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If you've ever yearned to be interpreted by one of the greatest artists, you'll finally get your wish. Google's Art and Culture app has a brand-new feature that will bring Picasso to your living room and put you in the spotlight. The Art Transfer feature goes a step further than the app's previous fun filter, the Art Selfie. Instead of scouring its huge database for matches to your photos, it applies different filters to pictures, in the style of history's famous artists. If you want to take things a step further, find all you'll need to know to make your own art in our art techniques guide. Part of the Art Transfer process After taking or choosing a photo and applying filters that range from 'Self Portrait in the style of Vincent Van Gogh' to 'Free South Africa by Keith Haring' (plus a wealth of other artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Pablo Picasso), you have the option to save the result as an image or as a gif. The app also throws up some trivia about the artist and the option to view their work in a virtual gallery (more on that later). We have to say we are massively enjoying the outcome, and took the liberty of giving a nearby cat a plethora of makeovers. Firstly, 'The Scream by Edvard Munch'. And then a Frieda Kahlo-style self portrait. The app uses AI-powered technology to analyse any photo and transform it, and not by just applying a simple filter, either. "Once you snap your photo and select a style, Art Transfer doesn’t just blend the two things or simply overlay your image," product manager Michelle Luo explains. "Instead, it kicks off a unique algorithmic recreation of your photo inspired by the specific art style you have chosen." Honestly, we will probably spend all day on this. But there is more that the app can do for you right now. As well as fun filters, it also has a bunch of time-filling cultural content, including a virtual tours of over 1200 art galleries and museums – see our roundup of online art galleries for more. There are also art activities and interactive experiments. Read more: The essential guide to foreshortening in art The best art easels in 2020 What is beauty? And why do we need it in art and design? View the full article

As we all adjust to the changes to our lives caused by coronavirus pandemic, and social distancing becomes the (hopefully temporary) new normal, the creative community is coming together with various brilliant examples of solidarity and support. Every day, we have seen more and more individuals, groups and companies offer their talents and services for free. There's almost too much to count now – which is no bad thing for creatives. Below are just a few of our favourite online resources and services currently being offered for free during the coronavirus pandemic. You'll find everything from creative software and drawing lessons, to free books and talented authors doing daily story times. Some things here are aimed specifically at artists and designers, while others are simply designed to help you manage being stuck at home. Rest assured whatever situation you find yourself in right now, you'll find something here to help make life a little brighter. Please feel free to share any resources we've missed at contact@creativebloq.com or on Twitter @Creativebloq. Let's get started with some amazing free tools... There are a number of companies offering services for free in an attempt to support creatives financially. Here are all the current offers: Get Adobe CC free for two months Adobe is offering two months Creative Cloud for free to already existing individual CC subscribers. With the Covid-19 outbreak hitting everyone hard, this will no doubt come as very welcome news to artists and designers reliant on Adobe apps. Adobe CC free for students and teachers Adobe is also offering temporary free licenses to students and teachers, which could be a lifesaving offer for students currently reliant on Adobe software to complete vital coursework. In order to be eligible, you must attend a school or college registered as an Adobe education customer. Free Affinity apps from Serif Serif is offering everyone 90-days free access to Affinity Designer, Affinity Publisher and Affinity Photo. And at the end of the trial, should you wish to purchase the software, you can do so for half the retail price. Serif has also pledged to engage 100 creatives with paid work amid the virus outbreak. Nice one, Serif. Get ftrack Review for free Say goodbye to multiple emails and messages for the next few months with free access to collaborative media review and approval platform for content creators ftrack Review. The tool is free until at least 31 May 2020 (with date to be reviewed as the pandemic develops). Join Rob Biddulph every Tuesday and Thursday for DrawWithRob A number of artists have taken to doing regular online tutorials as a way to help creatives develop their skills and keep kids busy while they're at home. Here's a list of all the ones we've heard about so far: Art is where the home is Firstsite gallery in Colchester has brought together a crack team of well-known UK artists for a series of downloadable activity packs called Art is Where the Home is. Those artists include Grayson Perry, Annie Morris, Jeremy Deller and Antony Gormley, to name a few. The first pack will be available "very soon" – keep an eye on Firstsite's website for details. Free art lessons with Aaron Blaise If you want to learn how to draw, you'll be hard pushed to find a better teacher than legendary Aaron Blaise. The former Disney artist has today announced he will be publishing his lessons either for free or at a huge discount. Home schooling suddenly never looked so good. Draw with Rob Illustrator Rob Bidduph is sharing draw-along videos for kids every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10AM (GMT), using the hashtag #DrawWithRob. And they've gone down a storm. Even if you don't want to join in, we urge you to take a look at the fantastic submissions so far, which are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Quarantine Art Club Award-winning American children's book illustrator and artist Carson Ellis has set up her very own Quarantine Art Club for adults and kids alike. Ellis There's a step-by-step video and handy reference material to help you get stuck in. Art club with Noel Fielding British TV presenter Noel Fielding has set up a Twitter-based online art club, which anyone can join in with. Participants are invited to submit their art to his Twitter handle – @noelfielding11 – and so far they've been glorious. Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems Lunch doodles with author Mo Willems, posted at 1PM (EST) every day on Twitter (and streamed after if you miss it). Visit Mo's virtual studio every day and then post your artwork online, using the hashtag #MoLunchDoodles. Looking for something meditative? There's nothing quite like getting lost in a session of calming colouring in. Lots of illustrators are offering free templates for printing, or even a touch of digital colouring. Colour for Calm Claudine O'Sullivan's Colour for Calm Glasgow-based illustrator Claudine O'Sullivan is offering a free PDF of seven different illustrators (six animals and one cityscape) which can either be printed and coloured, or used as a template for digital illustration. "Drawing has always been an incredibly calming escape for me," says O'Sullivan, "and I believe it can provide the same for others." Check out Colour for Calm here. Squidoodle's free colouring sheets Kent-based illustrator Steve Turner (better known as Squidoodle) is offering several free colouring templates on his website, including two designed specifically for the current situation. One is a message of support for the NHS, while another carries the hopeful message "We'll get through this!" surrounded by various items including books, headphones and a video game controller. Audi's online colouring book In one of the more unexpected offerings, car manufacturer Audi has posted a free colouring book PDF to its website, featuring various Audi vehicles in a number of exotic locations, from a majestic mountain range to... an Audi dealership store. Because why not? Elsewhere, illustrators and authors are taking to Instagram Live to read their books aloud in daily story times. This is a great way for adults and kids to spend some time together, so check individual Instagram feeds for times and tune in. Julia Donaldson The Gruffalo author has begun a series of weekly broadcasts on the book's official Facebook page, featuring stories, songs and poems from her books. The first broadcast features songs from 2004's A Squash and a Squeeze, and includes an appearance from illustrator Axel Scheffler. Oliver Jeffers Author of the popular children's books, How to Catch a Star and Lost and Found Oliver Jeffers has taken to Instagram to doing daily readings. Tune in at 2PM (ET), where posts will be available for 24 hours, and the recording then available on his website after. Sophie Blackall Author and illustrator Sophie Blackall is also taking to Instagram to share artists tips and tricks, based around her favourite books, including Ivy and Bean and Hello Lighthouse. There doesn't appear to be any post schedule, but videos are popping up every other day at the moment. Mac Barnett A daily book club is running from children's book author Mac Barnett, every day at 0900 (ET). Videos are available for 24 hours after posting, so you can catch up after if you miss it. If your stuck at home and want to get stuck in to a good book, there's plenty of free online libraries available. Free ebooks for designers: hone your skills with these 22 amazing resources for both beginners and pros Apple Books currently has a ‘stay at home’ collection of free read-alongs for kids and audiobooks That's a long list of free resources to help keep you in all sorts of ways while stuck at home. If you need some kit to help with remote working, we've also got a number of super-helpful buying guides to help you choose the correct equipment for you. This bit isn't free, sadly, but our price comparison widget will make sure you get the best price possible. The best office chair for your home office The best desks to keep you comfortable Laptop stands to keep you and your device cool The best laptops for students View the full article

