Microsoft is taking another swing at Adobe Systems. This time with a rebranding to its line of Expression products. Microsoft's rebranding of the Expression design suite is related to four new upcoming subdomains still to be introduced.

The current Expression design suite consists of three products: Microsoft Expression Web Designer, Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer and Microsoft Expression Graphic Designer. Following the overhauling, these products will become Expression Web, Expression Blend and Expression Design respectively.

Additionally, Microsoft will introduce Expression Media, a new design product on top of the existing offerings. Here are the new Microsoft subdomains associated with the rebranding, which at the time of this article still redirected the user to http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/en/default.mspx:

http://www.microsoft.com/expression/web,
http://www.microsoft.com/expression/design,
http://www.microsoft.com/expression/blend,
http://www.microsoft.com/expression/media.

In fact, Long Zheng from the IStartedSomething reported that Microsoft Expression Blend, Beta 1 was presented at Ready Summit 06 during a showcasing of Building Differentiated User Experiences via XAML and Windows Presentation Foundation. According to Zheng, Expression Blend was nothing more than Interactive Designer.

In this context, speculations surrounding Expression Media reveal that this product is nothing more than the rebranded iView photo management software, resigned as an integer pat of the Expression Media.

With the rebranding of Expression, Microsoft is building and integrated alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite. Additionally, it is only safe to assume that the rebranding will be accompanied by an under the hood tune-up and that the Expression Suite will deliver support for Windows Vista.