Rss Bot

Security experts say that 5G supply chain concerns should be taken seriously – whether it’s in the context of Huawei or not. View the full article

The malicious Chrome extensions were secretly collecting users' browser data and redirecting them to malware-laced websites. View the full article

Top stories of this week include a new Emotet Wi-Fi hack and Robbinhood ransomware operators using a "bring your own bug" technique. View the full article

PlayStation has unveiled a new advert, which is designed to truly stick in the memory. Not to spoil things for you, but the focus in on hearts, and not in the way you'd expect to see on Valentine's Day. It's the work of adam&eveDDB, the ad agency best known for its work on the John Lewis & Partners Christmas adverts. But the Bear and the Hare this is not. The scene is set in a dingy, dramatic tunnel. Uneasy soldiers navigate the gloom with their torches. So far, we're firmly in traditional war game territory. But then our poor soldiers happen upon a scene that throws all that out of the water. The tagline for the spot is 'Feel the Power of PlayStation'. Watch it for yourself below. For more impactful ads, see our roundup of the best print ads. The aim is to capture what it feels like to play a great PlayStation game – thrilling, tense, new. Once you've got over the weirdness of the whole thing, it's actually an extremely effective advert, and more great work from adam&eveDDB. The sound design is immersive; the scale is cinematic. There's something about the sound of an accelerated heartbeat that makes you, as a viewer, feel excited. The collection of beating hearts also calls neatly to mind the social aspect of the gaming community. The odd, dark style and subject matter is reminiscent of PlayStation ads of old. And we're all for it. The dramatic unveiling of the new PS5 logo at CES was met with widespread mockery (there's nothing wrong with it... but some argued it was a little too obvious, and some designers tried their hand at creating alternative versions). So we're pleased to see PlayStation is back on form when it comes to promotion. Read more: Banksy confirms new Bristol Valentine's Day graffiti is his The 8 best retro gaming consoles 27 top character design tips View the full article

The onboarding email newsletter is a part of a welcome email series that plays a crucial role in creating a comfortable environment for the subscribers. Not every company needs them, but if you are planning to sell goods, offer services, …View the full article

An art critic has broken a sculpture valued at $20,000, by either standing too close to it with a Coke can, or trying to rest her can on the piece: the details are disputed. The piece by Mexican artist Gabriel Rico was entitled Nimble and sinister tricks (To be preserved without scandal and corruption) I (2018) and consisted of a sheet of glass with objects suspended through it, including two balls, a stick, a feather and a stone. It was on display at Mexican gallery Galeria OMR. The art critic, Avelina Lésper was less than impressed with the piece, and as a critical comment, she set her empty drinks can on the floor next to it, in order to show that the artwork would remain unchanged: "it could be two balls as it could be two cans", she told Milenio. Avelina Léspe, shortly before the sculpture broke Lésper said that as she moved the can towards the stone, it was "as if the piece had heard my comment, as if it had felt what I thought of it," and it shattered and fell on the floor. Some reports have said that Lésper placed the can on one of the stones, and that's when the piece shattered. The gallery said on Instagram that it is "irrelevant how it happened," and that Lésper getting too close to the artwork is what destroyed it. It added that the incident suggests a "huge lack of professionalism and respect". In her statement, Lésper talked about how art can be improved by its destruction, suggesting that the piece should be exhibited as it is. She said she was sorry for what had happened, and added: "I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't break it, I didn't hit it, I didn't touch it." Spanish speakers can listen to her whole statement, below. Whether or not Lésper touched the artwork seems to be the sticking point here, although perhaps the details of the incident don't really matter. The breakage brings up the question of whether fragile objects should be on display where people can get so close to them. Or maybe whether drinks cans should be allowed in galleries. Either way, we hope the artist's dreams haven't been completely shattered. Read more: Banksy confirms new Bristol Valentine's Day artwork is his How to draw a rose: Beginner and advanced tips 8 alternative representations of love View the full article

