When Jim Anderson began his career as a graphic designer, only the secretaries at his company had computers. Obviously plenty has changed since then, including Anderson’s role. Today Anderson’s title is simply associate, but his job is composed of creating the company’s technology platform and working with internal designers as a consultant to help them utilize the technologies available to create new designs. • Pentagram is a 200-person, multidisciplinary design firm with offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Austin, Texas. Each of the 14 principals specializes in different areas of architecture, graphic design or industrial design. The principals run their own design teams and projects, but draw upon the capabilities and resources of the whole group to serve a client’s particular needs.

When it comes to technology, Anderson is the man they turn to. "It became clear here some time ago that technology was a major part of this business and someone had to manage it and capitalize on opportunities. I just happened to worry about it more than anybody else," Anderson says.

That made Anderson the de facto technology manager, and today Anderson facilitates the operation of technology from design production to reporting on all financials. In the course of a day, Anderson may research a digital asset management system, debug a network glitch and help a Web design team build a client site.

Increasingly, he’s assisting in business development and client relations. "If an internal designer has a project or client with particular technical issues, they call me in to consult," he says.

Anderson was asked, for example, to consult in the creation of perhaps the oldest of all design house products–an annual report. But because the client was a technology company, Anderson’s expertise was used up front, to help the designers understand the company’s philosophy and direction.

Internally, the pressure is on Anderson to deliver the right technologies at the right time and the right place. "Take something like color management, for instance. I have to understand how it’s going to impact workflow, how the extra work will impact me and whether it’s worthwhile for our company before we can implement it," Anderson says.

And time, of course, is always in short supply. "My time is split between technology and client work, so there’s less and less time to look ahead, to understand new technologies and how we can use them," he says.

The schizophrenic nature of the job would drive some people mad–but not Anderson. "I love this stuff, I really do," he says. "It’s great to deliver technical solutions that solve a designer’s problem or a business problem. Plus, it’s a job with incredible job security."

Team players

Like Scheinok and Robidoux, Anderson is part of a dynamic relationship with technology. On the one hand, they are revolutionizing the use of technology in their organizations. On the other, technology is redefining them and their roles within their organizations.

Eric J. Adams writes about traditional and Web publishing from Petaluma, Calif.