Inspiration is everywhere here at Adobe MAX! Here’s a quick recap of our events from yesterday.

Day Two Keynote: Community Inspires Creativity

David Wadhwahi, our SVP of Digital Media, opened up our day two keynote, then handed it off to creative luminaries to share their stories. We heard about breaking the brief from Paula Scher, were inspired by embracing limitations from Paul Hansen, and experienced the making-of-details from innovative creatives such as Erik Johansson and Rob Legato. Check out the playback available here for the next 24 hours.

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Sneak Peeks

There were a number of special guests at the MAX sneaks. First up, Rainn Wilson, actor and co-creator of SoulPancake, who opened up the night to talk about creativity, what it meant to him and how it was the catalyst for how SoulPancake came to be.

Then we got an early look at amazing technologies that might become product features in the future. Host Ben Forta shared the stage with Rainn and celebrity guest, actress/comedian Mary Lynn Rajskub, as we walked through exciting developments from the our engineering teams. Everything from the future of drawing, as inspired by Project Mighty, to experimenting with light in photos and videos, to audio layers to remove unwanted background noise were all shown at MAX. Check out some of the sneak peeks below.

Sneak: Playing with Light

Sneak: Perspective Warp

Sneak: Audio Layers

Stay tuned for more as we wrap up our final day at Adobe MAX 2013!

And…we’re off! Adobe MAX is buzzing today as we kicked things off with our day one keynote session, “A Creative Evolution.” We announced a slew of news today, including all-new updates to our Creative Cloud apps – Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Edge Tools & Services, and more! If you missed the keynote, watch the playback available here until tomorrow morning’s day two keynote at 10 a.m. PT or catch the community-curated version captured in Storify by MAX attendee, @GayaneAdourian.

Even more exciting, we shared an early look at a number of new explorations:

• Project Mighty – A Creative Cloud pen
• Project Napolean – Complementary to Mighty, Napolean is a digital ruler designed to bring back some of the feeling of drawing with analog tools like the t-square and triangle
• Project Context – Reimagines the editorial room for publishers

For more on MAX, join the conversation on #AdobeMAX on Twitter and Instagram and/or follow @AdobeMAX.

Watch the overview below and get all of the details from our experience design team in “Adobe XD explores the analog future.”

Adobe Creative Cloud for teams allows you and your team to get the entire collection of latest and greatest CS6 tools, along with lots of team-specific features that make working together easier than ever. So the question is; is it right for you? This series helps Adobe customers, such as creative directors and IT professionals, understand if Creative Cloud for teams is a good fit…

• Size Doesn’t Matter – Design agency? Growing startup? Regardless of your workgroup situation, Creative Cloud for teams fits.

• Cloud collaboration + latest creative tools = staying ahead of the curve – Creative Cloud for teams makes it happen. That’s right –you and your team receive the latest updates as soon as they’re available.

• Changing needs = changing team –  With Creative Cloud for teams, adding and removing licenses for team members is a walk in the park.

• HELP! – Creative Cloud for teams provides you with help when you need it. Enjoy two deep-dive expert support instances (per seat per year).

Interested in hearing how Creative Cloud for teams is benefiting Scott Kelby’s own Kelby Media Group? Check out this video to see how Creative Cloud for teams allows them to reach millions of people all over the world through websites, podcasts, online training, magazines, and more:

Got questions? Let us know in the comments below or visit us on Adobe.com. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more information about Creative Cloud for teams.

Twisted, dark and awesome. Three words that describe the work of the creative team and visual artists that make up McFarland & Pecci. Still relatively new Creative Cloud members, these fellas have wasted no time utilizing the broad range of tools and programs to create one-of-a-kind work. A documentary film for well-known “metal core” band, Killswitch Engage? They’ve done it. High concept cover art for the Boston Phoenix? Sure. See what we mean about twisted, dark and awesome?

We engaged in a lightning round Q&A session with them to get more details on why Creative Cloud works for them. The diverse amount of products offered, the seamless syncing, constant updates, and bug fixes are just a few reasons why this duo takes creativity to a whole new level.

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Adobe: Describe a project you are currently working on or have completed with Creative Cloud.

