New Adobe Digital Studio sparks creativity, collaboration

Last spring, Clemson became the only university in the country to provide all students, faculty and staff full use of the Adobe Creative Cloud. And this past fall, a new digital studio in the R.M. Cooper Library opened to give the Clemson community a place to work together, using technology powered by the entire Adobe Creative Cloud and Digital Publishing Solution, the industry-leading solution for creating engaging mobile apps.
Jan Holmevik, associate professor of English and co-director of the Center of Excellence in Next Generation Computing and Creativity, sees it as another step forward for 21st century education. “The big differentiator is creativity, and the studio fits into that larger vision of injecting creativity into the learning process at all levels,” he said. “I hope great ideas will emerge out of the collaborative efforts and sheer inspiration, because seeing what is possible can spark invention.”
The studio features a soundproof audio production studio, a video production studio, collaborative workstations, a high-resolution scanner and a nine-display Behance wall that projects from Adobe’s Behance e-portfolio site based on search criterion. Clemson students also can upload their work to Behance so it will be displayed on the wall, something Holmevik said is appropriate for its library location. “Seeing your colleagues’ work portrayed in an artistic display is not only satisfying, but it helps spark creativity and make you want to do better,” he said.
With a focus on working together, Holmevik likes to call the studio 
“a collaboratory.”
Wesley Smith, manager of the studio, said, “In today’s job market, it’s not ‘what you know’ as much as ‘what you can do.’ We want to give people the skillset and knowledge to allow them to set themselves apart in the job market and flourish in their careers.”