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  1. Posted · Report reply

    Some serious users of Houdini might say that the software is more of a 3D operating system, because of its complexity and versatility. The newest release, 17 or Banshee, is the heaviest release in recent years. As usual, the dev team at SideFX have focused mostly on the effects modules, but have also touched on almost all other parts of Houdini, so just listing all of the new features and enhancements would take a while.

    As you may have noticed in previous releases, many new features are ‘by TDs, for TDs’ kind of tools and the low-level, hard-coded ones are throttled back. It’s the same with this version, and we’ve got quite a few new, ready-to-cook shelf tools that will help you create stunning 3D art.

    Houdini 17: New tools

    Houdini 17

    This new release has a range of new tools and features added

    One of the best is the new Whitewater tool, which realistically simulates self collision, cohesion etc for all foam, spray and bubble effects emitted from any kind of FLIP simulations. In the previous versions it was a much simpler particle system.

    There was always the opportunity to enhance the simulation with custom modifications or even custom solvers, but usually the rush of a production doesn’t allow for such fidelity chasing, which ends up with 'looks good, but I feel that something is wrong' results. On top of this, clients are looking for rapid results, so features such as a one-click Perfect Storm tool can be a real advantage, at least as a high-level starting point.

    Houdini 17: Node-based architecture

    In Houdini the TD work, node network building and coding are friends, not enemies. Most of the simulation and procedural tools are put together by TDs at SideFX, with high-level node networks inside. These are based on deeper-level node networks, either with top-down operators and left-right VOPs. The coded nodes can be open source (VEX, the programming language of Houdini and OpenCL) or ‘baked’ ones. 

    The solvers themselves work in this way, thus the nodes and tools that come with Vellum – the biggest new feature in this release – are fully transparent, like the Pyro and other solvers, and aren’t black boxes as is the case in other software. We can dive into them, even unlock and modify or rebuild these networks inside. 

    For problem solving, the opportunity to rewire almost anything in Houdini feels for me much more natural and direct than writing code, as basically there are circuits connected to each other in the computer’s memory and processor. I think this is the most fundamental advantage of Houdini compared with many other 3D packages. 

    The disadvantage of this node-based open architecture is that in simpler scenes it feels slower than a similar one in a hard-coded software. However, with heavy scenes the extra processing time consumed by the node-based architecture is relatively insignificant. Furthermore, the low-level VOP networks can perform as fast as a hard-coded module.

    Houdini 17: Vellum

    Vellum statue in Houdini 17

    The fabric on this statue was added from Vellum, then rendered with Optix

    Vellum is a brand-new, GPU-accelerated multi-physics engine based on the new XPBD model, a particle-based dynamics system for a broad range of usage. There are Vellum shelf tools for cloth, inflated objects, hair, grains and a faster alternative for simulations where we used FEM before, like tissue and other soft bodies. Luckily, Vellum nodes are also available in the SOP context, so it’s convenient to use them for simulation-based modelling or to simplify the scene structure, without the need for a separate DOP network.

    Houdini 17: The downsides

    As a look dev/lighting artist, I have used software such as Maya, 3ds Max and Clarisse in production, but have often found myself in a situation where I felt them to be quite restrictive. However, the weakest area of Houdini is still the UI and user-software interaction in general. SideFX has enhanced them a lot during the last decade, but there are still annoying flaws with the viewports, the IPR and some other functions are quite laggy (the Esc key and Manual update are our friends), especially when comparing with Clarisse. Coming from Maya, many parts of the docs felt weak and unhelpful. It seems that VFX artists just can’t get away from software-related frustrations.

    That’s why I went back periodically to other software and did not transition fully to Houdini. The final decisive factor that made me put those other software aside though was stability issues. The most annoying thing is having to restart and reload the scene every few minutes. Of course Houdini isn’t bug-free – in H17 I ran into multiple crashes and broken features which work fine in H16.5 – but usually as time goes on the dev team at SideFX really consider the bug reports and release bug fixes on a daily basis, and a new production build every month. The customer support is great, and every time I received quick and helpful answers. The community and the resources on the internet are also bold and helpful – as it should be.

    Get Houdini 17 Banshee from $269 per year

    Read more: The 10 best 3D movies

    View the full article

  2. Posted · Report reply

    It’s safe to say the simple days of web design are long gone. Designing for the internet used to be text and image working together to connect with the user. But with the growth of mobile and social media, as well as a younger generation of consumers, sites now have to suit new behaviours and expectations.

    The biggest drivers of this shift have undoubtedly been Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as over the last decade they’ve essentially changed how web traffic is funnelled, building entirely new user journeys. That’s ultimately a path we’re still on – as it continues to evolve around us now – but there are already some clear lessons that we, as web designers, can learn and factor into builds.

    01. Tailor your content to fit your audience

    If you look at Instagram, the platform has typically attracted a younger audience, but today there’s an older demographic that’s getting involved. That has in turn had an impact on how we use it, as often now the image to copy ratio per post is tailored to each specific audience – younger versus older audiences.

    For example, Gatwick Airport’s Humans of Gatwick series on Instagram has a very long caption aimed at a more mature audience who will read all of it, whereas Adidas focused more on the visual and less on the copy when releasing the new Solar Boost range, aimed at younger consumers.

    The lesson here for web design is to tailor the image to text ratio of your design to each specific audience. Adapting and introducing this level of audience understanding helps smoothly transition a user from social media to when they arrive on the website, thus helping to set the site’s content hierarchy as a whole.

    02. Keep your website's brand and social consistent

    On Twitter, my design team often use a large font in images, so users don’t need to click to expand to be able to consume the message. This font is something that, when designing for web, we will connect to the first line of the website, so a user can in turn connect the two and not get lost from the initial interaction from social.

    Continuity is key, so we would either follow on from or directly replicate it using the font and message so it has brand consistency across all channels, be it social or website. Font consistency builds brand awareness and helps to become an icon for the client or company. For a list of the best fonts to use online, see our post on web fonts.

    03. Establish your online presence with a colour scheme

    There is a single flat colour trend on social media at the moment that sees influencers and celebrities build and stick to a specific colour scheme for their profiles or a specific colour grading for their YouTube or Instagram Stories footage. 

    These seemingly subtle colour choices can connect with the target audience, and in turn make the overall theme synonymous with that content creator. It’s a brand guideline but not as we typically know it and there are lessons for web designers. 

    Taking this trend of subtle colour changes or consistent background colour to the front end of a website helps connect to the specific audience that is coming from social media. This system is perfect for a campaign, for example, as the colour theme enables a campaign to stand out on its own while still not straying too far from the core branding.

    04. Use patterns to get recognised

    Burberry recently had a huge brand design overhaul and used the same monogram pattern across all of its social media channels and on its website. As designers, it’s common to hide such patterns in the background and lower the opacity so that they’re nearly non-existent but Burberry did the complete opposite of this, featuring the patterns in its imagery and thus drawing the user’s attention to it.

    It’s a fashion-focused way of using patterns on clothing and accessories, but this tactic instantly changed the way people recognised the pattern and proved that less isn’t always more. It’s an easy way to build brand recognition across social media, online and in physical spaces, which is something I’d expect to see more of moving forward.

    05. Create social-specific landing pages

    Most social media platforms have a mobile-first way of thinking, which means we design with mobile at the heart of a website. But it’s not always the case. Some clients have multiple campaigns across three different social channels, which means something that was once a one-size-fits-all website turns into three sizes then back into one.

    In these cases, web designers should look at designing different landing pages or sub-pages that connect better with the audience or content from each social channel a user is being directed from.

    This responsiveness, alongside repetition and consistency, are key design lessons from social media. However, if you wander too far from the tree, you risk losing the fresh pickings, so my advice would be to not get too hooked up on social media. Use the lessons here but don’t let them define your design.

    This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 313 or subscribe.

    Related articles:

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  3. Posted · Report reply

    If you want to improve your drawing, then you need to spend some time practising. But it needn't all be serious, hard work. Every now and then, it's good to kick back and do something fun and relaxing. And these excellent drawing games are a great way to do just that.

    Along the way, some will help improve your ability to draw straight lines, curves or circles, and if you need some more help, be sure to check out our more in-depth how to draw tutorials. Other apps will help boost your imagination. And some are just plain fun, and a way to de-stress after a hard day's creative work. 

