Reel
From Design+Encyclopedia, the free encyclopedia on good design, art, architecture, creativity, engineering and innovation.
Reel
A reel is a versatile term that can be used in multiple contexts, including fishing, music, motion picture technology, and design. In fishing, a reel is a type of tackle used to store fishing line and is typically circular in shape with a handle attached to one side and a spool for the line to be wound around on the other. In music, a reel is a lively dance tune in quadruple time, often associated with Scottish and Irish folk music. In motion picture technology, a reel refers to a spool of film used for projection or editing. In design, a reel is a curated portfolio of a designer's work, showcasing their skills and achievements in the field. The word reel has an amalgam of origins, ranging from the Germanic root of ral meaning wheel to the Middle French root regle referring to a spindle or bobbin. From these multiple sources, the word has come to mean many different things. Morphologically, the word is related to motion, encompassing the act of rolling, turning, and winding, while conceptually it can be used to refer to the idea of repetition or circularity. In fishing, reels come in a variety of sizes and styles, with some models featuring a drag system that allows the user to adjust the tension of the line. In music, reels are often played on instruments such as the fiddle, accordion, and bagpipes. In motion picture technology, reels are used to organize and store film footage. In design, reels can be physical or digital and are used to showcase a designer's best work. Overall, a reel is a term that can be used in a variety of contexts, but at its core, it refers to a cylinder or object wound around with string, thread, or other material. Whether it's used in fishing, music, motion picture technology, or design, the concept of winding and unwinding is central to the meaning of the word.
fishing, music, motion picture technology, design, winding
CITATION : "Brian Robinson. 'Reel.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/define/reel?E=361622 (Accessed on October 14, 2026)"
Reel
The term Reel is commonly utilized in the world of graphic design. It can refer to a portfolio featuring a designer's best works, and/or it can refer to a video or animation featuring a graphic designer's works. Generally, the portfolio itself is created to appeal to potential employers, while the video/animation is usually edited to showcase the designer's best 9-10 pieces, and therefore add value to the designer's portfolio. It can also be utilized as a way to share a collection of animations or video pieces with a company or institution. The reel – in either its physical or digital form – can represent the designer's entire body of work, or a selection of their best works, depending on the situation.
Motion graphics, animation, portfolio, visuals, branding.
Reel
The term Reel is widely used within the design field to refer to a professionally-curated portfolio of a designer's work. This portfolio is created in order to showcase the designer's skills, achievements and cumulative output in the field. The composition of a reel is typically an assemblage of the designer's best work. This includes conceptualized designs, illustrations, photographs and other relevant projects used for presentation in the portfolio. The value of a reel lies in its ability to visually demonstrate the talent and craftsmanship of the designer and to highlight unique projects in the field.
In the context of design, the term reel can be associated with the following portfolio, showcase, skills, achievement, concepts, illustrations, photographs, projects.
Reel
Reel is a noun which can be defined as a device used for winding or playing something such as thread, wire, film, or tape. Synonyms include spool, bobbin, and cylinder. Its antonyms are unwinding and unspooling. Cognates for English include German Reel and French rouleau. Variants of Reel include: Reeling, Reels, and Reeled.
Linguistic elements, Etymology, Morphology, Situational meaning, Compounds, Etymon
Reel
The English word Reel is an interesting phenomenon in the field of linguistics. The word has an amalgam of origins, ranging from the Germanic root of ral meaning wheel to the Middle French root regle referring to a spindle or bobbin. From these multiple sources, the word has gone on to be used in a variety of contexts and has come to mean many different things. In its most basic form, the word Reel is commonly used to refer to a cylinder or object wound around with string, thread or other material. In the past, this form of the word was applied to items used in everyday life such as spinning wheels, fishing line and music boxes. It has also developed in more modern contexts to mean the act of winding and unwinding a string, as well as the strategy used in gambling. Morphologically, the word is related to motion, encompassing the act of rolling, turning and winding, while conceptually it can be used to refer to the idea of repetition or circularity. Pragmatically, the word is often used to refer to the winding of a device such as a thread, string, or film roll.
Etymology, Morphology, Reel, Roots, Language, Semantics
Reel
Reel is a term used in multiple contexts including music, motion picture technology and fishing, to name a few. In each of these contexts, the term is used to refer to coils of wire, thread, or tape, as well as to circular or winding motions. It is an incredibly versatile term that can be used in multiple languages in a variety of contexts.
Some of the words used to describe Reel in other languages include bobin (French), bobina (Spanish), bobina (Portuguese), Bobine (German), rull (Italian), rulle (Danish), rulare (Romanian), rulo (Finnish), rulle (Norwegian), pěna (Czech), rulja (Croatian)
Reel
Reel is a type of fishing tackle that is used to store fishing line. It is typically circular in shape, with a handle attached to one side and a spool for the line to be wound around on the other. The handle is used to rotate the spool, which allows the user to cast and retrieve the line with ease. Reels come in a variety of sizes and styles, with some models featuring a drag system that allows the user to adjust the tension of the line.
Fishing, reel, tackle, spinning, casting.
Reel on Design+Encyclopedia
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