Google is rolling out the newest Chrome browser version, 80.0.3987.162, in the coming days. View the full article

The feature, criticized for "undisclosed data-mining," is only the latest privacy faux pas for Zoom this month. View the full article

We started our agency, DixonBaxi, 19 years ago and I have worked as a designer for over 25 years now. As a company, we’ve weathered difficult storms, including two economic recessions, and arguably now we are amidst one of the most challenging times of all. But in this strange period of isolation there is also opportunity. An opportunity to really examine and understand your views of the world and what creativity means to you, which are the habits and behaviours that are critical to the work of any good designer. 28 amazing design portfolios to inspire you When I interview people early in their career, I don’t look at CVs or work. Instead, I want to speak to that person and get an understanding of what they truly care about. I want to figure out not what they've learnt but what they can do with that learning. I want to hear about the problems they have creatively overcome, and even more crucially, why. This is fundamental for me – the ability to see how someone applies critical thinking and can understand how to communicate on behalf of a brand. Everyone is different: we see people who are natural leaders, practitioners or strategists, but we also can see those who are lost because they’re not quite sure why they want to be a creative. And so this is what you need to work on – now more than ever. If you are looking for a new role, see our design jobs board. 01. Be bold and focus Focus on the type of work you want and like to create. It’s far easier to succeed and grow if you know what you want. If you’ve not yet had a chance to create the work you love, don’t worry. Just get on and make it. While working, create something interesting that pushes the boundaries. When we meet with clients, we like to offer ideas across what we call the ‘scale of bravery’ - if one is playing it safe and 10 is radical, we always aim for five and above. We understand that creativity improves things and makes things better and that’s why we often say that we are ‘always in beta’ – we always have new things to learn, new ways to grow and adapt to the world around us. This is really important – stay interested and aware of how the world is culturally and socially shifting and you’ll maintain a critical perspective. 02. Meet and talk to people (virtually) Whether via video chats, LinkedIn, blogs or social media, start small conversations with people you find interesting and admire and talk. Start conversations where you can really add value and develop a relationship. This allows you to think beyond yourself which is important as creativity is collaborative. Be open to ideas and ways of working that might be different to yours and learn to understand them. 03. Use this gift of time There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment and that can drive negativity – the best way to challenge this is to make things. This is a really great way to get back on the front foot and be productive, and when you make things you have something to talk about. Whether you help a struggling local business with messaging, create an app or ideas with friends to help the community or simply develop your own designs, you are creating work with a tangible meaning. This is then a self-fulfilling prophecy as you are feeling productive and also becoming part of the industry. Another good thing to do is to use this time to systemise your folio so it’s easy for people on the outside to understand and get a good idea of who you are. Be brutal – get rid of deadwood, the work that is too broad or weak. It’s better to have fewer pieces that are brilliant than a lot of work that is average. It’s easy to fall into the sea of sameness where work can look and feel like many others - learn to aggregate your work in a way that makes you stand out. See these inspirational design portfolios for some fantastic portfolio examples. 04. Find your tribe Research studios that can help facilitate your ways of working and play to your strengths as you develop. Don’t get caught up on job vacancies or titles – worry about the quality of the work you are producing. Far too many people focus on getting specific roles when the only thing that matters is that you are doing vital and rewarding work – chase the projects and the exciting ways of working instead. When you’re ready, reach out to them. Be positive and additive – people buy into people. So the more natural, interesting and upbeat you are, the more you will connect. Ultimately, use this time to explore who you are and what you want to communicate as a creative Ultimately, use this time to explore who you are and what you want to communicate as a creative. When we hire, we look at attitudes over skills. You can teach technical skills but you can’t teach creative perspectives. We help to draw that out. You may design using a pencil, charcoal or a computer but if you don’t understand the reason or meaning to what you are doing it becomes pointless. Design today is no longer a fixed state – it scales, it breaks, it changes and adapts with how people use it. So you must learn the engine that drives it as well as the specific technical skills, and that will keep you designing with passion throughout your, hopefully, long career. Read more: 20 tips for design interview success 5 things NOT to say in a job interview How to draw: The best drawing tutorials View the full article

The past couple of years have seen Microsoft update many of its icons to bring them inline with its Fluent Design System. A process, which, in short, aims to create simplicity and coherence across its entire platform. Today, Microsoft's search engine Bing is the latest of its services to receive the Fluent design treatment, and the results are surprisingly impressive. The new Bing logo keeps the immediately recognisable lowercase 'b', but loses the sharp edges in favour of a much curvier design. There are also some very subtle, gorgeous new gradients in there too. While it seems like a simple change, the effect is quite profound, with the old, quite harsh design replaced with a sleek, classy new look. Is it enough to make it on to our list of the best logos of all time? Or make people choose the service over Google? Doubtful. But it's definitely a step in the right direction. McDonald's apologises after tasteless logo change Out with the old (left) and in with the curves (right) However, we can’t help but think Microsoft could have extended the redesign to update the font as well. Or maybe gone all out and changed the name too – is it just us or does Bing feel super-'90s? Whatever you think, there's no denying the new Bing logo falls in line with the uniformed, more modern look Microsoft is going for. The Windows logo led the way, with Microsoft's Office app icons quickly following suit. The new Bing logo doesn't appear for everyone just yet, and there's no news on when – or indeed if – it will be fully operational. The Thurrott website suggests the company may be A/B testing the new logo with a limited number of users, so whether it will make it to the masses remains to be seen. If it does make the cut, our guess it will be rolled out to everyone in the coming weeks and months. Read more: Logo design: Everything you need to know Audi’s new socially distanced logo misses the mark Iconic logos reimagined for the age of coronavirus View the full article

