By Ryan Real
CCIT Public Information Coordinator
The Adobe Digital Studio, located on the fifth floor above the University’s R.M. Cooper Library lobby, marks another step forward in Clemson’s partnership with Adobe while doubling as the university’s newest space for collaboration and innovation.
“The opening of the Adobe Digital Studio, truly a ‘maker space’ for digital creativity, is a landmark event for Clemson,” said Jim Bottum, Clemson’s vice provost and chief information officer. “The studio will be transformational, and I am proud of the collaborative effort between our team at Clemson and Adobe that made this possible.”
“Cooper Library, the heart of the Clemson University campus, is an ideal location for the Adobe Digital Studio complementing the learning commons and teaching spaces while bringing a new focus on digital information,” said Clemson University Dean of Libraries Maggie Farrell.
Set for an Oct. 16 grand opening, the facility gives the Clemson community a place to work together using technology powered by the entire Adobe Creative Cloud and Digital Publishing tools. Audio and video recording spaces bookend a large, open space where comfortable chairs circle tables and 48-inch monitors. The “Creativity Bar” begins at the entrance and extends through the length of the facility to create an easily accessible area where student interns help users refine their ideas and assist with technology.
Wesley Smith, a media resources consultant who manages the studio, likens the space to a writing center for Adobe products.
“You come in with an idea, and we’ll help you with it,” he says. “In the same way you’d work on a thesis statement, we want to help you get started and make a better product. The philosophy in a creative space is that you learn more from your peers.”
The facility features a soundproof audio production studio, a video production studio, collaborative workstations, a high-resolution scanner and a nine-display Behance wall that serves as a focal point for inspiration. The Behance wall—one of only three in the country and the only one outside of Adobe headquarters—streams projects from Adobe’s Behance based on the current search criterion (for example, “oceans” will display other projects with that tag and distribute them across the display). The system will find all the examples and distribute them across the displays. Students can upload their work to Behance so their work will be displayed on the wall, something Jan Holmevik, associate professor of English and co-director of Center of Excellence in Next Generation Computing and Creativity, cites as appropriate for its library location.
“Seeing your colleagues’ work portrayed in an artistic display is not only satisfying, but it helps spark creativity and makes you want to do better,” Holmevik said.
The studio represents the next, physical level of Clemson’s partnership with Adobe. Last April, Clemson became the only school in the country to allow all students, all faculty and all staff full use of the Adobe Creative Cloud. With the studio, both faculty and students have a space where they can collaboratively work on projects, learn from each other’s projects, and inject more creativity into the curriculum, something Holmevik notes is another step forward for 21st century education.
“The next big differentiator is creativity, and the studio fits into that larger vision of injecting creativity into the learning process at all levels,” Holmevik explained. “I hope great ideas will emerge out of the collaborative efforts and sheer inspiration, because seeing what is possible can spark invention.”
The Adobe Digital Studio construction began in March. Renovating in a library presented a set of unique challenges, working around exam schedules and school closures. A wooden 
abstract structure towers over the center of the studio, in what CyberInfrastructure Technology Integration Deputy Director Barbara Weaver calls “an architectural statement that expresses our desire to have the space be a true studio, an environment that can be chaotic, but out of that chaos comes collaboration, creativity and innovation.”
The studio focuses on working together (Holmevik likes to call it “a collaboratory”) from floor to ceiling. Nearly every piece of technology and furniture can move around the space, which also features power hubs and Ethernet across the floor to enhance mobility.
“The living room setup arose from wanting students to sit down and watch what they’ve made together,” said Smith. “Everything is meant to move and be flexible. You can pull tables and chairs around a monitor or, with some help, move the monitor itself. We want everybody to be able to watch what others have created because that communication among peers goes a long way.”
Student interns participating in the University Professional Internship Program (UPIC) staff the studio and come from various fields of study, to realize the vision of a next-generation education where all disciplines expect creativity. Though students are the studio staff, Holmevik envisions faculty members holding office hours and creating in the space as well. Staff members will also benefit from using the studio to create work-related projects.
Smith points to the partnership between the university and Adobe as beneficial to today’s increasingly digital career fields. With a vibrant, exciting learning space at the heart of campus, the Clemson community will have the chance to create works of art that will also pay off in the long run.
“In today’s job market, it’s not ‘what you know’ as much as ‘what you can do.’ We want to give people the skill set and knowledge here to allow them to set themselves apart on the job market and flourish in their careers,” said Smith. “But we don’t want you to feel like this is just for your classes, you can make it personal. We want this to change your whole life.”
