AA

Author's Alterations, referring to changes made by a client. As opposed to corrections, changes are typically considered billable time, depending on the agreement with the client.

abstract logo

In the traditional sense the term abstract is understood to be that which is non-figurative. Simply put: something that is not recognizable. In the logo design context the term is often used in a broader sense to include logos where a recognizable object is used in a seemingly arbitrary or out-of-place way, for example the use of a bunny to represent a men's magazine.

Abstract logos are popular for their adaptability. By adopting an abstract logo companies effectively “leave the door open” to later include different products and services or to completely change their line of business without the need to update the logo.

Further Reading:
- Abstract Logos; http://www.biz-logo.com/article-abstract-logos.shtml
- Biz-Logo Abstract Pre-Designed Logos; http://www.biz-logo.com/pre-designed-cat01.shtml

Adobe Flash

Adobe Flash (Macromedia Flash until acquired by Adobe) is generally considered the market leader in applications for adding animation and interactivity to the Web.

Adobe Flash, or just Flash for short, can manipulate images in both raster and in vector format. The native output format is SWF. Most Internet browsers have plugins that provide Flash viewing capabilities.

Flash has only one noteworthy competitor: The W3C's SVG standard. Adobe withdrew their support for this standard after adding Flash to its stable, but SVG does still have wide support, notably from Internet browsers Opera, Safari and Firefox.

Further Reading:
- Adobe Systems; http://www.adobe.com/
- Adobe Illustrator; http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a drawing program developed by Adobe Systems. Adobe Illustrator or just Illustrator for short is a vector drawing program popular with professional logo designers. Illustrator and CorelDraw together dominate the logo design software market.

Further Reading:
- Adobe Systems; http://www.adobe.com/
- Adobe Illustrator; http://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/

Adobe PhotoShop

Few designers would dispute the value of Adobe PhotoShop for working with raster images. It seems to be in a class of its own and is clearly the current leader in the field.

Further Reading:
- Adobe PhotoShop; http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/

AI

Native file format of Adobe Illustrator.

alias

Anti-aliasing is a technique used to smooth out the edges of fonts and objects in raster images. The image in the example to the right has not been anti-aliased and as a result the pixels are visible even at actual size.

Anti-aliasing is usually done by an automated process, with the option to turn anti-aliasing on or off.

Also see anti-alias

alteration

In the context of logo design the term alteration refers to a minor revision, normally not considered billable time. An alteration usually means a change, for example a color or layout change, as apposed to a concept design.

animation / animated logo

In the context of logo design animation usually refers movement added to an existing logo using Flash. While not (yet!) useful in print, logo animation is gaining popularity online as companies search for new ways to stay ahead of the competition.

Further Reading:
- Logo-Animator; http://www.logo-animator.com

anti-alias

Anti-aliasing is a technique used to smooth out the edges of fonts and objects in raster images. The image to the right shows the effect of anti-aliasing, where the computer software blends bordering colors into each other.

When viewed at actual size the blending or anti-aliasing is not visible and the edges of the object appear smoother than it would in an aliased image.

Compare the image above under the term alias.

art director

The specific functions of an art director may vary from one logo design design firm to the next, but in traditional graphic design the art director is the person who oversees the design process, ensuring that quality standards and deadlines are met, that the client is kept updated etc.

In the online logo design industry art directors are few and far between. While some logo design companies claim to make use of art directors, these are often people in more of an administrative role, fielding client questions via the telephone or via email.

The pace in online logo design (online logo design firms are mostly low price, high volume businesses) makes it impractical to have a dedicated staffer for this role. In most cases the logo designer is directly responsible for all tasks related to a project. Some larger online logo design firms like Biz-Logo and LogoAnts do make use of experienced senior designers to assist the design team.