Big Picture - April 2016 - (Page 18)

inside output Looking into the Future Our industry's crystal ball says to focus on value-added services that put a premium on knowledge, skill, and experience. | by Craig Miller BIG PICTURE April 2016 H ere we are in the second quarter of 2016, and I still need to know what this year will mean for our industry. Will it be a boom or a bust? What markets will be hot? What products and print technologies should we focus on? Who will be our next president? Will his or her influence stimulate our economy? If Trump is president, do you think he'll want graphics on that wall? My mind is numb from looking at charts and graphs from financial analysts. I can't bank on my stock portfolio to retire. No one predicted what has happened to share prices. I'm done with the experts. I need someone who's connected to the pulse of the universe and the spirit world. I needed answers. So, I searched online and found a local fortune teller. She was in a rundown shack just off the Strip here in Las Vegas. The tiny, dark room had a small table with a large crystal ball backlit by the glow of a candle, and the décor was black and purple velvet. It seemed to have the right vibe. I sat down at the table in the chair nearest the door. The fortune teller glided in and took her seat opposite me with her back to the corner. She didn't speak. We simply sat there, looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn't see her eyes because she wore a headscarf and a veil, but I could tell she was studying me. She finally spoke. "The future is not the past." She had a soothing and reassuring voice, but I thought, I hope she isn't going to take my money and spend the night stating the obvious. "No," I responded. "It isn't." "What answers are you looking for?" I told her about our industry and all its peril and uncertainty. "What can we expect this year?" CRAIG MILLER is a principal shareholder in Las Vegasbased Pictographics (pictographics.net), where he is also director of military and law-enforcement projects. 18 "Well, let's have a look." She gazed down into her crystal ball and began to rhythmically make circular rubbing motions with both hands. She stopped and stared intently. Finally, she said, "Curious." "Curious?" "You are looking for truth?" she asked. I nodded. "A truth is not always true." "What do you mean?" "There is something that you and your colleagues believe, a conventional wisdom, if you will. I am getting a sense this truism may be crumbling under the weight of an evolving reality in your world." There was a pregnant pause while I tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about. "Wait, I am getting what looks like words floating in the globe. I can't read them because they're moving so fast. I need to concentrate on following them. OK, one is 'tempo,' yes, and 'face,' no that's 'pace,' and 'race.' Do any of these words mean anything to you?" "Tempo, pace, and race? Speed," I blurted out. "That must have something to do with speed." http://www.pictographics.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - April 2016

Big Picture - April 2016
Contents
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Inside Output
Thinking About Ink
Breaking Down the Walls
R+D
Job Log

Big Picture - April 2016