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The online spell check platform is taking its private bounty program public in hopes of outing more threats. View the full article

As the end of the year approaches, we’ve taken a look back at the best new children’s books of 2018 and picked seven highlights. Spanning a wide range of age groups, these must-read titles tackle themes of courage and wisdom with spades of mystery, magic and mayhem thrown in. From enchanting picture books to suspense-filled stories for young detectives, each of the children’s books in this list is a modern classic. Read on for our pick of the best new children’s books in 2018. One of Barnes & Noble’s best children’s books of 2018 and a New York Times bestseller, Be Kind is a beautifully illustrated exploration of kindness. The story is told through the eyes of a child as she ponders how to respond when a friend spills grape juice on herself. Combining irresistible watercolour and ink images with gentle text, the book shows how small actions can lead to big results. The Day You Begin is a gentle, poignant and heartening book about finding the courage to connect with other children and share your stories, even when you feel scared and alone. A New York Times bestseller, this ode to diversity from celebrated author Jacqueline Woodson reminds us that we all feel like outsiders sometimes and offers a message of comfort to preschool and early elementary children. Exquisite art from illustrator Rafael Lopez illuminates the theme throughout. Imagine if you could grow dragons – in your very own garden. The Boy Who Grew Dragons follows the heart-warming story of Tomas as he tries to keep his unusual pets a secret in his beloved granddad’s garden. It’s a wonderfully whimsical story that’s fast, funny and full of feel-good moments. And while it’s a great read for 7-9-year-olds in particular, it has a wide appeal for younger and older readers too. Dubbed a “strong first children’s book” by the Guardian, The Lifters is a quirky tale set in a small town plagued by dark, mysterious underground forces. Stunningly written, author Dave Eggers explores mental-health issues and local activism alongside themes of courage and determination – served with a twist of magic – in this captivating young adult novel. Mummy Fairy and Me is the first of a new series by bestselling novelist Sophie Kinsella. It’s narrated by Ella, whose mum is just like every other mum - except she can secretly turn herself into a fairy. The only problem is that sometimes her spells go wrong and Ella has to come to her rescue. Magic and mayhem abound in this fun and beautifully illustrated story. Harry Potter meets Agatha Christie, with a dash of the Grand Budapest Hotel thrown in, in this bestselling magical murder mystery. The Last Chance Hotel is an inventive murder mystery that will appeal to fantasy lovers as well as young detectives. Packed with rich characters, suspense, cliffhanger endings and an exciting finale, this enchanting story is perfectly pitched at budding sleuths - while remaining a comforting bedtime story. The first children's book by award-winning lettering artist and author Jessica Hische, Tomorrow I’ll be Brave, offers a visually stunning journey through a world filled with hand-lettered words of wisdom. As a bunny and cat list their goals for the next day, the book - which is packed with gorgeous and immersive images - reminds young readers that tomorrow is full of endless opportunities. Read more: 33 books every graphic designer should read 10 illustration books every artist should read How to illustrate a children's book View the full article

One of the most intuitive 2D animation tools on the market is set to get even easier to use. Meet Cartoon Animator 4, the fourth generation 2D animation software from Reallusion. Formerly known as CrazyTalk Animator, Cartoon Animator 4 promises to deliver a natural 2D animation experience thanks to its revolutionary Smart IK tool. The Smart IK (Inverse Kinematic) system enables users to create fluid and logical animation poses. It does this by auto-switching invisibly so that the whole animation process is fluid and logical. With Smart IK, users can lock certain limbs, so a character's feet could be locked to have non-sliding foot contact, while its hands could be set to achieve a specific interaction with props or a scene. Joints and poses can be tweaked with simple drag-and-move end effectors. With these controls, animators can make their characters stretch, squat and rotate their hips. Motion files with different body shapes and scales can also be translated and adapted thanks to Smart Motion Retargeting. Watch Cartoon Animator 4's Smart IK tool in action with the video below. If you're interested in picking up Cartoon Animator 4, you can get it for free by purchasing the CrazyTalk Animator 3 (CTA 3) Holiday Bundles in the Reallusion Software Store. Alternatively, if you don't already have CTA 3, any purchase from the Reallusion Content Store over $299 in December will qualify you for a free copy of CTA4 – Pipeline Edition. Related articles: How to rig a face for animation 18 top CSS animation examples The best online animation classes in 2018 View the full article

Unless you've been purposefully hiding yourself away over the last few weeks like The Grinch, it can't have escaped your attention that a little celebration called Christmas is just around the corner. (How's your shopping going?) To help get you into the festive spirit, Adobe has been giving away daily sets of free seasonal animated icons. Produced in partnership with Iconfinder, the free sets of animated icons are available between Dec 10-14 as part of a giveaway called #WeekofIcons. These cheerful icons are the perfect way to liven up your projects at this time of year, so be sure to download them for free while you can. All the best stocking fillers for designers The #WeekofIcons also sees the animation experts explain the tips and tricks behind their work. Sets and tutorials are unlocked each day of the week, and if you want to access them simply head over to the #WeekofIcons page. Alternatively, you can follow Adobe Illustrator on Facebook or Twitter. Get a glimpse of what's on offer below. Keep yourself toasty warm with these icons by Monkik This set by Roundicons looks good enough to eat There's no business like snow business with this set from Mangsaabguru Sooodesign made it snooow with their icons It wouldn't be Christmas without a tree, so why not use this one by Chanut is Industries? Related articles: How to create an app icon in Illustrator 77 best Adobe Illustrator tutorials 37 sets of free icons View the full article

Here are our picks of the best web design tools that have emerged over the last month or so; you’ll find some great learning resources as well as tools to make everyday tasks simpler and faster. 01. Whimsical Collaborative flowcharts, wireframes and sticky notes Billed as "fast and delightful", Whimsical offers and fun and pleasing way to collaborate with colleagues via an efficient user interface that is indeed a delight to use. There are three types of visual collaboration: flowcharts, wireframes and sticky notes. Any number of people can work on the same thing simultaneously, and each tool is really powerful. You can create up to four free boards per month, and after that you need to pay $10 per user per month. 02. web.dev A resource from Google that will help you build sites that are secure, resilient and fast Google’s web platform team have created this resource to help developers up their game and build websites that take full advantage of the capabilities of the modern web. There are tools that will help you measure your site’s performance to find out where to start improving it, and tutorials and guides that will teach you how to do that. The aim of the project is to teach developers how to build sites that are fast, safe and secure, accessible and resilient. 03. Flare Flare lets you work on final assets right from the start Flare is a tool for designing and animating vector art for web and games. The aspect that sets it apart from the rest is that it is you’re always working on the final assets that will run in your app or game – so you don’t need a complex process where you might be designing in one piece of software, animating in another and then recreating the whole thing in code. The creator of Flare, 2dimensions, is offering it free as part of their Open Design movement, an initiative that encourages designers to share their works-in-progress. 04. Getform An easy way to set up and manage forms on your site Getform is a really easy way to add a form to your website and manage the responses – just give it a name, add the URL and form fields to your code and it’s done. You get a great-looking form on your site and submission data can be integrated with various popular platforms such as Salesforce, Google Sheets and Mailchimp, and exported as CSV, JSON and XLS. There is powerful spam filtering, and there’s a file upload functionality so you can collect up to five files per submission – a feature often missing with form tools. 05. humaaans Customise and adjust images of people to fit your needs This customisable illustration kit is like "legos made of flesh...and vectors" because it enables you to change elements such as the clothing and hairstyles of the human figures, as well as rotating and posing them however suits you. It's great for building figures for your app or website interface that will fit your layout perfectly, and it’s a nice compromise between using stock imagery and the time and expense of hiring your own illustrator. The library is for personal or commercial use, and is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. Read more about it in our news post here. 06. Mindful Design by Scott Riley Psychology principles that will help you to create better products Learning some things about how the brain works will make you a better designer. Mindful Design by Scott Riley lays out certain aspects of psychology and neuroscience that are helpful for visual design, such as how attention and distraction work, and how we parse, codify and group information. Riley explains how to use this understanding to inform your design process, and even explores how we can use this information in an ethical way. Rather than creating products that are addictive, he offers a much-needed alternative perspective by looking at some theories on intrinsic motivation, and how to build products that treat people well. Mindful Design is out 4 February, and you can save 18 per cent by pre-ordering on Amazon. 07. Service Workies Learn how to use Service Workers by playing a game Master Service Workers with this game-based teaching approach that solidifies learning while you slay dragons that represent Progressive Web App pitfalls. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to make your app work offline, get some amazing performance improvements and create experiences that feel native. If you enjoy this, you can learn other good things from Flexbox Zombies (like Service Workers, this is free) and Grid Critters ($229). 08. Squoosh Play with the settings of several image compressors This image optimiser lets you see exactly what has been lost by compression by providing a slider you can move over the image to see and compare before and after versions. You can try out various image compressors and experiment with the settings for each to see which gives the best results for you image. 09. Shapy A user interface for CSS gradients If you’re new to CSS gradients this tool is a fun way to get started by using a GUI instead of writing the code yourself from scratch. You can specify canvas size using sliders, and switch between linear gradients – which make rectangular shapes – and radial gradients, which make round shapes. From there you can enter the colours for where your gradient starts and stops and use the preview window to tweak things until you get exactly the look you’re after. 10. The Y Combinator Database v2.0 Research companies that have come out of the Y Combinator accelerator Ever wondered what happens to the companies that start out at the accelerator Y Combinator? Now you can track them according to 16 different metrics with The Y Combinator Database v2.0, which launched last year and has recently been boosted with a ton of extra features. You can view companies ranked according to employee count, funding amount, growth rate and lots of other factors, and you can drill down into different industries. Read more: The best free graphic design software 10 ways to avoid cross-browser compatibility issues 10 best new web design tools for October 2018 View the full article

