You don’t need to be a graphic artist to build well-designed, effective materials for your audience. Creating customized (and brand-approved) communications just got easier with Adobe Express.
How to get an Adobe Express license?
Since UMBC has an Adobe Enterprise License, all faculty and staff can access Adobe Express. There is no need to pay for an individual license. You can access Adobe Express online and use your UMBC credentials to log in to the system.
What is Adobe Express?
Adobe Express is a platform that provides access to easy-to-use, pre-approved, and customizable branded templates. It provides access to colors and fonts in line with UMBC brand standards, making it easy to ensure consistency and compliance.
Before using Adobe Express
Before using Adobe Express, review the UMBC Brand and Style Guide for best practices.
Design Elements
You have access to the UMBC brand elements and some built-in Adobe Express elements. Use the tools to your heart’s content — with tasteful brand-conscious restraint following the university brand guidelines, of course!
Brand Kit Enhanced
Adobe Express brand kits have container sections for Logos, Fonts, Templates, and Color Palettes.
Log in and look for the new “Brand” menu item (at left) to get started.
Creating in Adobe Express
The B&CS team already has the UMBC brand set up, including the approved colors, as well as the brand font, Avenir Next.
- You are a part of a group that has permission to see your group’s folder. Make sure you are saving your designs to your specific group folder.
- Begin each project with a brand template whenever possible. If there is not a template to match your needs, please reach out and let us know at bcs@umbc.edu.
Graphic Design Best Practices
- Stick to using the same graphic template for events within the same series.
- Posts should have a clear call to action to drive engagement to an event or program.
- Review the UMBC Brand and Style Guide to check the use guides.
- Use 3-5 colors in your graphic (including backgrounds)
- Steer clear of “busy” elements that distract from your message
- Avoid fonts that are not easy to read (script or cartoonish fonts)
Ensure Designs Are Easy To Read
- Never use UMBC Gold on White, or White on UMBC Gold for text.
- Text should go on a solid background or a clear area if there is an image in the background.
- For social media:
- It is preferred to use photos with little to no text on a post and keep the information in the caption of the platform
- Keep font sizes large and legible, and keep your writing short
- If one line has more than seven words, the font is too small for social posts
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can multiple people use the same individual license, or “seat?”
A: No. Seats are for individual. Licenses are available to Faculty, Staff, and Student Staff. Access for interns is dependent on the affiliations with their Adobe Creative Cloud account, and if they have a sponsored account.
Q: Does Adobe Express have a desktop application?
A: Yes. You can select from Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS from this link: Adobe Express
Q: Can I transfer templates between accounts?
A: Yes. From one account, you can create a link to a template, then go into your other account and paste the link, which will create a clone of that template in the destination account.
Q: How should I upload logos (and vector assets) to my Adobe Express account?
A: When working in print, all department logos and other non-photographic elements should be uploaded as vector files. While JPEGs and PNG files are used for electronic publication, vector files are scalable without losing resolution and produce better results in print publications. Adobe has provided a guide for image file types you can reference here.
Q: My team has a lot of photos and our own design assets. Will we need to upload them to your campus repository or can we upload directly to Adobe Express?
A: The connection to your Google Drive, Box folder, or One Drive is possible to upload your assets. Please see this guide from Adobe. Please reach out to bcs@umbc.edu if you are adding photography. We have a review process to insure outgoing photos meet UMBC brand standards.
Q: How does that work for someone who is going to a conference? Can they work through Adobe Express to edit their document, then convert to PowerPoint and download it?
A: Yes, you can edit through Adobe Express and then convert or publish as a landing page when ready to present.
Q: How is Adobe Express connected to the campus printer?
A: commonvision is the preferred campus printer. To print a template, download it as a PDF, choose CMYK, and print it on an office printer or email it to them at commonvision@umbc.edu.
If the color or image goes to the edge of the design on any side, that is called a “bleed” and such designs require crop marks. When your design is ready, instead of making a PDF for commonvision to print from, just share the design with commonvision and they’ll prepare it for printing.
If you need bulk printing, please submit a request to the Brand & Creative Services team here: ucm.umbc.edu/request.
I can’t do what I want in Adobe Express
It’s important to understand what Adobe Express is, and what it is not. Adobe Express templates allow you to create a wide range of materials, but they are templates, and several elements are locked down. For example, the size and shape of text boxes are locked into place. The size and position of a picture box is also dictated. The templates are not meant to do everything for everyone.
While Adobe Express is user-friendly, you may run into something that you can’t figure out. If this happens, we recommend trying the Adobe built-in help system.
If your project cannot be accommodated by existing templates, please contact bcs@umbc.edu. Templates can be created or modified to meet specific needs, or you may need a custom solution from one of the members of our design team.
Transferring Your Work in Canva Pro to Your Own Account
Transfer your projects to a free, standard Canva account
If you want to continue editing your designs independently, you can transfer them to a free, standard Canva account:
- Create or log into a personal account: Go to Canva.com and sign up for a free account using a personal email address or switch to your personal account by clicking on your profile image and select “Personal” from the drop-down menu.
- Share your designs from your institutional account: Log back into your Canva enterprise account, open the design you want to keep, and click Share in the top right corner.
- Invite your personal account: Enter your personal email address, ensure the permissions are set to “Can edit,” and click Send.
- Accept the invite and copy the design: Log into your personal Canva account, open the shared design, go to File, and select Make a copy. This creates a permanent version in your personal account that you own completely.
If you only need static copies of your work for a portfolio or safekeeping, follow the steps below:
Download your designs
- Open your design in your Canva Enterprise account.
- Click Share in the top right corner, then click Download.
- Choose your preferred file type (e.g., PDF Print for documents/presentations or PNG for high-resolution images) and click Download.
Export project files separately
- If you created custom logos or vector graphics, download them explicitly as SVG files with transparent backgrounds so you can repurpose them in free editors later.
Please note that the storage included with your free Canva account will be capped at 5 GB. If your accumulated projects exceed 5 GB, delete heavy video files or unneeded drafts to ensure your account doesn’t freeze when it migrates to the free tier.