- Personal computers began showing up in the late 70's. However, they had no practical or industrial uses. There were no graphics, only text. At this time personal computers were basically just for hobbyists.- In 1984 the introduction of the Macintosh computer foretold the digital revolution. Besides sporting bitmapped graphics, it included a device called a mouse. These two innovations combined made it easy for anyone to use the computer, not just programmers and mathematicians.- The driving force behind making computers convenient to use was a man named Douglas Englebart. Besides just inventing the mouse, his early innovations could be likened to modern day applications such as email and even windows.- In 1985 the first readily available laser printer was introduced by Apple Computers. Although not typeset quality, fonts were easily readable. When a newer model of the printer was produced about a year later, the problem was fixed.The Renaissance- By 1990 the face of graphic art and communication had been changed by color computers. This was due largely to Macintosh Computers.- IBM computers began to step into the limelight, particularly when programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Quark were introduced. These two programs gave art directors many more possibilities.- Using Adobe and Quark, magazine editors found a new sense of freedom. They experimented with new techniques such as backwards and undulating text.- Newspaper editors also found a new sense of freedom. Advertisements were easier to lay out and create.- Designers all over the world began realizing the awesome potential of computers in their industry.- In A History of Graphic Design (3rd Edition), author Phillip B. Meggs likens the change computers brought about to "..the fifteenth-century shift from hand lettered manuscript books to Gutenberg's movable type."...
