New (free) Web Designer from Google

As Google notes in today’s announcement [September 30th], Web Designer was developed to allow advertisers to easily create HTML5 ads for mobile and desktop. Until recently, Google argues, advertisers “didn’t have the tools they needed to easily develop content fit for today’s cross-screen experiences” and Web Designer aims to be the tool to create these experiences.

Reference:  Google Launches Web Designer, A Visual Tool For Building Interactive HTML5 Sites And Ads.

Our viewing habits are different from one device to another (e.g., desktop and mobile).  So advertisers faced the challenge of developing content for optimal cross-screen experiences.  As one developer told me, when he was working on an app for me, user interface had to be adapted for particular devices and operating systems, such as Apple iOS and Samsung Android.

Now Google has given the public the capability of doing that.  That is, those of us who aren't programmers or developers per se can learn how to use this new tool.

The tools come with all the usual visual design tools you’re probably familiar with. Some of the more interesting ones Google has developed for Web Designer include a pen tool for free drawing.

It’s worth noting that projects like Adobe Muse, Reflow and others include most of Web Designer’s features, too. But by making Web Designer available for free, Google is putting quite a bit of pressure on the incumbents in this space.

Google decided a few years ago to make its new operating system - Android - open source and free.  To say that this was a disruptive strategy is an understatement, as Android is now the dominant OS across mobile devices from different makers.  

Undoubtedly Web Designer is another disruption in the market.