It was at a tradeshow in 1989 that we first heard the prophesy: Responsibility for, and control of, the graphic communications process is moving upstream toward the creative community.
It seemed a strange, ink-induced fantasy at a time when specialized production managers and commercial printers ruled the roost, equipment was heavy and expensive and hard to operate, and art directors and graphic designers were more often backroom prettifiers than strategists, imagemakers, technology shapers and purchasing influencers.
Indeed, when GDUSA began regular surveys about products and services, the responses had an artsy-craftsy, almost primitive feel to them. X-acto knives, rulers, tape, masking materials, glue, markers, paints, brushes, press type, tracing paper and layout boards were the main terms of discourse. For technologically-savvy early adopters, there the stat camera, art waxer and headline type maker were just beginning to surface. Designers bought and used a few little cute and quirky things, but responsibility and control over the big stuff — type, production, proofing, workflow, paper and printing — lay elsewhere.
But here we are in 2005, and for good or ill or both, the prophesy has come true. Graphic designers and other content creators increasingly have control of the entire process — content, creation and production. And, as digital technology becomes ever faster, more flexible and more affordable, the trend is irreversible. Today's technology is about speed, accuracy, efficient workflow and ROI. And while the world was once analog, this new survey affirms what we already know: creative professionals are all digital, all the time, empowered with the tools and and decisions that can allow them to flourish in a world that expects them to be brilliant, insightful — and fast.
All this is reflected and affirmed in today's survey, which finds the following:
First, virtually all professional graphic design is done in a digital environment using the modern-day artisan's tools: computers, monitors, scanners, cameras, printers, proofers, copiers, the internet, email and software for design, production and even billing purposes. Predictably, 96% of readers say they work in a digital world. The only surprise is that we found 4% who said otherwise.
Second, these tools are increasingly connected through internal and external networks, and the processes are increasingly linked through digital workflow systems from design to production to output to delivery.
Third, the movement upstream continues. Art directors and designers have more control and responsibility for the process than ever, and this encompasses substantial influence over the buying and specifying of products, services and technologies. In an earlier era, all the power resided downstream with the typographer, color separator and commercial printer, who then controlled the tools of production.
Fourth and finally, the projects that graphic designers earn a living from are 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.
Now let's look at some numbers.
