Choosing software tools

Adobe Express

Recommended for basic webpages, photo essays, beginner design projects

Adobe Express is a free, easy-to-use web-based program from Adobe that provides templates for three different kinds of projects: webpages, graphics, and video presentations. An Adobe Express webpage (called Express Page) is a great way to easily combine photos and text into one long webpage. Express Pages is collaborative so you can use it for group projects.

express.adobe.com

Google Slides

Recommended for collaborative research posters, basic posters, and storyboards

Google Slides is a web-based platform that is a more simple version of Powerpoint. You might be more familiar with using Slides for presentations, but you can also make posters and storyboards by using a single slide and adjusting the size.

Slides is the best option if you need to work collaboratively with a group. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Powerpoint but most of those extra features are not needed.

slides.google.com

Microsoft Powerpoint

Recommended for solo research posters

Powerpoint is actually still an excellent vector-editing program. You can use it to create posters and other printed materials, not just presentations! We prefer Slides, which is more simple but has all the tools that we need.

Adobe Illustrator

Recommended for logos, single-page posters, infographics

Adobe Illustrator is one of Adobe's vector-based design program. You can make really excellent posters in Illustrator but it is by far the most complicated software on the list.

Adobe InDesign

Recommended for zines, multi-page booklets, advanced research posters, text-heavy infographics

Adobe InDesign is another of Adobe's vector-based design programs. It is somewhat similar to Microsoft Word + Powerpoint, but more complicated.

Adobe Photoshop

Recommended for photo manipulation and digital drawing

Adobe Photoshop is Adobe's raster-based graphics program. It should be used for photo manipulation, retouching, editing; and digital drawing. Don't use Photoshop for creating posters and other graphics - anything you produce could become pixelated over time.