Tag: Creative Cloud

Five Professional Writing Must-Haves

books
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock
By Sarah Goodman

Has a professor ever advised you to keep the textbook from their class? Did you listen to them? In an age where renting textbooks is often the most financially feasible option, it can be hard to follow their advice. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to know which professional writing materials will help you in the real world? Here is a breakdown of the books, manuals, stylebooks, software and online resources that both professors and alumni swear by.

Number 1

An online portfolio where you can display your writing is a must-have. To do so, however, requires an ability to maintain the website. Content curation is not everyone’s strength so the ability to manage or code a website is extremely valuable. There are website hosts that are free such as Wix, WordPress, and Weebly, which offer premium services for small subscription fees.

Without subscription fees, you can still manage and customize the website through coding. Sometimes a single line of code can make all the difference in the aesthetic and readability of your content. If you are a coding novice, there are free online training and tutorials like Dash by General Assembly, CodeAcademy, and W3 Tutorials.

Number 2

The responsibilities of professional writers have evolved over the past decade; these days it is a good investment to keep a book on design rules and tips. “Because of everything that professional writers have to know and be able to do in 2017, sometimes our attention to writing effective, clear, balanced, and elegant sentences gets lost in translation,” said Dr. McComiskey, Director of Professional Writing Programs. “So for me, every professional writer, and every professional writing student, should own and use a book on style. Style is not grammar: grammar is about correctness; style is about making writing clear and powerful.”

Now, which stylebook do you go with? There are plenty of valuable ones; it boils down to the approach. Dr. McComiskey offered, “If you’re interested in academic writing, Joseph Williams’ book Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace is excellent. If you’re interested in more general non-fiction writing, then Joe Glaser’s book Understanding Style is great. If you’re interested in writing for the Web, then Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee’s book Nicely Said is wonderful.”

Number 3

Adobe Creative Cloud is a must-have for many professions. The utility of Creative Cloud is practically unmatched in the mainstream digital design market. Adobe has an affordable package for students that features all the programs for $19.99 per month. For individuals who are not students, Creative Cloud offers all applications costs for $49.99.

However, UAB alum Olalekan Dada said that if you or the organizations you work for do not have access to Adobe Creative Suite, it is worth your time to learn how to design your work through Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office users can attest that creative design is not an easy task in Word, but learning how to use the other components (Powerpoint, Publisher, Sharepoint, Visio, etc) could also serve as useful tools.

Number 4

When writing is your job, you have to write properly; the online resource called Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) can help with that. Whether you are citing diverse bodies of work or trying to remember an obscure grammar rule, Purdue OWL has the endorsement of professionals and professors alike. Purdue OWL is a free online resource that provides extensive guides in different writing styles, citation, grammar and writing techniques for job searches. The OWL even provides guides for writing in specific industries such as technical writing, creative writing, healthcare writing, literature, engineering and more.

In addition to Purdue OWL, A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker is a great resource introduced in English Composition 101 and continuing through professional careers. However, Director of the University Writing Center, Dr. Jaclyn Wells said, “There is nothing that beats just writing for a long period of time.” Experience is the best teacher, but it never hurts to have a cheat–sheet.

Number 5

The last must-have is coffee. Dr. Wells, Director of the University Writing Center, said that coffee is one of her many must-haves. The discipline of professional writing is a tough one that requires working hard hours and enduring criticism. But if you have the dedication, willpower and an energy boost, you can be a great and successful writer.

You may not need all or any of these extra resources. Just remember that it’s tough to fix things without tools. Having a knowledge of industry-standard programs like Adobe Creative Cloud or best-practices for curating your online content can make a difference.

It’s Free. It’s Adobe Creative Cloud.

Students working on computers, courtesy of UAB Image Gallery

By: Summer Guffey

Want to sharpen your digital literacy? Well now you can!

Adobe Creative Cloud is available to all UAB students and faculty members. The university’s agreement with Adobe allows students and faculty to create documents and edit photos for business and academic purposes. Students can hone their visual, audio, animation and organization skills digitally in the classroom. UAB believes that the teaching of digital literacy will propel students into the job market with advantages over their competitors.

Students have access to the cloud which includes a myriad of programs that can be used for design storage and photography files. Programs in the student design are:

  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • Acrobat DC
  • After Effects
  • Premiere Pro
  • Dreamweaver
  • And many more!

Every student is eligible for a free Adobe Acrobat Pro license. Adobe Acrobat is accessible through your Creative Cloud license as well.

Acquiring Your Creative Cloud

Students can access Adobe Creative Cloud in five simple steps. However, if there are any issues that you run into, it is best to contact UAB’s IT department. The instructions are to be carried out as followed:

  1. Visit adobe.com, then click “sign in” in the upper left-hand corner.
  2. Click “sign in with an Enterprise ID.”
  3. Enter your BlazerID (the email including @uab.edu) and password. This will redirect you to UAB’s single sign-on page where you can log in with your BlazerID and DUO 2-factor authentication.

You will then be directed to your cloud where you can install the programs you want to use onto your laptop.

