Rss Bot

Sliders in web design are one of the most controversial user interface units. Some people love them; some people hate them. The same goes to web developers: some developers cannot imagine a website without them; others never use them. The …View the full article

If you’re on the lookout for a fresh Gutenberg WordPress theme that will make your website look great but also give you rich customization options, then perhaps you should give Blocksy a look. In this Blocksy review, we take a …View the full article

A lack of awareness about where and how open-source libraries are being used is problematic, researchers say. View the full article

It's Memorial Day 2020 and the Apple Memorial Day sales are in full swing. So if you've been thinking of investing in some Apple kit, now's the time to buy. The launch of Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 earlier this month means there's some fantastic deals on last year's version of the awesome laptop. The best deal right now is from B&H Photo, where it has the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro reduced to $1,199 – an impressive $300 off. The MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops, something that makes it a favourite for creatives. It's 13.3-inch Retina display allows you to see and show off design work in all its glory, and the 8th Gen Intel Core processor can handle even the most complex of creative tasks. Over at B&H Photo there are also some great discounts on iPads. The best deal sees a late 2018 11-inch iPad Pro on sale for just $799 (a $150 saving). We've also found a cracking Apple Watch 5 deal for just $299 – that's a massive $100 saving. These deals are only on until stocks lasts, so don't delay. Also, if you love a good deal, be sure to bookmark our Amazon Prime Day 2020 hub, where we hope to see even more great Apple offers. Browse MacBooks and iPads at Apple.com Apple Memorial Day sales 2020: The best deals View the full article

If you're anything like us, you probably sometimes wish you'd paid a little more attention in school. Thankfully, it's never too late to learn. Not only is this infographic the perfect way for children to master geometric shapes, but it's also a handy reminder for those of us who might have forgotten a thing or two. The complete guide to geometric shapes by AAA State of Play is illustrated in a delightful chalkboard style – perfect for little ones who are missing the classroom right now. It explores everything from one-sided to 20-sided shapes, along with information about the angles within each one. And maybe we're just big kids, but we found discovering each shape (it lost us after decadon) completely addictive. It's fascinating to see each polygon edge closer to a perfect circle with the addition of extra edges. Check out our roundup of the best infographics – or if you want to create your own, take a look at our pick of the best infographic tools. And then there's the names – most of us are familiar with pentagons and hexagons, but if you'd asked us to name a nineteen-sided shape before looking at this infographic, we have to admit that 'enneadecagon' might not have immediately jumped to mind. Scroll down to enjoy the infographic in all its quadrilateral glory. Read more: These bad logo redesigns are the best (and worst) thing you'll see all day How to get Disney Plus for free You won't believe what Apple's next MacBook might look like View the full article

The Apple Memorial Day sales are in full swing. Memorial Day 2020 and the launch of Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 earlier this month means there's some fantastic deals on last year's version of the awesome laptop. The best deal right now is from B&H Photo, where it has the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro reduced to $1,199 – an impressive $300 off. The MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops, something that makes it a favourite for creatives. It's 13.3-inch Retina display allows you to see and show off design work in all its glory, and the 8th Gen Intel Core processor can handle even the most complex of creative tasks. Over at B&H Photo there are also some great discounts on iPads. The best deal sees a late 2018 11-inch iPad Pro on sale for just $799 (a $150 saving). We've also found a cracking Apple Watch 5 deal for just $299 – that's a massive $100 saving. These deals are only on until stocks lasts, so don't delay. Also, if you love a good deal, be sure to bookmark our Amazon Prime Day 2020 hub, where we hope to see even more great Apple offers. Browse MacBooks and iPads at Apple.com Apple Memorial Day sales 2020: The best deals View the full article

