr. Vincent Covello
Dr. Roger Schank
Dr. Fernando Flores
Mariana Amatullo
Erik Stolterman — "clarity and usefulness of his research"
Liz Sanders and Arturo Escobar
Lauren McCarthy (UCLA)
Maria Rosario Jackson
"My former PhD advisor"
Designers/educators who publish design history via popular blogs, from a femme perspective
Does your institution provide clear expectations and criteria for research-related activities?institution +
Not within art/design
No — not institutionally, but via mentorship from senior professors
No, pretty open — depends on the discipline
It changes depending on who you ask. So, no.
There's an expectation of public dissemination; creative work needs to be documented/vetted to have "high value"
Yes, including the amount of activities
Our department recently created a "research roadmap"
Yes — each department has a scholarship guideline
It does, but it's applied to other disciplines more than design
There's flexibility, which is good, but it's also a bit vague
If your university has articulated guidelines, would you share them?guidelines +
"I have no idea where to find these — I'm an adjunct"
"I think they're online" 🦗
No articulated guidelines, but all tenure-track faculty write a plan in their first year and upload progress annually
Yes — thought to be based on the "M. Davis" (Meredith Davis) criteria used at NC State
Yes, they're not public / Yes, I think they're public / "You don't want to see them"
Shared publicly: San Francisco State University — RTP Criteria for Design, 2019
II

The Why Beneath the Work

Personal philosophies, workload realities, competing models of what "research" should mean, and the gap between what people want to pursue and what their institutions support.

Do you have a personal design philosophy?+
Design is active citizenship.
Design is always in service to others.
Design is a human ability — we should help others design.
Design is an underleveraged form of agency.
Advocate for design to create a better society and planet.
What is your individual distribution of effort?workload +
40% research / 40% teaching / 20% service
Research #1, Teaching #2, Service/Leadership #3 — no percentages published in T&P guidelines
50% teaching / 25% scholarship / 25% service
55% teaching / 30% research / 15% "rest"
100% Research, 100% Teaching, 100% Service — or at least that's what it feels like
100% teaching — "this includes maybe 20% research?"
What research model, if any, should design follow?models +
"I think there needs to be flexibility because the field is vast."
Identify some clear models, rather than picking "the one."
Should we follow research models, or design our own?
Ethnography; participatory, planet-centered design
Research into design (interpretive research); research through design
Mixed methods, depending on research goals — "arts-based research" is interesting but context-dependent
Social sciences leave out studio practice and the distinct way of knowing that is visual form
"Something poetic. Less measuring. Romantic graphic design. WE NEED OUR OWN."
A decentered graphic designer, part of a network — human and non-human actors alike
Design practice as argumentation and persuasion
If you dig into your soul — what's the real purpose of research?purpose +
Challenge hegemonic systems. Rethink systems and structures.
Create new knowledge, material, theories. Expand the discipline.
Joy of creation. Advance the discipline.
"Most design awards are a capitalist scheme!"
The transition from student to professional.
Design could do a better job citing work already done.
Push the boundaries of the discipline toward equitable, sustainable futures.
Research helps me see I'm not crazy — others have thought/felt the same, in their own time.
Research generates funding that drives equitable outcomes.
Things you consider research that your institution/field doesn't support+
Tapping into policy through design.
Connecting to other disciplines — data, engineering, literature.
Use of design in federal and military contexts.
"My school struggles with interdisciplinarity."
Getting in trouble for challenging systems of power that should be questioned.
Things you want to pursue but need more support/mentoring+
Research assistants.
More legal counseling on publications and copyright.
Fewer service requirements, to focus more on research.
Support in terms of time — "service is too much."
Coaching on writing.
Describe success as a researcher+
Design practitioners use my research. Non-designers use my research.
Having a solid research agenda / a solid research lab.
Ability to articulate arguments, search for sources, write, and join larger disciplinary conversations.
III

The Making of Things

The same territory turned toward design practice itself: what inspires the work, how a real project unfolds, and when it's finished.

What inspires you to be a designer?+
The power and privilege to make things.
The quest for beauty and delight in my life. "WORKING."
Everything human-made that I see in my life!!!
Nature and culture.
"I call my work 'radical public service.'"
Uniting the working class.
List the steps of a recent projectprocess +
Content audit → competitive analysis → sketching → visual research → testing typefaces → drafts/revisions → client discussions → production → invoice → payment → document the work.
Get a bunch of emails → phone call → create assets → more email/calls → redo everything → hit a deadline and finish part of it.
Define goals → curate/edit content → research & ideation → visual design → refine → production & distribution.
Can you do a project without a client?+
"YES + always + preferred." Books, tools, campaigns, platforms, sponsorships.
Zines, hobbies, hacking, speculative design.
Most of my projects don't start with a client — some are educational, so there's a bigger audience instead.
When is a design complete/finished?+
"Never." "Right before" the deadline.
Good enough / depends on the audience and outcomes.
It's complete when it's due — you can work a project over forever otherwise.
Do you talk differently to designers / non-designers / clients?+
Designers: understand the jargon. Students: I explain the jargon. Clients: they use the jargon.
Every audience is different and usually requires different words.
Things you tell students that aren't in textbooks+
"99% of the work takes 1% of the time; 1% of the work takes 99% of the time."
A design career isn't a means to an end — it lets you tell stories and articulate ideas.
Describe success as a designer+
"A homestead with a printing press, and workshops with a community sharing food."
Social impact. Generating positive change.
Baseline: I didn't harm others or the planet.
Design Research Society conference — Focus on Educators workshop
I

Naming the Work

Specializations, what gets produced, where it's sent into the world, and how institutions recognize (or don't) any of it as "research."

What is your research / scholarly activity / area of specialization or practice?topics +
Design and design theory
Education; installation artist
Professional practice — film titles and information graphics for documentaries and cultural/public television programming
Design-thinking education; healthcare design (EMR, consumer medical informatics, health IT); UI/UX design
Computational methods in data visualization, industrial design, typography
History, practice, and pedagogy of design, with a focus on typography
Archival research / "internet art"
Writing, data visuals, community engagement, presentations
Field study, user testing, conference presentation/proceeding, journal article, book chapter, commissioned project
Investigating research methods — how designers represent experience, including notational systems
"At my institution, the work I do falls into the creative/scholarly area (hybrid). I primarily publish as my form of dissemination and work collaboratively to investigate the processes and methods of collaboration in design education and remote making. Most recently I've been uncovering the value of design education and building out inclusive practices in the classroom. I write and 'do' data visuals!"
Web design; hand lettering; research methodology
Film, motion graphics, broadcast design, typography
Looking across fields — geo-semiotics, semiotic landscapes, embodied learning, visual communication
Design futures / design fiction / design ethics
Equity-centered, community-based design
List 5–10 things included in your output or processoutput +
Archival research; "internet art"
Prototyping; exhibitions; slide decks / lectures
Posters; curriculum/curriculum development
Journal writing and conference presentations
Books, chapters, self-organized/published books
Charts / graphs / maps; commercial objects
Chatbot / copilot APIs
Guest lectures + critiques; an image in a journal
Digital products; software; hardware/embedded systems
Tell us 5–10 channels through which you disseminate your workchannels +
Conference presentations/talks (design and non-design conferences)
Exhibitions — including "outside the cube," rogue; residencies
Public galleries; juried exhibitions; personal blogs; book publisher
Self-publishing (via a group, or solo); books
Interactive applications; conference proceedings
Teaching; workshops; public television
Awards / competitions; citation/reference of scholarly work
Grant proposals; traditional press; journals
Audio recordings, podcasts
Trade magazines (Slanted, Communication Arts, Print)
Libraries / archives; other institutions (talks/workshops)
Interviews (magazines, podcasts)
Trade shows; documentary film
Social media platforms; Twitter, Discord
Community websites (e.g. AIGA DEC)
Curatorial activities resulting in a public exhibition
Invited lectures; grant proposals/reports
Awards (CA, STA); festivals
Network collaboration — teaming up with the tools
How does your school/department define "research"?institution +
"Pretty open. I'm informed that it's up to how each individual faculty member frames the research."
One respondent's college, paraphrased: research is defined as sharing scholarship and creative work through peer-reviewed publication, presentation, performance, and exhibition.paraphrased — originally quoted institutional wording
A shared institutional rubric, paraphrased: judges scope by project duration, preparation required, substance of the body of work, whether it builds toward future work, and its contribution to the field.paraphrased — originally quoted institutional wording
MICA's "Professional and Creative Activity," paraphrased: sustained disciplinary inquiry; artistic/scholarly output via publication, exhibition, performance, or presentation; pursuing/winning research grants; leadership or consulting roles professionally.paraphrased — originally quoted institutional wording
"In general, they have a list of activities."
"Work is experimental, boundary-free — feels less tied to accolades and more artistic."
Whose work do you admire, when struggling to place your research?admired scholars +
Superflux, MIT Media Lab community, "everyone in Berlin and Amsterdam"
Louise Sandhaus — for bringing forward under-seen designers, e.g. Gere Kavanaugh
Ahmed Ansari — writing, talks, independent curriculum development
Jessica Wexler — praised for unusually clear tenure documentation
Paul Soulellis (Urgency Publications) — admired for rethinking dissemination systems
Gunter Wehmeyer, via Design Inquiry workshop — unidentifiedfacility.org
Does your institution provide clear expectations and criteria?institution +
"Yes, detailed in our dept handbook."
"Sort of, but even so, in reviews they still challenge things said to be valid — like design practice."
"Yes — I just worked with a group to rewrite our guidelines in 2019–2020." — "Rebeca @ MSU"
"Not really, though I believe it has many pros. We've defined the 'scope' — regional, national, international."
If your university has articulated guidelines, would you share them?guidelines +
Shared publicly: CUNY New York City College of Technology — Guide to the Faculty Personnel Process
Michigan State University, Dept. of Art, Art History, and Design — named as a source of shared guidelines
II

The Why Beneath It

Design theory, personal philosophy, real workload splits, the deeper (and more skeptical) purposes assigned to research, and the barriers in the way.

What is design theory? What is it for?+
Ideas and practices that drive our work; a correlation of design ideas and their effects
A critical interrogation of design; a framework for research/investigation
To give context to human communication
To frame conversations about similarities/differences and connect across time and disciplines
To provide a common foundation; to guide decision-making
A diagram credited to Chris Jones's Design Methods, redrawn from Meredith Davis's Graphic Design Theory (p. 218) — illustrating how design problems have grown more complex and people-centered over time.paraphrased — originally quoted book excerpt, p. 218
Personal design philosophy+
"Good design looks undesigned." "As little design as possible."
"I like structure…" "I like to create systems and operations."
Creating creative systems of visual communication — making sense of things
Individual distribution of effortworkload +
40% teaching / 40% research / 20% service
No formal percentages; workload assigned based on teaching, even though research is expected
45% teaching / 45% service as written — no research share given
If you dig into your soul — what's the real purpose of research?purpose +
Inquiry to question how we frame, value, and connect to others — "yes, adds value."
"Design is messy." "There are no definitive answers."
"Google, Adobe, Apple, Facebook are EVIL." — one respondent's opinion, as written
Questioning the systems and structures that exist, and making space to rethink/reimagine them
"Blue skies" research — long-term, exploratory work that may not suit publication or exhibition
Advancing the knowledge and practice of design — "scholarship advances the discipline, not tools or the profession"
"I try to model the failure and questionable assumptions we make, based on our limits and biases, to foreground them memorably — because I am human."
"Don't trust what you read on the internet."
"You need to learn the rules, but you also need to break the rules."
Barriers to success — in research and in disseminating itfunding, time +
"TIME — a big service and teaching load doesn't leave space to pursue research."
"Saying no to too much service, so I can do more research."
"I'd like to focus on doing only ONE thing someday, not 25 little things (service + teaching)."
Describe success as a researcher+
Peer recognition. Designs used by an audience.
Ideas inspiring other people's ideas; ideas being quoted.
Doing something that's never been done before. Breaking rules.
One page referenced Audrey Bennett's essay "The Rise of Research in Graphic Design," tracing a historical gap between design's intuition-led practice and the systematic research culture of the sciences and humanities — summarized here rather than quoted.
III

The Making of Things

The same territory turned toward design practice: what starts the work, how a project actually unfolds, and how people talk about it.

What inspires you to be a designer?+
Making my ideas understood and beautiful
The incredible history of graphic design
Exploring new forms; beautiful things
List the steps of a recent projectprocess +
A year of archival research → four years of arguments → two months of writing → two months to design a book
Research the idea's inspiration → sketch on paper → transfer to computer → research execution methods → develop/adapt tech → prototype → execute → modify and redo if needed
Can you do a project without a client?+
"Thank god, yes. My company routinely designs products with no client to fund them."
"Is a grant funder a 'client'? If you work on an NSF grant, is the taxpayer a client?"
When is a design complete/finished?+
"About a week after the deadline."
"Most projects are never 'complete' — they're just invoiced."
Talking differently to designers / non-designers / clients+
"Yes. I leave out jargon and give examples instead when speaking with non-design people."
Things you tell students that aren't in textbooks+
"Design is storytelling" — credited by one respondent to Ellen Lupton
"All design is derivative." "Everything is a remix."
"90% of the work takes 10% of the time; the other 10% takes 90% of the time."
Describe success as a designer+
"Constant failure." "Wow, I don't know."
"When my students quit design and buy a house in the desert and make music for a modest living."
One respondent cited designer Cheryl D. Miller's call to lean into your own authenticity, boldly and unapologetically.paraphrased — originally quoted
IV

Field Atlas — Combined

Both workshops closed with almost the same diagram — independently, two rooms of design researchers converged on nearly identical clusters for mapping the field. Merged here into one atlas, with each item tagged by which workshop it came from.

