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There’s one recurring question that consistently comes up at workshops, talks and seminars. It’s always the same question. And I think I always answer it very badly. The question? “Where do all the ideas come from?” My way to deal with it has been to develop a set of fairly stock, almost glib responses. Response number one: “By having lots of ideas.” Response number two: “By having lots of influences.” Or response number three (and this is the hopeless one): “I’m not really sure, they just happen.” A few years ago, I began to realise quite how useless this was, especially to a young creative starting out, or a student facing a horrendous deadline. Imagine facing a blank sheet of paper and the pressing need for that killer thought. Yet the only advice you’d been given on how to do it was to “have lots of ideas.” Not ideal. Get inspired by these amazing design portfolios 01. Do something (anything) Now, as it happens, there is the kernel of some decent advice in response number one. It was just phrased far better by the American writer and scientist Linus Pauling. He asserted that "the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas and throw away the bad ones". Pauling’s point was simple: get started, and do something – anything. Stick your first ideas on the wall. Share them with colleagues or flatmates. Pull them to shreds or celebrate them – it doesn’t matter. It’s the same as writing a letter. Once you start, the rest will follow. 02. Soak up the world around you Number two works much better if you view your brain as a big sponge, ready to soak up and absorb everything in the world around you. It doesn’t matter if that sculpture exhibition isn’t relevant today, go anyway. Watch obscure art-house movies or the Tarantino homages – both will give you future ideas for camera angles. That soap shop in Portugal? Great packaging. Could come in handy (in about a decade’s time). As an example, for years I would stop and admire the sign for a Polish baker in Swiss Cottage, north London. It was beautifully ‘wrong’ and I loved it for that. One day, an old friend wanted the logo for his new shoe business to look old and cranky – and I had just the thing to show him and inspire me and out came the logo for (now world-famous shoe designer) Rupert Sanderson. 03. Start in the wrong place I’ve spent the past few years trying to track quite how and when the ideas come, and whether there’s any perceivable pattern. The honest truth? There seems to be dozens of different ways. Sometimes I will start somewhere totally wrong, just to see if it might make something right. When building a tedious London skyline for a logo project, I hated it so much I flipped it 180 degrees. Which then inspired a new idea: to build a skyline out of everything else the city had to offer. 04. Look right in front of you Sometimes an answer might be staring you in the face. I was absentmindedly watching an assistant cut out a pile of Beatles albums before placing them on to suitably 60s carpets and backgrounds. Then I realised that the set of stamps I wanted were there – on-screen, on their own. I just had to remove all the stuff that wasn’t needed. 05. Forget about it Now there are many theories about how our brains work when they are in search mode. For example, have you noticed how you have an idea for a project precisely when you’re not working on it? It’s because our brains are smart and push problems into ‘background processing’, then link forward to solutions every now and again, often when you least expect it. I attended a typography seminar last year, whilst mulling over a project for foster carers. One of the speakers shared a fascinating, ligature-full font that had multiple characters neatly protecting others. All of a sudden my mind made the jump and there was the solution, on screen. Our brains also seem to know when we’re trying too hard to have an idea, and that’s when they like to down tools, just to piss us off. I spent an entire eight-hour f light pushing a bad idea around on a laptop, then had the only good idea in the cab from the airport. 06. Prepare yourself But you can be ready for those good ideas, or at least stand a better chance of catching them before they fly off. Always carry a sketchbook. Put a good camera in your bag and start ‘reframing’ the world around you. Try adopting a daily creativity project like Nick Asbury’s Realtime Notes (or our #PictureTheNews project from last year). These tricks and techniques keep your trusty brain nimble, limbered up and ready for anything. The trouble is, ideas do just happen (so response number three, I guess). When we were trying to create ‘Barrel Art’ for a whisky client, we struggled. Then out of the blue came an idea that the barrel’s various elements could have a voice. It worked nicely. Every note on my sketchpad before I wrote ‘Dear World... Yours, Cambridge’ was tedious and dull – then came those four words, an ellipsis and a comma. I’d made a creative jump from ‘quite dreadful’ to ‘quite possible’. I wish I knew quite how those ideas came, but I don’t. They just happened. This article was originally published in issue 294 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 294 or subscribe here. Read more: Fantastic design fails 8 of the best design ideas in the world (and 3 of the worst) How to refine your design portfolio View the full article

The year 2022 might sound a long way away, but for the organising committee behind the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, it's not to early to start building the hype. And to keep the games on peoples' radar, it recently released a pair of frankly adorable mascots. Unveiled with cute animations on the Beijing 2022 Twitter account, Bing Dwen Dwen (above left) and Shuey Rhon Rhon (above right) are a prime example of our character design tips in action. They're simple but distinctive, and we expect we'll be seeing a lot more from them in the lead up to the games. We also like that they both take a familiar part of the region and build on that existing awareness. It's a clever approach that character designers would be wise to keep in mind when working on their next creation. The first mascot to be announced was the cute panda, Bing Dwen Dwen, who is capable of zipping around the world and flying into outer space. Beijing 2022's organising committee had this to say about the mascot on Twitter: "With a suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports, this panda is ready to share the true spirit of the #Olympics with the whole world." And in a short animated announcement video, below, we see that Bing Dwen Dwen got its powers with the help of a cosmic force that crashes into its bamboo forest home. But Bing Dwen Dwen isn't left to carry the games by itself. Next up is Shuey Rhon Rhon, who is described as a Chinese lantern child. This fiery character is the mascot for the Paralympic Winter Games, and we agree with the organising committee when it says Shuey Rhon Rhon "has already warmed our hearts!" With its little eyes and oversized head, Shuey Rhon Rhon is the definition of cute. We also like how the mascot is something ordinary that gets turned into a character. Check out how it comes alive in the video below. Designing a character can be a hard skill to master, and the Olympic Games is littered with forgettable creations. Anyone remember Wenlock and Mandeville from London 2012? Hopefully these two will make more of an impact. Beijing 2022 will run from 4 February to 20 February, in the year 2022 (obviously). Related articles: 9 character designers you need to know Push your character designs further with this workout Insider advice from a master film character designer View the full article

Today we find ourselves in the unique position of wondering how iconic artist Vincent van Gogh would have felt about one of his most famous paintings being used to promote a fast food restaurant. Yes, you read that right. A number of famous paintings have been used in a new series of posters designed to promote the latest addition to the McDonald's menu, the Big Mac Bacon. Sticking out as one of the most bizarre examples of poster design we've ever seen, this series was made for McDonald's Sweden by advertising agency NORD DDB Stockholm, PR agency Prime, and media agency OMD. In the posters, some of the world's most famous paintings are subtly draped in rashers of bacon, complete with the caption 'A classic. With bacon. Try the new Big Mac Bacon.' The idea here being that the Big Mac is a classic in itself, and it now comes with bacon. The artistic masterpieces in question include Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Vincent van Gogh’s self-portrait from 1889, and Grant Woods’ American Gothic. Check them out in the gallery below. Regardless of how we feel about McDonald's as a company, there's no denying it's come up with some pretty slick projects in the past, including turning billboards into bee hotels. But we draw the line at using unrelated works of art to simply hawk burgers. Although maybe we're being uptight? Maybe, there's a counter argument to be made that this is a way of bringing (almost) fine art to the masses? Nope, we can't see it. Besides the concept, which in itself is enough to give us indigestion, we can't help but wonder what eye-watering sums of money MacDonald's had to stump up for the rights to use these images. Also, when it comes to the van Gogh portrait, the idea is so lazily executed. The rasher looks like it's just been dumped on his shoulder. Although, in order to ensure transparency, we have to admit to cracking a small smirk at the rasher skewered on the pitchfork in American Gothic. According to a letter sent by his brother, Vincent van Gogh's haunting last words were "the sadness will last forever", which suggest maybe one of his many talents also include predicting future use of his artwork. Related articles: Minimalist McDonald's ads use fries to guide motorists McDonald's McFails with accidentally smutty cups We can't stop watching these hypnotic McDonald's animations View the full article