    Read on as we reveal our favourite drawing games on the market for iOS and Android users right now.

    Drawing games that build your technical skills

    Do you want to work on your basic motor skills but in a fun way? Learn the principles of symmetry, how to draw complex symbols at speed, and the all-important skill of drawing a perfect circle with these great digital drawing games, all free to download.

    01. Circle Draw

    Screenshots from Circle Draw

    Draw a circle and your efforts will be rated by a cute cat!

    Learning to draw a perfect circle freehand is one of the most useful skills an artist can develop, and this game trains you to do just that. Not only do you get a score each time you draw a circle, you get a cute cat to comment on it too. 

    It’s a simple idea, but this iOS drawing game by Thomas Denney executes it perfectly. And while it might not sound that exciting, it’s actually extremely addictive!

    02. Draw Tile

    Screenshot from Draw Tile

    Complete the design based on the principles of symmetry

    Draw Tile is another game that helps you develop your motor skills in drawing simple shapes. Each picture is divided into four squares, or tiles, and the first one is already filled in. You simply have to follow the guidelines in the other four squares to complete the picture, based on the principles of symmetry (vertical axis, horizontal axis, dual axial and radial). 

    It sounds simple, but depending on the steadiness of your hand and your manual dexterity, it can be quite tricky, and the app will only let you proceed to the next picture once you’ve done a good enough job. 

    There are 490 levels, and the images get more and more complex as you progress. Again, it’s a surprisingly addictive challenge. 

    03. Impossible Draw

    Screenshot from Impossible Draw

    Complex symbols appear as you zoom through 3D environments, and you need to replicate them quickly

    Want a drawing game that’s a bit more challenging? Impossible Draw asks you to copy a series of symbols as you zoom through a 3D sci-fi style environment. It’s a great way to practise drawing a series of unique and unusual shapes accurately and quickly (you only have seconds to spare). 

    Because you barely have time to think, it’s a great way to internalise your drawing lines and shapes precisely skills. The app is free to download, and although you can pay for extra graphics, music and effects, you don’t really need them.

    Drawing games: 'Draw and guess' 

    We’ve all enjoyed a classic game of Pictionary in our time: drawing something against the clock and challenging others to guess it. Well, these apps all offer the same experience but in a digital environment, without any need to clear up a tree’s worth of paper from the floor afterwards.

    04. Draw and Guess 

    Screenshot from Draw n Guess

    Draw and Guess lets you play a Pictionary-style game with players around the world

    Draw and Guess is a fun drawing game created by Danijel Lombarovic and inspired by Pictionary. You’re offered three words to choose from, and your task is to draw one of them, while the other players guess what it is. 

    There are multiple game modes, so you have the option of playing with friends, playing with other players from around the world, drawing words for practice, or just guessing what others’ drawings are. Also note that you can play in either English or German.

    05. Draw Something Classic

    Screenshot from Draw Something Classic

    Draw Something Classic is played by millions around the world

    Probably the world’s best-known social drawing game, this classic app has been responsible for more than seven billion drawings since it was first released in 2012. You can play with friends and family or people around the globe, and it’s all very colourful and a lot of fun. However, do be warned that there are lots of ads and solicitations, which can be distracting.

    06. Pictionary

    Drawing of someone playing Pictionary on a phone

    The original Pictionary has a digital version too

    We’re not sure what took they so long, but a good five years after 'Draw Something' (above) had dominated the drawing game space, Pictionary themselves finally released a digital version of their iconic game. While it’s similar to other copycat games, the unique thing about Pictionary, as in the physical version, is the challenge of drawing esoteric words and phrases like  ‘cool as a cucumber’ or ‘dignity’. 

    Note, though, that there’s no multiplayer mode and, as with Draw Something, there are an awful lot of irritating ads.

    07. SketchParty TV

    A hand drawing a rocket

    SketchParty TV is a Pictionary-style game for Apple TV users

    SketchParty TV is a Pictionary-like drawing game for the Apple TV. Typically, each player gets five words to draw in two minutes, while others guess. You draw on your iPhone or iPad, and the results appear up on your smart television. 

    Up to eight players can join a team, and by gathering everyone around the TV in this way, this is a great game for getting the whole family involved. Also, if you get bored of the word lists, you can pay extra to create your own.

    Drawing games: Construction

    Drawing against the clock can be fun, but sometimes you'd rather spend a bit more time crafting something more complex. These drawing games based around construction give you a great sandbox to unleash your imagination and create something truly unique and personal to you.

    08. Draw Your Game 2

    The same drawing on paper and on a screen

    Draw an environment on paper, photograph it, and then play a game based on the world you've created

    Want to draw your own video game? Draw Your Game 2 by Kacem Bekri lets you do just that. You draw the game environment not on a screen but using physical pens, pencils and paper. You then use the app to take a picture of your drawing, and in a few seconds your game will be playable. 

    You can also create on the go, by drawing inside the game, and you can share your designs with players around the world. All in all, it's a great way to stimulate artistic creativity for both children and adults.

    09. Mini Metro

    Screengrab of Mini Metro

    Design your own public transit system with this fun game

    Frustrated by your commute? This quirky iOS drawing game gives you the chance to put the world to rights by penciling your own metropolitan transit system. You have plenty of options: build your home town's network in meticulous detail, make a massive city with a large fleet of trains, or construct geometric patterns and record looping gifs. It’s all very slick, and gives you a fascinating insight into the challenges of planning public transport, as well as being terrific fun.

    10. Draw Bricks

    Screengrab of Draw Bricks

    Design scenes using Lego-style virtual blocks

    Draw Bricks takes place in a 3D space that lets you free your imagination and create whatever you want. There are more than 200 objects that you can customise, or you can build things using LEGO-style blocks that have different textures, such as grass, wood and stone. 

    With the freedom to rotate the camera and art tools such as Pencil, Eraser, Paint Bucket, Move, Rotate and Character Control, this is a fun way to construct your own 3D worlds, for both kids and adults missing their childhood Lego sets.

    Drawing games: Puzzles and physics  

    These games all involve drawing, but not pictures. Instead, you draw simple lines, curves or shapes in order to solve a puzzle or send a moving object in a particular direction. In short, they are little to do with artistic talent and will teach you little about how to draw. But they are fun, require not much brainpower and can be a marvellous way to relax!

    11. One Touch Drawing

    Screengrab from One Touch Drawing

    This brain training game gets you to draw lines in increasingly challenging ways

    One Touch Drawing is a brain training game to help improve your concentration. The aim is to draw a set of provided figures, using only one stroke each time. The typical challenge is that you cannot draw the same line twice. 

    As you progress through the hundreds of levels (all free), you’re faced with extra challenges, such as a line that must be passed twice, or a one-directional line. Simple to pick up and play, this game is a great way to unwind and take your mind off things at the end of a busy day.

    12. Draw Line: Classic

    Screengrab from Draw Line Classic

    Match dots on a grid in this drawing puzzle

    Draw Line: Classic is a logic puzzle drawing game where you have to pair up all the matching dots on the grid with single continuous lines. Dots have to fall at the end of each line, and lines can't branch off or cross over each other. There are more than 1,000 free levels, and you get five free hints during your first game. Early levels are quite straightforward, but the game becomes increasingly challenging as you progress.

    13. Physics Drop

    Screengrab from Physics Drop

    Get the ball into the 'U' by drawing lines

    Physics Drop is an animated puzzle in which you have to push a ball and then draw lines and/or polygons for it to travel along. The ball, lines and shapes react to the law of gravity, and it all feels quite natural, despite being a little surreal. Essentially an educational game, it features more than 100 physics problems that help you practise your problem solving skills, creative thinking and reflexes.

    14. Stickman Racer Road Draw

    Screengrab from Stickman

    Guide Stickman to safety by drawing lines and shapes

    Stickman Racer Road Draw is a physics-based racing game by Sergey Mezhakov, in which your job is to draw the roads and keep your car safe through a series of obstacles. If you want a fun, fast-moving game that’s a bit more adrenaline-packed than the more cerebral puzzlers mentioned previously this section, this is worth a try.

    15. Draw your car

    Screengrab from Draw Your Car

    Draw your car, then draw the roads it travels on

    Draw Your Car by Alex Naronov is similar to Stickman Racer Road Draw (above) in that you draw the lines your car drives along. As the title suggests, the twist is that you also get to draw the car you play with. 