There are plenty of reasons you might need public speaking tips. Perhaps it's a big fat wedding, a significantly round-numbered birthday or a much-loved colleague leaving a long-held job. All of these special occasions call for a few well-chosen words to mark the moment. In short, they all need a speech. But here’s the thing: most designers hate speaking in public. In fact, some of us hate it so much we’d rather eat a D&AD annual (even a really fancy one from the late '90s) than speak in front of an audience. It’s against our very nature. It's a bit like telling us all we need to learn how to network, immediately. Think about it: many designers enter the profession because they’re naturally predisposed to the sorts of behaviours that make us good designers (and bad public orators) in the first place: we’re quiet, introverted, diligent and obsessed with detail and minutiae. We love nothing more than quietly losing ourselves in a creative challenge. Ideally alone, with a posh pen and a swanky sketchbook. Not on stage under swivelling spotlights, with a head-mic and some booming intro music. Matt Baxter speaking at a design event The requirement to present publicly in front of audiences becomes increasingly pressing as our careers progress. And I’m not talking here about presenting to a design team or a small audience of clients or stakeholders. Both of these things are vitally important for the success of your projects, but they’re also both things that we eventually do with enough regularity for them to become a natural part of the job. No, what I’m talking about here is the sort of speaking that involves lecterns, theatre-style seating, multi-coloured lanyards and tickets. The sort of speaking that fills up the schedules of design events all over the world, from beer-fuelled Pecha Kucha-style six minute and 40 second-long quickies, to hour-long career retrospectives. What I’m referring to here is the dreaded ‘design talk’. If you’re making great work, or if you’ve designed something that made the industry sit up and take notice, or if you’ve been slogging in the industry for long enough that your insights are of value, then you’ll find yourself invited to talk about your good fortune to audiences. The good news is that you can learn all about public speaking very much as you might learn whizzy new Photoshop skills If you’re in that fortunate position, fear not trepidatious speaker: help is at shaky hand. The good news is that you can learn all about public speaking very much as you might learn whizzy new Photoshop skills via Photoshop tutorials, or ninja-level project management techniques. For starters, you can simply take yourself to a design talk and learn from the seasoned experts. A busy and vibrant creative industry means there’s no shortage of design events all around the country. You can also read about this stuff, too. The business section of your local bookshop is chock-full of books about public speaking. Some good, some terrible. I’m afraid you’ll have to read a few to sort the former from the latter. And as for my advice? Well, based on my own board-treading experience, here are four things I’ve learned so far. (If you like, you can imagine me standing on a stage, telling you about them.) 01. Find your style Think of the very best design talks you’ve been to. Can you picture them? Good. Were they excruciating, monotonous, pompous or self-aggrandising? No, of course they weren’t. They were charming, surprising, entertaining, and (most importantly, I think) sounded natural, right? I bet that the speaker looked like they were at ease on stage and spoke in a way that seemed genuine. They were speakers who had found – most likely through years of terrifyingly live practice – their own style. And to be clear, I don’t mean that they were slick (though some most definitely are). One of my favourite industry speakers is avuncular polymath Supermundane, known to his mum as Rob Lowe. He most definitely has his own style and – while far from slick and all the better for it – it’s genuine, charming and very funny (and may well involve wigs). 02. Make it personal Talking about yourself to an audience of ticket-buying punters takes some skill. Get it wrong and you risk looking either irritatingly self-regarding or dispiritingly self-deprecating. It’s a flipping minefield. But done well, the inclusion of a personal perspective can transform a talk. Pentagram partner Michael Bierut does this brilliantly well. I’ve seen the New York-based designer speak many times and I feel like I know as much about his background and upbringing as I know about his opinions on Helvetica. He’s (almost) as happy to talk frankly about his failures as he is to talk about his successes. The result of this personal approach is that we feel like we’re getting a sneaky and privileged peek behind the design curtain. 03. Be opinionated If you’ve been invited to speak to an audience at a design event, then it’s likely to be because your work is good and lots of people like it. Which means that audiences want to hear you speaking about that work. They want to hear about the process that lead to your brilliant solution. But I’d also suggest that they want to hear about what you think. They want your opinion, rather than just a description of a process. Design speakers like Michael Johnson, Paula Scher or Michael Wolff don’t just tell you about the work. They tell you what they think. About the work, about the industry, about the world. 04. Rehearse And finally: practice! When my sister, ace copywriter Kate Van Der Borgh and I were invited to talk at last year's D&AD Festival in London, we planned and practised, and it still didn’t feel like enough. Our talk – called Beat The Bullshit: Finding Creative Clarity – was, by its very nature, strongly opinionated. Our session aimed to define exactly what is meant by ‘brand bullshit’, before exploring why it’s a barrier in our industry, and showing how we can all cut the confusion and find the creative clarity that produces outstanding work. Because we didn’t have the crutch of project imagery to lean on, it felt important to know our stuff and to deliver it clearly. Kate insisted that we rehearse our double act thoroughly, and she was right. So what are you waiting for? It's time to say a few words… This article originally appeared in issue 300 of Computer Arts, the world’s leading design magazine. Buy issue 300 or subscribe here. Read more: Design for good: 8 ways to use your creativity to make a difference 5 tips for presenting your work on social media The events every designer should know about in 2020 View the full article

Banksy has confirmed that a new piece of Bristol graffiti many are associating with Valentine's Day is his work. Or at least, he posted about it on Instagram at midnight on 14 February. The caption-less image is probably about as much information as we're going to get from the mysterious street artist. The artwork on the side of a house in Bristol's Barton Hill shows a young girl firing roses from a slingshot, creating an explosion of petals that looks not unlike a blood splatter, but is actually made up of spray-painted ivy. You can count on Banksy to bring satire to pretty much any holiday (see his comment on homelessness over Christmas here). Like many of our favourite street art examples, the artwork has already had a piece of perspex placed over it, presumably to protect it from being vandalised. Although according to the BBC, this piece of plastic has already been stolen, along with the flowers placed on the road sign. The graffiti was brought to our attention by James P. Bullock, yesterday morning on Twitter, who had noticed people with scaffolding on the same building earlier in the day. It's in Banksy's trademark style, and the line drawing of the young girl is similar to the girl in his famed work, Balloon Girl. The people of Bristol have already been crowding round Marsh Road to get photos of the Banksy. If you're in the area, check out our street photography tips in order to get the best shot. And get yourself one of the best camera phones while you're at it. Read more: The best art easels in 2020 Art terms: The ultimate artist's glossary 34 top free graffiti fonts View the full article

Researchers are urging users of the GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress plugin to update as soon as possible. View the full article

Some new graffiti has popped up in Bristol's Barton Hill that looks like it could be a Valentine's Day present from Banksy. The artwork shows a young girl firing roses from a slingshot, creating an explosion of petals that look not unlike a blood splatter. You can count on the mysterious street artist to bring satire to pretty much any holiday (see his comment on homelessness over Christmas here). The graffiti was brought to our attention by James P. Bullock, this morning on Twitter, who had noticed people with scaffolding on the same building earlier in the day. It's in Banksy's trademark style, and the line drawing of the young girl is not unlike the girl in his famed work, Balloon Girl. (See our favourite street art examples for more inspirational artwork, or our best Valentine's Day gifts if you'd like to purchase something a little less bloody for your loved one.) So far, there has been no confirmation of whether or not this is a real Banksy. That doesn't mean the people of Bristol won't be crowding round Marsh Road this evening. If you're in the area, check out our street photography tips in order to get the best shot. And get yourself one of the best camera phones while you're at it. Read more: The best art easels in 2020 Art terms: The ultimate artist's glossary 34 top free graffiti fonts View the full article

