Posted on by IconLogic

eLEARNING & TRAINING DESIGN: It Just Takes a Spark to Light a Design Fire

by AJ Walther, COTP

Even the most seasoned designers can hit a design plateau. It’s hard to be inspired all the time! Here’s a tool that might help light an, ahem, spark. I played around with Adobe Spark this week. The obvious use case for Adobe Spark is to create stunning graphics, videos, and websites. If you have such needs, you should absolutely investigate the tool. But here’s maybe a less obvious use for the tool: design inspiration! 
 
Let’s say you have some “stuff” for your design. You have some text, a logo, and a graphic. Maybe you have this specific stuff and you’re creating an eLearning module or an online class about online training:
 
“ONLINE TRAINING CAN BE GREAT TRAINING”
 
 

There are, of course, endless ways one could design some training around these assets. But what isn’t endless is time, and sometimes, creative juices. Here’s where Adobe Spark can help. Start a new project at http://spark.adobe.com by clicking the plus sign and selecting Post.

You can either start with a template or from scratch. It doesn’t really matter what layout you choose, but you’ll probably want to choose a page layout that roughly resembles the proportions of your slide you’ll eventually be designing. I started from scratch. If you chose a template, you’ll want to delete all the stuff you won’t be using. 

Next, add an image.

Use the ADD button on the right to load your logo (add it as an Image, unless you have paid for the subscription—then choose Logo). 

Add your text. 

Format the text by exploring the Type, Color, Shape, and Style categories at the right. 

Voila! That already doesn’t look half bad. But what’s really exciting and impressive here is how quick and easy it is to see your assets rearranged in different fresh and modern design layouts.
 
Ensure none of the assets on your post are selected and choose the Design category on the right. Notice all the available Variations. These selections will vary based upon how many images or text boxes you have in your post and what sort of post you originally selected.
 
 
Clicking each Variation will quickly and easily reformat your content to that design style—with minimal tweaking needed on your part. And, if you pay for the service, you can automatically have your preferred or corporate color scheme preloaded and apply it with a click, as well as eliminate the Adobe Spark logo. 
 
Check out these variations I was able to quickly spin up. Imagine the time this would save if you were trying to show a client some design options!
 
 

Here I’ve quickly mocked up a training template based upon one of the quick layouts I made with Adobe Spark.
 

Remember that using the post you create isn’t really the objective here (although you certainly could use it!) —it’s to help you get out of a design rut and see your assets arranged in design formats that perhaps you would not have thought of on your own. And perhaps it will spark an idea for the rest of your training layout. Have fun playing with your new designs!

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AJ Walther, COTP, is IconLogic's Chief Creative Officer (CCO), a seasoned online trainer, eLearning graphic designer, and author of both "PowerPoint 2007: The Essentials" and "PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials." AJ made her own interdisciplinary studies major, focusing on writing and art. Her combined expertise in PowerPoint, graphic design, and writing allows her to bring a unique skillset to the eLearning community.

 

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