Typography is one of those creative disciplines that may look straightforward to the outsider, but which is very easy to get horribly wrong. You can go a long way towards improving your type skills by ingesting a few good typography tutorials, but even seasoned typographers can use a little help every now and then. Luckily there are some fantastic sites out there that can make working with typography that little bit less demanding, and we've found eight of the best. Whether you want simple ways to identify and manage fonts, tools for building your own fonts or just a little typographic inspiration, there's something for you here. 15 top typography resources 01. Wordmark See all your installed fonts on a single web page While it's lovely to have a huge font collection, there comes a point where you have so many fonts that you can never be sure you're picking the right one for a project. With Wordmark, though, you can see every font you have installed on a single page; simply enter some text and off it goes, enabling you to quickly scan through and find the best looker. By default it'll just find your system fonts, but if you install its Chrome extension it'll find everything else. There's also a Pro version for a very reasonable $2/month, that adds tagging, a dark mode, Google fonts functionality and much more. 02. WhatTheFont Our favourite destination for identifying fonts There are few things more annoying than seeing a beautiful font somewhere and not being able to identify it. With WhatTheFont from MyFonts you're in with a decent chance, though. It's long been a favourite of ours; if there's a bit of type you want to identify, simply grab an image of it and upload it, then highlight the text you're interested in and WhatTheFont will come up with a list of the nearest matches in MyFonts' massive library. It's not foolproof, but it's close enough. 03. Emotype Convey the mood you need with these curated fonts Typography can be an excellent tool for conveying moods and emotions, and if you want a shortcut to finding the right fonts to evoke a certain emotion then pay a visit to Emotype. It features a small but useful set of carefully-curated typefaces that are grouped by emotions, enabling you to quickly find the fonts that'll suit the mood of the piece you're working on. Right now it's showcasing fonts that are suitable if you want to appear confident, welcoming, unique or neutral; check back in future for other typographic moods. 04. Prototypo Build your own unique font in minutes If you've ever fancied designing your own font but don't know where to start, here's a free and easy solution. Prototypo uses parametric fonts – similar to variable fonts – and provides five of them designed by Production Type that you can adjust to create your ideal look. Sliders enable you to change parameters such as thickness, width and serif width across the entire font, and once you're happy with the general look of your font you can refine individual characters before exporting to use wherever you want. 05. FontStruct A more in-depth font building tool Want to get more in-depth with font design? FontStruct is a free online font-building tool that enables you to create fonts – or 'FontStructions' – using geometric shapes in the FontStructor editor. Once you're done it'll turn your work into a TrueType font that you can download and use in any applications; there's also a galley of fonts where you can share your work and see other users' creations that you can clone to make your own variations. 06. Archetype Sort out your web typography with this handy tool For web designers wanting to create great-looking sites with consistent and harmonious typography, Archetype is a potential life-saver. It takes the guesswork out of web typography with a three-step system in which you choose a visually compatible font pair, define the sizes for all the typographic elements you might need, and set the optimal vertical spacing. After a bit of final tweaking and refinement you can export a CSS file to hand over to the developers; easy! 07. Discover.typography Get some type tips and inspiration from Hoefler&Co Want some typographic inspiration? Discover.typography from Hoefler&Co is a resource that you'll definitely want to bookmark. It features a stack of inspiring visual compositions build around different themes such as mobile interfaces and the typography of intrigue, which you can zoom in on and explore to see spot-on type combinations and useful tips. And if you spot a font that you like the look of while you're exploring, simply mouse over it to learn what it is and maybe buy it. 08. Fontface Ninja An essential tool for identifying fonts on the web Another brilliant tool for helping you to identify fonts that you like the look of, Fontface Ninja is a free browser extension that makes it easy to inspect fonts on any website. Once it's installed you can find the name of any fonts by hovering over them; it'll also give you information on size, letter spacing, line height and colour. You can click on the font to try it out for yourself, and if it's one you want to add to your collection then Fontface Ninja can also provide you with a price and a link to buy it (if it's a free font then it'll give you a download link). Related articles: 19 great places to download fonts for free The best new typography books of 2019 20 typography terms you might not know View the full article

Leading toy brand Lego launched its first international ad campaign in three decades earlier this week. And with its clever video and boundary pushing print ads it looks set to be a creative force for good. Created in partnership between the Lego Agency and BETC Paris, the new campaign sees Lego go back to basics in a series of TV, social, and out-of-home promotions. As well as celebrating the enduring creative potential of the popular building bricks, the advertisements also challenge people to use their imagination with the tagline Rebuild the world. At the heart of the Rebuild the world campaign is a new cinematic ad directed by the multi award-winning Traktor, which sees a chase between a hunter and a rabbit unfold with the whacky imaginative leaps that only a child playing with Lego could make. But there are also plenty of in-jokes and clever references for Lego's older demographic to appreciate, too. Accompanying this film is a set of minimalistic and witty posters. In them, we see how Lego can transform the world for the better, whether its by fixing a broken heart or by turning car emissions into a bouquet of flowers. "Rebuild the world is all about seeing where imagination takes us and celebrating the natural creativity of children," says Julia Goldin, chief marketing officer at the Lego Group. "We want to encourage and help kids around the world to develop and retain these skills as they grow older. With this campaign, we want to inspire people of all ages to unleash their creativity to create a world of infinite possibilities through Lego play." Given that Lego has increasingly relied on TV and film tie-in kits over recent years, this is a welcome advertising approach from the brand. Everyone's been drawn to the creative and open-ended appeal of Lego at one time or another, and it's great to finally see a campaign which celebrates that message without being too preachy. "Rebuild the world is our most ambitious global brand campaign to date," adds Rémi Marcelli, senior Vice President and Head of the Lego Agency. "The campaign is a new, modern expression of the true, deep foundations of the Lego brand. It is a playful interpretation of our mission to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow." Related articles: Is PIXL the new LEGO? Lego art: 40 designs that will blow your mind 8 brands that rule at social media View the full article

Welcome to our guide to the best laptops for students in 2019. No matter what course they are studying, or what institution they are attending – be it school, collage or university – this list of the best laptops for students will have something for everyone. When picking the best laptop for the student in your life, there are some important things to consider. Ideally, a laptop should last their entire course – if not longer (keep them safe with one of the best laptop bags) – and should provide excellent value for money. Other things you should look out for when buying a student laptop is battery life – as students could be in lessons and lectures all day, so getting a laptop that can last for multiple hours between charges is essential. Another important aspect to think about is storage. If you're a student in a creative field especially, you'll want a laptop that comes with plenty of hard drive space to store your work. For photography, video editing and music production students, we'd recommend going for at least 1TB. If it's image editing you'll be specialising in, you might also want to consider one of these best laptops for Photoshop. Having a large screen and comfortable to use keyboard are also hallmarks of the best laptops for students, as you'll be working on them for long periods of time. And, if you're taking your laptop to university with you, then a gaming laptop, or one that's great at watching TVs and movies on, is important when you're not working. So, read on for our pick of the best laptops for students in 2019 – and let our built-in price comparison tool find the very best deals. The Dell Latitude 7490 is our pick for the best laptop for students overall. This is because it ticks all the right boxes for students. So, its modern components are powerful enough for day-to-day work, with a choice of SSDs that keeps the laptop feeling speedy while also offering plenty of space for your important files and coursework. It has excellent battery life as well, which means you can carry it around with you in school or on campus all day without worrying about it running out of juice. Best of all, it's decently priced, so you're not spending a fortune – and Dell lets you customise the Latitude 7490 so that you can build a laptop that suits your needs and budget. If you've got a decent amount of cash to spend on a student laptop – or the bank of mum and dad is feeling particularly generous – then the Apple MacBook Air (2019) is arguably the best laptop for students you can buy. Apple has given its thin and lightweight laptop a refresh, adding True Tone technology to its display and an even more reliable keyboard. Hardware specs remain the same as the 2018 version, but what makes the MacBook Air such a good choice for students is its reliable performance, slim design (which makes it comfortable to carry around in a backpack all day) and excellent battery life. It's not the most powerful laptop on this list – so if you need something for heavy-duty graphic editing, check out the MacBook Pro, which is also on this list. The Acer Switch 3 is our pick for the best cheap student laptop. It's one of the best 2-in-1 laptops/tablet hybrid, which makes it a versatile little device for students, and it's small enough to be easily carried around with you on campus or between lessons. Despite its low price, it's solidly built, and there's a decent amount of power behind it – especially if you go for a version with 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core i3 processor. For day-to-day computing, writing up homework and even a spot of binge watching on Netflix, this is an excellent affordable laptop to help students with their studies. While being a student is no doubt hard work, you do need to have some downtime, so when you're taking a break from your studies, you may want to let of steam with a bit of gaming. If that's the case, you'll want a powerful – yet affordable – gaming laptop, which is why the Dell G5 15 5590 is our pick for the best gaming laptop for students. It has decent specs that will play the latest games smoothly at 1080p, as well has featuring a stylish design and great build quality, all for an impressively low asking price. Perhaps best of all, it offers 10 hours of battery life, which is pretty much unheard of in gaming laptops, and means you can use it as a productivity laptop when you need to work. Voted as one of the best laptops for graphic design in our round-up, if that's what you're studying, you'd be hard pushed to find better than the MacBook Pro (15-inch). This incredibly powerful laptop has had a hardware upgrade for this year, making it more powerful than ever, and its discrete AMD graphics means it's easily powerful enough to handle intensive graphic design tasks. It is very expensive, but the powerful components, as well as Apple's renowned build quality, means this is a laptop that will last you for years – both during your studies and when you get a job. Image Credit: Microsoft Microsoft's Surface Pro 6 is an ideal laptop for programming students, thanks to its compact design, great build quality and powerful components. Its quad-core Intel processor and decent amount of RAM (choose between 8GB and 16GB) means it can compile code quickly and easily, and as it runs Windows 10, you don't have to worry about compatibility issues. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to pay extra for the Type Cover, which adds a keyboard. Image credit: Dell The Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 is one of the finest convertible laptops in the world, packing in a huge amount of power into an impressively slim body. It offers enough power to keep up with graphic design applications, and its touchscreen works great with a stylus – making it the ideal choice for students who need a laptop they can draw or sketch on. It's thin and light enough to comfortably carry around with you, and it offers a decent amount of connectivity as well, including two Thunderbolt 3 and two USB-C, plus a headphone jack and MicroSD card reader. It is pricey, but Dell often features the laptop in its sales, so you can often find it at a very compelling price. Chromebooks are fantastic devices for students, thanks to their low prices, huge battery lives and – especially with laptops like the Asus Chromebook Flip - great build quality. This 2-in-1 Chromebook runs Google's ChromeOS. It's different to Windows 10, and can't run Windows apps, but it's easy to get the hang of, and ChromeOS has thousands of apps (along with Android apps, which it can now run) that means you'll likely find an alternative. The benefit of ChromeOS is that its lightweight, so batteries last longer, and its more secure – you don't need to worry about viruses. It also has a great selection of parental controls. The Asus Chromebook Flip comes with an Intel Core processor and a full-HD display. If you’re looking for a workhorse and you have the funds for it, then Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Extreme mobile workstation is the best laptop for engineering students. It's an incredibly powerful laptop that can handle even the most demanding programs and applications, and it comes with a robust carbon-fiber and aluminum body that will survive any field work. This is not going to be a laptop that suits all students, due to its high price tag and powerful components, but for students looking for a mobile workstation that can handle complex tasks with ease, then this laptop is well worth considering. Image Credit: Microsoft Microsoft's affordable Surface Go is an excellent laptop/tablet hybrid for students that want something portable and stylish, to do general word processing on. As a Microsoft device, you can be confident that it runs Office programs, such as Word and Excel, with ease, and it's a brilliant little device for quickly jotting down notes – or if you get the keyboard attachment – writing whole essays on. The gorgeous PixelSense display is also great for watching some Netflix in your down time, too. Read more: The best laptop cooling pads in 2019 The best laptop stands for your office The best external hard drives for Mac and PC users View the full article

