Information Technology

October 2025 Newsletter

Your Guide to Visual Communication Tools

Each month, we bring you quick updates, practical tips, and tech tools to help you get more done—without the stress. This month, we’re focusing on visual communication—specifically the Adobe Express and Adobe Acrobat tools now available to all University of Maine System (UMS) employees.

Latest Updates
Adobe Express & Adobe Acrobat Pro now available to all UMS Employees: These tools help you create professional visuals, edit PDFs, and polish documents without needing design expertise. Learn more about getting started →
Opt in to Receive UMS IT Outage Alerts: We’ve launched a new system to notify you faster when unexpected IT issues occur. You’ll receive alerts via email and text for service disruptions. Sign up today →
AI Essentials Series Continues through Nov 13th: These 90-minute workshops are designed to teach UMS employees how to use the latest AI tools to save time, improve communication, and solve work’s daily challenges. Topics include ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Pro, Microsoft Copilot, AI Agents, Scribe and more. No technical background required. Thursdays now through November 13, 11 AM-12:30 PM on Zoom. Register today →


Poll results: Which visual tools matter most to you?
We recently asked which visual tools matter most to you. Creating visuals or graphics came in strong at 37%. Here’s what you told us:

👀 Help us plan 2026 content This month’s poll is bigger—we’re asking what worked this year and what you need next. Your feedback shapes what we create.
Share Your Feedback — 2 Min Survey
 
This Month’s Focus
Words alone work harder. Visuals work smarter.

13
milliseconds
⁉️ Your brain processes images in 13 milliseconds. Text? Not even close. Researchers found visuals register almost instantly, while reading takes far longer. Your brain also has two separate channels—one for words, one for visuals—but most messages use only words.

✅  Research shows pairing text with visuals can improve how people understand and retain your message. The two channels work simultaneously without interfering with each other, so your audience can absorb more information.

🚀  Your UMS tools include Adobe Express and Acrobat Pro for creating visuals. Add visuals that support your message: a diagram that explains your process, a chart that shows a trend, an image that illustrates your point.
Want to dig in? Explore the research on how good design supports communication. Stay tuned—next month, it’s all about spreadsheets: practical ways to save time and get more from your data.
 
Quick Wins for Visual Communication
Automate Personalized Designs

Need to make 50 name tags for an event? Bulk Create with CSV lets you design up to 99 variations at once and automatically generate.

In Adobe Express, open any design.
Type “Bulk Create” in the tool bar.
Upload your CSV with column headers
Connect each column to a text box, then click Generate.
Bulk Create with CSV – 3 Min Tutorial

 
One Design, Infinite Sizes


Need to resize one design for every channel? The Resize tool in Adobe Express automatically reformats your layout for social, email, or web in seconds.
In Adobe Express, open your design.
Click Resize at the top left.
Select as many preset sizes as you want, or set a custom size.
Adjust if needed, then download your new versions.
Resize Designs – 2 Min Video

 
Combine a Whole Folder at Once


The Add Folder tool in Adobe Acrobat automatically pulls in all files from a folder so you don’t have to select them individually.
In Adobe Acrobat Pro, click Combine Files from the Menu.
Click the Add Files dropdown in the top bar, then select Add Folder.
Drag and drop to arrange files,
Click Combine
Save your new file
Combine Folders – 1 Min Video

 
Ready for More?
Advanced Tips for Visual Communication
Adobe tools make it easy to design polished visuals and streamline your PDFs.


Start with a strong template in Adobe Express to build polished flyers, posts, and presentations — Adobe Express Templates
Edit text and images directly in Acrobat to quickly update fonts, layouts, and visuals — Edit PDFs in Acrobat
Connect your creative files to keep Photoshop and Illustrator artwork synced and automatically updated — Link Photoshop and Illustrator Files


Shortcut Sheets
Adobe Express Keyboard Shortcuts
Adobe Acrobat Keyboard Shortcuts

UMS IT in Action
Behind the Scenes of Degree Planner


🎉Degree Planner Launches at USM, Expanding Across UMS Campuses
When students and advisors need to plan a path to graduation, the first step can be challenging, knowing which courses to take and when. The new Degree Planner simplifies that process by bringing everything into one place: course requirements, progress tracking, and semester planning tools that connect directly with MaineStreet.
IT partnered with Registrar’s Offices and Academic Affairs teams across campuses to align course data, degree requirements, and student records, with testing that covered everything from prerequisite logic to transfer credit handling.
Degree Planner is now live at USM and UMaine, with additional campus launches rolling out in the coming weeks and months. The system gives students and advisors across the University of Maine System a modern, integrated planning experience.
Have you noticed technology running more smoothly lately?
Whether it’s a seamless login, fast support, or things just working the way they should – it’s no accident. Behind the scenes, IT teams across the system are keeping everything moving.
It only takes a minute to make someone’s day!
Submit an IT Shout Out!
 
 
Need Tech Support?
UMS IT is here to help! Reach out via email, phone or chat. Walk-in help is also available.

IT Support: UMS IT Support Portal
Email: help@maine.edu
Phone: 1-800-696-4357
LiveChat: IT Support LiveChat

You may also connect with your local campus IT Office