Welcome to our round up of the best Memorial Day sales 2020. Memorial Day is just around the corner (Monday, 25 May), and the sales are already in full swing. So if you've been wanting to get some quality kit for less, now's the time to buy. Here we've compiled the best Memorial Day deals on everything from laptops, tablets and monitors, to mattresses and home and garden furniture. The Memorial Day sales will take place right through the weekend, and we're going to curate the very best deals right here. If you want to browse around the shops, use the quick links below to head to your favourite retailers. Otherwise, scroll down for our pick of the best Memorial Day sales, which we will update as and when new offers arrive. This will be the last big US sale event until Amazon Prime Day 2020, so be sure to make the most of the deals while they last! Memorial Day sales 2020: Adorama – laptops, monitors and more with up to $300 savings Amazon – big savings on home items and appliances Apple – save on your old iPhone with select trade-ins B&H Photo – deals on laptops for creatives, with up to $300 off Best Buy – save up to $250 on TVs, laptops, appliances and more Dell – up to $250 off its brilliant XPS range of laptops Home Depot – up to 40% off tools, appliances, home furniture and more HP – weekly deals on laptops, desktops, monitors and more Huion – great entry level graphic tablets for under $50 Lenovo – massive savings on laptops: up to $800 savings! Mattress Firm - get top-rated mattress brands for up to 50% off! Microsoft – huge savings on select Surface Pro models and more Purple – save up $400 on quality mattresses Target – save up to 25% on patio items Tomtops – up to 52% off a huge range of accessories Wayfair – save up to 65% in Wayfair's huge outdoor sale Memorial Day sales 2020: Top picks Memorial Day sales 2020: All the best deals When is Memorial Day 2020? As well as being the unofficial start to summer, Memorial Day has been an American federal holiday that falls on the last Monday in May since the 19th century. It is a day that honours everyone who died while serving in the US military. This year Memorial Day is on Monday 25 May. When do the Memorial Day 2020 sales start? Many Memorial Day sales begin a whole week before the bank holiday, some won't begin in earnest until the weekend before. However, if you bookmark this page, we will be updating all the sales that we find from now until the end of the sales, usually at midnight on Memorial Day. It is the biggest sales event until Amazon Prime, so it's the perfect time to snap up a great saving if you don't want to wait until later this year. Related articles: Apple sale: 13-inch MacBook Pro gets a HUGE $400 price cut Shocking new iPhone 12 leaks suggest big design changes Create stunning designs with the big design graphic bundle View the full article

On the hunt for some Apple kit? You're in the right place. With the Memorial Day sales kicking off this weekend and Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020 released earlier this month, there's some fantastic deals on last year's version of the awesome laptop. The best deal right now is from B&H Photo, where it has the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Pro reduced to $1,199 – an impressive $300 off. A slightly lower priced deal is on 2019's 128GB model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro on sale for $1,149. That's an impressive $150 saving, and currently the lowest price around. The MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops, something that makes it a favourite for creatives. It's 13.3-inch Retina display allows you to see and show off design work in all its glory, and the 8th Gen Intel Core processor can handle even the most complex of creative tasks. Over at B&H Photo there are also some great discounts on iPads. The best deal sees a late 2018 11-inch iPad Pro on sale for just $799 (a $150 saving). These deals are only on until stocks lasts, so don't delay. Also, if you love a good deal, be sure to bookmark our Amazon Prime Day 2020 hub, where we hope to see even more great Apple offers. Browse MacBooks and iPads at Apple.com MacBook deals: iPad deals: Outside the US? Here are the best offers on these and similar devices in your area: View the full article

The best deals on the ever-popular Dell XPS 13, and its bigger brother the Dell XPS 15, can come and go in the blink of an eye, so we've updated this selection of the best prices on Dell's XPS 13 and XPS 15 laptops in May 2020. There are a few savings on great models that have caught our eye, detailed below, on two of Dell's best-selling and most popular laptops – the XPS 13 and XPS 15. The XPS 13, with its improved battery life, stunning visuals, HD webcam and sleek design, is a great choice for if you need an allrounder laptop. Whereas the XPS 15 is a great choice if you're looking for a step up, boasting oodles of power, stunning visuals and excellent design. And since you're in the mood to bag the best deals around, be sure to check out and bookmark our dedicated Amazon Prime Day 2020 page, where we'll be bringing you all the best deals when the big day comes around. US Dell XPS laptop deals View all of Dell's XPS laptop deals in the US UK Dell XPS laptop deals View all of Dell's XPS laptop deals in the UK If you live outside the US, there's no need to feel left out. Here are the best Dell XPS deals in your area, including a range of iterations of the ever popular XPS 13: Read more: The best laptops for under £500/$500 The best laptops for students in 2020 The best laptops for graphic design in 2020 View the full article

