ACA Project Workflow & Industry Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A freelance designer is about to use a stock photo found via a Google image search in a client brochure. What is the correct next step?
- Use it immediately since it appeared in a public search
- Check the image's license before using it commercially (Correct answer)
- Apply a filter to disguise the original
- Reduce the image size to avoid copyright issues
Correct answer: Check the image's license before using it commercially
Appearing in search results does not grant rights; the designer must verify the license allows commercial use.
Question 2: What does the term 'safe area' refer to in broadcast and video design?
- A password-protected export folder
- The region guaranteed to be visible on all screens without cropping (Correct answer)
- A backup copy of the project file
- The maximum file size for streaming
Correct answer: The region guaranteed to be visible on all screens without cropping
The safe area is the inner margin of a frame that all TV and monitor types will display without edge clipping.
Question 3: A project manager asks a designer to provide assets 'optimized for web.' Which of the following actions best fulfills that request?
- Export at 300 PPI in TIFF format
- Export at 72–96 PPI in JPEG, PNG, or WebP format (Correct answer)
- Export in CMYK color mode
- Export as an editable PSD file
Correct answer: Export at 72–96 PPI in JPEG, PNG, or WebP format
Web images use screen resolution (72–96 PPI) and compressed formats like JPEG, PNG, or WebP to reduce file size.
Question 4: In a professional workflow, what is the purpose of a creative brief?
- A legal contract signed after project completion
- A short document that defines project goals, audience, deliverables, and timeline (Correct answer)
- A collection of inspiration images
- A final invoice submitted to the client
Correct answer: A short document that defines project goals, audience, deliverables, and timeline
A creative brief aligns the design team and client on scope, objectives, and constraints before work begins.
Question 5: Which color profile is most appropriate when designing assets intended for display on websites and mobile apps?
- U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2
- sRGB (Correct answer)
- Adobe RGB (1998)
- ProPhoto RGB
Correct answer: sRGB
sRGB is the standard color space for the web and is natively supported by all modern browsers and devices.
Question 6: A designer is preparing a multi-page PDF for a client to review on screen. Which PDF setting best balances readability and file size?
- PDF/X-4 with maximum compression
- PDF (Print) at 300 PPI
- PDF (Smallest File Size) with screen-optimized settings (Correct answer)
- PDF/A for archiving
Correct answer: PDF (Smallest File Size) with screen-optimized settings
The Smallest File Size PDF preset optimizes resolution and compression for on-screen viewing without unnecessary print data.
Question 7: What is the industry term for the process of checking a design against the original brief to ensure all requirements are met before delivery?
- Preflight check
- Quality assurance (QA) review (Correct answer)
- Soft proofing
- Rasterization
Correct answer: Quality assurance (QA) review
A QA review compares the finished design against brief requirements to catch omissions or errors before client handoff.
ACA Project Workflow & Industry Standards 3
A freelance designer is about to use a stock photo found via a Google image search in a client brochure.
What is the correct next step?