The design of a website has become important for its SEO thanks to the recent updates made by Google to its search algorithms. When improving upon the website design, you may come across certain design terms that are incomprehensible to the layman.
Unless you are familiar with website designing, it can be difficult to understand the terminology used by the designers. You need to understand what the jargon stands for if you want to get your website designed as per your desires. You can use the following guide to know what each term stands for in the world of website design.
Wireframes
This is simply the basic layout of the webpage and is the first step in designing it. There are no design elements in it.
Comps
This is the next step in the design process. It is performed when the design is finally digitalized.
Prototype
During the prototype stage, the design of the website gives a close reproduction of the workings of the final design and functions. Changes can be implemented on the prototype. It is usually the penultimate stage of the design process.
Bleed
In a bleed design there is no specific margin. Instead, the design is allowed to exceed the boundaries of the page.
Leading
This term is used to denote the spacing between two consecutive lines of text vertically. It is also referred to as line height.
Kerning
Kerning is the process by which the space between two consecutive characters in a word is adjusted.
Typography
It is possible to arrange text and words in an artistic and attractive manner. This is called typography.
Below the Fold
It refers to the space of the webpage that the user has to scroll to in order to view it.
Responsive
A responsive web design is capable of adjusting the layout of the webpage automatically in order to fit into the different screen sizes.
Web Safe Fonts
These fonts are those which are usually present in the systems of users. In other words, users will be able to read what has been written and not see blanks.
DPI or PPI
DPI means dots per inch while PPI refers to pixels per inch. It is another way of stating the resolution of the display or element.
UI
User Interface is often abbreviated to UI. It is the term used to denote how the design will actually be viewed by the user.
UX
User Experience or UX is the term for denoting the behavior and the flow of the design. It shows how the user will be interacting with the design.
Web Colors
These are hexadecimal codes of six digits that represent a particular color.
White Space
White space refers to the area that has been left blank and devoid of any design elements. This allows the focus to be placed on the other elements in the page such as icons or text.
Once you become familiar with the terms and jargon used in website design, it becomes easier to tell a designer what you exactly require for your website.