Are you looking for a bit of guidance on your next logo-making project? Do you need assistance with finding the best way to finesse your company's social media branding visually? You've come to the right place. The Ultimate Adobe Illustrator's Guidebook Certification Bundle brings you everything you need to start bringing your visuals to life – plus, it's currently price-dropped to only $34.99. Want to expand your Illustrator skills for free? Here's our roundup of the best Illustrator tutorials on the web. And here's how to download Illustrator right now. Learn the ins and outs of Adobe Illustrator Adobe Illustrator is one of the most-used design software programs in the world of design, making it an always evolving platform where there is still more to learn. Taught by top-rated industry professionals, this 51-hour guidebook certification course bundle will start by bringing you basic best practices and techniques to navigate the flagship platform. Throughout your journey of nine in-depth courses, you'll learn the ins and outs of logo design, digital design for graphic designers, understanding typography, how to transform your creations digitally, and more. You'll dive deep into advanced design concepts and learn how to market all your creative designs into platforms such as t-shirt designs, social media, websites, e-books, and so much more. Improve your design workflow Not only will you learn all of Illustrator's basic and advanced tools, but you'll also gain access to essential time-saving techniques for a productive workflow. Courses on how to make the software work for you and your needs will allow you to start building on time-saving design strategies that will take your business skills to another level. You'll be provided with hands-on tutorials on how to bring these practices into your current daily flow and make the best out of your current creative routine. Enhance your design portfolio Every course is packed with real-world design projects that let you practice what you learn. Redrawing famous logos, creating your own repeating wallpaper patterns, and practicing advanced anchor point/pen tool tricks are just a few of the assignments you'll be tasked with to learn the concepts head-on. With a certification of completion included at the end of all the courses, you'll gain a powerful résumé booster for your next job interview or project. The Ultimate Adobe Illustrator's Guidebook Certification Bundle brings you everything you need to jumpstart your creative career in Illustrator, or simply brush up on your design skills. Usually priced at $1,500, you can learn the industry-leading Adobe CC program for only $34.99 (that's 97 per cent off). Add valuable skills and credibility to your ongoing creative portfolio and start designing like a pro today. *Prices subject to change. Software not included. Read more: Illustrator alternatives: 6 of the best 10 top illustration trends for 2020 Find free vector art online: the 20 best sites View the full article

An investigation traces an NSO Group-controlled IP address to a fake Facebook security portal. View the full article

It's not often that a smoothie ad comes with a content warning on YouTube, but then this no ordinary smoothie ad. Swisse Me has released a rather fruity new promotion for its range of ready-to-drink smoothies, and it's got the UK's ad-clearance body a little hot under the collar. Subtly titled FOODPORN, the ad (below) shows various fruit looking somewhat suggestive. By which we mean downright dirty. Bananas are caressed, kiwis are groped and oranges are... violated. All in sensual slow-motion and with the aid of some creative lighting. It's all very naughty (like many of the best print ads), and if you thought Marks & Spencer's food ads were sexy, you've got another thing coming. According to PR week, the UK's clearance body Clearcast has deemed the ad unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing, suggesting it only be shown after 9pm thanks to the “sexual innuendo involving genitalia, breasts, and porn”. To be perfectly honest, we'd say it's all fun and games until the yoghurt comes out. Until then innuendo-laden direction is enjoyable artful yet cheeky. Did Swisse Me really have to reach for the yoghurt? Even if we're only looking at food, some things are best left to the imagination, lest they enter put-you-off-your-smoothie territory. No comment YouTubers seem to be enjoying the ad. "If an adult looks at it, it's clearly meant to be taken as innuendo," one comments, "but if a child looks at it it's just fun with fruit, making a mess." Another simply declared, "I love fruit and this video just confirmed that I need to eat more fruit." Job done. The video, created by UK agency PLAY, is by no means the first suggestive ad we've seen – even this year. This March, a German DIY brand's insect sex ad had us squirming in our seats. The most important thing to remember, of course, is to stay safe – as Durex's sexy new rebrand is here to remind us. Read more: Whimsical new KFC ad will brighten your day Is this Heinz ketchup puzzle the most infuriating jigsaw ever? Coronavirus-Olympics mash-up sparks outrage View the full article

Some logos should never have seen the light of day, and designers will be hyper-aware of the mistakes that litter the designs we see every day. Typography mismatches, ambiguous images – the list of potential design fails is endless, leaving designers itching to tweak and redesign what they see. Emanuele Abrate began 'fixing' the worst logos he had ever seen for his project: 'Worst Logos Ever Redesigned'. He chose nine of the most badly designed logos he could find (and truly, some of these designs are hilariously, and famously, bad – they definitely could have benefited from our logo design rules), then analysed the problems with the original logos, and set to work making them better. One thing the project has shown us is just how many logos contain a very specific unfortunate resemblance. What is going on in the design world? The Instituto de Estudos Orientais' famously ill-conceived logo has been cleaned up Kicking things off is a hilarious (and very well-known) example of ambiguous imagery, from Instituto de Estudos Orientais. We're sure there isn't a designer in the land who hasn't wanted to get their hands on this one, and we're happy to report it's been tackled here. As Abrate describes on his Behance page, though the shapes of the image are essential and simple, there's too much going on (as well as the obvious, and unfortunate visual connotations, of course). Abrate simplified the design, working with negative space, aligned the typography and switched it to a sans serif to 'better match the symbol'. Nothing could be saved from this design The original Computer Doctors' logo is a hot mess, with confusing typography, and a flaccid, almost-but-not-quite-computer mouse interrupting the key word. As Abrate says, 'nothing could be saved of this design', so he went for a totally new concept – with clean typography and a clever use of negative space to create a medical cross. No words. What is it, exactly, that Mama is baking here? And where? Something is on fire, and it ain't the design. This is another example of a logo famous for ambiguous imagery, and one so well-known that most designers probably have a bunch of ideas for how it could be transformed. Abrate 'decided to start from the figure of the oven mitt as an iconic symbol: an oven mitt that joins the figure of the heart to convey the sense of love and passion.' He also modernised the use of colour, and used a rounded, friendly font. The complete redesign project There are six more examples to explore over on Abrate's Behance page, including well-known and not so famous designs, plus mock-ups showing the logos in situ on products and business cards. Redesigning logos is a great creative exercise, and finding your own angle for approaching a redesign project creates more interest – like these coronavirus logos. Not only is a project like this a fun way to flex your creative muscles, it's also a fascinating problem solving exercise and a provides a welcome challenge to see how you measure up against other pros. Plus, it's a creative way to flaunt your design skills and personal style. Would you have approached these designs in a different way? Read more: 6 magnificently minimal logos The best logo designer: the best paid-for and free logo designer software Where to find logo design inspiration View the full article

