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Creating the perfect logo design is never an easy task. To do the job properly requires a full understanding of the client company's mission, its brand identity and the message it wants to convey, and then the skills to distil all that information into an instantly recognisable visual mark. A professional logo design needs a lot of research, plenty of iterations and of course the right tools – almost always Adobe Illustrator CC – but if you're in a rush or simply don't have the budget, there are lots of ways to do a decent enough job online. Here are eight of the best online tools that can help you create a full-blown logo, or at least build some concept that can later be worked up into a finished design. All of them are free to use and most will let you download a low-resolution version of your logo for free, however if you need a scalable vector version of your logo then you'll usually have to pay, but thankfully the prices are all pretty reasonable. 01. Hatchful Hatchful instantly generates plenty of potential logos to customise Shopify's Hatchful is one of the easiest free logo makers we've seen; simply feed it a few useful facts about the business you need a logo for, decide on the style of logo you need and how you'll want to use it, and it'll generate a stack of potential logos for you to browse through. Once you've found one that hits the spot, you can adjust the font, palette, icon and layout until everything's just right, and then download your logo in all the forms you're likely to need. 02. Ucraft Logo Maker For a more hands-on approach, Ucraft's Logo Maker gives you just enough tools to create your own logo from scratch in short order. It's basically a bare-bones vector editor that gives you a big selection of icons to play with and supplement with text, shapes and colour until you achieve the look you're after. You can download your finished logo as a PNG for free; if you'd prefer a scalable SVG you can have it for just $12. 03. LogoMakr LogoMakr has a friendly front end and lots of options A slightly more sophisticated option comes in the form of LogoMakr. It offers the same basic tools as Ucraft, but with a friendlier front end and a few more options and fonts to play with; the only thing we'd like to see is the option to use gradients as well as flat fills. Again it's a matter of finding a suitable icon and bringing in all the text and shape elements you need to build your logo design; once you're done you can download a free PNG version, or for $19 you can get it in SVG and PDF flavours. 04. Designhill Logo Maker Designhill's generated logos look great, but they'll cost you Designhill's Logo Maker is another easy way to quickly come up with a fantastic-looking logo for practically any company. It starts you off by getting you provide all the basic information it needs – company name and the nature of the business, plus preferred symbols and colour schemes – and then it uses this to generate a collection of professional-looking logos that you can then customise. This part's completely free; once you've hit the right look you'll have to pay to download your logo, with prices starting at £15 for a basic low-resolution file. 05. DesignEvo Free Logo Maker With over 6,000 templates, DesignEvo gives you almost too much choice Whether you want to build a logo from scratch or work from a ready-made template, DesignEvo's Free Logo Maker can help you out. It has a searchable selection of over 6,000 templates to choose from, enabling you to quickly find a good starting point for your logo, but if you prefer to do it yourself you can start with a blank layout and build a logo using symbols, shapes and fonts. When you're done you download a free low-resolution logo; for scalable vector versions prices start at $24.99. 06. Tailor Brands Logo Maker TailorBrands gets a handle on your tastes then generates a logo to match Using an AI-powered system to generate a suitable logo for your brand, Tailor Brands' Logo Maker is the perfect tool for anyone who can't face scrolling through hundreds of templates to find the perfect logo design. Instead it asks for the name of your business and a description of what it does, as well as getting you to choose between an icon, text or initial-based logo, then it uses a 'This or That' tool to get a handle on the design style you're after. With all that information to hand it goes to work on creating a logo that you can then customise if you want; when you're happy with it you can download a low-resolution for free, or pay for high resolution files. 07. Canva Logo Maker Canva's Logo Maker is just part of its online design suite Canva's online design tools cover a whole lot more than logos, but if a logo's all you're after then it's ready and waiting to help you out with its Logo Maker. Like many online logo creators it'll ask you about your company and get you to select a handful of templates you like the look of before it comes up with a design that you can customise using its intuitive tools. There are plenty of free elements to play with; if you need more choice you can pay to use a larger selection of premium elements. Once you're done, you can download your finished logo as a PNG or print-ready PDF for free. 08. MarkMaker Keep on scrolling and clicking until you hit the perfect logo layout MarkMaker uses a simple, clever approach to creating the right logo: type in a company name and it'll start generating suggestions, and by clicking on the ones you like it'll create ever more designs informed by your preferences. You can further influence the process by adding information about what your company does. Keep on scrolling and clicking until something crops up that you love, then hit the edit button to fine-tune it; there are loads of options and sliders to play with until you hit that sweet spot, then you can download your logo as a PNG or SVG; both are free, but you can throw in a little donation if you like. Related articles: 5 logo design terms you should know Where to find logo design inspiration 5 logo design apps for beginners View the full article

Better known by her professional name Loish, Dutch artist Lois Van Baarle barely needs an introduction. But if you've managed to stay in the dark about this superstar illustrator's talents, here's a bit of background. Loish has been drawing her whole life, but currently creates concept art and character designs for clients such as LEGO, Guerrilla Games and Amazon. Both of her books – the recent The Sketchbook of Loish, and 2016’s The Art of Loish, have been hugely successful, following incredibly well-supported Kickstarter campaigns. Here, we take a peek inside Loish's sketchbooks. Read on for a sneak look at her works in progress, and the stories behind them. If this inspires you to get your own sketchbook out, take a look at our tips for getting started with ink drawing, or our roundup of helpful pencil drawing techniques. Click the icon in the top left of each image to enlarge it Image: Loish One of the common features found in Loish's work is her stylised depiction of hair. "One of my favourite things to draw is hair," she says. "It enables me to create flowing shapes and lines that lead the eye around the drawing." In this ink drawing, the flowing locks are mimicked in the ripples of water. Image: Loish "My drawings usually don’t convey complex stories or worlds, but instead focus on capturing a certain mood or emotional state,” says the artist. She was inspired to create the sketch on the right at the beginning of autumn, when the cold weather started to set in and people were getting their scarves and coats out. Image: Loish This piece was created during Inktober, and is based on the prompt 'precious'. "I thought about magpies and the myth that they like to steal shiny objects," Loish explains. Image: Loish Loish drew these sketches using references. “I’m not only practising faces and expressions here, but also how I can translate the reference material into my own art style,” she says. Image: Loish Above is another drawing from an Inktober challenge. “Inking is a challenge for me, but one thing I really enjoy about it is using negative space to give more definition to the shapes and forms,” says Loish. Image: Loish "Sometimes when I finish drawing one face, I want to draw another, and then another until a cluster of characters takes shape," says Loish. Sharpen your own skills with our guide to how to draw a face. Image: Loish Loish's figures are instantly recognisable as her work. "I love to stylise the shapes in my drawing and see if I can exaggerate or push it beyond what I would normally draw," she says. She also likes to contrast different drawing styles. "I like to experiment with ways to balance more highly detailed areas with rougher, more simple areas.” In the drawing on the left, the figure's messy bun is detailed, whereas the jumper has been sketched a lot more loosely. Image: Loish “When I do anatomy studies, I usually try to focus on the overall shape and gesture, rather than getting all of the details right,” says Loish. Hands are notoriously tricky to get right – for some tips, take a look at our guide to how to draw hands. Image: Loish While Loish is known for her dreamy depictions of women, her sketchbook is packed with all kinds of creatures – including these studies of dogs and cats. "I love using a sketchbook to practise and bring new things into my visual memory," she says. Image: Loish This particular pencil and ink drawing was inspired by a trip to Canada. “Ever since I saw a burnt forest on vacation in Canada, I’ve been drawn to the imagery of a forest that’s damaged but regenerating.” The piece blends the figure's hair into the trees, and uses a stark colour palette to create impact. Image: Loish These rugged figures were created for the Inktober prompt 'angular'. "The first thing that came to mind was bearded men, so that’s what I went with," she smiles. Image: Loish Like many artists, Loish uses her sketchbook to explore new themes and let her creative mind wander. "I usually doodle whatever comes to mind, and as a result the sketchbook pages can sometimes become a random mix of styles and ideas," she explains. An edited version of this article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here. Read more: All the best new art jobs What is #PortfolioDay and should you get involved? Our guide to the best painting apps for iPad View the full article