Utilizing Adobe: Tips

The difference between Acrobat Pro and Creative Cloud is important for successfully utilizing each program for your desired purpose. Acrobat Pro allows you to create and edit PDFs; this includes the addition of interactivity for PDFs. When it comes to saving documents, Adobe Acrobat is used in accordance to other offered cloud storage, such as the methods of UAB One Drive.

In contrast, Creative Cloud provides a collection of the various programs offered in design, publishing, video and image applications. You can store your designs and various photograph styles in your Creative Cloud.

For those in need of publishing applications, InDesign is useful for such projects. With this software, you can create brochures, zines, books and flyers. Graphic designers, publishers, artists and marketers all use InDesign to format their digital documents. This will be useful in professional careers that require you to develop layouts. In the professional market, InDesign is commonly used in conjunction with Photoshop and Illustrator.

Photoshop is ideal for editing photos, but can also be used to sharpen your graphic art. You can retouch your photography, combine and organize images and isolate undesired objects. Illustrator helps you create two-dimensional objects and images, such as logos, which are pertinent to most professional businesses.

The Illustrator application is also used to create vector-based designs such as your own graphics, comics and fonts. Developing the ability to work through the Adobe software will provide you with a desired set of skills which employers are looking for in the workplace.

Adobe’s Cloud of Convenience

In an age where computers are involved in every aspect of the professional world, there is a higher demand for convenience with technology than there has been in the past. Writers make up a large portion of professionals that depend on technology in order to deliver the highest quality result possible across different mediums. However, with the emergence of newer tech services like Adobe Creative Cloud, writers are provided a means to work in numerous programs and applications regardless of their location. Adobe’s newest version of the Creative Cloud allows its users to work in a multitude of popular desktop applications, including InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, on two computers rather than one. Being able to switch from a laptop to a desktop to work in these programs and access old content is very convenient. Often, the Adobe desktop applications are difficult to access and are very expensive to purchase individually. However, with Adobe’s newest Creative Cloud system, the focus is on the user.

Along with the more than ten desktop applications that are available, Adobe Creative Cloud possesses an impressive arsenal of connected mobile apps. These provide users the ability to edit photos, sketch new creations, and edit and create video, all from the convenience of a tablet. Also, an often-overlooked feature of the Creative Cloud is the availability of expert training on the different applications via video tutorials. If you have ever struggled in the use of Adobe’s applications or been curious as to how or where to start, these video tutorials could be your guiding light. Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the Creative Cloud, however, is the numerous plans that are available to users.

Plans, meaning levels of access, are each geared towards a different category of user. Each plan includes a monthly payment specific to the amount or types of services provided. The plans are divided into four major categories: Individuals, Business, Students & Teachers, and Schools & Universities. Each includes different options varying in price and content. For example, in the category of the Individual, there are three plans to choose from: $9.99 per month, $19.99 per month, and $49.99 per month. Each specific payment plan is tailored to fit the needs of specific criteria of Adobe users.

With this wide range of plans, writers in virtually any professional sphere can find a plan that fits their specific needs, which is a stellar feature of Adobe’s latest Creative Cloud system. Technology is evolving quickly, and as writers begin to find newer, more practical methods of composition and design, the world of professional writing too will see change.

5 Don’ts of Graphic Design

I was going to give all the graphic design hopefuls a snark-filled article about the five things not to do when doing graphic design. However, after my interview with Scott Thigpen (Yes, that is a shameless plug). I felt that he provided “nots” that are much more helpful then any of my snark could ever be. The main points are his, but I have taken the liberty of elaborating on them. I hope that this at least gives graphic design hopefuls some confidence about entering the profession. So, here it goes, five don’ts when doing graphic design.

  1. Don’t take critique personally. Critique of your work is not a critique of you. Know the difference between people providing constructive criticism and mean people. People who provide constructive criticism do not attack you personally. Constructive criticism is meant to make you better and is a close examination of your work.
  2. Don’t devalue yourself. If you are doing work for someone, charge them according to your work. I am going to paraphrase Scott here: Your work is not worth $25. It is worth $2,500. It takes time to create. It takes time to make your creation come to life. That time is worth something and the piece you created it also worth something. You should charge for both. Charge accordingly.
  3. Don’t get complacent. Technology is always changing, so should your work. Think about the advertisements that you see on websites. They now pop up in front of you, move, and have sound. This once was a huge no-no. Now it is the only way to make the advertisements seen. Your designs should be seen. You have to create them in such a way that they are noticed even when there are distractions around them. Getting complacent will lead to designs that don’t get noticed.
  4. Don’t not have an accountant. This is true especially if you are freelancing. You are an artist and maybe you are good with money, but it never hurts to have someone help you keep up with your money. Also, you have to pay taxes on your income, even the income you get from creating. It is an accountant’s job to help you file taxes and not get audited. From what I hear, an audit is no fun. You don’t want that to happen. Just have an accountant. You’ll need one.
  5. Don’t let your client train you, you train your client. When you are doing work for a client, send them three designs that reflect what they are asking for. Don’t let them tell you what you should do with your design or how it should look. Again, this is your creation, your design. And guess what? You are the designer, not your client.

I hope that Scott’s tips give you some confidence about entering into the profession. Like any job that requires creativity, graphic design can be simultaneously extremely difficult and incredibly rewarding.