Study guides · Stuff Every Graphic Arts Scout Should Know
Practice facts for the Graphic Arts merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential. Grab a snack: this guide is the friendly version, with the answers explained and a groan-worthy joke waiting at the end of most cards.
Knowing Graphic Arts Scout saves you money, time and the occasional embarrassment.
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Short answer: Visual communications with specific messages
Graphic design creates visual communications meant to send specific messages to social groups with clear objectives.
Groan of the day: Designers have great taste in visuals.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: The encoder or interpreter of the message
The designer acts as encoder or interpreter, working on ordering and presenting visual messages.
Groan of the day: They encode, you decode, everybody wins.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Manual and digital tools
Graphic design practice uses creativity with both manual and digital tools to communicate visually.
Groan of the day: Manual plus digital equals a handy combo.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Ideas, feelings, and attitudes
Typography and arrangement of text and imagery convey ideas, feelings, and attitudes beyond language alone.
Groan of the day: Good type speaks volumes without saying a word.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A graphic manifestation
Graphic design takes a linguistic message and transforms it into a graphic manifestation.
Groan of the day: Words go in, pictures come out.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Aviation and space exploration
Graphic design applies to many fields, including advertising strategies, aviation, and space exploration.
Groan of the day: Design reaches for the stars.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Selling goods and services
In advertising the ultimate objective is the sale of goods and services, unlike graphic design's broader aims.
Groan of the day: Ads aim to sell, and they sell it well.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Order to information and form to ideas
The essence of graphic design is giving order to information and form to ideas and feeling.
Groan of the day: Order up! Information served fresh.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A way to reproduce printed pages faster
Gutenberg developed movable type with a new metal alloy, speeding up reproduction of printed pages.
Groan of the day: Gutenberg really made his mark.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A Buddhist scripture printed in 868
A Buddhist scripture printed in 868 is the earliest known printed book, produced in China.
Groan of the day: That book had a long shelf life.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Books
Movable type printing beginning in the 11th century China made books widely available during the Song dynasty.
Groan of the day: Books got around, and so did readers.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Basic pictograms
Cuneiform began with basic pictograms representing houses, lambs, or grain, tied to commerce.
Groan of the day: Early writing was picture perfect.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A classic design example of the modern era
The London Underground signage is described as a classic design example of the modern era.
Groan of the day: That signage really gets around.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Edward Johnston
In 1916 Frank Pick enlisted Edward Johnston to design a new typeface for the Underground.
Groan of the day: Johnston's letters were on the right track.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Principles of modern typography
Jan Tschichold codified the principles of modern typography in his 1928 book New Typography.
Groan of the day: Tschichold set the type straight.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Arrangement of elements on a page
Page layout deals with arranging content on a page, including image placement, text layout, and style.
Groan of the day: Layout keeps things in place.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Easily comprehend the overall project
A grid arranges space and information so readers can easily comprehend the overall project.
Groan of the day: Grids keep design on the straight and narrow.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Digital tools for image manipulation and creation
In the mid-1980s desktop publishing and graphic art software introduced digital tools for image work.
Groan of the day: Digital tools clicked with designers.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Hand drawings digitally
Styluses used with tablet computers can capture hand drawings digitally.
Groan of the day: Stylus in hand, ideas at your fingertips.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A raster-based program for photo editing
Adobe Photoshop is a raster-based program for photo editing, often used in the final stage.
Groan of the day: Photoshop helps images shape up.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A vector-based program for drawing
Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based program for drawing, often used in the final stage of design.
Groan of the day: Illustrator draws a crowd.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
Inkscape uses Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) as its primary file format and imports other formats.
Groan of the day: Inkscape scales new heights.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Photo editing and image manipulation
GIMP is an open-source program used for photo editing and image manipulation.
Groan of the day: GIMP gives photos a helping hand.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Visual content for reproduction on physical materials
Print design creates visual content intended for reproduction on physical substrates like paper for mass communication.
Groan of the day: Print design leaves a lasting impression.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Understanding of user interaction and online branding
Interface designers combine visual communication skills with understanding of user interaction and online branding.
Groan of the day: Interface design keeps users clicking along.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Icon design
An important aspect of interface design is icon design, helping users interact with software.