As the most popular programming language in the world, JavaScript is a must-learn for anyone who wants to become a web developer. And with JavaScript Master Class, you'll be able to pick up the foundations of this essential skill in a beginner-friendly way. That's because the JavaScript Master Class offers 70 hands-on exercises and 299 lectures that will introduce you to real-world problems and their solutions. The best web hosting services in 2019 You'll start off with the fundamentals and gradually move on to more advanced topics, until you're ready to become a front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer. Best of all, the JavaScript Master Class is a steal, at just $10.99 -- that's 89% off the regular price! Related articles: Animate SVG with JavaScript 14 of the best JavaScript APIs All you need to know about JavaScript code splitting View the full article

Our portfolio is one of the most personal projects we create. We can get so close to the project, obsessing over the typefaces or layouts, that we forget other important details that may be obvious to anyone else using our site. I see a lot of fantastic portfolios in my work with Semplice, a portfolio system for designers. I also see a lot of great portfolios that could be better with more thought and care. I’m all for starting simple and shipping early, but sometimes it’s these small details that can make or break your site. Whether you are working on your portfolio now or launched long ago, these optimizations will make a big difference. For more portfolio inspiration, check out our list of top portfolio examples and graphic design portfolios that will inspire you to get straight to work on yours. 01. Optimize image and video file sizes Your image sizes should be well under 1MB – the one on the right is only 91KB and still extremely sharp Sounds obvious, but you would be surprised how many times I’ve seen poorly optimized websites made by skilled designers. They want pixel-perfect images and upload files at insanely high sizes. This affects more than just your loading time. It can mess with the animations on your site, transitions, basically everything. But people won’t even get that far because they’ll exit a site that takes more than two seconds to load. Resize and save out your images for web. Plenty of plugins exist that allow you to do this in batches. You can still share perfectly crisp images while keeping the file size small. 02. Add social share images & SEO titles Online, you are a brand. You are a business with something to sell. Thinking of your portfolio this way helps you remember the important details you would recommend to your client, but would easily forget for yourself. SEO and social optimization are big ones. Customize the title and description of your pages. This is not only good for SEO, but ensures your portfolio doesn’t look like some unfinished template site. Imagine your dream company pasting the link to your portfolio and seeing some generic placeholder like “My First WordPress site!” Not ideal. It’s also a bit of a bummer to find a great portfolio and go to share it only to see a placeholder image or no share image at all. Almost every social platform revolves around imagery. Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images. If you want people to share your site and you want people to click it, add unique share images for each of your main pages. 03. Don't forget your favicon Yes, that tiny little image at the top of our browser when we visit your page. Add one. Make it unique. This speaks to your attention to detail and shows what kind of effort and thought you put into your work. And think of that recruiter with dozens of tabs open viewing portfolios from applicants. They probably want to click the one with the banana favicon first. 04. Consider your website user flow For some of us, UX is our expertise. Yet when it comes to our portfolio, we are so focused on making a masterpiece that we often forget our users. For example: Most of us know that we can find your contact information in the footer or on your About page. If you have an about page AND a contact page, you’re forcing me to stop and think to choose between the two. Or think about what keeps people engaged with your work. Should your case studies end with a standard footer, or can you tease your other projects to keep people clicking through? Michela Picchi’s case studies end with an engaging grid of more projects [Image: Michela Picchi] Consider how you would design a client’s website to convert. With your portfolio, the goal is simple: Get people to contact you. Make it as easy as possible for your viewer to navigate your portfolio and reach out to you. 05. Never neglect your mobile view Again: Sounds simple, often overlooked. We all know about designing for mobile, but it’s the easiest thing to skip when you’re working on desktop and just ready to launch the damn thing – especially when you’re working on your own site. I know. I’ve done it myself Your portfolio is what speaks for you when you're not in the room. You never know what opportunities you might be missing because someone got fed up with using it your site or couldn't load it in the first place. It’s these tiny little things that say a lot about your work ethic and attention to detail when a potential client is viewing your portfolio. Show that you care about doing excellent work for your clients by doing excellent work for yourself. All the portfolios you see on this page were built with Semplice. Read more: 9 brilliant portfolios from young designers 10 on-trend portfolio templates 25 top-quality WordPress portfolio themes View the full article

Choosing one of the best cameras for kids could help spark a lifelong passion for photography, and keep your little ones happy and learning for many years to come. But with so many around, how do you pick the right one? The first factor to consider is age. Very young children will struggle with small menus, complex settings and fiddly SD cards, but older kids will soon get to grips with even quite tricky settings, provided the results are worthwhile. It's also important to consider how many knocks and bumps the camera is likely to be subjected to. There are some superb cameras for kids that will shrug off drops from over a meter, and can be safely submersed in water for long periods. Finally, there's the question of cost. We've looked at cameras from a range of different prices, so there should be something here to match your budget. And if you're looking to treat yourself too, don't miss our round-up of the best compact cameras money can buy. But let's sort the tiny humans first, here's our pick of the very best cameras for kids. Image credit: Sony When your kids are ready for their first real camera, the Sony Cybershot W830 is our top recommendation. Its specs are impressive for the price, with a 20MP sensor that captures pin-sharp pictures, with image stabilization to help young photographers keep things steady without a tripod. There's 8x optical zoom, and editing software built in for adjusting portraits and applying fun color-pop effects. It's available in four colors, including this stylish metallic purple, and will grow with your kids as they get to grips with the fundamentals of photography. Image credit: Vtech The colorful Vtech Kidizoom Duo 5.0 is suitable for kids as young as three, and it's a fun introduction to photography that'll keep them happy for years to come. It has a chunky, shockproof design with non-slip grips, and a dual optical viewfinder so little ones won't struggle to look through using one eye, It records video and captures surprisingly sharp 5MP still photos, plus simple videos, which can be personalized with stickers and effects in-camera. The Kidizoom Duo 5.0 also comes with a handful of classic arcade games pre-loaded if youngsters lose interest, but the camera itself is the star here. Image credit: TomTom The neat little TomTom Bandit is primarily an action camera designed for extreme sports, but it works equally well for all kinds of video, and has a lot of unusual features that kids will enjoy. It can shoot 4K video, which is remarkable for the price, and is very simple to use. The highlight for us is the ability to put together mini-movies by simply shaking a phone with the Bandit app installed. If kids want to transfer videos, there are no cables to worry about; just pull off the outer housing to reveal a USB connector, ready to go. Ingenious. Image credit: Fujifilm The Finepix XP130 will take everything your kids can throw and it and keep on snapping. An ideal choice for exploring the great outdoors, it can survive depths of 20m, drops from 1.75m, and temperatures as low as -10C. It even comes with presets for different landscape and other scenes, making it easier for youngsters to get great shots outside, The Finepix XP130 is a superb camera for older children and teens, but if you're looking for a waterpoof snapper for younger kids then the Nikon Coolpix W150 may be a better choice (scroll down for details). Image credit: Polaroid The Polaroid OneStep 2 isn't as compact or brightly colored as some of the company's other instant cameras, but it's better built and less fiddly. As an analog camera, the OneStep 2 has several moving parts and isn't quite as tough as many of its digital counterparts, so it's better suited to teens than young children. The film is also pretty pricey, so kids will have to learn to conserve it, but having prints appear in a matter of seconds feels like magic in an age when many photos never leave the device they're shot on. Image credit: GoPro The GoPro Hero7 White is a tough little waterproof action camera that’s great for budding YouTube stars. It can capture full HD video, then send it to a phone via the GoPro app, ready for editing and uploading to the social media site of their choice. Slow-motion and timelapse functions add to the fun. It can also capture super sharp 10MP still photos, with a burst mode that can snap 15 pictures per second (ideal for action shots where timing is everything) and a timer for group shots and selfies. The perfect choice for kids with a passion for sports. Image credit: Nikon The Nikon Coolpix W150 is the company's latest waterproof compact, and it's a great choice for kids to take on family holidays. The camera is waterproof to 10m, shockproof to 1,8m, and dustproof so it won't be ruined by a trip to the beach. In fact, it's specifically designed to taking a dip, with an underwater portrait that automatically snaps four pictures when it detects a face and underwater clarity enhancement for crisper shots. Its menu system is simple to navigate, and it's available in five colours (including two fun prints). Read more: The 10 best point-and-shoot cameras in 2019 The best camera bags and cases in 2019 The best full-frame cameras in 2019 View the full article

