An icon, a symbol. I don’t know if somewhere in this world a memorial, a monument has been erected in the memory of this marking pen. Its disappearance meant the end of “handmade” layouts, which left enough space for the client’s imagination, for photography and illustration. Unfortunately, today we are used to present finished layouts, binding for the client’s eyes.

Knowledge of the market, being acquainted with one’s market either by experience or by research, is fundamental for being able to position and promote any kind of product, both for convenience goods and for service.

Once upon a time, paste-ups or mechanicals meant a Schoeller or Bristol cardboard with line-art, photosetted titles and copy, prints and logotypes glued on them by the means of the once-famous Cow. I remember of having done thousands of them, during my early years in Artwork.Today, most ad agencies still charge them, even if this final artwork is nothing more than the final step of image processing and digital paging. My cost-estimates don’t mention them.

I actually have not been much into multimedia and interactive design, except two Cd’s of Alitalia’s Yearbook (which went together with two very well designed annual reports), a short on-flight movie introducine the Boeing B777 and, for the same client, a management’s training course.