Common Web Design Terms

Like every other area of specialization, web design also has its own jargon. Familiarity with the industry jargon really helps you stay abreast of the latest in the world of technology. So, whether you are just beginning with a career in web designing or you are looking to get a website designed, here are some of the commonly used web design terms you should know.

Home Page : The main page of a website that a visitor sees first on first visiting the website, usually after being redirected by a search engine. The home page often serves as a landing page to attract the visitors. It serves to navigate the user to the other pages by giving links to these recent and important articles and pages. It often includes a search box.

Subpage : Any page on a website that isn’t the home page.

Header : It is the top rectangular shaped area of any page of your website. The main purpose of a website header is to promote your company’s brand. It serves to help your brand get instantly recognized all across.

Banner Advertising : Banner advertising is a form of online advertising that is displayed on top of the page and goes from one side to the other showcasing various service features etc.

Pixel : Pixel (a word invented from “picture element”) is the smallest controllable element of any image on your screen. It is essentially one dot of colour. The higher the number of pixels, the higher the resolution and quality.

DPI : Dots Per Inch is measure of resolution of an image on the screen.

PNG : An image format that is most commonly used for images that have large amounts of uniform colour or transparent backgrounds.

JPEG : An image format best suited to pictures and images with a large number of colours.

Vectors : Vector graphics is the use of polygons for representing images in computer graphics. These are most commonly used for logos, icons and infographic designs.

RGB : Red, Green and Blue Colour Model is an additive colour model in which red, green and blue light are added together in different ways in order to reproduce a broad array of colours.

Textures : Most commonly used as backgrounds, textures are repetitive themes that are often used to create a certain atmosphere on a website.

Watermark : A mark of ownership which is usually applied to the background of images or content.

Wireframe : A visual representation of a website’s layout with directions for visuals, this is usually a road map for developers.

Mock-up : Mock-ups are basically real size models of how your design is planned to look. For web designers, a mock-up will be nearly identical to the actual website, only without the functionalities.

HTML : Hyper Text Markup Language, is the main language used to write webpages.

CSS : CSS is an easy way to control how a website looks. Every web developer should have a strong understanding of CSS.

URL : is how you link to other pages. www.example.com is a URL.