Working on the web usually means you will be working with Google in some shape or form. And seeing as Google Chrome is streets ahead of the competition, designers and developers need to think about how their project will work with the browser. How will it look? What technologies does it support, how secure is it and how will it perform? Fortunately, Chrome provides tools to ensure any site or app will be at its best. DevTools enable designers and developers to gain insight into a web page: you can manipulate the DOM, check CSS, experiment on designs with live editing, debug JavaScript and check performance. (See more about how to use these Google web tools here). But Google offers more than just the browser. It has tools and resources to aid nearly every aspect of your design and development life. Want to know how to improve performance? Lighthouse is here to help. Want to build better performing mobile sites? Then say hello to AMP. Are you looking to build beautiful PWAs? Then Flutter, Material Design and Workbox are ready to step in. The beauty of using Google tools, resources, libraries and frameworks is that you know they will work well with the Chrome browser – the most popular browser on the planet. For more tools, see our web design tools roundup. 01. Lighthouse Performance is a key factor in the success of a site and Lighthouse is Google’s tool for improving the quality of web pages. So how do you use it and what can it do? In its simplest form, you can run Lighthouse from the Audits tab and choose from a selection of options including desktop or mobile, in addition to tick boxes for performance, accessibility and SEO, to generate a final report with suggested improvements. 02. Polymer Polymer is well-known for its work with web components but the project has now expanded its repertoire to embrace a collection of libraries, tools and standards. What’s included? LitElement is an editor that makes it easy to define web components, while lit-html is an HTML templating library that enables users to write next-gen HTML templates in JS. Plus, you will also find a PWA Starter kit, the original Polymer library and sets of web components. 03. APIs Explorer Google has a vast library of APIs available to developers but finding what you need is no easy task. This is where Google’s APIs Explorer steps in to offer a helping hand. There is a long list that can be scrolled through but, for quicker access, there is a search box to filter the API list. Each entry links to a reference page with more details on how to use the API. 04. Flutter Create beautiful apps with Flutter If you are looking to build good-looking applications for mobile, web and desktop from a single codebase then Flutter could be for you. The site is a complete reference to working with and building with Flutter. Haven’t got a clue what to do? The docs take a user from installation to creation, assisted by plenty of samples and tutorials. 05. Google GitHub As most will know, GitHub is the hosting platform/repository to store and share code and files. And happily Google has its own spot on the platform with over 260 repositories to sift through. Use the filter to cut down on your search time and get closer to the repository you want to play with or contribute to. 06. Puppeteer Built in Node, Puppeteer offers a high-level API that enables you to access headless Chrome – effectively Chrome without the UI, which developers can then control through the command line. So what can you do with Puppeteer? A few options are available for generating screenshots and PDFs of pages, automating form submission and creating an automated testing environment. 07. Workbox If you are looking to build a PWA then this is a great starting point. Workbox provides a collection of JavaScript libraries for adding offline support to web apps. A selection of in-depth guides demonstrate how to create and register a service worker file, route requests, use plugins and use bundlers with Workbox. And there is also a set of example caching strategies to check out. 08. Codelabs In need of practical guidance for a Google product? Codelabs provides “a guided, tutorial, hands-on coding experience”. The site is neatly broken down into categories and events, making it quick and easy to find what you want. It includes Analytics, Android, Assistant, augmented reality, Flutter, G Suite, Search, TensorFlow and virtual reality. Select an option and get the code and directions you need to build small applications. 09. Color Tool Pick a palette, any palette Color Tool is a straightforward tool that enables you to create, share and apply a palette in addition to checking accessibility. Users can choose a predefined palette from the Material palette. Simply pick a colour and then apply it to the primary colour scheme, switch to the secondary option and pick again. Finally, pick text colours for both schemes. Alternatively, switch to Custom to pick your colours. Then switch to Accessibility to check all is good before, finally, exporting the palette. 10. Design Sprints The Design Sprint Kit is for those who are learning how to participate in or run design sprints. It looks to cover all knowledge bases, from first-timers to experienced sprint facilitators. Learn about the methodology or jump straight into the planning stage, including writing briefs, gathering data and research, as well as what to do post-sprint. Also includes a host of resources such as tools, templates, recipes and the option to submit your own method. 11. People + AI Guidebook This guide is the work of the People + AI Research initiative at Google and looks to offer help to those wanting to build human-centred AI products. The comprehensive guidebook is split into six chapters covering user needs, data collection and evaluation, mental models, trust, feedback and graceful failure. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises, worksheets and the tools and resources that are needed to make it happen. 12. Google Assistant Google's Assistant does plenty of assisting This is the Google Assistant’s developer platform, offering a guide on how to integrate your content and services with the Google Assistant. It shows you how to extend your mobile app, present content in rich ways for Search and Assistant, control lights, coffee machines and other devices around the home and build voice and visual experiences for smart speakers, displays and phones. 13. PageSpeed Insights PageSpeed Insights analyses web content and then offers suggestions on how to make it load faster. Simply add a URL, hit the Analyze button and wait for the magic to happen. Check the Docs to get a better insight into how the PageSpeed API works and how to start using it. 14. AMP on Google AMP is Google’s tool for creating fast-loading mobile pages that will (hopefully) get to the top of search rankings. Learn how to create fast, user-first sites, integrate AMP across Google products, use Google AMP Cache to make AMP pages faster and monetise AMP pages with other Google products. 15. Google DevTools There's a lot you can do with DevTools Every designer and developer knows (or at least should know) that Chrome comes with a set of tools built directly into the browser. Chrome's DevTools are ideal for inspecting the elements that make up a page, checking CSS, editing pages on the fly and much more. The Elements tab is the introduction to DevTools. It displays the HTML code that makes up the selected page. Get an insight into the properties of each div or tag from the selected page and start live editing. This is perfect for experimenting with designs. Check the Layout – whether you are using Flexbox or Grid – and take a look at related fonts with examples and examine animations. Elsewhere, you can view and change CSS. The Styles tab on the Elements panel lists the CSS rules being applied to the currently selected element in the DOM Tree. Switch properties on and off (or add new values) to experiment with designs. This is the perfect tool for ensuring that everything works as expected before applying any changes to the live design. You can also debug JavaScript, optimise website speed and inspect network speed. Here’s a quick tip you can use to immediately speed up your workflow. Head to the Sources tab, click New Snippet and add frequently used code. Name the code snippet and save. Repeat as needed. Now you can grab this code snippet instead of writing it again. Like every good browser, Chrome is constantly evolving and each new release brings new features. Find out what's happening on the Chrome status platform 16. Material Design Material is a vital piece of design kit Development may be seen as Google’s favoured child but, whatever you are making, creating or building, it needs to look good and give the user an experience that makes them want to use it. Material is a more recent addition to the Google stable but is a design system that has matured into a vital piece of design kit. Like any good design system, it has its own set of guidelines, which you need to look at before stepping into the more exciting stuff. Get an overview of how to use different elements, what Material theming is, how to implement a theme and usability guides including accessibility. Elsewhere, there is an insight into Material Foundation, which includes the key areas of design such as layout, navigation, colour, typography, sound, iconography, motion and interaction. Each category reveals its dos and don’ts and where you should consider caution. To give an idea of what to expect, the Layout category offers sections on understanding layout, pixel density, how to work with a responsive layout including columns, gutters and margins, breakpoints, UI regions and spacing methods to name but a few. Beyond the Design section is Components, which provides the physical building blocks needed to create a design. What’s included here? Buttons, banners, cards, dialogs, dividers, lists, menus, progress indicators, sliders, snackbars (these are brief messages about app processes at the bottom of the screen), tabs, text fields and tooltips. Undoubtedly a comprehensive collection of components. And developers haven’t been forgotten, with details and tutorials on how to build for different platforms – Android, iOS, Web and Flutter. And, finally, there is a page dedicated to a host of resources to help make your chosen design happen. This article originally appeared in net magazine. Buy issue 326. Read more: 30 Chrome extensions for developers and web designers HTML6: What is it and when is it arriving? 7 web design trends you need to know View the full article

With the world in turmoil, it's anyone's guess when Apple's iPhone 12 will finally be revealed. But the wait has done nothing to dampen the anticipation around its arrival, with Apple fans everywhere eager to get their hands on the shiny new device. While we wait for official launch news, graphic designer Donel Bagrov has come up with his own bold concept design for the iPhone 12 Pro. Leaked specs have already given us a decent picture of what to expect from the latest models. According to Tom's Guide, a report from established Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reveals there will be four iPhone 12 models, and they'll be the first iPhones with 5G capabilities. We also wouldn't be surprised to see them include the same ProMotion technology that has given the iPad Pro a buttery-smooth refresh rate. While these features would further cement the iPhone as one of the best camera phones for creatives, Bagrov's concept goes a few steps further with some unexpected details. Firstly, where's the notch (aka the black part housing the top speaker, front camera, and Face ID technology that cuts into the display)? With an under-display camera, this concept would be the first truly all-screen iPhone. While the notch was widely mocked at the launch of the iPhone X in 2017, the design has since been adopted by countless smartphone manufacturers. But is Apple ready to remove it completely? We're notch sure (sorry). Could the notch's days be numbered? The second big surprise is what the Bagrov calls 'Slide and TapTap'. With his concept design removing all buttons, in their place are what appears to be touch-responsive 'sliders', which can be used to toggle options such as volume. They bring to mind the Apple Pencil with touch bar that Apple recently filed a patent for. The new buttons that definitely aren't buttons Rounding off the design is a slew of more traditional upgrades, including improved battery life, reverse charging and just enough cameras to count on one hand. We'd love to see Apple take a few cues from Bagrov's design, especially the huge, uninterrupted display. Notch or not, we can't wait to see what Apple actually has in store for us. In these uncertain times, though, it's not just a question of what, but when. Read more: iPhone 11 Pro review Leaks confirm iPhone 9 (but it's not all good news) iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

