Editorial director (rushing in): "I've got a geat idea! Let's do all our charts and graphs for the magazine as computer graphics. It'll give us the high-tech look of the eighties. And it'll be cheaper than using all those freelance artists. And it'll make our magazine a more appealing environment for all those hordes of computer-oriented advertisers!"
Art director: "Hmmmmmm . . ."
Many people think of combining the technologies of computer graphics and magazine production, but few try. Those who do try too often end up with graphic "contraptions" reminiscent of Rube--a particularly exasperating experience because, from the outside, the two technologies seem like an easy match.
The person imagining computer graphics in his magazine usually has a vision of a staff designer sitting in a corner of the art department creating colorful charts and graphs, instantly modifying, recoloring and reproportioning them according to data updates and the aesthetic whims of the editors. A simple push of a button, he thinks, will result in artwork spit out ready for production.
Reality, of course, is quite different. The type of equipment needed and the people with the operational skills to creaste quality artwork on computers are generally not found outside the few companies set up to do exactly that. Rae is the in-house computer operator with the instincts of an artist and the skills of a chart and graph designer. Equally rare is the designer who has a passion for computers. Most people who fit either description are already situated in computer graphic companies where the equipment is equal to their imaginations.
Finally, rare too is the realization of the ideal of the significantly less expensive method of creating artwork.
If computer-generated charts and graphs seem like a good idea for your magazine, you must approach the concept with a clear set of priorities and realistic expectations. There can be an infustion of high-tech graphics that employ the breathtaking palette of computer modulated colors, computer refined imagery and pinpoint accuracy--all of which combine to make the reader feel he is being transmitted information from the cutting edge of technology. The effects cn be impressive and rich if the right approach is taken. And the right approach, by definition, depends on your particular magazine's needs. Limitations are built in
Computer graphics evolved in the field of audiovisual presentations, and their strengths lie in their ability to respond to the needs of that field. The floppy disk remebers, and data presented often in sales calls can be constantly updated and reporcessed in exactly the same format. This year's figures can be replaced by or compared with last year's at minimum cost and with little disruption to an established presentation.
However, most magazines want to do anything but present the same data comparisons month after month using the same format and style. Rather, a magazine will usually want to hit once with a strong comparison of information that will stick in the reader's mind for a long time. Thus, the ability to instantly repeat, recall and update is not a plus in magazine graphics.
And neither is the ability to create pinpoint accuracy. Most magazine graphics don't need it. If the label on a bar graph indicates that it represents 90 percent, and the bar itself ends somewhere between 87 percent and 92 percent, no one is going to complain. No one is going to put a ruler to it and check--and even if someone did, he or she would not take issue with the basic information just because the bar is 1/16th of an inch off in one direction or another. The computer will always give you exactly the proportions and percentages you've asked for. This is nice, but not essential.
Then there's the question of image resolution. Although computer graphics arrive as transparencies (usually in the 35mm format, but occasionally in a two-and-one-quarter inch format), the resolution of their images is never as sharp and crisp as a photographic transparency taken from real life. As a result, blowing one up to a size larger than a quarter page usually results in a softly defined image. Hard edges that were never that hard to begin with get fuzzy and details blur.
This is something that's not particularly noticeable when projecting these slides in a darkened room, probably because the colors are so saturated and deep, but it's very noticeable on a magazine page.
Typography, which can be positioned precisely and created in all sizes and colors on the computer (but in few typefaces), similarly falls apart in the enlargement process. Color separating the already fuzzy type on this kind of slide into four sets of dots can create illegibility. In fact, the only way to ensure that type will be readable when reproducing computer graphics is to set it conventionally and drop it through or surprint it over the four-color separation.
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Because there is almost no way small type in transparencies can be color separated and appear on the same page with normally printed type without looking like a mistake, the transparency has to be created without type, effectively wiping out the valuable typographic strength built in to the computer process and creating additional costs for conventional typesetting, mechanicals and four-color stripping.
Under these circumstances, the process becomes the same as commissioning a conventional piece of color art, creating a mechanical for type and having separation and stripping done.
The best printin results are achieved by limiting the creation process to computer-generated artwork. The priority then must be to have the high-tech look in your imagery, as opposed to conventionally drawn imagery, because the creation of both requires similar amounts of effort. Looking for a vendor
Once you have accepted the fact of typographic inaccessibility and other innate restrictions, you can begin to think of creating beautiful computer visuals for publication. The first step is to find a competent vendor.
