TECHNOLOGY SURVEY

It is difficult to analyze data collected before the shocking events of September 11 and make predictions about short-term behavior in the short term after those events. Accordingly, this report will focus instead on what this technology survey — sent to one thousand readers during the summer — tells us about longer-term trends in digital design and production.

In this regard, the survey responses provide a snapshot of the creative community's technology-related mindset while reaffirming four long-term trends that will not surprise but are worth note:

>> First, virtually all professional graphic design is done in a digital environment using the modern-day artisan's tools: computers, accessories, CD players, monitors, scanners, cameras, printers, proofers, copiers, software of all kinds, and direct-to technologies.

>> Second, these tools are increasingly connected through internal and external networks, and the processes being linked through web-based or proprietary digital workflow systems.

>> Third, content creators (designers, artists, whatever) have more control and responsibility for the graphic communications process from design to delivery than ever, and this encompasses substantial influence over buying and specifying of products, services and technologies.

>> Fourth and finally, the projects that graphic designers earn a living from are increasingly diverse and cross-media in nature. Diversity results from the growing business and societal need for effective design and the increasing capabilities for digital tools to transmit and repurpose content.

DIGITAL IS UNIVERSAL

The basic question asked in the survey was: "Do you use personal computers for graphic design, publishing and/or production?"

In response, 99% answered in the affirmative and held up across all kinds of creative businesses — ad agency creative departments, corporate inhouse departments, graphic design firms and publishers. The universality of digital design, at least at the front-end of the process, no longer has the power to titillate. But for historical perspective, keep in mind that this figure is the culmination of a watershed transition and unthinkable just a decade ago.

Sticking with the computer and operating system for just a moment, we also asked whether creatives are using the Macintosh or Windows or other platforms.

MACS STILL RULE

Interestingly, we found that the Macintosh is still the dominant first choice among creative professionals with modest growth in Windows usage coming largely from organizations that have both Mac and Windows rather than from abandonment of the Mac. Overall, 87% of these organizations use the Macintosh operating system exclusively or in a dual platform context. Some 37% use the Windows operating system, some exclusively but most in a dual platform context. Neither of these figures changed much from a poll we conducted on the subject in 1998, with the Mac contingent stable and Windows users edging up a few percent. What did change, however, are the percentage of two system households. In 1998, only 13% of creative businesses or departments had access to both machines; this time around the number had climbed to 23%.

Delving a bit more deeply, it turns out that ad agency creative departments are the most intense Mac users by percentage and the least likely to have a Windows presence. In the middle are graphic design studios which are also quite intense Mac users by percentage but somewhat more likely to have both systems on premises. And, perhaps not surprising, corporate inhouse departments — which interface more directly with Windows-based counterparts in other departments — are somewhat less intense Mac users and most likely to have PCs within the design and production function.

PURCHASING INFLUENCE GROWS

The survey also reflects another fact of creative life. The sweep of technological change has thrust growing influence and responsibility for product, service and technology decisions beyond the computer into the hands of the creative community.

One well-established metaphor that helps explain this phenomenon is that of a stream. In this metaphor, the nature of digital design and production moves power increasingly upstream toward the creator of art and information. In an earlier era, all the power resided downstream at the typographer, color separator, commercial printer who then controlled all the tools of production.

Later we will explore how designers feel about this increased level of responsibility and control over the production process; right now we will look at how all of this manifests itself in the statistics. Quite simply, the results show that the creative community has significant purchasing influence over technology-related products and services. Among the highlights: hardware and peripherals purchase and specification (83%); software purchasing and specification (86%); digital typefaces and fonts (91%); production services (81%); and commercial printer (78%).

POPULAR PERIPHERALS

What hardware and peripherals do these designers use the most in their work? Other than the computer itself, the top three products are: Color Monitors, Desktop Color Printers/ Proofers, and Desktop Color Scanners. All are standards in the creative workspace, each with more than 80% presence. That makes sense in today's world but, again, is breathtaking in the context of broad historical sweep.

Other top devices that are used most frequently by creative professionals are, in order: CD Players/ Recorders, Memory/Storage Devices, Color Copiers/Printers, Digital Cameras and Large Format Printers. Two products in this grouping are particularly worthy of note here: color copiers, presumably because of their ever-increasing multifunctionality and networkability; and digital cameras, which have finally reached a quality level and a price point where they make sense in the designer workflow and seem poised for takeoff.

SOFTWARE SELECTIONS

As for the categories of software that designers use most frequently in their work, three stand out:Page Layout/Desktop Publishing, Photoretouching, and Draw/Paint/Illustration. In each case, roughly 95% of designers use these applications.
Other high-flyers in the software arena include Web Design, Preflighting/Proofing, Color Management, Multimedia, CD Recording, and a newcomer to these surveys, Digital Asset Management. Of these, Web Design was the most often named, with roughly two out of three creative professionals indicating that they use such applications in their work.

