I’ll say and keep saying it. Never doubt the Webflow team, these guys are here for us and they are constantly working hard to improve an already great online web design tool.
Many of us were interested in checking out Macaw’s new software Scarlet. The software looked promising, was it better than Webflow - Highly Highly doubtful, but it was an offline web design alternative (not the ugly Dreamweaver) for those of us who can’t always access the internet. Well Invision has purchased Macaw and they are no longer going to take the initiative and launch Scarlet.
So - just yet another reason for us to say THANK YOU! to the Webflow team and how much we appreciate you guys for working hard and improving this already insanely awesome product!
From what research I’ve done, Scarlet is/was set out to be more developer minded and less “designer friendly”. It was for more code savvy users.
Webflow on the other hand is tailored to us designers who have to battle code.
“Was this site built in Scarlet?”
Indeed, it was! However, it was designed by someone with an understanding of HTML, CSS and JS. That is a prerequisite for making the most of Scarlet."
“Do I need to understand HTML and CSS to use Scarlet?”
“You can use Scarlet with limited knowledge of HTML and CSS. However, you’ll be able to do so much more if you understand how these languages work.”
Notice that they say you can use it with LIMITED knowledge of HTML and CSS. I myself have NO knowledge of code, other than page break “< br >”
From my early MySpace days, haha.
Which is why I’m most interested in investing myself long term with Webflow.
Yes, Invision has acquired Macaw, but what information have you seen that says Invision will not be releasing Scarlet?? Personally I’m fairly certain they WILL release Scarlet, or pull the tech behind Scarlet to launch their own product with all the inner workings of Scarlet injected into it.
“Macaw launched in 2013 and has over 125,000 loyal users. We aren’t killing Macaw! Users will have continued access to the product.
Scarlet, Macaw’s companion product currently in pre-release, will be incorporated into the overall InVision product strategy and revisited at a later date.”
…so they are doing something with Scarlet for sure. But again, Webflow=Jedi for designers
I think it’s obvious that Webflow will continue to have formidable competitors in this category. Adobe Muse is going responsive this year (beta is already out), InVision is certainly going to do something with Macaw, and others like Wix, Weebly and the other WYSIWYG editors will continue to get better.
It’s important that Webflow continues to carve out its space as a powerful visual tool for designers that doesn’t just make things easier. Webflow makes the process more efficient.
JS interactions and CSS properties are created visually with browser fallbacks and alternatives built-in. The learning curve on development is steep enough as it is, and having to code for a billion different browsers is a headache.
Webflow lets us focus on the design and takes care of the backend. But it does it from a position of “CSS matters.” In other words, Adobe Muse uses random classes and creates content using absolute positioning. This is easy because you don’t have to know a single thing about CSS. With Webflow, you’re forced to use CSS best practices (this is a GOOD THING) and the code speaks for itself. Clean, lightweight, and compatible.
Loving the innovation in CMS. The hosting—from the very concept of one-click publishing to the amazing backend work the Webflow team has done with Amazon and Fastly—is incredible. Loving the small feature releases we seem to be getting more and more of lately. Loving the promise of some big stuff around the corner.
SIDENOTE …look at the Macaw site. What does everyone thing of the design? Love the typography and color choices for what that’s worth!
Agreed, and I do indeed like the simplistic, yet clean and professional design of the Scarlet Macaw site. I do see it becoming a force to be reckoned with, however, I don’t believe they’re going to be in the same target market as Webflow whatsoever. I think it’l become a fantastic go-to tool for larger agencies with developers-deep in staffing.