Welcome to the Computer Arts UK Studio Rankings 2018! Computer Arts magazine polled over 60 top creative directors, studio founders and design course leaders from across the UK to find out which industry peers they most revere and respect, to produce its annual UK Studio Rankings. This is all about peer reputation – regardless of number of staff, operating budget or awards won. The 30 world-class studios on this list are there because their fellow designers think they should be. These are the UK studios behind the best logos, brilliant print ads and incredible packaging designs we've seen this year. Read on to discover the UK’s top 30 studios of 2018. Use the drop-down menu above to jump to a different part of the list, or see how the studios have fared by comparing to the UK Studio Rankings 2017. 30. Julia Founded: 2008 Number of staff: 3 Since it was founded 10 years ago, Julia has worked hard enough to now expand offices into Europe. "The spirit didn’t change much," says Valerio Di Lucente, whose delighted to have made our list following an identity overhaul for Publics agency. "It's nice to realise that people recognise what we do." 29. Six Founded: 2007 Number of staff: 20 Taking the 29th spot, Six’s Darren Jessopos cites "working on large branding projects in London, LA, Tokyo, Dubai and Paris" as his 2018 highlights. Having since relaunched a large new mag brand in 1010, the MD believes "a very strong in-house digital offer" is where the studio’s strength lies. 28. Johnson Banks Founded: 1992 Number of staff: 8 Despite slipping down eight places, Johnson Banks' creative director Michael Johnson believes that 2019 is looking healthy, not least since the studio now has "a clutch of significant projects starting soon, including in the USA". How does the studio stand out? "Create bulletproof strategy and narrative". 27. NB studio Founded: 1998 Number of staff: 12 Ranking higher than last year, NB Studio creative director Alan Dye is confident the success is due to "the new team working effortlessly together". Though there have been challenges, he suggests "it’s been the same but with an added Brexit Effect". In terms of 2019 prospects? “Watch this space.” 26. Supple Studio Founded: 2013 Number of staff: 5 Inching ever upwards is Supple Studio, whose 2018 client list has included such heavy hitters as Film4, Royal Mail and Childline. “It seems like the industry in general has had a good year,” says founder Jamie Elull. “It feels like the small agency model is being recognised by clients as one that can deliver.” 25. Robot Food Founded: 2009 Number of staff: 22 “It’s great for the team to get recognition that really counts,” says Simon Forster, Robot Food founder, on the studio’s first time charting our list. He’s adamant that in 2019 success is sure to continue. “We’re working on a refresh for one of the world’s most exciting brands, hitting shelves next year.” 24. DixonBaxi Founded: 2001 Number of staff: 30 London-based studio DixonBaxi is celebrating another good year, having recently bought a new workspace. “Despite a government who are asleep at the wheel, we feel very positive,’ says co-founder Simon Dixon when looking ahead. “We’re in a good place studio, both in terms of clients and the team.” 23. SPIN Founded: 1992 Number of staff: 6 As if designing not one, but two Computer Arts covers this year wasn’t already a highlight, creative director Tony Brook cites “working with Apple for the first time, and the BBC,” as 2018 wins. “We have a bunch of amazing possibilities already lined up,” he says, “many of which we are making ourselves.” 22. B&B Studio Founded: 2009 Number of staff: 25 “We’re pretty unique within the industry for our focus on brand creation and working with start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators,” says creative partner Shaun Bowen. “It’s absolutely our specialism and the core of what we do, rather than a nice distraction – often the case in larger agencies.” 21. Office of Craig Oldham Founded: 2013 Number of staff: 2 Always looking forward, in 2019 Craig hopes “to continue a healthy disregard for the establishment, and continue to let our morales lead us both towards the money we need, as well as our own merriment and meaning.” In 2018 he released the successful Oh Shit What Now?! book with Laurence King. Next page: Computer Arts 2018 Studio Rankings 20-11 20. Bibliothèque Founded: 2004 Number of staff: 10 The challenges of an uncertain industry is seen as a positive by founding partner Tim Beard. “The landscape is unpredictable, but that can be a positive thing as it pushes you out of your comfort zone,” he says. Highlights of the year include Identities for David Collins Studio and Searcys of London. 19. Commission Studio Founded: 2013 Number of staff: 9 For co-founder Christopher Moorby, 2018 has been a continuation of working across a range of creative outlets. “We’ve worked with companies across fashion, luggage, furniture, alcohol, coffee, haircare, fragrance,” he says. “We’re beginning to work with a paper mill too, which is exciting.” 18. 4Creative Founded: 2005 Number of staff: 40 Head of 4Creative Alice Tonge has recently revealed the full Channel 4 network rebrand – a huge project. “E4 has had a full makeover,” she says, “We wanted to create a new brand identity that feels less structured. There are 19 idents in total created by makers all over the UK, from Newcastle, London, Northern Ireland, Wales.” And how does it feel to be voted one of the top 30 design studios in the UK? “We pretend not to care about awards and rankings,” says Tonge, who celebrates her first full year as head of 4Creative, “but we are secretly chuffed to bits to be ranked one of the top 30 design studios.” 17. Wolff Olins Founded: 1965 Number of staff: 120 “The way we work and the work we make has radically changed in the last 12 months,” says chief design officer Chris Moody. “In design specifically, the projects we are running across all our studios are doing things we have never done before – AR, VR, haptic, sonic and voice. “Only a moron would deny that the political climate has brought big challenges. Luckily, we see flux as a good thing for the creative industry. We have to think faster and smarter about how we answer briefs and come up with radically different solutions, but we think we have the people and the attitude to do that at scale.” 16. Made Thought Founded: 2000 Number of staff: 40 Made Thought’s story this year is one of growth. “We have broadened our art direction team allowing us to work more deeply and effectively for clients like Frédéric Malle, Sunspel and Adidas by Stella McCartney,” says creative director Ben Parker, “we have created nine different photographic campaigns for the fragrance brand Frédéric Malle in the last six months alone!” The business has also grown in the US and Asia, all from its London office. “Notable US clients include Frédéric Malle (Estee Lauder), The Museum of Modern Art and The Nue Co, and in Asia we have done work for Hyundai Card.” 15. Here Design Founded: 2006 Number of staff: 37 Another studio that has shot up the rankings, Here Design’s latest projects include rebranding Grant’s whisky, and an identity for Deliciously Ella. Here Design’s Mark Paton describes the studio as “a company of thinkers, writer, designers and makers working together to make useful and beautiful things,” and the studio puts a particular emphasis on diversity: “In our ideas, our work, our staff and our clients – everything really.” And 2019 looks good for Here Design, as its “Here Makes division will be formally launched very soon,” reveals Paton. 14. ManvsMachine Founded: 2007 Number of staff: 35 This studio has been regularly voted high in the Rankings and 2018 was full of highlights, including: “Apple name-dropping us for once, rather than the other way around,” says Mike Alderson, “working with Ronaldo, Neymar, Mbappe and Asensio on the epic Nike Born Mercurial campaign; building more of our old-school craft skills into our latest output; watching our new LA office go from strength to strength and begin to establish itself as a creative force in its own right.” With work covering branding, motion design and live action all lined up, 2019 is looking pretty great for MvsM too. 13. Universal Everything Founded: 2004 Number of staff: Varies Reflecting on how the studio has changed since its beginnings in 2004, Universal Everything’s Matt Pyke says, “our team has evolved with every project, from two to 32 people. This flexibility allows us to shrink and grow accordingly... we have remained very selective to the projects we accept.” It’s clearly working, as the studio is up 15 places since last year in our rankings. Next year the studio will release its monograph, published by Unit Editions, and increase time spent on internal studio projects – researching new moving image forms, exploring multi-sensory experiences and creating physical video products. 12. Taxi Studio Founded: 2002 Number of staff: 53 Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, Bristol’s Taxi Studio is the highest ranking studio in our list outside of London. When asked for 2018’s highlights, marketing executive Joshua Matthews cites a long list that includes everything from becoming a studio that is 60 per cent female, to winning 16 awards, becoming more eco-friendly and completing a major Carlsberg brand overhaul. How does the studio stand out from the crowd? “Real relationships and a design process which delivers true commercial success,” says Matthews. And what’s in the pipeline? “We’ll continue to rejuvenate and create brands...” 11. The Beautiful Meme Founded: 2015 Number of staff: 10 A new entry on our list last year, The Beautiful Meme launched in 2015 “with a manifesto dedicated to Tricksterism,” and is up three places in 2018. Tom Sharp lists this year’s highlights as “dream clients phoning us up out of the blue, some sweet international travel, a decision for each creative director to put aside one day a week to focus on non-commercial creative projects,” and cites the major challenges since 2015 as it being “very, very cold in the studio during winter. Also there was that time we nearly went bust.” Sharp’s reaction to being in the top 30 studios? “It feels amazing, like a drug. Got any more?” Next page: Computer Arts 2018 Studio Rankings 10-4 10. Alphabetical Founded: 2010 Number of staff: 7 Up five places since last year, Alphabetical has had a strong year. It’s worked on a wide range of projects, including an animation series for British Heart Foundation, an identity, website and signage for boutique shop Yard Market and a bespoke typeface for London’s Fashion Business School’s 2018 season. Creative partner Tommy Taylor tells us more... What have been your highlights of 2018? Tommy Taylor: Hiring two further creatives to our team. As a team we now have the varied skill base, broader technical abilities and expertise we’ve been looking for. We have also had the pleasure of fulfilling another year doing what we set out to, which is not getting pigeon-holed into any one design discipline and making more lovely things. How have you changed since you began in 2010? TT: We’ve definitely refined our instinct to seek out creative clients and opportunities in unexpected places. The biggest change internally since founding is our skills base, as a team. We have always made a conscious decision to work with people who don’t think exactly like we do, and who have different technical skillsets. We’re all better connected because we care about what we’re doing. Now we’re more established as a studio, we’re finding even more joy in that. How has the industry changed? TT: Quite a bit in some ways, but in other ways, perhaps it hasn’t changed enough. For me the biggest change the industry has seen is the mindset of bigger clients seeking out smaller studios to do greater things. 