    You’re sent on missions, where you collect coins, and you can save and share your car drawings. Overall, while there’s nothing hugely original in this game, it's very playable, colourful, and fun for kids and grown-ups alike. 

    Read more:

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    Need to make a website, but lack any web page building knowledge? No problem! Page Builder Pro will help you create a professional, mobile and SEO-friendly website with absolutely no prior programming knowledge. And it's currently on sale for 94 per cent off the $745 MSRP for just $39.

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    Already have some HTML skills? Don't worry, Page Builder also lets you create things from scratch if you're in more of a DIY mood.

    Get this lifetime subscription to Page Builder Pro today for just $39.

    Want your products featured in The Creative Bloq Shop? Learn more about how to sell your products online!

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  5. Posted · Report reply

    Behance has long been known as a go-to place to find the best creative work from around the world. Since its inception, the online portfolio platform become a inspirational resource for everyone in the creative community, whether that be as an artist wanting to get their work out to the masses or an employer searching for new talent.  

    However, with the arrival of multiple no-coding, easy-to-use website builders in recent years, its fair to say Behance started to lose a bit of its lustre. But that all looks set to change, with the company yesterday revealing brand new Behance profile (see above) and project pages to better showcase creatives work.

    And we think they've certainly fulfilled that brief, especially when you compare the new profile page (above) to the previous version (see below). 

    Yms6bh6mMLDpvCWwxMNvUP.jpg

    The previous Behance profile page has undergone a serious makeover

    Bigger and better 

    The all-new Behance profile page has been updated to feature larger, single cover images to really let the work do all the talking. And the text that was once immediately visible below the images - name of the project, likes and views - can now be seen by simply hovering over each project. 

    There's also now the option for creatives to upload a custom banner image to their Behance profile. A subtle but hugely beneficial feature to add personality and keep a profile on brand. And it's ridiculously easy to set up, using a simple drag and drop/reposition system with a image of your choice. More information on adding Behance profile banners can be found here.  

    2uUefup6Ztj4cv2R8uyZsX.jpg

    Add a touch of personality and stay on brand with a new Behance profile banner 

    The best presentation

    And the updates don't stop there. The Behance team has also updated the layout of individual project pages to help creatives present their work in the best possible way, and at the same time making it easier for viewers to appreciate it. 

    Full project images fill the screen, with project and creator information at both the top and bottom and actions including share, save, follow and appreciate present the entire time. 

    It's clear Behance and Adobe has pulled out all the stops for this update, bringing the online platform up-to-date and inline with other highly visual platforms like Pinterest. Question is, will this be enough to fully put Behance back on the map? Watch this space. 

    View the full article

  7. Posted · Report reply

    In this rapidly evolving digital age, posting work online provides an easy way to get your work out to the world. However, with that comes the risk that it might get used without your permission. 

    Over the past 12 months, we've seen many examples of blatant plagiarism within the design and creative community, many of which involve large companies using copied artwork in major marketing campaigns. Big brands should definitely know better, and yet that doesn’t seem to stop them taking independent designers’ work from  design portfolios, Instagram accounts, or even Pinterest boards, and passing it off as their own, as some of these shocking examples below demonstrate. 

    But what can you do about it? The truth is, it's a bit of a legal, not to mention confusing, minefield, which very much depends on the situation. We’ll be posting a follow-up article offering professional legal advice on how creatives should respond to plagiarism soon; you can also check out our post: how can designers deal with plagiarism? 

    01. A superhero has my back

    Two jackets with the same slogan

    Jo Tutchener-Sharper was shocked when Asda used her brand’s slogan on its clothes without getting permission first

    It’s bad enough when you see your brand appear on a big company’s products without any acknowledgement or royalties. But when that brand is based on a profoundly emotional period in your life, it’s even worse. And that’s exactly what happened to Jo Tutchener-Sharper, founder of independent clothing brand Scamp & Dude.

    Jo originally came up with the slogan ‘a superhero has my back’ when she was in hospital recovering from brain surgery. “I was so scared that I wouldn't make it through the surgery and would end up leaving my boys without a mummy,” she wrote on Instagram. “A horribly hard thing to go through, but it was this that inspired me to create a brand that helps children feel more secure when apart from their loved ones. A Superhero certainly had my back and I made it through the surgery and Scamp & Dude launched into [Liberty London] 10 months later.”

    The brand was not only a hit, but Scamp & Dude went on to work with a number of charities and hospitals to help children in similar situations as Jo's. So when she saw a top from UK supermarket chain Asda featuring the exact same slogan, despite the fact she had already trademarked it, she had a ready made community of supporters to draw on via social media. 

    Two young girls wearing Scamp & Dude clothes

    The slogan had been trademarked, so Asda had no excuse for using it

    It wasn’t long before her story had been covered in The Independent, The Daily Star, The Daily Mail and The Sun. Jo wrote on Instagram at the time: “So many small brands don’t stand up to the big guys when this happens, put off by expensive legal bills. But by not speaking out and not drawing attention to what goes on, means it continues to happen. 

    “This means a lot to me, so I’m doing this for all of the small brands who need a voice. Big brands need to learn that this is not acceptable. I feel like David taking on Goliath but everyone’s support is making me feel like I can do just that.”

    Finally, after fully pursuing the issue, about about six weeks after her first social media post, Jo came to an agreement with Asda, posting on Instagram: "I am very relieved and happy to report that we have come to a suitable agreement with Asda. Asda removed the garment in question from sale on 23rd Feb and we have now agreed full terms of compromise, including compensation. We are happy with the way this has been resolved. A huge thank you to everyone for supporting us, it means the world."

    02. Plucked from Pinterest

    Sometimes when a big company rips off your work, it’s not the lack of credit or royalties that stings the most; it’s the thought that people will actually think an inferior version of your design is your own work. 

    That was the case for Morag Myerscough, an award-winning London-based artist known for her colourful and distinctive installations, when she discovered the Unicenter shopping centre in Buenos Aires had a new installation that was striking similar to her own works, Temple of Agape 2014 and Super Structure 2015. Worse still, the artist who had carried out the work actually had the cheek to sign the piece! 

    After Myerscough complained loudly on social media, she got them to admit the plagiarism publicly. “Basically the branding/production company were shamed into owning up," she recalls. "And the artist who put her name to the visual work took everything down from her site, and implied she'd signed it as the team leader of the painting team rather than the artist’s signature.

    “The branding company said they went on Pinterest, pulled off what they liked and presented to their client. Mine was chosen, so they just copied it and seemed to think this was okay (the client implied they were unaware of this). They probably thought they would not be caught out as it was a long way away. 

    “Finally, they did agree to put money to a social project, but my work took over and I was not looking for compensation. I just wanted to show them that it was not ethically right to steal people's work and pass it off as their own. I do regret not following it up, but I just did not have the energy at the time as my mum had died at Christmas and the first few months of year zapped a lot of my energy.”

    The main thing is I don’t want people to think the bad copies are mine

    Morag Myerscough

    Because she didn’t pursue the company in court, Myerscough is not bound by a legal gag clause and is therefore free to speak her mind on the matter. “They have been other copies since and probably before, but they are so bad,” she says. “The main thing is I don’t want people to think the bad copies are mine. I think it's important to OUT these people, and prevent big agencies to make money from work that has taken many years to achieve and not just let people use the word ‘INSPIRED BY’ to copy their work without speaking with them.”

    03. Unduly influenced 

    Apology on Instagram, next to a big black square

    Influencer Daryl Aiden Yow, who has worked with many big brands, removed all images from his site after presenting other photographers’ work as his own

    In 2018, global brands seem to be falling over themselves to work with influencers: people with huge social media followings who promise to help them reach new demographics. But with the ‘influencer industry’ requiring zero training, entry requirements or legal knowledge, they may be playing with fire. 

    As a taster of what may be to come, Sony and Uniqlo were recently forced to issue embarrassing statements over their relationship with influencer-photographer Daryl Aiden Yow, who had claimed stock images and other people’s work as his own. 

    Although there is no suggestion that he did so in the course of work for Sony and Uniqlo, it was still an embarrassment for them to be associated with someone who had profited from the work of other creatives.