A brand new collaborative platform dedicated to destigmatising mental illness has launched to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week, featuring a striking identity designed by Pentagram partner Paula Scher and fashion designer Kenneth Cole. The Mental Health Coalition unites the leading US mental health organisations, along with advocates and celebrities (such as Whoopi Goldberg and Kendall Jenner), all dedicated to changing the way people talk about mental health. The new identity's logo (below) centres around the phrase "square peg in a round hole", representing the fact that there is "no normal" when it comes to mental health. It's a strikingly bold look – check out our logo design guide for more inspiring designs. With its bright colours and tall, bold typography, Scher describes the identity as "exactly what you wouldn't expect from a mental health site", and we're loving the empowering design. According to Pentagram, the Mental Health Coalition is hoping that the 'square peg' icon "will become the global symbol for mental health" – an ambitious aim, but perhaps it could one day become a universally recognisable design. The circular icon is also skilfully integrated into the coalition's wider campaign. It takes the place of the 'o' in the logo for the coalition's new digital storytelling platform called How Are You Really? – which encourages those with mental health challenges to share their own stories. “I like the way that Pentagram captured the ‘How Are You, Really?’ identity, as distinct from but still cohesive with the Mental Health Coalition,” says Cole. "It will be a hub for oftentimes serious discussion, but it is also interwoven with pops of colour and fun to lighten the mood and increase engagement.” Check out our best web design tools if you're inspired to create your own masterpiece. We love the bold, empowering design For us, this empowering new identity is another winner from Pentagram. We loved its recent simple rebrand for Blood Cancer UK last month, as well as its nautical new look for publisher Thames & Hudson. But while its track record is generally top-notch, even Pentagram can make the odd misstep – this year's TrueCar rebrand failed to reinvent the wheel. Read more: Whimsical new KFC ad will brighten your day Is this Heinz ketchup puzzle the most infuriating jigsaw ever? We love the new Cadbury logo – but is there a problem? View the full article