An attacker could gain remote access by chaining together an exploit for home routers with the TV flaw. View the full article

We can’t take this analogy too far, but do you remember the historic 1980 “no mas” fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Durán? If you haven’t watched it, you can see it on YouTube. In this particular clip, watch what Sugar Ray does at the 1:04 mark. He winds up his right hand in gigantic, dramatic circles. Durán is momentarily mesmerized, then Leonard sneaks and connects with a powerful left-hand jab. There are days that this historic punch reminds me of cyber security. Each year, we are inundated with dramatic messages. If you look at tech media mentions of zero-day exploits in tech media search tool TechNews.io, you’ll see 16,000 mentions of “zero-day exploits” in 2017 and 2018. (We’re already at 6,000 for 2019 as of mid-May). Yet the number of zero day exploits is much smaller than the number of mentions. According to Flexera’s Secunia Research, zero days aren’t so common out there. A little more than one dozen exploits a year drive these tens of thousands of media articles. Our research shows 13 zero days exploits in 2019, 16 in 2018 and 14 in 2017. Zero days are important to keep an eye on because exploitation is already happening. In reality, most exploitations of vulnerabilities happen right after a vulnerability is published by the vendors. We tend to react to zero days for obvious reasons but also need to keep in mind that many exploits in other, less popular software receive less attention. What you’re watching is important. Do you have the visibility of the affected assets? Do you confidently know where they are and which ones need a patch? Start with solving the problem of visibility, then do a risk assessment that can see deep and wide before you panic and react to newsmakers with fire drills. How to avoid getting punched Surely there are some days when being a security professional feels like Roberto Durán fighting Sugar Ray Leonard. How do we honor the danger of a massive wind-up of the right hand and also the sneaky left-hand jab coming from where you least expect it? Gain visibility: Do you have complete visibility into your enterprise? Do you have EOL software? How much? What’s your plan if there are exploits? We were reminded again of the reality of zero-day exploits recently with the SandboxEscaper exploits published on GitHub on Windows 10. Leverage resources across your organization: For example, your software asset managers have information that can help you. Ask them to review usage analysis on all apps and determine if they’re still critical to the user, project and organization. By having a criticality level in place and a taxonomy that identifies whether it is an infrastructure, enterprise or project-based app, SAM and security teams can create a process to patch or remove unnecessary and unused apps/code that pose a risk. If the app hasn’t been used, there’s an opportunity to assess its future in the org or identify whether there are SaaS-based alternatives. The same can be said for enterprise architects who always appreciate reduction in complexity. Prioritize: While zero-days in Microsoft products are important to patch, we recommend keeping an eye on vulnerabilities that are being exploited in the 92% of global software not published by Microsoft. Patch backwards: Given that most actual exploitation happens right after a vulnerability is published, reacting fast to new vulnerabilities is crucial. But please don’t lose sight of older vulnerabilities; many are still playing a catch-up game, and we know that the oldies are always the bad guys’ favorites. Athletes know that there’s a difference between offense and defense. In boxing, as in security, you have to be good at both. Source View the full article

Back in the day Coca-Cola wanted to buy the world a bottle of its famous soft drink, but now it wants to encourage people to recycle. And to help them do that, a recently launched print ad campaign sees Coca-Cola's ribbon design point them in the direction of the nearest recycling bin. This innovative example shows how billboard advertising can interact cleverly with its environs, and be used for more than just selling people something. This campaign, created in partnership with Publicis Italy, has the environment at its heart. Boldly named The Sign, this campaign plays with the familiar white ribbon on a red background usually seen on Coca-Cola bottles and cans. In the posters and billboards, this ribbon warps into a hand that literally points people to recycling stations where they can dispose of their litter with peace of mind. Appearing in central and eastern Europe, The Sign ties into Coca-Cola's eco promise of making 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025. By 2030, Coca-Cola also wants to be able to return every single bottle and can it puts out. Follow the ribbon, find the bin [Image: Publicis Italy] And it looks like the posters are already working. Having made their debut at Bulgarian music festival the Happy Energy Tour, the posters contributed to a recycling rate of 85% for Coca-Cola cans. Strategically positioned near pre-existing or new recycling bins, The Sign also builds on research by Publicis Italy that suggests that shoppers are much more likely to recycle if the means to do so are more obvious. "This makes us understand that people care about recycling," adds the studio, "they just need a little encouragement to implement responsible behavior." Related articles: Coca-Cola launches print ads you can actually hear Aldi trolls Coca-Cola with copycat Christmas van Coca-Cola celebrates heritage with bespoke typeface View the full article

Apple 0-Day allows hackers to mimic mouse-clicks to allow malicious behavior on macOS Majove, despite mitigations. View the full article

You're reading Save $1,014 on UI Kits, Illustrations and Mockups, Exclusive Bundle 🔥, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! View the full article

Today Samsung has announced the launch of two devices that aim to bring the performance of a PC to the laptop. With the Notebook 7 and Notebook 7 Force, Samsung promises that users will be able to run demanding graphic apps, view their work on a HD display, and enjoy a smoother content creation experience. The sleek Notebook 7 laptops come in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, while the Notebook 7 Force measures in at 17 inches. Both devices run Windows 10, and thanks to a high screen-to-body ratio, users are also able to view their work as clearly as possible. But does this mean they're good enough to rank alongside our best laptops for graphic design? Taking a look under the hood we can see that the smaller Notebook 7s both run 8th Gen Intel Core processors as standard. However the larger size has the capability to be customised to support NVIDIA's GeForce MX250 graphics card. Each laptop comes with 8GB RAM, 1080p screens, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a USB-C port, HDMI, plus a microSD slot. Pricing for the Notebook 7 starts at $999.99. The Notebook 7 range comes in two sizes and styles [Image: Samsung] Meanwhile, the beefed up Notebook 7 Force packs NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, and boasts 16GB of RAM. An Ethernet port completes the upgrade from the regular Notebook 7 models, along with an additional two slots for storage expansion. For these extra features, shoppers can expect to pay $1,499. "The new Notebook 7 and Notebook 7 Force blend elegant design with impressive power and top-notch speed to give consumers an unparalleled experience," said YoungGyoo Choi, Senior Vice President of the PC Business Team, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics over on the Samsung news page. "These devices expand our portfolio in new directions, giving consumers the opportunity to pick the device that perfectly suits their lifestyle." The new devices go after content creation and gaming [Image: Samsung] In terms of features and design, the Notebook 7 range pitches itself into the same league as the MacBook Pro. And it's been observed by the Verge that the similarities range from small details such as the keyboard font, right the way through to construction of the display and the bezels that frame the screen. Meanwhile the Notebook 7 Force comes with a similar price tag to the MacBook Pro. Describing itself as a video editing and gaming specialist, the Notebook 7 Force finds itself going head to head with the contenders in our list of the best video editing laptops, including, you guessed it, the MacBook Pro 15". But with a battery life that lasts nearly half the time as the Apple device, the Notebook 7 Force has some way to go to become a serious rival to the MacBook Pro. The Notebook 7 and Notebook 7 Force are expected to start shipping in the US on 26 July. Related articles: The best laptop cooling pads in 2019 The best Walmart laptops in 2019 The 5 best laptops for Photoshop in 2019 View the full article

