In days gone by, the main tools necessary for conceiving great advertising or graphic arts were pencils, pens, paper, and a wide open imagination. In the past decade or so, the computer has become the pre-eminent device for creative efforts.
Keeping up to date with the latest in digital technology has become an art unto itself. As anyone who has purchased one knows, the spanking new computer you carry out of the retailer’s front door is already obsolete, thanks to the faster and more powerful equipment coming in through the back door.
Every day, new advances are being developed in both software and hardware, and yesterday’s super system is today’s doorstop. As a creative, you’re charged with discovering how to get the most out of the technology at hand. How can the average creative person keep up with the constant change?
You don’t have to be a propeller head to know what to do. A little common sense and a fraction of your time can help you stay current.
First of all, accept the fact that your system is outdated almost from the moment you purchase it. This will help you deal with the need to always be on the trail of your next system.
"We have to constantly upgrade our technology," says Jeff Gribble, president of Industry Communications, a graphic design firm. "It’s an on-going process. We’re never in a ‘we’re there’ mode because [technology] is constantly changing."
Rather than concentrating on whether his company’s computers are the latest and greatest, John Harne, Executive Creative Director at iXL says his emphasis is on whether or not they can handle the work. "What equipment supports the latest technology is more of what we’re concerned about," he explains.
Although the rest of the world seems to be dominated by Microsoft Windows and the IBM-based PC's, in the creative realm, Bill Gates’ empire is a distant second to the Apple Macintosh system. It seems that every creative shop, with rare exception, is running a Mac, usually powered by the Motorola G-3 chip. These machines are usually loaded with QuarkXpress for page layouts, as well as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
"I find Macintosh to be user friendly," states Ben Huber, production manager of the Kudzu Graphics pre-press operation. "It’s easier to find your way with a Mac, and it’s easier to fix problems. I’ve used both Macs and PC's, and I’ve found the Mac to be less problematic when it comes to different applications."
"The Mac is a looser organizational environment than Windows," says Harne. "You have more latitude as to where you put things, and how you organize. While the Mac has lost some ground to Windows, it’s still a pretty viable machine."
Harne adds that this predisposition to Macs is a consequence of how the user was trained. "It’s a preference they come out of school with," he explains. "We’re an ‘agnostic’ shop as far as hardware goes. If I find a great C.D. who has been working on Macs for 15 years, I’m not going to force him to go to another platform. I’m going to get the best work out of him on something he’s familiar with."
The machines creatives are using today are faster, more powerful, and possess more memory than systems of a year ago. "These days, it’s much more affordable to have large hard drives and large amounts of RAM," says David LaMarca of DemoGraphics, Inc., a computer consulting firm whose primary clients are designers, advertising agencies, and marketing and creative departments at corporations. "In the past, they had to skimp on RAM and hard drives because of the price."
LaMarca says a top-notch system will have a 300 to 400 megahertz Motorola G-3 processor chip, 250 to 300 megabytes of RAM, a 9-gigabyte hard drive, and a 21-inch monitor. The system might run about $4,000 to $4,500, a considerable savings from what a top-of-the line system would have cost a few years ago with much less memory and computing power. At the beginning of the decade, he says a top-of-the line system might have cost $8,000 to $10,000, but was much less of a computer.
Martin Maier, Graphic Manager at iXL, says that his company’s first-line computers are running the G-3 chip, possess 128 megabytes of RAM, and a 6 gigabyte hard drive. They also come with 17 inch and 15 inch monitors, which allows them to place palettes on the smaller monitor and artwork on the larger.
Huber says that Kudzu Graphics’ systems are running on 200 megahertz G-3 chips and have 200 megabytes of RAM.
It’s a rule of thumb that the best system available today has a life span of two to three years. In that time, technology will advance to the point that there will be something much better on the market.
"After two years," says LaMarca, "there are so many faster and cheaper systems out there that it makes more sense to go and get a new one. If you really want to stay on top of things, you want to upgrade every year but that’s only if you have that kind of luxury."
"After three years, you’re pushing it," says Huber, who recommends getting a mid-range system. "Our equipment will be up to date for two years. The amount of change that will occur in a year is tremendous, and it will take some time for the software to catch up. Our systems will be able to run all the newest software for the next two to three years."
There are some definite signs that it’s time to replace your system. "The signals are very obvious," says Gribble. "The equipment is too slow, there’s not enough space [on the hard drive], or there needs to be a new medium for transferring or constructing the information."