Laptops will always be popular for creative work, because you never know where you’ll need to work or present ideas – but when you’re not moving around, you need a bigger display. That’s why we’ve collected the best monitors for MacBook Pros, the perennial laptop staple of all kinds of creatives. What makes a great display for a MacBook Pro? The main things we’re looking at are: colour accuracy; resolution; brightness; ergonomics; connectivity; resolution; and budget. But the balance of these that best suits you will come down your own requirements. We’ve looked at the best monitors for MacBook Pro options to fill a bunch of needs here, whatever your priority: from perfect colours, to affordable 4K, to pro-level HDR, to high-capacity connectivity, to ultrawide monitors with more space for tools… we’ve got it all (if you want to charge your laptop at the same time, be sure to check out our round-up of the best USB-C monitors too). But with all our picks, we’ve started from the assumption that you’re looking for reliable colour reproduction and that you want some extra connectivity, so that they’re more like docking stations for extra equipment you don’t take away with your MacBook Pro. Those are the minimum – from there, you can just see which of these best suits your working needs. The best monitors for MacBook Pro This screen was developed by Apple and LG together, so it couldn’t be a better fit for a MacBook Pro. You can connect it over a single cable that delivers up to 85W of power to your laptop (enough for even the 16-inch MacBook Pro), plus sends video out from your MacBook to its 4K display, and can carry data to accessories too. The UltraFine 4K is more than a monitor – it’s also a Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C hub. The giant bandwidth of Thunderbolt means you can daisy chain this to a second 4K display still running off that single cable to your MacBook Pro – or plug in loads of external storage, connection hubs, cabled internet… whatever you need. It’s a 24-inch screen with a resolution of 3840x2160, so it’s highly detailed, and supports the DCI-P3 gamut. Its brightness of 500cd/m2 is strong as well. And if you need more space, there’s a 27-inch 5K version, with a resolution of 5120x2880 – enough to display a 4K video at full size and still have some control panels around it when video editing. Hands down, one of the best monitors for MacBook Pro around. It’s no surprise that the best monitor for creatives who need a screen to meet exacting standards is one that’s damn expensive. The big draw here is the self-calibrating nature of the screen – a built-in sensor will run regular checks to ensure what you’re seeing is what you should be seeing. Eizo’s specialist software helps you choose the colour profile you want to work to, as well. The resolution is DCI Cinema 4K (4096x2160), in a 31.1-inch screen – you’re getting a lot of real estate to work in here. It also has HLG HDR support for video compositing and grading (though the brightness isn't HDR rated), with 10-bit colour support and 98% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RBG coverage. Overkill? For some. For others, the exact correct amount of kill. If you can’t spare the capital for the higher-end monitors here, this gives you a great screen to work on without busting the budget. This aims to be professional grade, delivering 100% sRGB colour gamut coverage and Delta E of less than 2 (so its colour accuracy should be indistinguishable from perfect to the human eye). Being a smaller 24-inch model with 1920x1080 resolution, it’s made for photographers or designers to focus on getting the looks perfect – you could see more detail from a 4K monitor, but something had to go for this price, and 1080p is still more than enough for a lot of people. It also has ergonomic features to adjust height, tilt, pivot and swivel. It’s a great package for the price. Dell’s monitors tend to be practical, and we mean that in the best way. This gives you 99.9% sRGB coverage (at Delta E < 2 accuracy) and a 3840x2160 4K screen that’s a generous 27 inches in size – it’s a lot of workspace for the money. On top of that, you’ve got height, tilt, pivot and swivel adjustment options, so it’s easy to work ergonomically with it. It supports HDR, though its brightness rating of 350cd/m2 isn’t high enough to do professional justice there. But if you need something packed with detail that can be made to suit any physical working environment without being a ludicrous price, this is a great buy. We should say up front that we’re not claiming that this is a replacement for a reference monitor when we say it’s great for video pros – we’re looking at the more attainable end of things… emphasis on the ‘more’ rather than the ‘attainable’ there, we admit. One of the best monitors for MacBook Pro, this product is made for 4K HDR video – its resolution of 3840x2160 at 32 inches lets you see everything that’s up on screen, and its HDR1000 rating means it can show you HDR at full whack, backed up by 95% DCI-P3 colour support (and 99.5% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB). The really key thing here is its mini-LED full-array backlight – this enables highly localised dimming of the backlight in areas where your footage needs to show dark areas, but should also be good for even colour reproduction for still images. There are 384 dimming zones, which will still mean a small amount of blooming when light and dark areas are next to each other, but in general enables true high contrast. If you need even more precision, the ASUS ProArt PA32UCX-K is the even more pro version of this, hitting 99% P3 coverage and an astounding 1,152 local dimming zones in the mini-LED backlight. This is, to be clear, over twice as many as you get in Samsung’s flagship 8K TVs – we're talking about the real good stuff here. Ultrawide monitors are great for productivity because they can basically be dual-monitor setups but take up less space. This screen is 35 inches diagonally, but is a pretty standard monitor height – it’s just wider. The resolution of 3440x1400 gives you much more space for keeping more tool palettes visible (or reference material, or email, or video conferencing, or anything else you need) right alongside your canvas. 100% sRGB coverage means you can see colours just how you need them, and there’s even HDR support (though, again, the brightness is too low for meaningful use of it for video work). It also supports up to 100Hz refresh rates, so digital artists looking for minimal lag will find a friend here (or it doubles nicely as a gaming display). Read more: The best laptop for graphic design How to calibrate your monitor The best 4K monitors for designers and artists View the full article

Looking for niche anomalies in an automated way with AI and machine learning is the future. View the full article

Cisco has fixed a critical remote code-execution flaw in its popular customer interaction management solution. View the full article