The Liga Latinoamérica is the Latin American league for League of Legends – Riot Games' wildly popular online game. There were previously two Latin American leagues, one based in Mexico and one in Chile, but they have now merged, and DesignStudio has given the new, combined league a funky identity. The Liga Latinoamérica (LLA) now has a striking new monogram (see our best monograms) with bold colours and a custom type. "This new raw look and feel encourages LLA to infuse its fiery spirit – 'Fuego' – into all communications," says DesignStudio on its website. While we agree this new look from the studio behind the controversial Airbnb and Deliveroo rebrands packs plenty of punch, it's rather weaker on the legibility front. If you don't know what you're looking at, you may well mistake 'LLA' to read 'UA' or even 'HA'. (See our graffiti fonts if you'd like to recreate the look.) We see what DesignStudio was going for, and we like it We do love the tape type though, and the look overall, which portrays an edgy feel that we wouldn't normally associate with online gaming. This seems like a smart move from Riot Games, whose recent update of the League of Legends logo was pretty much universally slated back in October last year. To avoid too many messages getting lost, this fiery new logo is paired with what DesignStudio calls a "more authoritative new type", Hielo (which means ice in Spanish). Thankfully, this one is a lot more legible. The juxtaposition of the two fonts enables LLA to "communicate facts while injecting messages with a sense of irreverent humour". The new identity's eye-catching new look on mobile DesignStudio had previously updated the European league's identity and given it a similarly fresh and funky feel. It seems that League of Legends is now a whole lot cooler than we previously imagined, and on a global scale, too. Read the full DesignStudio case study here. Read more: The 8 best retro gaming consoles Pokémon fans are losing it over Grand Oak Controversial Sears logo gets a hasty update View the full article

If you missed a top bargain in last year's Black Friday deals and the January sales, fear not. HP's Presidents' Day sale sees huge price drops on everything from laptops and desktop PCs to printers, monitors, accessories and more. But the one deal that got our attention was this epic $702 saving on the powerful HP Envy 17t. That price cut includes the original $650 discount, plus a cheeky extra 5 per cent off to celebrate Presidents' Day (use code 5PDS2020 at the checkout).That means right now you can get your hands on this impressive piece of kit for just $997.49! This is one of a number of discounts across a range of HP devices, many of which you can use the above code for a further 5 per cent discount. And there's also the chance to get an additional 10 per cent off select PCs and monitors with code 10PDS2020. The HP Envy range has become a popular choice among creatives in recent years, so much so it features prominently in our roundup of the best laptops for video editing. Packing plenty of performance, full HD display and roomy enough to handle the most labour-intensive tasks, it's not hard to see how the HP Envy range has caught many a designer's eye. If the HP Envy 17t's specs don't fit your needs, HP has a lot more to offer. Below are some more of the best HP deals currently running. To see the full range of laptops, and other hardware and accessories on sale, visit the HP website. Not in the US? Here are the top HP laptop models, with the very best prices, in your area: View the full article

Animated logos are becoming a huge trend, and with good reason. The main purpose of a logo is to create brand awareness, and movement gets attention. A logo that moves has more chance of getting noticed, can keep the viewer's attention for longer, and can be more memorable since it needs fewer interactions to be recalled. As our logo design guide states, logos also need to live and evolve. Adding movement is a clear way to bring a logo to life and can make even a staid logo seem more fun and whimsical. Animation can range from subtle movements to complex 3D effects, and moving logos are being placed in the intros and outros of videos, in social media posts, email campaigns, presentations, and in place of regular logos on websites. Some brands are even using several animated logos for different uses, following the trend of developing temporary logos for individual campaigns and products. Here we look at 10 of the best examples of moving logos to inspire your work. 01. WWF There are many ways to animate a logo but sometimes a very subtle movement is best. Even the smallest of movements is enough to draw the eye and create a pleasing effect that keeps the viewer watching a second longer. While there are a lot of animated logos out there with both the mark and logotype forming and disappearing, an animation that lasts too long can detract from the logo itself. Jenny Leibundgut’s 1986 WWF logo is a well-known classic. When Brien Hopkins animated it for a Planet Nutshell-produced animated film for a campaign to prevent arctic drilling (below), he added just enough movement to the mark in the logo lockup to make us smile, and add extra emotional engagement and interest. The design was for one single use. Bringing the panda to life with movement of the paws and head to make it look like it's walking fits with the mood of the animation in the film that precedes it. 02. Designtorget A more elaborate take on animating a logo can involve using the movement to tell us more about what the brand does than the static logo alone. This animated logo created by Stockholm design agency Kurppa Hosk for Scandinavian interior design store Designtorget tells us more about the brand, and about its logo. The 'D' and 'T' are used to create various products that the store sells – furniture, tableware – in a way that also highlights the brand's stylish, often minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic. It's a great example of how animating a logo can contribute to the story behind a brand. 03. Allvit Another use of animated logos is to draw attention to something we may not have noticed in the original logo. Many logos carry meaning through symbols used in place of letters or hidden in the negative space in their designs, but sometimes people take some time to notice – think the famous FedEx logo (or the more recent Multiply logo). These features can be exploited and made more apparent in moving versions. This animated logo by Nikita Melnikov for Norwegian online book search depository Alvit makes the magnifying glass in the negative space of the 'a' explicit, telling a story that highlights the website’s searchability. 04. Feral Sphere Animation can also emphasise the personality of a logo, and of the brand itself. UK fashion label Feral Sphere makes clothing made from organic cotton using 100 per cent renewable solar and wind energy. Its logo, devised by Mind Design and illustrator Lenia Hauser, was inspired by Japanese Shinto spirits. It is quite literally a feral sphere, and the animation highlights its feral personality even more. The movement of the lines brings to mind the wind in trees, flocking birds and swarming bees, all connections to nature that seem appropriate for a brand with a commitment to sustainability. The movement emphasises the brand's organic feel by highlighting the wild sense of freedom in the logo's hand-drawn design. It feels distinctive, personal and hand-crafted. 05. Fox Animating logos can also be useful when making a transition to a new brand identity. If a rebrand is particularly radical, animation can be used to show a recognised logo transition into a new design to communicate the change. Last year, Fox Entertainment launched an additional logo to complement its main identity, with radically different chunky letterforms. The abstract treatment for animations and digital use, designed by Trollbäck + Company, has a satisfying weight to it and aims to show a company taking risks and leading the way. But used alone it may have confused viewers, particularly since the 'F' looks more than a little like a 'V', meaning the logo could be read as Vox. Using it in animations showing a transition from the regular logo help to ease the new identity on board. 06. Eat Black and white is a classic combination for logos and there's no reason to stray from that when animating them either. Black and white logos are among the most enduring and can potentially never go out of style. They can be simple and classy, they can call attention without distracting, and they can be applied to a wide range of designs. This simplicity also allows motion designers to play with concepts when animating them, like in this logo for EAT, an exhibition on food in Singapore. Designed by Fable, it plays with beefing up the logotype as it eats, and becomes "FAT". 07. Yokohama For additional impact that creates a memorable logo, movement can be combined with sound. A logo with its own soundmark can even become a meme – the Intel logo chime anyone? (See our best audio logos for more examples.) Television and film companies have long used moving logos accompanied by sound at the intro or outro of productions to generate strong brand awareness. In 2018, Japanese rubber company Yokohama took a novel approach when it animated its red lines logo by recording the sound of the wind passing through the leaves of trees in the company's own forest, to show its greater commitment to the environment. It even made the above video about the making of the sound. The video of course closes with the logo in question. 08. Boro When it comes to logotypes, animation is a great way to bring out the character of the type, whether that involves rigid geometry, sharp angles or rounded curves. This animated logo designed by UI design agency Boro for itself accentuates the rounded shapes of the type, showing the letters rolling out of each other. The finishing touch is the little surprise of the full stop that pops out of the curve of the 'r' after a slight hesitation. It makes the agency seem modern, fun and approachable. Read more: The 10 best logos of all time Where to find logo inspiration Infographic: take a tour of the top logo trends for 2020 View the full article

