The One Where I Was Commissioned By Adobe

Back in May, I was browsing for new projects and opportunities in all the usual places. I went to Behance to check out the jobs listing page and was surprised to find a new addition to their navbar titled ’Career Resources’. One thing about me is, I love free resources and learning and growing as a creative. So, I immediately started to scope things out. If you are wondering what exactly Adobe is offering, let me explain. 

If you're wondering what exactly Adobe is offering, let me explain. This is an opportunity to “Kickstart your career with Adobe as your first client.” To participate, you need to choose a course from one of their free Career Guides. Most of the courses are about an hour long, and you can pick whichever is most interesting to you. There are several recognizable names and faces; I started with Freelance for Beginners with Jamie Brindle. I have followed his work on Instagram and jumped at the chance to learn from him. I've since completed three more courses and am in the process of a fourth. But that's just because I'm a nerd and jump at the chance to learn from successful creatives. For the sake of the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship program, you only need to complete one course to qualify to apply for commissioned projects.

Landing the Project: My Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Experience

Next step is making sure your Behance Portfolio is up to date. Go through those old projects and make sure you have good mockups and short descriptions with each one (even if it's just explaining what programs you used to create them). Don’t forget to update your banner; it doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just be sure to include your name and title or something that communicates your skills, vibe, etc. This is what's going to act as a resume, so show your best stuff!

With your Behance Portfolio looking fresh, you can go ahead and start applying to those commissioned projects. My advice is to respond with a custom message to each post that you feel aligns best with your skills, or that you think would be the best learning experience for you. At the end of the project, you’ll have a real-world client to add to your portfolio (and honestly? Validation! Are you kidding me? Adobe wanted to work with me?!).

While I applied to literally every opportunity that was a fit for my skillset, do keep in mind that you can only be commissioned for one project. The following week I had a response and was selected to work on the Discord Banner refresh for Adobe Creative Careers! Working with the Adobe team was so fun and the process was incredible.

The Creative Process: Bringing the Banners to Life

Let’s talk about my commissioned project for Adobe Creative Careers! The brief involved designing a series of three new banners for their Discord server, a vibrant online community home to over 36,000 creative professionals. The core of the brief called for an "inclusive and forward-thinking refresh" of their aesthetic. My goal was to create visuals that would not only energize the space but also truly welcome all members, reflecting the diverse pathways within creative careers. 

This project allowed me to explore how visual design directly shapes a community's environment, a challenge I had so much fun with. Creatively, it was really good for me to get outside of my usual brand identity headspace and try a less structured, more hands-on approach. I really loved sourcing all the images and the satisfying, precise work of cutting out and fitting together different elements in Photoshop. It felt nostalgic and truly made me want to create more collage-style designs.

Crafting a fresh aesthetic that would really resonate with this dynamic community was my main focus during concept development. And let me tell you, working with the Adobe team was an absolute dream. Katherine Chiu, who selected my application and started this whole experience for me, especially brought such a collaborative spirit and was so open to my ideas. She gave me all the room to experiment and just let me share whatever I was thinking, which was awesome. (Fun fact: she's even using one of the banners on her LinkedIn Profile!) Getting feedback and refining things together was key to making sure these banners were a perfect match for Adobe's refreshed logo.

Beyond the Project: Mentorship and Growth

After the project was over Katherine left me a really kind review for me to use on any of my digital platforms! The good news didn’t stop there, though. I found out that not only do you get a *free year* of Adobe Creative Cloud, but you’re also connected with a mentor from an incredible roster of talented people. Like, actually so many to choose from. You can let your project manager know if there is anyone you would like to be partnered with. I personally could not choose, but did let them know that I’d prefer to be paired with a woman I could learn from.

I lucked out (again)! My mentor, Tara McCormack, has worked with some incredible brands like NBC/Universal, Peloton, and is currently working on a project for the FIFA World Cup. She has been so fun to connect with and learn from. I’ve gotten really useful feedback, and Tara’s inspired me to take bigger swings in my career. I’ve said it to the Adobe team from the start, but it was like winning the lottery. 

I forgot two really huge benefits of this program. The projects are commissioned, meaning paid. Real-world experience and a paycheck? Yes please! And, once you have successfully completed your commissioned project, you can apply to actual apprenticeships with vendors that have been approved by Adobe. Way to bury the lead, am I right? These range from well-known agencies to smaller agencies that work with well-known brands. This is where I am in the program right now. I’ll write another post if and when I get to participate in an apprenticeship. I've applied to a few and am keeping my eyes on the page daily for any new opportunities. From what I have read, these are also paid and can range from 3-6 months and beyond depending on the outcome of your working experience.

Commissioned by Adobe: The Final Look

Here they are! The three new banners I designed for the Adobe Creative Careers Discord server. My aim was for these visuals to brighten the space and immediately welcome and energize the community. Katherine wanted to make sure we tied in the Adobe red, so I opted to use it as an accent color. I think this was a strong creative decision that connected the brand to the design.

Your Next Step: Apply!

My advice to any new grads, young creatives, and anyone who has taken the jump into the beginning of their own freelance careers: start now! Choose a course from the Free Career Guides and get going! This is an unbelievable opportunity to learn how to work with clients, explore your creative process, develop an impressive portfolio, and connect with really cool people. 

Check it out, you can apply too!

• behance.net/resources

And if you'd like to see more of my design work, including the full Adobe Discord Banner project, check out my Behance Portfolio