It's the best of times and worst of times at Quark, the makers of QuarkXPress. Version 7 of that page-layout giant is only weeks away from hitting store shelves, and it's generating a big buzz. Yet there's no denying the logo fiasco, or the fact that the company has yet to find a permanent CEO following the sudden exit of Kamar Aulakh almost one year ago. And now another executive is leaving: May 12 is the last day that Susie Friedman will be senior vice president of strategic relations. However, Friedman, who was senior vice president of marketing when the SicolaMartin agency was hired to redesign Quark's logo, will play an advisory role on unspecified special projects.

Is this good news or bad news for the company and its customers?

Gene Gable, an industry consultant and author who has worked with Quark in the past, notes that "the loss of key personnel at Quark is always a little troubling, especially when it is one of the long-term managers like Susie Friedman. But sometimes legacy is a liability as a company goes through changes."

David Blatner, author of several books on QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign, agrees. "Quark has experienced a failure of leadership and vision over the past four or five years," he says. "It's clear that they didn't understand their primary competition, InDesign, and they didn't understand the needs of the market. They've lost a significant market share, but they're not out of the game. Quark must find people with the real vision and strength to propel the company forward."

Gable believes that the revolving leadership door hasn't stopped its swinging. "I think there'll be more key staff departures at Quark for a couple of reasons," he says. "First, the drama of a huge product cycle like XPress 7 takes its toll, especially on those who have been through that before. And second, Quark is in the midst of leadership change, and that can be most difficult on longer term staff who may feel left out of the process or overlooked for advancement. Susie Friedman always struck me as an asset to Quark, but if you agree with the premise that Quark has not been a particularly well-run company, you can't be freaked out when one of the top people move on."

Gable concludes, "I'd feel much better about a departure like this if Quark's search for a new president was completed and staff changes felt like part of a plan."

Glen Turpin, the company's director of corporate communications, says that Friedman's day-to-day responsibilities will be transitioned to other Quark executives. He added, "We look forward to continuing to work with her in an advisory role."

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