09. Graphic Thought Facility Founded: 1990 Number of staff: 12 A staple of the top 10, Graphic Thought Facility has dropped just a couple of places since 2017. Its recent projects include menus and collateral for Chiltern Firehouse, wayfinding for Standard Hotel in London, and publications and a website for Gagosian. We asked Huw Morgan what he makes of it all... How does it feel to be voted in the top 10 UK studios? Huw Morgan: To maintain the support of peers is very flattering. I’m particularly pleased for the people we work with. It’s a marker of what they have achieved. But, as Computer Arts know, we’ve always had reservations about rankings – though I did always used to listen to the top 40. I can’t use it as a gauge of quality or ability, and that goes for if we are placed high or low in the list – there are admirable studios on this list, but I’d prefer longevity over fashion. Can there ever be too many design studios? HM: There is business competition and creative competition. Of course any market can be saturated, and what is unhealthy is a culture of picking design by price point. Creatively, a buoyant design economy is healthy for all. Would you ever consider moving out of London? HM: Never. London works as a destination for both our employees and clients – London is our home. 08. Magpie Studio Founded: 2008 Number of staff: 12 Having shot up a whopping 40 places, Magpie Studio is our highest climber. This year, it also designed the D&AD Annual – a surefire marker that a studio is doing well. Other highlights include winning Best Boutique Agency at ADC New York, getting its new website live and designing the brand for "an interesting new startup" selling non-alcoholic spirits. We spoke to co-founder Ben Christie... What’s in store for Magpie Studio in 2019? Ben Christie: We’ve just started working on three really interesting packaging jobs. It’s exciting as it’s a discipline my partner, David, and I both specialised in at college and have always been keen to revisit. What about the industry as a whole, do you think? BC: The creative industry has, on the surface, never been healthier, but education is a worry. There are more creative students than ever, yet the quality of teaching and access to studio space seems to be plummeting. Nurturing future talent is vital to our industry, but the current government doesn’t seem to agree. What’s been your favourite project this year? BC: It’d have to be designing the D&AD Annual. It’s a huge honour, and collaborating with Creative Lab’s Steve Vranakis has been really inspiring. We don’t get to collaborate with other creatives enough. What makes Magpie unique? BC: A lot of our clients mention the playfulness in our work. It’s something we’ve always enjoyed and have found – with the right level of appropriateness – is one of the most powerful communication tools there is. 07. A Practice for Everyday Life Founded: 2003 Number of staff: 7 Up nine places from last year, A Practice for Everyday Life (APFEL) has had a busy year. It’s moved studios, and worked on projects including the design of exhibitions for the Design Museum, a new publication, Lateral Cooking and the visual identity for an NYC arts institution. We spoke to the studio... You’ve moved up the ranking since last year. What are you doing right? APFEL: The only thing we know how to do: working very hard! Are rankings like this important to you? APFEL: It’s a real compliment to be included – being nominated by a jury of peers is flattering. How are you celebrating your 15th birthday? APFEL: We’re reflecting upon over a decade of work with a series of special features on our website and social media. We wanted to look back through our archives and explore the key ideas, questions and dialogues that have shaped our practice as designers over the years – and, of course, to celebrate. What makes APFEL unique? APFEL: It’s difficult to give a definitive answer, but perhaps it comes down to cultivating a distinctive approach or point of view through our work, and being certain of what it is you we to do as a group of designers in a broader sense. We’ve never aimed to have a house style, but rather a distinct and responsive approach to our projects that is grounded in research, rigour and playfulness. We hope that this comes through in everything we design, and it underpins each project we work on. 06. Superunion Founded: 2018 Number of staff: 200+ It might be officially a new entry, but Superunion is not exactly a stranger to these rankings. One of the five agencies that formed Superunion at the beginning of this year – The Partners – was fourth in 2017’s list. The new agency’s projects include the Brand Impact Award Best of Show winner, Elliptic, new airline LEVEL and De Beers. We talked to chief creative officer Greg Quinton to discover more… What makes Superunion different from the rest? Greg Quinton: In an industry where little has changed at scale for decades, we are excited about offering something new and different. We might be one of the largest agencies, but we are boutique in attitude, so we get to work on projects where clients of all sizes need brave strategic and creative thinking to make a real difference to their businesses. What excites you most about 2019? GQ: Asia is really exciting, and China especially. North America has recruited some great talent and we are very excited about the new team there. In Europe all is good, however, the obvious big unknown is the ‘B’ word. Simply nobody knows what impact Brexit will have. We will remain optimistic as always. With fingers, toes and eyes crossed. Just in case! How does it feel to be voted one of the best design studios in the UK? GQ: To be recognised by our peers is the ultimate honour. Awards in themselves are not our ultimate goal, but as an indicator of our creativity and ideas, they inspire our teams, excite our clients and bring the most talented individuals to our doors everyday. And before you ask, we are hiring. 05. Koto Founded: 2015 Number of staff: 36 (worldwide) Koto stormed its way onto our list last year at number 11, and has continued its climb into the top five this year. Aside from designing for learning platform Obby, Hay x Sonos and Fat Llama, it’s expanded physically too – opening new offices in Berlin and LA, and doubling its staff members. We spoke to James Greenfield to find out the secrets to Koto’s success... How do you stand out from other design studios? James Greenfield: It’s less talk, more work. Too many studios are caught up in thought leadership, social strategies and diversified offers. Whereas it’s very simple: do great work and deliver it so that people will recommend you elsewhere. The network effect will take care of the rest. What do you think is the secret to your seemingly immediate success? JG: Be decent people, take nothing seriously other than the work. And realise there is no such thing as a branding emergency. Have there been any challenges for you in 2018? JG: Delivering the same work in the same way as a team of 30 rather than the six of us. What’s next for Koto? JG: We opened two studios on the same day. We’re now building teams, starting from small start-up spaces, just as we did in London – all sat in one room, smashing out brands and arguing about the Sonos. Also, next year is about more learning, reading more and trying more. We’re going to carry on helping the brave ones who realise the power of good branding is driven by creative and brave clients, and agencies that know what they are doing. 04. North Founded: 1995 Number of staff: 16 North has fallen just two places since last year, and as well as creating an impressive roster of work for international clients such as Workplace by Facebook and M+ in Hong Kong, the agency’s also recently moved offices. The new space is "a perfect manifestation of North and our approach to design", according to founding partner Sean Perkins. We asked Perkins what’s next… How does it feel to be ranked so high in this list? Sean Perkins: For us, we have always known you can’t let the standards slip, you cannot afford to ever let a bad project happen. You are judged by your peers in rankings like this, and so, you have a responsibility to keep the benchmark high for London and our industry as a whole. Thank God we don’t do time sheets! It would be so painful to have to measure the amount of time we spend on a project to get it right. What does 2019 look like for you? SP: Very positive, busy and exciting. However we are still increasingly concerned that young designers might not choose London as a base for their careers for much longer. We utterly depend on European talent as part of our studio approach. Brexit is an evil, foolish mistake for an open nation, which is about to suffer dropping from being a centre of the universe for design to being relegated to as low as the Vauxhall Conference League! Are there any exciting developments for North? SP: Yes we are working on a real website for the first time – a miracle. This, as well as various other upcoming projects we can’t quite get too deep into just yet. Next page: Computer Arts 2018 Studio Rankings 3-1 03. Pentagram Founded: 1972 Number of staff: 80 (UK office only) Pentagram has climbed a couple of places from 2017 after another prolific year, with its partners working on identities for Battersea, London Design Biennale and more. As ever, new talent is constantly being added into the mix – the newest partners are Jon Marshall and Sascha Lobe. We talked to partner Domenic Lippa to find out more... You’ve been around longer than most on our list – what’s your secret? Domenic Lippa: We work hard at it. Our partners are based across London, New York, Berlin and Austin, but we meet twice a year and spend a lot of time with each other. We encourage our differences to exist but also celebrate our similarities. We’re by no means perfect, but recognise our imperfections as positives. What does 2019 look like for you and the industry? DL: Who knows? The political changes can be worrying. We are a multicultural studio and recent events and elections have led to much uncertainty. It’s quite depressing and makes me angry. How do you stand out from other great UK design studios out there? DL: We just try to keep doing what we do. Most people I admire are all running small, independent studios and doing great work. Our independence, for us, is a crucial element to maintain. 02. JKR Founded: 1990 Number of staff: 292 James Nixon lists this year’s highlights as being approached by multinational clients without having to pitch, as well as work for smaller brands such as Hippeas and Ugly Water through the agency’s in-house incubator Green Park Brands. And all this hasn’t gone unnoticed, as JKR has shot up 11 places from last year. Nixon tells us more... What makes JKR stand out? James Nixon: The work we do has always had that quality aspect to it. We like to have the courage to do the right thing, say the right thing and encourage people to believe in what’s right, and in what’s wrong, and fall out, and get back together again, so they can grow. I think we’ve been distinctive in the space of wanting to believe in commercial value for brands. What next in 2019? JN: We’re going to look to be far faster, and more nimble. We want to learn from what we’ve done with the small guys and apply that to the big guys. Nimble doesn’t necessarily mean fast and shit. It means flexible, agile and collaborative. Are lists like this important to you and the JKR team? JN: I’d be lying if I said they didn’t mean a hell of a lot. I think the most important thing is the maintenance of the industry. Because the moment someone’s a bit rubbish, we’re all fucked. It’s so important that clients never buy, and are never happy to buy, mediocre designs. The moment that happens, the industry’s gonna suffer. So, we want rankings to continue in order to allow people to go, ‘Come on, let’s keep the quality up, and we’ll move forward as an industry’. It’s better for everyone. 01. Studio Sutherl& Founded: 2014 Number of staff: 2 Studio Sutherl& is a bit of a big deal. Hitting the top spot two years in a row and voted the best studio in the UK by a panel of their peers, Sutherl& has found the perfect sweet spot. Comprised of founder Jim Sutherland and Rosey Trickett, the studio deals in elegant simplicity and is always confident, always effective and loved by clients and industry insiders alike. We spoke to Sutherland himself to find out more... How does it feel to be voted number one again? Jim Sutherland: It’s quite incredible and humbling news to be in such celebrated company. The new studio has been such a joy to set up – and we’ve had great opportunities to work with some fabulous clients. How do you stand out from the other studios? JS: I think you need to concentrate on the work in front of you and do the best you can with that. Everything else follows. Are rankings like this important to you? JS: It’s great that it is a peers’ review. We do all work in independent bubbles – so outside recognition is lovely. Ultimately, rankings come and go, so we do just need to focus on the work itself. What can you do as a team of two that massive studios cannot? JS: The world has changed – and a lot of great work comes out of the smaller studios now. The model of setting up bespoke, expert, creative teams, across disciplines for specific projects is the future, I think. Lots of smaller studios are springing up and the larger clients are going to them for their creativity. I think it’s really exciting time. Highlights of 2018? JS: So far? Start-rite shoes identity launching at the start of the year. It’s such a wonderful opportunity to work with the leading children’s shoe company in the world. Also, the work for St Albans Museum + Gallery. We worked across every part of the project for a fabulous client. Walking into the reopened museum was delightful. What’s your biggest fault? JS: I have to learn to say ‘no’ more. I get very excited about the potential of every project, so I find it hard to turn them down. What’s coming up for Studio Sutherl&? JS: We’re working on two projects in Hamburg and in Detroit – both of which are very exciting for the studio. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 285 or subscribe. Read more: 6 of the biggest graphic design trends for 2019 21 outstanding uses of colour in branding The best computer for graphic design View the full article

