This week Adobe gave a preview of the new Creative Suite 4 (CS4) which is due in October. One question I often get is whether a direct market designer should upgrade. They want to know whether the new features are worth the expense.

The “direct market” part is important since we traditionally don’t need lots of fancy features. It’s kind of like Word. For many years Word has been more than capable of handling your word processing needs. So the task for Microsoft is convincing you with each new version that there’s some new feature worth upgrading for.

To a degree, that’s Adobe’s dilemma as well. To their credit, each new CS4 product has at least one really neat new feature. But whether it’s enough to drop some serious money on is another matter.

It wasn’t very long ago at all that CS3 came out. And it suffered a bit from not initially playing nice in some areas with both Leopard and Vista operating systems.

This time, that shouldn’t be an issue… CS4 should work great with both operating systems right out of the box. But you really need to look at the list of new features for your favorite applications to see if an upgrade is worthwhile on release day.

This year, more than any other, I’ve been struck by how much I need to retain my ability to work with older versions of the Adobe titles. For example, I have one client who needs my files to be available in CS2 format. I create them in CS3, but I then have to save them as an INX file, reopen them in CS2 and save them as CS2 files. (Yes, I know… the client should be able to open the INX files in CS2, but it hasn’t worked like it’s supposed to.)

Thankfully, when I upgraded from CS2 to CS3, I was allowed to keep CS2 on my computer. And I expect that when I upgrade to CS4, I’m going to want to retain CS3. Also, you never know when some smaller print shops will get around to upgrading. So giving them files that include features their version of the software can’t handle is going to be a pain.

I say all this just as a caution not to jump into the CS4 pool immediately. It’s always tempting to get these new applications and start playing with the new features. But these days I tend to think it’s better to sit back and see what the “early adopters” have to say and decide objectively whether the new features are ones you’ll actually use as a direct market designer.

Personally, I see lots of great new features in Photoshop and InDesign (my two main tools), but I’m not seeing a lot that is going to significantly change the way I work. I’ll eventually upgrade, but I highly doubt I’ll be a “Day One” user.

This is kind of embarrassing. I recently bought a book that had been getting some good reviews for a number of months. It’s Scott Citron’s Professional Design Techniques with Adobe Creative Suite 3.

As I started reading the book, parts of it seemed awfully familiar. Yesterday, I found out why. Turns out I had bought the book months earlier and started it, but had put it in a pile to finish later. That pile had grown to the point that I finally had to go through it this week and there it was… the first copy of the book I bought.

So, that leaves me with two copies of the same book. I could simply throw one copy in the trash, but that would be a waste of knowledge. I could sell it on eBay, but I have no desire to go through that process. I could travel a couple of counties over and sell it to a used bookstore, but the amount of money you get for computer books wouldn’t cover the gas to get there and back.

Instead, I’m going to offer it as a give-away here on the blog. The details are pretty simple:

1. From now until the end of the month (June 30th, 2008), I’m going to collect e-mails from people who want the book. Go to www.mikeklassen.com, click on the e-mail link and send me an e-mail with the heading “Free Book Giveaway”.

2. Your e-mail should contain your name and shipping address. If it doesn’t, your e-mail gets dumped. And sorry to say, but this offer is only for U.S. addresses.

3. I will not be confirming your e-mail, so don’t expect a response. I don’t mean to be anti-social about it, but I’m juggling a lot of things at the moment and need to stay focused on some high-priority tasks.

4. On July 1st, I’ll take all those e-mails (which will be in a folder on my computer), close my eyes and use the mouse to point at one of the e-mails. That’s the person who will get the book. Not a fancy method to pick a winner, but it’ll work.

5. I will tell the winner via e-mail that they’re getting the book, but make sure my e-mail address isn’t considered spam on your end. If you miss the e-mail, you’ll probably get the sense you won when a book arrives in your mailbox.

6. The book it completely free… I even pay the shipping. If, for some reason, the post office loses the book, sorry. But since I’m covering the costs, I’m not going to bother with insurance and what-not.

Just so you know, I’m not collecting e-mails for any other purpose. I’m not going to market to you, I’m not going to put you on some e-mail list, and I’m not going to sell your e-mail address. Once I have a winner, all the e-mails get deleted.