DIGITAL FONTS

For the first time in a Graphic Design:usa survey, digital fonts were explicitly broken out as a separate series of questions. Given the power of typography, it is interesting, though again not surprising, to note that fully 91% of respondents say they buy or specify digital typefaces and fonts. Among the criteria noted by designers for selecting fonts and foundries: the visual impact and message conveyed, readability and clarity, quality of form and reproduction, range of weights and sizes, and cross-platform compatibility.

(For quotes from the survey regarding the importance of digital fonts, see Graphic Design:usa, September 2001.)

OUTSOURCING PRODUCTION

Here the main thrust of the survey is to determine the use and specification levels of digital production services, and to test the premise that in a digital world it is important to have a close and trusting relationship with a technology-savvy service.

Among the outside services relied on by creative professionals, Commercial Printers topped the list at 82%. Other services, in order: Stock Visual Providers, Service Bureaus, Internet Access Providers, Trade Shops/Color Separators, Digital Print/On Demand Print Providers, Digital File Transmission, and E-commerce Sites.

A few quick notes. Stock Photo Providers are not, strictly speaking, production services. However, since stock imagery has become such a critical aspect of the design and production workflow — and more and more stock images are searched for and delivered digitally — it made rough sense to include the question. Trade Shops/Color Separators fell slightly relative to our past surveys presumably because of the penetration of digital workflow that reduces the need for film separations. On Demand Printing providers were broken out as a separate category to get some feel for how this technology is faring; in most cases these providers are also either Service Bureaus, Trade Shops or Commercial Printers. E-commerce sites scored strongly but the strength was in looking for digital products and supplies; very few creatives seem to be adopting e-commerce providers for project management or print buying as yet.

(For quotes from the survey on what designers look for in their production services, see Graphic Design:usa, September 2001.)

MEDIA DIVERSITY

Turning from questions of products and services, the survey also deals with what type of media designers are working on and in. In this connection, the results reveal that creative professionals are using digital technology to design and produce an extremely diverse range of projects and media in standalone applications or integrated cross-media projects. The questionnaire allowed for multiple responses to reflect the fact that creative firms work on many projects simultaneously or seriatim.

Perhaps the most interesting finding is the most obvious: designers do in fact work in large numbers on an array of different projects.

Print Design, the results confirm, is still the number one source of projects for professional graphic designers. Indeed, 94% of respondents say they work on print and paper projects — brochures, collateral, annual reports, letterheads and envelopes, advertising, calendars, posters, periodicals and publications, direct mail and catalogs, and more. Print is proving to be more user-friendly, resilient, customizable, efficient and adaptable to today's needs than heretofore thought, say the respondents.

After Print Design, the second highest source of projects proved to be the bundle of activities best described as Point-Of-Purchase/Display/Sign Design, with 70% of respondents saying they work on such projects. The reasons for this high percentage: the need to stand out in the clutter, and to use interior and exterior spaces to bring in customers, close sales, reinforce brand image and corporate identity.

Third in line is Internet Design. After the dotcom crash, the percentage of designers working in the web area has fallen slightly, to 65%, in this current survey, and the almost blinding shine of internet promise has been tarnished. This is consistent with common sense and with other studies, including, most notably, a new TrendWatch Graphic Arts survey which shows that print collateral has eclipsed web design as the best future business opportunity for creatives. That said, the fact that two of three in our survey still engage in web design activities is a huge number and suggests that the current impact and future promise of web design as a source of income is meaningful.

The fourth and final project category to generate a majority of responses is Package Design. At 61%, this area remains a large and stable source of design projects driven by the critical role of packaging in establishing and maintaining a brand as well as in making a sale at the point-of-purchase. Indeed, the increasing recognition of brand-as-asset by the business world assures an important role for package design projects.

Before turning the page, it is worth observing that just a handful of years ago, the notion of a high percentage of designers working on a variety of media seemed illogical and designer specialties appeared exclusive rather than inclusive. But the sweep of digital technology has proven to be one of several forces — arguably the primary factor — leading to a graphic design marketplace marked by the repurposing of information across media, by design firms that can bring their talents to many media, and the power that comes from being able to easily mount cross-media campaigns and integrated communications programs. That is a long-term healthy and expansionary reality for creative professionals.

MINDSET: RESPONSIBILITY AND CONTROL

In the survey, we posed two questions that probed the mindset of designers concerning the sweep of digital technology, and the increased responsibility for purchasing and production it has placed on them.

One asked them whether the metaphor of control moving upstream to the creator was accurate and desirable.