The idea that humans are the weakest link shouldn't guide the thinking on social-engineering defense. View the full article

Best Buy has dropped the price of must-have Wacom products, including the industry-leading Wacom Cintiq 22HD interactive pen display. Perfect for digital artists who want to work at a larger scale, this impressive graphics tablet can be yours for less thanks to this $300 discount from Best Buy. Wacom devices are popular with creators thanks to their advanced display performance and intuitive tools. However its premium products often come with a high-end price to match. That's why we're always on the lookout to bring you the best Wacom deals, such as these Best Buy bargains. And if you're not in the market for a Wacom device, check out our guide to the best drawing tablets for graphic designers. Usually retailing for $1,699.95, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD is currently on offer for £1,399.95. Boasting a full HD screen that provides professional precision, 2,048 levels of pen sensitivity, and customisable ExpressKeys, this device allows creators to make their best work in comfort. On top of this, Best Buy has also trimmed the price of Wacom's Intuos wireless graphics tablet. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and capable of being used in any software for digital art, it's a top tool for creators to have on hand. Related articles: Wacom Pro Pen 3D review The 6 best laptops for photo editing in 2019 Wacom Cintiq 16 review View the full article

Apple AirPods are true wireless headphones for the iPhone, iPad or iPod, and if you're keen to grab a pair, we've rounded up the very best Apple AirPod deals. First released in 2016, the Apple AirPods are Bluetooth-powered true wireless earpods that pack some brilliant tech into their small, stylish, bodies. Since the initial launch, the AirPods have become incredibly popular, and they are Apple's biggest selling accessories – in 2018 alone they sold 35 million units. So, why are they so popular? Well, first of all, that 'true wireless' tech is all the rage at the moment. What this means is that each AirPod is completely wireless – unlike many wireless headphones and earpods that have a wire connecting the left and right earphone. This makes them discrete and comfortable to use (and you could argue easier to lose), but that's not the only reason for their popularity. They also include powerful noise reduction technology in the built-in microphone, which filters out even the noisiest of background sounds. Support for Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, is included, and there are built-in accelerometers and optical sensors that lets the AirPods know when they are removed from your ears – automatically pausing music playback. Designers and digital artists will love the AirPods. Not only are they stylish, but you can make and receive calls with them, and they work with a whole host of Apple products. Not just the aforementioned iPhones, iPads and iPods, but also the Apple Watch and Macs and MacBooks as well (see our best Black Friday Apple deals post for the best prices on all the above). Due to the tech inside – and the huge popularity of the devices – Apple AirPods can be quite expensive, and deals few and far between. However, we've rounded up the very best AirPod sales right here on this page, so if you're looking for the best price for Apple AirPods, you've come to the right place. The best Apple AirPods (2019) deals This year, Apple brought out an updated version of the Apple AirPods that come with a number of excellent new features, including hands-free 'Hey Siri' functionality, which lets you communicate with Apple's virtual assistant without having to press anything on your iPhone or on the AirPods themselves, though you can still double-tap the AirPods to bring up Siri if you wish. The Apple AirPods (2019) also pair faster with your devices, so you can set them up to work with your gadgets even quicker than before, This is thanks to the new H1 chip inside the updated AirPods, which allows "AirPods [to] deliver up to two times faster switching between active devices”, and are “50% faster when transferring a call to your AirPods”, and “deliver 30% lower gaming latency,” according to Apple. You can also wirelessly charge the new AirPods with the new wireless charging case - but this is sold seperately. Apart from those new features, the Apple AirPods (2019) are very similar to the original AirPods, with 20 hour battery life and excellent sound quality. The best Apple AirPods deals with case included The AirPods case is an essential accompaniment to the AirPods. Not only does it keep you from losing the AirPods quite so easily (due to how small they are), but it keeps them safe as you carry them around. Even more usefully, the AirPods case holds a battery, allowing you to charge the AirPods when not in use, allowing you to fully charge the AirPods four times. You plug the case into a USB port or power adapter, and a little LED light lets you know when its battery is full. And, as we mentioned above, the new AirPod case can wirelessly charge the AirPods (2019), which means you don't need to even insert the AirPods into the case to top them up. Because the case is so essential, it's frustrating that Apple doesn't always sell the case along with the AirPods. So, if you want the best deals for both the AirPods and the case, check out the deals below. When is the best time to get the best Apple AirPod deals? As we mentioned before, the popularity of the AirPods means that you don't often see huge discounts. However, there are certain times of the year when you're more likely to encounter AirPod deals. Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019 are two of the most likely times you'll see the best AirPod deals, as retailers around the world slash the prices of some of their most popular products. In previous years, we've seen some decent savings on the AirPods for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and hopefully this year will be no different. Black Friday 2019 is on November 29, with Cyber Monday following on December 2, so if you're on the lookout for AirPod deals, make sure you have those dates firmly circled in your diary. In the run up to Christmas and the holiday season is another good time to hunt for Apple AirPod deals, as again many retailers will be cutting prices in a bid to win over customers in that highly competitive trading period. You may also want to hunt for AirPod deals when Apple announces the next generation of its wireless earphones. This is because once Apple releases the new AirPods, prices for the older – yet still perfectly good – AirPods will drop. The best deals for older AirPods If you're not that bothered about getting the very latest generation of AirPods, then you're more likely to find some brilliant deals on the older AirPod models. The latest 2019 model of the AIrPods wasn't a huge upgrade over the previous version – which is good news for bargain hunters as it means you can buy the older (cheaper) version without missing out on many new features. Crucially, audio quality remains the same as well. Buying the older models is a great way of getting a great deal on a pair of AIrPods, and we've listed the top deals for older AirPods below. View the full article

It's a funny old time in British politics. If you've not been keeping up with the latest developments (and we can't blame you if you haven't), the Conservatives recently hit out at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with a KFC branding-themed stunt. Now it's Labour's turn to strike back, and they've done so via the medium of website error pages. If you've already checked out our list of the best 404 pages, you'll know that they're a great way to inject a bit of humour into a website. And the Labour party has used its website's error page to make a pointed joke about the Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. When you head over to the Labour site's 404 page, you'll see the familiar 'Oops! Page not found' message used in one form or another by plenty of online platforms. But underneath there's the catty message "Just like the Prime Minister, this page appears to be missing." Ouch. Sssh, nobody mention Brexit This is in reference to a recent event in Luxembourg City, where Johnson failed to take to his podium at a press conference amid booing protestors. Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, was left to speak for himself and made some pretty cutting remarks about the Conservative leader in the process. And lo and behold, a GIF of Xavier Bettel gesturing to the empty press conference podium has been inserted on Labour's 404 page; his endlessly looping expression only adding insult to injury. As far as political burns go, this one is brutal but classy. While the Conservative's Jeremy Corbyn KFC stunt got kind of exhausting with its heavy-handedness, this 404 page is at least useful as it helps redirect visitors to the Labour homepage and the party's manifesto. Related articles: Who are the unsung heroes of web design? 5 inspiring web design case studies The hottest web design trends of 2019 View the full article

