100 DESIGNER FRIENDLY COMPANIES

Less is more in this new directory of 100 Designer-Friendly Companies. Of the thousands of companies out there, we searched for the rare handful of vendors — hardware and software, stock photography and illustration, paper and packaging, digital prepress and workflow, recruiters and services, p-o-p and display products, e-commerce sites and web-based services — who actually understand the creative community, develop products primarily for the community, and service the community. We thought this was particularly useful given the tightening economy and the need for greater productivity.

This year's group reflects the evolution of graphic design from a primarily print-oriented industry to an increasingly cross-media discipline. Adding to the great paper mills, stock visual providers, and technology product companies, are a careful and increasingly large selection of digital workflow solutions companies, web-based services and e-commerce sites directed to the creative market. And it reflects, too, a certain amount of consolidation taking place in the various industry segments such as paper and stock imagery.

The report is also intended as a useful reference guide with easily-accessible addresses, telephone numbers and URLs included, as well as company backgrounders and recommended resources. Lastly, the results present an interesting insight into how graphic communications is evolving, and how critical suppliers and vendors are evolving, or not, to meet the change.

One housekeeping note: We did not include commercial and specialty printers because they will be recognized later in the year.