    Yow, who has over 120,000 followers, regularly posted "professionally shot" images from around the world on his Insta account. However, he was caught out when she shared a photo of flowers in bloom that he said had been taken in Thailand. As @armies_photography succinctly pointed out in the comments: 'Taken from Shutterstock. It's Japan'. 

    After news site Mothership highlighted 12 images that Yow had posted as being near-identical to the work of others, Yow deleted at the images on his Instagram page and has since posted one new image, a black square, with a comment apologising for his plagiarism. 

    This is a cautionary tale for influencers, companies tempted to collaborate with them, and creatives who may be at risk of having their work stolen by them. As well as Sony and Uniqlo, Yow had also worked with OPPO, Issey Miyake, Colgate and LANEIGE as an influencer.

    04. Military incursion

    The two similar logos side by side

    Nike aroused the ire of the social media masses by releasing a logo that looked alarmingly like the US Naval Academy’s traditional crest

    It's not just independent designers who are at risk of falling victim to plagiarism. It even happens to the largest and most prestigious of organisations. 

    You don’t get much bigger, in fact, than the US Navy. Yet that didn’t stop Nike from creating a logo, in collaboration with LA sportswear brand Undefeated, that was quickly said to be an infringement of the US Naval Academy’s historical seal, a trademarked design.

    The similarity between the military college's 1899 crest and Nike's logo for a soccerwear line called The Fives immediately blew up on social media. As a result, the Naval Academy issued a formal complaint, and Nike quickly apologised and withdrew the collection from sale. If only big firms would react as quickly when it's individual designers who make the same complaint.

    05. Celebrity endorsement

    Drew Barrymore's Instagram

    Marc Johns was alerted to copyright infringement of his work via Drew Barrymore

    When you’re a victim of design plagiarism, the more noise you can make on social media the better. And when this happened to Canadian illustrator Marc Johns, he had some unexpected help.

    He'd been alerted to the fact that South Korean kids’ fashion brand Jelly Mallow had used his artwork on a jacket without permission, because actress Drew Barrymore had posted a photo of her daughter wearing it. And the fame of its buyer not only brought the infringement to his attention, but gave him a fast route to whipping up a social storm.

    Johns posted about what had happened on Instagram and Twitter, and soon hundreds of people left comments on both Jelly Mallow's account and Drew Barrymore's own post. The actress herself soon responded, and the story turned out to have a very happy ending.

    "Jelly Mallow paid me royalties for all past usage of my designs, and we now have a new, ongoing licensing arrangement for them to use my artwork on future clothing collections," Johns explains. "Despite huge language barriers and time zone differences, Jelly Mallow has been very accommodating and transparent throughout the whole process, and very willing to make things right. Please make sure this is included in your article. They're good people." He's even now talking to Drew Barrymore's representatives about a possible project together.

    Many people have been surprised by this positive outcome, he adds. "But I have had good outcomes with other companies that have ripped me off in the past as well. It made me realise that other artists could probably use some help with this issue, so I ended up offering an online class on the subject.

    "I think there are still many many people and companies out there who are just plain clueless about copyright issues," Johns believes. "Most infringement cases are caused by ignorance more than deliberate theft: they think that if it's on the internet, it's free for them to use however they like. We need to do so much more to educate people that most images belong to someone. And sometimes that someone is an artist, trying to make a living and support a family."

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    Gillette has provoked an online backlash with a new advert that dares to suggest that traditional boorish male behaviour might not be cool after all.

    Released on Sunday, the #MeToo-inspired short film is called 'We Believe: The Best Men Can Be' – a smart play on Gillette's familiar tagline, 'The best a man can get'. It wastes no time in showing off the the worst that men can be, with a compilation of actions traditionally associated with toxic masculinity, before going on to showcase examples of how men can take action to be better people and set the right example for the next generation, through respect and inclusivity and by no longer justifying bad behaviour through language such as 'boys will be boys'.

    The ad has inevitably resulted in a furious online response; the video on YouTube has attracted, at the time of writing, 41,000 likes and 262,000 dislikes, and over on Twitter there's a tidal wave of petulant men's rights activist types on the #Gillette hashtag promising to boycott Gillette forever for daring to ask them to be decent human beings.

    This is the latest in a growing trend for adverts that challenge outdated views and dare to make a statement – although many of the controversial TV and print ads we've seen so far focus on the female side of things. 

    Of course it hasn't escaped people's attention that the ad was directed by a woman: it's the work of Kim Gehrig at Somesuch, who previously directed the 2015 'This Girl Can' campaign for Sport England (watch it below). Online commenters have been quick to single her out and accuse her of destroying Gillette (and, naturally, accuse her of being a 'feminazi').

    So why would Gillette go out of its way to provoke this sort of reaction? Gillette's not stupid; it will have known from the outset that exactly this sort of backlash would happen, it'll have done its research and come to the conclusion that the positives of this undeniably thoughtful and provocative campaign would greatly outweigh the negatives. And beyond the advert, Gillette is putting its money where its mouth is, with a commitment to donating $1 million per year to US nonprofits dedicated to helping men be their best.

    And while we're sure that some of the Gillette marketing team are keeping a nervous eye on the ever-rising tally of YouTube dislikes and Twitter rants, there has also been plenty of praise for the campaign.

    Although let's not go overboard here; others have been a bit more circumspect in their reaction.

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    Building interactive websites can involve sending JavaScript to your users. Often, too much of it. Have you been on a web page on your phone that looked like it had loaded, only to have nothing happen when you tapped a link or tried to scroll? We all have. 

    Byte-for-byte, JavaScript is still the most expensive resource we send to mobile phones because it can delay interactivity in significant ways. In this feature we'll cover some strategies for delivering JavaScript efficiently to your users on mobile, while still giving them a valuable experience. On this page, we'll dig into exactly what's causing the problem. Jump to page 2 for some advice on exactly how to reduce your JavaScript load times, including some web design tools to help you monitor your sites effectively.  

    Why is JS slowing your mobile sites down? 

    When users access your site, you're probably sending down a lot of files, many of which are scripts. Perhaps you added a quick JavaScript library or plugin but didn't have a chance to check just how much code it was pulling in? It's happened to many of us. As much as I love JavaScript, it's always the most expensive part of your site. I'd like to explain why this can be a major issue.

    Statistics from the HTTP Archive state of JavaScript report, July 2018

    Statistics from the HTTP Archive state of JavaScript report, July 2018

    Many popular sites ship megabytes of JavaScript to their mobile web users. The average web page today currently ship a little less – a median of about 350kB of minified and compressed JavaScript. Uncompressed, that bloats up to over 1MB of script a browser needs to process. Experiences that ship down this much JavaScript take more than 14 seconds to load and get interactive on mobile devices. 

    A large factor of this is how long it takes to download code on a mobile network and then process it on a mobile CPU. Not only can that 350kB of script for a median site from earlier take a while to download, the reality is, if we look at popular sites, they actually ship down a lot more script than this. We're hitting this ceiling across both desktop and mobile web, where sites are sometimes shipping multiple megabytes of code that a browser then needs to process. The question to ask is: can you afford this much JavaScript?

    Sites today will often send the following in their JavaScript bundles:

    • A suite of user-interface components (for example, code for widgets, carousels or drawers)
    • A client-side framework or user-interface library
    • Polyfills (often for modern browsers that don't need them)
    • Full libraries vs only what they use (for example, Moment.js and locales vs a smaller alternative like date-fns or Luxon)

    This code adds up. The more there is, the longer it will take for a page to load.

    Loading a modern web page

    Loading is a journey infographic

    Click the icon in the top right to expand the image

    Loading a web page is like a film strip that has three key moments: 

    • Is it happening? The moment you're able to deliver some content to the screen. Has the navigation started, has the server started responding?
    • Is it useful? The moment when you've painted text or content that enables the user to derive value from the experience and engage with it.
    • Is it usable? The moment when a user can start meaningfully interacting with the experience and have something happen.

    I mentioned this term 'interactive' earlier but what does that mean? For a page to be interactive, it must be capable of responding quickly to user input. A small JavaScript payload can ensure this happens fast. Whether a user clicks on a link or scrolls through a page, they need to see that something is actually happening in response to their actions. An experience that can't deliver on this will frustrate your users. 

    When a browser runs many of the events you're probably going to need, it's likely going to do it on the same thread that handles user input. This thread is called the main thread. Too much (main thread) JavaScript can delay interactivity for visible elements. This can be a challenge for many companies.

