Why Adobe's Firefly-Powered Express Is the Design Tool You Can't Ignore

I can do enough in Photoshop and Lightroom to get by, but if someone asks, I’m no graphic designer. I can’t create a logo or layout a brochure, and honestly, even my skill at creating social media posts isn’t great. So, when I heard about Adobe Express at the recent Adobe Max conference, I was excited.

If you haven’t heard of Adobe Express before, there could be a good reason for that. It was initially launched as an iOS app called Adobe Post in 2015. Then, in 2016, Adobe released the desktop version and changed the name to Adobe Spark. In December 2021, the name changed again. Now it’s called Adobe Express, and it has the power of Adobe’s Firefly built-in.

Adobe Express: A Free Design Tool

There are many cool things about Adobe Express, but first on the list is that the basic version is free. There is also a premium version that adds more templates and assets, bumps storage up to 100GB, and throws generative AI into the mix. The premium version is only $10 per month, which makes it less expensive than competing programs.

At Adobe Max, there were plenty of stations set up to give Express a try, and I made a tote bag and a notebook, but what I really wanted was to get home and try it out for my own purposes. What I found when I did is that it really is as easy to use as the Adobe folks made it seem. I used a pre-existing template to put together a logo for my pottery business in less than 10 minutes. Then, creating social posts was as easy as clicking a few more buttons. Within a few minutes, I had a whole set of marketing materials to use to show off my budding pottery business.

“The fundamental need that we see [small businesses] have is to make an impact by differentiating themselves. What’s common to consumers and small business owners is limited resources, wearing multiple hats, and having to compete with bigger players with more resources,” said Parimal Deshpande, Adobe’s Senior Director, Adobe Express & Creative Cloud. “What it comes down to is, can they make an impact? What Adobe Express does is bring the best of Adobe; make it super quick, super easy, fun, and free so that they can then create the things that they want, so that they can make an impact.”

The AI in the Magic

A big part of what makes Adobe Express so easy to use is the AI. Adobe’s attention to detail here illustrates how AI can reduce time and expense for businesses (or individuals). Deshpande says it works due to a combination of factors, including the fact that you can start with a vision in mind, and Firefly AI, which powers Express, can help make that a reality using features like Reference Image.

“The combination of AI that you can trust that’s safe for commercial use,” says Deshpande, “and AI that matches the vision in your head are really powerful combinations, and that’s what I hear from creators… It builds confidence in them using AI so that AI doesn’t leave them behind, but it actually becomes a tool in their toolbox to advance what they want to create.”

You also don’t have to learn special prompts to use Adobe’s Firefly AI in Express. You just tell it what you want it to do, just like you would tell a designer, and it does it consistently, making it easy to apply your brand colors, logo, and aesthetic with a few simple clicks.

“If you can tell the AI engine, ‘make it look like this,’ the output is very close to what you have in mind. That’s powerful because what’s the kernel of your audience’s needs? What do they want? Ultimately, no consumer or small business owner wants to feel invisible,” says Deshpande. “This is the kind of thing I like. This is my creative esthetics. And [Express] can create something that is unique for me.”

And isn’t unique, but also eye-catching and professionally designed what we’re all looking for when it comes to promoting our businesses? Especially when we can do it for free.