In October, Atomic Idea’s Strategy Director, Duane Ciacco, and Design Director, Keith Durbin, made their debut at Adobe MAX–one of the world’s preeminent conferences for creatives and marketing experts.
Between insightful lectures, hands-on labs, and top-notch entertainment, Duane and Keith returned from Miami brimming with fresh ideas and inspiration. Read on to discover some of their favorite takeaways from the event:
What was your favorite session or lab, and why did it stand out to you?
Duane: “Photography Essentials at Your Fingertips: Hands-On Shooting and Editing (preconference photo studio, photo walk, and Lightroom). I was amazed by the super talented instructors and photographers–Katrin Eisman and Eric Chan. I really enjoyed the hands-on photo walks and sessions.”
Keith: “Russell Brown@MAX: Le Cirque Galactique (pre-conference class). Amazingly inspiring and friendly creative workshop of people working on individual space-themed circus posters. We learned new program tools from Beta software development as well as new printing techniques. The atmosphere fostered collaboration, fun, and in-depth knowledge of how to use Adobe as a true creative tool. The class was set up so the creatives are at workstations in front and the actual program developers are in back, taking notes and monitoring how we are using the tools so they can make adjustments to the code on the fly. The class was two parts: one was the poster project itself, and two was the speakers they brought in to share life experiences and inspire the group. Multi-tasking to listen, learn, and get your project done on time. Creative chaos at its best!”
What new tool, feature, or tip do you think will have the biggest impact on your work at Atomic?
Duane: “I loved these tips from Navigating Creative Waters – Javier Jaen:
- Remove the things not needed to get to the essence.
- Allow the creative process to evolve.
- Go beyond the obvious.
- Stay true to your values.
Keith: “I enjoyed learning about artificial intelligence and how to use it responsibly as a tool, not a replacement for creative thinking or years of experience.”
What was your most mind-blowing moment from the week?
Duane: “The overall conference is mind-blowing; all the little details are covered. The scale of everything. All the options to learn, be inspired, and network.”
Keith: “Seeing the advancements in video tracking and masking. Watching in real-time how AI can cut the work time into minutes instead of hours.”
Any other highlights you’d like to share?
Duane: “The swag you receive is top-tier and like no other conference I have ever been to. I had to ship home a box with all the great stuff!”
Keith: “Overall, the event was a massive production. The coordination of design, flow, timing, people, food, classes, shows, speakers, vendors, etc. was on a scale that blew my mind. Adobe made it look easy.”
As we step into 2025, we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity Adobe MAX gave us to learn, explore, network, and grow. We can’t wait to put our fresh insights into action and continue raising the bar in brand marketing. Until next year!