"If you find yourself waiting a long time on the computer you’re working on," says Huber, "chances are there’s a reasonably inexpensive computer that can take its place and increase your productivity three or four times."
Finding that new system should be an ongoing activity, starting almost from the moment a system is up and running. Along with reading trade magazines and computer-oriented publications, LaMarca suggests searching the Internet and finding appropriate websites that concentrate on new technology. He suggests visiting www.versiontracker.com, and www.macfixit.com to keep apprised of updates and discover appropriate links to other sites.
Keeping up with word of mouth is another method of researching technology. "The artists and designers who are working with creative technology are constantly keeping their eyes forward," says Harne. "We’re hearing about product announcements or beta testing application software we might use."
Says Huber, "The local computer store would be a good place to start and find out what’s available on the market. You can research the different processors on hand."
When it comes time to upgrade one of the systems at his shop, Huber says he called upon his years in the industry, and pored through the Mac catalogs he receives to decide on what to get. About every six months, he tries to upgrade a system.
"I wanted to pinpoint a middle size computer," he explains. "I didn’t want to spend more than $2,000 on a CPU, so I shopped around to find what I could buy for that."
In many cases, the best prices for Mac systems are available on-line or through mail order. "If you go to local PC retailers," says Maier, "they have very little Mac products on the shelves. The Mac community rarely uses retail chain stores to make purchases. Everyone who has a Mac knows mail order is safe. There are a few major vendors who people have been buying from for years without any problems. They’re solid, inexpensive companies."
A number of companies decide not to get involved in researching and acquiring their computers. Instead, they turn to consultants like DemoGraphics to help them.
This was the case when BrightHouse decided to upgrade its system. "We had older computers that just weren’t up to par," says Heather Flurry, the "thinker" at the "ideation" firm who is in charge of production. "We wanted to make our productivity better and faster."
Unhappy with a past consultant, Flurry contacted DemoGraphics. While some companies might have an in-house information technology person to make digital decisions, she says, "We’re not a very large company, and we don’t need someone full time. We tried that, but it was more of a waste of time. That’s why we went out of house."
She says that the consulting firm makes sure all of the equipment is up to date, and that all the software BrightHouse needs is also up-to-date. DemoGraphics also does special training for creatives.
"I wanted to be sure that they would be the ones who kept up with new technology, and that I wouldn’t have to," says Flurry. "Our creative team keeps up with new technology, and if they see something that intrigues them, we’ll ask DemoGraphics if there’s a need for that here. We trust what they tell us."
Along with hardware, software also needs to be upgraded. In this area, caution should be the guiding principle before loading the latest and greatest version on anything on your hard drive.
Maier says iXL will add a software package that’s been tested elsewhere. "We’ll [upgrade] it only when it’s been out in the market a little bit, and we see the reports of bugs and anomalies go down in the trade press and on the Internet," he explains. "There’s usually a clear delineation when the software is buggy, and you see a lot of reports that are a tip-off there’s something going on with it. Once those die down as you don’t hear much any more, then we’ll look into it. We can’t risk the loss of productivity, or the artwork, you can’t put that in jeopardy. That’s why we’re very cautious and deliberate with upgrades."
"We do our homework first," says Gribble. "We like to wait. We’re not the types that upon hearing about something, or seeing it, immediately think we need to have it. We research it, and if it’s a software that shows it can expand our horizons and the type of designs we put out, it gives us a signal that it will indeed be a good partner for us."
When a system is replaced, there are a number of things that can be done with it. Just because it isn’t the "A" machine it was, doesn’t mean it’s useless.
Old equipment can be utilized as a business machine for invoicing and billing, or other front office tasks where speed is not essential. Huber says Kudzu Graphics uses older equipment for training stations; while Harne says iXL’s machinery will go into the testing lab. BrightHouse allows its creatives to take older systems home with them to use when their houses prove to be the best work environment. In many cases, still-working older equipment is donated to schools.
When Gribble had an ancient Mac that even his children found too slow for their use, he found an application for it that many feel is the natural recourse for such machinery, he turned it into a planter.
And so it goes. Meeting your technology needs comes down to an awareness that being up to date on the latest and greatest in hardware and software is now an important part of your job description. No matter how much you might brag that your computer is the best and baddest there is, rest assured that in an incredibly brief period of time, it too will be nothing more than a convenient place to plant begonias.