AIGA DEC only DRS FoE only Inferred from respondents' own language elsewhere in the documents Added from general domain knowledge — not in either source Two-tone header = named cluster in both · purple/gold header = added cluster
Regrouped from both source diagrams. A long list of granular example-items printed alongside the DRS diagram wasn't clearly pinned to one circle each; I placed each in its best-fitting cluster, as with the individual atlases. Purple and gold items are the expansion layer: purple = participants' own words relocated to fill a gap; gold = Claude's gap-filling from field knowledge, offered as candidates for the map rather than findings from the workshops.

History

Design HistoryDesign History ConferenceHistory of ideasLatinx Design HistoriesHistoriography / HistoricismObject-based & social/public historyOrganized by region, media, or client/topicHistory as inspiration for future workBIPOC design history classes DesignerDesign workDesign trendMovement / styleNew mediaArchival research on typeface history and design

Funding Sources

NEA / NSF / NIH / NEHInternal/institutional grantsCity grantsKnight, Graham & Spencer FoundationsNational Institute for HumanitiesFellowships / residenciesCalifornia HumanitiesAdobe "Ideas that Matter"Revenue from product salesStartup funding Client fundedAcademic grantsNEH/NEA (national)Crowdsourced fundingSelf-fundedUsing industry money to fund your own projectsTrading with others for time/skills

Media

TV (e.g. ByDesignTV)BlogsPodcastsTwitterMediumYouTube / VimeoBillboardsPR / influencers, word of mouth PrintElectronic / digitalImageVideo/motionAudioAR/VR/sensoryAIPixels

Interdisciplinary

Design & healthDesign in cultural studiesDesign & anthropologyCS / AI / machine learningLabsDesign & data / climate / writingPhilosophy of technologySTS Interaction designMedical devices designEnvironmental designInformation designSocial impactMotion design"Service design?" / "Design for experience?"

Movements

Anti-racismFeminismPovertyDegrowthDecolonial studies/praxisPost-colonialismSurrealism/DadaMarxism(s), materialismAnarchism/socialismRomanticismPost-structuralismDemocracy / (anti-)neoliberalismActivism / community organizingSubversive design No legible items under this circle in the DRS source Equity-centered community-based design (DRS respondents' phrase, relocated) Design ethics / design futures / design fiction (relocated) Decolonial critique — "appropriating the old knowledge of other cultures" (relocated) Anti-corporate skepticism (relocated) Challenging power / breaking rules (relocated)

Output / Artifact / Product

UI prototypeZine / artist bookVisual essaySmall riso pressPrototype objectsIdentity systemDiagrams & visual explanationsProduct tutorialStudent-work showcase websiteContent management systemsTransmedia storytellingAutotheoryMachine learning models Trade / academic articleMonographTrade / academic book, textbookWebsite, video, podcastExhibitionProduct/appBranding/logoCuration / adjudicationPrint & editorial designInformation graphicsIndependent publicationsInterface designs / app conceptsBook reviews

Research / Methodology

CraftResearch into/through/for designCase study researchCritical theoryQuantitative / qualitativeVisual/formal analysisEpistemology, phenomenologyNew materialism, OOO(Auto)ethnography Scientific methodSocial science researchSpeculative designHuman-centered designDesign thinkingCritical makingPlace makingExperimentation"Are outputs also theory?" Practice-based / practice-led research (the "into/through/for" triad traces to Christopher Frayling, 1993) "Designerly ways of knowing" (Nigel Cross's framing of design's own epistemology) Participatory action research Mixed-methods & triangulation

Industry

Product designDesign strategySystems designAgency / consultingAd agenciesBrand strategyEntrepreneurshipService designBoutique studiosFreelance workDigital transformationCorporate communications Client / customer / userNon-profitB2BB2C

Practice

Client workMy own websitePublic artPro-bono design for nonprofitsIn-house at nonprofits UX/UITypesetting, layoutTypeface designBrandingData vizSignage / wayfindingIllustrationPrototypingWritingImage-making"Specializations?"

Missions

Diversify the design industryBreaking down silosEnd gatekeeping"Where are the Black designers?"Non-American perspectives in design research Design for social goodDEIClimate impact / sustainabilityWicked problemsMulti-cultural & community inclusionCultural practiceADA

Scholarship & Dissemination

JournalPeer-reviewed conference paper / abstractFree / juried exhibitionsPublished books Peer-reviewed writing, opinion articles, position papersHistorical documentationCreative output/productionHigh impact vs. low impact (?)Mass-market design writing (e.g. Just My Type)

Theories & Philosophies

SemioticsMultimodalityRhetoricAesthetics (theories of form)Design criticismArgumentationMeredith Davis (named directly) Fine arts: fine art, illustration, photography, craftHumanities: critical theory, epistemology, ontology, phenomenology, pedagogySocial sciences: behaviorism, game theoryEngineering: computer science

Things That Have Missions/Agendas

CitiesDesign for AmericaProject OsmosisSustainable designDesign for the Pluriverse Journals/serialsSocietiesConferencesOrganizationsFellowshipsAcademiaIndustry

Design/Research Societies & Repositories

DRS Digital LibraryAIGAPeople's Graphic Design ArchiveStanford Design LibraryCooper Hewitt ArchivesSmithsonianLetterform ArchiveMIT Press Design SeriesTaylor & Francis design journalsInformation Design Journal / Visible LanguageWinterhouse Instituteare.na design journals list ↗ Design Research SocietyDesign History SocietyIASDRThe Design SocietyDesign Research Methods Design Studies (Elsevier) Design Issues (MIT Press) She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation International Journal of Design Journal of Design History (Oxford)

Conferences

CAADRSMODEAIGA Design ConferenceTypeConATypIPCA/ACASECACUCDACumulusTDCAllied Media ConferenceDesignKCTypographicsDesign Incubation National / international / regional exhibitionsInvited & double-blind peer reviewKeynotes, workshopsPanel facilitation, roundtablesPaper presentationExperimental design publicationsResidencies

Institutional / Program Sponsorship

e.g. Sony sponsoring a class, or a Hyundai Lab at RISDSponsored class (Auburn University)Co-op programsGoogle/SCAD partnershipRISD as institutional example

Economic Development

Placemaking / creative placekeepingRevitalizing rural & underserved urban communitiesCenter for Urban Pedagogy

Design for Non-Designers

Access to toolsCanvaCo-design

Design for Policymaking

Flagged as "not sure if category or mission"Tapping into policy through design

Digital Scholarship

Blogs/commentaries as communication in virtual spacesOpen Education ResourcesData visualization and manipulationMetadata generationDigital publishing

Assessment & Evaluation

Both rooms complained about unclear criteria — yet neither mapped evaluation as a category The "between the lines" hierarchy of activities (AIGA respondent's phrase) Creative-work equivalencies for tenure & promotion Peer review models for practice-based work Portfolio & documentation review Impact assessment beyond citation metrics

Ethics & Research Governance

Implied by respondents' community co-design, healthcare design, and user research — never mapped "I need more legal counseling on publications and copyright" (AIGA respondent) IRB / human-subjects review for design research Consent & power in community-based work Data ethics in UX research and analytics Authorship & credit in collaborative projects

Graduate Education & the PhD Question

"My MFA prepared me for making things and that's it" (AIGA respondent) "Supporting and valuing the MFA/MDes in its own right" (DRS respondent) MFA as terminal degree vs. the design PhD Doctoral pipelines & research training for studio-trained faculty Advising models for practice-based dissertations

Tools & Production Infrastructure

Scattered mentions in both rooms — Canva, Adobe, "learn to code," riso, CMSes — never clustered Software ecosystems & platform dependence as research conditions Generative AI tools in design practice & pedagogy Open-source alternatives & tool-building as scholarship Print production & material craft infrastructure

Accessibility & Inclusive Design

ADA appears once as a DRS mission item; inclusive design once in AIGA — no cluster of its own Accessible typography, color & contrast research WCAG & standards-based practice (W3C Web Accessibility Initiative) Cognitive accessibility & plain language Disability-led design research

Global Design Research Cultures

"Make design research related to other non-American perspectives" (AIGA respondent) — the gap the participants half-named themselves Latinx Design Histories (AIGA history item, pointing outward) Latin American, African, and South/East Asian design scholarship traditions Non-Anglophone journals & conference circuits Translation & canon formation beyond the US/UK axis
V

Glossary of the Field's Vocabulary

A consolidated glossary of 596 terms, organized conceptually, merging the vocabulary mined from this atlas's two workshops with four external documents: two course vocabulary lists (Brodeur ADV 1160/1200; Trager ADV 1161), an uploaded reference glossary (Glossary for Designers), and a previously compiled Communication Design Glossary. Every entry carries source chips; atlas-derived terms keep the atlas's own three-tier provenance.

