How Google Nexus 7 Will Change Graphic Design

Since 2010 Apple has dominated the Tablet market in general, but it was also the primary choice for Designers and Artist looking for a tablet. For one thing many of these users are familiar with Apple products and already own Macs. However there has been an increase in the flexible solutions for designers offered by Android over the years, particularly the Nexus7 Acer and Asus tablets and Android 4.0 as well as Adobe Touch Apps.

Why the Nexus 7 is a Game Changer
The Nexus 7 is the first tablet to truly address all the needs of a Designer on the go at a price that is not restrictive. It has the power necessary to multitask and handle the Adobe Touch Apps with ease. But it’s not just about size and cost. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean gives designers the ability to create the environment they need to work and set their own priorities.

Where as for task with iPad Designers have been forced to adjust their methods and workflows to work within the iOS ecosystem, with Android they finally have the control they need and the ability to manage their time effectively.

The 7” presentation format just makes more sense and is physically easier to manage, and this devices is superior to every other competitor in the 7” market including (IMO) the Galaxy Tab 2 7” model, due to its Quad Core processor and “clean” Android OS.

Nexus 7 with Adobe Touch Apps
Once you get the Nexus 7 you can utilize the Adobe Touch Apps to their full potential. Additionally the Nexus 7 comes with a $25 to the Google Play App Store. After purchasing 3 of the touch apps and logging into the Creative Cloud website from with the apps on the tablet you are given a month credit if you have yearly membership (value of $30-$60). So essentially you get 3 Adobe Touch Apps and a month of Creative Cloud for $5.

• Photoshop Touch. As any Photoshop user knows extra processing power and Ram as well as video performance is essential to get the best experience from any Photoshop product.
• Adobe Proto. Proto is the least resource intensive app for Adobe touch and doesn’t benefit as much from the extra power. But it is great for prototyping websites and web/mobile applications as well as demonstrating them in the environment they were meant for.
• Adobe Ideas. It’s a vector based image program, while a larger screen for this would be helpful, more RAM and Processing Power make up for it.
• Adobe Collage. This app is very much about multitasking so again more power is needed. However the lower end camera is a disadvantage here compared to other tablets.
• Adobe Debut. The speed of this tablet is going to make the experience of presenting go smoothly, also Android has many apps that make sharing the visuals on a larger screens (such as a large monitor or LCD TV in a board room) considerably easier than on IOS, (IMHO).

Nexus 7 Advantages For Designers vs. iPad
This is very specific. For the average person these features are not an issue or a selling point. But Designers are a different breed. There are task we have to do regularly and sometimes take to a whole differently level of detail that other don’t, such as file management and organization. Also immediacy and speed is more important to us because of our time management requirements.

• Portability. The iPad’s 10” screen is impressive, but impractical, not to mention it has gotten heavier in the latest version. The 7” Google Nexus is light enough and still large enough to present images and websites to clients.
• Presentation. Websites following current standards and the most common resolution requirements will look great on a Nexus, where as the new Retina display in the iPad 3 while delivering stunning video quality; can reduce the visual quality of an existing website. This could make or break a design presentation to a client.
• Customization. This has always been one of the major points in Androids favor. You can make an Android device what you need it to be, and work the way you need it to work. For a designer that level of control is important and something we’ve become accustom to in Adobe Applications, especially CS6.
• Power. Even at a smaller size the Nexus boast more power than the current iPad, with Quad Core Processors, 1GB of Ram and Nvidia Graphics. iPad currently has 512 Ram (less than current generation Smart Phones…) and Dual Core Processors
• Cost. $200 to invest in another dimension of mobility and convenience is something that even a very conservative Designer can manage, especially if it means no longer having to carry a print version of their portfolio or wait for a laptop to boot up in order to present their work.

New Design Workflows
I think that this has real potential to change how designers have been working and presenting. I think that the trend that started in interviews and presentations when the iPad first came out will become more of the standard with the new Google Nexus7 as a presentation tool, not just for Graphic/Web Designers, but for Marketers and Video and Audio Production folks too. I think the convenience in pricing and size will make this a much more common place technology accessory than the iPad and it could become as much as norm as 8GB USB thumb drives.

The most important thing here I think is accessibility. Just like when Adobe launched Creative Cloud Subscriptions, it opened  up options to entry level designers, students, freelancers, and anyone else on a budget, that just weren’t available a few years ago and will allow them to compete at a higher level than before at a price they can live with.

Watch this video introducing the Google Nexus7

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Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is a Professional Graphics Designer and Photographer, living in Fayetteville NC, has work been working with Photoshop® for over 8 years now, and Flash® for the past 5 years.

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