In this tutorial I'll be drawing model Katy to show you how I use the artistic disciplines of love, devotion and surrender to add energy to my life drawings. As a young artist I was driven by my love of art. I believed love and devotion were the only disciplines needed to scale each new wall and reach each new plateau, but one day, many years into my career, I realised my taste in art had changed. I faced a colossal wall carved with the words: "Why are you unhappy?" "I want to draw with more style and freedom," I replied. "What's stopping you?" the wall asked me. "I'm a photo-realist, my work makes people gasp with admiration," I said. "If I change now then I won’t be so impressive." "Then surrender your ego," the wall demanded. And in my silent surrender a giant wall toppled and I ascended to a new plateau. Later I wrote three words that would anchor me in future moments of doubt – love, devotion and surrender – and writing them down changed everything. Good fortune had gifted me the first two disciplines of love and devotion, yet the act of surrender proved difficult. In my quest for artistic freedom I was all over the place, painting and drawing, obsessed with high ambitions, but l left little time to practise each new skill. With this headless chicken approach my art seemed to get worse. I needed to slow down. I surrendered to the fact that true progression takes time and was able to hone my skills until I reached each new plateau. I learned once more that surrender could be a discipline. For even more drawing advice, check out our guide to how to draw a figure, or how to draw muscles. Or for drawing tips on all manner of subjects, see our how to draw roundup. 01. Refine the pose Katy is a trained dancer and creative artist, and her skills clearly feed into her model work Let’s study the problems with this photo. First, Katy’s left hand looks odd and kills the rhythmic flow. Second, the stretch side of the body is almost a straight line. These are just the obvious problems so I need stay on high alert as I draw. 02. Surrender to the rhythm 'Incorrect' drawings can be more lively I start with the rhythmic flow of the figure, back and forth from one side to the other. I used to measure proportions with great importance, but ended up with dull drawings. Once I surrendered to rhythm more for my proportional guide my drawings were no longer so 'correct', but they were more interesting, gestural and filled with life. 03. Use overlaps and undulations Feel free to change the pose at this point Here I've interpreted the reference toward the dynamic. The stretch side has more gesture, overlaps and undulations. I've also dropped Katy's left arm for the deleted hand to appear as if it's behind her back. Many studious hours committed to the love and devotion of craft has made this balance of gesture and structure possible. 04. Play the accordion The bend in Katy's body starts to be emphasised With the extra bend of the torso I make sure the pinch side is counterpoised with wider distances on the stretch side, like an accordion. Follow the faint lines under the breasts, across the navel and the hips to see what I mean. At this stage I title the drawing The Storm Bringer, which sets the mood to come. 05. Regain lost depth Overlapping forms help to establish depth I block in the core shadows. The stretch side of the photo-reference was visually flat because of tangent lines (converging lines that destroy the illusion of depth). If your photo-reference lacks depth, think of ways that will enable you to create overlapping forms. Here I overlap Katy's ribcage with her right breast and push the hip and tenth rib forward to regain the lost depth. 06. Generate a natural rhythm Rhythm can be more important than proportions My figure is shorter in proportion, but the natural rhythm I’ve gained is more important. If I were to go in now and make the legs longer it would kill the organic rhythm and the drawing would become horribly stiff. I feel that surrendering to the rhythm was the right choice and I lay-in gestural lines on top of the structures. 07. Add details and correct errors There's still room to resize body parts I bring out Katy's right shoulder and tricep and overlap the ribcage across the obliques. As I smudge tone I'm aware that the head has grown bigger and note to myself to trim it down. I also observe that the cast shadow of Katy's left leg has created a bow-legged look to her right leg. 08. Trust your gut If it looks right, it's right! I step back for a minute and decide that the cast shadow of the arm should drop over the ribcage instead of half-way across the breast. It's now more clearly described and has more gestural appeal. In class I tell my students that if it looks right, it's right, even if it's wrong! This conundrum is always guaranteed to raise eyebrows. 09. Think ahead Thinking ahead gives your drawings energy and purpose I work on the edges, softening core shadows and fading Katy's left arm into a sfumato mist (a technique for blurring colours). I slant Katy’s head to make it more dynamic and smaller. The head needs to be smaller still and I think on it as I highlight the upper torso. Thinking ahead as I work adds energy and purpose to my hand. 10. Change your tools New tools help to refine the limbs By varying my drawing tools I'm able to reduce the head and fade the right leg into shadow, which kills the bow-legged look. With this new shadow shape I'm considering both story and style, and plan to run a line of action through the body in the shape of a metaphorical storm. If you're struggling with your figure pose, squint your eyes until you see a basic shape. This will reveal the main action of the pose. 11. Add subliminal rhythm Don't let your image look insecure Katy's hand may seem big here next to her foreshortened forearm, but I believe hands and feet look better bigger rather than smaller. If I were to make it smaller it would feel like an insecure decision. Here I add subliminal rhythm with gold head bands that echo the shape of the skull. The mono eraser is great for this. 12. Generate maximum fluidity Feel free to practise marks on scrap paper Time for the metaphorical storm. With a block of compressed charcoal I engage the gestural hand with fluidity set at maximum. Compressed charcoal is dark and may hinder your confidence with its stark nature. To draw with assurance, try practising on some scrap newsprint before drawing on your art. I recommend laying down light strokes building to dark strokes. 13. Remember your disciplines Each drawing will inform the next one Reshaping the gestural lines to represent a storm has killed some gestural flow. There are trade-offs as we draw; however, keeping our disciplines in place while also taking chances enables us to learn something new. Next time I use this rhythmic charcoal technique I'll surrender more to the natural rhythm and not fight it as much. 14. Call it a day Small changes will give your work a style independent of the reference image We're a world away from the reference photo now and the micro changes to structure and gesture have created a style that's uniquely mine, and if you have drawn along you'll have a drawing that's uniquely yours. Embracing the disciplines of love, devotion and surrender won't limit our art unlike strict rules. Instead, they embolden us with a freedom of expression. This article was originally published ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here. Related articles: How to find your art style The best figure drawing books Get better at figure drawing View the full article

Cynet’s new RFP templates clearly lay out the requirements for securing potential APT vectors. View the full article

The leaves are starting to fall from the trees and temperatures are beginning to drop, which means not only is autumn on its way for some of us, but Adobe's annual creativity conference will soon be here. Taking place in the first weekend of November, Adobe MAX 2019 will be a playground for creatives, offering a glimpse into the direction of Adobe's creative tools and new things to play with. The spectacular event, huge in scale and experience – attended last year by just a shade under 15,000 people – is once again at the LA Convention Center for 2019, with main stage sessions and some live events streamed worldwide. The best Adobe deals in 2019 Adobe has teased us throughout 2019 with various sneak peeks and hints at updates and new releases. But what do we really want to see at Adobe MAX 2019? Let's take a closer look at the products we expect to take centre stage... 01. Photoshop You can always bank on Photoshop to have a few surprises. Perhaps unencumbered by many of the complexities that face some of the other products it never disappoints, and there’s bound to be even more Sensei thrown into the mix, for sure. We’re guessing selections will once again feature quite heavily – they are after all the key to many adjustments and essential in compositing; with every recent release featuring more selection magic it seems likely and there are bound to be some jaw-droppers, too. 02. Photoshop on the iPad If memory serves us correctly, last year there was mention of a suggested launch in April this year, but there’s still no sign of it and there’s not a lot of noise coming from Adobe. It’s a huge undertaking – make no mistake, it’s a much bigger product than most users realise – and in a constantly expanding ecosystem, doubtlessly a significant challenge. However, that said, the company last year seemed very confident of a delivery around the end of the first quarter in 2019. Maybe they’re adding some more Adobe magic and aiming for a bigger impact by releasing at MAX. Let's hope so. 03. Illustrator Illustrator has been showing a lot of font-oriented features lately and during the sneaks last year an amazing piece of tech named Fontphoria wowed the audience, creating variations on entire fonts using drag-and-drop with just a single character. Interest in variable fonts is growing, and there have been some videos featuring expanded features within the model that maybe indicate there’s something in the works. Our guess for the 'wow' factor in Adobe’s oldest home-grown product is an overhaul of Puppet Warp along the lines of Project GoodBones that was in the 2018 sneaks. 04. Adobe Dimension Adobe’s 3D tool for designers and visualisers, Dimension has been quietly adding some incredible new features throughout the last few months, including some related to the early 2019 acquisition of Allegorithmic and their Substance material/texturing products. It’s probably a fairly safe bet that there will be big news relating to this product line and how it will mesh (no pun intended) with other Creative Cloud products. 05. Project Aero Augmented reality (AR) is gathering momentum and while there are a number of apps using AR, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of authoring tools for non-coders that isn’t part of a contained system like Facebook’s Spark AR. Project Aero aims to fill that gap and of course it will almost certainly naturally fit and interop with the other members of the family. Until recently this has been in a closed beta but applications to join the program have been accepted for a little while, now. 06. Adobe Fresco (formerly Project Gemini) Project Gemini, a drawing/painting app that combines and improves on the functionalities of the current mobile creation tools Photoshop Sketch and Illustrator Draw, announced it’s name, Adobe Fresco, just a little while back and it should be well-and-truly out in the wild by MAX (at the time of writing it is available for pre-order on the app store, expected 24th September). Not that it is representative of Fresco particularly, but the image associated with this post was initially created in the app then tweaked in Photoshop, a route that appears fairly common among the users I know from the prerelease and so the prediction here is that more incredible features and interoperations will amplify the recent launch. 07. Adobe XD Adobe XD introduces new features almost every month, and they’ve delivered on everything and more showed at last year’s MAX, including voice prototyping and the auto-animate features that drew so much applause. It’s still the micro-interactions that are craved though, along with support for inline video, so it will be interesting to see if there’s anything on offer that will sate that appetite. 08. Adobe Rush CC A big deal at MAX in 2018, Rush CC, which is now available on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, has introduced an handful of other features and improvements throughout the year, including interface tweaks, language support, speed controls and Motion Graphics Templates, also know as MOGRT’s (rhymes with the American pronunciation of yoghurts) on Adobe Stock. It’s going to be interesting to see if any new tools have been added for this year's event, especially as the main objective of Rush is to keep it lightweight and flexible – we'll just have to wait and see! Want to keep on top of all the MAX 2019 news? Make sure to bookmark our main Adobe MAX 2019 page, which we'll be updating regularly in the run up and reporting live from the event in November. Read more: Lightroom vs Photoshop: What's the difference? Adobe Fresco art app is finally available to preorder! The ultimate Adobe CC keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet View the full article