Workshop participant (this atlas)Inferred layer (this atlas)Added layer (this atlas)Brodeur ADV 1160/1200Trager ADV 1161Glossary for DesignersCommunication Design GlossaryDefinition supplied — general knowledge
How to read the chips. A term's chips show where the term comes from; the dashed "Definition supplied" chip means no source contained a definition — the sources listed the term only (course vocabulary lists and workshop sticky notes name terms, they don't define them), so the definition was written from general design, print-production, and design-research knowledge. Entries showing the dashed chip alone are requested editorial expansions (e.g., the Advertising, Branding, Environmental & Spatial, and equipment & technology vocabularies): both term and definition come from standard field knowledge, with no document source. Atlas-derived terms carry the atlas's own tiers: workshop participant (transcribed sticky-note language), inferred (participants' words relocated within the atlas), or added layer (domain-knowledge additions that carry no evidentiary weight from the workshops). The strip-down guarantee extends here: remove every added-layer term and every supplied definition, and what remains traces to a person or a document. Structure. The glossary is a faceted hierarchical taxonomy: the hierarchy runs domain → category → term, and every entry additionally carries two independent facets — a kind label (concept, method, format, tool, discipline, framework, metric, or role; the dark chip on each entry) and its source chips. Kind labels and hierarchy placement are editorial classification; source chips are provenance.
Typography & Letterform Anatomy56 terms
Typeface / Font
A typeface is a coordinated design of letters, numbers, and symbols sharing consistent stylistic characteristics (e.g., Helvetica). A font is one specific weight, width, and style within that typeface family (e.g., Helvetica Bold, 10pt). The two terms are frequently conflated, a distinction that blurred with the advent of desktop publishing.
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Type Family / Typeface Family
The collection of faces designed together and intended to be used together — for example, a family may include roman and italic styles across several weights (light, regular, semibold, bold).
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U&lc (upper and lower case)
Shorthand indicating that text should be set with standard capitalization rather than all caps or all lowercase.
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Upper Case / Majuscule
Capital letters — the larger characters in a typeface.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Lower Case / Miniscule
The smaller form of letters used in type.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Small Caps
Capital letters set at approximately the same height as the typeface's x-height, used for a more understated form of emphasis than full caps.
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X-height / Waste Line
The height of the body of lowercase letters (traditionally measured by the letter 'x'), excluding ascenders and descenders. Varies considerably between typefaces at the same point size and is a key determinant of apparent size and legibility.
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Base Line
The imaginary line on which the bottoms of characters (excluding descenders) align.
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Mean Line
Also called x-height; the imaginary line marking the top of lowercase characters that lack ascenders.
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Ascender
The part of a lowercase letter (such as k, b, or d) that rises above the x-height.
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Descender
The part of a lowercase letter (such as y, p, or q) that extends below the baseline.
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Point Size
The standard unit for measuring type, expressed as the distance from the top of the tallest ascender to the bottom of the lowest descender, in points.
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15/17 (Type/Leading)
Typesetting shorthand for 15-point type set with 17 points of leading (baseline-to-baseline spacing) — the conventional way of specifying type size and line spacing together.
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Leading
The space (measured in points, baseline to baseline) added between lines of type. Named for the strips of lead compositors once inserted between lines of metal type.
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Tracking
The uniform adjustment of space across a block of text, altering overall letterspacing density.
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Kerning
The adjustment of horizontal space between specific pairs of characters, used to create visually even spacing — especially important in large display and headline type.
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Ligature / Kiss
A single glyph combining two or more letters (such as fi or fl) whose forms would otherwise collide, drawn as one unit to avoid awkward spacing.
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Alignment
The positioning of text within page margins — flush left, flush right, justified, or centered.
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Rag (Left / Right)
The uneven edge of a text block on the side opposite its alignment — e.g., text set flush left has a ragged right edge.
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Flush (Left / Right)
Text aligned along one margin — flush left (ragged right) or flush right (ragged left) — sometimes called left- or right-justified.
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Justify
To space text so that it aligns on both the left and right margins, producing a more formal but potentially less readable block of copy. Also called 'fully justified.'
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Set Solid
Type set with no additional leading beyond its point size, so lines sit as close together as the letterforms allow.
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Centered (Rag Left & Right)
Text placed at an equal distance from the left and right margins, producing ragged edges on both sides; commonly used for headlines.
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Raised Capital / Initial
An enlarged capital letter at the start of a paragraph that sits above the baseline of the first line, rather than dropping into the text block.
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Drop Capital / Initial
A large capital letter set into the first line(s) of a paragraph, aligned with the top of the first line and occupying two or more lines of body copy, used to mark the start of a new section.
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Hanging Capital / Initial
An enlarged initial letter placed in the margin outside the main text column, so the body copy itself is not indented to accommodate it.
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Roman
In typography, either (1) a synonym for serif/antiqua typefaces, or (2) the upright, non-italic, non-bold counterpart of a typeface.
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Italic
A slanted, script-influenced version of a typeface, used for emphasis, quotes, and foreign words. The first italic type was designed by Aldus Manutius.
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Serif
Small finishing strokes added to the arms, stems, and tails of letterforms, which aid readability by leading the eye along a line of type.
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Sans Serif
A typeface without serifs, generally low-contrast in stroke weight; lends a clean, simple appearance and is more legible in headings than in long passages of body text.
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Calligraphic
Type or lettering styled to resemble fluid, hand-drawn script produced with a broad-edged pen or brush, emphasizing stroke variation.
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Script / Cursive
A typeface style that imitates handwriting, with connected or flowing letterforms, often used decoratively.
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Bold
A typeface variant rendered in darker, thicker strokes to make it stand out on the page; often used for headlines needing emphasis.
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Demi Bold
A weight between regular and bold within a type family.
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Light
A type weight thinner than the family's regular weight.
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Horizontal Scaling
Electronically stretching or compressing a typeface's width while holding its height constant — generally discouraged, as it distorts the letterforms' designed proportions.
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Vertical Scaling
Electronically stretching or compressing a typeface's height while holding its width constant.
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Bullet
A small dot or symbol placed before an item in a list to visually separate it from other items.
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Dingbat
An ornamental character or symbol used in typesetting, often to add visual interest or space around text or an image.
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Em Dash (Mutt Dash)
A dash the width of the type size's em, used to indicate a break in a sentence or set off a parenthetical phrase.
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En Dash (Nut Dash)
A dash roughly half the width of an em dash, used to indicate ranges (e.g., pages 10–15) or connect related terms.
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Typography
The art of arranging type — letters, numbers, and symbols — so that it is both legible and visually pleasing, encompassing typeface choice, size, spacing, and page arrangement.
DisciplineGlossary for DesignersWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Legibility
The ease with which individual characters of a typeface can be distinguished from one another, determined by letterform clarity, stroke contrast, and x-height.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Readability
The ease with which a body of text can be read and understood, shaped by typeface choice, size, line length, leading, and contrast — distinct from legibility, which concerns individual characters.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Typographic Hierarchy
The organization of type elements — headings, subheadings, body text, captions — into a clear visual order that signals relative importance and guides the reader through content.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Weight
The range of a stroke's width within a typeface, from light to bold (e.g., Light, Regular, Book, Demi, Heavy, Black, Extra Bold).
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Width
Whether a typeface has been lengthened or compressed horizontally — typical variants are Condensed, Normal, or Extended.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
OpenType
A font format developed jointly by Adobe and Microsoft, capable of including glyph sets defined as TrueType or Type 1 curves.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Oblique
A roman typeface slanted to the right mechanically, often confused with true italic (which is a distinct, separately drawn design).
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Old Style
A style of type with slight contrast between light and heavy strokes and slanting serifs.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Modern (type classification)
A high-contrast letterform style with heavy, untapered stems and light serifs, established by Firmin Didot and Giambattista Bodoni in the late 18th–early 19th centuries.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Ear
The small rounded stroke projecting from the bowl of certain lowercase letters, such as 'g' and 'q.'
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Extenders
The part of a letter that extends above the mean line, such as in 'b' or 'd.'
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Bar
The horizontal or vertical stroke drawn through a letterform, sometimes used to distinguish one character from another.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Body Type
The typeface used for the main running text of a printed piece, as distinct from display or headline type.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
I-beam
The shape the cursor takes when a text tool is selected in design or word-processing software.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Page Layout, Composition & Editorial Structure87 terms
Thumbnail
A small exploratory sketch used to quickly test multiple layout ideas, or a reduced-size version of an image used for identification and organization.
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Rough
An early-stage sketch, more developed than a thumbnail but still loose, used to test a layout's overall composition before producing a tighter comp.
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Comp (Comprehensive)
A preliminary rendering of a design — showing layout, type, and imagery — created to preview how a project will look before it goes to print.
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Format
The overall size, shape, and orientation of a printed piece or page.
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Grid
A two-dimensional structure of intersecting vertical and horizontal axes used to organize text and images consistently across a layout.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Trager ADV 1161Glossary for DesignersCommunication Design Glossary
Grid System
A structural framework of columns and horizontal units — modular, column-based, or hierarchical — used to organize visual elements consistently across a design.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Modular Grid
A grid composed of both vertical columns and horizontal rows, forming a matrix of units for precise element placement.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Editorial Grid
A framework of columns, gutters, margins, and baseline units used in publication design to organize text and images consistently across pages.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Baseline Grid
An invisible horizontal grid that aligns text across columns and pages to a consistent vertical rhythm, typically tied to the body text's leading.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Master Page
A template in page-layout software providing standard columns, margins, and repeating elements (such as page numbers) applied automatically across a publication's pages.
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Style Sheet
A saved set of formatting attributes (size, leading, color, etc.) that can be applied instantly to selected text; called Paragraph or Character Styles in Adobe InDesign.
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Specs
Short for 'specifications' — a complete written description of a print job's features, such as type size, leading, paper stock, and binding method.
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Points
A typographic unit of measure; there are approximately 72 points to an inch.
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Picas
A typographic unit of measure equal to 12 points (roughly six picas to an inch); used to measure line length and column width.
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Pica
A unit of type measurement, also historically associated with typewriter type sizing.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Gripper Margin / Space
The narrow, non-printing margin along the edge of a press sheet gripped by the mechanical fingers that pull the sheet through the press.
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Page Safety
A margin inside the trim edge of a page within which essential text and images should be kept, to guard against shifting during trimming.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Page Trim
The finished edge of a page after excess material is cut away; see also Trim.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Page Gutter
The blank space formed at the inner margins of a spread, near the binding.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Crossover
An image or design element that spans across the gutter from one page to its facing page.
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Page Grind-off
The small amount of inner-margin content lost when a book is trimmed after binding (particularly perfect binding), which can clip material placed too close to the spine.
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Spine
The part of a bound publication to which the pages are attached, on which the title, author, and publisher's names typically appear.
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Title
The name of a publication or work as it appears on its cover or opening page.
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Subtitle
A secondary title that clarifies or expands on a publication's main title.
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Title Page
The page near the front of a publication displaying its title, author, and publisher.
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Colophon
A brief note, often at the back of a book, describing the typefaces, paper, and production details used.
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Banner / Nameplate
The distinctive typographic treatment of a publication's name as it appears on its cover or front page.
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Masthead
The formal listing of a publication's staff, ownership, and contact information, typically printed near the front.
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Display / Headline
Large type used to draw attention to an article, section, or advertisement, distinct from body text.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
TOC (Table of Contents)
A listing of a publication's sections or articles and their corresponding page numbers.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Subhead
A smaller heading used to divide sections within an article or chapter.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Jump Head
A repeated headline marking where an article continues after being 'jumped' to a later page.
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Run-in Head
A subhead set into the beginning of a paragraph rather than standing on its own line.
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Side Head
A heading placed in the margin beside its related text rather than above it.
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By Line
The line identifying an article's author.
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Running Head / Running Foot
Text — often a title or page number — repeated at the top or bottom of every page in a publication.
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Text / Body Copy
The main reading text of a publication, usually set in serif faces sized 8–12 points for legibility in large blocks.
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Greeking / Placeholder
Unreadable dummy text (often Latin) used to represent copy while planning a layout, so reviewers focus on the design rather than the content.
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Text Column
One of several vertical blocks of type into which a page is divided.
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Text Inset
An invisible margin, set within a text frame, that pushes text away from the frame's edges (called 'Inset Spacing' in Adobe InDesign) so it does not appear jammed against a stroke or fill.
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Indent
A set-in space at the beginning of a line, typically used to indicate a new paragraph.
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H & J (Hyphenation & Justification)
The combined typesetting settings controlling how a layout or word-processing program breaks and spaces lines of justified text.
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Bad Break
An awkward line or page break — such as a widow, orphan, or improperly hyphenated word — that disrupts smooth reading.
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Typo
A mistake within the copy of a layout.
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River
A series of interword spaces that accidentally align vertically or diagonally down a column of type, creating a distracting flow of white space.
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Widow
A very short line — sometimes a single word — appearing alone at the end of a paragraph, column, or page.
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Orphan
A single word or short line left over at the end of a paragraph, sometimes appearing alone at the top of a column or page.
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Leaders
A row of dots or a short line used to lead the eye across a space (e.g., between a table of contents entry and its page number).
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Text Wrap / Runaround
Type set with a shortened line measure so it flows around a photograph, illustration, or other inserted visual element.
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Clipping Path
A hard-edged mask, often exported as an embedded path or alpha channel, used to hide unwanted background or reshape an image into a non-rectangular form.
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Lock to Baseline
A layout setting that snaps text to an underlying baseline grid so lines across multiple columns or frames align consistently.
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Call Out
A short piece of text or label pointing to a specific element in a layout or diagram; also used as a synonym for pull quote.
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Pull Quotes
A short excerpt of text 'pulled out and quoted' in a larger typeface to attract attention within a long article; also called a call out or lift out.
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Text Gutter / Alley
The blank space separating rows and columns of type, or between facing pages.
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Column Rule
A thin vertical line printed between two columns of text to visually separate them.
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Pagination
The sequential numbering of pages in a document.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Folio
The page number printed on a page.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Verso
The left-hand page of an open book or spread.
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Recto
The right-hand, typically odd-numbered, page of an open book or spread.
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Caption
Text accompanying an image that identifies or explains it.
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Credit
A line acknowledging the creator, source, or copyright holder of an image or piece of content.
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FPO (For Position Only)
A low-resolution or placeholder image used in a layout to indicate final size and placement before the final high-resolution image is inserted.
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Tint
A lighter variation of a color, produced by adding white, resulting in lower saturation and higher lightness.
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Gradient
A directional, gradual transition of color or tone within an image or object.
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Blend
A smooth transition created between two colors, shapes, or images; closely related to a gradient.
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Feather / Vignette
A softened, gradually fading edge applied to an image or selection so it blends into its surroundings.
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Reflect / Flop (an Image)
To create a mirror-image reversal of a photograph or graphic, left to right.
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Ghost (an Image)
To screen back an image to a lighter tint so it can serve as a subtle background element.
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House Ad
An advertisement promoting a publisher's or company's own products, run in its own media rather than sold to an outside advertiser.
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Fractional Ad
An advertisement occupying less than a full page — for example, a half-page or quarter-page ad.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Upload
To transfer a file from a local device to a remote server or system.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Download
To transfer a file from a remote server or system to a local device.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Editorial
Content produced by a publication's own editorial staff — articles, reviews, features — as distinct from paid advertising.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Advertorial
Paid advertising content designed to resemble a publication's editorial content in style and layout.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Flatplan
A schematic overview of a publication showing each spread as a thumbnail, used to plan content sequence and balance before design begins.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Content Flow Mapping
The planning of how editorial content moves through a publication, including article sequencing, section pacing, and placement of advertising or white space.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Margins
Guides in page-layout software marking the body-copy area and page dimensions; margins themselves are not printed.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Double Page Spread
A layout that extends across two facing pages, treated as a single visual unit.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Element
Any distinct component of a layout, such as a logo, headline, image, or border.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Focal Point
The point in a composition to which a designer intends to draw the viewer's eye first.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Negative Space