It's always fun to keep an eye on Apple's various patents, which can give us an idea of the innovative ideas the company might have up its sleeve. The latest filings suggest some pretty major features could soon be hitting the MacBook range, including an in-built iPhone charger. But perhaps the most exciting concept is a huge, resizable trackpad. One of Apple's successful patents shows a trackpad taking up the entire area beneath the keyboard (below). This could be minimised or expanded to the user's liking with gestures, and display the active area by illuminating it. The MacBook Pro is already a mainstay of our best laptops for graphic design – and a much larger trackpad would certainly keep it there. An image from Apple's latest patent filing This could be a game-changer for digital artists, offering far more space for drawing and sketching, and potentially turning the bottom of the MacBook into a graphics tablet of sorts. If that's the case, perhaps we'll even see Apple Pencil support for the MacBook one day. We can but dream. As well as being a huge boost for artists, the moveable trackpad could offer more convenience when it comes to multitasking, allowing you to slide the trackpad to the left or right, leaving more room for the other hand to type. A second filing spotted by Patently Apple Speaking of convenience, another recent patent (above) spotted by Patently Apple shows plans for a wireless charging pad to be built in to the machine. If anything, it'll be nice to have one less wire to worry about. That filing also includes Touch ID built into the body of the laptop, as well as wrist sensors which could detect body temperature – something which could actually be pretty useful in the age of coronavirus. As with all patents, only time will tell whether these ideas will become a reality. We've recently seen plans for a bendable laptop hinge and an Apple Pencil with a built-in display. Thankfully, incredible laptops aren't a thing of the future – check out today's best MacBook deals below. Read more: Folding iPhone concept is jaw-droppingly good Is this skateboard with Apple's Mac Pro wheels as ridiculous as it sounds? The best Apple Watch apps in 2020 View the full article

Face masks are becoming a much more familiar sight as part of the 'new normal', as certain lockdown restrictions begin to ease across the world. Masks are in short supply (you can still find stock in our where to buy a face mask guide), so many have taken to creating their own. That's exactly what Colarado-based artist Stephanie Hook has done – although her invention is a little more magical than most. In a video posted to her TikTok page, Hook appears to be wearing a simple, black face mask – until it slowly transforms into a rich illustration of the Marauder's Map from the Harry Potter franchise. Fans will know that this secret map of Hogwarts is activated with the words: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good". But activating Hook's map is even easier – she simply has to breathe. Looking for masks for little ones? Check out where to buy kids' face masks right now, and check out these Hook's first video has so far gained over 400,000 likes, leading her to put the masks (available in adult or child sizes) up for sale via her web shop. Although currently sold out, more stock will arrive at 5pm MT on 29 May. If you can't wait until then, there are plenty of fun and stylish options available below. Where to buy face masks: quick links Etsy.co.uk – handmade face masks from just £3.99 Buff – stylish face coverings at low prices HYPE – get three face masks for £24.99 with 100% of profits for the NHS Ebay.co.uk – washable face masks at a bargain price Disney – Exclusive sets of your favourite Disney characters. $19.99 for four Vistaprint: Kids and adults face masks for $18/$13 Etsy.com – patterned face masks for as a little at $4 Los Angeles Apparel - 3 adjustable face masks for only $30 Sock Fancy – funky face masks for only $12 "I try to bring imagination to life in the creation of my products," Hook told Insider, "ensuring that they are not one-dimensional items". It can take over 17 hours to create a single mask, although the majority of this time is spent waiting for the non-toxic, heat activated pigments to set into the fabric. We'd say its worth the effort – this is the first transforming design we've seen, and we dare say it looks like magic. Hook's masks will only be available in a "very limited quantity", but even if you don't manage to snap one up, hopefully Hook's ingenuity has inspired you to unleash some creativity of your own. If that's the case, make sure you check out our guide to how to make a face mask. Read more: Face mask sewing tutorial Disney launches face masks of popular characters Free online resources for creatives stuck at home View the full article

