Bolstering Creativity and Progress: 5 Things We Learned at the Adobe MAX Conference
The Adobe MAX conference is an annual event that offers a unique opportunity for creatives to learn from industry leaders as well as get hands-on experience with some new and noteworthy Adobe software, all whilst bolstering their creativity.
MAX 2020, The Creativity Conference, featured over 350 sessions by creative luminaries, experts, and special guests on topics ranging from 3D and AR, graphic design, UI and UX design, and video. The free virtual event ran from Oct 20–22, 2020, and included thought-provoking intel on new and emerging Adobe releases. In addition to the virtual speaker sessions, there were creativity workshops and activities designed to cement the sessions through exploration and play.
For our creatives, this year’s conference was a great opportunity to flex and build their skillset.
We have curated some of our creatives’ top takeaways from the event.
“I was pretty blown away by the Sensei-powered Neural Filters and Roto Brush 2 — big leaps in terms of automating effects that previously had to be crafted by hand in painstaking detail. But after making it clear that A.I. is not sparing creatives as it seeks to replace us all, it was nice of Adobe to feature a host of intimate talks by luminaries whose human creativity could never be replicated. I enjoyed the insightful presentations of the entertaining and refreshingly honest Aaron Draplin, the profound, methodical philosophies of Kelli Anderson, and the masterful thought and craft of Paula Scher.” Tim Blount, Creative Director.
“The thing that has stood out the most to me came from Tuesday’s live broadcast of an interview with Annie Leibovitz (The Art of Photography: Desktop & Mobile). In no way do I consider myself a photographer, however, her statement regarding the need to revisit older work resonated. We are constantly in a state of creating new work that we rarely look back and absorb our past. Recently, learning from what used to inspire me or what I’ve created years before has proven to be cathartic: I felt very validated by Leibovitz’s words.” Alex Bell, Principal Artist.
“Watching Creative Ideas for Augmented Reality with Adobe Aero made me realize the potential of augmented reality in creative expression. Some artists use it as a medium for storytelling using either 2D or 3D assets. With 2D assets, you can import the layers you created in other programs and move them apart in the 3D space to give it depth, allowing a more immersive visualization. I wasn’t very familiar with augmented reality so I didn’t even think about what I would want to use it for. But now I see that it can be combined with an interesting idea/use to create something meaningful that people can interact with wherever they are.” Ena Curisinche, Designer.
“What made the most impact on me and what I’ll probably uphold throughout my career is advice from the amazing Stefan Sagmeister. He said, ‘If you don’t want to have an idea… look at other people’s work’ in the Good Design is Good Business’ talk.” Anjuli Macasinag, Digital Designer.
“For the talk about the redesign of Twitch, the thought that we are moving into new territory with design and visual language calls for a new vernacular to replace the old militaristic style of marketing that has been around since the post-WWII era. That language is becoming outdated and focus should return to three basic words with deep meaning. Anticipation, empathy, care, and love.” Tyson Rider, Photographer
Ensuring our creatives have continual and varied access to creative thought starters, webinars, and emerging tech is a vital part of ensuring our creatives remain at the top of their game and continue to refine their creativity through curiosity and a voracious drive to learn.
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