    Why is JavaScript so expensive?

    So why exactly is JavaScript causing these problems? A request is sent to a server, which then returns some HTML. The browser parses that markup and discovers the necessary code (CSS and JavaScript) and resources (images, fonts etc) composing it. Once complete, the browser has to download and process these files.

    If we want to be fast at JavaScript, we have to download it and process it quickly. That means we have to be fast at the network transmission and the parsing, compiling and execution of our scripts. If you spend a long time parsing and compiling script in a JavaScript engine, that delays how soon a user can interact with your experience. 

    processing times infographic

    Click the icon in the top right to enlarge

    Keep in mind that resources on the web have different costs. A 200kB script has a different set of costs to a 200kB JPG. They might take the same amount of time to download but when it comes to processing the costs aren't the same. 

    A JPEG image needs to be decoded, rasterised and painted on the screen. This can usually be done quickly. A JavaScript bundle needs to be downloaded and then parsed, compiled and executed. This can take longer than you might think on mobile hardware.

    What is a good target for interactivity?

    We on the Chrome team feel your baseline should be getting interactive in under five seconds on a slow 3G or 4G connection on a median mobile device. You might say: 'My users are all on fast networks and high-end phones!' But are they? You may be on 'fast' coffee-shop Wi-Fi but effectively only getting 2G or 3G speeds. Variability matters.

    infographic javascript

    Click the icon in the top right to expand the image

    Mobile is a spectrum composed of low-end, median and high-end devices. If we're fortunate, we may have a high-end phone, but the reality is that not all users will have those devices.

    They may be on a low-end or median phone and the disparity between these multiple classes of devices can be stark due to thermal throttling, difference in cache sizes, CPU, GPU – you can end up experiencing different processing times for resources like JavaScript, depending on the device you're using. Your users on low-end phones may even be in the US. 

    Some users won't be on a fast network or have the latest and greatest phone, so it's vital that we start testing on real phones and networks. Fast devices and networks can actually sometimes be slow; variability can end up reducing the speed of absolutely everything. Test on a real phone or at least with mobile emulation. Developing with a slow baseline ensures everyone – both on fast and slow setups – benefits. 

    infographic time to interactive google news

    Click the icon in the top right to expand the image

    Checking your analytics to understand what devices your users are accessing your site with is a useful exercise. WebPageTest has a number of Moto G4 phones preconfigured under the Mobile profiles. This is valuable in case you're unable to purchase your own set of median-class hardware for testing. 

    It's really important to know your audience. Not every site needs to perform well on 2G on a low-end phone. That said, aiming for a high level of performance across the entire spectrum ensures that every potential user accessing your site has a chance to load it up fast.

    Next page: Top tips for coding faster, lighter JavaScript

    Many small changes can lead to big gains. Enable users to interact with your site with the least amount of friction. Run the smallest amount of JavaScript to deliver real value. This can mean taking incremental steps to get there but, in the end, your users will thank you. Here's some advice for making that happen.

    Introduce code splitting

    Code splitting helps you break up your JavaScript so you only load the code a user needs upfront and lazy-load the rest. This helps avoid shipping a monolithic main.js file to your users containing JavaScript for the whole site versus just what the page needs. 

    JavaScript code-splitting

    Splitting large, monolithic JavaScript bundles can be done on a page, route or component basis

    The best approach to introduce code splitting into your site is using the dynamic import() syntax. What follows is an example of using JavaScript Modules to statically 'import' some math code. Because we're not loading this code dynamically (lazily) when it's needed, it will end up in our default JavaScript bundle. 

    After switching to dynamic import(), we can lazily pull in the math utilities when they are needed. This could be when the user is about to use a component requiring it, or navigating to a new route that relies on this functionality. Below we import math after a button click.

    When a JavaScript module bundler like Webpack sees this import() syntax, it starts code splitting your app. This means dynamic code can get pushed out into a separate file that is only loaded when it is needed.

    Code splitting can be done at the page, route or component level. Tools like Create React App, Next.js, Preact-CLI, Gatsby and others support it out of the box. Guides to accomplish this are available for React, Vue.js and Angular.

    If you're using React, I'm happy to recommend React Loadable, a higher-order component for loading components efficiently. It wraps dynamic imports in a nice API for introducing code splitting into an app at a given component. 

    Here is an example statically importing a gallery component in React:

    With React Loadable, we can dynamically import the gallery component as follows:

    Many large teams have seen big wins off the back of code splitting recently. In an effort to rewrite their mobile web experiences to make sure users were able to interact with their sites as soon as possible, both Twitter and Tinder saw up to a 50 per cent improvement in time to interactive when they adopted aggressive code splitting. 

    Audit your workflow

    Stacks like Next.js, Preact CLI and PWA Starter Kit try to enforce good defaults for quickly loading and getting interactive on average mobile hardware.

    Another thing many of these sites have done is adopt auditing as part of their workflow. Thankfully, the JavaScript ecosystem has a number of great tools to help with bundle analysis. Tools like Webpack Bundle Analyzer, Source Map Explorer and Bundle Buddy enable you to audit your bundles for opportunities to trim them down.

    Lighthouse audits

    Lighthouse runs a series of audits against a page and generates a report on it

    If you're unsure whether you have any issues with JavaScript performance, check out Lighthouse. Lighthouse is a tool baked into the Chrome Developer Tools and is also available as a Chrome extension. It gives you an in-depth analysis that highlights opportunities to improve performance.

    We've recently added support for flagging high JavaScript boot-up time to Lighthouse. This audit highlights scripts that might be spending a long time parsing/compiling, which delays interactivity. You can look at this audit as opportunities to either split up those scripts or just do less work.

    Check you're not shipping unused code

    infographic Javascript

    Click the icon in the top right to enlarge

    Another thing you can do is make sure you're not shipping unused code down to your users: Code Coverage is a feature in Chrome DevTools that alerts you to unused JavaScript (and CSS) in your pages. Load up a page in DevTools and the Coverage tab will display how much code was executed vs how much was loaded. You can improve the performance of your pages by only shipping the code that a user needs.

    This can be valuable for identifying opportunities to split up scripts and defer the loading of non-critical ones until they're needed. Thankfully, there are ways we can we can try to work around this and one way is having a performance budget in place.

    Devise a performance budget

    Performance budgets are critical because they keep everybody on the same page. They create a culture of shared enthusiasm for constantly improving the user experience and team accountability. Budgets define measurable constraints so a team can meet their performance goals. As you have to live within the constraints of budgets, performance is a consideration at each step, as opposed to an afterthought. Per Tim Kadlec, metrics for performance budgets can include:

    • Milestone timings: Timings based on the user experience loading a page (e.g. time-to-interactive). 
    • Quality-based metrics: Based on raw values (e.g. weight of JavaScript, number of HTTP requests), focused on the browser experience.
    • Rule-based metrics: Scores generated by tools such as Lighthouse or WebPageTest; often a single number or series to grade your site.

    Performance is more often a cultural challenge than a technical one. Discuss performance during planning sessions. Ask business stakeholders what their performance expectations are. Do they understand how performance can impact the business metrics they care about? Ask engineering teams how they plan to address performance bottlenecks. While the answers here can be unsatisfactory, they get the conversation started.

    What about tooling for performance budgets? You can set up Lighthouse scoring budgets in continuous integration with the Lighthouse CI project. A number of performance monitoring services support setting perf budgets and budget alerts including Calibre, Treo and SpeedCurve.

    4 quick ways to lessen JS load times

    Modern sites often combine all of their JavaScript into a single, large bundle. When JavaScript is served this way, download and processing times can be significant on mobile devices and networks. Here are a few tips for how to ensure you load your JavaScript quickly.

    01. Only load the JS required for the current page
    Prioritise what a user will need and lazy-load the rest with code splitting. This gives you the best chance at loading and getting interactive fast. Learn to audit your JavaScript code to discover opportunities to remove non-critical code.

    02. Optimise your JavaScript
    Use compression, minification and other JS optimisation techniques. Compression and minification are good optimisations for shipping fewer bytes of JavaScript to your users. If you’re already gzipping JavaScript, consider evaluating Brotli for even more savings. Building a site using Webpack and a framework? Tree shaking (removing unused imported code), trimming unused libraries and polyfills, opting for leaner versions of utilities all add up to some nice savings.