Groan of the day: Icons are small but mighty.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Meaningful and relevant experiences for users
UX design studies and develops products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences for users.
Groan of the day: UX puts users first.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Empathy
UX design requires a combination of skills, most importantly empathy toward the end-users.
Groan of the day: Empathy goes a long way in design.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: The built environment
Experiential graphic design applies communication skills to the built environment, also called environmental graphics.
Groan of the day: Environmental graphics build a following.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Wayfinding and placemaking
Environmental graphic designers work on wayfinding, placemaking, branded environments, and exhibitions.
Groan of the day: Wayfinding helps people find their way.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Presentation of opinions and facts
Information design improves the presentation of opinions and facts with graphics and thoughtful visual compositions.
Groan of the day: Information design makes facts look good.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Interpret and present data visually
Data visualization uses programs to interpret and present data in a visually compelling way.
Groan of the day: Data looks better with a visual twist.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Modifying type glyphs and arranging type
Typography includes type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type.
Groan of the day: Typography arranges letters neatly.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: The space between two specific characters
Kerning is the space between two specific characters, while tracking is space between all characters.
Groan of the day: Kerning keeps letters from crowding.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Line spacing
Leading refers to line spacing in typography, helping text read clearly.
Groan of the day: Leading keeps lines in line.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Tradition and elegance
Serif fonts are often associated with tradition and elegance, while sans-serif fonts seem modern.
Groan of the day: Serif fonts have a classic look.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Modern and minimalistic
Sans-serif fonts are seen as modern and minimalistic, influencing how brands are perceived.
Groan of the day: Sans-serif keeps it simple.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Specific emotions and behaviors
Studies show certain colors can evoke specific emotions and behaviors in consumers.
Groan of the day: Color choices speak volumes.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Distill it into understandable formats
Infographics and data visualizations help distill complex information into understandable and engaging formats.
Groan of the day: Infographics make complex ideas simple.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Raster images and vector graphics in their work
Designers use pre-designed raster images and vector graphics from online design databases in their work.
Groan of the day: Databases give designs a head start.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: A vector graphics editing software
CorelDraw is a vector graphics editing software developed and marketed by Corel Corporation.
Groan of the day: CorelDraw draws attention.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: The final product in page layout
The final product is assembled in a major page layout program such as Adobe InDesign.
Groan of the day: InDesign puts it all together.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Getting approval to execute an idea
Hand-rendered layouts are used to get approval to execute an idea before the polished product is made on a computer.
Groan of the day: Sketch first, approve, then polish.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Consumer behavior
Graphic design influences consumer behavior using visual elements such as color, typography, and imagery.
Groan of the day: Design nudges shoppers along.
Sources: Graphic design
Short answer: Electronic/digital
Electronic/digital printing is one of the processes for producing printed communications.
Groan of the day: Digital printing has byte-sized fun.
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
Short answer: Samples of three products
Collecting samples of three products, each made by a different process, helps describe printing methods.
Groan of the day: Sample the printing buffet!
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
Short answer: Diagrams
Diagrams can help you describe the printing processes instead of collecting product samples.
Groan of the day: Draw a diagram, sketch a smile.
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
Short answer: Why you chose them
Designers explain decisions for the typeface or typefaces used in a printed piece.
Groan of the day: Typeface decisions are font-astic!
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
Short answer: How you arrange them
Explaining the way elements are arranged in a design is part of designing a printed piece.
Groan of the day: Arrange elements with flair!
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
Short answer: A printing process
You explain which printing process is best suited for printing your design.
Groan of the day: Pick a process, print with pride!
Sources: Scouting America: Graphic Arts
The whole guide on one screen. Screenshot it, print it, stick it on the fridge.
Think of your answer first, then peek.
Visual communications with specific messages. Graphic design creates visual communications meant to send specific messages to social groups with clear objectives.
Books. Movable type printing beginning in the 11th century China made books widely available during the Song dynasty.
A vector-based program for drawing. Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based program for drawing, often used in the final stage of design.
Presentation of opinions and facts. Information design improves the presentation of opinions and facts with graphics and thoughtful visual compositions.
A vector graphics editing software. CorelDraw is a vector graphics editing software developed and marketed by Corel Corporation.
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