School Project for my Masters Degree

1. Graphic Design Thesaurus 1
Roxanne Mapp
Professor Ron Miller
Thesaurus Design and Construction
LIS 642-1
April 14, 2010

2. Graphic Design Thesaurus 2
Abstract
The Digital Revolution has paved the way for the emergence
of the World Wide Web which makes for the easy access of
image and digital catalogs through web searches and thesauri.
It is apparent that through the cataloging process, files and
folders will be appropriately organized by interrelated terms.
This paper seeks to illustrate the different principles,
practices and agents of thesaurus design and construction.

3. Graphic Design Thesaurus 3
Graphic Design Definition
Graphic Design can be defined as a form of visual
communication. Visuals, text, illustrations, art and typography
are all components that can make up graphic design.
Meggs (1998) stated that graphic design has been defined
as the visual message from prehistory through the medieval era
(pp1). This statement holds true to this day.
Target Audience
The Graphic Design Thesaurus will serve as an information
retrieval thesaurus constructed for students and practitioners
of graphic design and related fields.
Graphic Design Thesaurus Overview
Roe, Sandra K. and Thomas Alan R. (2004) note that
a thesaurus is a dynamic part of an organization’s information
and knowledge management system (pp 70).
The Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1
is a just one example of a thesaurus that will serve as a
point of reference for this assignment. The core of this
thesaurus is a list of approximately 150 preferred graphic design
terms that have been selected and arranged in alphabetical
and hierarchal order for use in indexing, cataloging,
classification and other applications.

4. Graphic Design Thesaurus 4
Alphabetical Listing Graphic Design Thesaurus
Abstract Drawings
BT: Abstract works
BT: Drawings
Advertising Agencies
SN: Includes activities
and structures
BT: Service industry facilities
RT: Advertisements
Abstract Works
SN: Images in which the
depiction of real images
have been distorted.
NT: Abstract drawings
NT: Abstract paintings
NT: Abstract images
NT: Abstract photos
NT: Abstract works
Advertisements
SN: Visual/verbal message
intended to inform,
motivate or provoke.
Availability of goods or
services through print,
web, television and radio.
UF: Ads
BT: Communicative works
NT: Commercials
NT: Display advertisements
RT: Advertising design
Acetate
SN: Drawing surface and
protective surface.
Different weights in
different finishes.
Clear, frosted and
prefixed.
UF: Surfaces
BT: Safety film negatives
Advertising Campaigns
SN: For the general activity
of promoting a product
or service.
UF: Ads
BT: Communication
NT: Commercials
NT: Merchandise displays
RT: Advertising agencies
RT: Publicity
RT: Logos
RT: Advertising design
Ads
USE: Advertisements
NT: Magazine ads
NT: Newspaper ads
African Art
BT: Art
NT: North African
NT: Art by region

5. Graphic Design Thesaurus 5
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Alignment
BT: Properties of Layout
NT: Base alignment
NT: Decimal alignment
NT: Skew
Bad Breaks
BT: Typographical artifacts
NT: Hyphos
NT: Orphans (typesetting)
NT: Widows (typesetting)
RT: Breaks
Alphabets
UF: Letters of the alphabet
BT: Writing systems
NT: Initials
Bar Graphs
UF: Bar charts
BT: Graphs
NT: Presentation
Alternate Characters
USE: Expert fonts
BT: Letterforms
NT: Finals
NT: Swash characters
Base Alignment
BT: Alignment
RT: Baseline
Art Directors
BT: Art occupation
Billboards
BT: Created works to view
RT: Advertisements
Art Nouveau
BT: Art styles (Late nineteenth
and early twentieth
century styles.
NT: European art
Binding (production process)
UF: Bookbinding
BT: Finishing (production
process)
NT: Manual bookbinding
RT: Binding (objects)
Art Reproductions
SN: Commercially published,
printed copies of
individual prints, drawings
and other two-dimensional
works of art.
BT: Duplications
Black and White Printers
UF: Monochrome printers
BT: Printers by
quality of light

6. Graphic Design Thesaurus 6
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Blending
BT: Visual techniques
RT: Gradation
CAD
UF: Computer-aided design
BT: Design activities
Bleed
BT: Page elements
NT: Full-color bleed
Calligraphy
BT: Writing styles
RT: Art
Blogs
BT: Websites
NT: Digital journals
Catalogs
SN: Systematic grouping of
images and text.
BT: Communicative works
UF: Catalogues
NT: Sales catalogs
RT: Sample books
Borders
UF: Border designs
BT: Graphic elements
Characters
SN: Writing system units.
UF: Word creations
BT: Symbols of language
Bold
UF: Bold font
BT: Typestyles by weight
Clip Art
UF: Graphic design
BT: Creative works of design
Business Cards
SN: Small cards that contain
the name and address of an
organization or business.
UF: Business
BT: Cards
RT: Advertising cards
Color
BT: Physical condition
NT: Spot color
RT: Chromatics