    03. Assess the UX benefits
    If client-side JavaScript isn’t benefiting the user experience, ask yourself if it’s really necessary. Maybe server-side-rendered HTML would actually be faster. Consider limiting the use of client-side frameworks to pages that absolutely require them. Server-rendering and client-rendering are a disaster if done poorly.

    04. Embrace performance budgets
    Embrace performance budgets and learn to live within them. For mobile, aim for a JS budget of < 170kB minified/compressed. Uncompressed this is still ~0.7MB of code. Budgets are critical to success; however, they can’t magically fix performance in isolation. Team culture, structure and enforcement matter.

    Resources

    Real-world performance budgets
    A deep-dive into why performance budgets matter. This guide by Alex Russell questions if we can afford all the JavaScript we load for users on median mobile phones given their impact on user experience. 

    Reducing JavaScript payloads with code splitting
    A practical guide to reducing how much JavaScript you’re loading Webpack or Parcel. It also includes links to code-splitting guides for React, Angular and others.

    Reducing JavaScript payloads with tree shaking
    Tree shaking is a form of dead code elimination. This guide covers how to remove JavaScript imports not being used in your web pages to help trim down your JavaScript bundles.

    Lighthouse
    Lighthouse is a free automated tool for improving the quality of web pages by the Chrome team. It has audits for performance, accessibility and more.

    Pinterest case study
    Pinterest reduced its JavaScript bundles from 2.5MB to < 200kB and reduced time-to-interactive from 23 seconds to 5.6 seconds. Revenue went up 44 per cent, sign-ups are up 753 per cent, weekly active users on mobile web are up 103 per cent. 

    AutoTrader case study
    AutoTrader reduced its JavaScript bundle sizes by 56 per cent and reduced time-to-interactive by ~50 per cent.

    This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 313 or subscribe.

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    Can you believe we're halfway through the first month of 2019 already? If you're feeling like time is passing you by, this creative trends report from Shutterstock should help you keep on top of what's going on in the world of design.

    In its latest annual report, the technology and stock photography company has analysed billions of image, video and music searches and downloads from its vast customer base. With this wealth of data, Shutterstock has been able to single out 11 styles that are set to influence and shape design throughout 2019.

    Top creative trends of 2019

    From its research, Shutterstock predicts that the aesthetics of yesteryear are set to make a comeback. An '80s look of decadence and overindulgence is in, while cute kawaii illustrations and tempting typography are also due to hit the big time. It's not all nostalgia and retro fonts though, as trends like Beyond Plastic highlight urgent environmental issues.

    Each of the trends are backed up with some solid search stats, so you know that these are the terms that people crave. However three creative trends for 2019 stood ahead of the pack...

    01. Yesterday's tomorrow 

    What’s old is new again. This trend is an optimistic redux of early-tech – a focus on what yesterday’s tomorrow looked like. It’s all about the looks and sounds that defined futurism at the dawn of the digital age, like purple, blue, and pink duotone gradients, basic vector graphics, and dreamy synth music.

    02. Zine culture

    In the digital age, zine culture lives on in the decentralised mindset of social media, where independent makers can share and niche groups can discover. Built on principles of collage and largely influenced by the invention of the photocopier, it’s paper cutouts, noise and grain textures, and rough-edged layers that define this trend.

    03. '80s opulence

    The ‘80s is back and it’s ready to party with gold chains, animal prints, and attitude. We say forget good taste, this is about good times. Clashing is the keyword for this trend. Think leopard print and snakeskin, peacock feathers and gold chain belts, soft fur and hard metal textures.

    Shutterstock's creative trends report

    "Even the most talented creative professionals sometimes want a little inspiration for their next big project and our Creative Trends report is here to help," says Lou Weiss, global Chief Marketing Officer of Shutterstock.

    "With over 1.5 million fresh new assets added weekly and millions of searchers using our platform, Shutterstock has volume of search and download data to predict the hottest trends and newest fads being driven by the design world.

    "We can’t wait to see these 2019 design themes come to life everywhere, from ad campaigns, to the catwalk, and in movies. This year, our top three trends are influenced by the bold design principles of years past, so it will be particularly interesting to see how they evolve with modern interpretations best suited for today’s digital platforms."

    Check out the trends set to dominate 2019 with the report below.

    Shutterstock 2019 trends infographic

    Click the image to see the full size infographic

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    Maybe your goal for 2019 is to find a job you love. And while crossing your fingers or praying might help – it might be time to take a step that could make your dream job a reality. The Resume Writing (CV) & LinkedIn Profile Optimization course serves as the perfect bridge to take you to your new life in your perfect gig. Though it typically retails for $199, it's available now for 94 per cent off at just $9.99. 

    Let's face it, job hunting is rough. How many jobs have you applied to online, only to never hear back from anyone? This comprehensive course helps make the quest for a perfect job a little easier. Among the new skills you'll pick up in the 1.5 hours of instruction? Three unforgettable elements to use in your LinkedIn tagline, the highest value keywords recruiters are using to search and how to avoid your resume getting caught in the bots that are filtering out more than 70 per cent of current online applicants.

    Get lifetime access to the Resume Writing (CV) & LinkedIn Profile Optimization course for the low price of $9.99 here. 

    Want your products featured in The Creative Bloq Shop? Learn more about how to sell your products online!

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    You're reading Top 17 Web Design and UI Trends for 2019, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+!

    Top 17 Web Design and UI Trends for 2019

    New year, new time to think about web design trends. The start of the year is a great time to look back on the previous year and your successes and look ahead to things that you want to improve and …

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    You're reading 15 Cool WordPress Themes You Should Use in 2019 For Your Projects, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+!

    Pofo

    Before you even think about starting to design a website for your business, you’ll probably spend lots of time thinking about its overall appearance and functionality. Transforming your vision into reality is understandably the hard part. You have to think …

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    fTeEMgauB4yBdwmpeSX3qU.jpg

    Without servers, the internet as we know it couldn’t exist. But these machines have a lot to live up to, with expectations of maximum availability, minimum downtime and near-flawless performance. Thankfully, the latest generation of server hardware is now being combined with innovations in cloud infrastructure to provide exceptional reliability, while also enabling highly flexible approaches to server hosting in a wide variety of scenarios.

    Running 24/7, dealing with large numbers of users simultaneously, and routinely handling sensitive data, servers face far greater demands than desktop machines. And when these pressures prove too much for consumer-grade technology, high availability can only be ensured by enterprise-level hardware.

    Models feature the latest generation of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, for top performance and reliability

    Specialised processors, such as Intel’s Xeon family, offer more cores and bigger cache sizes than desktop CPUs, as well as support for very large quotas of ECC RAM. With models now featuring the latest generation of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, Fasthosts Dedicated Servers deliver the performance and reliability demanded by mission-critical applications. 

    The newest storage technologies also bring major advantages to server use cases, with NVMe drives now accessing data up to six times faster than standard SSDs. In database-driven applications such as online shops with content-rich product details, the NVMe storage on Fasthosts Dedicated Servers helps to ensure a smooth and responsive customer experience.

    Custom configurations

    Obviously, hardware is a vital factor in server performance, but it’s not the whole story. With individual servers often working as nodes in a cluster, connectivity and the underlying platform make all the difference. Fasthosts allows single-tenant servers to be combined with virtual machines to create hybrid setups; 'virtual data centres' that provide custom configurations for specialised applications. 

    An ecommerce platform, for example, could use load-balanced VMs to efficiently manage website traffic, and dedicated hardware to securely handle customer details. Fasthosts servers also benefit from the performance and security of UK data centres, and with unlimited bandwidth, there are never any worries about exceeding data caps.

    A flexible solution

    These innovations clearly offer advantages – but do they make server hosting any more cost-effective? The good news is that the flexibility of the Fasthosts platform also extends to pricing. Dedicated Servers can be provisioned in just eight minutes and shut down at any time, and costs are tracked on a per-hour basis. 

    VMs can handle normal traffic levels, and be augmented with dedicated hardware when heavy processing is required

    Again, this flexibility enables custom configurations in different use cases: if demand is seasonal, VMs can handle normal traffic levels, and be augmented with dedicated hardware when heavy processing is required at busier times of year. 

    For intensive tasks like image rendering and big-data processing, too, the option to run dedicated hardware in short bursts is highly beneficial.