They say the journey of education is never-ending, and that's why you need SitePoint Premium Courses: Lifetime Subscription. Keep up with the ever-changing demands of today's tech-savvy workforce by accessing SitePoint's impressive library of e-books, courses, and tutorials. You'll learn everything about topics such as HTML, JavaScript, and blockchain. By adding important skills to your resume, you'll be more valuable to employers and become an in-demand member of the workforce. You'll even get special deals on external courses, and you won't have to deal with pesky ads on any SitePoint sites. Get SitePoint Premium Courses: Lifetime Subscription for just $39.99. Related articles: Get started with HTML canvas 16 amazing HTML examples Nail your HTML with this cheat sheet View the full article

In the early days of the internet, the web was largely open and decentralised. But in the roughly 25 years since, the consumer internet has changed: today, the web is more consolidated and centralised in its structures than ever before. Network effects tend to favour a winner-takes-all dynamic and so we have, by and large, one really big search engine, one really big social network and one really big ecommerce site. 7 hot web trends for 2019 But consolidation isn’t the only thing that has changed. Over time, security and privacy safeguards have been added, like end-to-end encryption for web traffic (although less so for email). These safeguards have been tacked onto existing structures and amended to standards. They hadn’t been part of the internet’s original design; they simply weren’t necessary in the web’s original, academically focused ecosystem. For emerging tech today, especially the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), it’s very different. We are now creating a data layer that extends to, and shapes, our physical environments. In this context, openness and safeguards for security and privacy are essential. We now casually embed internet-connected microphones and cameras in living rooms and bedrooms. This different context requires different thinking. We need to be able to trust the technology we live with. To think this through, consider three different contexts: the smart home, the smart city and algorithmic decision-making (AKA artificial intelligence or AI). Emerging tech in context Let’s first look at IoT in the smart home. Voice assistants have microphones that by definition are always listening (to a degree) or at the very least could be. In political science, the potential or threat of abuse is considered just about as bad as the real thing because it can lead to chilling effects – if someone feels like they might be spied on, they change their behaviour. How is this relevant to how we design connected products? As we add more and more microphones (and other sensors) to our physical environment, we multiply the potential for abuse. If we want folks to use connected products, we need to ensure they know they can trust them. Otherwise the privacy of our homes is a thing of the past. Large-scale data-driven systems with little openness, oversight, accountability and transparency are likely to cause massive damage Now zoom out of the home and onto the city: when smart-city technology with all its sensors and algorithms is rolled out across the urban fabric, it applies to everyone. Nobody can opt out of public space. So this had better work – and work well – for everyone. Instead of efficiency, smart cities should promote openness, be transparent, and allow for well-intentioned ‘hacking’ (in the sense of modifying for unexpected needs). Finally, the third frontier: algorithmic decision-making or AI. Algorithms make decisions that impact all areas of our lives, from managing resource allocation to predictive policing. And so we need to make sure that we understand the algorithms – effectively making them more open – in order to guarantee appropriate mechanisms for governance, accountability and recourse. Governments need to understand that algorithmic decision-making directly affects people’s lives. People are wary of emerging technologies and you can’t blame them. Large-scale data-driven systems with little openness, oversight, accountability and transparency – in other words, systems that aren’t built within an ethical, healthy framework – are likely to cause massive damages and unintended consequences. So let’s do better. More trustworthy tech To be clear, this isn’t an exercise in making consumers trust emerging technologies more – it’s an exercise in making emerging technologies more trustworthy. Today’s consumers don’t have good ways to make informed decisions about, say, a connected device’s trustworthiness. In his book Radical Technologies, Adam Greenfield sums up the dilemma: “Let’s be clear: none of our instincts will guide us in our approach to the next normal.” Gut feeling won’t cut it. We need better mechanisms, design practices and tools. Luckily, there are promising approaches to tackle this. As an industry, we must follow through with best practices in all things data-related. As consumers, we need to demand better from industry. And as citizens we need policy makers to get smart about regulation. Fortunately, after the Snowden revelations shook consumer trust in connected devices like never before, things have been looking up. Policy makers are slowly starting to get ahead of technology, rather than play catch-up. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been the first major regulatory initiative in this space that tries to protect consumer data at scale. (If and how the GDPR will play out over time remains to be seen.) California followed up with the California Consumer Privacy Act, which offers GDPR-like provisions. Digital wellbeing In the tech industry, there is a growing awareness of the need to design emerging tech to be better and more open – digital wellbeing initiatives by Apple and Google and the debates on how to thwart fake news are just two current examples of the industry trying to get their house in order. Consumers benefit from all of this but they still haven’t had good tools to evaluate which products or companies deserve their trust. This, too, can change. As an example, take a concrete project we have initiated this year: the Trustable Tech Mark, a consumer trust mark for connected devices. Developed by the ThingsCon network with support from Mozilla, the Trustable Tech Mark will soon start offering an assessment framework to determine which connected devices are trustworthy. It looks at five dimensions: openness, privacy & data practices, security, transparency and stability. Trustable Tech Mark will offer an assessment framework to determine which connected devices are trustworthy The Trustable Tech Mark aims not just to weed out the really inferior products at the bottom of the pile but also to highlight the ones that are truly trustworthy and employing – or establishing – best practices for user rights. For example, imagine an intelligent smart-home assistant that does all the data processing on the device without sending sensitive data to the cloud. Or smart lighting that avoids privacy risks by not using microphones in its light bulbs. Or a company that ensures that in case of bankruptcy or an acquisition, user data remains safe and the code is released as open source, so the product will work even after the company is gone. The Trustable Tech Mark is only one of what we hope will be many initiatives to empower consumers to make better-informed decisions and make emerging tech more open. If industry, policy makers and consumers all can agree that transparency, decentralisation, accountability and openness are conditions that enable trust in technology, then we can look forward to an exciting – rather than scary – decade of emerging technology. As designers, developers, and technologists, we have an outsized role to play in this journey but we can – and should – also demand better as consumers. Industry and policy makers will follow this pressure. In the end, all parties benefit from better, more trustworthy emerging tech. Illustration by Kym Winters This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 312 or subscribe. Read more: How to switch off after a long coding session 18 top CSS animation examples 14 awesome design books that aren't about design View the full article