American rapper Colson Baker, AKA Machine Gun Kelly, has been inundated with jokes and memes after he asked his Twitter followers to design him a new logo. There are lots of things to consider when it comes to creating a successful brand identity. Our logo design guide even covers what designers should keep in mind. However this doesn't appear to have stopped social media users, who eagerly responded to Baker's open call for a new logo. Taking to Twitter, the rapper and actor decided it was time for a logo redesign because he was at the start of a "new chapter". Promising a sack of cash for the winning entry, Baker provided an email address for submissions to be sent to, then sat back and waited for the ideas to pour in. However, because Twitter can be a cynical place, joke entries quickly flooded his replies. So what did Baker do wrong? Well for starters, he should've given design hopefuls a brief to work with. After all, if designers haven't got some guidelines to follow, how will they know if they're heading in the right direction? How to write the perfect brief By not providing a brief, Baker was also leaving himself wide open to mocking entries. We've got to hand it to the witty responses though. They include references to his feud with Eminem, and some imaginative riffing on the rapper's stage name. There are also some entries that channel the classic design meme 'graphic design is my passion'. Take a look at some of the choicest joke entries below. Would Baker have avoided joke entries if he provided a brief? It's hard to say. Trolls might have worked with the constraints to create prank logos that still played by the rules. It wasn't all joke entries though. Some submissions were genuinely quite impressive. Although we can't help but wonder why the designers didn't just send their work to the email address provided. Don't give your competition ideas, guys! Design contests are controversial beasts even at the best of times. And while Baker is offering an undisclosed sum of money, we can see this stirring up a similar furore as the BBC's recent competition that asked for Peaky Blinders fan art. Only time will tell which logo Baker chooses. But we kind of hope he calls people's bluff by crowning a joke entry the winner. Even if it were only for a limited time, it would be a great way of owning the situation. Related articles: How fan art can get you paid 20 best iPad Pro apps for use with Apple Pencil How to find your art style View the full article

Applying your design skills to the gaming industry is a lucrative option you may have not have previously considered. Job opportunities in the field are growing daily, and more and more qualified applicants are being scouted. This six-course bundle brings you everything you need to kick-start a gaming career. All game designers must first learn the fundamentals of the industry to be successful. Starting from the basics and leading up to more technical skills, The Academy of Game Design Certification Bundle brings you six jam-packed courses to get you up to speed on everything game industry related. From logos and character design to UI and animation, over 100 lessons will help familiarise you with the programs you need to learn to be successful in the industry. 11 best video game character designs Inkscape, an open-source vector graphics editor, is a great software companion in the world of gaming. Courses will teach you the ins and out of Inkscape and show you how to use it to create game logos that not only look stunning, but also generate sales. You'll also learn how to develop parallax-ready game backgrounds, build remarkable 2D characters, design user interfaces for mobile, and so much more. Tutorials in DragonBones, a 2D game animation platform, teach you how to design and animate a variety of characters. Tips and tricks are also included on how to work faster and create better-designed character assets. Plenty of hands-on exercises will provide you with step-by-step instructions that allow you to try out what you learned. And with 24/7 access to the lessons you can keep coming back whenever you need to. While a certification bundle is usually valued at $1,200, it's currently price-dropped to only $25 (that's 97% off). It's certainly a great way to kick-off your game design ambitions and gets you started on the next phase of your professional design career. Related articles: How to design video games cinematics you won't want to skip How to get a job as a video games artist How to create a video game character in ZBrush View the full article

We've all been there. You've cooked a delicious dinner and you can't wait to tuck in, but your ketchup supplies are running low and you can't seem to pour the last drops no matter how hard you try. To help tackle this common frustration, Heinz Canada ketchup bottles have started sporting a clever label which shows you the perfect pouring angle. This brilliant but simple idea is up there with the best packaging designs we've come across. Created by independent creative agency Rethink Canada, the labels on the Pour-Perfect bottles (above) appear to have been rotated to a very unusual angle. But while the bottles look odd on supermarket shelves, when shoppers pick them up they'll quickly figure out that turning the label upright tips the bottle into the ideal ketchup pouring position. Check out the pleasantly surprised reaction of shoppers in the accompanying Heinz advert below. Does it work though, or will we still have to shake the bottle violently or dig around with a butter knife? There's only one way to find out, and that's to pick up a Pour-Perfect bottle and give it a go. Don't hang around though, they're only on sale in Toronto for a limited time. Related articles: Online packaging archive is a design delight 20 packaging concepts we wish were real 6 times brands temporarily changed their packaging View the full article

Bug impacts VMware Workstation 15 running 64-bit versions of Windows 10 as the guest VM. View the full article

The bug was first found in 2016. View the full article

Language learning app Duolingo has amassed a huge user base of 300 million people, thanks in no small part to its playful branding and gamified approach. However its visual elements were starting to lag behind its rapidly expanding reach. Enter Johnson Banks and Fontsmith, who have worked together to create a fun bespoke font for Duolingo called Feather bold. We've already seen how fun fonts can liven up a design, but Feather bold goes one step further as it captures the spirit of the app's owl mascot, Duo. The story behind the typeface was shared on the Johnson Banks site, which reveals how elements of Duo informed the shape of the lettering. Now the Duolingo font is consistent with its mascot "Visually, their owl mascot (Duo), the core colour, and their illustration style were broadly working," the design consultancy explains. "But they lacked clear guidelines on how to use the brand 'away' from the app environment." With the help of independent type foundry Fontsmith, Johnson Banks was able to address this by fine-tuning the logotype and extending the look to the Feather bold typeface as a whole. This includes quirks such as the flick found in the lowercase 'g', and a wing tipped stem junction. "Instead of using neutral typography alongside the symbol (like every other tech company), we redrew the logotype drawing inspiration from Duo's feathery form to reflect the company's quirky personality," it adds. Duo's eyes and wings were design cues for Feather bold As well as creating Feather bold, Johnson Banks also helped to develop a clearer tone of voice and guidelines for the Duolingo brand. At the heart of this identity was the idea that 'everyone can Duolingo'. New logo lock-ups, revised colours, and illustration guides accompany the new typographic styling. All of these elements are now being introduced across digital and physical touchpoints, with future merchandise plans already in place. A clearer set of branding guidelines was also introduced The launch of Feather bold isn't the first Duolingo update to roll out this year. Back in January the app redesigned its green owl mascot in the hope of making the tool more engaging. And having laid the foundations for this typographic update, we'd say they did a buen trabajo (that's Spanish for nice job). Related articles: 50 top typography tutorials The ultimate typography cheat sheet The best new typography books of 2019 View the full article

