Our very own Dan Rodney had the honor and pleasure to speak with the industry legend David Blatner of CreativePro. Watch the video below to hear them discuss:

• The effectiveness of various forms of training
• In-person versus online training
• The benefit of structured and well-designed training classes
• A glimpse into our history and why are we called Noble Desktop?
• Adobe XD and Figma

We hope you enjoy watching this episode of CreativePro Conversations!

Thinking about learning design? Learn about the different types of digital design (graphic design, web design, UX design, UI design, and motion design) so you can better understand what designers do and which apps they use.

In this online seminar we explain the appropriate classes and certificate programs so you’ll know the next steps to get started in each area of design.

Learn More (Attend Live Online or in New York City)

Graphic Design Classes
Web Design Classes
UX Design Classes
UI & Visual Design Classes
Video Editing & Motion Design Classes

Learn how to use HTML and CSS to create webpages in this free video tutorial on getting starting in web design.

View the Presentation Slides
Download the step-by-step exercise

Become a web designer with hands-on training:

• Web Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)
• Web Design Classes Near Me

Want to get into graphic design? In this video, you’ll learn what graphic designers do, what apps they use, how to get started, and more. See examples of design work and learn about creating a graphic design portfolio. You’ll learn what classes and certificate programs are appropriate so you can take the next step and get started in graphic design.

Learn More

Graphic Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)
Web Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)

Learn what Figma can do for your design workflow. This free video tutorial is for anyone new to UX design (user experience) and UI design (user interface) or new to Figma, as well as designers with experience in other design apps. You'll find out how Figma compares to the competition (Adobe XD and Sketch) to help you decide which to use.

View the Presentation Slides

Become a UX or UI designer or learn more about Figma with hands-on, project-based classes:

• Figma Bootcamp (attend in New York City or Live Online)
• UX Design Classes (attend in New York City or Live Online)
• UX Design Classes Near Me

In this free class stream we’ll cover the basics of Photoshop so you can get started using it for photo editing or design. You’ll learn what kinds of things you can do with Photoshop, get a live tutorial of using the app so you can get started using Photoshop for photo retouching, or to create graphics for web, social media, print, and more.

Learn More

Continue learning in our comprehensive Photoshop classes (attend Live Online or in New York City):
Photoshop Classes
Photo Retouching Certificate
Graphic Design Certificate

In this free class we’ll cover the basics of InDesign so you can get started using it to create ads, books, magazines, and more! InDesign is the industry standard page layout app, primary focused on print design. InDesign is used to create ads, books, magazines, and much more. In this free class we’ll get you up and running with the fundamentals of InDesign. We’ll create some layouts from scratch showing you how to work with graphics, text, and how to output your design by printing or creating a PDF.

Learn More

Continue learning in our comprehensive InDesign classes (attend Live Online or in New York City):
InDesign Classes
Graphic Design Certificate

In this seminar you'll learn the basics of Illustrator so you can get started using it to create graphics for logos, icons, and more! Adobe Illustrator can be insanely useful for creating graphics for web, print, signage, or anything! Unfortunately it’s not very intuitive for beginners to learn. In this seminar we’ll show you the fundamentals of Illustrator in a way that makes them approachable for someone who’s just getting started. Experience with another Adobe graphics app will help, but is not required.

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Continue to learn more in our comprehensive Illustrator classes (attend Live Online or in New York City):
Illustrator Classes
Graphic Design Certificate

When designing digital products such as websites and apps. there are many apps to choose from. Which one is right for you? In this article we’ll talk about Adobe XD, Figma, Sketch, and Adobe Photoshop.

Adobe XD

XD is the newest of these apps, and Adobe is putting a lot of effort into developing it quickly. Updates are released every 1–2 months, and XD has come a long way since the first beta versions.

XD aims to be the all-in-one solution for UX/UI design from wireframes to visual design, visual prototyping, voice prototyping, animation, and more. Despite XD being a relatively young app, it has some features (such as voice prototyping and repeat grid) that are not found in its competitors. While it is more advanced in some ways, it does lack some essential features. For example, there is no color management so on Display P3 monitors (like iMacs and Mac laptops use) the colors are not accurate, you can’t add multiple fills/strokes, and text styles are merely a find/change for formatting, just to name a few. Not having true styles severely limits their use because you’ll accidentally change things you didn’t intend to. There are no graphic/object styles, and exporting features are poorly implemented. Keep in mind that each app in this list has pros and cons, so none of them are perfect (Sketch and Figma also have their own set of limitations with styles for example).

Because XD came later to the game, it can open up Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator files and convert them into fully editable XD files. This makes it easier to switch to XD from those other apps. Being an Adobe app, it also integrates better, allowing you to edit photos in Photoshop and send an XD file to After Effects (if you need something beyond the animations you can create within XD).

XD has gained enough features that designers and companies are now starting to use it. Especially on small projects, some of the missing/poorly implemented features won't be much of an issue. However, on larger projects, those limitations might become a bigger issue. Adobe has been rapidly fixing things and adding features, so we’re seeing more and more people choosing Adobe XD.

Overall XD is quick and easy to use. We like the integrated design approach Adobe is going for, and we look forward to seeing XD continue to improve. It’s especially strong in UX design, prototyping, and animation when compared to the other apps.

You can use XD for free to see if you like it. The free version of XD gives you the full app, but with some limitations such as only one shared link (for prototypes and design specs) and no ability to save local files. If you need any of the premium features (such as multiple shared links or the ability to work with local files), you can get XD for $9.99/month (USD) or XD with all the CC apps for $52.99 (USD).

Learn more in our Adobe XD Bootcamp or another one of our Adobe XD classes.

Thinking about learning design? Learn about the different types of digital design (graphic design, web design, UX design, UI design, and motion design) so you can better understand what designers do and which apps they use.

In this online seminar we explain the appropriate classes and certificate programs so you’ll know the next steps to get started in each area of design.

Learn More (Attend Live Online or in New York City)

Graphic Design Classes
Web Design Classes
UX Design Classes
UI & Visual Design Classes
Video Editing & Motion Design Classes