This one-day Christmas deal from Amazon slashes the cost of Sony’s original full-frame mirrorless camera, the A7 – plus a 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens – to just £509 with cashback. That's a ridiculously low price for what was one of the best cameras you could buy when it first launched. For today only, Amazon itself has cut £366 from the list price, taking it down to £659. With Sony offering a further £150 cashback, this one-day deal is better than the one we saw on Amazon Prime Day (which sold out within 24 hours) and equals the lowest price we saw on Black Friday. The best Christmas gifts for kids The Sony A7 is a great camera for anyone looking to get into photography, or upgrade to a full-frame or mirrorless camera. It’s been replaced now by the A7 II and A7 III, but it was a landmark camera when it first launched, packing a 24.3MP 35mm full-frame sensor and lens interchangeability into a compact body half the weight of leading DSLRs. At just over £500, this is an unbelievable price for what remains a very good camera. As well as squeezing a full-frame sensor into a compact body, the Sony A7 was also notable when it launched because it adopted Sony’s smaller E-mount – giving the camera great quality, portability and improved usability. Image quality is great, with high sensitivity and extreme dynamic range, low noise, maximum detail and realistic colours. Performance is perhaps a little sluggish compared to the newer models, but we're still big fans of this camera – and at this price, it’s a very affordable way to get into full-frame photography. This Christmas deal runs out tonight, so take a look before then if it appeals. Read more: The best camera for photography The best tripods to support your camera The 10 best point-and-shoot cameras in 2018 View the full article

The trojan purports to be a battery optimization app - and then steals up to 1,000 euro from victims' PayPal accounts. View the full article

At its worst, data visualisation can just be an exercise in dressing up dull statistics in fancy clobber to try to make them look more interesting, and usually failing. At its best it can be a fantastic way of communicating otherwise impenetrable facts and figures in a way that makes them instantly accessible, and this dataviz project from The Pudding is definitely in the latter category. Areas of dense population show up as virtual mountains on the map It can be hard to grasp just how populations are spread out around the world, but The Pudding's Population Mountains project presents this data in a way that enables you to immediately identify the world's population hotspots. Using data from the Global Human Settlement Layer – which uses a mix of satellite imagery, census data and geographic information to create population density maps – the project creates a detailed 3D height map, where the most heavily populated areas appear as virtual mountains. Looking at a zoomed-out map of the the world in this view, you can instantly identify the major cities as vivid spikes on an otherwise flat plane; zoom in closer and you can see how some cities feature a lot of people crammed into a relatively small space that looks like a thick needle, while other cities with sprawling suburban areas appear as more gentle inclines. Here a big city is surrounded by lots of smaller, densely populated areas In The Pudding's post about the project you'll find some fascinating studies of how population density can vary across the world; in some places, you'll find a huge proportion of the population packed into major cities, with the surrounding areas appearing as almost flat spaces by comparison, while in others, such as Bengalaru in India, you can see that the vast city is surrounded by loads of amazingly dense urban settlements. See the difference between the north of France and the south of England Another interesting comparison is between London and Paris; London is a chunky peak among a load of the sizeable population hills that make up the Home Counties, while Paris is a vast spike, with nothing but the occasional foothill making up the rest of the north of France. It's easy to explore the data for yourself You can read the Population Mountains post over at The Pudding for some great curated views and accompanying insight; alternatively you can head straight for the interactive map and see the data for yourself. There are two datasets to play with; the most recent population data from 2015, and an older set from 1990, and there's even an option to compare the two datasets to see how populations have shifted over the last quarter of a century. Related articles: The 62 best infographics How to create amazing infographics The data trend set to revolutionise app design View the full article