From Myspace to TikTok, social media has exploded over the last 15 years. A digital space with almost no rules, or a true definition of what it is and where it’s going. It was the unknown, and still is. Fast-forward to 2019, and social media is mammoth, with huge personalities presenting to an even bigger audience, insane data and gurus. With all this change, structure, and specialised careers coming out of the past 15 years, there is one thing you should know – social media will always change, and you’ve got to move with it. Where is social media right now? Right now, as a brand or person of interest entering into social media for the first time, it may be daunting. How are you meant to compete with those giants who seem to have it sussed? Social Media works in mystical ways – okay, not so mystical, but more on the algorithmic, ‘understanding your audience and finding your voice’ side of things. This article will explain those in more detail. Although these giants may have teams of creatives, copywriters and strategist, you will always have your personality. No large team can recreate that. Being authentically you has never been more desirable, and enables your audience to create a more meaningful connection to your brand. You don’t need to bring them into your personal life, but let them see you, hear you, and find out what you stand for through your content and tone of voice. Don’t be scared to push those boundaries. How far you push is up to you. Not every piece of content or story will be a home run, and that’s okay. It will take time to build up a network of people who are genuinely interested in what you have to say. So don’t be discouraged – it may also be that you are just not telling it in the right place or to the right people. Keep looking for your audience. They may be in places you don’t expect. Social media is powerful, but it can be incredibly fickle; don’t let your stats entirely define what to create The question that comes up all the time is ‘how do you measure success?’ This has had people up in arms figuring out what’s important. What do you want to achieve from your content? Was it to grow your audience or create engagement? Let the intention be the measurement of success, and not your engagement rate or like for like. Social media is powerful, but it can be incredibly fickle. Don’t let your stats entirely define what to create. If something doesn’t work, go back and look at why. Review, rework, re-publish and review again. Once you are able to determine what your audience enjoys, where they are and how you would like to show your personality, build on that. Social media is all about escalation. Read on for a closer look at each of the big players, and how to use them to build your brand and grow your audience. Next page: Facebook Click the image to find out more – and enter the competition The largest online platform in the world, with over 2 billion active users, but is Facebook still relevant? Data from taken from the top page categories showed that they have experienced a decline of up to 70 per cent engagement. The worst affected in this case were artists’ pages. However, don’t be put off by the bleak stats. Facebook is in a changing state, so you’ve just got to be willing to move with it. Some say Facebook’s publishing tools are a little bloated, but here are a few that you should consider focusing on. Like Creative Bloq on Facebook 01. Facebook groups By creating a group on Facebook, you’re able to connect one on one with your audience. You are providing them with a space in which they can discuss and share their own opinions based on a topic you’ve set. It becomes less about broadcasting and more about collaborating, and with over 400 million people in meaningful groups, it’s a great time to start. A successful group isn’t easy. You’ve got to give a reason for people to join, and of course, it needs to have some relevance to your brand. Think about what topics you could set. This could be a theme, brand value, collaborative effort — either way, it has to have as much value to your audience as it does to you. If you can create a home for this topic, you will have created a community with a deeper connection to your brand. This advocacy will create word of mouth, and through that, micro influencers who will become a trusted voice. 02. Facebook messenger Facebook reported that 53% of people are more likely to shop with a business they can message directly. The best part is, there isn’t a whole lot you need to do to get this started. Make sure you’ve turned on private messaging for your page. You’re using the messenger call to action on your content, and most importantly, you’re replying. You could explore bots. However, if you are not offering a service that requires an order status, FAQ lookup or some gimmicky interaction, don’t invest in it. Keep it human – apart from the automatic greeting, which is a great way to let people know their message has been received and when to expect a reply. 03. Product catalogue This tool is free, and it carries over to Instagram. If you are selling products through your website or a third party site, consider setting up a product catalogue, which can be found in your Business Manager. This will enable you to tag products in posts, which comes in handy when sometimes the copy doesn’t call for a long explanation of the products featured in that post. 04. Event pages These micro groups have come a long way since being the main source of a birthday party invitation. If you are planning on a series of events over the summer, spend the time to build out an event page for each. Cover what to expect, where to buy tickets, and most importantly, keep those interested updated on the happenings by sharing updates to the timeline. Next page: Instagram Instagram is one of the fastest growing, visually led platforms. So how can grow your audience by using a personality led strategy? It’s a given that your profile should feature some of your work, brand or products that you sell. All these points will help followers to understand what you offer, but how do you really become unique? Here are some top tips for improving your feed. Follow Creative Bloq on Instagram 01. Hone your focus Pick a consistency topic. This could be your products, brand values or concept. Merge this with a specialist topic. This isn’t always on-feature but will enable you to expand outside of your normal publishing realms, building an audience that appreciates not only your work, but also your commentary and creation. For example, if you are an illustrator, your page could feature your work, mixed in with appreciation and/or commentary of other peoples’ illustrative work. By sharing and introducing your passions, you are further injecting your personality and interests. All these traits give a user a reason to follow you, as you are aligning further with their own interests. 02. Focus on individual posts It’s been reported before, but I’m here to tell you that colour coordinated profiles are over. Ditch the block colours, colour themes and colour matching. Instead, focus on the creative – let it sit jarringly next to the post before. There is a need for less conceited profiles, an injection of the raw and experimental. 03. Don't forget stories Instagram Stories are more throwaway, but this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your content quality – it just means being more accessible and engaging, and less like a series of adverts. An example would be using a question or poll sticker to support a live draw on stories, documenting each stage with the involvement of your community. Not sure how to use them? Look at our guide to Instagram Stories. 04. Organise your bio If someone is going to take the time to look at your page, you need to make sure you have any info they might want on there. Make sure you include a URL where they can find more about you, and add an email button so they can get in touch. Story highlights help give an idea of your personality. When you've done all that, it's time to explore personalisation options, for example you might want to change the font on your Instagram bio. Click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image 05. Engage! If you are going to ask a question or any include any form of a call to action in a post, either on stories or your timeline, make sure you do something publicly and respond. There is nothing worse than seeing a brand ask a question just for the sake of engagement. You can also share other people's content – just make sure you follow the etiquette rules (take a look at our guide to how to repost on Instagram for this). Next page: Twitter and Pinterest Twiitter is a micro-blogging platform dominated by the media, influencers, journalists, fans and more. What you should be asking yourself is this – do you see your audience or brand on Twitter? There are a couple of ways in which you could approach Twitter, but we are going to look at how you can create awareness. Follow Creative Bloq on Twitter Twitter: How to create awareness The trending page offers the chance for amazing visibility, and being prepared for large public days such as WorldSockDay (only joking.) But it is worth looking at what big days are coming up. These could be from sporting events, TV, national holidays and so on. Preparing assets against these topics ahead is a sure way to get noticed. However, you should always ask yourself before getting involved — can I add anything of worth, will this makes sense to my audience, and will my brand tone of voice come through? More than anything, Twitter is an opinion piece platform, and works predominantly on creative writing and quick reflexes. Look at the trends of Burger King, Vita Coco and Pizza Hut. Clapbacks at the community or at other big brands can be hit or miss. Where it’s good, it can create a buzz, but it can easily turn into you who’s is being dragged. Twitter works predominantly on creative writing and quick reflexes Most actions are done through the app, hashtag or trending timeline view. You will need to get your brand out there. If you can create engaging, relevant, timely and debatable content, then it will throw your brand into the view of any interested parties that tend to frequent the site. Overall, Twitter requires you to shape out your authority in a topic, be a category leader and find your niche. It’s a busy platform driven more by opinions than visual content. You need to be willing to go and look for your audience, take the time to respond, and create engaging situations to carve out your space. Read more: Learn how to change the font in your Twitter bio, or explore the designers you should be following. Next page: Pinterest With 250 million monthly active users, it’s not a platform to ignore. The question is, do you need an account, or can you just be present by introducing better sharing functions on your website? How about both? Users come to Pinterest to find pins for inspiration, aspiration and motivation purposes, which you can work to your advantage by pinning against these points to seed content throughout the platform, creating links back to your website. Here are some tips for making the most of Pinterest. Read more: How to make money on Instagram Follow Creative Bloq on Pinterest 01. Work with what you already have Start small and build up. Work with what you have. For example, If you’re an illustrator and have a bank of work on facial expressions and features, use those files and start. You could organise them and create sections within your board to separate it by categories – eyes, smiles, happy or sad. Show a potential pinner your expertise, and provide them with inspiration. 02. Use keywords As mentioned earlier, Pinterest is an image search tool, so use those general keywords in the description, including relevant hashtags, a title to summarise, and always include your website. The optimisation is important — take the time to fill out the small details, as it will pay off in traffic and awareness. You can also use Pinterest to promote your back catalogue of work for inspiration and awareness. Be sure to work in those keywords when you do, avoiding words like “my work” or “my portfolio.” Instead “Illustrations” with sections such as ‘botanical” or “typography.” Be descriptive. Make your work easier to find by potential clients. 03. Create dedicated Pinterest content If you are willing to invest, spend some time in Pinterest. You could look at creating some templates, inspiration pieces or how-to style guides. These pins are a great way to build up awareness for your expertise, provided motivation for a pinner. Instead of sharing it as a native upload, pin this work directly from your website, ensuring you are getting traffic back to your page. 04. Pay attention to what works There are no real rules on how much you can upload to Pinterest and when the best time to post is. Just think about the quality of your pins, and keep a close eye on your top pins, clicks and audience affiliates to better understand what your audience engages with. Discover further opportunities, and find what drives traffic back to your website and why. New pins may take a while to show any results, but check back on those older pins – they may surprise you and receive more attention. 05. Set up your site as a business page Finally, if you do decide to pin from your website, make sure you’ve set up your account as a business page and claimed your URL by adding a meta tag to your page. In summary, Pinterest is slow and steady, but each pin is an investment in traffic to your website and brand awareness. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 283 or subscribe. View the full article

