In an effort to broaden the services I can offer, I’ve undertaken to learn how to use the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. This set of add-on features for InDesign allows one to develop digital versions of publications designed in InDesign. In the case of magazines it can be used to develop the kind of publication you might find in the Apple App Store’s Newsstand, such as the New Yorker or Rolling Stone. The system can also be used for other types of publications, such as books and brochures. I have already developed a prototype for my largest client, Metallica, whose magazine I art direct and design.

I have also developed a stand-alone app for San Francisco artist Henry Jackson. The app is meant to function as a sales tool, similar to a traditional catalog of an artists work, but adding many interactive functions. The interactivity makes this kind of “catalog” incredibly engaging. It has images that can be magnified and panned, audio clips of the artist describing his work and his process, a video of the artist in his studio. All this will work without requiring a connection to the internet, once the app has been downloaded. With an internet connection, the app can also load the artists web page, or enable a link to email the artist directly. It’s such a huge improvement on a paper catalog that the potential is really exciting.

The Henry Jackson iPad app is currently being screened for approval at Apple – a process that every would-be app needs to go through. As soon as it jumps that hurdle I will post a link on my web site.