Spotlight on Alan Mascord Design Associates

Commitment to architectural excellence

AMDA uses Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to create an engaging home design iPad app

"Practical pursuit of perfection describes our company philosophy," says Alan Mascord, who is always looking for new ways to reach and inspire customers. Mascord leads a team of talented individuals who perform multiple tasks in his small business.

Gary Higginbotham is both the director of marketing and a one-man graphic design team at Alan Mascord Design Associates (AMDA). The Portland, Oregon-based company offers predesigned house plans, custom home designs, and remodeling design services. Until recently, the company's home designs could only be explored online or by thumbing through a printed catalog, and typically presented simplified floor plans, sketches, and perhaps a few exterior photos.

"Our customers want to see interior materials, photography, 360-degree views, slide shows, 3D renderings — as many details of the home as possible before buying the plan," says Higginbotham. "We decided to create a tablet app that lets homeowners interact with our designs, broadening our reach beyond our print and online offerings."

Project Details

The app is the answer

Using Adobe® InDesign® CS5.5 software and Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Higginbotham created Mascord Living Spaces, a free app for the iPad that lets potential customers view stunning photography from some of Mascord’s favorite homes, take the latest designs for a 360-degree spin, and get an inside look at AMDA's design and building philosophies by linking to home design articles.

As a designer, Higginbotham appreciates the fact that he can create digital publications without having to learn new skills or hire a programmer. "With Digital Publishing Suite, AMDA is taking advantage of the same powerful tools and services that the major publishers use to create and distribute digital content for tablet devices," he says. "It's exciting that there is now a solution tailored to small businesses like us so that we can do the same."

Adobe Digital Publishing Suite fits with AMDA's existing print workflow based on InDesign CS5.5, while allowing the small firm to expand into digital publishing cost-effectively. Higginbotham quickly learned that he could add interactivity using InDesign, and then bring his InDesign files into Digital Publishing Suite to create an enriched, interactive digital catalog.

"With Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, design and production works seamlessly," Higginbotham says. "Adobe offers a superb level of integration between content creation and digital publishing tools. Now, with Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition, it's even simpler for a small business to reach out to customers in exciting, affordable ways."