Ever wondered what the professionals mean when they use industry jargon? This plain-English Business Essentials reference helps you ask better questions, compare proposals and understand what you’re paying for.

Branding and design

Brand identity: The visual system that helps people recognize a business.

Logo: A distinctive visual identifier for a business or organization.

Wordmark: A logo based primarily on stylized lettering.

Brand guidelines: Instructions for consistent logo, color and typography use.

Typography: Selecting and arranging type for communication.

Kerning: Fine-tuning spacing between individual letters.

Hierarchy: Using scale, weight and position to direct attention.

White space: Intentional empty space that improves clarity.

Printing and production

Vector: Scalable paths and shapes that stay sharp at any size.

Raster: Pixel-based artwork, like photos, that can blur when enlarged.

CMYK: Cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks used in process printing.

RGB: Red, green and blue light used by screens.

Pantone: A standardized system for specifying colors.

Bleed: Extra artwork beyond the trim edge to prevent white slivers.

Safe area: Space inside trim edges where important content belongs.

Proof: A preview for checking a design before production.

PPI and DPI: PPI measures image pixels per inch; DPI describes printer dots per inch.

Common files

AI: Adobe Illustrator’s native editable format.

EPS: An established interchange format often used for vector artwork.

SVG: A scalable vector format often used on websites.

PNG: A raster image format that supports transparency.

JPEG: A common photo format without transparency.

PDF: A portable document format that can retain vector elements.

Source file: The original editable project document.

Putting the terminology to work

You don’t need to memorize every term. A good creative partner should explain the process and make it easier to make informed decisions, not bury you in acronyms.

At Marcus Hardaway Freelance Designer, I help businesses develop cohesive brand identities and marketing materials, and collaborate with a professional web designer to extend those identities online.

Need help with your brand or website? Let’s discuss your project.

What term would you like explained next? Tell me in the comments.

More Business Essentials terminology guides

• Marketing Terminology: The Jargon Business Owners Actually Need
• Web Design Terminology: Websites Explained Without the Tech Speak

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