Jun 11

I switched to InDesgin in 2000, but before that I used and loved Quark – I even taught people how to use it. Until InDesign 2.0 it was the best tool - and even today, I check Quark.com every so often - to see what's new. Could they ever temp me back.

 

 

As I mentioned, every so often I check Quark.com to see if they've pushed the envelope to the degree they could persuade me to spend extra and switch back. I know, it's a long shot, but one can hope. And I believe a strong Quark Xpress application (that continues to have a large, strong user base) helps to force Adobe to keep innovating with InDesign. Lest we not forget PageMaker and their idleness turned to doom. So I look yesterday at Quark's site (on my iPhone) and what do I see - Quark has jumped the shark. They're pushing and promoting "template based design". Yeah, not the ability for designers to do this....but Quark itself is pushing Quarkpromote.com and QuarkPromote software (Windows only).

How the mighty have fallen.

Quark's arrogance and f-you attitude towards designers has come full circle. Yes, in the 90s and early 2000's Quark snubbed it's users again and again. They were downright awful to deal with. Everyone complained, but since they had a virtual lock on the industry - Quark ignored its users and rested on its laurels. Then InDesign appeared and Quark still kept its head in the clouds. Then InDesign 2.0 appeared and Adobe went for the jugular and bundled their software in their Creative Suites. Quark scrambled to stop the bleeding but it was too late. Now it appears they've decided to abandon what's left of their core audience (designers and publishers) and drive down the "everyman" road that Corel traveled long ago (remember them?).

 

Quark is pushing QuarkPromote to small & mid-sized businesses. You download this Windows only software (currently free) then buy templates and customize them. So instead of hiring a professional designer to craft your marketing and branding - you use an off-the-shelf crowd sourced template that your competition down the street could also purchase. That's terrific (he types sarcastically)! Ruin the business prospects of the few remaining Quark-based designers. Sure Quark offers designers the opportunity to develop "templates" to sell – but how many designers are willing to or can even make a living mass producing templates. And if a designer wants to do that - why not simply join the crowd source movement and contribute to 99designs.com or stocklayouts.com. Why, because you can't create a valued client base when you're bidding or working for free to create templates - on the hope someone will purchase them.

 

But here's Quark - the previous powerhouse of publishing - promoting, advocating even that designers aren't necessary. That they can be replaced with templates and canned solutions. Well, hopefully, any designers that have clung to using Quark will wake up and realize they're being sold out. It's a very sad day to me. Not that I have much to lose since I made the switch to InDesign long ago. But because I sense the writing is on the wall - Quark has jumped the shark and it's only a matter of time. Once you give up the high ground, once you neglect then abandon your core audience, you've lost. I will mourn for Quark and remember it fondly, like I do PageMaker and FreeHand.