For many attendees at Adobe MAX 2025, our anniversary pins are a central part of the event. These custom enamel pins, designed this year by multidisciplinary art director and illustrator Tyler Pate, mark how many years the wearer has been creating with Adobe.
Behind the funky keepsakes are thousands of stories — from first creative projects to pivotal career points. We spoke with five creatives who picked up their pins at MAX 2025 and shared with us what those milestones mean to them, how Adobe shaped their creative journeys, and the moments that still inspire them today.
Watch Tyler’s recap video of the pin drop at Adobe MAX 2025.
15 years: Aviva Atri
For as long as she can remember, designer and illustrator Aviva Atri loved using art programs on computers. Her earliest Adobe memory goes back to a mischievous Adobe Photoshop moment in her high school computer class. “One of my friends was afraid of snails, and as a joke, I photoshopped a photo of her surrounded by a colony of snails,” she recalls with a laugh.
That first Photoshop prank eventually led Aviva to Parsons School of Design, where she fell in love with Adobe Illustrator, soon realizing how much she was capable of creating with the app. “Once I started taking on client work, I began to form my own distinct style,” Aviva says. “I loved making my designs move and would create an illustration in Illustrator, create multiple stills, and bring each into Photoshop where I would use the Timeline tool to create an animation.”
It was a deliberately hands-on process she still enjoys today. She now uses tools in Adobe Express to animate her designs, but her workflow still starts in Illustrator.
Though much of her work ends up in motion, Aviva also does print-focused projects, so tangible details matter to her. Reflecting on her 15-year pin, she says it marks her experience and the mastery of her craft. “I really enjoy the element of the folded page, it’s almost like bookmarking a moment in time!”
20 years: Adrian Sims
Creative director, 3D artist, and photographer Adrian Sims’ design career began in an unexpected place: a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier about 25 years ago.
“The day I saw Photoshop for the first time, I was instantly hooked,” he says. Adrian joined the Navy shortly after high school, and on board he produced yearbooks, flyers, ads, and framed prints for visiting celebrities — early projects that demanded both speed and creativity.
Adrian loves “that Adobe has put the artist at the center of everything,” praising the continual upgrades and evolving features that lower barriers to entry and keep the creative journey exciting.
Adobe has also given him a sense of purpose: “Now my focus is to not only grow professionally, but to share my knowledge with underrepresented communities who have no idea how to use these products,” Adrian says. "It could totally change the trajectory of someone's life.”
Over two decades, Adrian moved from Photoshop and Dreamweaver into motion and 3D: “Substance Painter and Stager is my jam”, he says. For him, the 20-year pin is a reminder of “the ups and downs, late nights and early mornings, the grind, the 10,000-plus hours,” and how far he’s come. “At year 20, I am still excited, motivated, and inspired about design… probably more now than ever!”
25 years: Michelle Ricks
Graphic designer Michelle Ricks first discovered Adobe’s tools in high school but spent roughly two decades working in the medical field — all while continuing to sketch, design logos, and do freelance illustration work.
When a life-changing stroke in 2017 forced her to relearn how to draw and design using her non-dominant hand, she turned to Adobe Fresco. “It became a reality check that I wasn't going to be able to go back to the medical field,” Michelle remembers. “I decided to fully pursue a career in graphic design and applied for university.”
Now a marketing and branding professional and a four-time MAX attendee, Michelle still starts many projects in Fresco, finishes in Illustrator, and leans on Adobe Express for quick deliverables.
Receiving the 25-year pin felt like recognition for a creative journey that never stopped. Michelle added it to her collection of pins and badges that cover her denim jacket. They tell the rich story of her career and even that of her service dog Maisie who picked up her own two-year pin at MAX 2025. “Being a creative always kept me alive,” she says.
30 years: André Hawkins
Art director and graphic design consultant André Hawkins started with Adobe at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, where he used Illustrator to make posters for the school’s art gallery.
Over time, he expanded into Photoshop and Adobe InDesign to deliver flyers, book covers, and more. “Adobe didn’t just take me to the next level; it took me to a whole other realm,” he says. Photoshop and InDesign are still his favorite tools today, along with Adobe Express.
The 30-year pin reminded André of his path from fine arts to graphic design and how much he has grown with Adobe products. It’s a nostalgic nod to the era that first inspired him: “It’s very retro, very new wave, and it brought back memories of watching MTV in the 80s and wanting to create something like their funky graphics when I was growing up.”
40 years: David Blatner
For David Blatner, president of CreativePro Network, the 40-year pin brought a flood of memories from his early days in desktop publishing. “My first real Adobe software was the PostScript baked into the Apple LaserWriter and Adobe fonts, then Illustrator version one… and the rest is history,” he says.
David recalled the debates over PDF, what Photoshop was like before layers, and how Adobe Type Manager could make fonts smooth on screen. Today, InDesign is his “happy place.” “It’s the hub where it all comes together,” he says. “I love Illustrator and Photoshop, but I like to joke that they're really just ‘the world’s best InDesign plug-ins.’”
For David, the 40-year pin’s Bézier points resonate the most. “This was a key breakthrough in the ability to describe smooth curves required for high-quality graphics and typography,” he explains. “Adobe was the key to bringing that quality to market 40 years ago.”
Beginner tips from the creators who’ve been there
We asked our creatives what advice they would give to someone just starting out with Adobe, and they all suggested exploring and experimenting with the tools.
“Play around as much as you possibly can,” Aviva says. “I feel like I learned the most by making my own things. And you never know where personal projects can take you, so definitely share them with the world!”
Both Michelle and André encourage newcomers to take the time and get to know the tools while allowing yourself to have fun. Also, take advantage of free resources like YouTube tutorials to learn techniques and watch sessions from MAX 2025 to understand how other creatives use the tools.
And Adrian’s advice is simple: “Never ever stop creating and just have fun. Not to be morbid, but there’s a quote that I live by: ‘When you stop creating, you die.’”
A small tradition, a lasting legacy
Introduced at MAX 2022, our customer anniversary pins map decades of design history — not just Adobe’s, but the shared history of the global creative community.
The pins remind us that behind every logo, poster, or animation is a creator with a story. And each story highlights how our workflows have evolved. What remains constant is an appetite for the craft: an interest in storytelling, in pushing a concept from sketch to final output, and in learning new ways to realize your creative vision.
Share your creative journey on Instagram or TikTok and tag @Adobe for a chance to receive your very own anniversary pin.
