From Canva to Creative Cloud: Why Marketing Coordinators (still) Need Adobe Skills
A marketing coordinator in Wellington told me something last year that stuck with me. She'd been using Canva for three years and was brilliant at it. Quick social posts, event flyers, email headers. Her manager loved her work. Then she applied for a senior role at a larger agency. The interview went well until they asked her to open InDesign and adjust a client's annual report. She'd never touched it. They hired someone else.
This isn't a story about Canva being bad. It's actually really useful (and way cheaper), and millions of people create solid work with it daily. But if you're building a career in marketing, there's a ceiling you'll hit eventually. And it's made of Adobe.
What's the difference between Canva and Adobe Creative Cloud for marketing work?
Canva is designed for speed and accessibility. You can create a decent-looking Instagram post in five minutes with zero training. Adobe Creative Cloud, which includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere Pro, is built for professional-grade work that requires precision and control.
The practical difference shows up in specific scenarios. Need to remove a complex background from a product photo while preserving hair detail? Photoshop. Creating a logo that scales from a business card to a billboard without losing quality? Illustrator. Laying out a 40-page annual report with consistent styling across every page? InDesign. Editing video for a campaign launch? Premiere Pro.
Canva can approximate some of these tasks, but it starts struggling when projects get complex. According to Noble Desktop's 2025 comparison, Adobe offers more advanced design capabilities and remains the industry standard for professional graphic design work. This isn't snobbery. It's about what tools can actually do when the brief gets demanding.
Why do employers specifically ask for Adobe skills in marketing roles?
Browse job listings on SEEK for marketing coordinator roles in New Zealand and you'll notice a pattern. Phrases like "proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite" or "InDesign experience essential" appear constantly. This isn't arbitrary. Employers ask for Adobe skills because of how marketing teams actually work.
When a graphic designer creates brand assets, they typically work in Illustrator or InDesign. When those files need minor updates, someone has to edit them. If you can't open and modify a .ai or .indd file, you become a bottleneck. The designer has to stop their work to make your small change. This slows everyone down.
Marketing coordinators with Adobe skills can handle these quick edits themselves. Update the date on an event poster. Swap out a product image in a brochure. Adjust pricing in a catalogue. These tasks take minutes when you know the software but create days of delays when you don't.
Career research from careers.govt.nz confirms that marketing specialists need strong digital marketing skills, including knowledge of how to use digital marketing and analytics software. Adobe proficiency has become part of that baseline expectation.
What Adobe programs should marketing coordinators learn first?
Start with InDesign. It's the most directly useful tool for marketing coordination work. InDesign handles multi-page documents, brochures, reports, newsletters, and catalogues. Marketing coordinators create interactive PDF documents, design layouts for print and digital distribution, and manage brand materials. These are everyday tasks in the role.
Photoshop comes second. You'll use it for image editing, resizing photos for different platforms, basic retouching, and preparing images for web or print. Every marketing team needs someone who can quickly crop, adjust, and export images without waiting for a dedicated designer.
Illustrator is third. Vector graphics are essential for logos, icons, and any artwork that needs to scale. Understanding Illustrator basics means you can work with brand assets properly rather than accidentally degrading their quality.
Premiere Pro rounds out the set if video is part of your marketing mix. With social media demanding more video content, basic editing skills have become increasingly valuable.
How much do marketing coordinators earn in New Zealand?
According to SEEK's 2024 salary data, marketing coordinators in New Zealand earn between $60,000 and $70,000 annually. PayScale reports the average at approximately $59,238, with entry-level positions starting around $50,624 and experienced coordinators reaching $76,000 or more. Glassdoor's figures for Auckland specifically show averages around $63,000.
The variation depends heavily on skills. Coordinators who can handle more complex tasks, including design work that would otherwise require a dedicated designer, command higher salaries. PayScale specifically lists Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Graphic Design among the skills that affect marketing coordinator pay.
| Experience Level | Salary Range (NZD) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level (0-1 years) | $50,000 – $55,000 | PayScale 2025 |
| Mid-level (1-4 years) | $59,000 – $64,000 | Glassdoor 2024 |
| Experienced (5+ years) | $70,000 – $76,000 | SEEK 2024 |
| Marketing Specialist (next level) | $62,000 – $122,000 | careers.govt.nz |
Consider the career progression too. Marketing specialists, the next step up, earn between $62,000 and $122,000 according to careers.govt.nz. The coordinators most likely to make that jump are those with broader skill sets, including verified design capabilities.