Even if you're familiar with CSS and building beautiful layouts, you can still discover new CSS properties and features. By using them, you have more influence on how the content behaves on the website, as well as having more freedom in terms of how you apply creative techniques to elements such as photography. In this tutorial, we are going to dig into some lesser-known properties. When experimenting with them, please bear in mind that mentioned features are not supported by all the browsers, so it's worth checking them out on the Can I Use site. Let’s dive into some short and concise examples. Want more CSS inspiration? See this pick of top CSS animation examples, as well as more CSS tricks. Download the source files for this tutorial here What you will need: Your favourite web browser and developer tools – I recommend using Firefox or Google Chrome as they support all the features I use in this tutorial. A code editor. Assets such as images and fonts (you can download them from my repository. Typographical direction There are several CSS properties that help us to enhance how the text is presented on the web. 01. Text-stroke We're familiar with text stroke (outline) from Adobe Illustrator or vector-drawing applications. We can apply the same effect using the text-stroke property. It's good to know you can animate text-stroke with CSS but only the stroke colour – the stroke width isn't. 02. ::first-letter This pseudo-element applies styles to the very first letter of the block-level element. Thanks to that we can introduce effects that are familiar to us from print and paper magazines. 03. Gradient text Finally we can apply gradient to our text without any complicated methods. Let’s find out how can we introduce this eye-catching effect on our website. Content control Thanks to the following properties, we can enjoy greater control over how the text or images will behave depending on whatever size or proportion their container is. 04. Line-clamp The line-clamp property truncates text at a specific number of lines. We need three properties to make it work. The display property needs to be set to -webkit-box or -webkit-inline-box, -webkit-box-orient set to vertical and overflow set to hidden, otherwise the content won’t be clipped. 04. Column-count Thanks to the column-count property, a browser evenly distributes the content in a specified number of columns. 05. Character unit We can limit our text width or height depending on the character unit. As Eric Mayer points out, the ch unit represents the width of the character '0' (zero) in the current font, which is of particular use in combination with monospace fonts. It changes as the font family changes. We can treat it a bit like an x-height but the ch is based on the width of the 0 character instead of x. 06. Word break tag <wbr> Although this tutorial is based around CSS tricks I also want to mention one HTML tag: <wbr>. This is an HTML element that defines a word break opportunity – a position within text where the browser may break a line. In might be handy in some situations – it can be used when a word is pretty long and we're afraid that the browser would break the word in wrong places, for example a telephone number. 07. Object fit If you wonder whether we can control image behaviour depending on the size of the container, I recommend you check out the object-fit property. This one defines how the content of an <img> or <video> should be resized to fit its container. We have four options: fill, contain, cover and scale-down. For instance, with the cover value, the replaced content is sized to maintain its aspect ratio while filling the element's entire content box. Decorative and creative elements While data visualisation libraries like d3.js offer comprehensive charting functionality, for simple pie charts why not try CSS? Let's move on to adding some new elements and colours to our website. 08. Conic-gradient If you have ever wondered whether you could create a pie chart only using CSS, the good news is you actually can! And the solution for this brings us to the conic-gradient function. It creates an image consisting of a gradient with set colour transitions rotated around a central point (rather than radiating from the central point as you'd find with a radial-gradient). 09. Counters To style numbers in a numbered list, we need to play with properties called CSS counters. CSS counters let you adjust the appearance of content based on its location in a document. CSS counters let you adjust the appearance of content based on its location in a document, offering a handy hack for styling numbered lists To use CSS counters: The counters' value can be increased or decreased by counter-increment We can display the value of the counter by using the counter() or counters() function from within a content property 10. Change the Text Selection colour To change the Text Selection colour, ::selection is a pseudo-element that overrides at the browser-level to replace the text highlight colour with a colour you choose. The colour can be seen once you select the content with the cursor. 11. @support Whenever you want to use a CSS property not supported by all browsers, there is a feature query called the @support rule. This enables you to check the browser support for CSS property: value pairs. The code included in the @support block will be rendered only if these conditions are true. If the browser doesn't understand @support, it doesn't generate a given part of the code either. Although some properties may still experience problems with the browsers' compatibility, don't hesitate to play with them. While your browser support may be limited now, these will likely become mainstream practices in the future. It is just a matter of time. If you would like to ensure these effects only load on browsers that can render them, use the @supports rule to wrap the styles. If you would like further inspiration, Jen Simmons and Mozilla launched a Layout Land, a YouTube channel full of videos about web design and development, including tools and techniques, what's new and best practices. Additionally, you can also find out how to test colour contrast and simulate colour blindness using Firefox DevTools. This content originally appeared in net magazine. See more web design content here. Read more: The next big thing in web design: 7 trends you need to know Write HTML code faster The best monospace fonts for coding in 2020 View the full article

If you live in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, you're in luck. Right now, you can save a whopping 39% off individual Creative Cloud subscriptions. For creatives living in the UK, this epic discount equates to a monthly saving of almost £20! The price reduction applies to the complete Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses over 20 different apps. That includes all the big players – photo editing favourite Photoshop, digital artists' go-to Illustrator, video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects. You'll also be able to explore the new additions to the Adobe family, tablet-based art app Adobe Fresco, and Photoshop on iPad. Just in case you need some extra encouragement, remember that when you buy Adobe's full All Apps package you're also getting 100GB of cloud storage (with the option to upgrade to 10TB) and premium features like Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal is valid until 28 May 2020, so if you're in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it now. If you live outside the United Kingdom, here are the best Adobe CC prices in your area: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

