Graphic art takes shape when a thought or emotion is brought to the drawing board and communicated to others through creative design.

As this process takes place in design studios today, many traditional tools have given way to computer software and a mouse. But for David Sciuto, co-founder of Third Man Media, concepts still begin with a keen eye, steady hand—and a full range of media.  

Over twenty years ago, David entered the field of graphic arts and visual communication as a traditional illustrator. His “toolbox” then was a colorful array of art boards, technical pens, stat and process cameras and type galley developers.

“So what does all this have to do with the price of peas in Asia?” asks David, who takes an off-beat outlook on life and art. “Having been a board artist, camera person and a platemaker ties into having great discipline in your design and production skills. From concept to output, you understand the whole process of print media, and in turn this makes you a better designer.”

David, who grew up in Burlington, Mass., studied commercial and technical arts at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Art Institute of Boston. Upon completion of the curriculum, he was certified by the state of Massachusetts as a technical illustrator and went on to work at a small but growing studio known as C&C Associates, now known as Nugraphics.

With the advent of the Internet and growing use of computer design, David quickly shifted his focus to digital media as a new medium. He became responsible for resolving the transition of traditional methods to electronic mediums at several large companies including ZBR Productions, now known as GlobalWare Solutions.

Since the early 1990s, David’s skills in multimedia design, digital imaging, computer, and Internet technology have been sought out by a wide range of clients, including:

· Mitre Corporation (Bedford, Mass.)
· The United States Air Force (Hanscom Air Base)
· Lahey Clinic (Burlington, Mass.)
· Polaroid Corporation (Cambridge, Mass.)
· Apple Computer (Cupertino, Cali.)
· Raytheon (Andover, Mass.)

At the core of David’s design style is his desire to combine elements of traditional illustration and digital graphic design. At Hanscom Air base, he worked as an IT specialist for Macintosh and Windows systems while serving a dual role as an illustrator and presentation artist. At Polaroid Corporation, he worked not only to produce commercial digital imaging, but as a test engineer for several new products including consumer digital print kiosks.

Today, as co-founder of Third Man Media, David is first and foremost an artist with grassroots ideas about the creation of graphic arts and visual communications. Whether it be print, Web or video, he approaches all projects with a sense of creativity and a broad knowledge of graphic design tools.

Recalling the switch to digital media in the 1990s, David reminisces, “I watched as the art board faded into the Mac, and I was out there trying to pry the Crayolas out of my hands and learning to ‘fat-finger’ the keyboard and push the mouse around. Now, computers are the basis for my everyday work. But I always treat them as a tool and not the answer to resolving the immense transition problems of traditional to digital methods. Using a combination of traditional and electronic arts always yields unique results.”

David still looks to designer and award winning artist David Dapkus—his first art director—as his primary mentor. “As we travel through life, there are people that we admire and who influence our work and life ethics,” he says of Dapkus. David worked on a production team with David Dapkus that won several Golden Ink Awards and an Inc 500 Certificate of Recognition.