Getting Started with Adobe Express

What is Adobe Creative Cloud Express?

Every employee and student at Penn State can sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud Express. There are three different licenses available. The first option, Adobe Express, will work for most students and employees. If you anticipate needing additional Adobe products, such as Photoshop, you can select the third option (note that this option requires supervisor approval).

By utilizing Creative Cloud Express and Libraries, you can create graphics, and use Penn State branding elements, colors, fonts, and logos with just a few clicks. This service helps you develop the graphics you need when you need them utilizing the Penn State Brand and HHD-created templates.

Getting started

Adobe Express templates

Our pre-designed Adobe Express templates make creating flyers, posters, and other branded materials easy. You can add these template libraries to your Adobe account by visiting our Adobe Express SharePoint webpage. These templates are available to those with Penn State credentials, ensuring faculty and staff have quick access to approved designs.

Adobe Express branding

Adobe Creative Cloud Brand Libraries allow you to apply the University, college, and department branding to any template. While the college’s communication and marketing team created the templates and branding libraries to align with our brand, Adobe Express also offers thousands of additional templates. If you choose to use them, you can use the branding libraries to add Penn State branding to your designs to ensure consistency.

Create your project

Adobe Express training

To help you get started, the communication and marketing team has developed a Canvas training course covering the basics of Adobe Express, Penn State branding requirements, and how HHD is integrating this software. This course provides step-by-step guidance to ensure your designs meet University standards.

Photography tips

We created a photography tip sheet to help you learn how to take photos for your communications and marketing materials. You'll find quick tips on lighting, composition, angles, and subject focus—plus examples to guide you. Whether taking photos at an event or capturing headshots, these suggestions will help you create more polished, on-brand images.

After you have designed your project

Marketing and communications materials are reviewed, and a UBR number will be assigned to ensure compliance with Penn State’s accessibility and brand guidelines. This unique code certifies approval and must be displayed clearly on the final piece. Submit your UBR number request using our communication request form.