Boring, boring forms. Love them or hate them (and let's face it, you hate them), they're an inescapable part of almost every web build, and whether you're building full-blown online shops (like our inspiring examples of ecommerce websites) or straightforward corporate sites, sooner or later you'll have to make some forms. We can hardly blame designers for trying to come up with innovative ways to make them more interesting, but how many of these form trends actually hold up in terms of usability? Let's take a look at some common form UX patterns, starting with forms inside modals. 10 rules for making user-friendly web forms 01. Form modals Placing forms inside modals and having them appear dynamically seems like an obvious solution to an otherwise overly complex situation. After all, forms don't take up any significant amount of space, so why do they need their own dedicated URL? Actually, there are several reasons. Accessibility. The most important reason is that if we're making modals accessible (and obviously we should be), then they should be easily dismissed by hitting the ESC key or by clicking the modal's whitespace. Now with the modals being easily dismissed, it would be an inconvenience (not to mention counter-accessible) to accidentally dismiss the modal (and the unsubmitted form data) halfway through filling out the form. Customer support. Besides accessibility, combining forms with modals and essentially not hosting the form at a dedicated URL means customer service representatives can't link to these forms during communications, which makes things very difficult for both customers and customer service representatives. Password managers (either in-browser or as standalone apps) sometimes remember login details on a screen-by-screen basis, so if the user is able to log in from wherever they are in the app or website, it may be difficult to retrieve their login details if said details were saved when the user was at a different URL. Solution: don't render forms inside modals. Rendering forms inside modals comes with more issues than it solves and although some forms are so basic that it makes the screen look virtually empty, users filling out forms are unlikely to care. You're a user too, so you already know that the immediate response to a form is, 'I hope this doesn't take long,' not, 'this form doesn't look interesting enough'. Prioritise helping users move onto what they really came for. 02. Unsemantic markup Focused email fields on mobile will display a version of the keyboard where the @ symbol is immediately available and URL fields will display .com Elements aren't all created equal. Semantic markup ensures that there are different code markups for every occasion; for example, even though a standard input field may look the same as an email field, app and browser vendors know the difference and their behaviour is duly adapted depending on what the expected input is. Focused email fields on mobile will display a version of the keyboard where the @ symbol is immediately available, whereas standard input fields won't behave like this. Just to reinforce the concept, password fields will visibly replace user input with asterisks – for security reasons – and URL fields will display .com on the keyboard, for convenience. But because these differences are so subtle, semantics are often forgotten about, especially by designers who aren't aware of these differences due to not being involved in 'the code side'. Solution: implement semantic markup. Without the use of semantic markup, users are unable to reap these time-saving usability benefits, which is why I always recommend that designers communicate to developers how certain UI elements should behave, either during handoff or otherwise. Developers and designers should also beware of hiding input fields (i.e. <input type="hidden"> or equivalent), a concept used for progressive disclosure or collecting information that's accessible without the user specifically offering it (such as location, accessed server-side). Hidden input fields essentially have no type at the time autofill comes into effect, resulting in it being skipped over entirely. 03. Split forms Forcing users to flow through two steps when there's only one field in each step (email and password) is unnecessary Split forms are long forms broken down into sections; for example, one section for delivery address and another section for billing information. This concept actually makes total sense and has been used (successfully) for a really long time. Naturally, the main benefit of form splitting is the reduction in cognitive overload; however the misuse of form splitting can actually have an adverse effect. For instance, when implemented with login forms, forcing users to flow through two steps when there's only one field in each step (email and password) is unnecessary, not to mention the fact it breaks the autocomplete benefits. Autocomplete works in harmony with other input fields. For instance, when users type in their email address to log in, the password field will conveniently autocomplete with the correct combination saved for that email address but when dividing related fields into different steps, the browser cannot autocomplete what isn't there. Autofill may save the day but the outcome really depends on the browser making the correct assumptions (i.e. if the user has multiple logins for the same website or app, the browser may choose the wrong combination). Solution: Make forms boring! Forms are boring and they always will be. Rather than trying to make them interesting, the most user-centred design decision we can make about forms is to make them quicker and easier to use. When it comes to form splitting, the best implementation of the technique is to use it only when dividing up unrelated fields. 04. Magic links With magic links, after inputting an email address, the user is sent a link via email that will automatically log them in Staying on the topic of login forms, magic links are a new-ish trend where after inputting the email address, the user is emailed a link that will automatically log them in. If you've ever used Slack, you'll already be familiar with the concept, which, on mobile, saves you having to type in your password. Some may say the concept is a bit tiresome, as the user has to actually switch app to log in, although admittedly the UX flow is a little better than receiving temporary login details that the user needs to copy into said application in order to log in. In addition to breaking autofill and/or autocomplete, unfamiliar conventions can be confusing for users. Solution: Make magic links optional or secondary. There's not much wrong with magic links and they can certainly be useful to mobile users who would rather not type; however the convention makes too many assumptions about how the user has their email set up. To ensure the best results, make magic links optional. 05. Two-factor authentication Two-factor authentication (or 2FA) is something of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it increases security by asking users to approve login attempts via SMS, email or some kind of 2FA authentication app; on the other hand, it forces users to approve login attempts via SMS, email or some kind of 2FA authentication app – urgh! As human psychology dictates, we're more concerned with the problems we have right now, so it's difficult to care about the benefits of security until our account has actually been hacked. Most users don't want 2FA until they need it. Solution: Don't enforce 2FA or, at the very least, offer convenient ways to enforce it, such as via WiFi or email. If 2FA isn't required, at least make it optional (i.e. the user has to switch it on via the settings of said app or website). Let's say that the user is abroad. They won't have access to their day-to-day mobile data; however, they may have access to WiFi, so email or a 2FA auth app such as Google Authenticator would be much more convenient than SMS-based authentication. And if the user can turn it off temporarily, even better! 06. Dynamic placeholders Input labels have a really unfair reputation because they can make forms look clunky and we're taught to believe that less is more. But this isn't one of those times. A common UI design trend over the last few years is to have the placeholder text transition into the label when the input field is clicked. However placeholders and input labels actually serve two very different functions and one cannot replace the other, no matter how cool you might think the animation looks. Placeholders are used to show the user what is considered an acceptable value, whereas a label is simply a short description of what the input field is for. Here's an example combination: Label: "Name" Placeholder: "John Doe" If your short-term memory isn't fantastic, you have likely had a moment at some point where you've forgotten what you were supposed to type halfway through filling out a form field. It's a very common scenario. Solution: Keep at least the label visible at all times. By keeping the label visible, you can ensure form fields remain easy to fill out correctly, even for users with different accessibility needs or for individuals under an increased cognitive load in noisy, distracting or stressful environments. This article was originally published in issue 318 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 318 here or subscribe here. Related articles: How to create accessible web forms Create responsive forms and tables How to design responsive and device-agnostic forms View the full article

If you're like most people, you probably have many – and we mean do mean many –usernames across the internet, along with corresponding passwords. And you've no doubt forgotten and had to reset a few of them along the way. But RememBear Password Manager Subscriptions provides a pretty great solution. Created by VPN provider TunnelBear – voted by us as one of the best VPN providers in 2019 – RememBear helps you remember your passwords, securely log you into websites and autofill your payment information. And end-to-end encryption ensures you're the only one who ever sees this sensitive data. RememBear Password Manager Subscriptions is yours right now for just $39.99 – that's a whopping 33% off the regular price. Get RememBear today and make forgetting your password a thing of the past. View the full article

