Information technology has until quite recently tended to favor alphanumerics as the medium of communication. This emphasis on text militated against those application areas in which the visual image was a crucial factor. Recently, technical developments in two related fields have created a fresh potential for incorporating the visual image into large-scale information systems, namely linking computer databases with optical videodiscs. As a consequence, design, architecture, and both the fine and the graphic arts have become state-of-the-art application topics in the area of large-scale data storage and retrieval technology. This paper reports on two case studies one based in modern architecture (ARCHFILE), and one based on the work of a particular artist. (PICAS-SOFILE). It was first delivered to the IFLA Section of Art Libraries, Munich, 1983.