Also called white space; the area of a page or composition that contains no images or words.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Asymmetrical
A layout in which graphics or text are not mirrored identically on both sides of a central line.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Border
A decorative edge or line forming the outer boundary of a surface or area.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Page Layout
The overall setup and arrangement of content on a page, such as in a magazine or brochure.
DisciplineGlossary for Designers
Page Size
A setting defining the dimensions of the page on which artwork is created.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Canvas Size
A setting that changes the total working area of a document without altering the size of its existing contents.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Graphic Novel
A book-length narrative told through sequential art — combining panel composition, lettering, and pacing — treated in publishing as a distinct editorial format with its own design conventions for page grids, gutters, and typography.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Color Theory & Color Systems31 terms
CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) — the subtractive color model used in commercial printing, in which colors are produced by layering inks on paper.
ConceptGlossary for DesignersCommunication Design Glossary
RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
The additive color model used to project color on a screen; combining red, green, and blue light reproduces a large percentage of the visible spectrum.
ConceptGlossary for DesignersCommunication Design Glossary
HLS
A color space defined by hue, lightness, and saturation.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
HSB
A color space defined by hue, saturation, and brightness.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Hue
One of the three primary attributes of color — the variety of color itself, such as red, blue, or yellow.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Saturation
The intensity of a hue; its degree of difference from a gray of the same lightness.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Value
The degree of lightness or darkness of a color.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Luminosity
The brightness of an area, determined by the amount of light it reflects or emits.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Complementary Colors
Colors positioned opposite one another on the color wheel.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Contrast
The visible difference between the light and dark parts of an image.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Color Palette
The set of colors comprising the total range used within a design or graphic system.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Primary Colors
The base colors combined to produce all other colors within a given model: red, green, and blue for the additive model; cyan, magenta, and yellow for the subtractive model.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Subtractive Color
A color model based on cyan, magenta, and yellow inks (as opposed to the additive red, green, and blue light model), used in printing.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
True Color System
A 24-bit graphics system capable of displaying the full range of roughly 16.7 million colors.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Web-Safe Colors
A palette of 216 colors historically used to ensure consistent color reproduction across cross-platform web browsers.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
White Point
A reference illuminant used to define the color 'white' for a given viewing or output context.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
White Point Adjustment
A correction establishing the amount of highlighted detail visible in an image.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Gamut
The range of colors reproducible by a given output device or color space; colors outside that range are considered 'out of gamut.'
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Invert
To reverse the tonal or color values of an image, so that, for example, black becomes white.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Colour Psychology
The study of how color choices influence human perception, emotion, and behavior, applied to design decision-making.
DisciplineCommunication Design Glossary
ICC Profile
A standardized file, defined by the International Color Consortium, that describes the color characteristics of a device (monitor, printer, scanner) to help maintain color accuracy across media.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Pantone / Pantone Matching System
A proprietary color-matching system providing standardized swatches (over 700 colors) and formulas so designers and printers can specify and reproduce precise ink colors independent of equipment variation.
ToolGlossary for DesignersCommunication Design Glossary
Spectrophotometer
A precision instrument measuring the spectral reflectance of a color on a printed or physical surface, used for color quality control and ICC profile creation.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Contrast Analyser
A software tool that measures the luminance contrast ratio between two colors, used to verify compliance with accessibility guidelines for text legibility.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Spot / Match / Flat Color
A single, pre-mixed ink (such as a Pantone color) printed as its own plate, rather than being simulated through four-color process.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Four-Color Process
A printing method that produces the full range of color by combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Monotone / Duotone
Printing an image using one ink (monotone) or two inks — typically black plus a spot color — to add tonal richness (duotone).
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Double Hit / 2X
Printing the same ink twice over the same area to achieve greater density or opacity.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
DO / KO White (Drop-Out / Knock-Out White)
An area left unprinted (the white of the paper shows through) by removing that area from the printing plate, often used to reverse type or shapes out of a colored background.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Reverse Out to Print Color
Setting type or a graphic so it appears in the unprinted (paper) color against a printed background, effectively the opposite of standard ink-on-white printing.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Stochastic (Screening)
A printing technique that uses randomly placed, variably sized dots (rather than a fixed halftone grid) to reproduce tone, often yielding finer detail.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Illustration, Image Editing & Digital Graphics52 terms
Pixel (Picture Element)
The smallest unit of a digital image to which a single color can be assigned.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Bitmap
An image represented as a grid of individually defined pixels, each holding its own color value.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Vector Image / Vector Graphic
An image built from mathematically defined curves, points, and lines rather than pixels, allowing it to be scaled up or down without loss of quality.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Raster Image
An image composed of a fixed grid of pixels, as opposed to a vector image; raster images lose quality when enlarged beyond their native resolution.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
RIP (Raster Image Processor)
Software or hardware that converts fonts and vector graphics into the raster (pixel-based) images used by a printer or imagesetter to render a page.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
PPI / DPI
Pixels Per Inch (a measure of on-screen image resolution) and Dots Per Inch (a measure of a printed output device's resolution) — related but distinct measures of image or output sharpness.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
High Resolution
An image containing enough pixel or dot density to reproduce fine detail sharply, suitable for print or large-format output.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Low Resolution
An image with insufficient pixel or dot density for sharp reproduction at a given size, often appearing soft or pixelated when enlarged or printed.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
A widely used, high color-depth graphic file format for storing images, common in professional print production.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A common compressed image file format that uses lossy compression to reduce file size.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
A graphics file format used to embed a PostScript image within another PostScript document.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
PDF (Portable Document Format)
A file format developed by Adobe Systems to display documents consistently across platforms, viewable and printable page by page.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
An image format supporting up to 256 colors and simple frame-based animation, compressed losslessly; unsuited to photographic images due to its limited color palette.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Animated GIF
A small looping animation composed of a sequence of GIF images, creating the impression of movement.
FormatGlossary for Designers
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
A lossless image format that displays smooth edges while keeping file sizes relatively small, widely used on the web.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Grayscale
An image mode consisting of black, white, and up to 256 shades of gray, with no color information.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Alpha Channel
A channel used to define partial transparency in an image, enabling masks that protect or reveal specific areas during editing.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Anchor Point / Segment
A point along a vector path — appearing at the start, end, and each curve — that can be moved to reshape the path's direction.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Bezier Curve
A parametric curve representing a vector path, typically drawn with a pen tool by placing and adjusting anchor points.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Rasterize
To convert a vector image into a bitmapped (pixel-based) image.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Resample
To change an image's resolution while keeping its pixel dimensions intact.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Resolution
A measure of image detail; higher resolution produces smoother curves and less visible pixelation at a given output size.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Cloning Pixels
A tool function that duplicates pixels from one area of an image to another.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Crop
To remove unwanted portions of an image, typically along its edges.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Dodge
To lighten a selected part of an image.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Drop Shadow
A visual effect that duplicates and offsets a shadow behind an image or object to create the illusion of depth.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Emboss
To give a design a three-dimensional appearance using highlights and shadows along its edges.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Fill
To apply a selected color uniformly to a chosen area of an image.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Filter
A pre-built effect applied to an image to achieve a particular visual look.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Layers
A feature that lets a designer stack, organize, and independently edit separate elements of an image or document.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Magic Wand Tool
A selection tool that selects contiguous or similar areas of an image, such as regions of matching color.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Noise
Random-colored pixels appearing in an image, either as an unwanted artifact or an applied effect.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Opacity
The degree to which a color or object is transparent (0%) or opaque (100%), adjustable to blend elements together.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Outline
The outer edge of a font's letterforms or of a vector graphic shape.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Quick Mask
A Photoshop tool in which a translucent colored overlay marks a selected area of an image for editing.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Selection
An isolated area of an image that can be edited while the rest of the image remains protected.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Sharpen
To increase the apparent contrast along edges within an image, making detail appear crisper.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Shadow Detail
The amount of visible detail retained in the dark areas of a photograph or illustration.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Tolerance
The range of pixel values (such as color or shade) within which a selection tool, like the Magic Wand, will operate.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Tonal Distribution
The redistribution of tonal values during scanning or editing, used to lighten dark images or darken light ones.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Unsharp Mask
A sharpening technique that increases contrast along the edges of details within an image.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Bevel
A tool for drawing angled edges or modifying a surface to a specific incline.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Airbrush
A tool that uses compressed air to spray a fine mist of paint or ink, often used in illustration and photo retouching.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Highlights
The lightest areas of a photograph or halftone image, as distinct from midtones and shadows.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Midtones
The tonal range in a photograph or illustration between highlights and shadows, generally 30–70% dot coverage.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Data Visualisation
The graphical representation of quantitative or qualitative data — through charts, graphs, maps, or diagrams — to make patterns and relationships perceptible.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Visual Encoding
The mapping of data values to visual properties (position, length, area, color, shape) in a chart or diagram; central to effective data visualization.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Image Map
An HTML document containing an image with multiple clickable, hyperlinked regions.
ToolGlossary for Designers
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
An interface that displays an approximate on-screen representation of how a document will appear when printed or published.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Information Design
The discipline of organizing and presenting complex information — instructions, data, systems, documents — so it can be understood and used efficiently; named by participants as both a specialization and an interdisciplinary bridge.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Commercial Illustration
Illustration created for commercial application — editorial, advertising, packaging, publishing — where image-making serves a client brief and reproduces across media; 'illustration' appears repeatedly in the workshop data among participants' practices and outputs.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Illustration
The discipline of creating images by hand or digital drawing to communicate, decorate, or narrate — spanning editorial, book, advertising, scientific, and character work, in styles from tight rendering to loose gesture. Named verbatim and repeatedly by workshop participants among their practices, outputs, and adjacent fine-arts fields.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Printing Processes, Prepress & Production64 terms
Bleed / Trim
Bleed is a page element that extends past the trim line to the edge of the sheet, ensuring no unprinted gap after trimming; trim is the finished page size after the excess is cut away.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Trager ADV 1161Glossary for Designers
Trim Line
The marked line indicating where a printed sheet will be cut to its finished size.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Crop Mark
A small printed mark at a page's corner indicating where the sheet should be trimmed.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Score / Score Mark
A crease pressed into paper or board to make a clean, controlled fold, particularly on heavier stock.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Register / Registration Mark
The precise alignment of multiple print elements or color plates so they overlay correctly; registration marks are small target-like symbols printed on press sheets to check that alignment.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Mis-registration
A printing error in which color plates or print elements fail to align correctly.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Perforation
A line of small cuts or holes punched into paper to allow a section to be torn away cleanly.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Separation
The process of dividing a full-color image into individual color plates (typically cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) for printing.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Die Cut / Die Line / Die Stamp
A die cuts custom shapes or holes into paper or board using a shaped steel blade; the die line is the vector artwork indicating where the cut will occur; die stamping presses a design into a surface using a metal die, often with heat or foil.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Communication Design Glossary
Preflight
The process of checking a print-ready file — fonts, color modes, image resolution — for technical errors before sending it to a print supplier.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Communication Design Glossary
Mechanical
A camera-ready, paste-up artwork prepared for the print reproduction process, historically assembled by hand before digital prepress.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Postscript
A page-description programming language developed by Adobe, historically fundamental to digital typesetting and prepress output.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
FTP Site
A File Transfer Protocol server used to upload and download large files, historically common for delivering print-ready files to a printer.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Imposition
The arrangement of pages on a press sheet or printing plate so they fall into the correct order once the sheet is printed, folded, and bound.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Make-ready
The preparatory work — adjusting plates, ink, and press settings — performed before a print run begins, to ensure output matches specifications.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Press Proof
A proof pulled directly on the actual printing press and stock, used for final approval before a full run.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Color Proof / Match Print
A prepress proof intended to show how colors will reproduce on press, used for client approval.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Analog Proof (Prepress Proof)
A proof made using ink jet, toner, dye, overlay, or photographic methods to approximate the finished printed product.
FormatGlossary for Designers
Hickies / Snowflaking
Small printing defects — spots or ring-shaped marks — caused by debris or dried ink on the printing plate or blanket.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Ghosting
A printing defect in which a faint, unwanted image appears where it shouldn't, typically caused by ink starvation on the press.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Mottle
An uneven, blotchy appearance in printed ink coverage, often due to paper absorbency variation.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
AA (Author's Alteration)
A change requested by the client after a job has already gone to proof, typically billed separately from the original job cost.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
PE (Printer's Error)
A production mistake made by the printer, corrected at the printer's expense (as distinct from an Author's Alteration).
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Offset (Lithography)
A printing method in which ink is transferred from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the paper, rather than directly from plate to paper.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Sheet Fed
A printing press configuration that feeds individual, pre-cut sheets of paper through the press, as opposed to a continuous roll (web).
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
In-line
A production process in which multiple finishing operations (e.g., printing, cutting, folding) occur in sequence on a single connected press system.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Web Press
A printing press that feeds paper from a large continuous roll rather than individual sheets, used for high-volume jobs like newspapers.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Gravure
A printing process using an engraved cylinder in which ink fills recessed cells and transfers directly to the substrate.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Flexography
A printing technique using flexible rubber or soft plastic plates wrapped around a rotating drum, commonly used for packaging.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Letterpress
A relief printing technique in which inked, raised type is pressed directly against paper to create an impression; also called block printing.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Screen Printing
A printing technique in which a squeegee forces ink through a stencil and mesh fabric onto a substrate.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Thermography
A raised-print finishing process in which powder is applied to wet ink and fused with heat, creating a textured, embossed-like effect.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Laser / Ink Jet / Phaser
Digital, non-offset print output methods that apply toner or ink directly to a substrate, commonly used for proofing or short-run printing.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Swatch
A physical or digital sample used to specify and verify a color for print or production.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Trap (Spread / Choke)
A slight, deliberate overlap between adjoining colors on press to prevent visible white gaps caused by minor misregistration; a spread expands the lighter shape, a choke expands the darker one.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Aqueous (Spot / Overall)
A water-based protective coating applied to printed sheets, either across the whole surface or in selected areas, for sheen and durability.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Laminate (Liquid / Heat)
A protective plastic film or liquid coating applied to a printed piece, using either heat-activated adhesive or liquid application.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Tip In / Tip On
A tip-in is a page glued into a bound publication after the main printing (such as a fold-out or sample); a tip-on is a separate element glued onto a page's surface (such as a sample or card).
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Blow-in Cards
Loose reply or subscription cards inserted (not bound) into a magazine during the binding process.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
BRE / BRC
Business Reply Envelope / Business Reply Card — pre-addressed mail pieces that allow a recipient to respond without paying postage.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Halftone
A photograph or continuous-tone image converted into a pattern of dots of varying size, allowing it to be reproduced by a printing press that applies ink at a single density.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Line Screen
The frequency of the dot pattern used to reproduce a halftone image, typically measured in lines per inch; finer screens (higher lpi) reproduce more detail.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Moiré
An unwanted interference pattern that appears when two dot or line patterns (such as halftone screens) overlap at slightly mismatched angles.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Descreen
To remove or reduce the dot pattern of a previously printed halftone image during rescanning, to avoid moiré when reprinting it.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Continuous Tone
An image, such as an original photograph, in which tones blend smoothly without being broken into discrete dots.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Banding
Visible, unwanted stripes appearing in a gradient or halftone due to insufficient tonal steps or printing resolution.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Rosette
The circular pattern formed when the dot screens of the four process-color plates are printed at different angles over one another.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Loupe
A small magnifying lens used by printers and designers to examine halftone dots, registration, and fine print detail.
ToolBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Reflective Art / Non-reflective Art
Reflective art (such as a printed photograph) is scanned by bouncing light off its surface; non-reflective art (such as film transparencies) is scanned by passing light through it.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Dot Gain
The spreading of ink dots as they are absorbed into paper, which can make printed images appear darker or more saturated than intended.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Overprint