Lego and space have a storied history together, from the classic blue and translucent green of the ’80s space sets to the great NASA-accurate sets below. The best Lego space sets of 2020 might be a bit more scientifically accurate than the older sets, and they're all the better for it. The best Lego space sets include a mix of scale models of real space craft that are perfect for adults or older kids, while the range of Lego space playsets are great for kids as young as five. Even the playsets were developed with input from NASA, though, it offered insight into the kind of equipment it expects humans to be using when we start making trips beyond the moon. We've broken the sets down into the real space craft aimed at adults, and then the sets aimed at a younger audience – and you'll find the current best online prices for them all right there. Also don't forget to check our Lego sets for adults, and our best Lego Architecture and Lego City sets. Best Lego space sets for adults Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, this recreation of the Eagle is a glorious display piece. Lego worked with NASA on getting the details right, including the right shade of gold. There are loads of fun details in the Lego Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander, from the way you build the lunar surface (including little square footprints for your astronauts), to the fact that the lunar escape module disconnects from the landing gear to rocket away. There’s even an inside to the module, with equipment panels. This has been a long time coming – ISS models would regularly make their way through Lego Ideas (where people submit propositions for new sets to be voted on by the public, and the most-voted will be assessed by Lego for potential release as a set), but Lego never picked them up… until now! This Lego Ideas International Space Station comes with lots of nice touches, including a robotic arm for deploying a satellite, a scale space shuttle you can dock, mini cargo space craft, and microscale figure to head out on space walks. If you’re into space, science and singular achievements, this is pretty much an essential display piece, especially since it comes on a handy stand. Here’s the thing: this Lego Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V is no longer made by Lego. It has been retired – possibly forever, possibly not, but definitely don’t expect it back soon. Normally, we wouldn’t recommend things that aren’t actually available any more, but this is easily the best space set Lego has ever made, and you can find it for sale online since it's only a recent retirement, so we kind of have to mention it. A full metre long when complete, this scale model of the Saturn V is utterly awesome, and meticulously detailed – from its recreation of every portion of the multi-stage rocket, to the little dioramas of the lunar module on the moon and the command module in the sea after a touchdown… and all with microscale figures, as a reminder that this is all to scale! Moon landing buffs should take note of the number of pieces it’s made from, even – that’s the care and love that was clearly poured into this set. So, if you see it for sale for a not ridiculous price, we can’t recommend it enough. If you're a big space program fan, it's worth it. Best Lego space sets for kids The City range might seem a slightly odd place for the all the following sets in this list to sit, but that’s where this kind of playset tends to go, so fair enough. The next six models in this guide are all from a series inspired by NASA’s plans for future and mars programs, with designs that draw from serious concepts. The Lego City Rocket Assembly & Transport is our favourite of them, because not only does it have the coolest-looking rocket (which is the most important thing), but we also love the big crane assembly and caterpillar transportation vehicle. And as a playset, the range of robots, vehicles and garage give loads of scope for little explorers to have fun. This Lego City People Pack is a really fun selection of minifigures and accessories: it comes with seven different astronauts, a reporter, a camera operator, a personal trainer, a drone engineer, a rocket engineer, a mechanical engineer and a botanist, plus a robot, a g-force training machine, pizza, space rocks, a test rocket, and more. It’s a really cool set of stuff for kids to free play with and add to their range of other Lego. This Lego City Mars Research Shuttle is a slick-looking shuttle that opens to reveal space for its two astronauts to sit, and for it to carry a storage drone, perfect for carrying the included geode bricks. There’s also a rover with grappling arm, but the little touch we love the most is the scanning heli-drone, which has a red panel that, when held over a brick of rocky regolith, will reveal a neat ‘scanning’ interface. It’s a great set for budding space scientists. This Lego City Lunar Space Station is a concept for a small space station, with three modules to it that you can arrange however you like around the central airlock module. There’s a kitchen module, and living module, and a lab module, and they all open up so you can play with the minifigures included. The lab has light-up equipment, the kitchen has a pizza oven (we’re not sure of the NASA accuracy of that bit…), and the living area has a treadmill and bed. There’s also a small shuttle and a detachable satellite, for getting all that busy space work done. This Lego City Deep Space Rocket Launch Control set has a multi-stage rocket with assorted modules, plus a control room for executing your perfect launches, but most importantly it has a funky rail transport system. There’s a range of accessories too, from transport vehicles on the ground to a robot help, to a space telescope satellite that fits in the rocket’s payload module for transport up to your ceiling. A nice added touch is that the control tower is designed to accommodate a phone with a special countdown app on the screen, for an atmospheric (so to speak) launch event. You can practise for those martian/lunar escapades with this Lego City Rover Testing Drive set – it has an articulated grappling arm and removable cockpit, plus chunky all-terrain wheels. There’s various rock collecting equipment for its driver minifigure to use when picking up the rock bricks it comes with, and it’s all observed by a technician. Read more: The best Lego Harry Potter sets Pixel art: the best retro examples Super Lego Mario is coming and we need it now View the full article

Easter is a weird holiday; a Christian celebration with decidedly pagan iconography, and you can never be quite sure when it's going to happen each year. Christmas is easy – 25 December – but Easter's a movable feast with an incredibly obtuse formula for calculating the date: the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon on or after 21 March. As you've doubtless worked out, this means that Easter this year falls on 12 April, and while you'll have finished and submitted any Easter commissions right now, there's always the possibility of a last-minute job. Be prepared with this selection of free fonts with an Easter theme; they're just what you need to give the finishing touch to any Easter designs. 13 of the best Google Easter Eggs 01. Bunny The ears have it When it comes to Easter fonts you basically have four choices: rabbit-based, egg-based, decorative in a kind-of Easter style, or dingbats. We're giving the dingbats a miss and instead starting with Bunny, a rabbit-based font from Flop Design. It's a fun lower case font, with each glyph created using fat, rounded strokes, and the ascenders and descenders turned into long, bunny ear-like loops. And if that's not sufficiently bunny-like for you, an alternate set adds rabbit face details to each letter; use it sparingly. It's a freeware non-commercial font; contact the designer if you want to use it for commercial projects. 02. Happy Easter There are some weird characters going on here, but we like it There's certain naive charm to Happy Easter by Des Gomez. It's a tall script font that mixes upper and lower case characters in a single set, and has the appearance of the sort of lettering you'd get on an Easter card designed at school by a child who hasn't quite got the hang of the entire alphabet yet. The 'd', 'e' and 'a' are particularly strange, but we have something of a soft spot for its haphazard style, and there's the added bonus of a single hand-drawn Easter egg character. It's donationware, so be sure to send the designer some money if you use it for a work. 03. Easter Fun by Tom Make this font even more fun by playing with the colours Designed by Tom Brown, Easter Fun is an all-caps cartoon font that gets its Easter flavour from sets of hand-drawn lines across the upper and lower portions of each character, in the style of traditional Easter egg decoration. It's a simple but effective technique that you could accentuate by colouring the lines in different shades. Easter Fun is free for personal use. 04. Bunny Rabbits Get a load of these happy lagomorphs Got your heart set on a more rabbity Easter font? Don't you worry; Bunny Rabbits by GemFonts is a gloriously leporine font with at least one rabbit per character. Each letter is formed by a cartoon rabbit or two in a suitably spring-like pose; you'll even spot actual Easter eggs in some of the characters. Wonderfully quirky and fun, Bunny Rabbits is free for both personal and commercial use. 05. Easter Sunrise This one has plenty of non-Easter applications, too Apart from eggs and rabbits, there isn't really much imagery to draw upon when you're coming up with an Easter design. There's the whole crucifixion thing, but when do you ever see that on an Easter egg? We actually found one font that played on that, but it was terrible; hand-scrawled letters with crosses drawn over them as an afterthought. Anyway, here's Easter Sunrise; it's a bit of a stretch to link sunrises with Easter, but maybe it says something about emerging from the long, dark winter months. Again, one to colour in by hand if you have the time, and it's freeware so you can use it for anything you like. 06. DJB Eggscellent Finally, an egg-based pun All right, we've kept you waiting for egg-based fonts long enough. You just know that DJB Eggscellent is going to be great, purely on the basis of the egg pun in its name, and it doesn't disappoint. It's a full set of hand-drawn letters in both upper and lower cases, each one contained in a little egg, and as an extra bonus there's a small set of characters in the form of decorated Easter eggs. Created by DJB Fonts, it's free for personal use. 07. EasterFont Another cracking eggy font Free for personal and non-profit use (with the request that you don't use it for political campaigns), EasterFont is our second egg-based offering. Unlike DJB Eggscellent it has no lower case characters; it's all hand-drawn upper case, but with the choice of solid or stroked eggs. We slightly prefer the look of EasterFont's letters; they're slightly more lively than the ones in DJB Eggscellent, and they fill their egg container better too. Really, though, there's not a lot to choose between them; why not get both? 08. Bunny Hopper Ear All the bunny ears you're ever likely to need If you're the sort of person who stands behind someone having their photo taken so that you can extend a pair of fingers behind their head to give them bunny ears, this is the font for you. Bunny Hopper Ears is a cartoon font in which every single letter has a pair of bunny ears stuck on top. How much more Easter can you get? It's for personal use only; you can get a commercial licence for just $12, and it comes with an additional style that doesn't have the bunny ears; where's the fun in that? Related articles: How to add fonts in Photoshop 6 logo Easter eggs you might have missed 10 remarkably retro free pixel fonts View the full article

