The graphic design world of the 1960s, ’70s, and early ’80s—the years leading up to the advent of digital design and publishing—was a very different place.
Design in that era was as much a craft as it was a skill and talent. We used pens, tape, rubylith, knives, tracing paper, waxers, illustration board, vellum, markers, and ink—not to mention a long list of specialized equipment for typesetting and graphic arts cameras big enough to fill a room. Today, we accomplish nearly all the same tasks, at a fraction of the price, with nothing more than a computer and a mouse.
Following are 30 questions that designers under 55 might find challenging. Answer them all correctly, and I owe you lunch.
Click HERE (or on the image) to download a PDF of the Ancient Artist’s Quiz (7 pages, file size less than 1MB).
Have something to add? Willing to share a bit about your career? Comment below.
Posted in February 2025 / Chuck Green is designer, a contributor to numerous magazines and websites, and the author of books published by Random House, Peachpit Press, and Rockport Publishers. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007-2025 Chuck Green. Contact.
I couldn’t answer them all, so your lunch budget is safe, but I’m definitely over 55 (68). I was a college professor of English. and I was always fascinated and involved in printing. I remember checking out books from the 1930s about printing and paste-up. I still am production design editor for a literary magazine (Brilliant Corners) but that run will end with the retirement of the editor in two years. So much about it I miss.
Haha… Thanks for taking a shot at it Gary. There’s so much trivia associated with design and printing, and so much of it is based on where you happened to worked and the specific equipment/systems you worked with, I’m not surprised I haven’t taken anyone to lunch yet…