This week I had a last minute assignment to create some sort of image that would help promote an upcoming event via social media. You’ve probably noticed eye-catching pictures that appear in your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn streams. And you may have assumed they were the result of a professional graphic designer and expensive software.

As technology evolves the software applications available are getting easier to use, and Adobe Spark is just one example. One of my students mentioned this product to me over the summer and my work assignment seemed like a good chance to try it out.

Overall it was a great experience and I quickly produced something that I (and my boss) was happy with, but there were also a few challenges.

Pros:

• There are a lot of ready-to-use themes and templates, so you never have to start from scratch.

• The Inspiration Gallery is, well, inspiring! Browse these images arranged in helpful categories to further fuel your idea.

• You can choose from a long list of predetermined image sizes based where you want to use your creation, e.g., Instagram, slide show, Facebook ad, twitter header, poster, LinkedIn cover, and many, many more.

• Almost every component is editable from font to color scheme and layout, or you can go with the initial set-up provided when you pick your project size and just add your text.

Cons:

• Did I mention there are a lot of options? The interface features easy ways to tweak each component of the graphic (e.g., text, background, color palette). I spent way too much time trying things out, starting over, and generally swimming around instead of focusing on my project. Don’t get distracted!

• Saving and downloading were tricky and time consuming. The system saves your work as you go into a list of projects, but my browser crashed a couple of times in the download process. This could be due to my broadband and/or issues with the browser (sorry, Firefox).

• You’ll need to sign up for an Adobe ID if you don’t already have one, but this allows you to save your projects and access them when you log in at a later date.

With a little practice, you may find this kind of software is a great resource for your career office’s social media accounts, websites, event advertisements, job search portfolios, and beyond.

Have you tried Adobe Spark or another similar tool like Canva? Share your feedback with us here.

P.S. If you are so inclined, please vote for my #SXSWedu panel presentation between now and September 2^nd. 🙂