Passionate Leaders in the Mothership

Big businesses often get a big rap from innocent little customers. I have to admit to often having the same feeling about some large corporates out there in all fields; phones, groceries, travel... and IT. Adobe is often on the receiving end of criticism. There are valid points out there, but people just seem to prefer giving underdogs some slack, rather than champions.

Since 2006, Astute Graphics has had to work in the shadow of Adobe. In reality, we would be nothing without Adobe and I remain thankful for their existence. It's allowed us to enjoy the process of developing design tools and tech which is enjoyed by over 100,000 users the world over. That brings great satisfaction - and pays the way for my colleagues and myself.

So now that I've exposed my bias in all its glory, I have to also admit that I've never been afraid to speak my mind. I haven't agreed with everything Adobe Inc. have done. But what I can't argue with - and what makes me irritable when I hear others muttering in contrary - is the passion so many within the "Creative Software Mothership" have for their craft.

A personal connection with Adobe started in 2011 with the then Adobe Illustrator Product Manager - the wonderful Brenda Sutherland . Brenda always demonstrates full insight into the trade with dedication and great personal kindness. It is Brenda who pro-actively built the first bridge between Adobe and Astute Graphics. So, after she switched roles within Adobe, I was curious how things would progress with a name from within; Anubhav Rohatgi.

It is now some years since I first met Anubhav in person. If you don't know his name and use Adobe Illustrator, plus other major creative tools in Adobe's repertoire, then allow me to bring you up to speed:

As Product Management leader, Anubhav very much helps guide the direction of Adobe's key vector and typography products. He's also high enough up the chain within the Mothership to warrant excuses to exist only behind spreadsheets and PowerPointlessness. And yet, when I had the great pleasure to meet up again with Anubhav in London last night at the fantastic Comedy Store, he was knee-deep in working with clients to see what their needs and desires are for a more creative and profitable workflow.

Think about it; when is the last time you flew 1,000's of miles just to talk to clients to see how they are doing and what they need to be happier? I have no doubt Anubhav has enough emails to respond to to make excuses not to do this. Let alone make a regular habit of it.

I'm not the only one feeling this positive vibe from the Adobe teams at present. Our good friend and icon maestro, Scott Lewis, wrote only yesterday on his @iconifyit Twitter account:

So please - before we throw our next verbal onslaught to our chosen corporate giant, let's all take a moment to think. They may not be perfect and we should definitely voice our opinions. But have you tried reaching out to, and working with, some of the excellent folk who reside within? Perhaps they aren't so different in passion from you or me.

Postscript: if you are an Illustrator user and want to make yourself known with the development team, Adobe recently adopted the use of the Uservoice service where they actively monitor and interact with users. Simply visit illustrator.uservoice.com