Leonardo

THIS ARTICLE CHAMPIONS THE SINGLE MOST DESPISED ARTIFACT of computer graphics—chrome logos—by reconsidering them as conspicuous ambassadors of computer-generated realism. The foundation for today’s synthetic worlds was laid when three-dimensional computer animation first moved into television and film, an era the author labels the “Chrome Age.” Programmers, in a quest for photographic-quality realism, built the framework for virtual reality—but without artistic training. They overlooked certain aesthetic principles of Renaissance perspective in order to focus on algorithmic techniques, an endeavor that resulted in distinctive plastic-metal textures. Designers, eager to express whatever they could with the new computer-generated look, manipulated the earliest entertainment graphics—show titles and logos—into illusions of precious silver and gold. Due to their symbolic value, chrome logos convinced the public that artificial worlds could eventually become “real” and heralded the high-tech entertainment industry—an edifice of science fused with art.