McFarland & Pecci: We signed up for Creative Cloud a few months ago and jumped right into a few projects with Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop. McFarland & Pecci is a creative team of directors and visual artists. We create everything from high concept photo shoots to feature films and documentaries. The past few months have kept us busy in post-production on the new Killswitch Engage documentary called “New Awakening”, the new music video for CZARFACE featuring Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang, one of the final high concept covers for the Boston Phoenix, and an upcoming ”double secret” comic book film.

What was your inspiration behind the project?

We love to tell stories, and we tend to be drawn to darker subject matter and artists that are obsessed with their craft.  The film on Killswitch Engage was a fun project that allowed us to focus on the guys as a family unit and we kept our gear tight and our crew small. The CZARFACE video is deeply rooted in our love for Grindhouse flicks and Shaw Brothers films, and the ‘End of the World’ photo shoot was completely influenced by the epic magic of Michael Bay!

How has the Creative Cloud changed your creative workflow?

We switched to Premiere Pro to simplify our workflow. Plain and simple. We shot CZARFACE with the RED EPIC in 5K with Hawk anamorphic lenses.  The piece required a lot of compositing in After Effects and color grading. The fact that I could bring the raw files right into my timeline and directly export to After Effects made our lives so much easier. A competitor’s program has really dropped the ball when it comes to professional editing these days so we were looking for a smart move. Just the time saved by not having to transcode footage from the RED and/or DSLRs was enough of a reason to make the jump to Premiere Pro.

What tools specific to Creative Cloud enable you to work more efficiently?

As mentioned earlier, all the new benefits of Premier Pro were our big draw in the video side of things, but the new version of Photoshop and its retouching tools and amazing smart layers really helped us composite these giant “End of the World” files. We have always been Adobe fans in one way or another, but having it all in one spot really helps us.  The cloud helps us keep both systems identical in our edit bays, and the constant updates have fixed a lot of software bugs already.

Describe your style of work in three words

Really F$#Kin Awesome!

Fill in the blank: I couldn’t create without _________.

Our twisted minds and the tools that can keep up with them.

What advice would you give to an individual who is considering Creative Cloud?

If you are a video editor, make the jump to Premier Pro.  Just do it. Creative Cloud is the smart choice; you sign up and download everything you need. It even runs on two systems. Makes having a post house a lot easier.

Dig their work? Check out Mcfarland & Pecci on Facebook, visit our website to see more films – www.mcfarlandandpecci.com – or follow directors @MikePecci and @Ian_McFarland on Twitter for behind the scenes content and tutorials.

Stephen Gates, Vice President and Creative Director for Global Brand Design at Starwood Hotels & Resorts will be joining us at Adobe MAX this year to share design and development secrets behind building Starwood’s mobile roadmap. Prior to MAX, he sat down with our Adobe Edge Inspect team to discuss how the tool has been helping his team come up with new ways to best show off their nine hotel brands. They’ve managed to accelerate their production and gain buy-in from a dispersed global team of designers, developers, strategists and stakeholders. Pretty impressive, right? Learn more about their success and get to know Stephen in our Adobe Edge Inspect Team Blog Q&A.

Want to hear more from Stephen Gates? Attend Adobe MAX and hear him talk about the “Secrets to Creating a Successful Mobile Roadmap, Apps, and Mobile Websites.” Don’t forget to enter promo code MXSM13 when you register to receive $300 off.

Vasava, founded by Bruno and Toni Selles in 1997, is the brainchild of an illustrator/graffiti artist (Bruno) and a graphic designer/advertising art director (Toni) who, tired of traditional studio methodologies, set out to create something different. Some fifteen years later, the team is comprised of eighteen designers each with a unique set of cross-media skills. (There are no administrative or account people.)

When Vasava said “yes” to our invitation to speak at Adobe MAX, we wanted people to get to know them better. Partner Enric Godes took time out of a crazy-busy schedule to talk to us about revelation and inspiration, personal projects, the man behind the Vasava ski mask (on the speaker page) and which Adobe product he couldn’t work without.

Adobe: You reinterpreted our Adobe MAX logo. What was the inspiration/concept behind your design?

Vasava: The idea behind the logo interpretation of Max 2013 was to dissect a vision of graphic coolness into a classic logo. We’ve put different layers of graphic languages into a single piece to represent the many things going on at MAX—as a symbol of all the things going on. The main challenge was to have multiple styles and voices together in the same place, in harmony and acting as a unique new style. The main character, the red bird, is the creative spark that changes everything; the inspiration wave that comes after a revelation. What’s behind the bird’s trail is awakening from a long sleep and the new challenges the phoenix is facing. We see it as a nice metaphor of the transformative power of the creative conference.