I’d prefer that you only send an e-mail if you feel you can use the book. I’d like the book to go to someone who can put it to use.

Here’s a link to the publisher’s site where you can learn more about the book and see the table of contents so you know what’s covered. (Note that Adobe Press also sells a PDF version of the whole book. The one I’m offering here is a print version.)

Speaking of books…

I’ve updated and trimmed my Recommended Book List. I got rid of most books that were specific to a single software title. The list is now down to 18 books covering layout/design, the print process, and motivation.

Related to that, this blog now includes some quick links to those books. You should see those links on the right.

These are all books that I own or own a previous edition. (In fact, the list includes the Citron book I’m giving away.) I don’t take book recommendations lightly and I realize a “great” book to one person may be a “waste” to another. But these are all books that have helped me to be successful as a direct market designer, so I’m letting you know about them.

I’ve added a few more books to my Recommended List.

The first is Thinking Creatively: New Ways to Unlock Your Visual Imagination. I’ve actually read a couple of books related to design creativity, but this was the only one I felt was worth recommending.

This one helps to show how different types of designs come together and is a big help if you’re feeling a little design-challenged.

One thing in particular I like about the book is the exercises at the end. Normally I’m not too keen on exercises at the back of a book (too much like high school, I suppose), but these are actually fun.

For example, in the section about type and images, the instructions state: “Design a word so that its connotative meaning is the same as its denotative meaning…Design the word whisper to sound like a whisper. Take a word like stable and find five typefaces that would convey the appropriate meaning for it.”

You’ll find that book listed in the Business / Motivation section of the Recommended List.

Also in that section you’ll find A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. This was written by Daniel Pink. His other book, Free-Agent Nation, is also in that section and has been there from day one. To me, Free-Agent Nation is mandatory reading for people who are thinking of freelancing. So when Pink’s A Whole New Mind came out, I put it on my reading list and finally got to it a couple of weeks ago.

I think copywriters and designers will relate to what Pink says and maybe get some confirmation that they’re heading in a strong career choice at a time when as many things as possible get out-sourced overseas. And as the title alludes, the book covers how the hemispheres of our brains work and how we need them to work in order to excel in our careers. (Don’t worry, it’s not a dry read.)

The next book is more of a reference and you might not need it now, but it’s the type of book that you’ll be glad you have handy when you suddenly need it. It’s called Forms, Folds, and Sizes. You’ll find that one in the General Layout Books section.

There’s a little of everything in this book: measurement conversion charts, info on paper types, envelope sizes, postal standards, bar code standards, print bindings and a lot more.

Last but not least, I created a new section called Adobe CS3 Related. With the Creative Suite 3 now out, I was looking to see what, if any, books were available for my library. It’s probably not surprising, but most books aren’t quite out yet, but they are listed as pre-orders. So, since I was looking anyway, I tossed them all into this new section.

While I state it on that section of the Recommended List, I’ll repeat it here: Those books are ones I don’t own, mainly because they’re not out yet. It’s just a convenient list if you’re a CS3 user and want to see what’s coming.

By the way, I am using CS3 now…at least InDesign. I started using that this weekend for a new project. As I mentioned in a prior blog post, it’s the little improvements that I like that will help me be more efficient.

And kudos to Adobe support. I was having trouble installing the software yesterday (Friday) and knew I’d need some tech support. It was ten minutes before 5pm Pacific which was when they shut down for the day.

I called the toll-free number and actually got through to a human. Reaching a human was impressive enough, but getting one ten minutes before quitting time for Friday and the weekend really impressed me.

The guy told me what I needed to do to fix the problem and it worked great. (For the computer geeks among you, it was a folder-level permissions issue with Windows.)

On the day I’m writing this, Adobe has just let the world in on what to expect with next version of the Creative Suite due toward the end of April here in the U.S.

Without a doubt, I’m upgrading. (I’m kind of a geek that way.) But I always hear this question from beginning designers: Do I need to upgrade? In other words, they’d love to get the latest and greatest, but it’s not cheap either.

I’ll cut right to the chase…you won’t stop getting jobs if you are using older versions of InDesign, Photoshop or Illustrator. So don’t feel you have to get CS3 in order to keep up with everyone else.

Having said that, if you depend on these programs, I’ve seen enough to know that each one has improvements that make life a little easier and will probably make you more efficient.

