Sonoma State Templates
Sonoma State University is introducing new Adobe Express templates tailored for schools and departments to support consistent, professional marketing materials.
Along with branded templates, Adobe Express Brand tool kits will be available that also include official logos, color palettes, and other design assets.
Designed for ease of use, the templates cover standard collateral such as posters, presentations, and flyers, helping campus groups create branded content quickly and effectively.
Templates will be available in one of two ways:
- Links to individual templates on the branded templates webpage
- Projects folder in Adobe Express with all branded templates. You must fill out a request form to receive the templates folder and brand tool kits.
Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a user-friendly design tool available to the Sonoma State University community. Whether you’re staff, faculty, or a student, it allows you to quickly create polished graphics for newsletters, class materials, or campus events. The platform offers thousands of templates, fonts, icons, and royalty-free images, making it easy to produce flyers, social media posts, presentations, and more.
Like Canva, Adobe Express provides intuitive, web-based design tools with drag-and-drop functionality and built-in creative assets. It’s also available as a mobile app, giving you the flexibility to design wherever you are. With no advanced design skills needed, it’s a convenient way to create professional-quality content on the go.
Why use Adobe Express at SSU?
- No design background needed
- Easy drag-and-drop interface
- Templates tailored to common campus needs
- Works great for print and digital materials
- Free for SSU employees and students
Sonoma State University employees and students are eligible to sign up for the full version of Adobe Creative Cloud. This includes access to the entire suite of Adobe tools, such as Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and services like Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries.
With Adobe Express and Creative Cloud Libraries, it’s easy to design graphics that align with Sonoma State’s official brand. You can quickly apply university colors, fonts, and logos, and take advantage of ready-made templates to streamline your design process.
Design Best Practices
Using design best practices is essential for creating clear, engaging, and effective visual communications. Good design helps guide the viewer’s attention, reinforces your message, and builds trust and professionalism.
Whether you’re designing a flyer, social media post, or presentation, following basic principles like alignment, contrast, consistency, and readability ensures your content is not only visually appealing but also easy to understand. Thoughtful design can make a big difference in how your message is received and remembered.
Logo Files, Branding Basics
To ensure consistent use of the Sonoma State University logo and brand, we ask faculty, staff and students to take our short, online Branding Basics course, after which you will be given access to logo files and other brand assets, as needed.
Please email Creative Services to take the course.
You can download a PDF guide that walks you through the basics of using Adobe Express and SSU templates. The guide provides an overview of the Adobe Express interface, helping you get comfortable with the layout and tools. It also includes step-by-step lessons on how to replace text and images in branded templates.