Two years ago you made a limited-edition toy for street wear brand 55DSL? What was it like to make Plastic Señor Blanco? Was he modeled after someone you know?

Señor Blanco’s original shape was modeled by the very talented Julian Pastorino and Cecilia Suarez for Atom Plastic; it was part of a custom series celebrating 55DSL’s 15th anniversary using a 100% Italian vinyl toy. The brief was to represent the core values of the brand and their style into a toy to be distributed worldwide to selected stores and trendsetters in the fashion and street wear world. We customized him using the allover graphic we developed for the brand for this project. Also we designed an ambigram for his belly to show the ambiguity of the character.

You’ve mastered multiple media in a way that many studios have not; when you bring new creatives into Vasava are you careful to bring in people with varied skillsets?

It’s in Vasava’s DNA to try to have as much variety and eclectic influence as possible. For us, the important thing is not to stick to a certain style or approach but to evolve in a natural way. We try to follow a path that investigates a commitment to creativity and different ways of producing our craft. Skills are so important and everyone has a different set. What we manage to do with all this possible combinations is what can make a difference and what we enjoy the most: Embrace randomness, try the happy accident, and identify when something unexpected can be a good solution to a problem.

In one word describe the studio environment at Vasava.

Playground.

You do quite a lot of work for fashion (and fashion sports) brands. Is it because Barcelona is becoming more noted as a fashion capital or is it Vasava’s design aesthetic that attracts them?

Yes, we’re involved in a bunch of fashion and sport brands, and not sure how this has happened; it never has been a part of a planned strategy but things happened this way and we are vey pleased and proud to be taking part in  projects in these fields. Fashion capitals are well identified and Barcelona, although a very cool city, still has quite a way to go to be one of them. There’s a lot to do to really reclaim our role as trendsetters, but that’s less something related to creative potential than to institutional and political support.

Do you foresee opening an office in the US?

Yes, why not, it’s not a crazy idea. We have an agent in the US, Bernstein & Andriulli, and we’re producing projects for the states on a daily basis, so it’s not impossible to foresee it in the near future.

If you had to give up all but one Adobe software product, which one would you keep? Why?

That’s a tough question. We, as creative, are linked so much to the entire collection; they are the tools we use everyday and are our weapons of mass creation. Obviously all of them are important, but if had to face the choice: Illustrator or Photoshop.

It could be anyone from Vasava; it could be no one: Who’s the man behind the ski mask on the MAX speaker page?

Hahaha, that’s funny. We as Vasava, always like to be there as a collective, a team of creatives behind a name. The guy behind the mask is the super talented Albin Holmqvist. He spent three years with us but he wanted to go back to his beloved Stockholm. He’s still a great friend and a Vasavian at heart.

Personal projects are hugely important for creative expression, experimentation and learning new skills, but how does a small studio find the time to devote to them when you’re so busy with client work?

The answer is actually the contrary of the question: How would we be busy with client work if we wouldn’t do personal projects? When Toni and Bruno started Vasava thirteen years ago, we were nothing, nobody knew about us. It was through personal projects that we came to be known by people and got onto the map. And, to this day, it’s something we never skip; it’s very important for us to still be doing our things, to engage in our passions, to create for the commissions and be able to find entertainment in creativity outside of the commercial frame. We produce films, objects, projects, typography and projects only for the joy of doing it. Vasava is not just about the business, it’s our lifestyle.

How has working in Adobe’s Creative Cloud changed the workflow for your studio and with the freelancers with whom you work?

It’s helped us keep things tight. It’s easier to keep an eye on everything and be able to explore iterations and versions knowing that everyone on the team is connected and using the same tools. It provides a great control and helps everyone not to be worried about the technology focus on the project. I mean, before it was a nightmare to work in different places different OSs or versions and share documents. We’ve gotten rid of all those distractions and can focus on our craft and projects.

To go see Vasava speak on the “Designing for International Fashion and Sports Brands” at Adobe MAX this year, visit MAX.Adobe.com. Be sure to use promo code MXSM13 when you register and save $300.