If you need to emphasise your wording, the best italic fonts are the perfect solution. Taking their name from Italian designed calligraphic typefaces, italic fonts are traditionally slanted to stress the importance of certain words or phrases. And because italic fonts have such a long history, type designers have created a range of stunning options. Whether you want to trace italic fonts back to their calligraphic roots, or experiment with more contemporary alternatives, you’ll find what you need in this roundup. We’ve scoured the internet to bring you the best italic fonts in a range of styles and budgets to suit most needs. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, check out our guide to the best free fonts for further inspiration. We've also got the best script fonts, fun fonts and a guide to font pairing. 01. Monotype Baskerville Italic Classy and clear, you can't beat Monotype Baskerville Price: $35 Download here Taking its name from the renowned writer and printer John Baskerville, this typeface is popular with designers thanks to its stylish, high-contrast forms. The regular font is classy and clearly legible, making it perfect for a variety of formal writing purposes. Meanwhile the italic version lends itself perfectly to advertisements thanks to its elegant serifs. Whether you want to use Monotype Baskerville Italic in its standard or italic form, there are lots of flexible buying options. The entire six typeface family can be yours for £161, or you can purchase individual families for £35 each. With semi bold and bold styles available, there’s lots of scope for this designer favourite. 02. Orpheus Italic An old typeface gets a modern revival Price: £67.99 Download here Orpheus was created by Walter Tiemann back in 1928, but it’s been dragged into the digital age by type foundry Canada Type. This updated version includes Euphorion, the name Tiemann gave to his italic Orpheus style back in the day. The serif family flows nicely in its regular set, but the italic version practically flows across the page or screen. Armed with a variety of ligatures that can be purchased separately, Orpheus Italic has the potential to add a touch of sophistication to your messaging. 03. Maryleen FY Take a romantic break with Maryleen FY Price: From $25 Download here As its tagline suggests, Maryleen FY is a smooth italic font that will lend an air of romance to your written messages. Describing itself as “a hybrid between didone, cursive and sans-serif”, Maryleen FY brings a variety of shapes to the table that would easily lend themselves to promotional materials. If you want to get your hands on this refined italic typeface, there are three buying options to choose from. A desktop licence will cost you $25, while the e-publishing license will set you back $50. Finally, there’s the app license, which comes to $250. 04 Roos Italic Get the Renaissance look with Roos Price: $25 Download here Representing an expansion and digitization of Sjoerd Hendrik De Roos typeface De Roos Romein, the Roos family by Canada Type perfectly captures the shape of the famously distinguished font. Not only is the typeface well-regarded by designers, its italic styling is considered to be one of the most beautiful realisations of the form. Recalling the shapes of Renaissance lettering, Roos balances its width, slopes and ascenders perfectly between its Roman and Italic forms. 05. FF Seria Italic Subtle but stunning, it's FF Seria Price: From £49 Download here One of the more recent entries on this list, FF Seria was created by Dutch type designer Martin Majoor in 2000. Available in six weights, this set includes four italic variants, including regular and bold options. As you can see from the image above, it’s one of the more subtler italic entries. However this doesn’t take away from its effect. When paired with Seria Regular, its slender letter forms still provide emphasis without going over the top. What’s more, this classy font won’t cost you the earth, as prices range from between £49 and £65. 06. Arvo Italic This blocky italic packs a punch Price: Free Download here We’ve seen plenty of calligraphic serifs so far, but Arvo shakes up the formula a bit thanks to its slab-serif design. However just because it’s a bit more blunt doesn’t mean it won’t prioritise your lettering either on screen or in print. Made up of four families and first released by Google Fonts. Arvo is free for you to download. What’s more, Arvo supports languages that use the Cryillic script. We could see this italic font working especially well on web design projects, and with two italic weights to choose from, designers still have room to experiment. 07. Adobe Caslon Pro Italic William Caslon's legacy lives on Price: $35 Download here Seasoned typographers are probably already familiar with the name Caslon. Eminent type designer William Caslon started releasing typefaces in 1722, and this Adobe set revived by Carol Twombly uses his specimen pages to bring it up to date. With a variety of text sizes available, this practical font is perfectly suited to books, magazines, and corporate communications. Each style can be purchased individually, with the italic set costing $35, or you can buy the complete set for $169. 08. Operator This typewriter-inspired font hammers home its message Price: From $199 Download here Describing itself as a “typeface rooted in the traditions of typewriting”, Operator builds on this aesthetic while moving away from the mechanical restraints. The result is a functional font with “colourful italics” that are especially suited to programming environments. The complete font contains 64 weights and will set you back the rather hefty sum of $599. However the basic set, including those colourful italic letters, is available to buy on its own for the much more manageable $199. Related articles: The best monogram fonts How to add fonts in Photoshop Old English fonts: 12 of the best View the full article

A second vulnerability could be used to prevent access to almost all of a site’s existing content, by simply redirecting visitors. View the full article

The zero-day Zoom flaws could give local, unprivileged attackers root privileges, and allow them to access victims’ microphone and camera. View the full article

If you're in need of a little light relief, and some colour inspiration, then we've got just the website for you. Colors.lol collates together some beautiful colour palettes with some pretty funny adjectives, resulting in a list of 'overly descriptive colour palettes'. It's a bit like when you're browsing the paint colours available from some of the more expensive brands, but better. Our current favourite colour names include: scrappy lipstick, unstatesmanlike reddish grey and unrelished sunflower. There's also horn-mad fawn (we don't know, either). Apart from having a giggle at the colours, you can get the Hex codes of any you like, and filter your results by colour. If you want even more colour in your life, then don't miss our guide to colour theory. Click to visit colors.lol Colors.lol was created by UX developer Adam Fuhrer. Fuher created the project by hand-selecting randomly generated colours from the Twitter bot @colorschemez and then matching them with an adjective from a list of over 20,000 words. We wonder if this is how the people at Farrow & Ball work out their paint colour names, too. Fuher has previously done some other cool projects, such as visualising every Pantone Colour of the Year and generating glitch art. We like this new one best, though. It's a welcome distraction for us at the moment, and we're currently relishing the prospect of including all these names in a mood board. Read more: The best pencils for colouring and sketching 7 colour trends to watch in 2020 How to use colour to shape UX View the full article

