Overview

Visual art is often produced as solitary work that is created without regard for a larger context. The artist usually has the freedom to explore any idea, pursue any means of production, and may even influence the context within which the work will be viewed. Although EDP work may produce artistic results, the process for achieving this is dramatically different for the EDP practitioner.

The process that leads to completed EDP work is complex and convoluted. The design must not only be created for a complicated physical, political, and cultural context, but the ideas themselves must be crafted for navigating the chaotic process of invention, iteration, review, approval, and implementation. The process relies on visual communication from the first stages of idea development, through the middle stages of regulatory review, to the final stages of the construction endeavor.

Graphics are the primary means used by EDP practitioners to communicate ideas. But graphics are only effective if their visual qualities match the display characteristics of the settings in which they are to be viewed. This is particularly true for digital graphics. E-graphics must be prepared with consideration for the digital production environment, and ultimately crafted for the conditions under which audiences will experience the content.

"Everything is easy as long as you are not the schmuck who has to implement it."

Ronald F. Guilmette