To print one color or element directly over a previously printed image or color, rather than knocking it out.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Over Run
Printed quantity produced beyond the amount ordered, typically within about 10% of the original run as standard industry practice.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Work and Turn
A press technique in which one side of a sheet is printed, the sheet is then turned left-to-right using the same gripper and plate, and the second side is printed.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Engraving
A printing or decorative process in which a design is cut into the surface of a metal plate.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Etch
To imprint a design onto a plate's surface using a chemical, such as acid.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Die-cut
See Die Cut / Die Line / Die Stamp.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Substrate
The physical material on which a design is printed or produced — paper, board, fabric, vinyl, or metal — each offering different surface, weight, and finish properties.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Communication Design Glossary
Risograph (Riso)
A digital stencil-duplicator printing process producing layered, slightly imperfect spot-color prints at low cost; beloved in independent publishing and named by a participant ('small riso press') as a personal production channel.
ToolWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Computer-to-Plate (CTP)
The prepress technology that images printing plates directly from digital files, replacing the older film-based imagesetter workflow; the standard bridge between digital layout and the offset press.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Digital Press
A production press that prints directly from digital data — toner or inkjet based — without plates, enabling short runs, variable data, and on-demand printing at near-offset quality.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Wide-Format / Large-Format Printing
Inkjet printing at banner, poster, and signage scale — including flatbed machines that print directly onto rigid substrates — central to environmental graphics and display work.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Densitometer
An instrument measuring ink density on press sheets, used alongside the spectrophotometer to control color consistency across a run.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Bindery Equipment
The finishing machinery of print production — guillotine cutters, folders, saddle stitchers, perfect binders, laminators — that converts printed sheets into finished pieces.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Vinyl Cutter / Plotter
A machine that cuts letterforms and shapes from adhesive vinyl following vector paths, used for signage, vehicle graphics, and environmental applications.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Paper, Binding & Finishing31 terms
Cover Weight / Text Weight
Paper-weight classifications: cover weight is a heavier stock used for covers and heavier applications; text weight is a lighter stock used for interior pages.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Self Cover
A publication whose cover is printed on the same stock as its interior pages, rather than a separate, heavier cover stock.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Ream
A standard unit of paper quantity, traditionally 500 sheets.
MetricBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
# (Pounds)
The basis-weight measurement used to indicate the weight, and by extension the thickness, of a paper stock.
MetricBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Coated / Uncoated Paper
Coated paper has a surface treatment (gloss, matte, or satin) applied for smoothness and print quality; uncoated paper has no such surface treatment.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Gloss (Cast)
A coated paper finish with a high-shine surface, produced by pressing the coating against a heated, polished drum ('casting') while it dries.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Matte
A non-glossy, flat finish on coated photographic or printing paper.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Wove
An uncoated paper with a smooth, uniform surface and no visible laid lines.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Laid
A paper with a subtle ribbed texture created during manufacture, often used for stationery.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
News Print
A low-cost, lightweight paper used for printing newspapers; not considered a high-quality stock.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
UV Coating
A glossy protective coating applied to a printed surface and cured with ultraviolet light, adding shine and durability.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Varnish
A liquid coating applied to a printed surface for protection and a glossy or matte effect.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Watermark
A translucent design pressed into paper during manufacture, visible when the sheet is held up to light.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Glossary for Designers
Trim Size
The finished size of a printed piece after excess material has been cut away.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Form
A group of pages arranged and printed together on a single large sheet, which is then folded and cut to produce the final page sequence.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Signature
A single large printed sheet, folded and trimmed, that becomes a section of a bound publication.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Perfect Bound
A binding method in which pages are glued to a flexible spine and enclosed in a cover — the standard binding for paperback books and thicker magazines.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Saddle Stitch
A binding method in which folded sheets are stapled through the fold line (the 'saddle') — common for thinner booklets and magazines.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Section Sewing
A binding method in which folded signatures are sewn together through their folds, producing a durable binding often used for hardcover books.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Glue Flap
The adhesive-coated flap of an envelope or folder used to seal it closed.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Flat Pocket / Gusset Pocket
A flat pocket is a simple, non-expanding pocket attached to a folder; a gusset pocket has expandable, pleated sides that allow it to hold thicker contents.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Tip In / Tip On
See entry under Printing Processes, Prepress & Production.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200
Blow-in Cards / BRE / BRC
See entries under Printing Processes, Prepress & Production.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200
Four-Page Fold
A simple fold that creates a four-page (single-fold) piece, such as a basic greeting card.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Barrel Fold
A fold in which each panel wraps around the previous one, like a rolled barrel, rather than folding back and forth.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Accordion Fold
A back-and-forth, parallel folding pattern that creates a series of alternating panels resembling an accordion's bellows.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Gate Fold
A fold in which both outer panels fold inward to meet at the center, like a pair of gates, before the whole piece folds again.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Spread
Two facing pages treated as a single visual or production unit; can also refer to slightly enlarging an image to create a trapping overlap (also called 'fatty').
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Artist's Spread / Printer's Spread
An artist's spread shows facing pages in reading order for design purposes; a printer's spread rearranges those same pages into the order required for correct imposition on the press.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Leaf
One piece of paper within a publication.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Jog
To arrange a stack of paper sheets into a neat, compact, aligned pile.
MethodGlossary for Designers
Business, Legal & Rights15 terms
Vendor
An outside supplier — such as a printer, photographer, or fabricator — contracted to provide goods or services for a project.
RoleBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Bidding
The process of soliciting price quotes from multiple vendors for a job before selecting one to award the work.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Budget
The allocated financial resources available for a design project or production job.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Approval / Sign-off
Formal client or stakeholder authorization confirming that a design or proof is acceptable to proceed to the next production stage.
MethodBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Copyright
The legal right granted to the creator of an original work controlling its reproduction, distribution, and use.
FrameworkBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Register Mark (Legal)
The ® symbol indicating a trademark that has been officially registered with a national trademark office.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Trade Mark
A recognizable sign, design, or expression legally identifying a product or service as originating from a particular source.
FrameworkBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Service Mark
A trademark used specifically to identify a service, rather than a physical product.
FrameworkBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
US Trade/Patent Office
The federal agency (the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) responsible for registering trademarks and granting patents.
RoleBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Public Domain
The status of creative works no longer protected by copyright (or never eligible for it), free for anyone to use without permission.
FrameworkBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Infringement
The unauthorized use of another party's copyrighted or trademarked material.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Plagiarism
Presenting another person's work or ideas as one's own without attribution.
ConceptBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Single-usage Contract
A licensing agreement granting the right to use a creative work (such as a photograph or illustration) for one specific, defined use only.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Multiple-usage Contract
A licensing agreement granting the right to use a creative work across multiple specified uses or over an extended period.
FormatBrodeur ADV 1160/1200Definition supplied — general knowledge
Royalty-Free Photos
Licensed images sold for a single standard fee that the purchaser may use repeatedly, though the licensing company retains underlying ownership rights.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Branding & Identity26 terms
Branding
The process of creating a distinct name, image, and perception for a product or organization in consumers' minds, typically sustained through consistent visual and messaging strategy.
DisciplineGlossary for DesignersWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Visual Identity
The collection of visual elements — logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and graphic language — that represent and distinguish an organization or brand.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Brand Standards
A documented system of rules governing the consistent application of a visual identity, covering logo usage, color, typography, imagery, and tone of voice.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Brand Discovery Workshop
A facilitated stakeholder session, often using visual exercises and structured prompts, that surfaces organizational values, personality traits, and strategic direction at the outset of a branding project.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Brand Portal
An online platform (e.g., Frontify, Brandfolder) hosting and distributing brand guidelines, approved assets, and usage rules to stakeholders.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Messaging Architecture
A hierarchical framework organizing a brand's or campaign's core communications by audience segment and context, defining primary, secondary, and tertiary messages.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Tone of Voice
The characteristic personality and manner of expression of a brand or communicator — vocabulary, sentence structure, register, and emotional quality — applied consistently across written communications.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Brand Strategy
The long-term plan defining what a brand should stand for, to whom, and against what alternatives — positioning, audience, and promise — which visual identity and campaigns then express; listed by participants among industry practices.
ConceptWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Logo / Logotype / Wordmark
The graphic signature of a brand: a logotype or wordmark sets the name itself in distinctive letterforms, while 'logo' serves as the umbrella term for a brand's primary graphic identifier. Workshop participants named 'branding/logo' among their creative outputs.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Mark / Symbol
The non-typographic component of a logo — an abstract or pictorial symbol that can identify the brand with or without the name (e.g., an apple, a swoosh).
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Lettermark / Monogram
A logo built from the brand's initials rather than its full name, condensing a long name into a compact, ownable mark.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Lockup
A fixed, approved arrangement of logo elements — symbol, wordmark, tagline — whose spatial relationships may not be altered, ensuring the identity reproduces consistently.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Clear Space & Minimum Size
Two core reproduction rules in identity guidelines: clear space (or exclusion zone) defines the protected area around a logo that other elements may not enter; minimum size defines the smallest reproduction at which the logo remains legible.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Identity System
The complete, coordinated kit through which a brand appears — logo, color, typography, imagery, patterns, and rules for combining them — designed so every application reads as one voice. Named verbatim by workshop participants among their outputs.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Dynamic / Flexible Identity
An identity system designed to vary systematically — through generative form, modular components, or context-responsive color and pattern — while remaining recognizable, in contrast to a single fixed logo.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Architecture
The structural logic organizing a company's portfolio of brands — from a 'branded house' (one master brand over everything) to a 'house of brands' (independent brands), with endorsed and sub-brand hybrids between.
FrameworkDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Rebrand / Brand Refresh
The revision of an established identity: a refresh updates visual elements while preserving core equity; a full rebrand rethinks name, positioning, and identity, usually signaling strategic change.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Equity
The commercial value a brand adds beyond the functional product — built from awareness, associations, perceived quality, and loyalty — and the asset that identity design protects and grows.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Personality
The set of human characteristics attributed to a brand — sincere, rugged, sophisticated, playful — which visual and verbal identity are designed to express consistently.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Touchpoint
Any point of contact between a brand and its audience — packaging, website, signage, staff, invoice — each an occasion where the identity system either holds or breaks.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Audit
A systematic review of how a brand actually appears and performs across its touchpoints — inventorying inconsistencies, measuring perception, and grounding a redesign in evidence.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Naming
The strategic and creative discipline of developing brand and product names — balancing distinctiveness, meaning, pronunciation, cultural checks, and trademark availability.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Verbal Identity
The systematic language side of a brand — naming, tone of voice, vocabulary, messaging, and editorial rules — designed alongside the visual system as one identity.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Sonic Branding / Audio Identity
The strategic use of sound as brand identity — sonic logos, product sounds, and music guidelines — extending recognition into audio-only and ambient contexts.
DisciplineDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Co-Branding
A deliberate pairing of two brands on one product or campaign, with identity rules governing how the two marks share space and hierarchy.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Extension
Applying an established brand to a new product category, trading on existing equity — with design tasked to signal both continuity and the new offer.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Design Process, Research & Strategy Methods33 terms
Art Director
The individual responsible for the selection, execution, and overall visual coherence of a project's creative output.
RoleGlossary for Designers
A/B Testing
A comparative method in which two versions of a design, message, or interface are shown to different audience segments simultaneously to determine which performs better against a defined metric.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Affinity Diagramming
A synthesis method in which individual research observations or ideas are grouped into emergent thematic clusters to reveal patterns.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Analogical Thinking
A conceptual strategy that draws structural or visual parallels from unrelated fields or systems to generate novel design solutions.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Card Sorting
A user research technique in which participants organize content items into groups that make sense to them, used to inform information architecture.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Charette / Design Charette
An intensive, time-limited collaborative design session — often one to three hours — in which participants generate and respond to ideas rapidly.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Co-design
A participatory design methodology that involves intended users or affected communities as active contributors in the design process, rather than passive research subjects.
MethodCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Conceptual Development
The phase of the design process in which abstract strategic intentions are translated into concrete visual or structural ideas, typically through sketching, ideation, and iterative critique.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Contextual Inquiry
A field research method in which designers observe and interview users in their natural environment while performing real tasks.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Ethnographic Research
An immersive qualitative research approach in which the researcher embeds within a community or context over time to understand cultural behaviors, values, and practices from the inside.
MethodCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Ideation
The generative phase of the design process in which a wide range of ideas are produced without premature judgment, typically through sketching or structured brainstorming.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Journey Mapping
A UX research visualization that charts the full sequence of a user's interactions with a product, service, or environment, including actions, emotions, and pain points.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)
An environmental analysis methodology evaluating the ecological impact of a product or design decision across its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through disposal.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Mind Mapping
A visual thinking tool in which a central concept is surrounded by radiating associations, used to explore ideas and structure knowledge.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Mood Board
A collage of images, colors, textures, and type samples assembled to define and communicate a project's intended aesthetic direction before production begins.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Persona
A research-derived archetype representing a distinct user or audience segment, characterized by goals, behaviors, and context, used to guide design decisions.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Phenomenology (Design)
A philosophical and research approach examining design through lived, embodied human experience — how spaces, objects, and communications are felt and perceived rather than merely seen.
MethodCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Prototype
A preliminary model of a design, ranging from a paper sketch to a high-fidelity interactive simulation, used to test and validate concepts before final production.
FormatCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Redlining
The practice of annotating design files with precise measurements, color values, and specifications to guide accurate development implementation.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Think-Aloud Protocol
A usability research technique in which participants verbalize their thoughts and reactions while performing a task, revealing cognitive processes and points of confusion.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Trend Research
The systematic scanning of cultural, social, technological, and aesthetic developments to identify emerging forces that may influence design direction.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Usability Testing
A method of evaluating a design by observing representative users as they attempt to complete specific tasks, identifying friction and failure points.
MethodCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Version Control
A system for tracking changes to design files over time, allowing teams to manage revisions and revert to earlier states.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Visual QA
The process of systematically comparing a designed interface or layout against implemented code or printed output to identify discrepancies.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Campaign Ecosystem Mapping
A strategic planning process charting how individual creative executions connect and reinforce each other across multiple channels within a single campaign.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Interpretive Planning
A curatorial and narrative methodology used in exhibition and museum design to define learning objectives, story structure, and audience experience before visual design begins.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Decision-Point Analysis
A wayfinding research method identifying the specific locations in a space where users must choose a direction, informing sign placement and content.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Fabrication Coordination
The process of working with specialist manufacturers to translate design intent into physical objects, managing materials, tolerances, and installation.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Content Audit
A systematic inventory and assessment of all existing content in a publication, site, or system, conducted before redesign to establish what exists, what works, and what should change; the first step in one participant's account of a real project.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Competitive Analysis
The structured examination of comparable products, brands, or communications to map the landscape a design will enter — identifying conventions, gaps, and opportunities for differentiation.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Service Design
The design of services as end-to-end systems — orchestrating touchpoints, staff roles, processes, and environments over time so the whole experience works coherently; listed by participants (with a question mark) among the field's industry practices.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Systems Design
Designing at the level of interconnected wholes — the relationships, flows, and feedback among components — rather than individual artifacts; listed by participants among industry practices.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Strategy
The use of design methods and thinking to shape an organization's direction — connecting research insight to business or institutional decisions before and beyond individual executions.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Digital, UX/UI & Interactive Design22 terms
Accessibility
The practice of designing communication so it can be perceived, understood, and used by people with the widest possible range of abilities, including visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.
ConceptCommunication Design GlossaryAdded layer (this atlas)
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
An internationally recognized set of W3C guidelines defining standards for making web content accessible, including criteria for contrast, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility.
FrameworkCommunication Design GlossaryAdded layer (this atlas)
Component Library
A structured collection of reusable UI elements — buttons, forms, cards, navigation patterns — forming the building blocks of a design system.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Design System
A comprehensive set of standards for design and development, encompassing visual language, UI components, guidelines, and code, serving as a single source of truth.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Design Tokens
