The relevance of the work is the need to study the mechanisms of formation of the terms in the rapid development of design in modern society and the development of science design. The aim is to study the influence of the target component in the terminological system design. The methods of semiotics for verbal and visual sign systems, methods, systems analysis, cultural and historical methods are used. The results: It is proved that the accuracy of the terms depends on the purpose, it is determined by the level of technological development and the level of culture. The author has found out the specific character of the verbal and visual terms. The terms must comply with the environment of their functioning. They should change their shape, expanding visual content and updating the target component. When humanity entering the post-industrial phase the role of design changes considerably so that its terminological apparatus turns into an instrument for providing information and psychological security of the society by increasing its culture.