Introducing: The Oculus Rift S, the newest VR headset from Oculus. Since 2012 Oculus has been working on VR headsets (and more recently, software). The original Rift went a long way towards ensuring that the technology was here to stay, as previously VR had been the hardware that meant end-user expectations were never truly met. We tested the new machine to give you our thoughts on its design, features and performance. To create your own 3D content for use with VR platforms, you'll need the best 3D modelling software, and you may also want to check the best VR headsets to see how the Oculus Rift S compares. Oculus Rift S: Design and accessories The Rift S ships in a well-designed package, which contains foam inserts to hold things safely, as well as the controllers and batteries, so all you need to do is connect to your PC and run the setup app, which you need to download first. Setup with the Rift S is a far less system–heavy affair than the original Rift, as it only takes a single USB port and one DisplayPort (an adapter is included, should you only have a mini port). This alone is a welcome change and for some users will make a drastic difference. For example, if you use certain laptops, or a Wacom Cintiq Engine, then you will claw back many much-need ports. The headset itself hasn’t changed hugely in terms of feel, but you will instantly notice the five cameras – two pointing forward, one on each side and one upward-facing – which are the new methods for tracking, similar to the Oculus Quest. In use these are fantastic, with excellent tracking that exceeds the accuracy of the Rift and allows you to turn in space without losing tracking. It also means no more wires trailing around your room. This single feature alone will be worth the upgrade for many people, us included. The other main change to the headset itself is the removal of the headphones. Some may prefer the new directional speakers but we found we missed the older-style audio, which was also less intrusive to the people around you. However, Oculus does offer earbuds, plus you can use your own headphones, so not all is lost. Smaller changes abound too, with some material updates and a different fastening mechanism that’s more akin to a bicycle helmet, making for a more secure fit in less time. The rubber used for the bands feels less grippy, so spending some time getting the initial fitting right is well worth it. Inside the Rift S things feel pretty much par for the course. Although there have been some changes to the displays themselves, overall things don’t feel worlds apart from where we were a few years ago. The resolution has increased to 1,080 x 1,440 per eye, which is a reasonable hike on paper that never quite feels like the increase it should. It is noticeable but slight, and our impression is that the overall viewing experience is improved more by the reduced ‘barn door’ effect than the resolution. Worrisome for some users will be the slightly slower refresh rate, which is down 10 to 80Hz. We’re not sure we could tell the difference between the two but others have raised concerns about the possibility of motion sickness, and Oculus itself has said that might affect a few users. Oculus Rift S: Performance Performance is harder to rate on the Rift S because it’s a tethered system and therefore relies on the system it’s attached to, unlike the self-contained Quest. That said, when connected to our Cintiq Engine Xeon it ran perfectly smoothly when in Quill, Medium and the obligatory Beat Saber. The last area that needs discussing in this review is that of the hand controllers. These have been redesigned for both the Rift S and the Quest in order to help the Insight tracking cameras operate more accurately, which they do, in spades. The overall feel is very similar, with no notable changes to the materials, which remain pleasant to use for extended periods (the batteries last a long time, too). But the ring used for tracking has been inverted to remain more visible to the cameras. It looks odd at first but makes a lot of sense. Overall, there are some definite changes for the better, with the excellent Insight tracking system topping the charts, as well as less PC resource- hogging in terms of port usage. The materials used are also well thought-out, feel robust enough to last and are pleasant to touch. While the general experience is better, the critical element of any head-mounted display, the screens themselves, seem to have taken a back seat. While not actually getting worse, they don’t appear to have made the expected leaps and bounds they could have. But the proof is in the pudding, and that means the Rift S will succeed on the strength of its content. This is where Oculus shines, with an enormous assortment of entertainment, educational content and focused applications for digital content creation. The Rift S works incredibly well here, so well that you can easily lose hours every day working on a sculpt in Medium, or even laying out a game level in Unreal. Read more: The best VR apps right now View the full article

News just in! A super-rare discount has been spotted on the newest, shiniest model of the Apple iPad, which will save you a whopping $80 off the usual retail price. The 10.2-inch, 128GB model iPad, which would normally set you back $429, now costs just $349. Bargain. With so much time for creative projects and entertainment, having the best kit could up your stay-at-home game, making you more creative and enabling some stellar output (or least provide a fun distraction). And this 2019 iPad model certainly fulfils top kit criteria, boasting Apple's A10 Fusion chip, its 10-hour battery life, 8MP back camera, 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera and stereo speakers. Plus, its full support for Apple Pencil will pair well with any one of the best iPad Pro apps for designers. Don't have one? Here are all the best Apple Pencil deals. If all that wasn't enough, this deal also comes with a year of free Apple TV and free shipping. There's nothing to say how long this offer will last, but at these prices we don't expect stocks to last long so grab one while you can. Not in the USA? Here are the best deals on a range of iPad models in your area: View the full article

My name is Craig Black and I’m an independent designer, lettering artist and typographer running my own studio from my hometown of Gourock in Scotland. Like many other designers' right now, my life is a little chaotic. The coronavirus pandemic has struck and, as a result, the world has seemingly changed forever. For me personally, my wife being pregnant, an elderly relative in lockdown in a care home and several members of my family on their own in self-isolation is making this a very scary experience. On top of all that, I've got a business to run. Free online resources for artists and designers stuck at home What I am about to share with you is actionable steps that I have taken to ensure my business and mental wellbeing survive these difficult times. I really hope that this insight provides some value to the community. Take it as you wish, but these are the things that have worked for me, and can hopefully help you on this tricky journey. If you've got time on your hands, also read: How to draw: the best drawing tutorials 01. Get in the right mindset The right mindset is more important than ever before. I’m an incredibly positive person – it’s the way I’ve programmed my mind to make my life the best it can be. I always believe there is opportunity to be found in even the darkest of moments. It helps that my wife, Ally, is a mental health nurse and she recommended the following tips, which work to help safeguard my mental wellbeing: Ensure you maintain a structured routine – set your alarm as you would for work, have breakfast, a shower and get changed out of your pyjamas in preparation for starting work. Schedule a lunch break, a finish time and try to stick to a sensible bedtime as you would during a normal working week. Try to keep your day structured, as much as possible, as you would normally for work. This will help separate work time from chill time, which can get easily mixed up when working from home. Get daily exercise to give yourself a break away from work and take time to think about the things that you are grateful for. Try to maintain a healthy and balanced diet - if you are eating well, you generally tend to feel better overall. Try not to slip into the habit of eating unhealthily and ordering numerous takeaways through boredom as this will ultimately leave you worse off physically, mentally and financially. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media and instead focus on spending quality time with loved ones, or getting stuck into a great book or a piece of artwork. Embrace the downtimes – if there are things you have been meaning to do for a while and not got round to, now is the time to do it. My wife and I have only just got round to putting up our wedding photos and we got married almost a year ago. Doing things like this make you feel more productive and you end the day with the satisfaction of having achieved something that you otherwise wouldn't have. Take things one day at a time, but also keep an eye on the bigger picture. The world is chaotic and it can look very doom and gloom, but eventually this situation will end. 02. Cut your costs With much of the world on lockdown, people are understandably spending less right now. One immediate thing you can do to look after your own finances is to look at how you can cut your costs. Go back to basics, think about what you really need, what is essential for you to get by. Look into securing revenue in the short term. Does that mean cutting down on the takeaway meals and do more cooking at home to help bring the costs down? There is lots of financial advice online, depending on your circumstances, but here are a few quick ideas that might help: Adobe has discounted their membership programme and have a 60-day free membership deal. Many mortgage lenders are offering a three-month payment holiday, which may come in handy. Contact your credit card provider to see if they are also able to suspend payments for a period of time. It's important also to try to help everyone survive this incredible challenging time. One thing that I've introduced to help my clients is to extend more favourable payment terms. For example, rather than 50 percent deposit and 50 percent completion fee, I have adapted that to a four stage payment structure, which sees them pay a 25 percent fee over a project duration to help their cash flow. It’s important to talk to your current and past clients. Check in to see how they are doing and how you can help them out? Focus on the relationship with your client, revenue aside, as those bonds are the key to future work. Unfortunately some clients will be struggling and potentially unable to survive this current crisis. Where possible, you want to get that information as soon as possible to help you adapt to the situation. Once the economy recovers, you want to be firing on all cylinders as every brand and businesses will be wanting to get back to their successful state as soon as possible, and you need to be ready to help them get to that level with your creative magic. 03. Adapt your service Consider pivoting either the services you offer or the markets you serve. For example, if you're an illustrator who specialises in editorial design, can you adapt your services across branding, packaging, digital and motion graphics as well? My biggest asset is my versatility in typography and lettering, as it means I can work across a number of verticals. I’m hugely fortunate to have projects continuing on and new ones coming in during this challenging time but I know a huge factor in making that happen is my skillset and relationships with those I'm collaborating with. I’ve realised that it’s easier to offer new services to existing clients than it is to find new clients for existing services. So your focus should be on the challenges and the needs of your client in this present time and how you can adapt to that situation. Creatives are problem solvers, so help your clients with their problems. If the issue is not within your remit to fix, be helpful and, where possible, point them in the direction of someone who can help. People will remember even the smallest acts of kindness when this is all over. Another avenue to investigate is working as a consultant or teacher. Maybe you could share your skills in an online workshop? Make it your goal to come out of this crisis and into the future positioned to win. Look further ahead than everyone else in the market and bet on yourself to succeed. Having that goal will shift your mindset from negative to positive. It will truly make a difference. One thing I say to myself every single morning, as part of my visualisation process and positive affirmations, is: “I commit today to do what it takes to succeed. I take responsibility for where I am”. This rings so true for me, take responsibility for the situation you’re in, own it and try everything in your power to overcome all the challenges that you face. The creative community is a hugely resilient bunch. We're all in and will come through this together. Stay well and keep safe – we've got this. Read more: How to work from home more productively Iconic logos reimagined for the age of coronavirus You'll want to join this joyful Instagram art club View the full article

