Your Adobe Express student account: Top 6 ways to create high-impact creative content

Today’s university students are immersed in a fast-paced world of activities, classroom projects, and preparation for a competitive employment landscape. More and more of these on and off-campus efforts require shareable, engaging digital content — which means you need a large dose of creativity and the right tools to bring your ideas to life.

The good news is you don’t have to be a designer to create high-impact projects. All you need is your imagination and a computer or smartphone, and you can create sharp, eye-catching content quickly and easily with Adobe Express.

Anyone with a university-provided Adobe student plan for Creative Cloud already has access to Adobe Express Premium. Whether you’re looking to create a head-turning poster for an on-campus event, share a colorful social media post to entice people to join a new club, or build a professional-grade online portfolio to position yourself as an attractive job candidate, Adobe Express will help you create stunning creative assets in no time.

Here are six types of creative projects you can quickly create for school, work, or social activities using your Adobe Express Premium student account.

1. Create a cohesive social media presence for your club

Let’s say you’re in charge of spreading the word about an upcoming club event at your university, and you want to create a series of social media posts to capture campus-wide interest. Creating and posting a custom design might sound intimidating if you have to start from scratch — but templates for creating Instagram and Facebook posts and Instagram stories in Adobe Express make it easy to quickly create customizable, scroll-stopping social posts. You can choose a layout that catches your eye, or explore thousands of unique templates and design assets for just the right look.

Once you’ve dialed in your designs, you can schedule posts to publish on your club’s Instagram account with the Adobe Express Content Scheduler. Your content will automatically be published before the event at just the right intervals so you can get the biggest turnout possible.

2. Design a bold infographic for a group project

Images can speak even louder than words when used the right way in a creative project. If you have a professor who loves group projects, you may find yourself in a group assigned to create an infographic together.

Start with a brainstorming session to determine the message you want to communicate with your infographic and explore what kind of imagery and visual approach will convey your message clearly and impactfully. Then hop into Adobe Express to choose an infographic template that works with the theme of your project. You can add photos or illustrations that align with your group’s project theme and customize your infographic by scaling, cropping, tiling, or adding visual effects.

Before your live presentation, print your infographic and review it together in person with your group. If you’re working with remote team members, you can send your design using Creative Cloud Libraries, which makes it easy to save, organize, and share creative templates and assets. Make sure your infographic text is readable from a distance and that the colors and images you’ve chosen support your message. If you need to make a few final updates, you can hop into Adobe Express on your phone, tablet, or computer.

3. Create a head-turning campus event flyer

Flyers need extra creative polish to really stand out on crowded walls or campus event boards. When you’re in need of a little inspiration to promote your next event, there’s no shortage of dynamic, professional-looking flyer templates in Adobe Express.

Choose a flyer or poster template that works for your event type and theme. If images are the star of your flyer, you can make them your own by removing backgrounds and customizing cutout parameters. If you don’t have your own graphics, choose an image from a collection of over 160 million royalty-free Adobe Stock photos. You can further customize your design with graphics, illustrations, and frames. Once your flyer is ready to distribute, check that your project is the right size for printing by using the Resize menu to select your asset type.

Put your flyer on a board or post it next to others and see how it looks in context. Evaluate your colors and contrast, text layout and order, and event details to make sure everything is accurate and easy to read. Pull out your phone and make any adjustments on the Adobe Express app.

If you’ve looped in another club member to help with printing and distribution, you can quickly get them the file type they need with Adobe Express. Whether you want to share in PNG, JPG, PDF, or SVG format, it’s easy to export or convert files to new formats with just a few clicks.

4. Stand out online with a bold, branded portfolio

Whether you’re creating a personal brand or aspiring to start your own business or consulting firm, a consistent visual identity is key. If you want to land some contract work before applying for your first internship or job, building a carefully-curated online portfolio should be on your radar.

First, create a logo that shows off your unique identity. Start by customizing one of the many logo templates or by using the Adobe Express Logo Maker tool. Once you’ve perfected your logo, upload it to your online portfolio site and see how it looks. You can always adjust colors, fonts, and sizing in Adobe Express. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can even make a custom LinkedIn banner that shows off your new brand.

As you pull together showcase pieces for your online portfolio, select your best work in each of your chosen categories. You can use Creative Cloud Libraries to stage your assets as you decide which projects to share — with 100GB of storage free with your account, you don’t have to worry about running out of storage space. Remember that quality is more important than quantity. If your site template allows, include a short blurb about each piece or project, including a description of your creative approach.

5. Update your LinkedIn profile picture

Updating your LinkedIn profile is an important step in preparing for collegiate and professional opportunities — but you may need a new headshot if your current photo has a distracting background or other people in it.

Clean up your photo by removing the background, then customize it in any template by adding a new background and applying filters or enhancements. You can resize your photo by selecting LinkedIn in the resizing tool and scaling your image to get the perfect crop.

Take a look at your updated profile picture to see if it resonates with the style of the industry you’re interested in and conveys your authentic personality. Now that you know how easy photo edits can be with Adobe Express, experiment with different poses and wardrobe choices to polish your profile look.

6. Build an eye-catching resume and website

Getting your message across isn’t just about the words you use. Picking the right font or type treatment can help you get through to your audience in a way that stands out. When it’s time to put your best foot forward to prospective employers for an internship or job, a polished, professional-looking resume and website will speak volumes.

Start by choosing a resume or CV template with a creative vibe and layout that works with your personal style, experience, and industry aspirations. Update the content to tell your unique professional story. Add personality to text by experimenting with curved, grid, and magic alignments or by adding shape, shadow, or outline effects on key headings.

Then create a personal website that shares more about your background and interests. With the Adobe Express web page builder, you can quickly create striking page layouts with easy-to-edit design elements.

Keep readers’ interest by introducing yourself with a brief cover letter, limiting your resume to a page or two at most, and by making sure to put your most recent and relevant experience first. Keep it concise, optimize for applicant tracking systems (ATS), and include relevant links to your LinkedIn profile, website, and portfolio (if you have one).

Power your professional development with Adobe

Students with an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription have even more reasons to celebrate. The Adobe Kickstart Your Career Program offers workshops, resources, and tutorials designed to help university students bring their creative prowess and Adobe Creative Cloud skills together to land the job of their dreams. These workshops can help you build your creative muscles, develop job-ready communication skills, and create a professional portfolio so you’re prepared to take on a creative career in any industry.

Keep learning with Adobe Express

From presentations and posters to social media, video, and graphic design projects, it’s never been easier to get creative. Create your first Adobe Express project today.

Try Adobe Express today

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