•BIRTH OF THE MAC
In 1980 I decided that I really needed an electric typewriter that could produce large text.
Hang on a mo, said my brother, a recently graduated electronic engineer, there's something new in the computing world and it uses a mouse to draw with as well as being good at type.
Incredulously I experimented on the 'Macintosh' computer - Mac 512, that he brought home from work one weekend, along with the first ever issue of MacUser magazine.
I was fascinated as much as I was frustrated by it's clumsiness.
But surely there was something here that I could make use of.
I remember spending many thousands of pounds when I eventually took the plunge and bought my first Mac kit, I think it was well over £5k.
But I was hooked. I've done a fair bit of teaching at art colleges and have always used the analogy that yes, anyone can turn out artwork on the Mac just as anyone can hit the strings on a guitar but students shouldn't expect the Mac to be the creative thrust behind them, they should use it as a tool just as a musician, given the guitar, needs the skill and expertise to get the very best from the instrument.
It is one hell of a tool though!
I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when Nestlé were looking for illustrators who could handle the new digital technology. The Drifter bar namestyle and illustration were some of the first work I produced on the Mac. A big thanks to Glynis, Barry, Richard and Graham, Chris Wilson and all the other designers who I worked with over a period of about ten years.
Please feel free to click on any image to enlarge but remember all are strictly copyright.©
