Digital Design: Terms and Tools You Need to Know
You see digital designers’ work daily without realizing it. While it’s often thought to be just about visuals, digital design is a rich field covering user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and information architecture (IA).
Each area has its own unique language and terms. Understanding these can help you communicate better with your design team and appreciate the depth of their work.
First, we will present a number of general terms that you must know when you are managing a digital project or in preparation for your next meeting with digital designers.
Web Design
Web design involves crafting a website’s overall look and feel, including layout, typography, colors, and interactive elements like buttons and menus. It combines aesthetics with functionality to ensure an engaging user experience.
App Design
App design focuses on creating intuitive and engaging interfaces for mobile devices. It requires specialized UX and UI design to meet user needs and expectations, ensuring the app is user-friendly and effective.
UX Design
UX design ensures users have a positive experience by focusing on usability, functionality, and accessibility. It involves in-depth research to understand user needs, designing interactions to be comfortable and effective, and integrating marketing strategy, product development, and SEO.
UI Design
UI design involves crafting the visual elements users interact with, such as buttons, menus, and typography. The goal is to create interfaces that are visually appealing, easy to use, and aligned with the overall user experience.
Information Architecture
Information architecture organizes and structures content to make it easily accessible and understandable for users. It includes designing intuitive navigation, categorizing information logically, and creating user flows that guide users through the digital product efficiently.
Behind all of these works are talented people who often live and breathe design, and work hard to make the digital product the best it can be. In this section, you will meet the different types of digital designers.
Graphic Designers
Graphic designers create static digital products, including images, infographics, banners, and illustrations. They specialize in adapting materials to the digital format and ensuring visual consistency.
Web Designers
Web designers are responsible for a website’s overall look and feel. They design content and interactive elements like buttons and menus, ensuring a cohesive and engaging user experience.
UX Designers
UX designers focus on the overall user experience, ensuring usability, functionality, and accessibility. They understand user needs to create intuitive and enjoyable products, enhancing the user’s interaction with the product.
UI Designers
UI designers design user interfaces, including buttons and menus, to ensure ease of use and a positive user experience. They work on making interfaces visually appealing and user-friendly.
Product Designers
Product designers oversee the design of products, focusing on functionality and user experience. They collaborate with users and stakeholders to meet needs and achieve business goals, ensuring the product is effective and enjoyable to use.
Interaction Designers
Interaction designers design interactions between users and products to ensure they are efficient, effective, and enjoyable. They focus on how users interact with the product, making it as seamless and intuitive as possible.
Animation Designers
Animation designers create animated graphics for digital media, using graphic design, animation, and storytelling skills to create engaging content. They bring visuals to life, enhancing user engagement and experience.
An artist needs more than creativity and personality; they need the right tools. Here are some essentials for digital designers:
Figma
Perfect for UX and UI design, Figma enables real-time collaboration among designers, developers, and project managers. It allows for seamless teamwork and updates, making design projects more efficient and cohesive.
Photoshop
The industry standard for photo editing, Photoshop lets designers create, edit, and enhance images. It’s essential for graphic design, web design, and digital art, offering a wide range of tools and features for various creative needs.
Illustrator
Ideal for vector graphics and illustrations, Illustrator provides precise control over shapes, colors, and typography. It’s perfect for designing logos, icons, and complex illustrations that need to scale without losing quality.
After Effects
Essential for video editing and motion graphics, After Effects allows designers to animate graphics, create visual effects, and produce engaging video content. It’s a powerful tool for digital storytelling and multimedia projects.
Axure RP
Great for creating detailed wireframes and prototypes, Axure RP is useful for UX designers working on complex user flows. It helps in visualizing interactions and ensuring functionality before development begins.
Zeplin
A collaboration tool that bridges the gap between designers and developers. Zeplin provides specs, assets, and code snippets, ensuring that designs are accurately translated into code, streamlining the development process.