Can you keep using Canva alongside Adobe tools?
Absolutely. This isn't an either/or choice. Canva remains genuinely useful for certain tasks, particularly quick social media graphics and internal communications where speed matters more than pixel-perfect precision. Many marketing teams use both tools for different purposes.
The strategic approach is knowing when each tool is appropriate. Canva for rapid iteration on social posts. InDesign for client-facing documents. Photoshop for image work that needs proper editing. Premiere Pro for video that represents your brand professionally.
What you can't do is rely exclusively on Canva and expect to progress beyond a certain point. The marketing coordinator who mentioned she lost out on that senior role? She now uses both. Canva for quick turnarounds, Adobe for everything else. She got a similar role six months later, after getting certified.
| Task | Canva | Adobe Creative Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Quick social media graphics | ✓ Excellent | Overkill |
| Multi-page documents (reports, catalogues) | Limited | ✓ InDesign |
| Complex photo editing | Basic only | ✓ Photoshop |
| Scalable logos & vector graphics | No | ✓ Illustrator |
| Professional video editing | Basic only | ✓ Premiere Pro |
| Edit existing .ai or .indd files | No | ✓ Yes |
| Learning curve | Hours | Weeks |
| Industry standard for agencies | No | ✓ Yes |
How do you prove Adobe skills to employers?
Self-taught skills are valuable, but employers can't verify them from a CV. "Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite" on an application means nothing without evidence. This is where industry certification becomes practical.
The Adobe Certified Professional credential verifies your ability to work in specific applications. The exam tests actual skills through live-in-app questions where you demonstrate you can use the software, not just answer multiple choice questions about it. Employers recognise this certification because it represents validated competency.
A portfolio helps too, but certification provides something a portfolio can't. It proves you can handle tasks you might not have examples of yet. A hiring manager knows that someone who passed the InDesign certification can lay out a 50-page document properly, even if their portfolio only shows simpler projects.
How long does it take to learn Adobe programs?
This depends on your starting point and how much time you can dedicate. If you're comfortable with Canva, you already understand design principles like alignment, hierarchy, and colour. The learning curve for Adobe is about mastering new interfaces and more powerful tools, not learning design from scratch.
With structured learning materials and practice tests, most people can achieve working proficiency in InDesign within four to six weeks of part-time study. Enough to handle typical marketing coordination tasks confidently. Photoshop basics take a similar timeframe. Full mastery of any Adobe application takes years, but you don't need mastery to be genuinely useful at work.
The certification exam itself takes 50 minutes and combines theoretical questions with practical tasks. You can prepare while working full-time, studying in evenings or weekends. Most people schedule the exam after six to eight weeks of preparation.
What if you fail the certification exam?
Exam anxiety stops a lot of people from trying. The practical solution is choosing an option that includes a retake voucher. If your first attempt doesn't go well, you have 60 days to try again at no extra cost. This removes the financial risk that makes people hesitate.
Practice tests help too. They simulate the actual exam experience so you know what to expect. The format becomes familiar, you identify gaps in your knowledge, and you build confidence through repetition. Most people who prepare properly with practice tests pass on their first attempt anyway.
Making the transition practical
The gap between "good with Canva" and "proficient in Adobe" isn't as wide as it might seem. You already understand visual communication. You know what works. The learning is mechanical, not conceptual. It's about knowing where to click, not learning what looks good.
If your career goal involves progressing beyond entry-level coordination into senior marketing roles, design direction, or brand management, Adobe skills aren't optional. They're infrastructure. The sooner you build them, the sooner you stop hitting ceilings.
That Wellington coordinator who lost out on the senior role? She's now a marketing manager. Same agency that rejected her the first time. She mentioned in her second interview that failing to get the job originally motivated her to close the skills gap. They appreciated that. Most people just complain about not getting hired. She actually did something about it.
NZ Marketing Coordinator: Key Numbers
- Average salary: $60,000 – $70,000 (SEEK 2024)
- Top earners: $76,000+ with Adobe skills
- Certification prep time: 4–6 weeks part-time
- Exam duration: 50 minutes
- Retake window: 60 days (with bundle)
Explore our Adobe Certified Professional bundles to see how certification can strengthen your marketing career. Each bundle includes learning materials, practice tests, and a retake voucher.