A Guide to the Best of Southern California : COMPUTERS : Design-O-Mat

COMES A TIME in a person’s life when the urge to publish strikes. That impulse can find expression, given the presence of a personal computer and software that makes creating a newsletter or party invitation as simple as point-and-click. But lacking such pricey tools, one must resort to glue sticks and Magic Markers--or a visit to Imageland.

UCLA professor of design Mits Kataoka founded Imageland with the desire to bring the latest technologies in full-color imaging and graphic design to the layman and to allow his clients full creative control over their projects, which range from the creation of posters, business cards and brochures to T-shirt art. The typical customer has no previous experience with such technology, and some have no experience in the visual arts (one exception was artist David Hockney, who paid a visit in order to experiment). Imageland charges $45 per half-hour for the use of its equipment and the assistance of a trained operator; printing and copying fees are added on.

Just visiting Imageland can prove inspirational. “Consumers get ideas from what they see,” Kataoka says, “and professionals get ideas from things consumers have done.”

Imageland, 911 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; (213) 208-7877.