Apple's iPhones are always much-coveted, but the most common criticism is that they're too expensive. But it looks like a new "budget" iPhone could be with us sooner than expected. Rumours suggest that the iPhone 9, also referred to as the iPhone SE 2, will be released in March, at a cost of just $399. This is around the same price as the first iPhone SE (SE stands for Special Edition, in case you were wondering). This means the iPhone SE 2 could end up on shelves in just a few weeks, and may be a strong contender for one of the best smartphones available. There's a lot of buzz around this release (and the usual deluge of rumours). OnLeaks and iGeeksBlog have put together a video (below) showing how this new phone might look. Compared to the now discontinued iPhone SE, version 2 is expected to have a slightly bigger screen – 4.7-inches, which is in line with the iPhone 8. There'll be Touch ID with a Home button at the bottom of the screen (not Face ID, though we don't imagine that will be a huge problem for most) the same super-fast A13 Bionic Chip used in the iPhone 11, and the same camera – albeit with just a single lens. That means the camera should be pretty capable, could this cheaper iPhone even make it into our list of the best camera phones? Looks-wise, the Apple logo has moved to the centre of the phone like in the iPhone 11. And there's expected to be frosted glass on the back of the phone, rather than the glossy glass of the iPhone 11. OnLeaks thinks it'll be available in red, space grey and silver. With these specs and that price, we can imagine the iPhone 9 flying off the shelves. Although of course, Apple hasn't confirmed anything yet. There's also the issue of Coronavirus holding up production, meaning that the mid-March release date could be optimistic. There has been a lot of the debate around the name. Calling this phone iPhone 9 may sound like Apple is going backwards, but it sort of makes sense when you consider this design follows the iPhone 8 more closely than any other. And it seems that iPhone 9 is more likely than iPhone SE 2. Notebook Check reports that images from South Korean company, Korea Telecom, show the phone is being advertised as the iPhone 9, along with the Galaxy S20 series. Will it really be called the iPhone 9? Fast Company suggests that this low-cost phone may help Apple compete in the Chinese and Indian markets, as well as appeal to a range of people who previously couldn't afford an iPhone. And its strategy may well be to sell these customers a cheaper phone, in the hopes of drawing them into Apple's ecosystem overall. Because once you've got an iPhone, you'll then probably want an iPad (see our cheap iPad deals), and you may even sign up to services like Apple TV or Apple Music. As usual, we'll take all these rumours with a pinch of salt. We'll just be sitting here with our fingers crossed that a budget iPhone with an incredible camera could soon be within our grasp. Read more: iPhone 12: Surprising design decision revealed 4 things we love about the new iPhone 11 (and 3 things we do not) The best iPad accessories for 2020 View the full article

The release of Firefox 73 fixed high-severity memory safety bugs that could cause arbitrary code execution and missing bounds check that could enable memory corruption. View the full article

Among other issues, the music platform didn't limit the number of login attempts someone could make. View the full article

The world, it seems, can never have enough Pokémon games. Ever since 1996, Nintendo's been pumping them out on a regular basis; not only have there been far too many standard Pokémon titles over the years for us to count, there have also been assorted spin-off games and mobile apps. That's a lot of Pokémon. A brand new title, Pokémon Home, has just launched on Nintendo Switch (and also on iOS and Android), and it's already got people talking. This one isn't a game; it's more of a cloud service that enables you to move and trade your Pokémon from various games, but that's not what's got Pokémon fans excited. Pokémon Fusion revival inspires fan art frenzy No, the real talking point surrounding Pokémon Home is about an unlikely piece of character design relating to series stalwart, Professor Oak. Oak, we're sure you all know, is a sensible-looking, mild-mannered Pokémon Professor and former trainer who gives you your first starter Pokémon in many of the games. In Pokémon Home, however, there's a new character: Grand Oak. And he's causing quite a buzz. Professor Oak and Grand Oak; spot the difference While Professor Oak is the sort of person you'd definitely find in the kitchen at parties, Grand Oak is nowhere near as retiring. A self-styled great Pokémon researcher, he looks like Professor Oak might if he had a life-changing experience on holiday in Ibiza and then spent the next six months partying hard and finding himself, man. Gone are the sensible haircut and lab coat; Grand Oak rocks a pair of killer green shades, a soul patch and the sort of mullet that hasn't been seen in the wild since the late 1980s. The kind of mullet that Pat Sharp or Andre Agassi could only aspire to. There's no arguing that Grand Oak looks like he means business, and he's definitely on a mission. Within the Pokémon Home story he's the creator of this online system, and he's determined to create the ultimate Pokédex by cataloguing all the Pokémon uploaded to Home. And with his resemblance to one of the 20th century's great scientific minds, who's going to argue? We just hope his attention doesn't wander. It's not that we doubt his abilities; it just looks like he might have other things on his mind at the moment. But, you know, as long as he's happy then that's just fine by us. If you want to hang with Grand Oak then head for the Pokémon Home site. And if you haven't got a Nintendo Switch yet, see today's best deals below. Related articles: 3 reasons why we're super-excited about Super Nintendo World The 8 best retro gaming consoles Sleek new-age Game Boy looks better than the original View the full article