Whew! Our 24-hour live stream of the reinterpretation of the Adobe MAX logo has officially come to a close. Thanks to the amazing (and endurable) creative team lead by Jessica Walsh and Stefan Sagmeister of Sagmeister & Walsh, we have a new jaw-dropping Adobe MAX logo – which is as seen above!

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From inserting nearly 7,000 pencils into Styrofoam cutouts of the M-A-X letters, to launching paint balloons off of roofs, to jumping off of trampolines into crash pads, the team did not miss a creative beat. During the creation (or play as they call it), we were able to watch every step of the process and allowed viewers to tweet their questions to the Jessica and Stefan using the #AdobeMAX on Twitter. The entire live stream was even being broadcasted on a Times Square billboard in New York City.

Did you miss the event? Not a problem – we have a time-lapse video below that recaps the entire process:

Don’t forget: To hear Jessica speak on the “Importance of Play in Innovation” at Adobe MAX this year, visit MAX.Adobe.com.  Be sure to use promo code MXSM13 when you register and save $300.

Creative Cloud does not just provide creative individuals with tools to take their talents to the next level, but also offers the opportunity to explore other creative areas of interest. Take Geordie Milne (@geordiemilne) for example. The use of Creative Cloud has evolved his creative workflow by enabling him to work with multiple programs on a single project. Not to mention, new updates (some exclusive to Creative Cloud users) gives Geordie the ability to try programs he may have never used before.

Read about his current project, check out some of his impressive work, and learn which tool in Photoshop blows his mind below.

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Adobe: Describe a project you are currently working on or have completed with Creative Cloud.

Geordie: I am currently using Creative Cloud for a project for themeditator.com and marinacowdray.com. I am taking photos of the jewelry and sculptures and creating graphics using Illustrator and Photoshop; as well as some time-lapses using Premiere Pro.

What was your inspiration behind the project?

Geordie: My current client’s work has a meditation feel & knowing its positive effect; I find pleasure in modifying it and creating patterns from it.

How has the Creative Cloud changed your creative workflow?

Geordie: It’s amazing to have access to all of Adobe’s programs! I probably would have never dipped into learning as many of them as I am now, and I’m excited to download some more.  I also end up using more than 1 program per piece such a making a time-lapse & then bringing it into Photoshop to apply some of the great new video capabilities, such as ‘Blur’ or ‘Liquify’. Creative Cloud gives me the ability to save and access files from any computer, and be able to share files with my clients and friends. As a visual person, I have found that Adobe Bridge helps me find files and stay organized.

What tools specific to Creative Cloud enable you to work more efficiently?

Geordie: I also work with drones (multicopters), so one essential tool for sure is Premiere Pro’s, ‘Warp Stabilizer.’  Illustrator’s ‘Pattern Options’, makes for quick, exact designs. Photoshop’s ‘Smart Objects’ offers a new, nondestructive workflow and is a great way to add filters.

Describe your style of work in three words

Geordie: Fun, Technicolor and Geometric

Fill in the blank: I couldn’t create without _________.

Geordie: I can’t think of one thing other than just answering, ‘Abode’ but one thing I absolutely LOVE is the ‘Oil Paint Effect’ in Photoshop… it blows my mind.

What advice would you give to an individual who is considering Creative Cloud?

Geordie: Do it, try it, you won’t regret it! I often urge people to sign up for ‘Creative Cloud’. Its monthly costs offer people who want to emerge into the creative industry, a financially strategic, practical step.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Geordie: I love signing into the Creative Cloud and seeing an update here and there. Adobe is pushing the creative technology like no other. I feel that I have also joined access to a like-minded community, have made some great connections and look forward to seeing everyone’s creations! 

Like Geordie, has Creative Cloud inspired you to try products you’ve been intrigued by, but have never tested out? If so, tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments below.  Care to see more of Geordie’s work? Check out his blog here.

What would you do with Adobe Creative Cloud, an empty studio space, and 24 hours? The possibilities are endless, but Jessica Walsh and Stefan Sagmeister of Sagmeister & Walsh have decided to reinterpret our Adobe MAX logo in a 24-hour creative session that will be live streamed, which they’re endearingly calling “play” (sounds like hard-work to us).

The 24-hour creative session will be live streamed on a Times Square billboard in New York City and our Adobe Creative Cloud Create Now Facebook app. Be sure to tune in, the live stream starts Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 9:45 a.m. ET (6:45 a.m. PT).

