At their 2013 MAX conference, Adobe formally presented the Creative Cloud offering. Lots has been discussed on Creative Cloud (this post is one example), and my stand has always been that Creative Cloud is a new offering that could be interesting. But that since this is a subscription-based service, and in reality, a shift in many ways, the onus is on Adobe to prove to me that Creative Cloud is worth it. If you compare Creative Cloud to previous editions of Creative Suite for example, the outlook is "cloudy" at best. But moving forward, Adobe is going to have to prove itself by offering ongoing value to its customers.
Well Adobe, with today's announcement about desktop fonts coming to Typekit, you've got my attention.
Included with your Creative Cloud subscription is a service called Typekit, which gives you the ability to use real fonts on the web. If you do web design, it's actually pretty awesome. (Note to self: If I would take a few minutes out of my day, I should probably give some type-design love to my own blog.) But Typekit has always been for use on websites displayed in a browser. What if you want to use those fonts to design things in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.?
Adobe announced today that they are starting to roll out access to their new Desktop Font feature. You can sign up for it yourself here. I was lucky to get an early invite and I tried it out today.
Um, WOW.
More so than simply having access to all those wonderful fonts -- the user experience is phenomenal. I still recall the issues I've always experienced with fonts over the years. You know -- where some formats work in some places, and sometimes one app sees them but others don't, etc.
With Creative Cloud and Desktop Fonts from Typekit, it's so wonderful that I actually caught myself clapping with applause in my basement office. Here's what the experience feels like:
1. First, you go the Typekit website, which has always been a pleasure to use. You can quickly browse fonts, preview text, and quickly find what you need. You then click the "Use Fonts" button that pops up when you hover over a font.
2. Next, a window pops up asking how you want to use the font -- on the web, or on your desktop. You just check the box to sync the font to your computer using Creative Cloud and click Done.
3. Third -- well, actually there isn't a third step. Once you perform step 2 above, the font is automagically downloaded to your computer and stored in your system where ALL applications can see and use it (even non-Adobe apps). Your Creative Cloud application manager conveniently lists all the fonts that you've synced, and provides quick links back to Typekit's website where you can manage your synced fonts or find new ones.
As a designer, you want access to an always-growing huge library of fonts (I said "access" -- not use all at once in a single document). With Creative Cloud you get that, all wrapped up in a no-nonsense package that's easy to use.
If this is a sign of what Adobe will be continuing to offer with a Creative Cloud subscription, then I can honestly say that Adobe seems to be taking this idea of providing ongoing value in a subscription model seriously. And I'm listening.