Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1436094
10 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 When we first started planning this issue, we looked back over topics that we've covered for the past few years. We noticed that our con- tributors spend most of their time discussing the technical side of PCB design. at's to be expected. When we discuss "best practices" for PCB design, we're typically look- ing at it from a technical viewpoint. Aer all, Design007 Magazine is a technical publication. And in PCB design, what is "design," exactly? Perhaps we could quote Supreme Court Jus- tice Potter Stewart, who said in a 1964 case about obscenity, "I know it when I see it." But there is definitely an artistic angle to this job. PCB design requires the perfect mix of artistic and technical skills. PCB designers and design engineers are graphic artists, but unlike Renaissance sculptors, their masterpieces don't just have to look nice—they also have to function. ese PCBs may enable devices that help feed humanity, save lives, or carry us to other countries or planets. At every PCB design competition, from the old Top Gun at PCB West to IPC's design con- test at IPC APEX EXPO next month, the entries will be judged, in part, on artistic layout. Form follows function, and the art of the design is dependent upon the requirements of each board. In many way s, to day 's P CBs rep - resent the height of industrial art. As some of our contributors point out this month, an eye-pleasing, sym- metr ical layout i s less likely to war p, twist, and turn into a "potato chip" dur- ing manufactur ing. Plus, a beautiful PCB The Shaughnessy Report by Andy Shaughnessy, I-CONNECT007 The Art of PCB Design: I Know It When I See It