To learn more about Jessica prior to the 24-hour live creative session, we had the opportunity to interview her to get the full scoop on how Adobe Creative Cloud helps her workflow, what inspired Sagmeister & Walsh, and more.

For details, read our full Q&A below.

Adobe: You’re reinterpreting Adobe’s MAX logo. What made you decide to video blog the design process of that?

Jessica: The heart of much of our work is discovery through experimentation. Often the best ideas come out of spontaneous play. We liked the idea of dedicating 24 hours straight to play with a few basic tactile tools—pencils, rope, tape and the Adobe Creative Cloud—to create the MAX typography. The final result could be anything from a photographic collage to a giant installation. We often expose the process of our work in the final result; we’re taking it a step further this time and exposing the entire creative process for the world to view via live stream on a Times Square billboard and online on the Adobe website. It will be an intense, but fun, 24 hours.

While we’re on the subject of, well, creation… What inspired the much-publicized Sagmeister & Walsh Adam & Eve-esque studio portrait? When Stefan first launched the studio nineteen years ago he sent out a nude postcard of himself. Our announcement for the partnership played off the original postcard.

Even with prior prep, 24-hours doesn’t seem like it offers much time between inspiration and execution. How did you determine it to be a generous-enough amount of time?

Working for 24-hours-straight confined to a photo studio space is an interesting creative constraint that will produce new and interesting results that we wouldn’t try on a normal workday. I do believe, however, where there’s a will, there’s a way. We will make it work!

 Do you feel like your best ideas come when you’re under-pressure or working with extreme limitations?

Often the best work comes out of having limitations, whether that is time, materials or budget. When a project is too open ended, it’s hard to focus in on the idea. Creativity thrives off constraints.

Does working in the Adobe Creative Cloud help the process along (especially when you’re pushed for time)? Yes! The Adobe tools are extremely powerful and having them in the Adobe Creative Cloud makes it all the more effective and powerful. We would not be able to accomplish all the things we want to in this experiment without it. 

If you could have only one book in your “library,” which book would it be? Le Petit Prince, a French children’s book I read when I was younger. I fell in love with the book and the underlying message—to hold on to the inquisitive and open-minded perspective of a child. Adults can get too bogged down by pragmatic matters like money or power and forget to focus on imagination, beauty, love and emotion.

In the spirit of six-word memoirs, what can you say about the Sagmeister & Walsh partnership in a single (short) sentence?

We want to touch people emotionally.

Will you be sticking around after you speak at Adobe MAX? Aside from speaking, what are you most looking forward to at MAX?

I will be in Los Angeles the weekend of the Adobe MAX conference, and I can’t wait to meet and hear all the other speakers at the event. I really enjoy going to creative conferences where there’s a wide variety of speakers across creative disciplines—it can provide a fresh perspective that can improve your own work.

Design(ers) can change the world. Yes? No? Why?

Yes. Our job is to understand how to communicate with people effectively and many of us (designers) have the skill sets and tools to publish print or digital media that can speak to large audiences. We are in a very powerful position in that regard, and I do believe we can use these skills to help people or touch people in some way.

Stefan Sagmeister’s year-long creative sabbaticals are legendary in the design world. What do you do to keep your head clear and your work fresh?

I play and experiment within my work constantly, so I don’t feel the need for a sabbatical at the moment. I have many personal projects going on as well which are great creative outlets and inspire ideas that feed our client work. When I do really need to clear my head, you’ll find me on a beach for a week with a bunch of books drinking pina coladas. (It’s been over a year since my last break, so perhaps I’ll be booking that beach vacation soon.)

To hear Jessica speak on the “Importance of Play in Innovation” at Adobe MAX this year, visit MAX.Adobe.com.  Be sure to use promo code MXSM13 when you register and save $300.

Missed today’s Google Hangout on Creative Cloud for teams? No problem! You can view the full conversation below and on our YouTube page.

Our panel of experts, including Greg Wilson, Director of Evangelism for Creative Cloud, Paul Trani, Creative Cloud Evangelist and Lori DeFurio, Social Marketing, Digital Media (moderator) discussed the current issues facing creative teams, how Creative Cloud for teams aims to alleviate those problems and make it easier for groups to work more efficiently together. We also had great comments come in from our viewers. Check out the full conversation below.

Have additional questions for our panel? Include them in the comments section or follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more information on Creative Cloud for teams.