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Few of us enjoy job interviews. But if you’re going to land your dream design job – whether it's a junior designer role or art director of an agency, it’s a hoop you’re going to have to jump through at some stage, so it pays to be prepared.

And part of that means knowing the key phrases that will invariably mess up your chances, the moment you say them. In this post, we list five key sentences to avoid, why they’re so inappropriate, and what to say instead.

01. “I want this much money”

Raising the subject of pay during the interview is a big no-no

Yes, many employers are out to pay you as little as possible. Yes, you should be forthright and not accept less than what you’re worth. But that doesn’t mean you should start laying down red lines before you’ve even got the job. 

Raising the subject of pay within the interview is presumptuous, off-putting, and a big bugbear of employers such as Keren Lerner, founder and MD of London agency Top Left Design, especially when it comes from young and inexperienced applicants. 

“That attitude of ‘How much are you going to pay me?’, right away, immediately puts me off interviewing someone,” she stresses. “The problem is that people who are just graduating often think they’re much better than they really are. But even with a four-year degree, they’re really not. 

“If you want to be good at design, it’s not just about making things look nice, or being artistic, it’s about real attention to detail; and you don’t get that until you start working for a company that has high standards.”

Wait to be asked before you start discussing your salary expectations during the interview 

In other words, be confident but don’t be cocky, and wait until they offer you the job before you start to negotiate on salary. 

That said, if you are asked what your salary expectations are during the interview, you should certainly be prepared to provide a figure – which means it pays to do your research in advance, work out what the going rate for the role should be, and have a number in mind that will satisfy your own expectations.

Don’t worry about overshooting a little; these things are not totally scientific, and they can always come back with a lower offer. But ask for silly money, and they’ll more than likely pass you off as a fool, and not offer you the job in the first place, so  be realistic.

02. “I think my work speaks for itself”

Don't be stand-offish about discussing your work; it's exactly why they invited you to interview

If you’ve been asked to interview, it’s a likely sign that someone’s impressed with your design portfolio. Good job. But that’s only got you to the first stage. 

To succeed at interview, you’ve got to explain the thinking behind your work, the challenges you faced and how you overcame them, and just generally sell yourself as someone who can design, not just make pretty pictures.

If you fail to grasp this, and wrongly assume that your work “speaks for itself”, you may as well not bother showing up, believes David Johnston, co-founder of London design agency Accept & Proceed. 

“At interview, we look for people who can articulate their creative process, describe design challenges they’ve experienced, and explain the rationale behind their creative decisions,” he explains. “Seeing these qualities in designers gives us the confidence that they can grow as part of our team.”

03. “I actually don’t know much about the company”

If you're asked what you know about the company, make sure you have an intelligent answer prepared

In our digitally connected age, it’s often easy to find out lots about a company just by visiting their About Us page or checking them out on LinkedIn. But if you can’t find the information you need there, that’s no excuse for giving up. 

Because if you walk into an interview showing that you’ve made little effort to research your prospective employer, why on earth would they think you’re going to make any effort as an employee? 

So get creative with Google; read all the blog posts, case studies and articles you can; follow relevant social media accounts and network with the right people; ask the right questions, and generally show that you know how to do research. It’s going to be a big part of any design job you get, after all.

That said, also don't spit out a load of facts and figures during the interview, to “prove” you’ve done the work. It’s more about coming to a greater understanding of the company in your own mind, so you can work out what it is they’re looking for, and how you can sell yourself as the right person to provide it.

“At interview, the candidates who stand out are the ones who’ve done their homework by researching our work and our approach, and can use it to show us a little more of their personalities,” explains Asa Cook, creative director at global branding agency Design Bridge . 

Don't reel off facts and figures, but explain what you like about the company and why you consider yourself a good fit

Julia Darze did just that in her interview for a role as junior designer at Birmingham creative agency LIFE, and was later told it was key to her success. “I just told them how much I wanted to be there; how much I wanted to be a designer and how LIFE was the perfect fit,” she explains. “Honestly, although not in an X-Factor sob story kind of way.” 