If you're a fan the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, you'll probably have heard the show is the latest object of Lego's affection. Announced earlier this month, the first lucky bunch of Lego lovers got their hands on the new set at a special event held at Lego's Leicester Square store in London. The newly released 'Upside Down' set was then made available to Lego VIP members, with the rest of the world having to wait a couple more weeks before being able to purchase it. But that wait is finally over. As of today, the Upside Down is available to everyone (while stocks last) via the Lego shop. If you're looking for set design inspiration or character design tips, you should take a closer look. One of the best Lego sets we've seen to date (we've seen a lot), here's some of its key features: The set is made up of a whopping 2287 pieces, which, when fully built, measures at over 12” (32cm) tall, 17” (44cm) wide and 8” (21cm) deep. The Byers' house features a front porch with furniture, living room, dining room and Will's bedroom. The living room features the amazing alphabet wall with a light up function - WHAAAT?! It also comes complete with other authentic features, including couch, coffee table, telephone, axe, ‘have you seen me?’ flyer stickered element and a bear trap to catch the Demogorgon. The Upside Down set captures the look and feel from the Netflix original series, including creepy vines, dark coloring and a dilapidated look. Chief Jim Hopper’s police truck includes a removable roof for easy access to the interior and a pumpkin element as a reminder of Season 2. Lego Stranger Things - available now There's so much about this design that excited us, we just had to get our hands on one. So being, ahem, Lego VIP members, we did just that. And can confirm it is every bit as spectacular as it looks. The set includes all the main characters – Eleven, Chief Hopper, Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Joyce Byers and Lucas Sinclair – as well as its very own Demogorgon, which is (in Lego form) actually kinda cute. . The Upside Down just positioned itself well and truly at the top of our wish list. Image: Lego The Upside Down set costs £179.99 in the UK, and is available now via the Lego website. Ok, so it's not exactly cheap, but we have no doubt people will literally be queueing up to part with their cash as, for fans of Lego and Stranger Things, it just doesn't get much better than this. Plus something tells us that this is one Lego set that will be well worth the investment. Read more: Lego art: 40 designs that will blow your mind 5 brilliant brand collaborations (and what you can learn from them) The illustrator hotlist 2019 View the full article

Google Project Zero researcher unearths a bug in Microsoft’s Notepad Windows application. View the full article

In an example of art imitating life, HP Sauce has rolled out a subtle and well-executed redesign of its famous bottle label. Taking its lead from the scaffolding that currently surrounds Elizabeth Tower, HP Sauce has decked out its signature illustration of the landmark in the construction framework. Significantly, the addition of the scaffolding is the first change to the sauce's label in 123 years. A move that's sure to make it a standout piece of packaging design for hungry shoppers looking for a condiment to liven up their bacon butties. The reveal of the new label is well-timed, too. The tower, often misnamed Big Ben, celebrates its 160th anniversary today. And the good timing doesn't end there, as HP reveal that the redesigned bottles will be available until the restoration work is complete and the scaffolding is removed. Stop the clocks, it's time for a new HP label [Image: HP] If you're unfamiliar with the sauce and don't know the connection it has with the Houses of Parliament, the clue is in its initials. HP Sauce also got its name because it was rumoured to be served in the Houses of Parliament to peckish politicians. The tangy brown sauce has become a symbol of British cuisine, in no small part do to its connection to the popular tourist destination. However, online detractors have pointed out that the sauce is no longer manufactured in Britain. If this clever redesign has got your mouth watering for a healthy dollop of the spicy sauce, you'll be able to pick up the special bottles from June. Related articles: Online packaging archive is a design delight 4 top tips for successful seasonal packaging 20 packaging concepts we wish were real View the full article

Nvidia is urging gamers to update its GeForce Experience software after patching two high-severity vulnerabilities. View the full article

When it comes to getting your name out there and sharing your work, social media is one of the most powerful tools at a creator's disposal. And among these platforms, Instagram is on the rise. Nothing's perfect though, and that includes Instagram. Despite the editing tools and customisable fonts for Instagram, the platform isn't for everyone. Enter Bokeh, a crowd-funded photo-sharing app that aims to be a private and ad-free Instagram alternative. Built by Tim Smith, Bokeh fixes some of the common issues people have with social media networks. Namely, their habit of mining user data and using that to hit us with uncannily accurate targeted ads, as well as not displaying updates chronologically. Users are in control of who adds them [Image: Bokeh] These are all issues a lot of social media users are aware of, but are at their mercy because there simply aren't many alternatives. Besides, of course, the unthinkable: logging out of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram forever. Privacy, however, is at the heart of Bokeh. The app will be private by default, and users will have the option of going public and cross-posting on other social media networks. On top of being able to support custom domains, Bokeh will also have an indie web compatible export. This means that Bokeh users will be able to self-host if they so wish. So how does this privacy look in action? For starters, people won't be able to track Bokeh users down by typing their name into a search bar. Instead, they will need to know their username. And in a similar move to Instagram's recent decision to hide the number of 'likes' on a post, Bokeh will never publically display who you follow, or vice versa. Special users can be added to an inner circle of friendship [Image: Bokeh] Pests are also put in their place. If a user repeatedly tries to request your friendship after you've denied them, they will be blocked after three rejections. Advertisers and venture capitalists are also kept at bay thanks to Bokeh's policy of never sharing or selling user data to them. However this privacy comes at a price. Individual accounts will set a user back $3 a month, or $30 a year. Meanwhile a family account, which can be populated with up to five members, comes to $5 a month or $50 a year. Paying for social media is always going to be an unpopular decision, but can you put a price on your privacy? Bokeh is currently in the final stretch of its Kickstarter fundraising drive. It's not far off its target, so if this is a project you'd like to get involved with, make sure you head over and chip in. If it hits its goal, Bokeh expects to roll out in late 2019. Related articles: 9 agencies to follow on Instagram How to hack the Instagram algorithm A designer's guide to Instagram Stories View the full article

"How can a brand be the first on Google without paying anything for it?" asks The North Face's latest campaign. Most people might give answers relating to SEO or social media reach, but the outdoor brand, along with ad agency Leo Burnett Tailor Made, took a different route. The brand had noticed that when people are about to go on holiday, they usually Google their destination, and that the first image result is usually one from Wikipedia. So far, so normal. But here is where things get shady. The North Face then replaced images of popular destinations in Wikipedia, including Cape Point in South Africa and Pedra do Baú in Brazil, with its own photos, which showed people wearing its clothing. (Want to add your images to Wikipedia? See our post on the top photo editors.) In a video (above) released to announce what it had done, The North Face claimed that it had "got to the top of the world's largest search engine, paying absolutely nothing, just by collaborating with Wikipedia." However, a statement released by Wikipedia states that the The North Face and Leo Burnett Tailor Made "did not collaborate on this stunt, as The North Face falsely claims." This seems a particularly unwise move from The North Face. If you're going to make up facts, don't invent them about a free encyclopedia that has an army of volunteers whose job it is to check facts. The statement went on to express its disappointment in the brand. "In fact, what they did was akin to defacing public property, which is a surprising direction from The North Face. Their stated mission, “unchanged since 1966,” is to “support the preservation of the outdoors”—a public good held in trust for all of us." Quite. Wikipedia also says it has now removed all of the images, or – in a move that The North Face may or may not be pleased with – cropped out The North Face logo. You can see the removed images on (you guessed it), Wikipedia's own page about the incident. The North Face has since apologised for the campaign (below), stating that it apologises for "engaging in activity inconsistent" with Wikipedia's mission, and that it will ensure its teams and vendors are "better trained on the site policies". It also says the campaign has now ended. Frankly, it's difficult to see how it could have continued following Wikipedia's response, which also included the killer sentence: "When The North Face exploits the trust you have in Wikipedia to sell you more clothes, you should be angry." (Harsh but fair.) We can't imagine what The North Face and Leo Burnett Tailor Made were thinking with this campaign. Of course, The North Face isn't the marketing stunt we've seen that has backfired. NatWest recently came under fire for its campaign that tries to "apologise" for patronising women, by patronising women. And IHOP has annoyed its customers by teasing about an upcoming rebrand. We could go on. Like many brands before it, The North Face has certainly made it to the top of many Google searches, but not for the reasons it hoped. Read more: 15 ways to improve your photography skills 5 reliable ways to refresh a tired logo 'New Coke' makes a comeback View the full article

