Astute Graphics was formed in 1997. Astute Graphics Limited was incorporated in January 2008 to better accomodate the growing requirements of the Phantasm CS software range.

Development and publisher of software for design and pre-press markets.

Phantasm CS Designer, Studio and Publisher range of plugins for Adobe^® Illustrator CS2 to CS4. See www.astutegraphics.com

Founded by Nicholas van der Walle trading as Astute Graphics in 1997, initially catering for design and artwork in the technical illustration market for customers including Codemasters and Dennis Publishing. It soon released its first product – Phantasm – providing additional color control for Artworks (predecessor of Xara X) on the now-obsolete RISC OS platform.

Design work for a wide variety of clients continued until 2006 when its first cross-platform software product was launched; Phantasm CS. The popularity of this has ensured continuous development and necessitated incorporation in 2008. Full rights and ownership of the Phantasm CS range and all associated material was transferred to Astute Graphics Limited.

Building on an enviable existing foundation, Astute Graphics Limited aims to continue developing essential tools for graphic designers and publishers with an emphasis on design for print, but not excluding web designers. Key to all products are four fundamental values: high quality, good value, comprehensive support and relevant solutions. These are all ably demonstrated in the Phantasm CS range.

Also, deep within the philosophy of the Company is the strong belief to conduct business responsibly. One example of this is our close working relations with contractors and suppliers where our target is to ensure immediate payment of invoices.

A selection of the recent awards gained by the Phantasm CS range:

• Layers Magazine 5/5 rating, July/August 2008
• Macworld Editor’s Choice, October 2008
• Computer Arts Illustrator CS3 plugins group test winner, January 2008
• Digital Arts Best Buy, June 2008
• MacUser Awards 2008 nominee (Editorial Awards: Print Publishing of the Year)