In May last year, US department store Sears updated its logo. At the time, we wondered if we were getting design déjà vu, as the logo looked not unlike the Airbnb symbol. And we're getting that same feeling again, as Sears has unveiled yet another update to its logo, just nine short months after the initial rebrand. Instead of scrapping the whole thing and going back to the drawing board, Sears has stuck to its guns, sort of, and just updated the symbol. What previously looked like a a candle or an igloo or just a bit of a mess, depending which way you viewed it, now looks like a little house, a bishop's hat or the nib of a fountain pen. It may be marginally less messy, but is it any better? (Spoiler: We don't think it'll make it into our list of the world's best logos anytime soon.) The 2019 version of the Sears logo was mocked for its similarity to the Airbnb logo We really want to like this update, but it's hard to get that excited about it. Especially bearing in mind that one survey showed that 79 per cent of people preferred the previous Sears logo to the 2019 version. We can't imagine this 2020 version will fare much better, mostly because we're simply not convinced this new little house is an improvement – although we do see how it could help Sears wiggle its way out of a legal battle with Airbnb (all comments on this are purely speculative). Over on Brand New, the comments were pretty brutal. JustJoeDesign said: "It looks like a home a troll would live in." Tom Swinnen said: "Seariously?" (10 out of 10 for the pun) and Eligio Jose Rosa said: "This a good representation of Sears right now. Undecided, Outdated and extremely lame." So if Sears was looking to win back customers with its new logo, it looks like its efforts have fallen flat. We'll look forward to next year's update. We're expecting a top hat, or maybe a bit of roof. Read more: New Paralympics logo is cleverer than you think KFC's Valentine's Day cards are unexpected genius Where to find logo design inspiration View the full article

Learning how to add fonts in Photoshop is a basic but useful skill. Almost all design projects will require the inclusion of text at some point. And while Photoshop may not be the first port of call for any budding typesetters, it has the capacity to replicate many of the best text options from other apps, combining them with its own more visual tools to create novel and original designs. And with rising demand, it has never been easier to discover and acquire new and free fonts. This article will explain how to download a font from an online library and activate it in Photoshop, as well as consider any licensing issues that may come with it (these processes are based on modern operating systems and may differ slightly with older versions). Get Adobe Creative Cloud to get started in Photoshop, as well as access a huge library of fonts available with Adobe Fonts. How to add fonts in Photoshop on a Mac 01. Browse and download font Free online font libaries, like DaFont can be good places to experiment, but make sure you read the license agreements before using for client work Browse your chosen library to source a font that suits your project. Most of the more established sites will offer filtering options, allowing you to narrow your search down by certain parameters, such as displaying only handwritten or decorative fonts. When you find a choice you’re happy with, click the download button. Make sure you quit any active applications at this point. 02. Locate font file on system Locate the font file in your Downloads folder, most likely with file 'otf or ttf' extensions Locate the font file in your Downloads folder. If the folder is zipped then double-click on it to access the contents. If you downloaded multiple fonts, they will each have their own separate folder. Two of the most common font file extensions to watch out for are OTF and TTF (see section below for more info, or see our guide to common image file formats). 03. Install font Double-click on the font file to open the Font Box application and install the font For installing your font, you have three options: Option 01: Double-clicking on the font file will open the Font Box application, where you can simply click a button to install the font, making it available across all applications on the computer, not just Photoshop. Option 02: You can manually copy/move the font files from the Downloads folder into either the Users/Library/Fonts folder (to make available for specified, individual users) or Library/Fonts (to make available for all users). Option 03: To use a Font Management Utility, refer to that documentation for instructions on adding and activating fonts. 04. Select font in Photoshop Open Photoshop and scroll down the Character tab until you reach the desired font. Select it and use the Type tool to add to your project. To apply artistic effects to your text you may need to rasterise it first, which turns the text into a bitmap pixel-based image. Once you do this you will no longer be able to edit the text. How to add fonts in Photoshop on Windows 01. Browse and download font Make sure you read the license agreements before using fonts downloaded online for client work There are plenty of online libraries that give you a wide choice of fonts to choose from. Utilise their filtering options to focus in on the styles you want. You can also download fonts from the Microsoft Store. Click on the download button and close any active apps. 02. Locate font file on system Locate the font file in your Downloads folder, most likely with file 'otf or ttf' extensions Open the Downloads folder and scroll down to the recently added font file. If the folder is zipped then right-click and select 'Extract All' on it to access the contents. Fonts are downloaded on an individual basis, so there will be multiple folders if you downloaded multiple fonts. OTF and TTF are the two most common font file extensions. 03. Install font Right-click on the font file and click install or double-click to open the installer There are three options for installing your font in Photoshop on Windows. Option 01: Right-click on the font file and click install, making it available across all applications on the computer, not just Photoshop. Option 02: Click on the Start Menu > Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Fonts. You can simply copy and paste new font files into this list of activated fonts. Option 03: To use a Font Management Utility, refer to that documentation for instructions on adding and activating fonts. 04. Select font in Photoshop Your chosen font should be available on your computer now, so open Photoshop and select it in the Character tab. If you wish to add any of Photoshop’s artistic effects you may need to rasterise the text, making it an editable bitmap pixel-based image. Make sure you’re happy with your text first, since you cannot edit it after this process. Font licences: What to consider Google Fonts provides an open-source collection of fonts that can be used privately or commercially Although free font libraries may seem to be a limitless smorgasbord, it is worth considering licences before tucking in. Since every font is regarded as its own piece of software, it is bound by the same licensing agreements when installing onto your computer. Each font comes with some type of licence, which you can check on the End-User License Agreement that comes with any font you download. A desktop licence will allow you to install a font onto your computer and use in any application, which makes them fine to use for personal projects, but problems arise when you take on any commercial work. Even if a font is advertised as a free download, it may still have restrictions on it regarding commercial work. In the same respect, it’s possible that someone may upload a font and describe it as ‘free’ without the original designer’s permission. When working for clients it is imperative that you check the font licence and purchase any licences if needed. The easiest away around this is open-source licensing. These are free to download and use, so long as you don’t resell and occasionally give credit for use. A good example is Google Fonts, which is an open-source collection, popular with designers, that can be used privately or commercially. How to add fonts in Photoshop: Adobe Fonts Adobe Fonts is available with any Adobe CC subscription. Access online or through the app Another good resource for Adobe CC subscribers is Adobe Fonts, which presents a huge selection of typefaces, cleared for personal and commercial use, with seamless integration with CC. If you are online and logged into CC, you can access Adobe Fonts from inside the app or online. If you find a font you like, you can simply click the slider to activate either individual fonts or entire families. These will become available in all Adobe apps. When opening a project with fonts that you don’t own, you will be given the option of Resolving Fonts, which syncs any matching fonts from Adobe Fonts. All fonts are included with any CC subscription and there are no limits on how many you can use at once. OTF vs TTF Of all the extensions that indicate a font file, the two most common are TTF (TrueType Font) and OTF (OpenType Font). TTF is an older format that uses glyph tables to define its characters’ appearance, while OTF uses glyphs alongside Compact Font Format tables, giving it the potential for smaller file sizes. Although OTF fonts are becoming more popular, TTF still remains a viable alternative which is easier to create than OTF. Read more: The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop How to Photoshop someone into a picture How to flip a layer in Photoshop View the full article

