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Innovative GoLive CS2 Democratizes Graphically Rich Web and Wireless Communications By Cary Sherburne, Senior Editor GoLive CS2 brings to the market innovative new Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) layout tools, a rich environment for Web and mobile content development based on open standards and tight integration with Adobe Creative Suite 2 software applications. With GoLive CS2, Web designers and developers can create, publish, manage, and update content that adapts gracefully to the latest generation of handheld devices. “Forum Nokia has been working with Adobe since 1999 to provide input to and enhance the mobile authoring capabilities of Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe GoLive CS software,” said Matti Antila, Head of Marketing for Developer Tools, Nokia Group. “Adobe Creative Suite 2 is a breakthrough solution, enabling mobile developers to provide rich content such as SVG-t animations and exciting new services.” Adobe’s active participation in the standards bodies for Web and mobile communications—including the World Wide Web Consortium, the Open Mobile Alliance and the Third Generation Partnership Project, a wireless consortium--shines through with GoLive CS2. Besides tight integration with Creative Suite 2, the application enables the seamless rendering of Web content for use on mobile devices. In the United States , we are a bit behind the curve in this regard, but in Europe and Asia it is not at all unusual to see a television commercial that says, “Text this message to this number for this offer.” And with GoLive CS2, it will be easier than ever before for marketers to create rich media downloads for mobile devices to ensure that their marketing message carries as much impact as possible in this increasingly popular communications medium. According to Devin Fernandez, Adobe Go Live Product Manager, “The U.S. is behind, but we have a second mover advantage in being able to cherry pick features that are useful, not just novel, based on experiences in Europe and Asia. Carriers need additional functionality to move to the next level, and we are bringing that to them with GoLive CS2. Adobe has been making investments in mobile technology in one way or another for a long time, and the pace is heating up.” With GoLive CS1 and other Web creative tools in the market, users had to interface at some level with source code, with previews only available outside the application. At the risk of dating myself, it brings to mind the old days (very, very old days!) of programming mainframe computers with tab cards when you had to punch out the cards, feed them back in and wait for the mainframe to process your instructions. With GoLive CS2, Adobe has not only removed the need to interact with the source code by implementing a graphically rich, real-time drag and drop environment that automatically writes CSS code and Java script, but has also built in the capability to visually add interactivity as well as sophisticated rendering for viewing on mobile devices. Fernandez said, “The simple application of animation to a graphic to make it interactive used to take quite a bit of effort, but now it can literally be done in seconds.” For those who still prefer to work with source code directly, the application provides that capability as well. But it also allows the source code to be completely hidden for the user who doesn’t want to be distracted by it. The graphic below shows content created for the Web and then rendered for mobile device display. It takes into account different screen sizes, resolutions, image size requirements and layouts inherent in the two media, making the conversion simple and automatic. It eliminates images that won’t render well on a mobile screen and replaces them more appropriate images.
Fernandez said, “The navigation looks different in the two renderings, but all of the content and links are still available on the mobile device. The designer created a single design using CSS and X-HTML that will render on both the desktop and the mobile screen. With GoLive CS2, gone are days when you need a separate site for desktop and mobile viewers.” Adobe’s GoLive CS2 will be delivered with a set of sample templates to help designers get started quickly. GoLive CS2 also makes it easier to design for print and Web simultaneously. Fernandez says, “We have incorporated the notion of a ‘package’ for GoLive. You can create a document in InDesign, perhaps destined for both print and Web, and simply select ‘Package for GoLive.’ The interface will ask you a few questions and you will need to apply a few settings, but for the most part, you click a button and create package for GoLive which can be imported into a GoLive Web site.” Additionally, with the Smart Image capability, elements can be edited in InDesign or PhotoShop and they will be automatically updated in GoLive. GoLive CS2 will begin shipping in the U.S. and Canada in May, and will be packaged with the Premium Edition of Creative Suite 2. This application democratizes rich web experiences, putting the ability to create Web pages for display on desktops and wireless devices into the hands of the masses, much like the advent of desktop publishing did for personal computers 20 years ago—a revolution in which Adobe was also heavily involved. It is another step for improved productivity for the design community, who will increasingly become experts in template design, paving the way for less graphically talented users to easily leverage those templates into customized, localized, multichannel communications while still protecting the brand integrity so important to marketers. This is the wave of the future!
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Prior to launching her consulting practice, Ms. Cary Sherburne was the Vice President of Marketing Communications and Outsourcing Solutions at IKON Office Solutions. In that capacity, she developed and implemented a branding campaign to build brand awareness for IKON in the marketplace as well as enhance employee pride in the organization, and was responsible for all internal and external communications, including trade shows and events, corporate newsletters, and industry and press relations. In the outsourcing role, she set strategic objectives and priorities for IKON’s product and services portfolio in its Outsourcing businesses, including development of programs and sales support materials for that environment. Sherburne was a Director at CAP Ventures, an internationally known firm specializing in market research and strategic consulting for the digital document and print on demand industry, before joining IKON, where she launched and managed the company’s Document Outsourcing Consulting Service. Her tenure in the printing and publishing industry has also included sales and marketing positions at Xerox Corporation, Indigo America and Bitstream. She is a frequent speaker at industry events and a recognized author. Cary can be reached via email at cary@sherburneassociates.com, online at www.sherburneassociates.com and by telephone at 603-430-5463.
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