Final answer:
The cis face of the Golgi complex faces the endoplasmic reticulum and receives newly synthesized materials, while the trans face, oriented towards the cell membrane, dispatches modified substances in vesicles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The side of the Golgi complex that faces the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) receives vesicles containing newly synthesized cell products, whereas the other side of the Golgi complex, known as the trans face, faces towards the cell membrane. The receiving side is called the cis face. Transport vesicles that form from the ER travel to this cis face, fuse with it, and empty their contents into the Golgi apparatus for processing. The most frequent modification in the Golgi is the addition of short chains of sugar molecules, producing glycoproteins and glycolipids, which are important for cell-to-cell communication. Once modified and properly tagged with small molecular groups, these proteins and lipids are then packaged into new vesicles that bud off from the trans face to be transported to their destined locations, including to be secreted outside the cell or incorporated into the cell membrane.