Awesome How the Cloud is Affecting Web Designers

By now you must have heard of the buzz labeled as cloud computing. The basics of the cloud are still unknown by many designers, but it’s not difficult. A general cloud setup may contain a large server farm which connects as one central “storage” or “cloud computer” hub. Web hosts have begun offering cloud packages where you only pay for the bandwidth and storage space you use.

These businesses have been on the curve of an emerging trend over just the past few years. Web designers are beginning to take notice (and certainly better late than never). In this article it’s my goal to go over some of the newest apps and tools utilized within the cloud. If you can adapt your workflow to fit within the cloud hierarchy you may find workflow is a lot easier to deal with.

Sharing Files and Data

USB drives were all the rage back in early 2000. And even today the physical USB format hasn’t completely been driven out of fashion. However the methods of transporting data from one location to another have dramatically improved. The most popular Internet apps include Pando and Dropbox, among a few other gems.

Both of these companies offer a free and paid account for new users. You are basically setup with a free chunk of cloud hosting which you can access similar to FTP. It’s a breeze to copy, move, and delete files from within your account. You can also share certain files or folders with friends and between different computers.

However my personal favorite is CloudApp which has always been so clean compared to other competition. The developer has created a native OS X app for Mac users to make things even easier. The free account is perfect for storing .zip archives, small images, music, or other digital knick-knacks of your choosing. Each file is also keyed into the database with a unique short URL such as http://cl.ly/B0Kd which makes sharing 10x easier!

Mac OS X and iCloud

The revolutionary WWDC 2011 keynote given by Steve Jobs addressed some of the more interesting aspects of a technology dubbed iCloud. It was just released to the public around mid-October and has some really amazing features tied into the idea of cloud computing. Note that only Mac OS X Lion users will have the setup process available.

But once you sign up iCloud.com will become your go-to web application for all synced data. This includes your contacts list, calendar, text messages, photos, and even your own custom @me.com e-mail address. Apple is offering each user a free 5GB of storage within the cloud on their own servers – a very luxurious deal for $0 charge!

The iCloud service will also sync with any iOS devices such as your iPhone or iPad/iPod Touch. Although this service is brand new you can see how new ideas are beginning to emerge within Apple’s fan base.

Unfortunately Windows and Linux users aren’t able to utilize these same features. But the brilliance of web design in general is how simple it can be to create such a service. PHP/MySQL or RoR is easily enough to program your own cloud-based storage and e-mail client, assuming you’ve got the time. To learn more about iCloud check out our recent review article written just this past summer of 2011.

Web Servers and Storage Services

Certainly the ability to juggle file sharing and storage within the cloud is very useful. But what about hosting your entire website and database within the cloud? This could revolutionize the entire job of a webmaster in just a few short years!

Amazon Simple Storage Service or Amazon S3 is one such beautiful innovation. It can take a lot of server load time to constantly push images to the many users requesting your page. Amazon Web Services offer an alternative where the content is moved off your own local server and run through Amazon. You only pay for the data used each month and you aren’t locked into any set rates.

This means the whole cloud-based application is extremely scalable with the addition of more servers over time. You’re also a lot less likely to run into downtime as AWS features parity duplicate data for all server hard drives. Even if your web traffic shoots up from 20k/month to 2MM/month Amazon S3 will have no problem scaling and adapting to fit the environment.

I know the cloud hosting can become a tad confusing when you look over these concepts. And since there are so many new companies popping up it can be difficult knowing who to trust. I’ve included a small list below of some recommendations to check into for web hosting and storage within the cloud.

• Rackspace


• servmatrix


• Google AppEngine


• eleven2


• Dell – Enterprise Cloud Computing


• terremark

Where to Go from Here?

There are constantly new ideas being churned over the water cooler each week. Within due time I’m sure we’ll see even more workflow features moved up within the cloud. As mentioned elsewhere cloud computing and VPS(Virtual Private Servers) differ in the fact that our “cloud” is composed of multiple servers running as one computation device. All VPS setups are a few different accounts running on one(1) physical server.

So as we see more complex cloud setups evolve, what can we expect? I’m thinking a transition of desktop applications to be run in-browser remotely on a cloud server! Can you imagine editing a mockup website layout in Adobe Photoshop’s web app? Or maybe a cloud-based Coda-style text editor for your own web files (which could also include FTP). This may seem like a pipe dream today but it wasn’t so long ago that the idea of a cloud cluster setup seemed preposterous and insanely expensive.

