B

Bevel

In graphics terms, a bevel refers to creating the appearance of a smooth or straight raised edge to a shape. This can be created with a bitmap image manipulation program such as Photoshop, or in a vector-based drawing package such as Illustrator.

See also: Photoshop, Illustrator

Body copy

extend. Body text
Body copy is the term given to the main blocks of text in an article - as opposed to headlines and sub headings.

Blu-Ray

Blu-ray (not blue-ray) is an optical disc format for displaying high definition (HD) video. It can hold very large amounts of data (more than DVDs) and so can pack very high quality digital video onto a single disk.

Branding

extend. On-brand, off-brand, brand awareness, brand identity
Originally an advertising concept, branding is now an integral part of many graphic designer's day-to-day exposure. A brand is a graphic, font, image or a series of concepts that defines a company's, or product's, identity.
 
By establishing a strong and identifiable brand, a company or organisation is trying to convey to its consumers a sense of familiarity and trust of its products, over that of its competitors.

See also: Corporate identity

Brief

A designer's brief, or creative brief, is what a client will give to a designer to help them come up with a creative solution or set of concepts.

Briefs can vary drastically from client to client. Some will simply give a few verbal pointers, whilst others may supply full written documentation with information about the company, their customer base, statistics, corporate identity information and so on.

A thorough design brief can be crucial for the creation of a succesful solution. One of the biggest compaints from many art directors is the difficulty in getting enough targetted information from potential clients.

Broadsheet

A broadsheet document measures 17" x 22" and is a standard size for newspaper printing.

See also: Tabloid

Business to business

extend. B2B, B-to-B
Design communication targeted from commercial companies at other commercial organizations, as opposed to between the company and their consumer.

Often these communications will take the form of trade magazines (or web site) or targeted advertising within the financial press, for example.

Byline

A byline is the term given to the short piece of text that identifies and describes the author or journalist of an article. It generally comes after the heading, or at the end of an article.