7. Graphic Design Thesaurus 7
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Color Wheel
USE: Circular wheels on which
colored paper disks are
mounted to illustrate the
arrangement of the hues
of the spectrum.
UF: Color choices
UF: Wheels, color
Copy
BT: Created works
for production
NT: Positional element
NT: Layout text
Commercial Art
USE: Graphic design drawings.
Copy
BT: Created works
for production
NT: Positional element
Communication
BT: Social science
NT: Visual communication
Data Storage Devices
UF: Storage devices
BT: Computer peripherals
NT: Flash drives
NT: Hard drives
Composition
USE: Typesetting
BT: Components
NT: Narrative composition
Decorative Elements
BT: Graphic elements
by function
NT: Borders
Computer Graphics
SN: Images created with a
computer system.
UF: Computer generated images
BT: Images
NT: Digital illustrations
Decorative Paper
BT: Paper types
NT: Colored paper
NT: Textured paper
Contrast
USE: Drama
BT: Properties of light
NT: Light and dark
Density
BT: Image properties
NT: Contrast

8. Graphic Design Thesaurus 8
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Design
BT: Art
NT: Advertising design
NT: Book design
NT: Graphic design
NT: Industrial design
RT: Designers
Display Advertisements
UF: Display Advertising
BT: Advertisements
RT: Advertising design
RT: Design advertising
Desktop Publishing
UF: Desktop Publishing
BT: Design production
Drop Shadows
USE: Offset elements
BT: Decorative elements
Diagrams
USE: Languages
BT: Figures by function
Editors
BT: People by occupation
NT: Copy editors
RT: Editing
Digital Cameras
BT: Cameras
RT: Digital photography
Ellipses
BT: Geometric figures
NT: Circles
RT: Ovals
Dimensions
SN: Measures of distance
and density.
BT: Measurements
NT: Size
NT: Pixels per inch
Embossing
USE: Raised pattern on
a surface
BT: Finishing production
process
NT: Blind embossing
Dingbats
BT: Printer’s ornaments
NT: Pointing hand
NT: Star
Engraving
BT: Prints
NT: Mezzotints
RT: Printing process

9. Graphic Design Thesaurus 9
Graphic Design Thesaurus
EPS
UF: Encapsulated Post Script
BT: Post Script equations
RT: TIFF
Finding aids
BT: Created works by function
NT: Archival catalogs
NT: Archival guides
Equipment
SN: Typically stationary
Objects used in production
BT: Objects by function
NT: Computer hardware
NT: Printing equipment
NT: Typesetting equipment
First proofs
BT: Proofs
RT: Original drafts
NT: Drafts
Etchings (Prints)
BT: Intaglio prints
NT: Aquatints
RT: Etching
(production process)
Flash drives
UF: Thumb drives
BT: Solid state drives
NT: Flash drives
Fabric
BT: Surfaces
Flatbed scanners
BT: Scanners
Face (type)
SN: The printing surface of a
unit of type
BT: Parts of a unit of type
Flexography
BT: Letterpress printing
RT: Off-set printing
File formats
BT: Representation of data
NT: Graphics file formats
RT: File conversion
RT: File compression
Floppy drives
BT: Data storage devices
RT: Floppy disks

10. Graphic Design Thesaurus 10
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Font Management
UF: Font managers
BT: Software by function
Grayscale images
BT: Images
RT: Half-tone images
Gamut
SN: Range of colors and output
device is capable
of producing
UF: Color gamut
BT: Measures of visible light
Greeting Cards
BT: Cards
NT: Easter cards
NT: Birthday cards
Glossaries
BT: End matter
RT: Indexes
Handwriting Styles
BT: Handwriting
NT: Calligraphy
NT: Cursive
NT: Printing handwriting
Graphic Arts
BT: Visual arts
NT: Information graphics
Headings
UF: Heads (text elements)
BT: Textual elements
by function
NT: Headings by form
Graphic Design
SN: To plan and create
typography and images
for commercial purposes
such as: posters, brochures
press ads, newsletters
BT: Design
NT: Catalog design
NT: Package design
Hickeys
SN: Blemishes on proofs
Or printed matter
UF: Dirt (printing flaws)
BT: Printing flaws
High-resolution Proofs
BT: Proofs
Graphic Typefaces
BT: Typefaces by style
NT: Bold faces
RT: Fonts

