Schweinskeule: A symbol of cheapness for some. A code for a person or object with “complete lack of Taste” when combined with the word “Microwave” as in: “This is a microwaved Schweinskeule.”

Screenplay: A story that’s written to catch the attention of film people and, ultimately, an audience. Unlike most bestselling novels, a screenplay is distilled to its essential elements without frills and (most distressingly to the author) introspection or ego. Interestingly, AI is terrible at writing screenplays. Since Christmas 2023, iA Writer has a screenplay template.

Screenwriting: A means to tell a story succinctly by only showing what happens as opposed to what we want you to think is happening, which is the domain of the novelist. Screenwriters and novelists have a complicated relationship. While they admire each other for making an effort to tell a story, they disagree on who does it correctly. But as long as they both end up in the film credits, nobody cares who’s right.

Scrolling: The action of sliding content across a monitor or display. Analogous to flipping a page in a printed book. Scrolling is a core principle of human computer interaction and is regarded as commonly learned, understood and expected by the so-called User. In ancient times there was a debate whether information should be displayed as scrolls or cards. Everybody is always somewhat right so it depends. Scrolling is preferred to the viewport-defined card model when: Content is linked, scales over different platforms and screen sizes, layouts need to adapt to the viewport, and accessibility matters. Cards are preferable to scrolling when you have full control over the device, your information chunks won’t need more room than one canvas, accessibility is negligible and the interaction model is linear. These days cards are a PowerPoint-Snapchat-Photoshow outlier. A key role in a professional designer’s job to explain calmly and clearly and rationally and nicely *why we do what we do*. However, discussing basic principles like scrolling can trigger a Go hard or go home or even a Soup Nazi intervention.

Sexy: Has no place in a designer’s vocabulary. We don’t provide sex. We provide craft. When somebody says something is sexy you may be tempted to ask what that actually means, but we recommend you don’t react. Don’t nod, don’t repeat or otherwise encourage its repetition. See X.

Skeuomorphic: A half-forgotten term sometimes used by pretentious design intellectuals searching for a word to describe their love-hate for old Apple icons that imitated things like leather and glass. Under suspicion of being Lace. Some skeuomorphism can be useful for affordances when designing form fields.

Slop: AI-generated slurry, dross, rubbish, crap, kitsch, bullshit, baloney. Conceptually related to marine snow: The debris of dead life that drifts slowly to the ocean floor and is useful only to scavengers and other bottom feeders. See also: Artificial Intelligence

Social Media: A marketing term invented by “social media marketing specialists” who wanted to avoid the words “internet” and “marketing” at a time when “internet” sounded too cold for the hot air they were trying to sell. For some time Social Media merely meant “Facebook and Twitter and all the other crap.” Since then it has established itself as a general term meaning anything from “modern internet”, to shit storm magnet, damage control center, content marketing or online Advertisement.

Soup Nazi: Doomed anti-hero who is perfectly right on substance and entirely wrong on form. One of many Seinfeld references used to describe a person who inappropriately chooses the Go hard or go home stance.

Speak for yourself: Ethical and rhetoric guideline. Don’t speak about others. Speak to them. Don’t speak for others. Speak for yourself. If you speak for others you’ll patronize and disenfranchise them. Don’t speculate on what others may feel or think. Ask them instead.

Stargazing: Another word for indefinitely postponed. “It’s stargazing” means “It’s planned but probably won’t happen as it will be continuously rescheduled.” Refers to a planned stargazing trip since the last iA Camp. Sadly the weather was always poor or more important things always got in the way, so we postponed the stargazing trip again and again. It will definitely happen when the weather clears.

Stop stop stop: Followed by “…I told you many times.” Refers to a YouTube video that was popular at the iA offices back in 2005. Usually spoken when someone badly breaks something after they were insufficiently (or not at all) warned of the danger. Also expresses that the situation is bad but that the harm is done and the situation needs to be dealt with.

Story: An ancient human verbal technique for making people stay awake and interested in what you have to say. In modern times, a story is a structured, personal account of events or an idea that makes listening to speeches a survivable event. A good story has the power to make people look at the world through your eyes, so think carefully before you decide to do that. The best stories are usually made into bad movie trilogies. See also: Wall of text

Strategy: A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall goal. Strategy is to long-term aims what a tactic is to short-term goals. Tactics deal with the situation right now, strategy looks at the farther future. Without a sound strategy, tactics become measures that have to be taken *in spite of* long-term goals.

Structure: The inner working and the basic grid of what defines the shape of things. A object’s solidity comes from its structure. In everyday understanding of Design the term “form” is used in the sense of an object’s *outline*. In the designer’s vocabulary “form” is understood as an *expression of an underlying structure*. This is why gaps between form and structure bother us to the point where we see them as an indicator of Kitsch.

Superman: Metaphor, deprecated. Superman in iA lingo is an obvious liar. “Superman” means that the person in question has just dished out a grotesque fabrication to impress you. “He learned Objective C in one night. A week later he had the #1 text editor in the app store. Like Superman.” Dates back to a superficial acquaintance whose grandfather owned a 50-foot tree he would climb every day and… Well, let’s leave it at that.

Swiftyfeet: Allusion, deprecated. A con man who is ready to flee if caught. Typically sells what cannot be sold. If someone “has swifty feet” it expresses the suspicion that they will not take responsibility and run. The real Swiftyfeet was stupid enough to pride himself on “always having my bags packed so I can leave the country within two hours.”

Syntax Highlight: A pro writing tool in iA Writer for people who know how to use parts of speech to improve their writing. Used for hunting down adjectives and adverbs, finding phoney conjunctions, weak verbs and repetitions. We hate to explain the feature and fail to explain it well. It seems obvious to us, so we get to upset when we try to explain it calmly. Foreign language teachers love it.