The Dictionary (Des-tionary) of Design from IDC IIT Bombay

The
   Des-tionary
      of
         Design

Aesthetic What I like (see also Kitsch)

Analysis A technique of measuring the temperature of animals. Has nothing to do with design

Apple The ultimate temptation for a designer as in "An Apple a day keeps the IBM away"

Art Anything you can get away with

Art Works Rarely

Art Nouveau Literally new art - out of style since 1890 (see also Futurism)

Asymmetry A device for measuring the intelligence of donkeys (from ass and matron ( Greek)for measure) (don't see Symmetry)

Attention Holding Device Usually a women

Balance Something all designers lose sometime or the other

Beauty The lie in the eye of the beholder

Bibliography Books that I ought to have read.or The list of books available on this topic in the library. or A recursive term - A bibliography is made up of other bibliographies

Bold / Individualistic Approach Didn't do any data collection

Calligraphy Art form that reminds us that one must never cry over spilt ink

Chairman Someone who knows nothing of what is going on during a presentation

Chaos Two or more designers

Closure the mind of the designer after generating the first concept

Colour Scheme What remains in the paint glass after the previous guy has mixed his paints

Combination A couple working together on a project actually meant for one person

Communications Design The art and practice of making unlookable what was already unintelligible

Composition An essay

Concepts Things made after finalization of product or design to show that a lot of work has been done

Consumer The man who matters to the sales department but not to the designer

Continuity The repetition of a single style in various forms by a designer irrespective of the problem

Contrast The difference in payment between a new and an established designer

Creative whimsical (see also Creativity)

Creativity Method of achieving the whimsical (see also Creative)

Cubism Art movements that treats them as though they were blockheads

Culture Free Product A Bastard

Dadaism The art of getting away by sheer muscle power (dadagiri)

Data Collection Something done to justify travel and photography expences. Entails intense literature survey through Design journals, books, etc., to find previous solutions to the problem at hand

Design used in plural as designs eg., "He has designs on the clients money"

Designer(n) A person involved in the above

Design Brief A job of undercover fashion designer

Design Terminology Something that helps in making a successful presentation (see also Presentation)

Documentation Planning for show off

DTP A movement that aims at achiving Death To Printers

Dummy Designers view of his client

Elegance of solution/ simplicityRefusal to do hard work

Ergonomics Yet another character created by Goscinny and Uderoz

Experimental Absolutely useless (see also Innovative)

Exploded View A plaster model that fell down

Extension Uneasy way out or An easy way out

Fade In The realization that ones favorite design concept cannot work

Fade Out Something that happens to designer when he works late into the night

Figure and Ground The amount charged for the design (the Figure) and the reasons for the same (the Ground)

Final Design Solution The point at which you stop thinking

Foams Something the manufacturer/Printer does when he sees your design

Form Slips of paper to be filled out for official use. Usually in various colours (see also Product Form)

Futurism Art movement that went out of style in 1920 (see also Art Nouveau)

Gestalt A dinner table pleasantry usually spoken with the mouth full. Means Get Salt

Gradation Pattern of grades received by a class after end semester evaluation

Grey Value The moral sense of designer

Grid Something done to lions eg., He grid his lions for the fight

Guide Someone who doesn't

Hi-Light Saying hello to a bulb

Hi-tec image Something that sells or Something the profs do not understand

I-con A designer's admission of guilt

IBM PC A rather in-Personal computer

Injection Moulding The ultimate solution to all Product Design production problems

Innovative Useless

Jargon Something a designer uses to get away with his designs

Kitsch What others like

LaserWriter A machine which has raised the standard of letters home (see also toner)

Lateral Thinking Thinking while lying down-sleeping

Macintosh Computer A machine which calculates the dimensions of raincoats

Market Research Reading up all the Sunday supplements

Mass Appeal A case of sour grapes for most designers

Mental Block Outgrowth on a designers neck in place of a head

Methodology Something that tells you what went wrong (after it went wrong) but can never help you get it right in the first place

Minimalism More through less

Mock-up Model Design concept meant to make fun of the client

Mouse Pad Usually a hole in the wall

Negative Space The amount of working space available to the design team in most companies

Organic Architecture Architecture taken over by the natural elements - namely in ruins

Organic Design Design that is aimed at succeeding in the above

Origami High Fidelity (see also Polygamy)

Originality Copying from some unknown designer

Perception An attribute all designers lack

Perspective Something else all designers lack

Point of Visual focus Usually the feminine model used to advertise the product

Polyesters Lots of esters in a row

Polygamy Low fidelity (see also Origami)

Presentation To make a mountain out of a molehill

Problem Identification The most important part of the design process.Comes after Problem Solution

Problem Solution The stage before Problem Identification. or a bitter syrup

Product cycle Anything from uni-cycle to multi-cycle (including Bit and Tri cycles of course)

Product form Slips of paper that you fill in order to register for product design courses

Project report The Official story or The only truly creative part of the entire project

Proximity The probability of signing for someone else in the attendance register

Quality Something always lost in the race against time

Registration Something printers do at the beginning of the semester

Similarity The strange commonality between your design and one that appeared in a design journal two weeks ago

Specifications Little cryptic squiggles on drawings to make whole thing look complicated

Symmetry place where all designs go to at the end Toner A knob on a record-player

Trend Something all designers like to set but end up following

Typography The art of letter writing (though not necessarily better writing)

Ulm The beginning of all our problems. Pronounced as zulm

Unity Something a design group never has

User Hypothetical creature whose profile changes along with the product being designed

Visual Communication Something that has to be explained verbally to be understood visually

Visual ImpactExpression on the clients face when he sees the bill or the product

Wire Frame Model A very skinny lady advertising a product
Xerox Copy Cat

Yen Somthing that give a designer enthusiasm (specially to participate in Japanese competitions)

Zen Nothing to do with design though designers argue to the contrary

ZZZ The usual reaction to a presentation

Compiled by Punyashloke Mishra (VC 1988-90) with a little help from his friends

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