In the early years of the Later Cretaceous Period I began my career in graphic design. These were the final days of t-squares, french curves, Rapidograph pens, and drafting boards. In those days print was king and we served him by hand, sometimes slicing one off with an Exacto blade. I’ve retained the scars… The right index finger on my left hand is more pointy than it should be.
Not for nothing, but I was dead-eye when it came to touching up tiny 8-point type without using a loop (magnifier for those who are millennial). Type was set by computer on photographic paper. We would specify or spec exactly the size we needed… after tons of figuring, calculating font size, and variations in values of “x” height based on specific fonts. It was quite complicated. For a person who was math resistant, it was challenging. It forced me to be precise. If I wasn’t, the mistake was expensive, and I’d hear about it. Nearly every person I met who held the job of “Typesetter” was MISERABLE AND ANGRY. Graphic designers are notorious for changing things, so these unfortunate folks were at our mercy. It was probably a healthy thing when computers took over the art departments, and typsetters found themselves out of a job. I suppose they went on to something more zen, or so I hope.
Computers had a major impact on my career. The new Macintosh arrived as I began working in the 1980s. While it looked cool, it didn’t show up on my radar screen until the mid-90s. I was working in an art department that served the fashion industry making displays, packaging, and swatch cards. This was an ginormous printing outfit that had a million dollar press, amongst a sea of other offset, gluing, embossing, bookbinding, and even linotype machines. We did a ton of work. There were rumblings of change though. When they decided to go to computers, they looked at art department staff. It was determined (and this was told to me), that I was too creative to cope with computers. So, they let me go, and used my salary to pay for them.
In the throes of wondering what to do next, a few clients from my old job called me up. They wanted MY design, and creativity. So, I came up with a brilliant solution. I had a computer… My neighbor worked for WANG. He configured it to think it had more power than it was. I bought Corel Draw and got a bootleg copy of Pagemaker. I proceeded to learn computer graphics on my own. I watched the video on my living room TV, ran back to my office to implement what I learned, and ran back for more. And so Terri Etc. began. I bought a hi-res copier and the first 1000 dpi laser printer (which became an $8,000 doorstop in years to come). And so clients followed. This proved to me that people STILL wanted excellent design, and that even creatives like myself could master the computer.
Today, I enjoy the computer. It is a tool that encompasses the old drafting board, pens, pencils, paint brushes, t-squares, french curves, Rapidograph pens, paper, ink, paint, airbrush, etc. I am able to do more than ever, quickly, efficiently and ACCURATELY. When I illustrate for a client, and they change their mind halfway through, it’s easy to add another layer, hide the rest and begin on that. Then when the client says they liked the other version better, I can just turn that on again, and shut off the revisions. It’s brilliant!
Today I teach computer graphics on Adobe for college students. I introduce them to the world of design. The opportunities are endless. One can never learn all there is to know about Photoshop alone, nor Illustrator, InDesign, etc. It’s a beautiful place to play as an artist and creative.
Who could have thought this artist who was branded as too creative to cope with technology would be rocking it? I sure didn’t, but I had the “what if” mentality and made it happen. Today I enjoy teaching it. Watching students open creatively warms my heart. I enjoy giving them the opportunity to express themselves, and send it out into the world. It is a great way to share this evolution in design that I have been fortunate to experience.