While discussing prices I’m also thinking as the cost of web hosting goes down bandwidth prices will also drop. Fiber-optic networks have made data transfer almost instantaneous to the point where we can already create & edit Word and Excel documents right from within any browser. This means web apps may likely overrun desktop apps and business models which overcharge for these services will begin to fall by the wayside.

Conclusion

These brief ideas should get you thinking about how the cloud is progressing into our everyday lives. I know for a fact I couldn’t get a whole lot done without access to my cloud accounts. And with more advanced hard disks becoming cheaper the cost for web hosting is dropping dramatically. Truly 2011 is not over yet and continues moving towards a fluid cloud-powered future for web designers.

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Awesome The Remote Designer – Jumping into the Cloud

Freelance work can be one of the most liberating work, especially when moving from agency or in-house, you will ever undertake in your career. And while it has plenty of benefits, especially when developing a career, it has no shortage of it’s own challenges. The ability to set your own schedule and work when/where you want is liberating, but it can also be more difficult to connect with clients, maintain a consistent workflow, and find inspiration in isolation.

Cloud Computing

Fortunately, the emergence of cloud computing has opened up a lot of opportunities for designers. It’s no longer necessary to overload your personal computer with large software packages and files, and back them up on several external hard drives just in case of possible crashes. The cloud enables you to store, back up and share files and programs on the web, which you can access from anywhere. It’s a revolutionary way of doing your work, and immediately streamlines your workflow.

If you’re interested in using the cloud, but unsure of where to start, try reading this cloud computing guide for a brief introduction (and a pretty funny video of people trying to explain what exactly the cloud is).

There are cloud apps specialized for virtually every aspect of designing, so here is a quick guide on useful web-based apps to get you started if you’re thinking about taking the freelance plunge:

For Client Collaboration

Dropbox: More or less a household name at this point, this is a free service that allots you 2GB of storage upon sign-up. It’s designed for any web user, which means that your clients will be able to easily use it to see any files you wish to share with them. It’s also a secure app for your own storage. For those who need more space, they do have many options to pay for increased storage.

Sugarsync: This is another comprehensive storage system that offers file and folder sharing. It is compatible with most devices, so is a great option for your clients to use with you.

Evernote: Not only can Evernote act as your own digital scrapbook to store research, inspiration and ideas, it’s a great app to take notes when meeting with clients. You don’t have to deal with lugging around a notebook and remembering where you put your notes; you can locate them any time and from any device after your meetings or collaborations.

Dealing with clients can be difficult to navigate at times for reasons other than technical ones, so here is a collaboration guide for more in-depth help for those with less experience with remote work.

Encouraging Team Effort

Basecamp: This is one of the most popular project management apps. It’s ideal for designers, because it tracks projects from start to finish, and is designed for teams to work together remotely. It stores and organizes all files, documents, discussion feeds and feedback all in one place, which makes it extremely easy to track what team members are doing, as well as the project as a whole.

Draftboard: Another great collaboration tool, this streamlines all communication and feedback on project mockups. Perfect for the remote designer, you can update your progress and receive feedback from other designers or clients in one fell swoop, without having to meet face to face.

Remote Coding

Codeanywhere: When inspiration hits when you’re on the go, use this browser-based coding tool, which allows you to draft web layouts on any mobile device. It has Dropbox integration, as well as mobile apps for all types of Smartphones.

CSSDesk: Design a creative website with this full-featured interface. It allows you to develop designs that are supported across all major desktop and mobile browsers.

Helpful Software

Adobe Creative Cloud: As a designer, this is an especially exciting cloud app for you. You’ve probably become accustomed to buying expensive software packages that take up ahefty chunk of your hard drive space, and then spending more to upgrade to the latest version. Well, not anymore! Adobe now offers access to its latest products with a membership. Instead of installing programs on your own computer, you can use them on any device, as well as enjoy exclusive membership features.

Printing

Google Cloud Print: Connect your printer to the web and print a document or image from any application or device. You can share printers with anyone you choose from your Google account for a more concrete version of Google Docs.

Typography and Color Guides

TypeCast: This aewsome tool lets you design and experiment, all in the browser, with web fonts and real content. You can try the most popular web fonts all in one place, including all weights and compare font combinations and build type systems very quickly.

Adobe Kuler: Another excellent tool for doing tests, this app is for creating color themes and palettes, which can then be exported to any CS5 program. You can also import photos to create color palettes based on their prominent colors.

Experimenting with different apps will allow you to decide what works best for you to make your remote design efforts a success.

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