There are various types of USB cable. In the last few years, the tech world has been awash with new types. But at the same time, old stalwarts like USB-A and Micro-USB are still sticking around, muddying the waters with myriad different forms and standards. If you’re thinking of getting a new drawing tablet or laptop for graphic design, this can make things confusing. What types of USB cable will you need with your new device? And what are all the different cables capable of and compatible with? It’s a perplexing state of affairs. For example, the shape of a USB cable’s plug doesn’t necessarily indicate its speed. USB-A cables are compatible with speeds ranging from a mere 12 Mbit/sec all the way up to 10 Gbit/sec, but not every USB-A cable can go that fast. You need to know what to look out for to make sure you get the proper cable for your kit – just follow this guide and we’ll have you sorted. Types of USB cable: USB-A You can recognise USB A cables that hit USB 3.2 speeds by the blue wedge and 'SS' marking, standing for 'SuperSpeed' The USB-A cable is probably the most common type of USB cable around right now. Most laptops and PCs have at least one USB-A port, and you’re likely to find them on other smart home devices. This type of cable has a rectangular connector with a gap on one side and a plastic wedge occupying the other half. This means you can only fit it into a device one way up, otherwise the wedge gets in the way – this is one issue that USB-C cables are able to sidestep (more on them later). As for transfer speeds, USB-A can hit a maximum of 10 Gbit/sec, providing it’s paired with a USB 3.2 2x1 connector on your device. It also works with USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbit/sec), USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec), and the much older USB 1.0 (12 Mbit/sec). However, you also need the right type of USB-A cable to reach those speeds. A USB 2.0 cable will fit into a USB 3.2 2x1 port, but you’ll only get USB 2.0 speeds, for instance. You can identify what type of cable you have by the colour of its plastic wedge: white or black is USB 2.0, while blue is USB 3.2. Wondering what happened to USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 before it? USB 3.2 1x1 is the same as USB 3.1 Gen 1, which is the same as USB 3.0. Meanwhile, USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 is the same as USB 3.1 Gen 2. It’s all incredibly confusing, which is why the simplicity of USB-C is such a big deal. Mini-USB vs Micro-USB The plugs on Micro-USB cables (left) are about half the thickness of Mini-USB ports (right) There are quite a few similarities between Mini-USB and Micro-USB cables, so it’s important to know how to tell them apart. Both have much smaller plugs than you’ll find on USB-A cables, which has enabled these ports to find their way into small, portable devices like smartphones, where an USB-A port would be too large. Mini-USB cables were introduced in 2001 with the advent of USB 2.0. Their connectors typically look like a small rectangle stacked underneath a wider, flared rectangle. Micro-USB cables came along in 2007 and feature much thinner plugs – they’re roughly half the thickness of a Mini-USB plug. But the differences aren’t just limited to physical dimensions. Micro-USB cables are much more durable, rated for at least 10,000 connect-disconnect cycles, which is double that of Mini-USB cables. However, one area both cable types have in common is that most Mini-USB and Micro-USB cables are limited to USB 2.0 speeds. To address this discrepancy, a 10 Gbit/sec version of the Micro-USB cable was created, but its plug had to be made significantly wider, which somewhat defeats the purpose of having a small cable. Mini-USB never got this upgrade, meaning it’s still stuck on maximum speeds of 480 Mbit/sec. Types of USB cable: USB-C USB-C cables’ oval-shaped plugs mean they can be inserted into your devices either way up Let’s face it, the old situation, with its chaotic jumble of USB-A, Mini-USB and Micro-USB, was a real mess. To make things worse, all three cable types had Type-A and Type-B versions, each with slightly different shapes. Mini-USB and Micro-USB even had a hybrid Type-AB as well, just to really put people in a spin. Luckily, that’s all a thing of the past thanks to USB-C. USB-C is a much more recent cable type than USB-A, and is really starting to proliferate among devices. One of its main advantages is that its oval shape can be inserted into your devices either way up, and it’s also much smaller than USB-A connectors. It’s an all-in-one cable that’s meant to replace legacy connectors both large and small. It’s an all-encompassing standard in other ways, too. For one thing, it can transfer your files, charge your devices (providing up to 100W of power) and handle video signals all at once. There’s no longer any need to mess up your desk with charging wires, HDMI leads and USB-A cables, as a single USB-C cable can handle it all. Speaking of data transfer, USB-C cables can send information much more quickly than their USB-A counterparts. While USB 3.2 2x1 tops out at 10 Gbit/sec, USB-C cables can reach 40 Gbit/s. That’s because USB-C cables are compatible with Thunderbolt 3, which is a super-speedy connection protocol that’s becoming more popular on computers, phones and tablets. Even if your USB-C device isn’t Thunderbolt 3 compatible, a USB-C cable can still beat out USB-A cable transfer speeds. USB 3.2 2x2 is a USB-C exclusive and can hit 20 Gbit/sec, for example. USB-C cables can also transfer at speeds of 5 and 10 Gbit/sec. Given their excellent flexibility, hassle-free use and lightning-fast speeds, USB-C cables can make your life a lot easier. They’re gaining a lot of traction, so don’t be surprised to see more and more devices support them in the coming years. Read more: The best power bank right now The best computer for video editing The best mouse right now View the full article

