Microsoft's Expression suite of tools for graphic and Web designers has had no impact on its chief target, Adobe Systems' Creative Suite, Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch said in an interview this week.

“We haven’t seen any impact, really, from Expression on our business," Lynch said.

Expression, which Microsoft launched a couple of years ago, certainly faces an uphill battle against Creative Suite, which boasts a large and dedicated customer base. That installed base is Adobe's trump card, according to Lynch.

"Creative Suite’s a great product with a really strong ecosystem around it," he said. "And so our focus is on our customers and what they're trying to do, and not looking to the past or how Microsoft might be pursuing Creative Suite."

Microsoft countered that the market has responded "very favorably" to Expression, particularly among companies that already develop applications using other Microsoft software.