If you want to hone your drawing skills, you'd be hard pushed to find a better tutor than legendary artist Aaron Blaise. Specialising in creature art, Blaise's creative career spans over three decades, with 21 years spent helping to create some of the greatest animated films ever made. We're talking classic Disney – Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, to name a few. No longer at Disney, these days Blaise spends his time passing on his extensive artistic knowledge via in-depth tutorials and workshops. Aware much of the world is at home right now, Blaise has been offering his learning either for free or at a heavily discounted price. And his most recent deal has got to be the best yet. Instead of charging $50 to attend his live, six-hour animation workshop, Blaise has knocked the price down to just $5! That's less than $1 per hour to learn from the renowned artist. And you can follow it up with even more free how to draw tutorials, covering everything from animals and people, to landscapes and nature. Blaise's introductory course will demonstrate his approach to animation techniques in a live, interactive format, covering the following in detail: 2D animation intro – discover how to animate a bouncing ball Animation Demo – Blaise animates a flour sack in real time to demonstrate motion and acting Lip sync: Blaise explains his approach to animating dialogue Q&A: Ask the legendary artist a question Blaise says in his YouTube video above: "We know lots of people are stuck at home so we want to make this easy for everyone to join. This class is great for young kids too if you want something to keep them busy for six hours." Sounds great to us! The live online workshop takes place on Saturday 11 April, starting at 1100 (EST). This is a live web event so you can attend from anywhere in the world. Mark it in your diary and sign up to the event over on the Aaron Blaise website today. Read more: Postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics won’t get new logo Illustrator for iPad now available in beta You'll want to join this joyful Instagram art club View the full article

An old RAT learns an old trick. View the full article

After weeks of speculation, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were officially postponed last week in response to the spread of coronavirus. The new dates have now been announced as 21 July to 8 August 2021, with the Paralympic games moving to 24 August to 5 September. While the dates have changed, in a potentially surprising move, both games will maintain their current Tokyo 2020 branding. While it might seem an odd decision at first (since the games are no longer, you know, in 2020), the branding has appeared on advertising and billboards across the world (take a look at some of our favourite billboard advertising examples). It's also all over tons of merchandise including a gold bar worth $15,000, as well as the games' new relay torch. We can't even begin to imagine the marketing operation that would be involved in changing the name. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch This is uncharted territory for the International Olympic Committee, as it's the first postponement in the history of the games (they were cancelled 1916, 1940 and 1944 because of World Wars). It is also the first time ever that the Olympics won't be held during an even-numbered year. According to Tokyo's governor Yuriko Koik, that's another reason to maintain the same name: "An odd number is out of the question" she said, according to the Wall Street Journal. As confusing as it might seem, we're glad to see the 2020 branding remain. Not only does it sidestep a pretty major marketing headache, but acknowledging the year the games were supposed to take place (and how they'll forever be named in history) feels like an appropriate act of defiance in the face of adversity. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach sent a message of hope to athletes across the world (below). Plus, there are already so many brilliant example of Tokyo 2020-themed graphic design, from the wonderfully eclectic official posters, to these delightfully minimal Team GB prints. At the very least, we're glad they still say the correct year. Related articles: Design sheet for the iconic 1964 Olympic logo unearthed We can't stop watching these Tokyo 2020 pictograms Paris 2024 Olympic logo is mercilessly mocked View the full article

A user flow is a visual representation of the different paths a user can take within a product or a website. It’s an excellent user experience (UX) tool that allows designers to evaluate as well as optimize the UX of …View the full article

If you want to thrive at Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, this is the master bundle for you. Learn everything you need to go from zero to 100 with the Mastering Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop: Zero to Pro Bundle, now 97% off. Packed with nine courses and over 300 lessons, this bundle brings you everything you need to turn any raw shot into a stunning work of art. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced Adobe CC student, you'll get something out of these comprehensive and in-depth courses. Here are the best free Photoshop brushes, to go alongside your new knowledge. Get Creative Cloud Master in-depth concepts in Photoshop and Lightroom You'll learn crucial software tools and techniques and start editing photos and videos like a pro with some of the top photography program tools in the world. 27 hours of extensive content brings you step-by-step tutorials that will guide you through learning and mastering in-depth concepts in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. With plenty of features that empower you to create stunning visual content, you'll learn everything from adjustment layers to blending modes to make your raw images pop. You'll acquire new techniques and tips on controlling and fixing highlights and shadows using curves, figure out how color wheels works, learn best practices for adjustment layers using LUTs, and more. You'll also soon be proficient in Lightroom techniques such as color grading, skin retouching, final touch-ups, creating color profiles, and more, bringing out beautiful portraits for any type of project. The possibilities are endless. You will also gain certifications of completion for each course, making it a great asset to add to your portfolio and next endeavour. Hands-on exercises in each session will allow you to practise what you learn in real-time and also help you advance your workflow to edit images seamlessly, quickly, and flawlessly. 24/7 access to the content will let you come back time and time again to review each technique whenever you need guidance. While lifetime access to this bundle is priced at almost $2,000, The Mastering Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop: Zero to Pro Bundle is currently price-dropped to only $39.99 – that's 97 per cent off. Learn the latest and greatest in editing artistry and continue to grow your career in 2020. Read more: Lightroom vs Photoshop: What's the difference? How to add fonts in Photoshop 71 Photoshop shortcuts you need to know View the full article