On the subject of responsibility and control virtually all designers agree that they control a lot of the production in the digital age and prefer that to the alternative. At the same time, as you will note in some of the representative comments that follow, some see nuances in the situation:

"I think the viewpoint that designers have more control over and responsibility for production matters is accurate and appropriate. This gives designers more control — ownership — of their work through the entire process. A good, though challenging, thing."
Sharon Salomon, Mosby Advertising, St. Louis MO

"The lines are blurring... We have much more control and responsibility, and the more we can get into production the more control we will have over our product."
Fabiola Zamora, Art Director, New York NY

"Creatives should have control over the production process. It is their responsibility to understand the production and printing process in order to correctly design the product."
Mitchell Lindgren, Compass Design, Minneapolis MN

"Great designers have always had control and responsibility for production. Technology has not changed that."
James E. Loparo, Graphic Designer, New York NY

"It all comes down to how you use the tools. It is true that graphic designers have more access to tools that were once the domain of different specialists. That doesn't mean they automatically become expert... I think some areas should be looked at closely to determine if it really saves money to stay 'inhouse' or to use a production specialist."
Jeff Johnson, Big Bad, Boston MA

"There still exists a dichotomy between 'creative' and 'production.' Production can always be taught, but creativity — taste, talent and a discerning eye — are innate and inherent. It is helpful for creative designers to be technicians, but it does not mean, conversely, that technicians can be designers."
Mark Felarca, Art Director, Norfolk VA

"It is true that graphic designers/content creators have more control overall in print production matters. The problem starts when production artists/managers act like graphic designers and produce mediocre work. And overall, everyone acts like a designer; that is where the blurring becomes a problem. That is why it is essential for clients to know and search for designers who have experience and have been around for years, and create one-on-one relationships."
Silva De Varj, De Varj Associates, Highland IN

"It is true that administrators, marketers, top management know nothing about production. Everyone thinks they are a writer... but they rely totally on the designer for production issues... I would say in closing, I have more control over the final product than ever before, and over the programs used to create the product."
Carol Moser, Art Director and Graphic Designer, New York NY

"Yes it is true that graphic designers have more control over production than ever before but are they good at using the software and hardware? I think designers should do what they do best. Design."
Paul Land, RC Communications, New York NY

MINDSET: ALL DIGITAL WORKFLOW

The movement from analog to digital workflow can be seen as occurring in stages. The first stage involved getting the personal computer on every designer's desktop. In the second stage, software and typography applications for basic design processes became rationalized. The third stage: growing power, accessibility and sophistication of hardware, software and peripherals. The fourth stage: networking and connectivity among machines and sites. In a fifth stage, it should all come together in a seamless workflow from creation to proofing to output encompassing digital front-ends, sophisticated software, PDF formats, digital imaging, direct-to-plate printing, repurposing on the fly, and the like.

With most designers working in stages three and/or four, we asked one final "mindset" question: "How do designers feel about the likelihood, potential and promise of a stage five?" The following representative comments show that such a workflow is viewed as a positive and anticipated event, though many believe some time will have to pass before all the kinks are worked out of such pivotal elements as digital color proofing:

"The graphic arts is definitely moving or has moved toward all-digital prepress and color proofing. Eventually, and sooner than we imagine, everything will be digital... as this is the direction preferred by most in the visual and audio communications field. The goal is to achieve perfect visual reproduction of anything and everything we are creating and developing whether it be for print, multimedia, tv, film, etc. Digital color proofing has reached an almost 100% true final reproduction quality. This quality now allows a file disc with accompanying digital proof to go directly to plate, omitting film... 'DDD: Digital is a done deal.'"
R.G. Washburn, Adroit Marketing Design, Bloomfield Hills MI

"I feel we are quickly moving to an all-digital prepress workflow. PDF formats are becoming more common. We have used digital color proofing. It has come a long way and the color accuracy is much better. We can even proof on the paper we will be printing on. It also is a low cost way to see color and get color approval before the expense of film. In some cases, we skip film and go direct-to-plate."
Michael Landon, Maximum Design, Plano TX

"Yes. I think the industry will be going all-digital prepress to print (no more film or burning plates, either). It's happening already..."
Donna Yee, Ken Fong Advertising, Stockton CA

"I believe we will move toward an all-digital prepress workflow. I have worked for a company... that does digital color proofing and I am satisfied with it."
Kent Neffendorf, Kitten & Pig Productions, Los Angeles CA

"I don't think we will go all-digital yet. I would give it a year or two. Let the technology settle down and work out all the bugs and issues."
David Henderson, PPI, Wilsonville OR

"We are satisfied with digital proofing to the degree that we recognize the limitations in terms of color accuracy, but deal with it when the deadline is such that there is no other option. For the highest end work, we will probably prefer the more traditional service bureau services..."
Leslie Gilbert, River City Studio, Kansas City MO

"I feel that if digital printing can come up to the standards of quality of traditional printing, eventually the whole process will be digital. So far, I think there is a long journey ahead for digital printers to achieve the results of the traditional. I'm all for new technology and advances in the printing industry. But somehow it seems to move at a snail's pace."
Maria Velez, Velez Design, Los Angeles CA