Nearly two months after its release, the much-maligned Cats movie is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving for lovers of high drama, if not for lovers of cinema. The latest feline kerfuffle surrounds Sunday night's Oscars ceremony, in which James Corden and Rebel Wilson, both of whom featured in the film, dressed up in cat costumes and poked fun at the film while presenting the award for best visual effects, saying that as cast members, "nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects". Me-ow. 8 appalling CGI fails in modern movies And while there's plenty that's wrong about the visual effects and character design in Cats – let's not forget that the studio had to issue a new version a few days after release that fixed a number of VFX issues, including Judi Dench's human hands – not everyone was laughing along with Corden and Wilson. See the skit here and see what you think. Especially unamused was the Visual Effects Society, which took particular exception to Cats' VFX being singled out for ridicule, and released a statement to that effect. "Last night, in presenting the Academy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects, the producers chose to make visual effects the punchline, and suggested that bad VFX were to blame for the poor performance of the movie CATS," it says, before getting in its own swipe: "The best visual effects in the world will not compensate for a story told badly." We're going to need a bigger saucer of milk. It's easy to see where the Visual Effects Society is coming from. Pointing the finger at VFX artists isn't really on when the team would have been following the instructions of the film's production designer and art directors, not to mention the director himself, Tom Hooper. And while there were clearly mistakes made in the initial execution, the real problems with Cats' horrific uncanny valley looks are more to do with a flawed visual concept; the VFX artists were just following orders. That said, the idea that Cats is a bad film because of "a story told badly" doesn't do it for us, either. Anyone who's seen Cats – either at the cinema or on stage – knows perfectly well that it barely has a story. It's about the spectacle and the songs; the story, such as it is, boils down to a bunch of cats introducing themselves before one of them gets arbitrarily chosen to go to cat heaven. No one cares. It's best summed up by this brilliant segment from an episode of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which aired last year: Cats has always been a load of old nonsense, and one thing you can definitely say about the film is that it succeeds in that regard. What it completely lacks, however, is the stage version's charm, and while the ill-advised CG effects play a big part in that, it's unfair to blame the Cats disaster on the VFX artists. You can read the full statement from the Visual Effects Society here. Related articles: Special effects in movies: 10 stunning examples 5 essential VFX tools How to draw a cat View the full article

The poster for Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch has dropped, and it's truly a thing of beauty. In a sea of lacklustre, design-by-committee movie posters, this masterpiece by illustrator Javi Aznarez is a very welcome breath of fresh air. The movie (full title: The French Dispatch Of The Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun) marks Anderson's return to live action, following 2018's Isle of Dogs. The story is focused on American journalists working in a French town – hence the magazine-cover stylings seen in the poster. Anderson is known for his highly distinctive aesthetic, showcased through back-catalogue movies such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom. It's meticulous, often symmetrical, and highly detailed. Combine that with a subject matter that lends itself to design magic, and it's no real surprise this poster is such a winner. For more inspiration, explore our guide to graphic design in film, or our roundup of amazing poster designs. Click on the poster to enlarge it A struggle we see – sometimes quite visibly – in movies with lots of big-name stars, is how to show off all the actors within the poster design. Often we end up with an awkward collage of faces with no clear focal point and no real concept to speak of (this 2017 article asking are movies in a design crisis? sums it up nicely). The poster for The French Dispatch, manages it effortlessly, however. The frankly ridiculous lineup of superstar actors includes Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Léa Seydoux, Timothée Chalamet and Benicio Del Toro. Aznarez gives all these stars, and more, their own dedicated space to shine, along with tantalising details hinting at their character. Owen Wilson wears a beret, Timothée Chalamet takes a bath, Léa Seydoux does something involving a gun. What can it all mean?! What can we glean about the story from these details? There's plenty to unpick here. The trailer is due to drop today, and The French Dispatch will arrive in UK cinemas on 24 July. Read more: Is this the defining movie poster trend of the decade? Check out these incredible posters for movies that never happened A designer's guide to printing a poster View the full article

The International Paralympics Committee (IPC), which organises the Paralympic Games, previously had a pretty messy identity, which many would struggle to recall. That looks set to change as North has overhauled the brand, helping it become more cohesive, energetic and more able to cope with the demands of the digital age. And just in time for Tokyo 2020, too. First up, the Paralympics logo, the Agitos, has been refreshed. The changes are subtle, but important (and sometimes that's all it takes, as our logo design guide notes). The previous shape was being used in a variety of ways (it was apparently, sometimes even used backwards). North has redrawn the three lines to make them more symmetrical, and also tweaked the colours, so they're now in line with the blue, red and green of the Olympic rings. These small changes have a big impact: the whole thing looks a lot more purposeful. Small change, big difference Based on this revised symbol, North has also created a visual system that doesn't always rely on photography. A new typeface, named New Hero, helps the energetic feel come to life across a range of brand assets. The new system works with a variety of assets The new identity was announced in October 2019 and is slowly being rolled out over the next year. It applies to everything from style guidelines to the IPC's video channels. North has produced some sample brand assets to show how the new identity could be used And with all eyes on Tokyo this summer, and this striking new look for the Paralympics, it looks like this year's games will be more memorable than ever. To get you in the mood, why not check out these Olympic posters? Or if you're feeling a little more catty towards Olympic branding, then see how the Paris 2024 logo was mercilessly mocked. Read more: Is this Paris 2024 Olympic logo better than the original? Designers react to the Tokyo Olympics logo KFC's Valentine's Day card range is unexpected genius View the full article

