Adobe Creative Cloud Express, formerly known as Adobe Spark, is a cloud-based desktop and mobile app that allows you to create graphical content with easy-to-use drag-and-drop features.
Besides creating content for Instagram, YouTube, and marketing collateral for various media, you can also download and customize resume templates for free with an account. Here’s how to use Adobe Express to create a customized resume in 5 easy steps.
Step 1: Sign Up and Sign In to Adobe Express
You can’t access Adobe Express templates or its graphics editor unless you’re signed in to your account.
Step 2: Search for Resume Templates With Filters
Adobe Express categorizes its resume templates under various headings like Business, Professional, Experience, Education, Designer, Skill, Creative, and so on. Narrow down your search by applying the appropriate filters.
Do not forget to check the Free checkbox to get templates you can customize and download for free.
Step 3: Choose a Resume Template to Customize
Click on Start from to have a better look at the template. Click on Create from this template to go to the editor and start customizing the template.
If you are unsure about your selection, click on the cross to close the template and keep scrolling down until you zero in on one you like. Use the left and right arrows on the screen to navigate to other templates.
Step 4: Explore the Adobe Express Editor
Adobe Creative Cloud Express is much more than a regular graphics design tool, and you will learn more about what you can do with it as you explore its editor. You can begin your exploration with the Discover feature. Click on each icon, explore the options provided, and play around with the colors, effects, fonts, backgrounds, etc.
Although there are plenty of free online resources to create customizable resumes, many features you can use here are unique to this platform, as it's powered by the Adobe suite of applications. Here’s a look at a few special features you shouldn’t miss:
1. Design
This single-click universal template style application feature has pre-set fonts, template colors, backgrounds, gradients, etc. Scroll down to look at the samples provided and select one to give your resume an instant makeover.
This feature also allows you to create a custom branding style guide and save it to your Library. You can apply this standard template to all your designs, including future resume updates.
2. Colors
If you don't want to use an entire design scheme, but would like color presets for different sections of your resume, click the Colors palette in the right-hand column.
You can use a range of pre-set color options for your design with a single click. If you don’t like the way the colors are distributed, use the shuffle option to change the color application while keeping the same colors.
3. Font Recommendations
Click on any piece of text or text-block in your template to get the Font Recommendation feature pop-up in the right-hand column. This feature lets you visualize different font types, weights, and sizes for each text block. Scroll through the options provided to see how your resume would look with various text block options.
4. Text
In addition to Font Recommendations, Text editing has more options than other graphics editors online. You can play with shadows, modify the size of the text in decimal points, change the outline of alphabets, apply different grid structures, curves, and magic elements to text blocks to change the shape of the text, mask it, and do much more.
4. Shapes
The Shapes feature allows you to use solid shapes with sharp graphics in your resume. You can create flow charts, tag clouds, bar graphs, and more and assign them values using the text-add feature. Shapes are also helpful in creating resume templates that do not follow the traditional information flow format.
This feature also has graphics for various objects and actions like books, graduation robes, etc., that you can include in your design instead of textual content.
5. Design Assets
Design Assets has many features that can transform your resume from a regular piece of paper to one with varied textures, gradients, backgrounds, 3D objects, and more.
Use the Graphic Groups, Illustrations, and Elements features to add thematic components to your resume.
Use Frames to highlight specific information. Use Textures, Overlays, and Effects Groups to create unique backgrounds and print elements. These features can be applied directly to the background with the flexibility to manage their opaqueness.
6. Managing Graphics Layers
Adobe Express is powered by Adobe Photoshop, and just like in Photoshop, you can play with the different layers of graphics with ease. Just click on the layer’s on the right side of the template to see how many there are. If you want to change the order of these layers, just grab one and drag it down or up to adjust its appearance. This is an easy way of bringing elements to the foreground or pushing them to the background.
7. Logos
Logos is another feature, separate from the regular photo upload feature, allowing you to upload brand logos to your designs. You can either upload your business logo or upload logos of the various firms you’ve worked for to make your resume more unique.
8. Backgrounds
Besides changing the background with a single click, Adobe Express allows you to add backgrounds to different resume sections with different gradients, textures, and patterns. Add more personality to your resume with geometric patterns, doodles, space elements, rough textures, chromatic backgrounds, etc.
9. Libraries
If you have a subscription with Adobe Creative Cloud, you can use your stored files, photos, and other assets with Adobe Express. If you already have a brand logo or a particular look-and-feel to your online profile, you can use it to update your resume with a few clicks. The Libraries feature makes accessing your files from different Adobe applications easier.
Step 5: Download Your Customized Resume
Once you’re done editing your resume's text, graphics, colors, and other aspects, you can download it in high-quality PNG or PDF formats. Name and save the file to your local directory to distribute it across various online platforms.
Photoshop Your Resume With Adobe Express
The Adobe Creative Cloud Express allows you to harness the power of Photoshop to create a professional-looking resume with a user-friendly interface that has drag-and-drop features, easily manageable graphics layers, style guides, and more.