By researching your market's keyword demand you can not only learn which terms and phrases to target, but also learn more about your audience and their user experience. Your primary objective shouldn’t be ranking for just one single keyword but increasing your site's total domain authority through content quality and relevancy to your target audience. Keywords have long been a useful web design tool as they play a central role in SEO and in driving traffic to websites. Originally the mechanics were straightforward, although today the use of keywords is much more complicated. Google’s algorithms have become much more complex (Rank Brain AI, in particular), and they now evaluate the intention behind your query and then search for a 'best fit' candidate in its network of indexed sites. Clarifying the intentions and purpose of your business to Google is therefore paramount in achieving good quality traffic. The modern customer journey is also complex, so it’s important to focus on the key moments that can help inspire people to interact and engage with your business. With the evolution of SERP features and a more personalised approach to search results, you cannot solely rely on a page 1 keyword ranking to get you as much traffic as possible. Here's how you can master keyword research… 01. Understand short and long tail Researching the terminology that inspires your audience and encourages them to convert is crucial. These high intent keywords are an excellent opportunity to connect with qualified, conversion-ready audiences. These keywords can be broken down into: Short tail (shorter, more generalised with greater search volume). Long tail (longer, more specific with less search volume, which also has an impact with voice search). These variants will have an impact on impressions, click through rates and competition. 02. Start with ideation and research Ideation is a great way to identify your niche A good place to start is with ideation. Brainstorm your ideal customer's keyword search terms and establish a baseline list. These seed keywords define your niche and describe your service. Get into the mindset of your audience: who they are and what are their pain points; get to know them better by studying their terminology. If you can, utilise your ‘search box’ result terminology to outline what your target customer is thinking during their buyer journey. Brainstorm their Awareness stages (inspiration-pain points), Consideration stages (research-comparison) and Decision stages (purchase-advocacy). 03. Google your initial ideas Google itself can help you identify useful phrases The next step is to understand what keyword terminology, in line with your ideation list, is used by your audiences in the search engines. Investigate the SERP and review what Google believes is the most relevant to your keyword. There is also an opportunity to review the ‘searches related to’ field in Google (bottom of the page). This will showcase a wealth of related keyword searches aligned with your initial thoughts. You can also head over to Google Trends and review how your keywords have evolved. This will give you a good indication of interest and related topics due to seasonality, geography/location and media coverage to add further weight and terms to your list. 04. Don't forget about Bing Google isn't the only search engine you need to keep in mind Bing is increasing its share of the search engine market, with the mass release and rollout of Windows 10. The savvy marketers will capitalise on this and understand that Bing may have a certain demographic to target. Keyword terminology will therefore be a key factor with this channel and nuisances between this and Google will be evident. Research keyword terminology around this older demographic and the opportunities that come from it. 05. Analyse your competitors' organic keywords One way to beat the competition is to study them Having an insight into what your competition is doing well – and what keywords they rank for – can give you a huge advantage. Review the websites appearing on the first page naturally alongside your ideation list. Dig deeper into these websites, understanding the keyword terminology used within their URLs, header hierarchy, meta titles and descriptions. Site Explorer in AHRefs enables you to browse the keywords your competitors rank for, closing the gap between those terms you are not taking advantage of and ultimately increasing traffic to your own domain. The Content Gap Tool also highlights keywords that all your competitors rank for, but you don’t. 06. Analyse your competitors' PPC keywords SpyFu can help you study competitors Look at what keyword terms the competition is bidding on. You can do this as per your initial research process utilising your ideation list within the search engines. As well as utilising third-party tools to save time, a useful tool that can help with this is SpyFu. Simply enter the competitor’s website domain and press enter. 07. Understand what you already rank for Make the most of your existing rankings with Google Search Console As well as building your keyword list, knowing what you already rank for can increase opportunities to target keyword placements outside of page 1 positioning. This can highlight ‘easy wins’ with page 2 positions that need a simple push! Go to Google Search Console, click Search Traffic > Search Analytics, filter by Queries and click ‘Clicks/ Impressions/CTR/Position’. Then select Dates and Filter by Position to view the positioning and terminology. 08. Set primary and secondary keywords Now you have a list, select a primary keyword and a set of related secondary keywords that share your searcher's intent (understanding what their motivation is crucial). The intent behind these keyword terms and phrases should be the same, so the same landing page content can ultimately serve it. Employ these primary, secondary and related keywords in the page's content, metas and links. 09. Gain some metrics Get greater insight into your rankings with Google Keyword Planner Use your keyword list inside the free Google Keyword Planner. Here you can review these metrics: Search Volume: understand the search demand for a keyword and utilise this alongside Google Trends for insights on seasonality. Keyword Difficulty: a balance between the business value of the keyword and its ranking difficulty. Invest in where you will receive the best return and be patient for the results. Clicks: Having volume is great, but pay-per-click (PPC) adverts, localised map listings and rich snippets can immediately answer or steal clicks. Be mindful of this metric when selecting keywords. 10. Structure your keyword list Having generated a list and used the metrics to identify the very best keywords, it’s now time to add some structure to your list. Ideally this process is whatever makes the most sense to you. For example, group by keyword topic and landing page, or group by user intent, or group by business value. This article was originally published in issue 280 of creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 280 here or subscribe to Web Designer here. Related articles: 5 ways to boost your website's SEO Climb the Google rankings: How to master SEO 10 must-know SEO tools for search success View the full article

As designers, you'll have an appreciation of unique and lovingly crafted gifts. Hunting out indie gems can be easier said than done, however. To help you out, we've rounded up some of the best independent shops around – these are the places to snap up a unique gift this holiday season. Some of these brands have physical shops in the US or UK, but most are mainly based online and will ship worldwide – just check postal times to make sure your gift will arrive in time! Can't find what you're after? Take a look at our gift guides for illustrators, graphic designers, freelancers and kids – or the best stocking fillers for designers. 01. Ugmonk Ugmonk's products sport simple, fresh graphics In 2008, designer Jeff Sheldon spotted a gap in the market for quality products featuring simple, fresh graphics. He launched Ugmonk to fill that niche, and it was a resounding success. Alongside the T-shirts Sheldon started with, the shop also sells hats, notebooks and a range of leather and canvas goods, including wallets and coasters. Ugmonk partners with an organisation called Rice Bowls, which supports children in orphanages around the world – so you can shop in the knowledge that some of your cash will be going to a good cause. 02. Nuno All of Nuno's products are made from recycled PET bottles Nuno sells the most colourful and vibrant scarves, robes and eye masks. This indie shop's USP is that all of its products are made from its own fabric – NeoSilk – crafted entirely from recycled PET bottles, making it super eco-friendly. It was launched by graphic designers Ann Hintze and Cassandra Zimmerman, and is based in Utah. As well as their own designs, the duo also collaborate with other artists (the scarf pictured features a design by artist Jason Naylor). 03. Studio Neat Neat creates smart products to solve tricky problems Founded in 2010 by designers Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost, Studio Neat sells simple products that solve interesting problems. The duo first invented the Glif – a tripod mount for smartphones, and its Kickstarter exceeded its goal 10 times over. More cunning products followed, from the Cosmonaut (a wide-grip stylus for touchscreens), to the intriguing Neat Ice Kit (for making perfect ice). This is the place to shop for gadget lovers who thought they had everything. 04. Rock Cakes Rock Cakes' patches and pins aim to spread a little joy Rock Cakes is run by Brighton-based illustrator Sarah Meredith, who launched the company in 2008. In this shop you'll find quirky jewellery, patches, pins and brooches, all of which aim to "spread a little joy and happiness". "I’d always had a burning desire to have my own business – to have creative freedom and work for myself," she says. "I wanted to make and sell the jewellery ideas that popped into my head. I love clothing as well as jewellery – patches bridge this gap and are also super-accessible." 05. Oliver Jeffers Stuff Jeffers' charming illustrations have made their way on to T-shirts and collectables Oliver Jeffers is a best-selling picture book artist and author who also runs an online store of delightful products. As well as these his well-known books, you can pick up T-shirts and sweaters (for adults as well as children), cool collectables and prints, all in Jeffers' unique and charming style. Read our interview to find out more about the artist. 06. Illustrate Illustrate's owners print other creatives' artworks onto phone cases, skateboards and more Illustrate is a slightly different proposition. Founders Toby Brusdon and James Katz have joined forces with different visual artists (they represent 10 in total at the moment), and turn their original artwork into unique gifts. You can pick up everything from screen-printed garments to cool stationery and skateboards. There are physical shops in Bristol and Cardiff, and the online store ships around the world. The shop also has a strong eco-friendly ethos. 07. Finest Imaginary Finest Imaginary specialises in laser-cut perspex jewellery Finest Imaginary is an independent British studio run by designer-maker Kim Lawler. It launched in 2007 and sells jewellery, pins and patches, homeware and stationery. Finest Imaginary built its reputation on intricate laser-cut perspex designs, which are assembled by hand in Lawler's studio in Yorkshire. 08. Abi Overland Abi Overland's crockery is whimsical and unique Abi Overland sells beautiful, unique dinnerware. Overland studied illustration in Brighton before launching her own business. Her intricate work features surreal and otherworldly landscapes, which is screen-printed or hand-painted onto bone china to create eye-catching tea sets and crockery. "I loved the idea of creating works of art that were accessible to people in their everyday lives, and ceramics had always been an interest of mine," says Overland. Read more: How to succeed as a designer-maker What NOT to get a graphic designer for Christmas 8 business tips for selling design goods View the full article

Experts sound off on how companies can work with their third-party suppliers and partners to secure the end-to-end supply chain. View the full article

If you haven't updated your Creative Cloud account yet, you may want to think twice – if you're set in your ways when it comes to keyboard commands and Photoshop shortcuts that is. That's because popular commands, such as holding Shift to scale images proportionately in Photoshop CC, no longer work in the same way. So much for your creative muscle memory. For creatives that haven't been keeping their finger on the pulse of all the latest Adobe developments, the updates have come as an unwelcome surprise. Having got so used to pressing Shift when scaling images that it became second nature, the change has been slammed as unnecessary chaos that's set to disrupt the workflow of artists and designers. Despite all the frustration the update has caused designers, it appears that a lot of people are unaware of the change. With this in mind, Alex Center, former design director at Coca-Cola resorted to the nuclear option of user irritation: taking to Twitter and posting a complaint in Caps Lock. It appears that Center wasn't alone, both in his annoyance and his bemusement that nobody seemed to be talking about the update. Dozens of creatives piled in with complaints about the new approach, which turns the Shift command on its head. Now Photoshop scales proportionately by default, and when you hold down Shift this is deactivated. As if this wasn't counter-intuitive enough for designers used to Photoshop's old ways, the command isn't even consistent across other Adobe platforms. For example, as one Twitter user pointed out, if you want to paste a shape layer into Photoshop from Illustrator, the old Shift command still applies. The misery doesn't end there though. As well as sympathising with Center's Tweet, plenty of other designers were keen to point out other changes, such as Adobe's decision to replace the Undo command. News of this irritation might come as a surprise to Adobe. It was only a couple of months ago that the updates were announced at Adobe MAX 2018 as the 'tools creatives have been waiting for'. And when they were unveiled as part of a demonstration by Adobe's Principal Worldwide Design and Photography Evangelist, Terry White, the new systems were greeted by rapturous applause. So why the anger now? Perhaps it's a case of something that sounds useful in theory proving to be pesky in practice. Perhaps people are just resistant to any change, but will grow to love this feature. Or maybe, this really is an update some users been craving. Either way, if you absolutely have to scale proportionally with the Shift key, there is a way around the update... Will Adobe give in and reverse or modify its updates? Watch this space... Related articles: 75 best Adobe Illustrator tutorials The 18 best Adobe Illustrator plugins 6 amazing free Adobe CC alternatives View the full article

