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Set up in 1988 in London SW27, MACAW graphics was the first slide bureau dedicated to Apple Mac users. Back then computers cost a small fortune (see right), so we needed an enormous bank loan to buy a MacPlus, Mac II with screen, scanner, printer and Matrix SlideWriter.
At first, all computer output was just black and white. To get colour slides we devised templates which assigned basic colours to the patterns which MacDraft or MacDraw could create. Colour photos still had to be added by traditional rostrum cameras.
For the first year we had the slide market to ourselves, and companies like Plessey-Telenet and Ernst & Whinney found that they no longer needed to pay vast sums for slides which took several days to produce, but were able to use new technologies like fax and a modem which took for ever to send a 100k file.
There were no rules about how to get slides out of computers, so almost every job was a nail biting voyage of discovery. What was intended to be an exciting new business became a round-the-clock battle to meet deadlines and maintain quality.
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MACAW Graphics started life with a MacPlus and this little beauty which had a list price of £3090 + VAT just for the CPU. It boasted a 144Mb hard disk (an extra £1,495) and 5Mb RAM (£1,590). After adding the monitor and LaserWriter II the total list price was £13,163 (+VAT). This Mac was later fitted with a Radius Rocket, which booted with a terrific whoosh! It's up in the attic with the MacPlus, which is brought down occasionally for the odd game of Shuffle Cafe or Reader Rabbit.
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After a couple of years there was a confusing array of presentation programs such as Cricket-Presents, More, Standout, Visual Business No 5, Persuasion and the rather simple PowerPoint. Fonts were no longer limited to Times and Helvetica and PostScript output was making anything possible.
In an attempt to keep abreast of the technology I started to write reviews for MacUser about anything to do with presentations. Our client base was growing a bit too quickly; Brand Managers in their Porshes and motorbike couriers turning up at all hours was no longer a novelty, so we got out of London and set up an office in Leighton Buzzard.
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By the late eighties there were dozens of slide bureaux, so more of our work was coming from designing and staging presentations. We expanded into offices in Milton Keynes and ticked over modestly until the 35mm slide era died out.
Our large, varied client base and the skills we have acquired over the years has produced a versatile and interesting business which is continually adapting to the demands of the market.
Thank you for reading this far. I hope you will want to discuss your next creative project with MACAW.
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