ABSTRACT
Beginning in the 1950s, a group of visionary engineers developed the hardware and software necessary to create new tools for art and design—what would become the digital media in all its myriad forms. Because of their high cost and complexity, few artists participated in the early stages of development; progress in the early years was largely the work of imaginative computer scientists. Once engineers and artists began working together, museum exhibits began to highlight the potential of computer art. University computer science departments began to explore graphics. Their graduates moved into industry, leading to the introduction of the first personal-sized, graphics-based computers. More user-friendly programs for graphic design, illustration, painting, animation, game design, and constructing websites followed. Today digital media and software have become sufficiently mature so that artists and designers rarely require the collaboration of a team of technical advisors. Yet as new techniques emerge, like dynamic immersive virtual environments, the exciting teamwork of technology experts, researchers, writers, and artists and designers will continue to be necessary.