The reality of web design is that once you've finished a project, you hopefully move straight onto the next one. However, every site you deliver is an essential portfolio piece that demonstrates your skills and abilities, and while you'll usually want to link to your recent work on your site, it pays to do the job properly. Rather than simply grabbing a screenshot of a landing page and a link and adding it to your online portfolio, writing up an engaging case study on your work can be a lot more worthwhile. Case studies don't need to be lengthy essays; they just need to give readers a taste of your process and provide some insight into the challenges you've faced over the course of a web build and how you solved them. They're a great way to let potential clients know how you work, and they can also provide inspiration for other designers and developers; here are five of our favourite recent examples. How to write engaging case studies for your portfolio 01. Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago DogStudio took on a massive job with this site, and delivered For a really inspiring case study, it's hard to beat DogStudio's extensive piece chronicling its work for the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago. The museum is a vast and highly respected American institution, and you can't help but get the impression that DogStudio was punching well above its weight when it won the commission to rethink and revamp its web platform, but as this case study reveals, it carried the job off with aplomb. Packed with revealing wireframes, imagery and animations, it's a fascinating insight into a massive and challenging build that had to cater for more than five million online visitors wanting to do everything from buy tickets through to figuring out where to park and finding information about individual exhibits. 02. National Geographic: A Bear's-Eye View of Yellowstone A case study doesn't have to be wordy; let the pictures do the talking Sometimes it's better to show rather than tell. For this captivating look at Yellowstone National Park as seen by four bears fitted with camera collars and GPS, Hello Monday had a wealth of footage, data and expert analysis to work with. And rather than go into dry details of how it fitted everything together, it keeps things brief in its case study, providing a short outline of the project and deliverables before moving on to an entirely visual essay that demonstrates just how much work went into creating this digital feature. As well as a good helping of footage and screenshots showcasing what the site's all about, what we really love about this study is a section dedicated to how Hello Monday stamped its own personality on the project, breathing extra life into the feature with animation, watercolour illustrations and pencil-drawn portraits of each bear. 03. Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood If you've come up with an innovative approach to a project, concentrate on that Currently doing big business at the box office, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood is a love letter to 1960's cinema that recreates its era with Tarantino's typical attention to detail. And to create an online presence that captured the feel of 1969 Hollywood as well as the film, LA agency Watson went the extra mile to create a digital magazine that feels like it could have come off a newsstand 50 years ago. In this case study the Watson team explain not only the thinking behind the magazine and its pitch-perfect adverts, but also how they create a physical print run of the mag that got handed out at the premiere and first-night screenings, creating a whole other social buzz as movie fans posted shots of their magazine to prove that they were there. If you're looking for ideas on how to run a strong social campaign, there's some great material here. 04. British Red Cross Here Kota does a great job of communicating this project's challenges and how it met them Kota's case study on its recent work with the British Red Cross is a clear and concise piece that provides valuable insight on the challenges – and opportunities – of working on a campaign with an institution with clear-cut brand guidelines that need to be adhered to. In the case of the British Red Cross's OneKindThing campaign, Kota had to create a platform that stood out from previous campaigns while staying within the society's pretty epic brand guidelines. With a handful of images and a couple of paragraphs, Kota outlines how it managed just that, and also covers some of the technical hurdles that had to be overcome to deliver the finished site. The end result was well worth the effort, as the British Red Cross testimonial at the end of the case study reveals. 05. Stonewall Forever An in-depth look at an important and technically demanding project To mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an event that helped bring about the Pride movement, Stink Digital partnered with The LGBT Community Center to create Stonewall Forever, an immersive digital experience that features key narratives and previously unheard stories from LGBTQ+ history. Stink Digital's case study explains how it built a living monument to 50 years of Pride, based in Christopher Park, New York, but accessible anywhere through a website or AR app, and goes into some detail of the challenges of creating a WebGL monument that consists of over 10,000 individual shards with post-processing effects, but still runs at 60fps, even on low-end devices. Beyond the technical challenges, though, this is an absorbing and insightful piece on a project that explores life before, during and after the Stonewall Riots. Related articles: The hottest web design trends of 2019 How to refine your design portfolio Get the perfect website layout in 27 steps View the full article

The company has patched a vulnerability that could allow malicious sites unauthorized access to usernames and passwords. View the full article

It's scary to think that we're already three quarters of the way through 2019. And as if you didn't already feel like time was slipping away, these funny new ads from Spotify will really ram home the feeling of existential dread. We've already seen some examples of brilliant billboard advertising, but it looks like we might have to update it with these amazing posters from creative agency Who Wot Why. In the billboards, years are paired up and given humorous captions to highlight how much, or in some cases how little, life has changed. Just take these examples shared on Twitter by copywriter Vikki Ross. The year 1979 is accompanied with the caption 'London Calling', while underneath 2019 reads 'Conference calling'. The contrast between the famous Clash song and corporate life makes for an amusing juxtaposition, particularly if you remember the punk anthem from the first time round. As you'd expect from ads for the music streaming service, songs are the central hook of each joke. So, alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins are played off against 2019's trend for smashed avocados, and 1983's UB40 becomes 'you be forty'. And while the more things change, the more they stay the same. 1998 was the year of baggy jeans, chokers, and Spice Girls on tour. Fast forward to 2019 and it looks like all three are back in fashion. Having spotted the billboards in the wild, Ross took to social media to find out more. And in response people flooded her replies with examples they'd seen, the best of which she shared with her followers (below). This isn't the first time Spotify has amused passers-by with its funny billboards. Previously Spotify's turned users' bizarre listening habits into 2018 goals, while before that it got personal with its 'Thanks 2016, it's been weird' campaign. Meanwhile, in 2019, Spotify has moved forwards with an app redesign that's centred around its push towards podcasts. And if this has got you reaching for your nearest pair of earbuds, why not give yourself an upgrade with our guide to the best wireless headphones available right now. Related articles: McDonald's is turning its billboards into bee hotels The best print adverts ever These ridiculous ads show sexism is still alive and kicking View the full article

