A-B
AD - Short for art director
abstract art - simplified art; art reduced to fundamental parts; art that makes its point with great subtlety. Opposite of realistic or representational art
accordion fold - a direct-mail piece with panels that old alternately inward and outward so that the piece opens and closes like and accordion.
agate line - line of type set in 5 1/2 point type. Also, unit of measurement. Newspapers measure ad depths by agate lines: 14 to a column inch
airbrush - tool that uses compressed air to shoot a spray of water-color pigment on photographs or artwork. Used for retouching artwork.
align - arrange elements so that they line up with other elements
all caps - all capital letters
antique paper - rough-finish, high-quality paper, often bulky paper
art - all pictorial matter in ad: photographs, illustrations, cartoons, charts and graphs, typographic effects
Art Deco - the look of the 1920s and 1930s: simple line forms, geometric shapes, pastel colors, rainbow motifs
art director - person in charge of all the visual aspects of an ad, including typography
Art Nouveau - sinuous, decorative, curvy art associated with the turn of the century
ascenders - portions of letters that rise above the top of the s-height
asymmetric balance - balance achieved by arrangement of unequal elements in an ad. A heavy item on one side does not require a corresponding element directly across from it.
axis - imaginary line used to align visual elements and relate them
BCU - big close-up
back slant - type that slants, but to the left, not to the right as italic type does
basis weight - weight of a ream of paper in standard-size sheets
Bauhaus - school of design in Germany. It championed a highly ordered, functional style in architecture and applied arts
Ben Day - process by which engraver or printer adds pattern or tone to line reproduction
bleed - a picture printed to the edge of a sheet