Adobe MAX delivers in style

Here’s a good thing that came out of the Pandemic—the annual Adobe MAX conference was free again this year! Several of us made our way to the d.trio lounge, which happened to be appropriately decorated for Halloween and thus, the perfect place to settle in for the show.

In typical Adobe style, there were a ton of cool cameos by famous creative folks from all walks of life (Sam’s personal favorite was some cocktail chatter by Brian Cranston and Aaron Paul). There were dozens of sessions to choose from over the course of the conference, and the majority of them are now streaming free online for everyone to experience—even non-creative types. Here are some highlights from the sessions our team enjoyed the most…

Creativity-focused sessions

Creativity in Business with José Andrés and Jeremy Scott – MB135
The takeaway: Creative folks can learn a lot from chefs.

Illustration with Yuko Shimizu and Craig & Karl – MB103
The takeaway: Even with access to software like Adobe’s, sketching on paper is still an important practice for illustrators.

Bold New Strokes for Illustration and Painting – MB172
The takeaway: A bunch of great tips by some extremely talented artists, along with a peek into their work.

Type Trends: 2022 and Beyond – S614
The takeaway: Typefaces can be really cool. (This isn’t news to the nerds out there, but it might be news to others.)

Software-focused sessions

See What’s New in Adobe XD – S531

Tapping into the Power of Design Systems with Adobe XD – L542
The takeaway: Video features are finally available in Adobe XD. Hallelujah!

What’s New in Photoshop – S356

Creating Animated Cinemagraphs with Photoshop and After Effects – S554
The takeaway: Photoshop is expanding the machine learning side of its offerings.

Marketing-focused sessions

Learning the Fundamentals of PDF Accessibility Step by Step – L200
The takeaway: Great information on one of the biggest accessibility blind-spots (pun intended).

Selling Creativity and Design with Kaufland and Digitas – MB161
The takeaway: It’s important to take risks creatively. This session explains why and how to do it.

Win at Integrated Marketing Campaigns by Eliminating Silos – S618
The takeaway: Full of relatable situations and tips, but it comes off a bit sales-y, so consider yourself warned.

Not everyone in marketing holds a creative title, but everyone is affected by it. If you have the time, we highly recommend checking out some of these free online sessions. There’s no guarantee that next year’s Adobe MAX will be online and open to everyone (but we hope so). It’s a great boon for the marketing and creative community and we were thrilled to experience it.