We came to the review of Microsoft’s all-new Surface Go with a simple question in mind: is this a product for people working in the creative industries? But before we can answer it, we need to take an in-depth look at what’s on offer in Microsoft’s smallest and cheapest 2-in-1 laptop to date. The first thing to mention about the appearance of the Go is its diminutive size. At just 10 inches, it’s a new form factor for the Surface, and it goes head-to-head with the standard iPad. Also new to the Surface line is a smoother bezel around the edge of the device, which makes it far more comfortable to hold in the hand, especially given its weight of just 0.52kg (0.77kg with the Type Cover attached). Although the base Surface Go can be bought for £379, to unlock the device’s true potential you will need to spend some more money on the additional Signature Type Cover, and throw in a Surface Pen for good measure. Surface Go Signature Type Cover Let’s start by looking at the Signature Type Cover, which is priced at £99. Coated in Alcantara – a microfibre material used in high-end car interiors and the like – the Signature Type Cover keyboard boasts a premium look and feel, whilst also being extremely durable. And the functionality of the keyboard is of an equally high standard: the trackpad is responsive and accurate; the keys have just enough travel distance; and swipe gestures are fully supported. The cover connects via a magnetic coupling, and when it’s attached you can either lay the keyboard flat, place it at a slight angle for more comfortable typing, fold it behind the device to use it in tablet mode, or use it as a screen protector. The Signature Type Cover keyboard boasts a premium look and feel The Surface Go’s PixelSense touch display boasts punchy colour, decent brightness, and a 180-degree viewing angle. Embedded within the 1800×1200 resolution display you get front (5MP) and rear-facing (8MP) cameras, as well as a pair of 2W stereo speakers, which provide surprisingly good separation, and come with a ‘Dolby Audio Premium’. As with other Surface devices, on the reverse of the unit Microsoft uses a metal kickstand to support and angle the device, which gives a huge amount of flexibility. These are impressive features, but we’ve left the best until last, and that’s how the device performs with its companion stylus. The Surface Pen The Surface Pen (sold separately for £99) is the recommended stylus for use with the Surface Go, and whilst it is a little too expensive, we can’t imagine using the Go without one. Built on Wacom’s Penabled technology, and latterly on N-Trig technology, the Surface Pen has gone through four generations, and in its latest incarnation it can detect 4096 levels of pressure, which – despite being about half of what you get on a top-end Wacom pen – is still suitable for all but the most demanding users. On top of this, you also get over 1000 levels of tilt response. And with just 21 milliseconds of latency, the Surface Pen is now, according to Microsoft, "the fastest digital pen on the planet”. Under the hood Under the hood, the Surface Go is powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Pentium Gold processor and an Intel HD Graphics 615 graphics card. And whilst the base model includes 4GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage, the device we tested is the 8GB version (with 128GB of SSD storage), which is priced at £599. This test device performed well across all but the most intensive uses. And we were delighted to see that Microsoft has retained the MicroSD slot in the Go, as with previous Surface models, enabling you to easily expand your storage. What can this thing handle? Whether you’re jotting down thoughts and sketches in OneNote, creating prototypes in Adobe XD, or making vector art in Affinity Designer, the experience is a good one. However, we did find some brush stutter as loads increased, and whilst the Go is great for basic inking and sketching, we wouldn’t recommend it for more complex projects. (For example, Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo take around 20 seconds to open, with a RAW photo taking around 30 seconds to import.) For apps such as Word, Chrome, Excel, and OneNote you really don’t notice any dip in performance with the Surface Go, and we were surprised at just how capable it is – especially for the price. One place where it’s hard to make compromises is gaming, and this is an area where the Go performs poorly. Taking Fortnite as an example, even with the lowest screen resolution, and all details dialled down, it’s still borderline unplayable. Minecraft fares better – which you’d expect – but any game with requirements beyond this is going to struggle. Out of the box, the Surface Go comes loaded with Microsoft’s Windows 10 Home in S mode. (For those not familiar with S mode, it’s a specific version of Windows that only allows you to install apps from the Microsoft Store.) This provides better performance and security, and is geared towards an educational setting, where you don’t want third-party apps being installed on the device. However, switching to the standard Home edition can be done in a few clicks, and we experienced no issues when doing so. Once you’ve switched out of S mode, though, there’s no rolling back– so be aware that it’s a one-way street. The Surface Go is great for basic inking and sketching, but we wouldn’t recommend it for more complex projects Perfect? Not quite. If there’s a chink in the Surface Go’s armour, it’s the battery-life. Despite an advertised nine hours of juice, we struggled to stretch it past seven, and this was with relatively lightweight tasks such as web-browsing and word processing. So that sucks. But on the bright side, it charges quickly, and you get a full battery in around two hours, which trounces the 4 hours that it takes to charge a 9.7-inch iPad Pro. And whilst this poor battery life might not be a deal breaker – because the Surface Go does so many other things so very well – it might be enough to make you think twice. But it’s our only gripe, beyond a lack of serious gaming chops, which even the harshest of critics would forgive in such a low-priced, and otherwise excellent laptop. View the full article

If you don't know how to use Microsoft Excel, you're lacking a pretty essential skill for employment. In the United States and in plenty of other countries around the globe, it's one of the most widely used office software across all different industries – an estimated 750 million people use it globally. In this course, you'll learn everything from how to create clear spreadsheets, how to manage large quantities of data, and how to use Excel's AddIn and PowerPivot functions. With 190 lectures and 15 hours of content that you can access anytime, you'll soon be a pro at Excel. Get Microsoft Excel from Beginner to Advanced for $10.99, or give someone else the gift of Excel knowledge this holiday season. Related articles: Take your freelance career to the next level The best Microsoft Surface deals in 2018 Artist creates masterpieces using Microsoft Excel View the full article

Microsoft patches nine critical bugs as part of December Patch Tuesday roundup. View the full article

Threat actors have updated their malware to include a macro-based delivery framework. View the full article

The update includes a raft of critical code-execution problems. View the full article

Issues still exist when it comes to securing biometrics. View the full article

For a long time Adobe has been number one when it comes to creative software. And for designers who can afford its Creative Cloud packages, Adobe's offering of industry-leading tools, including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, InDesign CC and more can be too tempting to resist. The best free graphic design software This year has seen challengers to the throne though, with Affinity broadening its range of tools and capabilities to try and convince Adobe-doubters to jump ship. But what if you can't even stretch to Affinity's one-off payment? What if you're operating on a budget of nothing or you simply want to check out a new tool that might offer a way of working that suits you better? Well, you're in luck, because here are six Adobe Creative Cloud alternatives that are free to download. 01. Photoshop alternative: Pixlr Pixlr is packed with over 600 effects Looking for a free version of Photoshop? Pixlr is one of your best shouts. While it's designed for non-professionals, the cloud-based set of photo editors include some pretty advanced tools, such as cropping, red-eye removal and teeth whitening. Suitable for iOS and Android, Pixlr is available to use on desktops, tablets and smartphones, or it can be used as a web app. And thanks to its similar layout to Photoshop, Pixlr is easy to pick up if you're already familiar with Adobe software. 02. Lightroom alternative: RawTherapee RawTherapee's in-depth tools offer extensive customisation If you've always wanted to give Lightroom a whirl, be sure to try RawTherapee. As its name suggests, this tool is capable of editing Raw photo files, as well as other formats. With its extensive range of editing tools, you'll be able to correct distortion, boost colours, recover details and much more. These aren't basic capabilities either. Due to its advanced options, RawTherapee allows users to tweak their photos until they're looking exactly how they want. And thanks to its multi-threading and batch processing, RawTherapee is one the the most powerful Lightroom alternatives we've come across. What's more, you can download it on Mac, Windows and Linux. 03. Illustrator alternative: Inkscape Inkscape can trace bitmap images and import Illustrator files Seeing as it focusses on the SVG format, Inkscape has become a popular alternative to Illustrator. Unlike other free tools on this list though, Inkscape is supported by advanced features that you don't often find elsewhere, including alpha blending, cloned objects and markers. On top of running SVGs as its native format, Inkscape also fills in for Illustrator nicely because it has full support for different colour modes. Users will immediately notice that Inkscape has a simpler interface than Illustrator, but this doesn't mean it can't create intricate and detailed artwork. Definitely one to check out on either Windows, Mac or Linux. 04. InDesign alternative: Scribus Hobbyists and professionals can get a lot out of Scribus Due to its reliability and price tag of zero, Scribus is a commonly-used InDesign alternative for creatives on a budget. This professional page layout program is suitable for Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems, and even comes with a range of press-ready output that's ready to roll out of the box. Headline features for Scribus include CMYK colours, spot colours, ICC colour management and versatile PDF creation. It also supports vector drawing tools, and thanks to an active community surrounding Scribus, you're never alone if you need some troubleshooting. 05. Premiere Pro alternative: DaVinci Resolve Correct colour and master audio with DaVinci Resolve Premiere Pro alternative, DaVinci Resolve, is a professional video editing tool that's so good that it's used on big-budget film and TV productions. Yet it's also a free package that can be run on Windows, Mac and Linux. Specialising in colour correction and post production audio, DaVinci Resolve boasts impressive features such as curve editors and primary colour wheels. It also runs facial recognition tracking, giving users the option to play with skin tones, eyes and lip colour. Factor in that DaVinci Resolve gives users the opportunity to mix and master up to 1,000 channels, and you've got a tool that goes above and beyond the expectations of its price tag. Put simply, this is possibly the strongest contender for best free Premiere Pro alternative. 06. After Effects alternative: Blender A single After Effects alternative is hard to find Finding a single alternative to After Effects is a bit of a tall order. There isn't one magic bullet solution, but tools like Blender help to fill in some of the gaps if you don't happen to run Adobe software. A free package for Mac, Windows and Linux, Blender can be used to create ultra-realistic animated graphics and 3D visual effects. Both amateurs and experts alike use its texturing, particle simulation and compositing tools to create jaw-dropping work with an added dimension. Given the unique niche After Effects has carved for itself, though, you're going to want to back up Blender with other tools such as visual effects editor Fusion, and video editing software Filmora (which you'll have to pay for, though there is a free trial available). Related articles: The 9 best alternatives to Photoshop 6 great alternatives to Adobe Illustrator Crack Adobe CC with this keyboard cheat sheet View the full article

