Richard Romano
Richard Romano has been involved in the graphic arts industry since before birth, and is currently a contributing writer and analyst for WhatTheyThink.com. In addition to writing features and special reports on media and communication trends and technology, he collaborates with the Economic and Research Center’s Dr. Joe Webb on regular economic and demographic reports. He has been writing annual printing and creative reports for the past 10 years, and was the editorial director for Dr. Webb’s landmark 2009 book Renewing the Printing Industry.
For eight years, Richard was Senior Analyst for The Industry Measure (formerly TrendWatch Graphic Arts), until its demise in March 2008. In addition to writing numerous reports, articles, and the popular weekly Fast Facts e-letter, he presented (or co-presented) the annual “Forecast Breakfast” at Graph Expo for eight years. Richard has also been a featured speaker at various graphic arts industry seminars and conventions, including the HOW Design Conference, Print, Macworld, Graphics of the Americas, and more. His areas of expertise include media and marketing trends, graphic communications, science, and technology.
He has also worked on consulting and market research projects for many organizations and companies, such as GAMIS/PRIMIR (a 2003 landmark offset press installed base study and a 2005 run-length study), Scientific Computing magazine (2005 and 2007 Laboratory Information Management Systems studies), Publishers Weekly magazine (several book and audiobook studies), and Library Journal, as well as Adobe Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Vio, and others. He has also contributed to such magazines as Graphic Arts Monthly, GATFWorld, Printing News, HOW, and others.
He is the former executive editor of, CrossMedia magazine, and former managing editor of Micro Publishing News and Digital Imaging magazines. Romano is the co-editor, with his father Frank Romano, of The GATF Encyclopedia of Graphic Communications, a compendium of more than 10,000 graphic arts terms published in 1997 by the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. As if that weren’t enough, he is also the author of a half dozen or so books on graphics hardware and software. Richard also does freelance editorial and graphic design work as Rich Text & Graphics.
He has vague recollections of having graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications in 1989 with a B.A. in English and Writing for Telecommunications, and has a 1994 certificate in Multimedia Production from New York University.
A former resident of such disparate places as Salem, NH, New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA, he now lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.