Tech fans from all over the globe gathered last night for Samsung's first smartphone event of 2020, Unpacked. And the South Korean company didn't keep audiences waiting, kicking things off with the Galaxy Z Flip, a brand new foldable smartphone, swiftly followed by the hotly anticipated Galaxy S20. Based on what we saw at Unpacked, we've no doubt the Galaxy S20 will soon hold a very prominent position in our round up of the best camera phones, which we'll have more on soon. But for now, the focus of this article is very much on the Galaxy Z Flip... First things first, it looks good. Seriously, when it comes to gadgets, this pocket-sized device's appearance is super-cool. While a smartphone clearly created in the 21st century, the Z Flip's unmistakable nod back to some the best flip phones of the early 2000s gives it a wonderfully nostalgic charm. We weren't surprised to see the Z Flip's price tag placed significantly higher ($1,380/approx £1,300) than many other smartphones currently on the market. It's unique form factor is no doubt the driving force behind that decision. However, for such a high cost, the Z Flip needs to balance its style with a shedload of substance. And, on closer inspection, the latter is, initially, not something we're completely sold on. Samsung's marketing director Rebecca Hirst introduced the device, saying: "With this phone, we have done the impossible, creating ultra-thin glass that folds." There's no question that overcoming such a huge design challenge is impressive. However Nilay Patel on Twitter was quick to point out the small print on the Z Flip's launch video, highlighting a maybe less than desirable result of the folding glass. Blink and you'll miss it in the tweet below, but just five seconds into the video, text appears stating users may notice a small crease at the centre of the main screen. Now, this might just be us, but if we're shelling out well over a thousand dollars for a new phone, a crease anywhere on the screen, least of all the middle, is really not ideal. We obviously yet to see if this is actually the case, and if so, what impact it really has on the display, but it's a concern also shared by others... During the Z Flip's unveiling, Hirst was also very keen to showcase the phone's outward-facing screen, which is visible when closed, and outward-facing camera, perfect for selfies. While we didn't see it up close, Hirst's demonstration made us wonder how a screen so small could be used to display anything that could actually be seen without holding it very close to your face. Having said all that, we do really like the Z Flip's Flex Mode, which gives it an almost miniature laptop feel. In Flex Mode, the phone is half open, and can sit unaided with the screen effectively split in two. A novel feature for the user, but something app developers may need to consider if this device really takes off. Flex Mode also removes the need for a tripod, which could be a big plus for content creators (dependant on camera quality, of course). Without actually getting our hands on the Galazy Z Flip, it's hard to say if its performance and functionality measures up to it's unique design. One thing's for sure, it certainly has the 'wow' factor, for now at least. The Galaxy Z Flip will be released in the US and UK on Friday 14 February 2020. For full specs and purchasing information, visit the Samsung website. After a different Galaxy device? Here are the top models, at the very best prices, in your area: View the full article

Tech fans from all over the globe gathered tonight for Samsung's first smartphone event of 2020, Unpacked. And the South Korean company didn't keep audiences waiting, kicking things off with the Galaxy Z Flip, a brand new foldable smartphone, swiftly followed by the hotly anticipated Galaxy S20. Based on what we saw tonight, we've no doubt the Galaxy S20 will soon hold a very prominent position in our round up of the best camera phones, which we'll have more on soon. But for now, the focus of this article is very much on the Galaxy Z Flip... First things first, it looks good. Seriously, when it comes to gadgets, this pocket-sized device's appearance is super-cool. While a smartphone clearly created in the 21st century, the Z Flip's unmistakable nod back to some the best flip phones of the early 2000s gives it a wonderfully nostalgic charm. We weren't surprised to see the Z Flip's price tag placed significantly higher ($1,380/approx £1,300) than many other smartphones currently on the market. It's unique form factor is no doubt the driving force behind that decision. However, for such a high cost, the Z Flip needs to balance its style with a shedload of substance. And, on closer inspection, the latter is, initially, not something we're completely sold on. Samsung's marketing director Rebecca Hirst introduced the device, saying: "With this phone, we have done the impossible, creating ultra-thin glass that folds." There's no question that overcoming such a huge design challenge is impressive. However Nilay Patel on Twitter was quick to point out the small print on the Z Flip's launch video, highlighting a maybe less than desirable result of the folding glass. Blink and you'll miss it in the tweet below, but just five seconds into the video, text appears stating users may notice a small crease at the centre of the main screen. Now, this might just be us, but if we're shelling out well over a thousand dollars for a new phone, a crease anywhere on the screen, least of all the middle, is really not ideal. We obviously yet to see if this is actually the case, and if so, what impact it really has on the display, but it's a concern also shared by others... During the Z Flip's unveiling, Hirst was also very keen to showcase the phone's outward-facing screen, which is visible when closed, and outward-facing camera, perfect for selfies. While we didn't see it up close, Hirst's demonstration made us wonder how a screen so small could be used to display anything that could actually be seen without holding it very close to your face. Having said all that, we do really like the Z Flip's Flex Mode, which gives it an almost miniature laptop feel. In Flex Mode, the phone is half open, and can sit unaided with the screen effectively split in two. A novel feature for the user, but something app developers may need to consider if this device really takes off. Flex Mode also removes the need for a tripod, which could be a big plus for content creators (dependant on camera quality, of course). Without actually getting our hands on the Galazy Z Flip, it's hard to say if its performance and functionality measures up to it's unique design. One thing's for sure, it certainly has the 'wow' factor, for now at least. The Galaxy Z Flip will be released in the US and UK on Friday 14 February 2020. For full specs and purchasing information, visit the Samsung website. After a different Galaxy device? Here are the top models, at the very best prices, in your area: View the full article