You're reading Free Static HTML Website Templates, 2019 Updated, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Let’s admit it: We like fast solutions. Static website builders of various kinds, as well as free static website templates, are everywhere. Whether you are a tech-savvy person or not, static HTML website templates can be a perfect solution. Even … View the full article

Just as the world of web design is constantly changing and evolving, so too are the tools that help us create online experiences. With innovations constantly springing up and changing how we interact online, it can be a challenge to keep up with the best web design tools that will help you to work smarter. When it comes to crafting a winning UX and UI design though, you've come to the right place. These are the cutting edge tools and resources that will help you to design a user friendly site. 01. Cursomizer [Image: Cursomizer] Created as a tribute to user interface pioneer Douglas Englebart, this site project from KIRKDESIGN invites UX designers to build custom mouse cursors. By tweaking various graphical properties across shape, colour and visual effects, visitors can prototype various options, test and even share their selections with colleagues by copying a link. 02. Axure RP [Image: Axure RP] A commercial rapid prototyping application for Mac and PC, Axure RP allows designers to sketch, wireframe and prototype UX projects using intuitive drag-and-drop editing. Broader features add flow diagramming and animation support, plus team collaboration tools including a cloud-based Axure Share facility for sharing published prototypes across devices. 03. Mockflow [Image: Mockflow] Describing itself as a UI and UX planning suite, this online application requires no download and enables designers to quickly brainstorm their user interface ideas. A free basic package scales up to Enterprise level, offering access to various feature modules across wireframing, site mapping, crafting design specifications, collaborative review, screenshot annotation and even site hosting. 04. StoriesOnBoard [Image: StoriesOnBoard] Available as a subscription SaaS product, StoriesOnBoard is primarily a user journey or ‘story’ mapping solution that invites UX designers to plot software project pathways. Narrative flows, goals and steps can be collaboratively visualised using cards, much like sticky notes, to arrange and rearrange story maps rapidly while attaching unlimited detail and comments. 05. Boords [Image: Boords] This online collaborative storyboard creator is available as a free trial alongside Plus, Team and Enterprise packages. Its built-in frame editor takes care of drawing the sharable storyboards, while an integrated ‘Animatic Tool’ adds dynamism and the inline script editor allows for the convenient addition of narrative text. Other notable features include client feedback collection, voiceovers and multiple export options. 06. Helio [Image: Helio] Helio, formerly known as Solidify by ZURB, is a web-based app that not only generates clickable prototypes from uploaded interface mockups but also crucially delivers feedback data. Designers can leverage user opinions and perspectives from 100,000 panellists to get valuable ‘Design Insights’ on specific audience demographics and their behavioural patterns. 07. UX App [Image: UX App] Another cloud-based tool, UX App enables designers to ‘wire up’ fully interactive prototypes for desktop applications, mobile apps and websites without any coding required. Its visual actions designer provides a toolbox of genuine HTML and JavaScript-based components, with the ability to define custom events, transitions and actions, or alternatively export designs out purely as PNG files. 08. Design Mirror [Image: Design Mirror] This clever preview plugin for Photoshop, Adobe XD and Sketch is joined by companion apps for Android and iOS devices. Once installed, designers can display their interface designs on the most popular smartphones via Wi-Fi, USB and browser link. Features include Windows and Mac cross-platform support, pinch zooming, swipe navigation and screenshot triggered saving. 09. UX Kits [Image: UX Kits] Products of Eric Miller Design, these ‘kits’ are essentially graphical templates and interface card decks for UX brainstorming purposes. Wireflows, website flowcharts and sitemaps can be independently purchased for Illustrator, OmniGraffle and Sketch, or in three format bundles. Wireframe and website card decks then provide a more tangible way to assemble pages or interfaces on any flat surface. 10. Wipebook [Image: Wipebook] Which UX designer has never wished they could wipe their sketchpads clean of bad ideas? Well, with Wipebook you can do just that and be eco-friendly too with a range of instantly erasable flipcharts and notebooks. Numerous sizes and correctable markers are available, with Wipebook Scan capable of saving those temporary doodles to the cloud before they vanish. 11. Smartlook [Image: Smartlook] Smartlook is a qualitative behavioural analytics platform across website and mobile apps. Key features include the ‘always on’ recording and replay of real video recordings that track how users interact, along with heatmaps for highlighting precisely where they click most. Automatic event tracking reveals overviews of popular feature usage, while funnels give detailed statistics on conversion pathways. 12. Adobe XD [Image: Adobe XD] Part of its Creative Cloud suite of applications, Adobe XD is actually a free product for transforming interface ‘comps’ into interactive prototypes. Smart visual editing tools include the dragging of wires to link artboards, easy import of other CC assets, plus support for animation and voice too. Additionally, a companion mobile app allows for native previews on iOS and Android devices. 13. Keynotopia [Image: Keynotopia] Keynotopia represents an impressive collection of over 5,000 royalty-free, vector-based user interface templates and components, plus over 200 icons too. Uniquely, they have all been created within Apple Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint, while allowing designers to edit and customise each example without requiring other tools. Individual and bundle packs are available from $39. 14. UI Stencils [Image: UI Stencils] Geeks love gadgets and UI/UX designers are no exception. This trendy eShop provides a number of accessories including sketchpads and pens, but primarily a range of seriously cool interface stencils and ‘framer’ rulers. Made from durable stainless steel or thick translucent plastic, the stencils support iPhone, Android, iPad and website drawing along with general bubble symbols for diagramming user flow. 15. Ideapaint [Image: Ideapaint] Picture the scene – your brainstorming session has yielded a superb UX design idea, but the whiteboard is AWOL and paper is scarce. Well with your boardroom decorated in dry erase IdeaPaint you can simply scrawl directly on the walls! Magnetic primer lets wipe-able wall coverings be stuck instead, with a number of erasers and cleaning products also available for office proud startups. 16. Userbrain [Image: Userbrain] This cloud-based user testing solution promises to simplify the process by letting website designers watch videos of real visitor interactions. Userbrain basically provides access to a worldwide network of new users ready to share feedback via continuous capture of experience insights. Findings can be quickly shared between teams and stakeholders, with anything open for testing if it has a valid URL. 17. UX - A user experience testing timer [Image: UX - A user experience testing timer] This free app from Alexander Cox is available for iOS devices and essentially provides a timer for timing usability tests. Multiple tests can be set up to contain a number of customisable constituent tasks for the test subject to complete, logging completion time for each. Results can then be captured as screenshots stored and made accessible within the iOS camera roll. 18. UX Companion [Image: UX Companion] UX Companion from Cyber-Duck Ltd is an Android, iOS and Amazon Alexa skill app that provides users with a useful UX glossary. Aside from merely defining terms and jargon, it lists descriptions and resources on UX theories, tools and leading principles to give everybody greater insight into the practice. Totally free to download, the app boasts 80 plus topics and regular updates. 19. Framer X [Image: Framer X] Framer is a web-based rapid prototyping tool that places emphasis on not just being responsive, but realistic. Drag-and-drop components make screen design and plotting navigational flow beautifully intuitive, while the addition of 3D effects add the wow factor. Access to the Framer X Store also provides thousands of additional resources and UI kits so designers needn’t start from scratch. 20. POP [Image: POP] Marvel’s POP stands for ‘prototyping on paper’ and has free apps for iOS and Android smartphones. Here designers can take photos of their interface sketches or design from scratch using POP’s drawing tools and stock assets, before linking screens together using interactive hotspots. Sharing options across email, SMS and social media then encourages collaboration. This article was originally published in issue 285 of creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 285 here or subscribe to Web Designer here. Related articles: 7 golden rules of UX 5 emerging UX trends in 2019 7 steps to a solid UX strategy View the full article