For example, InDesign has a new “multiple place” feature. In CS2, you can only place one thing at a time in a document. That’s not fun when you have a dozen or so pictures you want to put in a document. It’s just so repetitive to have to go through the process of opening and placing each file one at a time.

With the ability to place multiple items in one whack (you do have to click to place each one), you save yourself time.

That’s what I mean…nothing really earth-shattering, but with so many little improvements, your life is going to be a bit easier.

Also, for you Intel Mac folks, this version of CS3 was created to take advantage of the Intel processor. You should find it runs much smoother than CS2 does on an Intel Mac.

For you Vista folks, I’m sure everything will be fine (in fact, Adobe says it will be fine), but do some research before you buy to make sure CS3 and Vista play nicely together. Being a former software tester at Microsoft, I’ve seen it all when it comes to a brand new operating system working with brand new software.

The web design tool, GoLive, is no longer a part of the Suite, replaced by Dreamweaver. (Raise your hand if you didn’t see that coming.)

And in certain Suite configurations, Flash is now included. (There are multiple configurations for you to choose from. I’m going with CS3 Design Premium.)

I continue to stand by something I’ve said when people just starting out in design ask what software they should buy: If you buy an Adobe CS product, you basically get a complete design studio in one box. (Of course, it’s up to you to learn how to use it.) It can be pricey, but with one purchase, you’re on your way.

And, obviously, you can buy any of the software titles individually…so if you just care about InDesign, you can buy it alone.

But, again, if you’re a current Adobe software user and finances don’t allow you to upgrade, you’re going to be ok unless you run into a client who demands you use something you don’t have and I haven’t had that happen too often.

A lot of people have done great work today to provide video previews of new software in CS3. I’m going to point you to those if you want to learn more.

First, for an overview, head over to the Adobe website.

Adobe Creative Suite Podcast – This is primarily a slide show overview the whole Suite, but also includes some video demos. (Watch the 3D stuff in Photoshop and Live Color in Illustrator. Waaaay cooool!)

InDesign Secrets Podcast – New features in InDesign (audio)

The InDesigner – New features in InDesign (video)

Photoshop CS3 Learning Center – Lots of videos showing off the new Photoshop

Real World Illustrator Podcast – New features in Illustrator

Total Training Videos – Despite being pricey, hands-down the best professional video training you can buy.

This is kind of an exciting year for major software releases. First, Windows Vista is out. Later this year, Apple will release it’s latest operating system.

For designers, the new Adobe Creative Suite 3 will be out, probably before Summer. (Actually, more info is going to be released about the next Suite on March 27th.)

The reason I bring this up is because you may want to hold off on some software purchases.

For example, if you’ve been thinking of buying the current Adobe CS2 in the next few weeks, you may want to wait until CS3 comes out if possible. No point in getting used to CS2 – and spending money on it – only to feel the need to upgrade to the new CS3 a few months later. (And from what I’m reading, CS3 is going to be worth the wait.)

Also, if you own, say, Photoshop and you’re thinking of buying some plug-ins for it, again you may want to wait since some plug-ins may not work on the upcoming Photoshop, assuming you plan to upgrade. You want to make sure the plug-in makers are going to make your favorite plug-ins compatible with the design tools you use.

Those of you who have upgraded operating systems in the past know the challenges of getting all of your old software and hardware to work on a new operating system. So it usually pays to plan upgrades as best you can and ensure the software you need will still work. (And that the operating system you choose is stable.)

It’s hard to recommend to people what they should buy without knowing a lot about them and their goals, but I will say this: If you are totally new to design and don’t have ties to any type of software or operating system at this point, hold out until Apple releases their next OS (Leopard, I think) and then get Adobe Creative Suite 3 and a new Apple computer. (I use an iMac.)

With the Apple computer and OS, you’ll get a solid system. With CS3, you’ll get virtually a complete design studio with on software purchase. (Learning to put it to good use is up to you.) Yes, the whole thing will be pricey…Apple computers aren’t inexpensive nor is any Adobe Suite.

But I’ve got PCs and Apples and just about every design software that’s popular. If I had to strip it down to the bare minimum, I’d go with Apple and the Adobe Suite and be confident that I could run a successful design business.