11. Graphic Design Thesaurus 11
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Home Pages
UF: Point of reference
BT: Web pages
Imagesetters
BT: Printing equipment
NT: Compu-graphic
image setters
HTML
UF: Hypertext Markup Language
BT: Markup languages
RT: Computer code
Indents
UF: Indentation
BT: White space by function
NT: Box indents
NT: Paragraph indents
Hyperlinks
UF: Web navigation
NT: Highlighted or unlined words
NT: Coded images
Indexes
BT: End matter
RT: Computer code
Ideographs
SN: Symbols to represent ideas
or concepts
BT: Pictographs
RT: Images
Information Design
BT: Design
RT: Information architecture
Illustration
UF: Images that explain written
or illustrated text
or images
BT: Pictures
NT: Book illustrations
NT: Technical illustrations
NT: Graphic Design drawings
Information Technology
SN: Processing of data via
computers, the use of
technologies from computing,
electronics, and
telecommunications.
BT: Information
Images, Electronic
USE: Electronic Images
Internet
BT: Communication media
RT: World Wide Web

12. Graphic Design Thesaurus 12
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Invitations
SN: Request to be present
or participate.
BT: Short lived materials
NT: Wedding invitations
Lamination
SN: Plastic coating to protect
printed materials.
BT: Finishing production
process
Italics
BT: Character styles
NT: Typesetting style
Laser Printers
SN: Computer peripheral device.
BT: Printers by method
JAVA
BT: Programming language
Layout
SN: Arrangement of type
and visuals on a
format or page.
BT: Design production
process
Kerning
BT: Intercharacter space
NT: Automatic kerning
NT: Optical kerning
Leading
SN: Used to increase space
between lines of type.
BT: Properties of layout
Keyboards
BT: Input devices
NT: Letter selection
Line Art
SN: Vector based art.
BT: Art
Kitsch
BT: Popular appeal art
Link
SN: Connection from one
web page to another.
BT: Character parts
RT: Connection

13. Graphic Design Thesaurus 13
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Logos
SN: Identifying mark for
a product, service
or organization.
BT: Visual symbol
RT: Trademark
Mock-up
SN: Facsimile of a printed
design piece.
BT: Layout
Lowercase
SN: The smaller set of letters.
BT: Letters
NT: Common letters
Modern Art
SN: Painting, sculpture,
architecture, characteristic
of the 20th century
BT: Art
Magazines
SN: Periodic publication
BT: Periodicals
NT: Magazine subscription
NT: Free magazine
Multimedia
BT: Created works
by form
Mechanical Drawings
SN: Drawings prepared with
mechanical devices,
such as ruling pens,
and other drafting tools.
UF: Drawings, mechanicals
BT: Design drawings
Murals
BT: Art
RT: Cave drawings
RT: Mosaics
Memory cards
BT: Art
Navigation Bars
UF: Navbars
BT: Textual elements by function
Minimalism
SN: Art in simplistic form.
BT: Art
NT: ABC art
NT: Minimal art
Newsletters
BT: Communicative works

14. Graphic Design Thesaurus 14
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Non-breaking space
UF: Hard space
UF: No break space
BT: Word space
Opacity
BT: Density
Nonrepro Blue
UF: Nonphoto blue
BT: Color by function
Optical Alignment
UF: Optical justification
UF: Visual alignment
RT: Optical
Numerals
UF: Figures
UF: Digits
BT: Alphanumeric characters
NT: Roman numerals
Optical Scanning Resolution
SN: Mechanical resolution
ability of a scanner
using built-in optical
and hardware power.
RT: Optical scanner
NT: Scanner
OCR
UF: Optical Character
Recognition
BT: Digitization
Orphans
BT: Bad breaks
Offset Printing
SN: Planographic method
of printing
UF: Offset photolithography
BT: Photolithography
Outline Fonts
UF: Vector fonts
UF: Scalable fonts
BT: Digital fonts by form
Oldstyle typefaces
UF: Old-style typefaces
BT: Typefaces by style
Output Resolution
BT: Resoultion

15. Graphic Design Thesaurus 15
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Package Design
BT: Graphic design
RT: Packaging
Paper
UF: Paper
RT: Origami
RT: Paper products
RT: Printing Industry
Page Description Language
SN: Program that contains
the commands for a printer
to take the text and
graphics generated on
a computer for placement
on a printed page.
UF: PDL
BT: Computer languages
NT: Postscript
Paper Industry
BT: Industry
NT: Paper industry
RT: Paper
RT: Paper products
Parchment
UF: Vellum
BT: Hides and skins
Page Numbers
UF: Folios (typography)
BT: Page numbers
NT: Blind folios
NT: Fixed folios
NT: Pagination
Passwords
BT: Security systems
RT: Communication
Pastel drawings
USE: Pastels (visual works)
Patents
SN: Copyright on an invention.
BT: Intellectual property
RT: Inventions
Palette
BT: Color
Pamphlets
SN: Published non-periodical
volumes with or without
a cover.
UF: Booklets
NT: Pressbooks
RT: Books
RT: Leaflets