As certain lockdown restrictions begin to ease across the UK, fast food chains have seen fit to begin reopening restaurants for delivery. Among them is KFC, which has marked the occasion with a tongue-in-cheek ad paying tribute to fans' DIY fried chicken efforts during lockdown. The ad (below) features mobile phone footage of said chicken, set to the familiar strains of everyone's favourite power ballad, All By Myself by Celine Dion. A brief message thanks fans, declaring "we'll take it from from here." Cue cinematic shots of KFC's fried chicken landing in a bucket – all in slow motion, of course. Check out our best laptops for video editing if you fancy making your own masterpiece (with or without fried chicken). The whimsical new ad is in keeping with KFC's online tone, although the brand seems to have changed its tune when it comes to fans' attempts to replicate its chicken. Just last month, KFC took to brutally reviewing homemade efforts on Twitter (below). Call us cynical, but with restaurants reopening, KFC has chosen an opportune moment to start turning on the charm. The ad was cooked up by UK agency Mother London. While it's a fun video, the agency was aware of the challenge of striking the right tone during the coronavirus pandemic (something McDonald's found out the hard way with the backlash to its social distancing logo). “Hopefully it’s going to land at the right time, with the right tone, with the right frame and hopefully will put a smile on people’s faces," the agency told Creative Review. We'd say they've managed to hit the spot with this fun tribute to people's creativity during these strange times. That said, we can't help wondering whether all that homemade chicken would look just as good as KFC's if treated to the same cinematic production values. Just a thought. Related articles: Is this Heinz ketchup puzzle the most infuriating jigsaw ever? KFC shows how NOT to troll your rivals with iPhone tweet KFC’s Valentine’s Day card range is unexpected genius View the full article

If social distancing has left you with a little more time on your hands lately, you may well have found yourself reaching for a puzzle to fill the hours. But there may not be enough hours in the day (or week) to tackle Heinz's latest invention: a 500-piece "ketchup puzzle". By which they mean a puzzle that is completely red. The puzzle was originally limited to 57 sets (playing on Heinz's 57 varieties) as part of a social media giveaway two weeks ago, but thanks to an overwhelming response, Heinz has managed to sauce a few more. The puzzle is now available to buy for $24.99, while stocks last. Check out our best graphic design tools if you fancy designing something (anything) a little more complex. With every piece exactly the same colour, there's only the vaguely different shape to tell each of the 500 pieces apart. We think it might take more than one afternoon to complete – but Heinz is of course in on the joke, proudly proclaiming the puzzle "ridiculously slow". Thankfully though, the product is more than just a joke. Heinz has pledged to donate $10,700 (or 107,000 meals) of the proceeds to food bank network Feeding America, so if you do experience a red mist while trying to solve the puzzle, at least it's all for a good cause. Fans were quick to rejoice when Heinz announced the puzzle. "This is a national treasure and I would share it with my whole family," one Instagram user commented, while another simply declared, "Dreams do come true." We can't imagine how excited they'll be when Heinz announces a brown version. Read more: Coronavirus-Olympics mash-up sparks outrage Clever optical illusion posters will make you double take Sun-Maid tries raisin' its profile with subtle logo tweak View the full article

It's been a tough year for the Olympic Games, with Tokyo 2020 becoming the first in history to be postponed. And now adding insult to injury is a magazine cover which, with a few minor tweaks, has turned the Tokyo 2020 emblem into the structure of coronavirus. The image appears on the cover of the April edition of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan's (FCCP) magazine, Number 1 Shimbun. And while subversive images are mainstay of magazine covers (many of our best print ads will make you double take), the Tokyo 2020 team believe the FCCP has gone too far. The offending design "It is very disappointing to see the games emblem being distorted and associated with the novel coronavirus," Tokyo 2020, spokesman Masa Takaya told insidethegames, "The design is clearly using the design of the Olympic emblem." The cover is the work of British designer Andrew Pothecary, the magazine's art director. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Pothecary refers to the design as a parody, which was intended "to make a powerful statement about the situation in Japan in light of the fact information related to the coronavirus pandemic keeps changing daily." If you ask us, Pothecary's "powerful statement" isn't particularly apparent in the design, which leaves it looking rather crass. We're no strangers to controversial magazine covers, but the most successful efforts tend to get away with said controversy by balancing it with a clear message. Without one, Number 1 Shimbun's cover seems a little flippant – not a great look during a global pandemic. The official Tokyo 2020 emblems were chosen from thousands of submissions Tokyo 2020 has called the cover an infringement on its "legally secured copyright to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic emblem," although it isn't clear whether it is seeking legal action. Interestingly, it seems the FCCP will be addressing the controversy in an online press conference tomorrow. Perhaps we'll even hear an apology then. As well as the unenviable organisational headache caused by the postponement of the games, the marketing and design repercussions have led to some confusing messaging, such as the decision not to design a new logo despite the new 2021 date. NBC then decided to update its own, turning it into a real head-scratcher. Hopefully the games will go ahead as planned next year, putting an end to Tokyo 2020's woes. Read more: New Olympic museum logo is pure design gold Tokyo 2020 Olympic posters are a delightfully eclectic mix Where to find logo design inspiration View the full article

Bootstrap, the most popular front end framework in the world, makes it easier for web designers and developers to quickly develop creative website solutions that work across modern web browsers and different viewports such as big screens and mobile devices. …View the full article