    Server applications can be extremely demanding, both on the machines and the wider infrastructure. But by taking cutting-edge hardware and combining it with innovative cloud-based technologies, the Fasthosts platform enables Dedicated Servers to work harder – and smarter. For server customers, the result is a better experience for end users and a more successful online presence.

    To find out more, please visit the Fasthosts website.

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    Preferences in user interface design shift and change all the time. In this article we take a look at the big trends that started bubbling up in 2018 and look set to explode this year – these are the themes you should be taking notice of. 

    Due to the fast transformations in the mobile industry, the boundaries of mobile app experiences are constantly changing. We’re expecting to see even more amazing innovations that will influence mobile app design trends in the upcoming year. 

    So without any further ado, let’s have a look at six hot UI trends to stick to this year, to help you learn how to create an app that's fit for 2019.  For more predictions, take a look at our thoughts on the big web trends on their way.

    01. Gesture-based interfaces

    In 2018, we saw a rise in 'edgeless' mobiles. Recent releases of buttonless smartphones from Google, Samsung and Apple will force mobile app designers to rethink their future creations. As well as offering a larger screen and more space for the interface to fill, the loss of buttons shifts the focus onto gesture-based interaction.

    There are plenty of in-app gestures that can significantly change mobile UI design, making it sleeker, more modern and more effective. The above GIF shows how an encyclopedia app uses gesture-based interaction (design by Tubik Studio). Currently, the vast majority of apps use in-app gestures to speed up common interactions. For instance, you can double-tap a photo on Instagram and Dribbble instead of pressing the 'Like' button. 

    Where the gesture/response isn't well known, your users might benefit from adding a simple animation showing how the movement works as part of the onboarding process.

    02. Face ID

    Face ID is another recent and noteworthy addition to the UI design toolbox. It was amongst the hottest trends of 2018 will continue to grow in popularity in 2019. While Face ID-ing is currently mainly used to enable users to unlock their phones without having to enter a PIN, we're starting to see designers incorporating this technology into their mobile apps, too. Above is the PaperFace app concept by Rashid Sharif.

    Do you remember all your passwords? With Face ID, there's no need to. Face ID offers an amazing opportunity for UI designers to smooth out the user flow and, used correctly, helps customers feel more secure. We predict that 2019 will see this technology being much more widely used, especially within ecommerce app design.

    03. Neutral interfaces

    Lifenr app

    Lifenr takes a stripped-back approach to app design

    We're seeing a rise in graphic designers stripping away decorative elements within their apps until the user interface becomes almost invisible. Content-first layouts help focus the user's attention and enable them to consume the content without being distracted.

    While neutral interfaces bring a lot of benefits, they also pose a challenge for app designers. The main issue is that such interfaces look very similar to one another, and it becomes harder to create a truly memorable experience. Smart use of typography is one way to overcome this issue and help give a pared-back app more personality.

    04. Animated visuals

    According to Prezi's 2018 State of Attention report, our ability to maintain focus has actually improved over time, but the audience has become more selective in the content they choose to consume. One way to ensure your audience stays engaged is through clever use of animated visuals.

    The use of video on social media perfectly exemplifies how animated visuals can replace written content. Short and precise videos can retain people's attentions more easily than traditional written content, while still offering plenty of information. 

    Mobile UI designers can tap into this theme to help keep their audiences engaged. Using videos or animation you can demonstrate new app features, show how to do a certain task, or convey other important information effectively. For inspiration, take a look that the explainer video of Swiss Fin Lab design by FireArt (above), or explore these CSS animation examples.

    05. Chatbots

    E-Bot app design

    Shojol Islam's design for an AI-powered ecommerce chatbot, E-Bot

    Picture this: your prospective customer is about to make a purchase, but needs your help. It might be quite difficult for a user to find the 'Contact us' button. Moreover, waiting for the answer from customer service can easily become a major barrier to a sale. A good conversational design, which takes advantage of artificial intelligence, can have a serious impact on conversion rates.

    The way a chatbot looks in your mobile user interface can vary, and it’s generally a matter of overall design. However, when implemented properly, it can improve the user interface tremendously. Keen to get started? Read our tutorial on how to build a chatbot interface.

    06. Augmented reality

    2019 will require UI designers to think outside the box – or rather, the grid. Your UI might not be fixed to a screen any longer. Progressions in augmented reality mean your users could be interacting with the real world via your interface.

    It is now possible to use AR to create functional UIs that allow customers to try furniture out before buying it, for example. Or, imagine, your mobile app lets users try on clothes to see how they’d look before purchasing. Augmented reality may become a perfect tool to make the online shopping process even more interactive. Above you can see a Nike AR Concept by Kelly Wagnac. Augmented reality isn't a new trend, but it's not going anywhere.

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    If you could create an invention that would make the world a better place, what would it be? Boring old adults would probably whip up something terribly sensible like a water purifier or a nuclear missile deterrent. But when The UK Domain asked primary school children to doodle their ideas, they came up with some wonderfully imaginative and innovative contraptions.

    These inventions, including a Gun Sucker Inner and a Rubbish Eater that poops trees, have been turned into polished illustrations by The UK Domain. We love that these doodles show that you don't need to know how to draw or think like an adult to come up with brilliant ideas. 

    And although these creations might seem whacky on the surface, they're not too far off real life inventions. Take Olly the Ocean Organiser, designed by Daisy, aged 9. Equipped with sensors that detect ocean rubbish and a propellor on its head to fly about, this machine is similar to the non-profit Ocean Cleanup organisation, which uses advanced technology to get rid of plastic in the world's oceans. 

    Check out the doodles and the illustrations they inspired by clicking left to right in the image galleries below.

    "It's fascinating to see the creative and often thoughtful way that children see the world," says Helen Tomes, the director of marketing at The UK Domain. "We wanted to give the founders of tomorrow a platform to show us what they think of the world today." 

    Maybe we could all take some inspiration from these drawings and start letting our imaginations run loose when coming up with problem-solving concepts for clients? Have a look at the full selection of inventions by heading over to The UK Domain's Future Founders page.

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    Founded in London in 1975, Games Workshop has grown into a very big business. The firm best known for tabletop strategy games like Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 recorded a £1 billion market value during June 2018, and expects its profits to double this year.

    That’s due, in part, to the hard work and commitment of its dozens of talented artists. But that doesn’t mean it’s a stressful studio with constant deadlines to meet. “The environment is really informal, really relaxed,” says Dave Ferri, a concept artist who’s been with the company, now based in Nottingham, for about two and a half years. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere here.”

    Ferri works with two other concept artists, John Blanche and Tom Harrison, to create the 2D illustrations that inspire the digital 3D art sculptors – 29 of them in total – who lovingly craft and produce the figurines. And there’s always work to do, says design manager Sam Dinwiddy, because the company is constantly developing new lines and doesn’t want to rest on its laurels.

    Pen and ink illustration of a Death Guard Space Marine carrying a blaster and axe, complete with noxious fumes billowing out of his backpack and eldritch tentacles spilling from his abdomen

    Sketch for the Death Guard. “We try to provide the designers with a wealth of ideas,” says artist Dave Ferri

    “We’re always looking to excite our customers with something new,” Dinwiddy says. “We don’t just want to run through the list of ranges and update them all. That wouldn’t excite anybody. So we need to create stuff that’s unexpected, but still steeped in Games Workshop’s heritage.”

    That creation process often starts with a simple sketch, says John Blanche, who first began freelancing for Games Workshop in 1977 and went on to spend three decades as its art director. 

    “Sometimes the designers like the sketch so much, they’ll actually make an image of it, but that’s unusual. I’m opening the doors up for sculptors to go: ‘Oh yeah, we could do that.’ It gives them a route to go forward.”

    A metal dwarf on a flying machine

    Concept sketch for the Endrinriggers: soldiers with back-mounted machines for flying, as well as tools for airborne repair

    While Blanche works with physical inks and paints, Ferri creates most of his work in Photoshop CC on a Cintiq. “But the medium itself isn’t important,” says Ferri. “At the end of the day, the idea is what matters.”

    Typically, that design gets passed back and forth between concept artists and product designers in a process of re-invention and refinement. “It’s very organic and collaborative,” says Blanche. “We’re led by enthusiasm and deep understanding of each others’ backgrounds; it’s like one big family.”

