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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Age of Information, Part III (Module 10)

In college, I had a few friends who were graphic design majors.  It was without question that design majors would use Apple computers.  I also noticed during the course of graphic design studio I, that many people (including the professor) continue to use Apple computers in design.  I was curious to explore this continued preference for Mac, and to see if it is waning, and to discover the reasons why Macs are preferred for design.  For those who have been deeply steeped in graphic design for years, this might be considered a silly topic, full of well-known facts, a waste of time for someone to research.  For those of us who are graphic design novices, our knowledge of the debate is on the periphery, and an examination of the debate as clarity and will help us make decision about future hardware purchases.  I think disclosure is important, so I will state that I have always owned PCs, but I have frequently used apple products in libraries.  However, I have never used any design software on a Mac.

I initially started with a simple Google phrase "apple vs. windows graphic design," I was shocked by how many pages, which were actually relevant to the search terms, were available.  Additionally, I found the overwhelming majority were personal blogs, this debate was far more intense than I realized.  I've included information from personal blogs, but in effort to include information from less biased sources, I examined college websites and computer focused websites.

As Meggs and Purvis (2012) mention, Apple was the first to offer the use of a mouse and graphical user interface, and not surprisingly, this led to the early preference for Macintosh computers when it came to design.  Furthermore, SFI (2013) indicates that apple was the first computer to offer a laserwriter printer, which reduced the need for cutting and pasting when printing early digital designs.

However, in the current market, sites frequently give a variety of reasons to choose one over the other.  I will limit the discussion to those that directly impact graphic design (leaving out issues such as cost, which is really a personal finance issue, not a performance issue). 

Performance:
 I stated an avoidance of the issue of cost, however, how well a PC or Mac performs is based primarily on cost.  Although not universally true, the more expensive machines are going to have higher quality materials and more high end performance capabilities, as a result some would argue that the performance of the devices is equal (Pullen, 2013).  However, this is not a universally excepted premise, and some have sought to directly compare performance. Herrman (2012) directly compared a Mac and PC, and found some differences in performance specs; the findings related to graphic design included a higher processor speed for the PC, but better performance for a graphics speed test, six-app simultaneous launch, and video conversion.  Those results are not definitive, and it does address Pullen's (2013) argument regarding cost, since the compared devices had a $450 price difference.  It mostly points to the need for graphic designers to specifically research the performance specs of the particular device. 

Software Availability:
This area really appears to be a nonstarter.  While Adobe products, the industry standard, are available in both platforms, Windows based devices have a greater number of for purchase and freeware applications available for desktops and laptops.  However, many emulators are currently available to run Windows on Mac, so the issue of a greater number of Windows applications turns out to not be a concern for the designer (Pullen, 2013).

Appearance:
For a long time, I never understood the pull of appearance when it came to a computer, in my mind that was not the point.  However, when some laptops began to be offered in my favorite color, I ultimately decided not to spend the extra $100 just for a color, I began to understand how appearance could be important.  It certainly appears to be a relevant issue in the debate between the best type of computer for graphic design.  From the early Macs of 1980's, the design of the machines has been a focus of the company.  Beginning with a monitor/CPU combination, which simply reduced the clutter of unsightly cords and gave a more streamline design, to 1998's translucent iMac, to the sleek laptops today, Macs have been designed to be more aesthetically pleasing (Pumphrey, n.d.; wiseGeek).  Evans (2011) comments regarding Macs are particularly relevant, as he mentions that apple monitors have higher resolution and more accurate colors.  As a PC user, I can relate to the frustration of printing something that ended up with colors vastly different than what I saw on the screen.  I always assumed that it was solely a printer quality issue, which appears to be a faulty assumption.  This could be tremendously important for design campaign, particularly if the color scheme was designed around a product's color.  


First Macintosh (Murphy, 2012)


As personal note, I have always loved the color pinwheel compared to the hourglass or spinning blue circle used by Windows indicate something is loading; if you are going to be starring at something while waiting for it to load, it might as well look nice.  It is not surprising that graphic designers would prefer the device that looks better, the world of the graphic designer is about visual communication and creating visually interesting stimuli.  It seems logical that this carryover into computer purchases.

Industry Use:
The reality is that PCs and Macs will work for day to day use in graphic design, PCs are starting to look nicer, and software availability is a not truly an issue (AI InSite, 2009).  However, one of main reasons for the continued dominance of Macs in graphic design, is that these devices are the industry standard (Evans, 2011; AI InSite, 2009).  Professors at the Art Institute give indication that this trend may be changing, and that more variety may be seen in the field in the near future.  This is indicated by the fact that some professors emphasize having their students be capable of switching from one system to the other.  They also indicated that design firms are becoming verse in working with clients who use both systems, and one professor indicated working in Windows only environments, on rare occasion. 


Image of the stereotypical Mac user (Murphy, 2012)


Apple clearly still has a hold on the graphic design industry, but it will be interesting to explore this issue in a decade or so.  There may be more balance between the two systems, just as the PC market seems to have loosened its strangle hold on the business market.  Many of the articles cited ease of use as a positive for Macintosh computers, but as more and adults enter the world having grown up with computers, I wonder if ease of use will be as large of a concern in the future.




Works Cited

AI InSite (2009, November 16).  Mac or PC? It’s a Matter of Creative Preference.  AI InSite. Retrieved from http://insite.artinstitutes.edu/mac-or-pc-its-a-matter-of-creative-preference-15418.aspx

Evans, W. (2011, September 14).  Students debate merits of Mac vs. PC.  The Crimson White.  Retrieved from http://cw.ua.edu/2011/09/14/mac-vs-pc/


Herrman, R. (2012, February 9).  Mac vs. PC: Ultimate Laptop Lab Test.  Popular Mechanics.  Retrieved from http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/reviews/mac-vs-pc-ultimate-laptop-lab-test#slide-2

Pullen, I. (2013, November 29).  Graphic Design on a Mac or PC. Suite 101.  Retrieved from http://suite101.com/a/graphic-design-on-a-mac-or-pc-a99058 

Meggs, P. B., & Purvis, A. W. (2012). Meggs' History of Graphic Design (5th ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Murphy, R. (2012, December 7).  Mac Vs. PC: Myth-Busting Guide For Consumers.  Creative Orange.  Retrieved from \http://www.creativeorange.ca/blog/random-thoughts/mac-vs.-pc-myth-busting-guide-for-consumers/

SFI (2013, February 18).  Are Windows 8 Laptops Good for Graphic Design, Video Editing, and Gaming?  SF Industries.  Retrieved from http://sfindustries.net/2013/02/28/are-windows-8-laptops-good-for-graphic-design-video-editing-and-gaming/


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