HiddenWasp is unique for Linux-based malware in that it targets systems to remotely control them. View the full article

Breakfast food chain IHOP is up to its tricks again. You may remember last year it ruffled a few online feathers when it suggested that it was going to change its name to IHOB in reference to the burgers it added to its menu. Well it appears to be pulling a similar publicity stunt, this time centred around the letter 'P'. Anyone who's put together a meticulous design style guide will be aware that changing a logo this frequently could confuse and irritate audiences. And they would be right. The internet is a bit tired of IHOP's antics. It all kicked off earlier this week when IHOP posted a cryptic tweet that saw the temporary IHOB logo flip back to a P, accompanied by the message 'we heard you'. This is a reference to the backlash generated by last year's IHOP marketing campaign. As it turned out, IHOB was just a fleeting rebrand that was designed to create a buzz around its new burgers. And it worked. Sales quadrupled during the fiscal qurater that IHOB was IHOb. Shortly after the 'we heard you' tweet, IHOP teased audiences even more with another status that promised to reveal all on June 3. This video saw a flurry of angry messages in response to IHOb fly towards the viewer, each reminding us that IHOP should 'stay in its lane' and focus on what it's good at. Namely: pancakes. Just as last year's stunt whipped up speculation as to what the letter 'B' in IHOB could stand for, social media users were quick to offer their suggestions as to what 'P' could mean. As it turns out, there were plenty of NSFW ideas, which we won't repeat here because we're a family website. At the time of writing, it remains to be seen what the 'P' will stand for. Could IHOP be granting the wishes of its angry audience by revealing that it does, in fact, stand for pancakes? It would be a bit of a troll move, and we don't imagine IHOP would throw away this publicity on revealing that nothing has changed. Perhaps it could be another reference to a new product. Pies, perhaps? It could even be hinting at a new service. Personalised pancakes anyone? Either way, we don't have to wait too long, as IHOP promises to know what P stands for on June 3. Related articles: 5 reliable ways to refresh a tired logo The best (and worst) rebrands of 2019 so far 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding View the full article