Adobe has begun inviting users to beta test its upcoming iPad version of Illustrator CC. First announced in November, the app is due to be released sometime this year. Signup for the private beta opened alongside the announcement, and some Twitter users have now begun sharing screenshots of their invitations (below) to test the software. So if you've already signed up to the beta, you might want to check your email. Following the release of Photoshop for the iPad, Illustrator will be the next app designers are clamouring to install on their tablets – and perhaps even more reason enough for the currently uninitiated to purchase one of Apple's tablets (check out our best iPad deals if that sounds like you). Illustrator on the iPad was one of the big announcements from Adobe MAX 2019. Back then, we highlighted six super-cool features we couldn't wait to get to grips with, from manipulating symmetrical designs to accessing over 17k fonts. And with 2020's brand new iPad Pro now available (bringing a brand new processor and trackpad support to the device), Illustrator for iPad is sure to be one hell of a powerful tool. While few details have emerged from the beta's lucky invitees yet, MacRumours recently shared a hands-on video of the app in action: Adobe claims to have redesigned Illustrator "from the ground up" to take advantage of touch capabilities and the possibilities offered by the Apple Pencil. While this is an exciting prospect, we hope Adobe has learned a few lessons from the underwhelming launch of Photoshop for iPad. After promising the complete Photoshop experience, Adobe dropped a product that was missing several major features, leading to poor App Store reviews (take a look at our own Photoshop for iPad review). Still, Adobe promised to keep adding features to Photoshop for iPad – last month saw a huge update add long-awaited smart selection tools. Just how complete the Illustrator experience for iPad will be at launch remains to be seen, but we can't wait to try it out. If you haven't signed up yet, check out Adobe's Creative Cloud plans. Related articles: Illustrator alternatives: 6 of the best Adobe gives Creative Cloud users 2 months free - here's how to get it Adobe software list: Which apps do you need? View the full article

For many designers, the idea of pitching for work is something that terrifies them. If you want to land big projects, though, you're going to have to bite the bullet and pitch alongside other interested agencies. That's fine if you're a confident public speaker; the rest of us could use some encouragement and tips, however. Pitching isn't something that comes naturally to most designers; you might be able to create an inspiring mood board with ease, but when it comes to presenting your work to a room of strangers (or more likely at the moment, a video conference) you could find yourself flailing. With practice, you'll become more relaxed about every pitch, but to help you get there here are seven copper-bottomed tips that'll set you in good stead. Why creatives shouldn't pitch for free 01. Do your research Whatever great tips you pick up for delivering irresistible pitches, there's no escaping the fact that if you want to get it right, you're going to have to spend time up front doing your research. You need to know everything about the client, its product or service, who it's targeting, who its competitors are; all of that and much more before you can properly start building your proposal. There's no shortcut here, but doing your research properly will pay off handsomely; you should come out of it with the best possible understanding of what you need to do, and when it comes to the actual pitch you'll be able to confidently answer any questions the client has for you. 02. Get the right tools Even if you don't do PowerPoint, a presentation tool such as Prezi will help you get your ideas across Now more than ever, having the right tools to hand is an essential part of the pitching process. While you're putting your pitch together you're bound to need prototyping and moodboard tools, but what's really going to matter when it comes to the actual pitch meeting is having a presentation tool that can show off your ideas to best effect. Bear in mind that if you're pitching right now it's almost certainly going to be over a video conference rather than in person, and a well-prepared presentation is a must. Remember, though, that if you're presenting online you should take the time to familiarise yourself with whatever video conferencing platform you'll be using so that when the time comes you can share your presentation easily. Nobody likes to sit around awkwardly while someone's frantically trying to figure out how to make screen sharing work. 03. Go off-script if you need to Be prepared to think outside the brief so that you can come up with solutions that the client hasn't even considered Clients often think they know what they want, but you're the expert and you might well have a better idea of what they actually need. If you feel that the solution that would work best for a client goes outside of their brief without affecting the budget, make a case for it within your pitch; it could be the idea that tips the decision in your favour. And when it comes to the pitch itself, be prepared to deviate if necessary. Once you're talking with a potential client, their questions might suggest directions that you hadn't previously considered, even if you've done the most thorough research. If you can think on your feet during the pitch and throw out fresh solutions that aren't part of your prepared presentation, you're again demonstrating your suitability for the job. 04. Don't pitch for free It should hardly need saying, but in the current climate it needs reiterating: don't pitch for free. Budgets are likely to have taken a hit in these uncertain times, but the bottom line is that if you're preparing a pitch, you're putting in the hours to provide clients with creative solutions, and you need to be paid for your work. If a client's insistent that a free pitch is going to be worth it for the opportunity, you need to ask yourself if they really value your work and whether you really want to work with them. In most cases you should just walk away. 05. Forget about the opposition Chances are that a client's going to be talking to other agencies during the pitching process, and knowing that, you might start to worry about who the competition might be and what they're coming up with. That's only natural; all you can really do, though, is put it from your mind and concentrate on generating the best pitch you can. As Michael Johnson told Computer Arts back in 2013, "I used to get obsessed with who I was pitching against. The downside of that is that you start to second-guess how they would approach their presentation. You need to be like Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal will play like Arsenal – they won't change the way they play depending on who they're up against." Do your own thing rather than focusing on the other guys. 06. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse When it comes to the actual pitch you have just one chance to make the best possible impression, and to do that you're going to need to rehearse. If you've spent ages writing up and fine-tuning your pitch you're going to feel that you already know it inside-out; however if you want to turn your well-chosen words into a winning presentation then there's no substitute for rehearsal. Merely reading out your pitch is a dangerous game, especially if you're nervous about public speaking. You'll constantly have an eye on your written words and you won't be engaging with your audience. But if you take the time to read your pitch out loud, over and over, you'll soon become much more comfortable with its rhythms and you'll be able to deliver it in a much more confident and conversational manner; you'll also be able to deal with the inevitable questions and interruptions without feeling flustered. 07. Don't get disheartened if you're turned down Rejection's no fun but it's all part of the pitching business Even when you've done all the research, prepared a set of top-notch materials and delivered a cracking presentation, there's always the possibility that a potential client prefers someone else's pitch. And while nobody likes rejection, it's all part of the pitching business; you can't win 'em all. Don't take it personally; take it on the chin and move on. Also, don't feel that all your work's been wasted; keep everything on file because you'll almost certainly get a chance to re-use some of it in future pitches. Along the way you'll have generated ideas and approaches that could fit equally well with other clients, so make sure you have them to hand when the time comes. Related articles: How to be a better speaker: presenting and pitching tips 3 top tips for pitching over Skype 7 rules for creating the perfect pitch View the full article

Isolation has been made bearable for many by the efforts of the creative community and Quarantine Art Club is a wonderful example of this. Set up on Instagram by children's illustrator Carson Ellis, the daily challenges are a fun and unique way to stay connected – plus learn something new. Ellis' challenges range from more easily interpretable themes, such as 'garden' (see the image above) to specific skills, like 'continuous line contour drawing'. They've elicited an eclectic mix of responses, from children to professional artists. (Whatever your standard, it won't hurt to have a read of our art techniques post before dipping your artistic toe in.) The assignments often contain nuggets of creative wisdom, which could be valuable for your creative process, like assignment three (above), which explains how to use prompts to create new artwork. Our favourite response to this challenge came from Juli, with this super-fun "cat in a mini bikini, dancing ballet". Ellis also gives instruction on how to master a new artistic skill like continuous line contour drawing (see below). We love this poignant response, which goes back to basics with snail mail. Assignment Five: Treasure Map was inspired by Ellis' niece and nephew, and resulted in this Corona map. Whereas this response from Clark, aged 5, is super-imaginative. The project has engaged many in artistic expression, and the expert edge Ellis brings to the series provides unique insight into the creative process of an illustrator. We also love Noel Fielding's art club that's going on over on Twitter, which has some gloriously random results. Check out the rest of Carson Ellis' Quarantine Art Club over on her Instagram page, and find other assignments such as Self Portrait and Who Do You Love. Ellis' children's book, Home, also happens to be one of our favourite picture books – find out more in our rundown of the best picture books around. Read more: Illustrators depict their perfect self-isolation scenario The best pencils for colouring, drawing and sketching 20 phenomenally realistic pencil drawings View the full article