What designer hasn’t thought about bringing their 3D art to life in the air in front of them? In the last few years we have been able to do just that, at least inside a VR head-mounted display and with controllers in our hands. Gravity Sketch started life on an iPad and was followed by the VR version which can now be experienced in an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and the Microsoft Mixed Reality headset. There’s a basic version with some limitations (only four layers, limited exports etc) and a subscription model to access the full feature set. Buy Gravity Sketch now from £22.99 on Steam Gravity Sketch: Useful toolset Unlike a lot of the other VR creation tools that have cropped up, Gravity Sketch is much more like a NURBS-based design package: more like Rhino than ZBrush. There’s no sculpting with Voxels yet but that’s not really what it’s all about. This tool is aimed at designers who are used to curves, patches and manipulating geometry with control vertices (points). The vast majority of designers who started posting work online were from an automotive or design background and that is reflected in the sort of work that is being produced. A designer can literally sketch out the frame of a vehicle with strokes in the air and then patch those strokes together with editable surfaces. The core of Gravity Sketch is making shapes with surfaces that have editable control points. With Release 1.5, there are more features including drawing surfaces between strokes The basic toolset found on your main drawing hand controller includes Ink, Strokes, Revolve, Curved Surface, Volume and Primitives. While that doesn’t sound like a huge list, it pretty much gives you what you need to make anything. The Ink and Stroke tools enable you to paint strokes in the air and they are either ribbon like or made from a shape. In addition to that, you can taper and even edit the control points once you have drawn out the stroke. There is a full colour wheel at your disposal and strokes can be painted in your chosen colour and edited afterwards. The Revolve tool is a lathe of sorts and by dragging out a stroke or clicking points you can create wheels, cylinders, jet engines and the like. Again, after the initial shape is created with a single click you can go back in and edit the control points to refine the design. Curved Surface allows you to click in two places in space and a surface will be created in the space between. By dragging from there you pull out sheets of geometry to create your surfaces. In edit mode you then snap those points to the strokes you’ve already made and in that way build up your design. Volume replaces Filled Surface and is a way to create a volume of geometry by clicking or drawing out a shape. Add to that primitives like sphere, cube and triangle and you have a pretty all-encompassing creation toolset. There’s also some pre-made mannequins that you can build around. Gravity Sketch: New features This Spider Tank was created in under an hour inside Gravity Sketch. Rendered in Cinema 4D using Redshift Version 1.5 was released in September and brought in a raft of new features the community has been calling for. For example, Group/Ungroup helps to keep your scenes organised, and Bridge Canvas brings the ability to stretch a surface between strokes and means you can quickly build up a model with a lot less cleanup. As mentioned, the Volume tool improves on an already existing Filled Surface tool, and SuperEllipsoid adds more functionality to the primitives meaning you can hit more complex shapes quickly. There’s also a new Orthographic Viewport, tapering options for strokes and the ability to edit normals which means you can actually rotate parts of a stroke to make them more visually appealing. Gravity Sketch: Is it for you? Automotive is one of Gravity Sketch’s strengths and seeing what designers like James W Robbins can do with it confirms that This software will appeal to industrial designers, product designers, technical illustrators, concept artists and anyone wanting to quickly draft out their ideas without needing to learn a huge amount of commands and tools. It might not be for you if you want to focus on 3D printing, as the surfaces generally aren’t sealed ready for print without lots of post work. It doesn’t mean they can’t be, but there’s definitely lots to do to make an exported model print-ready. One thing that will surely be in coming releases is the ability to edit and remove parts of a curved surface. Things like fillet, chamfer and Booleans must be on that list and that will make an amazing piece of software even better. If you design for a living and are looking for new ways to explore your ideas, then take a look at Gravity Sketch. It’s an affordable way to design in VR. If you are all about sculpting, painting or 3D print-ready models then look elsewhere (for now!). Buy Gravity Sketch for £22.99 on Steam Read more: How to sculpt a character in VR View the full article

If you're working in design, it's vital that you never stop learning; it's tempting to think that you might know it all, or at least enough, but if you want your work to stay fresh then you owe it to yourself to keep on expanding your design knowledge. Learning doesn't generally come free, though; you can stock up on free ebooks, but if you're really keen to boost your design wisdom then you're going to have to spend some money on graphic design books. Would you buy that for a dollar? Of course you would However, right now there's an offer available that you'd be a fool to pass up. Humble Bundle is best known for putting together bundles of video games at amazingly low prices to raise money for worthy causes, but right now it's offering a stack of design and product management ebooks from O'Reilly, and it's the perfect opportunity to expand your design library for not very much money and feel really good about it. For just $1 you can get your hands on five great ebooks: Prototype to Product by Alan Cohen Designing with Sound by Amber Case and Aaron Day Designing Products People Love by Scott Hurff Understanding Industrial Design by Simon King and Kuen Chang Articulating Design Decisions by Tom Greever It's a great selection for anyone looking to grow their design knowledge; but wait, there's more! We totally want to read Tragic Design If you're willing to shell out $8 or more, you'll get another five ebooks, covering topics such as design sprints and emotionally intelligent design, and also including what has to be our favourite book title of the year: Tragic Design, all about how poorly designed products can anger, sadden, exclude, and even kill people who use them. And hey, if you're happy to spend eight dollars on 10 books, it's not much more of a stretch to splash a whole $15 (or more if you prefer) for the full set of 15 books so that you can learn about product management as well as designing with data and how to design bots and voice user interfaces. Seriously, it's worth it for those bonkers animal-based O'Reilly covers; the rest is a bonus As deals go, this is pretty damn sweet – if you bought these ebooks separately they'd set you back up to $458. The ebooks are available in PDF, MOBI and ePub formats so you'll be able to read them on pretty much anything, and it's all being done in the name of raising money for Code For America, which aims to create government services that are simple, effective, and easy to use, for everyone. This incredible deal's due to run for the next 13 days, so get in there now and sort yourself out for reading matter over the Christmas holidays. Related articles: 29 web design tools to speed up your workflow 20 awesome books for web designers and developers The best Christmas gifts for graphic designers View the full article

Want to build something that makes people's lives easier, in the form of an app? First, you'll need to gain the necessary technical know-how. With Hello Web Books: Learn to Build & Design Web Apps, you're getting a video bundle that will teach you how to build an app from start to finish. The bundle has two parts: Hello Web App, and Hello Web Design. The former guide you through the process of building an app with Python and Django, while the latter teaches you web design concepts in a streamlined fashion. It's no wonder this bundle was successfully financed via Kickstarter. These 45 videos will get you where you need to go in the world of app development. Get it now for just $29. Related articles: How to make an app How to design app icons How to build an AR app View the full article