Named variables storing design decisions — color values, font sizes, spacing units — shared between design tools and code to ensure cross-platform consistency.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Information Architecture (IA)
The structural design of a body of content, particularly for websites and apps, defining how information is organized, labeled, and navigated to support usability.
DisciplineCommunication Design Glossary
Interaction Design
The discipline defining the behavior of digital products — how users engage with controls, transitions, and feedback states — as distinct from visual or graphic design.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Responsive Design
A web and app design approach in which layouts and components adapt fluidly to different screen sizes and device contexts.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
User Interface (UI) Design
The design discipline focused on the visual and interactive elements of digital products — screens, controls, typography, color, feedback — that users directly interact with.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
User Experience (UX) Design
The holistic discipline concerned with the quality of a person's total interaction with a product or service, encompassing research, information architecture, interaction design, and usability.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Wireframe
A schematic, low-fidelity representation of a digital interface showing structural layout and navigation hierarchy without visual styling.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
DAM (Digital Asset Management)
A system for storing, organizing, searching, and retrieving digital files — images, fonts, documents, video — typically with metadata tagging and access permissions.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Asset Management
The systematic organization, storage, and retrieval of design files, fonts, images, and other production assets, using DAM platforms or structured folder hierarchies.
MethodCommunication Design Glossary
Multimedia
The combined use of multiple forms of communication — text, sound, and still or moving images — within a single work.
FormatGlossary for Designers
Rich Media
Interactive online advertising formats using technology more advanced than standard static or GIF banner ads, such as Flash, streaming video, or embedded interactivity.
FormatGlossary for Designers
E-Zine
An electronic magazine — a website presented in the style of, and analogous to, a subscribable print magazine.
FormatGlossary for Designers
Creative Coding
Programming practiced as an expressive, exploratory medium — writing code to generate visual, interactive, or generative work rather than utilitarian software; named by participants as a research and teaching area.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Generative Design
Design produced by defining rules, parameters, or algorithms whose execution generates the outcomes — from parametric identities to data-driven form; listed by a participant alongside information design.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Inclusive Design
Designing for the full range of human diversity — ability, language, culture, age, and circumstance — by involving excluded groups and removing barriers from the start, rather than retrofitting accessibility afterward.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Computational Visual Design
Visual design practiced through computation — using algorithms, code, and data as primary design materials for typography, data visualization, and form-making, encompassing generative, parametric, and AI-assisted approaches. A workshop participant described their research as 'computational methods in data visualization, industrial design, typography.'
ConceptWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Icon / Iconography
Small pictorial symbols that represent actions, objects, or concepts in interfaces and information systems; iconography is the systematic design of a coherent icon set — consistent in grid, stroke, and metaphor — so symbols read as one family.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Usability / Usability Design
The quality of a design that determines how easily and efficiently people can accomplish their goals with it — classically decomposed (following Jakob Nielsen) into learnability, efficiency, memorability, error tolerance, and satisfaction — and the design practice devoted to achieving it, evaluated through methods such as usability testing and heuristic review.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Motion, Animation & Time-Based Media8 terms
Animation
Generating the illusion of movement by displaying a rapid sequence of individual images, or frames.
DisciplineGlossary for Designers
Frames
Individual still images within a sequence that, displayed rapidly in succession, create the appearance of motion; animation speed is measured in frames per second.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Keyframe
A frame in which a specific property of an element (its size, position, color, etc.) is explicitly defined, with software generating the transitional frames in between.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Kinetic Typography
The animation of type elements — moving, scaling, rotating, or fading text — to create motion-based typographic communication, used in video, broadcast, and digital contexts.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Storyboard
A sequence of drawn or illustrated panels depicting the key frames of a motion sequence, animation, or user journey, used to plan and communicate temporal design.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Style Frame
A single, fully rendered still image establishing the visual language — color, typography, composition, texture — for an animation or motion project before full production.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Transmedia Storytelling
Telling a single story world across multiple platforms — print, video, web, social, physical — with each medium contributing distinct content rather than repeating it; listed verbatim by workshop participants among their creative outputs.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Motion Graphics
The discipline of animated graphic design — bringing typography, logos, illustration, and data graphics into movement for title sequences, explainers, broadcast packages, and interface animation; distinct from character animation in that graphic elements, not figures, are the performers.
DisciplineDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Photography & Videography22 terms
Photography (Commercial & Editorial)
Image-making with a camera for applied contexts — advertising, editorial, product, portrait, documentary — where the photograph serves a design or publication brief; participants listed photography among the fine-arts practices adjacent to design.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Videography
The craft of capturing moving images for applied communication — brand films, documentation, social content, education — spanning camera operation, lighting, sound, and coverage planning; participants named 'video/motion' among their media.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
DSLR / Mirrorless Camera
The two dominant interchangeable-lens camera architectures: DSLRs use a mirror and optical viewfinder; mirrorless bodies replace them with electronic viewfinders, now the industry direction for both stills and video.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Lens: Prime / Zoom & Focal Length
The optic determines the image: primes (fixed focal length) trade flexibility for sharpness and wide apertures; zooms cover a focal range; focal length sets the field of view, from wide-angle through normal to telephoto.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Exposure Triangle (Aperture / Shutter / ISO)
The three interlocking exposure controls: aperture (light admitted and depth of field), shutter speed (duration and motion blur), and ISO (sensor sensitivity and noise) — every exposure is a trade among the three.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
RAW Format
The unprocessed sensor data file (e.g., CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG) preserving full tonal and color information for later editing, as opposed to the camera's baked-in JPEG interpretation.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Tethered Capture
Shooting with the camera connected to a computer so images appear on screen instantly — standard in studio and product photography for reviewing focus, lighting, and composition with the client present.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Studio Lighting (Strobe, Softbox, Modifiers)
Controlled artificial light: strobes and continuous fixtures shaped by modifiers — softboxes, umbrellas, grids, reflectors — that determine the quality, direction, and contrast of illumination.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Calibration Tools (Gray Card, Color Checker, Light Meter)
Reference tools for accurate exposure and color: an 18% gray card anchors white balance, a color checker chart profiles color rendition, and a light meter reads incident light independent of the camera.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Chroma Key / Green Screen
Shooting a subject against a uniform green (or blue) background so that color can be digitally removed and replaced — the foundation of compositing in video and photography.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe's photography workflow application for organizing, developing, and batch-editing RAW images non-destructively; the standard cataloging tool for high-volume photographic work.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Capture One
A professional RAW processing and tethered-capture application, favored in commercial studio photography for its color handling and live-shoot workflow.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Cinema Camera & Log Profiles
Video cameras built for production work — larger sensors, professional codecs, and logarithmic ('log') recording profiles that capture flat, wide-dynamic-range footage intended for grading rather than direct viewing.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Gimbal / Stabilizer
A motorized three-axis mount that counteracts camera shake, enabling smooth handheld and moving shots without track or dolly.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Production Audio (Lavalier & Shotgun Microphones)
The two workhorse microphones of video production: lavaliers clip to the subject for consistent close speech; shotgun mics mount on a boom or camera and reject off-axis sound.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Frame Rate & Resolution
Video's basic technical parameters: frame rate (24fps for cinematic motion, 30/60 for broadcast and smooth action) and resolution (HD, 4K, and beyond), which together set the footage's look and file demands.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Codecs & Containers
How video is stored: codecs (H.264/H.265 for delivery, ProRes and DNx for editing) compress the image data, while containers (MP4, MOV, MXF) package video, audio, and metadata together.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Non-Linear Editing (NLE)
The digital editing paradigm in which footage is assembled, rearranged, and layered on a timeline without altering source files — the general category to which all modern editing software belongs.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe's professional non-linear video editor, standard in agency and marketing production and tightly integrated with After Effects for motion graphics.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Final Cut Pro
Apple's professional non-linear editor, known for its magnetic timeline and optimization on Mac hardware.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design's editing, color grading, and finishing suite — the industry standard for color work, with a full NLE and audio toolset in one application.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Color Grading vs. Color Correction
Two stages of video color work: correction normalizes footage to accurate, matched baselines; grading then applies deliberate creative color decisions to establish mood and look.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Environmental, Spatial & Wayfinding Design19 terms
Experiential Design
The design of environments and interactions engaging people across multiple senses and over time, including immersive installations, branded environments, and interactive exhibits.
DisciplineCommunication Design Glossary
Wayfinding
The design of information systems — signs, maps, colour coding, spatial cues — that help people navigate built environments such as airports, hospitals, and campuses.
DisciplineCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Sign Schedule
A comprehensive document listing every sign in a wayfinding or signage system, including location, message content, dimensions, materials, and installation details.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Placemaking / Creative Placekeeping
Community-centered approaches to shaping public space: placemaking activates and improves shared places through design and programming, while creative placekeeping emphasizes sustaining a community's existing culture and people against displacement. Participants cited 'grassroots creative interventions in public spaces / vernacular creative placekeeping' and revitalizing rural and underserved urban communities.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Environmental Graphic Design (EGD)
The discipline uniting graphic design with architecture and interiors — wayfinding, signage, exhibition graphics, placemaking, and branded environments — professionalized by SEGD (the Society for Experiential Graphic Design). A workshop participant named 'environmental design' among their practice areas.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Signage System
A coordinated family of signs — consistent in typography, color, materials, and placement logic — designed as one system rather than individual signs; participants listed 'signage / wayfinding' among their outputs.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Sign Typology
The standard functional classification of signs within a system: identification (naming a place), directional (pointing toward it), regulatory (governing behavior), and informational (explaining context).
FrameworkDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Exhibition Design
The design of temporary and permanent exhibitions — spatial sequence, narrative structure, display systems, lighting, and interpretive graphics — where content, space, and visitor movement are composed together. Exhibitions figure heavily in the workshop data as a dissemination venue for design research itself.
DisciplineDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Installation (Art & Design)
A site-specific, spatial work designed to transform the experience of a particular place, often immersive or participatory; one workshop participant identified as an 'installation artist.'
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Branded Environment
A physical space — retail store, headquarters, trade-show booth — designed as an expression of brand identity, translating visual and verbal identity into architecture, material, and experience.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Supergraphics
Graphics applied at architectural scale — oversized typography, murals, and patterns that wrap walls, floors, and facades — used for identity, wayfinding, and placemaking.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Wayshowing
Per Mollerup's term distinguishing the designer's task (wayshowing: providing the cues) from the user's activity (wayfinding: reading them) — a reminder that signage succeeds only when the user's process works.
FrameworkDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Cognitive Map
The internal mental representation people build of a place's layout, which wayfinding systems either reinforce or fight; effective environmental design aligns signs and architecture with how these maps form.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Desire Line
The informal path worn by people taking their preferred route regardless of the designed one — physical evidence of how users actually move, and a design input for circulation and sign placement.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
You-Are-Here Map
A fixed orientation map marking the viewer's current position; effective versions are aligned to the viewer's facing direction ('heads-up' orientation) rather than north-up, matching the map to the visible scene.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Viewing Distance & Letter Height
The core legibility calculation of environmental typography: letter height must scale with the distance from which a sign is read (rule-of-thumb ratios such as one inch of letter height per ten feet of viewing distance), with contrast and mounting height as co-factors.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
ADA & Accessible Signage
Signage requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act and related standards — tactile characters, Braille, mounting heights, contrast, and glare limits — making environments navigable for people with visual and mobility disabilities. Workshop participants named ADA among the field's missions.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Digital Signage
Screen-based signage — dynamic directories, schedule boards, interactive kiosks — whose content can change in real time, bringing content management and interface design into environmental systems.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Site Survey & Sign Location Plan
The field documentation phase of a signage project: surveying the site's sightlines and decision points, then producing a location plan mapping where each sign in the schedule is installed.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Advertising, Campaigns & Media Placement27 terms
OOH (Out-of-Home)
Advertising media encountered in public spaces, including billboards, bus shelters, transit panels, digital screens, and large-format posters.
FormatCommunication Design Glossary
Flyer
A single sheet of paper handed out or posted to advertise or announce something.
FormatGlossary for Designers
Campaign
A coordinated series of advertising or communication executions unified by a single strategy, message platform, and time frame, deployed across one or more channels toward a defined objective.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
The practice of unifying all of a brand's communication channels — advertising, PR, direct, digital, in-store — so they deliver a consistent message and reinforce one another; named by a workshop participant ('integrated marketing') among their research and teaching areas.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Creative Brief
The strategic document that initiates creative work — defining the objective, audience, single-minded proposition, mandatories, and success measures — serving as the contract between strategy and execution.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Positioning
The deliberate crafting of how a brand or product occupies a distinct place in the audience's mind relative to competitors; the strategic foundation most campaigns are built on.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
The single competitive claim a brand can make that rivals cannot — the argument, associated with Rosser Reeves, that effective advertising concentrates on one distinctive, ownable benefit.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Target Audience / Segmentation
The defined group a campaign is designed to reach, and the practice of dividing a market into segments — demographic, behavioral, psychographic — so messages and media can be matched to each.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Call to Action (CTA)
The explicit prompt telling the audience what to do next — buy, sign up, call, visit — typically given visual priority in an ad or interface.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Copywriting
The craft of writing persuasive text for advertising and marketing — headlines, body copy, taglines, scripts — where language works in deliberate partnership with art direction.
DisciplineDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Tagline / Slogan
A short, memorable phrase that distills a brand's positioning or a campaign's message, designed for repetition and recall across executions.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Key Visual
The central, repeatable image or visual concept that anchors a campaign's identity across formats and channels, ensuring executions read as one campaign.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
AIDA Model
The classic staged model of persuasive effect — Attention, Interest, Desire, Action — used since the late 19th century to structure how advertising moves an audience from awareness to behavior.
FrameworkDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Brand Awareness / Brand Recall
Measures of a brand's presence in memory: awareness is whether audiences recognize the brand at all; recall is whether they can retrieve it unprompted, especially within its category.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Media Planning / Media Buying
The strategic selection of channels, placements, and schedules for a campaign (planning) and the negotiation and purchase of that space and time (buying).
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Reach & Frequency
The two basic currencies of media exposure: reach is how many distinct people encounter a message; frequency is how many times, on average, each of them encounters it.
MetricDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Impressions / CPM
An impression is one delivery of an ad to one viewer; CPM (cost per mille) is the price of a thousand impressions — the standard unit for comparing media costs.
MetricDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Direct Mail
Advertising delivered physically to a recipient's address — letters, postcards, catalogs, dimensional pieces — a channel where design, list targeting, and response measurement are tightly linked.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Point of Purchase (POP)
Advertising and display material placed where the buying decision happens — shelf talkers, standees, counter displays, end-caps — designed to convert attention at the moment of choice.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Guerrilla Marketing
Unconventional, low-budget advertising that earns attention through surprise, placement, or participation in public space rather than paid media weight.
MethodDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Native Advertising
Paid content designed to match the form and voice of the platform it appears on; the digital descendant of the print advertorial, raising the same disclosure ethics.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Programmatic Advertising
The automated, data-driven buying and placement of digital ads through real-time auction systems, where targeting decisions happen algorithmically per impression.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Display / Banner Advertising
Visual ads placed in designated units on websites and apps — banners, rectangles, interstitials — the basic inventory of digital media buying.
FormatDefinition supplied — general knowledge
CTR / Conversion Rate
Core digital response metrics: click-through rate is the share of impressions that produce a click; conversion rate is the share of those responses that complete the intended action.
MetricDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Propaganda
Systematic, one-sided persuasion in service of a political or ideological cause — historically continuous with advertising technique, and the critical mirror against which persuasion ethics are examined.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Greenwashing
Marketing that overstates or fabricates a product's or company's environmental virtue — a persuasion-ethics failure directly relevant to sustainable design claims.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Dark Patterns
Interface and message designs that manipulate users into choices against their interest — hidden costs, forced continuity, confirm-shaming — where persuasive craft crosses into deception; a shared ethics concern of advertising and UX.
ConceptDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Software, Hardware & Digital Tools36 terms
Acrobat
Adobe's software application for creating, viewing, and printing PDF (Portable Document Format) files.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Quark Express
A page-layout application historically widely used for magazines and brochures.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Quick Time
A media framework developed by Apple, built into the Macintosh operating system, used for displaying and editing animation and video.
ToolGlossary for Designers
InDesign
Adobe's professional desktop-publishing software, used for laying out books, magazines, newspapers, brochures, and other multi-page documents.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
After Effects
Adobe's software for motion graphics, visual effects, and compositing; the industry standard for animation and broadcast design.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Procreate
A professional digital illustration application for iPad, widely used for sketching, hand lettering, and image-making.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Figma
A browser-based collaborative design tool widely used for UI/UX design, prototyping, and design system management, supporting real-time multi-user editing.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
FigJam
Figma's online whiteboard tool, used for collaborative workshops, journey mapping, and brainstorming.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Miro
A cloud-based visual collaboration platform used for digital whiteboarding, workshop facilitation, and remote design activities.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Notion
A flexible workspace application used by design teams for documentation, project management, and knowledge bases.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Airtable
