Adobe announced that it has acquired privately held Ideacodes, a creative consultancy, based in San Francisco.
Terms of Adobe’s deal to acquire Ideacodes, which specializes in the design and user experience of smart applications, digital products and networked communities, were not disclosed.
“For the last nine years we’ve worked to re-envision the design of digital products and create the ultimate user experience for their customers,” said Emily Chang and Max Kiesler, co-founders of Ideacodes. “We’re thrilled to join Adobe at a time when Creative Cloud is beginning to take form, the potential to harness the power of connected networks is being realized, and the influence of good design on experience is being appreciated and expected from people worldwide.”
The co-founders of Ideacodes are joining Adobe as creative directors of Creative Cloud, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in design and creative strategy.
“Our job at Adobe is to deliver an incredible experience every time a customer accesses Creative Cloud,” said Jeff Veen, vice president of product management for Adobe Creative Cloud. “The Ideacodes team will help us realize our goal of making Creative Cloud indispensable for creatives worldwide.”
Adobe Creative Cloud is a membership-based service that provides users with access to download and install Adobe creative desktop applications, game developer tools and integration with the Adobe Touch tools.
As Adobe announced at its Adobe MAX 2013 conference earlier this month in Los Angeles, a major update to Adobe Creative Cloud will be available June 17. Loaded with new features, this update to reimagines the creative process through a set of “CC” desktop applications and cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored, synced and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android; and Behance, Adobe’s online creative community, is now integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure.
Also, with Creative Cloud, publishing is made easy with enhanced services that build and power Websites, mobile apps, tablet publications, online portfolios and content for virtually any medium and device, Adobe officials said.
“We’re as passionate as ever to create the ultimate user experience, and this time it’s for the creative community, one that we’ve been a part of for sixteen years,” Chang and Kiesler said in a post on the Ideacodes Website. “We’re excited to announce that Ideacodes has been acquired by Adobe and we’ll be joining the team full-time as Creative Directors of Adobe Creative Cloud. It couldn’t be happening at a better time. Creative Cloud is an ecosystem for creatives worldwide, a subscription-based platform that comes complete with advanced versions of much-loved software, instant access to a plethora of tools and services, file syncing and sharing and the benefits of community through Behance.”
The addition of Ideacodes and the hiring of Chang and Kiesler are strategic for Adobe, particularly following the departure of former Adobe Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch in March. Lynch championed the Creative Cloud effort and was responsible for shaping the company’s long-term technology vision, paying particular attention to Adobe’s cloud, social computing and multiscreen efforts. Lynch joined Adobe as part of the company’s acquisition of Macromedia in 2005. He joined Apple as vice president of technology in March following his departure from Adobe.
