Increasingly A Blur - 02/07

Each February we spotlight the few companies and vendors that are truly graphic designer-friendly. Here is why... “Man is a tool-using animal,” wrote the essayist and historian Thomas Carlyle. “Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.” A bit hyperbolic, perhaps, but it is the driving sentiment behind our annual roundup of 100 designer-friendly companies. The companies are, to be sure, important purveyors of tools and technologies that help graphic designers succeed in a world where the line between creative and production is increasingly blurred. But they are also the rare birds who understand the creative mind (to the extent that understanding it is possible), who support the creative community with education, information and resources, and who aspire to combine traditional values with state-of-the-art solutions. Deep relationships with suppliers are more vital than ever, and our special roundup is an appreciative bow to that reality. That said, let's not get crazy, since the human brain is the transcendent tool. Said Nobel Peace Prize-winner Christian L. Lange, “Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master.”