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With Sketchbook for iPhone, Autodesk Wants to Democratize High-Tech Design

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With Sketchbook for iPhone, Autodesk Wants to Democratize High-Tech Design

David McFadden | built environment | June 15, 2010

A company known for niche design programs ventures into the mass market. But why?

Autodesk does well-over $2 billion in annual revenues, but unless you’re a designer, you probably don’t know the company: They produce sophisticated programs, often costing thousands of dollars, which are necessary tools in design professions ranging from architecture to digital animation.

So it’s a bit of surprise that lately, they’ve been fooling around with iPad and web apps geared towards a mass audience. Some of their offerings include Sketchbook, an iPhone/iPad app that’s been downloaded almost 2 million times; and Homestyler, a web app that lets you create and decorate a 3-D model of your home. Yet despite those successes, those products seem piddling against yearly profits of over $200 million.

FastCompany.com recently spoke with Amar Hanspal, Autodesk’s SVP of emerging business, about what those ventures portend for the company’s future.

Full article vis FastCompany

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About the author

After working at various design practices full-time and freelance and starting his design firm, David McFadden saw a gap in the industry. In 1984, he created an expansive hub for architects and hiring firms to sync up, complete projects, and mutually benefit. That hub was Consulting For Architects Inc., which enabled architects to find meaningful design work while freeing hiring firms from tedious hiring-firing cycles. This departure from the traditional, more rigid style of employer-employee relations was just what the industry needed – flexibility and adaptation to current work circumstances. David, Founder, and CEO has successfully advised his clients and staff through the trials and tribulations of four recessions – the early '80s, early '90s, early 2000s, the Great Recession, the pandemic, and the current slowdown caused by inflation and high interest rates.