Look for sophistication in the aesthetics of vendor samples. Many computer graphics companies regularly turn out mundane work--and they may not be able to respond to the challenge of creating topflight art.
Most companies have a bank of images that they can call up and play with as regards side and color. (Contrary to public fantasy, however, they cannot call up three-dimensional images, rotate them 360 degrees, stretch, shrink and modify. That is a different breed of computer image, one reserved for NASA and other equally well-endowed organizations--and such images are produced at a much different cost.) A point to keep in mind as you go about selecting a vendor is that the longer a company has been operating, generally speaking the more images will be available in their banks. Of course they can always create new images on demand--for a fee. The best approach, however, is to realize that if you want a martini glass and all that's available are beer mugs, it is going to be much cheaper to use a beer mug. (Once created, however, the martini glass would always be available.) Using a vendor
The great strength and beauty of computer graphics comes from the machine's ability to connect lines, curves and shapes, and then shade those areas into seemingly infinite combinations of perfectly modulated colors.
Once defined, areas, representing data can get shadows, edges and striations of color and intensity. These can be used illustratively or as simple decoration. The flow of years, for instance, can be shown in deepening hues of one color. The hues can be accurately modulated so that the color deepens in correct increments, thus looking as if they're receding in space (or time).
Flat areas of color can be subtly graded with an evenness of tone that would be hard to match even with the finest airbrush. And these areas can be revised or changed far more easily than conventional art.
Again, the true strength of this medium lies in the combination of shapes and shadings with strong, simple imagery. Don't expect a computer graphic artist to follow a sketch or comp exactly. There are too many technical obstacles in the way. A curve created by the sweep of a human hand can be agonizing to chart on a computer's grid, whereas something comparable and equally graceful might require two flicks of a switch.
Best results are obtained with an open-minded approach. You may get exactly what you asked for, or something very different. If you operators are good, you're probably getting the best the machine can do.
It is startling, considering the current state of computer worship, to see how much computers can't do that you perhpas thought they could. For example, try to avoid using people's faces. A computer, it seems, was just never meant to draw one. You should expect simplicity in the rendering of objects. And remember that simple, bold, even mechanical images work best. A cooperative approach
Create a rough sketch for the vendor showing your idea. Include all the exact data, figures and relationships you're comparing. A note stating the intent and desired feeling you want the piece to evoke is also helpful.
For best results on the printed page, it's a good idea to ask the vendor to create images with maximum contrast and definition. The fuzzy quality of these transparencies softens subtle changes in color, and color separation softens them again. The result is that, while a yellow next to an orange may be very striking on the operator's screen, the two colors may be indistinguishable on the printed page. The magazine's approach to coloring must, therefore, be much more primary. This is something very few computer graphic artists will know.
Usually the vendor with whom you are working will send you a black-and-white tech copy showing the position and shapes of your artwork. These are printed in rough striated computer printout lines and can be very hard for researchers to interpret when checking accuracy. It is also very difficult to visualize the final product by looking at the tech copy. They take some getting used to.
However, the tech proof is the last chance you have to make alterations without charge. Also, the tech-proof stage is a good time to restate your color proferences. Computer graphic shops, like type shops, tend to run shifts 24 hours a day (if they've got enough work), so don't expect to be able to stand behind the operator and direct the coloring process. Your job will probably be scheduled for 3 AM--and besides, there is usually a very large charge for that sort of accommodation. Paying the cost
The price of a computer graphic, subject to complexity, deadlines and so forth, can range from $50 to $250 even under normal circumstances. Figure in type and production costs, and there is no real savings over using human artists.
Nor is the turnaround time (three to five days to get the black-and-white proof and another day or so until the transparency arrives) that great a deal if you figure in the time it takes for the color separation and stripping to be done. Bearing in mind that, once the chrome goes out for separation it cannot be altered except at great expense, the time allowed for checking accuracy and facts for the graph is diminished that amount over a conventional mechanical chart (as much as 10 business days).
On the plus side, one separation with white knockout type is usually less expensive than shooting and stripping the multi-overlayed kind of mechanical needed to create a true four-color feeling on the printed page. Making the choice
It is the printed page, and what effect the editor and/or art director want it to have on its readers, that in the end must dictate whether or not to use computer graphics, and on what scale. Computer graphics can be used very effectively--but so can the legions of talented and excellent chart and graph designers available. Judge computer graphics on aesthetic grounds specific to your magazine's needs, and don't dwell on the cost factors. There is no free ride in creating quality charts and graphs
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