Retrining types

[Thomas Schlemmermeyer]

Hello dear Sylvia and dear all,

>
>  1.) What is the life time of a modern color photo?
>    indefinite with digital electronic images.

Is this really true? I vaguely remember having read that the life time
of a CD is about 5 YEARS. Is this right or highly over- underestimated?
Beside this, images in the computer might get lost due to tecnical
problems and viruses.
But these are my own, negative prejudices. I must confess that I never
worked with electronic imaging.
By browsing the internet, I got stuck in the "biosystematisches
Dokumentationszentrum, Ulm, Germany". There they teach electronic images
even to graduate students. So, I imagine that it must have some
significance.

A type description, inevitably, is highly subjective. So are scientific
drawings.
Any piece of art throws some light not only on itself, but also on its
creator.
I would suggest that in type descriptions it is not different. Here,
scientific objectivity and artistic subjectivity start to melt. But it is
not that bad, after all.

So, here I may put an ethical question: Seen that the correct, highly
objective, but nevertheless artistically well-made illustration is a
vital part of any description, what role should be given to the
professional illustrator?
Should he be mentioned as co-author, in the acknowledgements or not
at all?

                Cheers   Thomas