Sarah Gray, a designer for Dublin agency All Out Design, tells a similar story. “I believe I got my job by being interested and enthusiastic in the company,” she says. “For instance, I remember talking about their work and saying how exciting particular project looks and how I'd love to get involved with something like that.”

In a way, it’s a bit like dating, where showing an interest in the other person will get you much further than just going on about how great you are. 

“People are looking to hire people who they're gonna be able to get on with and spend a lot of their week with,” Gray reasons. “So making an effort to talk to the interviewer about something they, as individuals, are interested in is key.”

04. “No, I don’t have any questions”

Not asking questions won't be taken as a sign of knowledge, but of ignorance

Towards the end of the interview, you’ll be asked if you have any questions. “And the worst thing you can say is no,” stresses Dorina D’Ambrosio, creative director at behavioural marketing company The Market Creative. “Make sure you have some questions up your sleeve, to show you’re interested in the job and company.”

Because although it may seem like otherwise, this stage of the interview is not actually for your benefit, but for the interviewer’s. It’s another way they can make you open up, get you talking and showcase your personality. So it’s an opportunity you need to grasp with both hands.

You may think that if you’ve investigated the company properly beforehand, you shouldn’t have anything left to ask, but that would be a mistake. Your research doesn’t reduce the number of questions you can ask at interview, it simply gives you a foundation for asking more intelligent and sophisticated ones. 

As Lee Hoddy, creative partner at Conran Design Group says: “Following your research, you should have a point of view on what you like about the company, and build a profile in your mind. This demonstrates a curious mind-set during the interview and will inform questions to create a richer conversation.”

05. “Yes, I can do that” (when you can’t)

Interviewers have built-in BS detectors, so don't make claims you can't back up

In design interviews, you should always sell yourself, exude confidence and project an image of positivity. But in doing so, it’s easy to get caught up in your own hype, and start exaggerating what your abilities and skillset actually are.

Don’t think, though, that this won’t be immediately obvious. Your interviewer's been around the block a few more times than you have, and will spot a chancer a mile off. So being honest is always the best policy, and if you’re looking to impress people, enthusiasm is always going to be achieve more than fake claims that will almost certainly be seen through. 

“I think the worst thing you can say in an interview is something that’s untrue, because if they sense you’re talking crap, you just look even more under-experienced,” says Gray. 

“It’s much better to be honest and say you don't know how to do a particular thing but you'd love to learn how; that way, you come across more confidently. In fact, there have been two occasions when employers said they liked me because I was honest about my strengths and weaknesses.”

Read more:

• 5 damaging habits designers need to break
• 20 tips for design interview success
• How to transform a design internship into a job

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USB storage is a workhorse for anyone whose job involves computers. Pocketable and simple, there’s always a need to carry critical files around. USB storage is the ultimate in digital convenience - whether an affordable flash stick, a fast and powerful solid-state drive (SSD) or a hard disk usually no bigger than a matchbox and without the need for any kind of power supply. The floppy disk of the modern age.

• The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday laptop deals

For creatives, USB storage is a straightforward way to keep all-important project files backed up, carry a portfolio for demonstration or simply a tool to expand on a computer’s limited internal space for media files. With increasing resolution and file sizes of digital photography and video, that space quickly gets eaten up by 4K video and RAW images.

But the USB standard is gong through a transition. The traditional USB Type-A connector is being superseded by the smaller USB Type-C. On modern Macs, you’ll only find Type-C, and will need a dongle or alternative cable to use older USB devices.

What’s more, performance of USB storage devices can vary wildly. This really depends on the device you use. Older USB 2.0 flash sticks would chug along at under 20MB/sec which would mean a large backup of 4K videos could take hours. USB 3 sticks are much faster than others though and you can expect speeds as high as 450 MB/sec from a USB 3.1 SSD such as the Samsung T3.

