I will be seriously dating myself here, but I (somewhat fondly) recall the days before Photoshop and scanners and Adobe inDesign. Times were simpler, but so much more work that’s hard to even comprehend how things have changed.
I was just old enough to skip the Letraset era, using a Mac Plus, Ready, Set, Go! and the very first Apple LaserWriter to build layouts. We would print the layout using the LaserWriter, manually crop and paste any photos or clip art onto the layout board and then shoot everything with the process camera. Definitely less work than what is shown in the videos, but still a far cry from the modern workflow.
These two videos give a fascinating glimpse of how things used to be. It makes me long for the days when graphic design was really and truly a skill. But I’m also really glad I don’t have to go through all that work for a simple layout anymore.
If you want to get even more in-depth on the good-old-days of graphic design, this article from Creative Pro is a totally amazing step back in time.
What’s your favourite memory from the good-old-days of graphic design?
