Google have released a vague but intriguing statement about an HTML5 development tool it’s calling “Web designer” that will …. “empower creative professionals to create cutting-edge advertising as well as engaging web content like sites and applications – for free.”
Should designers and developers be worried that their skills will soon have become redundant? Of course not. Despite the bold title of this project, it’s apparent from Google’s statement that it is actually a very niche application for advertising and unlikely to have broader implications for the design world. It’s an interesting step, however, and if it’s successfully adopted by creative advertising agencies then it would be no surprise to see future iterations developing into a more comprehensive website builder.
After all, Google are in the business of controlling information and what better way to control it than to own the very structure on which it lives. We’ve already seen the emergence of Google Sites – a useful but extremely limited template based website builder – surely this is all a sign of future intent, even if that future is still just a speck on the horizon.
Dan
