With November’s iOS update providing iPhone users new emojis ranging from a hedgehog to a woman breastfeeding, designers wishing to showcase them don’t need to look any further than Photoshop.

Paul Trani, Adobe’s senior worldwide evangelist, showed students step-by-step how to utilize emojis, and other tools on Adobe creative cloud during a Topper Tech talk in Jones Auditorium Nov. 9.  

“Now we have all these different devices. Different platforms, different screens and all that fun stuff,” Trani said. “We got to create a ton of content, we got to be able to make collaboration easy and we’re using multiple apps,” Trani said. “So, how do we make it easy on you at Adobe?”

Mentioning that it can feel like everything starts out in Illustrator during the design process, Trani showed off the new multicolor fonts Adobe now offers. “What do you think this is made of?” Trani asked in a test to the audience. “Blend tools,” a student correctly answered. “Oh yeah, nailed it,” responded Trani.

Guiding students through using other creative cloud apps like XD and Dimension, Trani explained that Xd allows designers to create interactive prototypes. As for Dimension, Trani placed a logo on a mug to evoke the app’s 3D qualities. Essentially, Dimension is curated to view a design concept as it will physically appear upon creation.

In line with the increasing need to have collaborative functions, Trani also showed students how to share their projects with editing and viewing options.

Offering advice to students seeking careers in design, Trani stressed the importance of creativity. “The technical stuff is only going to last you a couple of years.”

Trani went on to mention that being certified in various programs will make job applicants seem more attractive and give designers “street cred.”

Junior Karina Parra sees herself working in digital marketing after college and thought the talk touched on “great skills to have.” Parra also mentioned personal enjoyment from using Adobe products by “being able to show off to my friends like ‘look what I can do,’” Parra said.

Adobe is looking into incorporating smartphones more with new features they are considering launching. One such aspect that students got a preview of makes it possible to snap a photo of a layout and replicate it on InDesign.

“The point is I want to be able to work wherever I’m at,” Trani said. “I know I always have my phone and when I go on my desktop, it’s going to be there for me.”

The event closed with the awarding of raffle prizes including Adobe giftcards and free use of the creative cloud for a year.

Graphic Design major Yenesis Moreno won an Adobe giftcard worth $20 at the talk, which she plans to use to pay for an Adobe subscription, as she previously relied on computers on campus that have the apps. A feature Trani showed in which pictures can become vectors also caught Moreno’s attention, saying, “A lot of times I see things that I like that I’m trying to recreate it, but that app really makes it so much easier.”

Moreno said the talk was inspiring. “Especially as a designer to see someone from Adobe come talk about all the new things that they’re doing… it was really cool to see it before it comes out,” Moreno said.

The Office of Information Technology introduced tech talks this semester, with previous events bringing speakers from Microsoft and the Mozilla Foundation. The next Topper Tech Talk on Google Fiber is slated for this month.