Design Terms
HEX
(Hexidecimal) color mode is for anything that is computer-based design. This includes websites, apps, banner ad and any other design created for electronic use.
RGB
(Red, Green, Blue) color mode is also for anything that is computer-based design
CMYK
(Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) color mode is used for print design. This includes business cards, stationary, illustration, packaging and any other designs used for print.
Vector
Vector images are made up of points, lines, and curves that can be infinitely scaled without any loss in image quality.
Raster
Raster images are made up of a set grid of dots called pixels, where each pixel is assigned a color value. Unlike a vector image, raster images are resolution dependent. When you change the size of a raster image, you shrink or stretch the pixels themselves, which can result in a significant loss of clarity and produce very blurry images.
Lossless
Lossless image formats capture all of the data of your original file. Nothing from the original file, photo, or piece of art is lost—hence the term “lossless.” The file may still be compressed, but all lossless formats will be able to reconstruct your image to its original state.
File Formats
JPG/JPEG
JPEG is a lossy raster format that stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the technical team that developed it. This is one of the most widely used formats online, typically for photos, email graphics and large web images like banner ads. JPEG images have a sliding scale of compression that decreases file size tremendously, but increases artifacts or pixelation the more the image is compressed.
EPS
EPS is an image format that stands for Encapsulated PostScript. Although it is used primarily as a vector format, an EPS file can include both vector and raster image data. Typically, an EPS file includes a single design element that can be used in a larger design.
PNG
PNG is a lossless raster format that stands for Portable Network Graphics. Think of PNGs as the next-generation GIF. This format has built-in transparency, but can also display higher color depths, which translates into millions of colors. PNGs are a web standard and are quickly becoming one of the most common image formats used online.
AI
AI is a proprietary vector image format that stands for Adobe Illustrator. The format is based on both the EPS and PDF standards developed by Adobe. Like those formats, AI files are primarily a vector-based format, though they can also include embedded or linked raster images. AI files can be exported to both PDF and EPS files (for easy reviewing and printing), and also JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and PSD (for web use and further editing).
PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is an image format used to display documents and graphics correctly, no matter the device, application, operating system or web browser. At its core, PDF files have a powerful vector graphics foundation, but can also display everything from raster graphics to form fields to spreadsheets. Because it is a near universal standard, PDF files are often the file format requested by printers to send a final design into production. Both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator can export straight to PDF, making it easy to start your design and get it ready for printing.
SVG
SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. SVG is used to define vector-based graphics for the Web. SVG defines the graphics in XML format. Every element and every attribute in SVG files can be animated. SVG is a W3C recommendation and integrates with other W3C standards such as the DOM and XSL. Whenever it is possible the SVG format is the preferred version for the web. SVG files can be edited by most vector-based editors, such as Adobie Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Sketch, and Inkscape.