Having a controversial magazine cover is a surefire way for a mag to grab attention, and (hopefully) extra sales. Even as print magazines' circulations and influence wane, sex and politics can still provoke social media meltdown, although just exactly what is considered controversial is an ever-shifting boundary. Some publishers try too hard – going for the print equivalent of click bait. The cast of Glee cavorting in school uniforms for GQ? Cue weary eye roll. At other times, passionate political engagement can lead to terrible consequences, as was the case with the Charlie Hebdo tragedy. And often, of course, it’s difficult to distinguish between shock and satire: was Lady Ga-Ga’s machine gun bra cover for Rolling Stone a sophisticated feminist statement, or just a bad joke? Readers will inevitably consider the merits of each cover against their own moral compass. But whether cynically conceived or not, controversial covers seldom fail to raise title circulations for publishers who dare to take a risk. Here are eight of the most controversial in magazine history. Want to know how to make a mag cover standout, without necessarily offending people? See our guide to creating standout magazine covers. And if you're not quite magazine cover level yet, see our guide to becoming an art director. 01. Esquire: The Passion of Muhammad Ali cover (April, 1968) The impact of the beautiful cover photograph and stark design has not diminished with time If the 1970s hosted some of the worst examples of gory misogyny dressed up as liberalism, it also delivered some of the most politically engaged and memorable magazine covers. With Esquire’s Muhammad Ali interview focusing on the boxer’s dwindling star status and divisive political statements, legendary art director George Lois suggested that the beleaguered sports legend pose as Christian martyr St Sebastian for the cover shoot. Carl Fischer’s resulting photograph of a bloodied Ali pierced by the arrows of his critics simultaneously addressed race, celebrity and contemporary politics with startling force. At the height of the civil rights movement and with anti-Vietnam war protests at their most fierce, it was impossible not to have a strong reaction to Ali’s martyred pose. The Ali cover was doubtless the inspiration for Rolling Stone’s 'Passion of Kanye West' cover forty-eight years later, a non-too-subtle nod from one self-mythologising, ‘misunderstood’ celebrity to another. 02. Rolling Stone: John and Yoko (January 1981) When Annie Liebowitz asked the couple to strip – not unreasonable considering their recent naked album cover, Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins – only Lennon agreed Sometimes a cover becomes controversial for reasons beyond the publisher's control. This iconic photograph of a naked John Lennon curled around a fully clothed Yoko Ono ("That’s it! That’s our relationship", Lennon is quoted as exclaiming) was daring enough in its own right, with its provocative mix of sex, gender politics and the always outspoken ex-Beatle. But Lennon’s assassination, just a few hours after this Annie Leibowitz photo session, transformed a provocative image into a tragic memorial. When Rolling Stone used this as the cover of its tribute issue to the singer, five weeks after his death, it had an entirely different context. Music magazine Q was similarly struck by unforeseen circumstances when its Michael Jackson ‘unmasked’ issue went to press just before the singer’s sudden death. The shocking photograph of Jackson, his face seemingly ravaged by plastic surgery, made for a morbid but entirely coincidental obituary. 03. Time: An American Tragedy (June, 1994) Time’s notorious cover became such a significant part of the OJ trial, that the TV series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story recreated it with actor Cuba Gooding Jr From their famous, type-only 'Is God Dead?' cover to the (perhaps) less high-brow 'Yep I’m Gay' Ellen DeGeneres “confession”, Time has always proudly courted controversy. Ironically, its O J Simpson American Tragedy cover remains its most (in)famous cover, as it provoked an unprecedented scandal. Both Time and rival news journal, Newsweek, had the same cover image – the police mugshot of the double-homicide suspect. But with the two titles sat side-by-side on the newsstands, it was clear that Time had radically altered the Simpson photo, making his skin appear darker. Time denied any malicious or racist intent behind its retouching, insisting that their art editor had simply editorialised the photo, but the publication was forced to apologise. And in an surreal twist of fate, the cover was subsequently used by Simpson’s defence team as alleged evidence of racism and bias in the media. 04. Rolling Stone: Britney Spears, Hanging on the Telephone (April, 1999) Teenage Spears set the tone for the next decade of hyper sexual, taboo-trouncing celebrity-shock covers, from Janet Jackson in Time to Demi Moore in Vanity Fair The Britney Spears cover for Rolling Stone in April 1999 set the tone for the celebrity sexploitation frenzy of the new millennium. Compared to magazine covers of the following decade, this may looks pretty tame now, but David LaChapelle’s scandalous cover photo let the (sleaze) genie out of the bottle: a seventeen-year-old pop star, stripped to her underwear, lying in bed with a cuddly toy, her expression suggesting it was you who was the voyeur she was talking to on her phone. If accounts differ as to who exploited who for this provocative cover, there’s little doubt that as a template for attention-hungry stars and (allegedly) deviant snappers, this Rolling Stones cover became the holy grail of sleaze. 05. Time: 9/11 (2001) As a token of respect, Time removed its iconic red border for this issue When Lyle Owerko photographed the first of the twin towers in flames, he remembers thinking, "There’s your cover. The one tower that’s smoking and the (other) one that’s stoic and defiant." But then he heard the terrifying sound of a second plane on the horizon. He turned to capture the second collision as it happened. The resulting photograph could not have been more sensational or shocking (read more about the story of this photo on Time's website). As the days, weeks and years passed, magazine coverage of the tragedy adopted a more elegiac tone – Art Spiegelman’s monochromatic design for The New Yorker shows how over the passage of time, editors and designers tried to communicate the horror of 9/11 beyond the documentary eye – but Time magazine was one of the first titles to cover the story, and Owerko’s graphic photo accurately reflected the first responses of the world at large. 06. Paper: Break The Internet Kim Kardashian (2014) No, we still haven’t read an issue of this, either... What to do when your industry (magazine publishing) is being demolished by an unstoppable foe (the internet)? Try and catch a free ride on its coat tails. When hip New York lifestyle magazine Paper hired legendary celebrity snapper Jean–Paul Goude to photograph reality TV queen Kim Kardashian for two covers (dressed and undressed, of course), it made sure to tweet the covers just before the magazine came out for maximum attention. Although the Paper team didn’t quite succeed in their ambition of breaking the internet, they almost broke their own homepage, which jumped from an average of 20,000 daily visits to 395,000 on launch day, and upgraded Paper from being a magazine hardly anyone read or knew about, to a magazine that hardly anyone read. Aware of the important cultural taboos regrading sex, exploitation, race and motherhood that her covers would provoke, Kardashian opened the debate with characteristic thoughtfulness in a tweet that read: “And they say I didn’t have a talent...try balancing a Champagne glass on your ass LOL #BreakTheInternet.” 07. Ladybeard: Beauty issue (May, 2018) Ladybeard’s antagonism towards the mainstream fashion magazine sector could hardly be more explicit Calling your magazine Ladybeard might be considered attention-seeking behavior before you even get to the first cover image (a framed dildo, since you ask) but this kickstarter-founded, indie-feminst title has continued to push the boundaries. For its Beauty themed issue, it showed it was prepared to risk everything – from reader revulsion to stockist withdrawal – in the name of heated debate, with not one but two taboo-busting cover photographs by Anton Gottlob: one an elderly woman’s mouth, the other an extreme close-up of an anus. Co-editor Madeleine Dunnigan admitted to MagCulture that both covers caused “controversy, debate and tears within the team....”, but insisted that by showing (traditionally) unshowable images, important debates could be triggered. ‘It may be impossible to say what is beautiful, or what should be beautiful,” Dunnigan explained, "but we hope that these covers will make the viewer consider the question.” With indies like Ladybeard distributed by mail or independent shops, the risk vs reward metric is lower than your average title stocked in WH Smiths. But Ladybeard's daring is representative of indie publisher's ambition to recapture the bravery of older, iconic magazines, albeit to a dramatically smaller audience. 08. Cosmopolitan: Tess Holliday (October 2018) The ever insightful Cosmopolitan magazine said: “No-one is more aware of their body than a fat person” When makeup-artist turned dental receptionist turned fashion model, plus-size activist, social media sensation, pansexual Tess Holliday (formally known as Tess Munster) revealed to Cosmopolitan that she was experiencing the worst mental health state of her life: “I wish I could just disappear”, so a shame-busting shoot for Cosmo seemed the obvious course of action to steer her back towards emotional well being. Published amidst a flurry of obesity-crisis debates, the Holliday cover was a perfect storm of headline-baiting, everyone-has-an-opinion controversy, and a rare recent example of a print magazine making headlines. Was it taboo-busting, pro self-love balm, or obesity-pedalling, voyeuristic trash? The debate about the reaction to the debate promoted more debate and the issue kept selling… Dignity and feminist credentials still (allegedly) intact, Cosmopolitan proudly reported Holliday’s reaction to all the fuss: “My health is no one’s business. My message isn’t, ‘Let’s all be fat!’. My message is, ‘Let’s love yourself, regardless of how you look in your current body'” to which Cosmo’s Senior Entertainment & Lifestyle writer added her own, carefully nuanced critical support: “Yes. YES YES YES. Literally could not have said it better ourselves." Read more: Port magazine review These incredible posters advertise the movies that never happened 3 trends that changed the design industry forever View the full article

We're not sure what's going on with the colour (depending on who you ask) black at the moment, but it seems, for some reason, everyone is out to create the blackest black. Just a few weeks ago, we reported BMW's new X6 coupé has been spray-painted with a version of Surrey NanoSystems self-described "blackest black in the world", Vantablack, and now MIT are in on the action too. According to a recent blog post, MIT engineers have now created the blackest black ever recorded. The institute's ultrablack material is capable of absorbing at least 99.995 per cent of light, beating the previous pretender to the throne, Vantablack, which only had a 99.965 per cent absorption rate. Man falls into Anish Kapoor's painted hole installation If you've read our guide to colour theory, you'll know that pigments can trick our perceptions. Artist Diemut Strebe has done just that with his new art exhibit, The Redemption of Vanity, which features a 16.78-carat diamond coated in MIT's dark material. Created in partnership with Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, and his group, and MIT Center for Art, Science, and Technology, the installation sees the normally brilliant gem disappear against a black background. Take a look at how it seems to vanish in the comparison image above. Our material is 10 times blacker than anything that’s ever been reported Brian Wardle The MIT blog post reveals the new levels of blackness were achieved with the help of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, or CNTs for short. These CNTs are microscopic filaments of carbon, kind of like a tiny forest of fuzzy trees. By growing them on a surface of chlorine-etched aluminium foil, MIT engineers were able to create what the blog post describes as "the blackest material on record." In the blog post Wardle explains: "our material is 10 times blacker than anything that’s ever been reported, but I think the blackest black is a constantly moving target. Someone will find a blacker material, and eventually we'll understand all the underlying mechanisms, and will be able to properly engineer the ultimate black." While this is a great achievement for MIT, it's sure to frustrate Anish Kapoor. The artist holds exclusive usage rights for the extremely black paint, Vantablack, which prompted artists to create their own alternative on Kickstarter. A seemingly never-ending competition, we wonder who'll be the next to come up with the world's blackest black? Related articles: A short lesson on colour theory 12 colours and the emotions they evoke The essential guide to colour correction View the full article