Computer-aided geometric design is a subject which involves the representation, specification, design, manipulation, display, and analysis of free-form curves and surfaces. This eclectic field draws on techniques and principles from numerical analysis, approximation theory, computer graphics, interactive computer systems, mechanical and geometric design, and many other areas. Nevertheless, computer-aided geometric design is an endeavor with a character, emphasis, and purpose of its own, combining techniques and principles from other fields with unique approaches that are often somewhat enigmatic and confusing to the novice. Many things sound and seem familiar, yet the directions and motivations are distinct to this discipline. This decade is proving to be an era of intense interest in computer-aided geometric design, an activity attracting people from many sectors including computing and manufacturing. As the discipline more firmly establishes valid principles and standard techniques, it will undoubtedly be of increasing importance in computer-aided manufacturing and a wide range of other applications.