Graphic Design Basics — Proficiency Exam

15 questions · pass with 50%

1. A landing page has a headline, a paragraph, and a button that are all the same size and weight. What is the main problem?
The colour palette is too limitedThere is no visual hierarchy, so the viewer cannot tell what to read firstThe file will be too large to exportAlignment is automatically correct when sizes match
2. Which change creates useful contrast without adding extra colours?
Making every line the same mid-greyCentring every paragraphAdding a second decorative font for captionsIncreasing the size and weight of the headline and leaving more empty space around it
3. Why does a caption that sits a few millimetres off the text column's left edge make a layout feel unfinished?
It breaks a shared alignment edge, so the composition looks accidentalCaptions must always be centredSmall misalignments improve contrastViewers prefer random placement because it feels creative
4. You need a type system for a long article on a website. Which pairing is the soundest starting point?
Two decorative display fonts, one for headings and one for bodyFive different sans serifs so every section feels uniqueOne distinctive heading face plus a highly readable body face that differs in structureThe same ultra-light display face at every size
5. Body text on a wide screen is set at 16px but each line runs about 140 characters. What should you change first?
Narrow the text column so lines fall around 45–75 charactersSwitch the entire article to all-capsReduce line height to 1.0 so more words fitAdd extra letter-spacing to the lowercase body text
6. Why is a 16px body with a 17px subhead a weak type hierarchy?
Subheads must always be smaller than body textThe size step is too small for the eye to rank the two rolesHierarchy can only be created with colourSeventeen pixels is not a valid font size on the web
7. A logo looks vivid teal on a laptop but prints dull and slightly grey. What is the most likely cause?
The printer ran out of paperSVG files cannot be printedThe designer used too much contrastThe colour was specified in RGB (screen light) and shifted when converted to CMYK inks
8. What is a widely used minimum contrast ratio for normal-size body text on the web?
1.5:1 is enough if the font is stylish4.5:1 between text and backgroundAny colour combination is fine on modern screens9:1 is required for every caption
9. A form shows errors only by turning the field border red. Why is that a problem?
Red always fails contrast checksBorders cannot be coloured in printColour is not a reliable sole signal for people with colour-vision deficiency or in difficult lightingError messages should never be visible
10. In a column grid, gutters are:
The spaces between columns that keep adjacent text from collidingThe outer empty band from content to the page or screen edgeA type of decorative fontThe colour profile used for print
11. A desktop page shows three equal feature cards in a row, but on a phone the designer placed each card at a different leftover width "by eye." What did they give up?
CMYK colourThe need for headingsA modular grid that reflows the same units into a stackContrast between text and background
12. When is it reasonable to let an image ignore the column edges and run to the screen or paper edge?
Whenever you are bored with the gridOn every photo so the layout feels creativeNever — grids must never be brokenRarely, as a deliberate hero emphasis, while the rest of the page stays on the grid
13. A client needs a logo that will appear in a website header and later on a large vinyl banner. Which format should be the master for that logo?
A heavily compressed JPG of the logoAn SVG (or other vector) original that can scale without going muddyA PNG screenshot of the websiteAny format is equal because logos are always photos
14. You are exporting a rectangular product photograph for a webpage. Which choice fits best?
JPG, sized to the layout, typically in sRGB for the webSVG tracing of every pixel in the photoPNG at poster print size as the only web filePDF as the website's image tag source
15. Why is PDF often the right file to send a printer for a poster, even if you designed it on a screen?
PDF files cannot contain images, so they print fasterPrinters refuse all other formats by lawPDF can hold page size, type, images, bleed, and embedded fonts in a fixed layout the press can usePDF automatically converts every colour to neon RGB

Answer all 15 questions to submit.