    Open and willing attitude

    There are no ‘silos’ at Games Workshop, adds senior designer Seb Perbet. “One of the things that surprised me most was how open and willing people were to share their knowledge. I think it comes from the fact that we love this job and like talking about it.”

    Pen and ink concept drawing of Belisarius Cawl

    Concept sketch of Belisarius Cawl. “We pull from different historical things and mash them into something new,” says Ferri

    For the digital sculptors, Perbet explains, developing the miniatures is not just a technical challenge but a creative one, too. “I think the best product designers don’t separate these two aspects: the creative mind is the one suited to solving the hardest technical problems. So for me it’s hard to distinguish between the two, because as I’m sculpting I’m deciding what it is I want and how it’ll be manufactured at the same time.” 

    Even the 2D concept art needs to be approached with the physical end goal in mind. As Ferri points out, “These products are physically very small, and you can’t get a lot of detail in there. So our concept art needs to be bold and graphic, and most importantly, based on strong shapes."

    Balancing the details

    “That’s the hardest part: taking away the tendency to draw too much and strip it down,” Ferri continues. “You need to make the shapes interesting, because that’s where the product will succeed. So it’s important when you’re drawing something to stand back a few feet and have a look. Can you still see the details? Does it still read as you wanted it to? If not, you’ve probably made it over-complicated.”

    And if you’re a fan of Games Workshop yourself, then here’s some good news: the company’s hiring. “Finding good artists is difficult, because it’s so niche,” says Dinwiddy. “So we’ll always look at portfolios and we’ll always listen to people; the only thing that we can’t guarantee is a job at the end of it.”

    Games Workshop team crowded around a meeting table

    Although the artists and designers chat day-to-day, they also have regular meetings to get feedback on each others’ work

    There’s no particular qualification or software skill that you need to have, Dinwiddy adds. “It’s literally just: do you have an affinity with sci-fi and fantasy? Can you generate fantastic, original and unique ideas quickly and consistently, in high quality? And do you have the passion to develop new IP for a niche business?”

    If the answer to all those questions is yes, then you may get the chance to work in an environment where artists are constantly brimming with enthusiasm. “There’s always a good buzz in the studio, and we’re all really excited when new models come out,” says Dinwiddy. “I still get that ‘I want these!’ feeling, like I’m a little kid all over again.”

    This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 166 or subscribe.

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    When it comes to tying the knot, there's a lot of stress to make sure that every single detail of the wedding day is absolutely perfect. With so much to decide and keep track of, choosing the best font for your invites and place settings can often get pushed down the list. This shouldn't be the case – after all, you want something tasteful but not too bland, that ties in with the look and feel of your wedding.

    To make life easier for those organising the big day, we've put together a list of 10 wedding fonts that are sure to impress friends, family, and even the in-laws. Simply download and type away for gorgeous wedding paraphernalia. Some of these fonts are paid-for while others are free, but if you're after solely free fonts, then take a look at our list of best free fonts for designers.

    01. Monstice

    Monstice wedding font

    • Format: OTF, TT
    • Price: From $24/£15.99 per font
    • Buy Monstice

    Monstice is an elegant, decorative font family made up of five different variants: Base, Engraved, Inline, Hatched and Emboss. Any one would be ideal to add a touch of playful grandeur to your wedding stationery. You can also customise this wedding font with a range of OpenType features including swashes, ligatures and alternates. Pick up the full set for $60/£40.99.

    02. Olivia Script

    Olivia wedding font

    If it's a whimsical, romantic look you're after, look no further than Olivia Script. The designers describe it as a 'a modern calligraphy typeface', and it comes complete with 351 glyphs. This graceful wedding font is free for both personal and commercial use, and you can download it from The Font Bundles Store.

    03. Paper

    Paper wedding font


    This charming font was made by Behance user Amy Cox. Every single letter has been cut out with real scissors to produce a quirky wedding font complete with filled-in counters. With its resemblance to confetti shapes, this playful font will add a dash of personality to any wedding ceremony. Download it free for personal use from Cox's Behance page (affordable commercial licenses are available too, wedding businesses will be pleased to hear).

    04. Limon

    Limon wedding font


    • Format: OTF
    • Price: $49/£32.99 (one font)
    • Buy Limon

    Thanks to its fluid shoulder shapes and squiggly lobes, Limon is a zesty font that would be perfectly suited to a spring or summer wedding. Hand-drawn by Sabrina Mariela Lopez, this detailed wedding font took 18 months to design. The hard work has paid off, though, as Limon looks stunning. You can pick up a single font for $49/£32.99, or grab all 16 variants for $179/£128.99.

    05. Blend

    Blend wedding font


    • Format: OTF
    • Price: From $19/£12.99 per font
    • Buy Blend

    In the world of coffee, a blend is a mix of beans that work together to produce a balanced taste. The creators of this font have applied the same logic to typography, and the result is a bouncing informal script that would look right at home on invites and table settings. The full set comprises 21 fonts – pick just the ones you want, or download the full set for $159/£107.99.

    06. Guess

    Guess wedding font


    • Format: OTF
    • Price: From $30/£19.99 per font
    • Buy Guess 

    Fun fonts are all well and good, but what if you need to impress the grownups? Don't panic, Guess could be just what you're looking for. This versatile and elegant wedding font is packed with class and style that's sure to draw admiration from even the most picky of guests. Designed by Veneta Rangelova, you can download the 16 fonts in this set for $150/£101.99.

    07. Goodlife

    Goodlife wedding font


    Speaking of versatile fonts, the Goodlife family includes seven different styles that are "optimised to feel not just like a font but like true hand lettering". Designed by Hannes von Döhren (not Tom and Barbara from the BBC series), Goodlife is capable of handling the most complex typography challenges you can throw at it. Get your hands on the seven Goodlife fonts for $99/£70.99.

    08. Burgues Script

    Burgues Script wedding font


    Sometimes you just need to play it straight and go for a font that turns the classy up to 11. Burgues Script does just that, and designer Alejandro Paul delivers a flowing font inspired by the 19th century calligrapher Louis Madarasz.

    09. Storyteller

    Storyteller wedding font


    Script fonts really are the order of the day at weddings, but Storyteller delivers a playful variation on the theme. This family contains 33 fonts in total, and each one has been lovingly handwritten, hand-traced and developed by designer Elena Genova. Compatible with any software, this family is topped off with ligatures and contextual alternates. Download the full set for $149/£103.

    10. Felt That

    Felt That wedding font


    Looking for a script font that's stylish but still has its feet on the ground? Meet Felt That, a family that was hand drawn with a bullet-tipped marker by designer Jess Latham. It might be more straightforward than some of the more whimsical entries we've seen, but that doesn't mean that Felt That hasn't got an appeal all of its own. Download the single wedding font for the bargain price of $40/£28.99.

    11. Bambusa Pro

    Bambusa Pro wedding font


    Described as a "sturdy expressive modern calligraphy family", this set of four fonts has a unique ink-stroke aesthetic that comes from the Bambusa bamboo pen that designer Hanneke Classen used to make it. This distinctive font could give wedding messages an exotic twist thanks to its unusual spacing, accented characters and Ornaments (a set of twirly glyphs). Download the four fonts for $49/£34.99.

    12. ITC Edwardian Script

    ITC Edwardian Script


    Finishing off our list is ITC Edwardian Script, a straight-down-the-line wedding font that doesn't skimp on character, designed by Edward Benguiat. Flaunting its flourishes in every letter, this family of four fonts is a safe choice if you want to give your wedding invites a touch of class and sophistication. 

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    You're reading Postcards Introduces Transactional Email Modules, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+!

    Postcards Introduces Transactional Email Modules

    Today, we released newly designed transactional modules for Postcards. We designed and coded 26 absolutely new modules! You can start using them directly in the Postcards App now.

    COWOUDPOzSk

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    Whether you're working from home or in a studio, as designers and artists, we often spend long hours sat at a desk and staring intently at a monitor screen. We'll assume you know about taking regular screen breaks, but workplace wellness involves more than having a rest.

    With that in mind, we've put together an infographic containing 10 simple desk exercises so that you can make sure you remain limber in your studio. Click on the image to see the full-sized graphic, and feel free to share it with your colleagues on Pinterest!

    infographic desk exercises

    Click on the image to see the full-size infographic

    Illustration: Simon Middleweek

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