A cloud-based database and spreadsheet hybrid used by design teams for project management, asset cataloguing, and content inventory.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Are.na
A web-based research and mood-boarding platform used by designers to collect, organize, and share visual and textual references in curated channels.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Pinterest
A social visual discovery platform used by designers to collect and organize image references for mood boards and inspiration.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
OmniGraffle
A macOS diagramming and information-architecture tool used for wireframes, flowcharts, and site plans.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
SketchUp
A 3D modeling application used in spatial and exhibition design to build and visualize three-dimensional environments.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Optimal Workshop
A suite of UX research tools — including card sorting, tree testing, and first-click testing — used to evaluate and refine information architecture.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Lookback
A user research platform for conducting and recording moderated and unmoderated usability tests and interviews.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Maze
A remote usability-testing platform allowing designers to run unmoderated prototype tests at scale.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Datawrapper
A web-based tool for creating embeddable, publication-ready charts and maps, widely used in editorial and journalistic information design.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Flourish
A web-based data visualization and storytelling platform used to create interactive charts, maps, and narratives.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Zeplin
A design handoff tool that generates specifications, assets, and style information from design files to support developer implementation.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Zeroheight
A platform for creating and publishing living design-system documentation, connecting design tokens and components into accessible style guides.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Frontify
A brand management platform hosting digital brand guidelines, style guides, and asset libraries for consistent brand application across teams.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Brandfolder
A digital asset management platform used to store, organize, and share brand assets with controlled permissions.
ToolCommunication Design Glossary
Word Processing Program
Software used for creating, editing, and printing text documents.
ToolGlossary for Designers
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe's raster image editing application — the industry standard for photo retouching, compositing, and digital painting, and the origin of much of the shared vocabulary of digital imaging (layers, masks, filters).
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe's vector graphics application — the standard tool for logo design, iconography, illustration, and any artwork that must scale without loss of quality.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Adobe Fresco
Adobe's drawing and painting app for touch and stylus devices, combining vector and raster brushes with live watercolor and oil simulation.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Clip Studio Paint
A professional illustration and comics application, dominant in manga, comics, and character illustration for its inking tools and panel workflow.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Drawing Tablet / Pen Display
Pressure-sensitive input hardware for digital illustration — from screenless tablets to pen displays where the artist draws directly on the image (e.g., Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen).
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Flatbed Scanner
Equipment for digitizing flat artwork — traditional illustration, sketches, textures — at controlled resolution and color accuracy for print or digital reproduction.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
HTML / CSS / JavaScript
The three foundational web technologies: HTML structures content, CSS styles and lays it out, and JavaScript adds behavior — the material web interface designs are ultimately built from.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Sketch
A macOS vector-based UI design application that established many modern interface-design conventions (artboards, symbols, plugins) before browser-based tools largely succeeded it.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Framer
A web-based design and prototyping tool that publishes working websites directly from the design canvas, blurring the line between mockup and production.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Webflow
A visual, no-code web development platform generating production HTML/CSS from a designer-facing interface, with a built-in CMS and hosting.
ToolDefinition supplied — general knowledge
Content Management System (CMS)
Software for creating, organizing, and publishing website content without hand-coding pages (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, headless systems); named verbatim by workshop participants among their outputs and platforms.
ToolWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Research Methods & Epistemologies33 terms
Research Into / Through / For Design
Christopher Frayling's (1993, Royal College of Art Research Papers) triad distinguishing research about design (into: historical, theoretical, and interpretive study), research conducted by means of design activity itself (through), and research gathered in service of a future design outcome (for). Workshop participants invoked the first two directly; the Frayling attribution was supplied in the atlas's added layer.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Added layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Practice-Based / Practice-Led Research
Research in which creative practice is central to the inquiry: practice-based research contributes knowledge partly through the designed artifact itself, while practice-led research generates new understanding about the nature of practice. A recurring concern of both workshop rooms, named explicitly in the atlas's added layer.
MethodAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Designerly Ways of Knowing
Nigel Cross's (1982, Design Studies) argument that design constitutes a third culture of knowledge alongside the sciences and humanities, with its own forms of knowing, thinking, and acting rooted in modeling, pattern-formation, and synthesis.
FrameworkAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Thinking
A codified, human-centered problem-solving methodology — typically staged as empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test — popularized by IDEO and Stanford's d.school and widely exported beyond design into business and education.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Human-Centered Design
A design approach that grounds every stage of the process in the needs, contexts, and capabilities of the people being designed for, typically through direct research, iterative prototyping, and testing with users.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Speculative Design
Design used to pose questions rather than solve problems — creating artifacts and scenarios that provoke debate about possible technological and social futures. Closely associated with Dunne & Raby's critical design practice.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Fiction
The use of fictional artifacts, narratives, and diegetic prototypes to explore the implications of emerging technologies and possible futures, sitting between speculative design and science fiction.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Futures / Futuring
Foresight-oriented design practice applying futures-studies methods — scenario building, trend analysis, horizon scanning — to anticipate and shape long-term change; participants described 'design for change, based on strategy and futures.'
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Critical Making
A practice, named by Matt Ratto, combining critical social theory with hands-on material making, so that the act of building becomes a mode of scholarly inquiry rather than only production.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Critical Theory
A tradition of social and cultural analysis, rooted in the Frankfurt School, that examines power, ideology, and social structures; in design research it underpins critiques of the discipline's assumptions, canons, and complicities.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Case Study Research
An in-depth, contextual investigation of a single instance or small set of instances — a project, studio, artifact, or program — used in design research to generate transferable insight from particular cases.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Qualitative Research
Inquiry that gathers and interprets non-numerical evidence — interviews, observation, artifacts, discourse — to understand meanings, experiences, and practices in context.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Quantitative Research
Inquiry based on numerical measurement and statistical analysis, used in design research for surveys, analytics, performance metrics, and controlled comparisons.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Mixed Methods / Triangulation
Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches within one study, chosen to fit the research goals; triangulation uses multiple methods or data sources to corroborate findings. One participant endorsed 'mixed methods, depending on research goals.'
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Added layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Participatory Action Research
A research orientation in which the community affected by an issue participates as co-researcher, and the research itself is designed to produce change, not only knowledge. Added in the atlas's expansion layer as a natural neighbor to the participants' co-design language.
MethodAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Autoethnography
A qualitative method in which the researcher's own lived experience is treated as primary data and analyzed within its cultural context; listed by workshop participants as '(auto)ethnography.'
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Arts-Based Research
Research in which artistic processes and forms — image-making, performance, narrative — function as the mode of inquiry or of presenting findings; one participant flagged it as 'interesting but context-dependent.'
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Visual / Formal Analysis
The close, systematic reading of an artifact's visual and formal properties — composition, form, color, typography, material — as an interpretive research method in design history and criticism.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Epistemology
The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge; in design research, the recurring question of what kind of knowledge design produces and how it can be validated.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
New Materialism
A body of contemporary theory attributing agency and significance to matter and things themselves, not only to human meaning-making; used in design research to rethink artifacts, materials, and non-human actors.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO)
A philosophical position holding that objects exist and relate independently of human perception; drawn on in design theory to decenter the human subject in accounts of designed things.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Knowledge Mobilization
The deliberate movement of research knowledge into use — connecting academic findings with practitioners, policymakers, and communities so that research produces effects beyond publication.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Wicked Problems
Rittel and Webber's term for problems — poverty, climate, health systems — that resist definitive formulation and final solution because every intervention changes the problem itself; a foundational concept for social-impact design.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Ethics
The study and practice of moral responsibility in design decisions — covering persuasion, accessibility, sustainability, data use, labor, and the downstream consequences of designed systems.
ConceptWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
IRB / Human-Subjects Review
Institutional Review Board approval — the formal ethics review required in U.S. institutions for research involving human participants; increasingly relevant to design research involving user studies and community fieldwork. Added in the atlas's expansion layer under Ethics & Research Governance.
RoleAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Pedagogy
The theory and practice of teaching design — studio models, critique, project-based learning, and the scholarship of how designers learn; named repeatedly by participants as a research area in its own right.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Studio Practice
The making-centered mode of work — and of teaching — characteristic of art and design education, organized around sustained project work in a shared space with iterative critique; several institutions were reported to define research 'primarily as studio practice.'
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Historiography
The study of how history is written: the methods, sources, framings, and biases through which historical accounts — including design-history canons — are constructed. Participants listed 'historiography / historicism' under the History cluster.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Decolonial Design
Design scholarship and practice that interrogates and works against colonial structures of knowledge and power in the field — its canons, methods, and extractive relationships; participants listed 'decolonial studies/praxis' and 'post-colonialism' among the field's movements.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design for the Pluriverse
Arturo Escobar's framework calling for design that supports many coexisting ways of being and knowing ('a world where many worlds fit') rather than a single universalizing modernity; named by participants both as a mission-bearing work and via admiration for Escobar.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Equity-Centered Community-Based Design
A design approach that places equity outcomes and community authorship at the center of the process, treating affected communities as partners with decision power rather than research subjects; a DRS participant's own phrase, relocated in the atlas to fill the Movements cluster.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Inferred layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design for Social Good
Design practice directed at social benefit rather than commercial return — addressing public health, equity, civic life, and community needs, often through nonprofit, governmental, or community partnerships. Listed verbatim by workshop participants among the field's missions, alongside 'social impact design' and 'social impact: generating positive change.'
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Sustainability / Sustainable Design
Design that minimizes environmental harm and supports long-term ecological and social viability — through material choices, lifecycle thinking, durability, and reduced consumption. Participants named 'sustainable design' and 'climate impact / sustainability' among the field's missions, with one defining the aim as pushing the discipline 'toward equitable, sustainable futures.'
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Academic Scholarship, Publishing & Dissemination19 terms
Peer Review (Double-Blind / Invited)
The evaluation of scholarly work by qualified colleagues before publication or presentation; double-blind review conceals both author and reviewer identities, while invited review solicits assessment from named experts. Cited across both workshops as the dominant institutional test of what counts as research.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Conference Proceedings
The published collection of papers presented at an academic conference, often peer-reviewed; a primary dissemination channel named by participants in both rooms.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Monograph
A single-author, book-length scholarly work on one subject — a traditional benchmark of academic output, listed by participants among valued research artifacts.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Juried Exhibition
An exhibition whose contents are competitively selected by a panel of judges; functions in design scholarship as a peer-reviewed venue for creative work.
RoleWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Zine
A small-circulation, self-published booklet, typically photocopied or cheaply printed, rooted in fan and punk culture; named by participants as both creative output and a legitimate dissemination form outside formal channels.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Artist's Book
A work of art realized in book form, where structure, material, sequence, and printing are part of the artwork itself rather than a container for it.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Visual Essay
A scholarly or critical argument carried primarily through images and their sequencing, with text in a supporting role — a form design researchers use to make visual work function as publishable scholarship.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Autotheory
A hybrid genre combining autobiography with theory and criticism, in which personal experience becomes the ground for theoretical argument; listed by participants among research outputs.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Grant Writing
The professional practice of composing funding proposals to agencies and foundations; treated in both workshops as simultaneously a research output, a gatekeeping skill, and (as 'funding secured') an institutional definition of research itself.
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Fellowship / Residency
Funded appointments — a fellowship supporting a scholar's research program, a residency hosting a practitioner in a dedicated place and time to work — both listed by participants as funding sources and dissemination lines on the academic record.
RoleWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Tenure & Promotion (T&P)
The institutional review process through which faculty earn permanent appointment and advancement, weighing research, teaching, and service; the workshops' recurring backdrop, with participants reporting criteria ranging from detailed handbooks to 'determined by the dean.'
RoleWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
RTP Criteria (Retention, Tenure & Promotion)
The written standards a department uses to evaluate faculty for retention, tenure, and promotion; San Francisco State University's publicly shared 2019 RTP Criteria for Design was cited by a participant as a model.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Terminal Degree / The Design PhD Question
The unresolved question of design's highest credential: whether the MFA/MDes remains the field's terminal degree or the research PhD should supersede it — with consequences for hiring, tenure standards, and who gets to define 'research.' Raised through participant remarks and named as a cluster in the atlas's expansion layer.
ConceptAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Practice-Based Dissertation
A doctoral dissertation in which creative work forms a substantial part of the submitted research, accompanied by a written component situating and analyzing it; its advising models were flagged in the atlas's expansion layer as an open problem for studio-trained faculty.
FormatAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Creative-Work Equivalencies
Institutional policies that translate creative outputs — exhibitions, designed artifacts, performances — into the units of scholarly credit built around publications, so practice-based faculty can be evaluated fairly in tenure and promotion. Named in the atlas's expansion layer, responding to both rooms' complaints about unclear criteria.
FrameworkAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Impact Assessment (Beyond Citation Metrics)
Evaluating the effect of research through evidence other than citation counts — adoption by practitioners, policy uptake, community outcomes — particularly important for design, whose contributions often live outside journals. Added in the atlas's expansion layer.
MethodAdded layer (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Teaching and learning materials published under open licenses for free use, adaptation, and redistribution; listed by participants under digital scholarship.
FormatWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Digital Scholarship
Scholarly work that is natively digital in method or form — data visualization, digital publishing, metadata work, blogs and commentary in virtual spaces — mapped by participants as its own cluster of legitimate research activity.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Dissemination
The circulation of research and creative work to its publics — through journals, conferences, exhibitions, press, social platforms, teaching, and self-publishing; a central organizing question of both workshops ('tell us 5–10 channels through which you disseminate your work').
MethodWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Theory & Critical Vocabulary15 terms
Gestalt Principles
A set of perceptual laws — including proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, and figure-ground — derived from early 20th-century psychology, describing how the human visual system groups and organizes elements. Foundational to layout and composition theory.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Semiotics
The study of signs and their meanings, examining how symbols, images, and words carry cultural significance; applied in design to analyze and intentionally construct visual meaning.
FrameworkCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Visual Rhetoric
The study and use of visual elements — images, typography, layout, color — as persuasive communication, drawing on classical rhetorical principles of ethos, pathos, and logos.
FrameworkCommunication Design GlossaryWorkshop participant (this atlas)
Swiss Style
Also known as the International Typographic Style; an influential modernist design movement originating in Switzerland in the 1950s, characterized by grid systems, sans-serif typography (particularly Helvetica and Univers), photographic imagery, and objective, clean visual organization.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Brutalism (Design)
A graphic design aesthetic characterized by raw, unconventional layouts, exposed structure, and a deliberate rejection of conventional visual polish; distinct from architectural brutalism.
FrameworkCommunication Design Glossary
Hierarchy (Visual)
The organization of design elements — through size, weight, color, position, or contrast — to guide the viewer's eye and signal the relative importance of information.
ConceptCommunication Design Glossary
Graphic Design
Visual communication using text or images to represent an idea or concept; also used broadly for the full range of visual design activities, including web and logo design.
DisciplineGlossary for Designers
Graphics
Visual presentations combining printed or displayed messages intended to be clear and visually appealing.
ConceptGlossary for Designers
Social Semiotics
An extension of semiotics, associated with Kress and van Leeuwen, treating meaning-making as a social practice: signs are shaped by their makers' interests and social contexts rather than by fixed codes. Participants listed 'social semiotics applied to design' among their research areas.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Multimodality
The study of how communication combines multiple modes — image, writing, layout, sound, gesture — into integrated meaning, and how each mode contributes distinct affordances; named by participants as a theory applied to design.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Geo-Semiotics / Semiotic Landscapes
The study of how signs mean in physical place — how location, material context, and the built environment participate in a sign's meaning; a DRS participant's cross-field research area, connecting design to linguistic landscape studies.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Aesthetics (Theories of Form)
The philosophical study of form, beauty, and sensory experience; glossed by workshop participants themselves as 'theories of form' and applied to interfaces and communication design.
FrameworkWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design Criticism
The practice of analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating design work and its cultural effects in written or public argument — a scholarly genre distinct from making, named by participants under theories and philosophies.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Design History
The scholarly study of design's past — its artifacts, practitioners, movements, institutions, and social contexts — as a discipline with its own conferences, journals, and methods debates. Named directly by workshop participants (alongside 'Design History Conference' and calls for BIPOC design history classes and histories organized by region, media, or client/topic), reflecting active contention over whose histories the canon includes.
DisciplineWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge
Storytelling / Narrative in Design
The framing of design as the construction of narrative — sequencing information, imagery, and experience so audiences follow and remember a story rather than absorb isolated facts. A workshop participant invoked the dictum 'design is storytelling,' crediting it to Ellen Lupton (whose 2017 book carries that title).
ConceptWorkshop participant (this atlas)Definition supplied — general knowledge

