The design of a coat of arms consists of several parts, including the following: the escutcheon, or shield; the helm, or helmet; the crest; the motto; the mantle; the supporters; and the torse, or wreath all discussed below, in the context of English usage. Of these parts, the escutcheon is the most important. The complete design ensemble is called an achievement of arms. The proper description of a coat of arms involves precise use of a special, colorful heraldic vocabulary that has survived, in English, from about the 13th century.

The term escutcheon is derived from a French word, which signified a shield with arms portrayed on it, as distinguished from a plain shield. The escutcheon is usually in the shape of a conventional shield, except for the oval-shaped arms of churchmen and the lozenge-shaped arms of ladies. To facilitate description, heralds divided the shield from top to bottom into three areas chief, fess, and baseman from right to left (of the wearer) into dexter, middle or pale, and sinister. The shield bears various charges, or figures, represented in different colors, or tinctures.

The term tincture includes the representation of metals, colors, and furs. The two metals in common use are: or (gold) and argent (silver). Gold is shown by yellow, silver is shown by white; in black-and-white drawings or engravings, gold is represented by white stippled with fine black dots, and silver by plain white. The principal colors are gules (red), azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green), and purpure (purple). A charge emblazoned, or depicted, in the natural color of the object represented is said to be proper. The furs are ermine and vair (squirrel). Colors and furs are represented in drawings by conventional hatchings and figures.

Charges are the figures depicted on an escutcheon classified by heralds as honorable ordinaries, subordinaries, and common charges. The field, or background, of an escutcheon may be of two or more tinctures, divided by one or more partition lines. A shield divided vertically is parted, or party per pale; and a shield divided vertically and horizontally is called party per cross, or quarterly. If one of the divisions is also quartered, the original division is called a grand quarter. A shield parted per saltire (divided into four parts by two crossed diagonal lines) and per cross is called a gyronny of eight, and each segment is called a gyron. When the shield is completely divided into a number of equal parts by a pale, bend, bar, or chevron (see below), it is said to be paly, bendy, barry, or chevrony, and the number of divisions is specified, as, for example, a paly of six or and sable. A field divided by vertical and horizontal lines is called checky, and one divided by intersecting diagonal lines is called lozengy or fusilly (see below). A field strewed with an indefinite number of small charges so as to produce a pattern is said to be seme of that charge. Fretty describes a field covered with an open network of diagonal interlaced ribbons.

Honorable Ordinaries are simple geometrical figures delineated by straight lines or by partition lines of irregular forms. The straight lines include the pale, a perpendicular stripe; the fess, a horizontal bar across the middle of the escutcheon; the bar, a horizontal line; the bend, a diagonal band; and the chevron, two diagonal stripes meeting at an angle with the point up. Various crosses are important honorable ordinaries. The irregular partition lines have specific patterns, known as engrailed, invected, wavy or undy, nebuly, indented, dancetty, raguly, dovetailed, embattled or crenelle, and potented.
Subordinaries consists of the bordure, or border of the shield, is often considered as an honorable ordinary. It consists of a band encircling the shield and often bears small charges. The orle is a narrower border that does not touch the edges of the shield. The diminutive of the orle is the treasure, which is usually double and is often embellished with fleurs-de-lis.