Modern sites often combine all of their JavaScript into a single, large main.js script. This regularly contains the scripts for all your pages or routes, even if users only need a small portion for the page they're viewing. When JavaScript is served this way, the loading performance of your web pages can suffer – especially with responsive web design on mobile devices. So let's fix it by implementing JavaScript code splitting. How to code faster, lighter JavaScript What problem does code splitting solve? When a web browser sees a <script> it needs to spend time downloading and processing the JavaScript you're referencing. This can feel fast on high-end devices but loading, parsing and executing unused JavaScript code can take a while on average mobile devices with a slower network and slower CPU. If you've ever had to log on to coffee-shop or hotel WiFi, you know slow network experiences can happen to everyone. Each second spent waiting on JavaScript to finish booting up can delay how soon users are able to interact with your experience. This is particularly the case if your UX relies on JS for critical components or even just attaching event handlers for simple pieces of UI. Do I need to bother with code splitting? It is definitely worth asking yourself whether you need to code-split. If your site requires JavaScript for interactive content (for features like menu drawers and carousels) or is a single-page application relying on JavaScript frameworks to render UI, the answer is likely 'yes'. Whether code splitting is worthwhile for your site is a question you'll need to answer yourself. You understand your architecture and how your site loads best. Thankfully there are tools available to help you here. Get help For those new to JavaScript code splitting, Lighthouse – the Audits panel in Chrome Developer Tools – can help shine a light on whether this is a problem for your site. The audit you'll want to look for is Reduce JavaScript Execution Time (documented here). This audit highlights all of the scripts on your page that can delay a user interacting with it. PageSpeed Insights is an online tool that can also highlight your site's performance – and includes lab data from Lighthouse and real-world data on your site performance from the Chrome User Experience Report. Code coverage in Chrome Developer Tools If it looks like you have costly scripts that could be better split, the next tool to look at is the Code Coverage feature in the Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools>top-right menu>More tools> Coverage). This measures how much unused JavaScript (and CSS) is in your page. For each script summarised, DevTools will show the 'unused bytes'. This is code you can consider splitting out and lazy-loading when the user needs it. The different kinds of code splitting There are a few different approaches you can take when it comes to code splitting JavaScript. How much these apply to your site tends to vary depending on whether you wish to split up page/application 'logic' or split up libraries/frameworks from other 'vendors'. Dynamic code splitting: Many of us 'statically' import JavaScript modules and dependencies so that they are bundled together into one file at build time. 'Dynamic' code splitting adds the ability to define points in your JavaScript that you would like to split and lazy-load as needed. Modern JavaScript uses the dynamic import() statement to achieve this. We'll cover this more shortly. Vendor code splitting: The frameworks and libraries you rely on (e.g. React, Angular, Vue or Lodash) are unlikely to change in the scripts you send down to your users, often as the 'logic' for your site. To reduce the negative impact of cache invalidation for users returning to your site, you can split your 'vendors' into a separate script. Entry-point code splitting: Entries are starting points in your site or app that a tool like Webpack can look at to build up your dependency tree. Splitting by entries is useful for pages where client-side routing is not used or you are relying on a combination of server and client-side rendering. For our purposes in this article, we'll be concentrating on dynamic code splitting. Get hands on with code splitting Let's optimise the JavaScript performance of a simple application that sorts three numbers through code splitting – this is an app by my colleague Houssein Djirdeh. The workflow we'll be using to make our JavaScript load quickly is measure, optimise and monitor. Start here. Measure performance Before attempting to add any optimisations, we're first going to measure the performance of our JavaScript. As the magic sorter app is hosted on Glitch, we'll be using its coding environment. Here's how to go about it: Click the Show Live button. Open the DevTools by pressing CMD+OPTION+i / CTRL+SHIFT +i. Select the Network panel. Make sure Disable Cache is checked and reload the app. This simple application seems to be using 71.2 KB of JavaScript just to sort through a few numbers. That certainly doesn't seem right. In our source src/index.js, the Lodash utility library is imported and we use sortBy – one of its sorting utilities – in order to sort our numbers. Lodash offers several useful functions but the app only uses a single method from it. It's a common mistake to install and import all of a third-party dependency when in actual fact you only need to use a small part of it. Optimise your bundle There are a few options available for trimming our JavaScript bundle size: Write a custom sort method instead of relying on a thirdparty library. Use Array.prototype.sort(), which is built into the browser. Only import the sortBy method from Lodash instead of the whole library. Only download the code for sorting when a user needs it (when they click a button). Options 1 and 2 are appropriate for reducing our bundle size – these probably make sense for a real application. For teaching purposes, we're going to try something different. Options 3 and 4 help improve the performance of the application. Only import the code you need We'll modify a few files to only import the single sortBy method we need from Lodash. Let's start with replacing our lodash dependency in package.json: with this: In src/index.js, we'll import this more specific module: Next, we'll update how the values get sorted: Reload the magic numbers app, open up Developer Tools and look at the Network panel again. For this specific app, our bundle size was reduced by a scale of four with little work. But there's still much room for improvement. JavaScript code splitting Webpack is one of the most popular JavaScript module bundlers used by web developers today. It 'bundles' (combines) all your JavaScript modules and other assets into static files web browsers can read. The single bundle in this application can be split into two separate scripts: One is responsible for code making up the initial route. Another one contains our sorting code. Using dynamic imports (with the import() keyword), a second script can be lazy-loaded on demand. In our magic numbers app, the code making up the script can be loaded as needed when the user clicks the button. We begin by removing the top-level import for the sort method in src/index.js: Import it within the event listener that fires when the button is clicked: This dynamic import() feature we're using is part of a standardstrack proposal for including the ability to dynamically import a module in the JavaScript language standard. Webpack already supports this syntax. You can read more about how dynamic imports work in this article. The import() statement returns a Promise when it resolves. Webpack considers this as a split point that it will break out into a separate script (or chunk). Once the module is returned, the module.default is used to reference the default export provided by lodash. The Promise is chained with another .then() calling a sortInput method to sort the three input values. At the end of the Promise chain, .catch() is called upon to handle where the Promise is rejected as the result of an error. In a real production applications, you should handle dynamic import errors appropriately. Simple alert messages (similar to what is used here) are what are used and may not provide the best user experience for letting users know something has gone wrong. In case you see a linting error like "Parsing error: import and export may only appear at the top level", know that this is due to the dynamic import syntax not yet being finalised. Although Webpack support it, the settings for ESLint (a JavaScript linting tool) used by Glitch have not been updated to include this syntax yet but it does still work. The last thing we need to do is write the sortInput method at the end of our file. This has to be a function returning a function that takes in the imported method from lodash.sortBy. The nested function can sort the three input values and update the DOM: Monitor the numbers Now let's reload the application one last time and keep a close eye on the Network panel. You should notice how only a small initial bundle is downloaded when the app loads. After the button is clicked to sort the input numbers, the script/ chunk containing the sorting code gets fetched and executed. Do you see how the numbers still get sorted as we would expect them to? JavaScript code splitting and lazy-loading can be very useful for trimming down the initial bundle size of your app or site. This can directly result in faster page load times for users. Although we've looked at adding code splitting to a vanilla JavaScript application, you can also apply it to apps built with libraries or frameworks. Lazy-loading with a JavaScript library or framework A lot of popular frameworks support adding code splitting and lazy-loading using dynamic imports and Webpack. Here's how you might lazy-load a movie 'description' component using React (with React.lazy() and their Suspense feature) to provide a "Loading…" fallback while the component is being lazy-loaded in (see here for some more details): Code splitting can help reduce the impact of JavaScript on your user experience. Definitely consider it if you have larger JavaScript bundles and when in doubt, don't forget to measure, optimise and monitor. This article was originally published in issue 317 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 317 here or subscribe here. 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Not every logo design stands the test of time. For every classic logo there are hundreds that age less than gracefully, and even the best designs can start to look a little past it after a while. If a logo design is past its prime – or if it no longer accurately reflects a brand's identity – then the temptation can often be to bin it and start again. This is always a great way to attract attention to a brand – not always the sort of attention you want, to be fair – but it also runs the risk of alienating loyal customers who have grown comfortable with the old logo design. (For more on logos, see our ultimate guide to logo design.) Rather than start anew, sometimes the best approach is to play it safer and give the logo a thorough refresh, retaining the aspects that still work and getting rid of – or simply changing – what doesn't. Here are five tried and tested approaches you can take, and five brands that have used them to stunning effect. 5 logo design terms you should know 01. Change the palette Eating under these golden arches feels a lot less like a meal of shame [Image: McDonald's] Colour and colour theory play a vital part in good logo design; each colour has its own connotations and a well-chosen palette can both communicate a brand's psychology and speak directly to its core market. And once a brand becomes widely recognised, you mess with the palette at your peril. Sometimes, though, the colour scheme that worked in the past might no longer accurately reflect a brand's values – or at least the ones it wishes to focus on – and a shift in palette becomes a viable option. This most recently paid off for McDonald's; long associated with junk food and wanting to reposition itself as a healthier, more eco-conscious operation, it's pulled back on the brash primary colours of its old branding, and while it retains those iconic golden arches, in many European restaurants it's replaced the vivid red background with a more refined hunter green. 02. Lose the text This is still clearly Mastercard; can your brand get away with a similar trick? [Image: Mastercard] Having an instantly recognisable brand identity is a marketing dream, but it can also be a bit of a millstone around a company's neck. When your logo's well-established, changing it becomes almost unthinkable. One option, though, is to use that recognisability to your advantage, focus entirely on your well-known logo and get rid of the text entirely. It's a high-stakes move that requires a stack of confidence and absolutely depends on having a logo to work with that's already incredibly well-known, but if a brand can get away with it then it scores a huge promotional win, with a mark that provokes an instant reaction and also feels more personal and less corporate. Most recently Mastercard pulled this one off with a Pentagram rebrand that reduced its logo to a simple pair of overlapping circles, and it's also worked for the likes of Apple, Starbucks and Nike. 03. Switch the font Switching to its own sans serif was a smart move for Google. [Image: Google] While the fundamental rules of design never change, tastes and fashions just keep on moving on, and this is particularly noticeable where typography is concerned. There's a slow but regular shift back and forth between serifs and sans serifs, so while at one point a serif wordmark makes a brand look authoritative and respectable, give it a few years and it just looks stuffy and out of touch. Every logo designer has to face the fact that sooner or later the fantastic font that they picked for a wordmark is going to look horribly outdated, and while it'll doubtless go back to looking on-point in another few years, right now it needs changing. Google grasped that particular nettle in 2015, ditching its outmoded serif wordmark for a friendlier model using its own Product Sans font, while retaining its colour scheme and the playful tilt on the final 'e', and giving a brand that's ancient by internet standards a fresh, modern look. 04. Play on nostalgia Bringing the Co-op's clover leaf logo out of retirement was an inspired move by North [Image: Co-op] Any brand that's been around for a while will have accumulated a small pile of discarded logos over the years, and sometimes it pays to have a hunt through the archives to see if anything there's worth digging out and dusting off. A logo designed in the 1960s may have been well past its prime 20 or 30 years later, but today it might look fresh and exciting again once it's been cleaned up and re-rendered in crisp vectors. And with a repurposed logo from the past there's sometimes an added bonus in that you get to hook into consumers' sense of nostalgia; people love it when a much-loved brand from their childhood makes a comeback, as seen in 2016 when North did away with the Co-operative's overly corporate branding, turning it back into the Co-op and bringing back its caring, sharing clover leaf logo from the 1960s. 05. Simplify Dan Lawrence did away with all the unwanted detail and fussy extras in Grolsch's branding [Image: Grolsch] Another thing that can happen to a long-lived logo design is that people can't resist tweaking and refining it over the years. A drop shadow here, a bit of highlighting there, some extra on-trend detailing… it all adds up, and the end result of all these little adjustments can be a massive mess. Even if a logo's been left largely untouched over the years, it may not be fit for purpose today. Logos need to work a lot harder these days; they need to look good on everything from massive banners down to social profile images and app icons, and older logos weren't necessarily designed with that degree of scaling in mind. When you're dealing with either case, often the only option is to go back to basics and strip the brand down to its bare essentials, something best exemplified by Dan Lawrence's recent redesign work for Grolsch. Having decided that the brand's originality and story had been lost across many redesigns, he threw out everything in the branding that served no purpose, even recreating its logo in a simplified vector style. The end result is minimal, functional and powerful; still recognisably the same brand but completely reinvigorated. Related articles: 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding Where to find logo design inspiration 5 logo design apps for beginners View the full article