16. Graphic Design Thesaurus 16
Graphic Design Thesaurus
Photoshop
SN: Photo editing
software program
UF: Photo editing
UF: Computer graphics
Sans-serif
SN: Term used to categorize
typefaces without finishing
strokes at the end of
their letterform.
RT: Serif
QuarkXPress
BT: Page layout program
T-shirts
BT: Clothes
Quotation Marks
UF: Quote marks
BT: Specific punctuation
characters
NT: Quotation marks by form
Visual Communication
USE: Graphic design
BT: Communication
NT: Written communication
RAM
UF: Random-access memory
BT: Memory devices
Web Design
BT: Design
RT: World Wide Web
RT: Web sites
Registration Marks
SN: Pinholes cross marks,
or other devices used to
align prints passed
through a press more
than once.
UF: Registration marks
BT: Marks
RT: Prints
Writing Systems
BT: Representation
of language
NT: Alphabets
RT: Cellocuts
ZIP Drive
BT: Drive
NT: Storage
NT: Disk
Relief Prints
UF: Block prints
BT: Prints
NT: Woodcuts

17. Graphic Design Thesaurus 17
Hierarchal Listing Graphic Design Thesaurus
Graphic Design Professions
People
People by Occupation
Art directors
NT Designers
Editors
Copyeditors
Illustrators
Photographers
Printers (people)
Printmakers
Proofreaders
Typographers
Type designers
Type directors
Typesetters (people)
Typographical designers
Businesses by function
Graphic Design Businesses
Advertising agencies
NT Bookbinders
Presses
Commercial printers
Fine presses
Small presses
University presses
Printers (businesses)
Print shops
Publishers
Commercial publishers
Typefoundries
Digital foundries

18. Graphic Design Thesaurus 18
Graphic Design Disciplines
Visual arts
NT Design
Advertising design
Book design
Graphic design
Catalog design
Package design
Type design
Typography
Typography by style
Avant-garde typography
Information design
Interaction design
Web design
Fine arts
Graphic arts
Information graphics
Graphic Design Processes
OCR
NT Scanning
Tracing
Editing processes
Copyediting
Proofreading
Production processes
Photomechanical processes
Diffusion-transfer processes
NT Duotone processes
Halftone processes
Animation
Color rendering
Absolute rendering
Color separation

19. Graphic Design Thesaurus 19
Thesaurus Key
SN: Scope Notes UF: Used for USE: Use instead
BT: Broader term NT: Narrower Term: RT: Related term
Conclusion
This Graphic Design Thesaurus contains a listing of
150 graphic design, digital and printing terms. While all of the
terms in this industry were not covered, the end user will gain
a basic understanding of graphic design by accessing this
simple thesaurus.
Prior to taking this course I had no idea how effectively
thesauri worked. Even though this was a great exercise in
patience as well, I was happy that I was able to experience
what in reality, is now a part of my profession.
The information that was retrieved also provided me with
a great amount of knowledge and useful information.
Will (2004) confirms that by adapting Ranganathan’s fifth
“Law of Library Science” it has become clear that “A thesaurus
is a growing organism,” and as a result it is an important aspect
of information management (pp 76).

20. Graphic Design Thesaurus 20
Works Cited
Meggs, P. B. (1998). A History of Graphic Design (3rd ed.).
New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. (1995).
Thesaurus for graphic materials I: Subject terms. Retrieved
April 10, 2010, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1/
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/tgm/search?q=mechanical%2
0&co=tgm
Catalogers Workshop. (2009, October 6. Library of Congress.
Retrieved April 9, 2010, from
www.loc.gov/catworkshop/courses/thesaurus/pdf/cont-vocab-thes-
trnee-manual.pdf
Greenwald, M. L., & Luttropp, J.C.(2000). Graphic Design
Glossary. Graphic Design and Production Technology (1 ed.,
pp.265-284). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall.
Guidelines for the Construction, Format, and Management of
Monolingual Controlled Vocabularies. National Information
Standards Organization. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from
http://www.niso.org
Roe, Sandra K., & Thomas, Alan R (2004). The Thesaurus
Review, Renaissance and Revision. Haworth Information Press.
Will, L. (1992, February 20). Thesaurus principles and practice.
Willpower Information: information management consultants.
Retrieved April 11, 2010, from
http://www.willpowerinfo.co.uk/thesprin.htm