As a magazine, itCG&A features shorter and less technical content thatthan iswould appear in an [[academic journal]], meant for both experts and non-experts and is often tutorial in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About IEEE Magazines |url=https://magazines.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/get-started-with-ieee-magazines/about-ieee-magazines/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=IEEE Author Center Magazines |language=en-US}}</ref> CG&A connects the theory of computer graphics to its practice,<ref name=salomon>{{cite book|first=David|last=Salomon|title=The Computer Graphics Manual|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DX4YstV76c4C&pg=PA21|pages= 21–22}}</ref> providing coverage on topics including modeling, [[Rendering (computer graphics)|rendering]], [[animation]], (data) [[Visualization (graphics)|visualization]], [[Human–computer interaction|HCI/user interfaces]], novel applications, [[Hardware architecture|hardware architectures]], [[Haptic technology|haptics]], [[Virtual reality|virtual and augmented reality]] systems, and [[medical imaging]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Lesko's New Tech Sourcebook: A Directory to Finding Answers in Today's Technology-oriented World|first=Matthew|last=Lesko|publisher=Harper & Row|year=1986|isbn=9780061815096|page=140}}</ref><ref name=ruller>{{cite journal|last=Ruller|first=Thomas|date=July 1993|doi=10.17723/aarc.56.3.yq85664055727271|issue=3|journal=The American Archivist|pages=546–559|publisher=Society of American Archivists|title=A review of information science and computer science literature to support archival work with electronic records|volume=56}} See paragraph about this journal on p. 554.</ref>
One of its publishing innovations was the first animated [[hologram]] to appear on a magazine cover. The hologram, on its July 1988 cover, featured the baby from the 1988 [[Pixar]] short film ''[[Tin Toy]]'', opening and closing its mouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digicamhistory.com/1988.html|title=1988|work=Digicam History|access-date=2023-10-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Holosphere|title="The Tin Toy Baby" becomes a hologram|volume=16–17|pages=21–22|publisher= Museum of Holography|year=1989|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kuZRAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
