Design and Digital Media Equipment

If you are a Studio Art or Art Education major thinking about concentrating in Design & Digital Media (or just taking credits in this area) and seriously considering purchasing a computer for college, the Department of Visual Arts would highly recommend that you purchase or lease (or a combination of both) the following equipment and software:

• Macintosh Computer:  DO NOT BUY A PC BASED COMPUTER, if you are going into digital design!  The vast majority of design firms and commercial printers use MACs!  Don’t waste your money on a computer that will not be used when you are ready to look for a job or internship in the field of graphic design.  If you choose to purchase a MAC laptop, strongly consider purchasing a 15" or larger screen.

• Printer:  We highly recommend you invest in a decent color inkjet printer.  There are many great inkjet printers out there.  In fact, if you buy a MAC at a MAC store or Apple Online, you may get a printer thrown in for a very good price.  It should be an inkjet printer and where paper feeds from the top (try to avoid printers that feed from the bottom).  Epson tends to make a series of very good printers that start for less than $100.  Be sure to buy a MAC compatible printer!

• MAC Compatible Software: There are three programs that you will use in most of your Design and Digital Media classes.  (They are also used a great deal, if not exclusively, in the field of graphic design and digital imaging.)  We recommend that you start with these three main programs if you decide to purchase a MAC. They are:

        a.     Adobe Photoshop  

        b.     Adobe Illustrator     

        c.     Adobe InDesign or QuarkExpress

              Other software for multimedia design, you will not use as much but are still

        great to have if you can find them at reasonable prices. They are:  

        a.     Flash          

        b.     Dreamweaver        

        c.     Apple’s Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express           

        d.     Adobe After Effects or Apple Motion

• External Drive or Removable Data Storage:  If you decide to purchase your own computer system you will need to acquire a simple and easy way of transferring and back up the work you do on your system to the MAC lab in Frey (or anywhere else).  We recommend purchasing a small firewire drive that does not require additional external power (it draws its power from the computer it is plugged into).

Other possible options for data transfer are Flashdisks or memory sticks. These are very convenient and very small USB storage devices that are small enough to fit on a key chain, but hold a surprisingly large amount of data.

• Digital Camera:  There are only a few digital cameras available for use from the Visual Arts department (limited to 3 days, tops!).  In recent years however, the student demand for these digital cameras is very high and therefore availability cannot be depended upon during crunch times when you may need them.  Nothing beats the convenience and immediacy of digital photography for shooting photos for projects.  You also have the advantage of discarding images that you don’t want.  We highly recommend that you consider investing in your own digital camera.  They have come down in price and have gone up in quality in recent years.

 Hint:  Do not buy any digital camera with less than 7 mega pixels (this affects the quality of your image).

As a student, you can receive significant educational discounts on any Macintosh computer and software.  Check Apple’s web site under “educational” for the latest educational discounts on all their computers, software and accessories.  Also check Adobe’s and Macromedia’s site for their educational prices on software.  After you graduate you will have to pay full price so take advantage of educational prices and you will save a great deal of money!

Before you invest in any equipment, like printers or digital cameras, it would be wise to read some reviews of these products before you buy them.  We recommend www.cnet.com.  They have great reviews of all kinds of electronic equipment and also give you prices so you can research the best deals. 

This equipment is expensive!  It is not necessary to buy any or all of this equipment!  The school’s lab is perfectly capable of facilitating your education, but investing in your own equipment can really enhance your education and overall work.  In addition, after you graduate and start your job search, you will soon see the advantage of having your own equipment when it provides you the means to update your portfolio, resumé or promotional materials.  Having your own equipment also provides you the opportunity to do freelance work if you choose.  (In many cases, design firms prefer to assign freelance work before they hire any full-time staff designers.)

For more information, call or e-mail:

        Graphics and Technology Professors

• Kathy Hettinga, Professor of Art

                                Phone: 717-796-1800, ext. 7027

                                E-mail: hettinga@messiah.edu

• David Kasparek, Associate Professor of Art

                                Phone: 717-796-1800, ext. 2381

                                E-mail: dkaspare@messiah.edu

        Information Technology Services:

• Jon Anderson, Macintosh Support Specialist

                                Phone: 717-796-1800, ext. 2500

                                E-mail: janderso@messiah.edu

• Berte Thompson, Director of Academic Technology Services

                                Phone: 717-796-1800, ext. 2560

                                E-mail: bthompso@messiah.edu