Sources & References Index

Every specific named person, institution, publication, or link that appears in either source document, in one place — plus a separate table of references supporting the added (purple/gold) layer. This is the complete sourcing picture: everything not listed here is either an anonymous participant's own statement (no further source exists) or explicitly-labeled general knowledge.

People named or admired by respondents

Dr. Vincent CovelloCited as admired, re: research clarity and public engagementAIGA
Dr. Roger SchankCited as admiredAIGA
Dr. Fernando FloresCited as admiredAIGA
Mariana AmatulloCited as admiredAIGA
Erik StoltermanAdmired for the clarity and usefulness of his researchAIGA
Liz SandersCited as admiredAIGA
Arturo EscobarCited as admiredAIGA
Lauren McCarthyUCLA — cited as admiredAIGA
Maria Rosario JacksonCited as admiredAIGA
Meredith DavisNamed directly under Theories & Philosophies; also credited (as "M. Davis") with tenure/promotion criteria used at NC State; author of Graphic Design Theory, referenced for a diagram on p. 218AIGA · DRS
Louise SandhausAdmired for surfacing under-seen designers' stories, e.g. Gere KavanaughDRS
Gere KavanaughNamed as an example of an under-seen designer, via SandhausDRS
Ahmed AnsariAdmired for writing, talks, and curriculum developmentDRS
Jessica WexlerPraised for unusually clear tenure documentationDRS
Paul SoulellisAdmired for rethinking dissemination systems, via Urgency PublicationsDRS
Gunter WehmeyerMet through a Design Inquiry workshop; runs unidentifiedfacility.orgDRS
Ellen LuptonCredited by a respondent with the framing "design is storytelling"DRS
Cheryl D. MillerQuoted (paraphrased here) on authenticity as a measure of successDRS
Audrey BennettAuthor of the referenced essay "The Rise of Research in Graphic Design" (paraphrased)DRS
Chris JonesAuthor of Design Methods, source of a referenced diagram (paraphrased)DRS

Institutions & organizations named

AIGA / AIGA DECHost community for the first workshop; also named as a dissemination channelAIGA
Design IncubationCredit mark on both diagrams — apparent producer of the workshop materialsAIGA · DRS
San Francisco State UniversitySource of a publicly shared RTP criteria documentAIGA
NC State UniversityReferenced re: research/tenure criteria attributed to Meredith DavisAIGA
Design Research Society (DRS)Host of the second workshop; also listed as a named society and conferenceDRS
Design History SocietyListed as a design/research societyDRS
IASDRInternational Association of Societies of Design ResearchDRS
The Design SocietyListed as a design/research societyDRS
Michigan State University, Dept. of Art, Art History & DesignNamed as a source of shared research guidelinesDRS
MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art)Institutional "Professional and Creative Activity" policy, paraphrasedDRS
CUNY — New York City College of TechnologySource of a publicly shared faculty personnel process guideDRS
SuperfluxCited as an admired studio/practiceDRS
MIT Media LabCited as an admired research communityDRS
Urgency PublicationsPaul Soulellis's project, cited approvinglyDRS

Publications, journals & books named

Design and CultureJournal, listed as a dissemination channelAIGA
AIGA Eye on DesignListed as a dissemination channelAIGA
Communication ArtsDesign awards / magazine, listed as a channelAIGA · DRS
DialecticDesign journal, listed as a channelAIGA
Slanted MagazineListed as a channel/trade magazineAIGA · DRS
Information Design JournalListed under design/research repositoriesAIGA
Visible LanguageListed under design/research repositoriesAIGA
are.na design-journals listA respondent's curated link — see URLs belowAIGA
Just My TypeCited as an example of mass-market design writingDRS
Design Methods, Chris JonesSource of a referenced diagram (paraphrased, not reproduced)DRS
Graphic Design Theory, Meredith DavisDiagram redrawn from p. 218 (paraphrased, not reproduced)DRS
"The Rise of Research in Graphic Design," Audrey BennettEssay excerpted in the workshop materials (paraphrased, not reproduced)DRS

References supporting the added layer — supplied by Claude, not present in either source PDF

Christopher Frayling, "Research in Art and Design" (1993)Royal College of Art Research Papers — origin of the research into / through / for design triad that the AIGA board used; cited here as lineage for the added "practice-based research" itemadded
Nigel Cross, "Designerly Ways of Knowing" (1982)Design Studies — canonical argument that design has its own epistemology; basis for the added methodology itemadded
Design StudiesElsevier — long-running design research journal, added to Societies & Repositoriesadded
Design IssuesMIT Press — design history, theory and criticism journal, addedadded
She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and InnovationTongji University / Elsevier, open access — addedadded
International Journal of DesignOpen-access design research journal — addedadded
Journal of Design HistoryOxford University Press / Design History Society — addedadded
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative / WCAGStandards body and guidelines underpinning the added Accessibility clusteradded

These are offered as verifiable anchors for the gold domain-knowledge items only. Claude has not searched or verified current publication status; readers should confirm details before formal citation. Everything else in the added layer that lacks a row here is general field knowledge with no single citable source — and is labeled accordingly rather than given a manufactured citation.

Live links preserved from the source files

facaffairs.sfsu.edu — RTP Criteria for Design, 2019Shared as an example of public tenure/promotion criteriaAIGA
are.na/jason-alejandro/design-journalsA respondent's curated list of design journalsAIGA
citytech.cuny.edu — Guide to the Faculty Personnel ProcessShared as an example of public research/tenure guidelinesDRS
unidentifiedfacility.orgGunter Wehmeyer's site, cited by a respondentDRS