This review originally appeared in the August 8, 2019 issue of The Content Technologist with the email subject line "Our Hacking Days are Over" and an essay on whether AI will replace writers.
If I were an interactive designer, I would be gunning for Ceros. And if you work in the content industry, you’ve probably been targeted for a demo. Ceros is the George Clooney of interactive content. It’s ubiquitously good-looking and very likable.
Ceros creates beautiful interactive content marketing — without having to work with any code. It’s fantastic for graphic designers well-trained in complex software Photoshop and Illustrator who haven’t yet learned the intricacies of interactive code (because those are two wholly different skills).
At a glance: Ceros Studio
Ceros Studio is a tool for creating experiences, rather than a creative service. Whereas many code-free creative presentation tools still require you to think with the logic of a programmer, Ceros is analogous to a Photoshop in its complexity, learning curve and friendliness to traditionally trained designers. Users who want the best and most creative results you should be comfortable with making something from a blank page.
Tools with a broad range of creative options require time to learn and implement. Ceros has account managers and training available, and for immediate results, they have their own creative team that builds really cool experiences. And recently they’ve added:
- A desktop app! You can actually treat it like an Adobe Creative Suite product if you want to. (Ceros is not an Adobe product even though it integrates with Marketo.)
- Enhanced responsive chart capabilities
- More options for standing out in Snapchat and Instagram/Facebook Stories with interactive social and animation.
- A partnership with Getty Images so searching for high-quality photos won’t get you down.
The biggest drawback: If you’re designing for desktop and mobile, designers are strongly advised to create and tweak device-specific experiences. And I’ve yet to see a low-code but creatively powerful tool that understands responsive design without a lot of tweaking… but if you know of one, give a shout!
You should still plan your Ceros content. You should still brief and wireframe. But you can make cool stories that are different and engaging and interactive.
Ceros is an investment. But the thing is, years in… Ceros experiences still feel new. It’s a rare interactive tool and service that doesn’t get old to a content pro. So… maybe instead of George Clooney, it’s the Kate Bush of interactive tools.