Here we pick out some USB flash storage devices that offer great performance, excellent capacities, and great value for money (especially with early Black Friday deals landing all the time). 

The Patriot Supersonic Rage 2 is a great little drive, the connector retracts with a push, without needing a separate cap you might lose down the back of the sofa, and it comes in massive capacities ranging from 128GB to a fairly pricey 512GB

Storage performance is everything, particularly if you suffer from slow internet speeds and can’t make use of cloud storage. Whether you’re backing up an absolute ton of files, or running large installers such as the Adobe Creative Suite off an external drive, the faster it goes, the less waiting around there is.

Thanks to some clever internal design, Patriot has managed to push USB flash storage to the performance limit here, with blistering speeds up to 300 MB/sec - outpacing most hard disks.

If you’ve bought a new MacBook or MacBook Pro in the last few years, you’ve had to give up the immediacy of your old USB flash storage, as the new Macs have said goodbye to the old USB Type-A ports, and now only have USB Type-C so you need a dongle, dock or converter cable to use them.

A handy USB-C flash drive gets around this though, plugging directly into your Mac, and one of the finest examples currently on the market is SanDisk’s Ultra USB-C Flash Drive. Not only is it a native USB-C device, freeing you from the irritating need to carry a converter for USB plugs. SanDisk has long been pushing the boundaries of USB flash drive performance with its super-fast Extreme range, and it has brought that performance over to this drive too.

Ranging from 16GB to 128GB, it manages read and write speeds of 150 MB/sec, quite an improvement from what you might expect from old fashioned USB 2.0 devices.

Your portfolio is your livelihood, so why take a risk with it? If you’re nervous about losing your precious work, the Kingston D300 IronKey is pretty much the most secure flash drive money can buy, with multiple levels of security and a rugged waterproof design.

The drive is password protected with 256-bit AES encryption, to comply with FIPS standards that most corporate environments demand, with all decrypting done in hardware on the drive itself.

Speeds vary depending on capacity - the largest 128GB drive has the fastest write speeds, with 250MB/sec read and 85 MB/sec write.

It’s also IPX8 waterproof, meaning it will survive being continuously submerged up to one metre, making it safe from drops in puddles, baths and those dreaded incidents of being left in the back pocket of a pair of jeans that are going through the washing machine.

If the worst happens and you lose your drive, with the Managed version of the D300 IronKey, you can remotely delete your files so you can be sure they won’t fall into the wrong hands.

We’re cheating a bit by including the Samsung Portable T5, as it’s not a USB flash stick at all but a full external solid-state drive, using the same fast storage technology you will find inside your computer. Because of this, it’s faster than any other kind of USB storage, making the absolute most of the high bandwidth of USB 3.1 to deliver transfer speeds up to 550 MB/sec.

As such, it’s also considerably more expensive than a standard flash stick, with some eye-watering high prices for the 512GB version. You definitely don’t need that kind of speed purely for file backup or to carry a few JPEG images around, but instead, it’s so fast you can edit and work with large files directly on the T5 itself.

In fact, there are all kinds of alternative uses for a drive this fast. It works great as an external boot drive, so you can run an entire operating system from it at full performance, which is handy for Mac users who need to work in Windows too.

Hard disk technology may be decades old, and not quite as fast as some USB flash storage, but the WD MyPassport offers the absolute best value for money in terms of how much capacity you get for your money. If you have a monstrous file collection - perhaps working with a large media library of 4K video files taking up multiple TB of space, then it would be wrong for us to not recommend using an external hard disk, rather than a USB flash drive.

The larger 3.5-inch models offer the largest capacities, but these all require a bulky external power supply, making them a lot less portable and negating one of the main points of external storage. A 2.5-inch drive is powered entirely by USB though, so you can still easily carry it and with 4TB on offer in the WD MyPassport line, you can fit a really massive archive of files in your pocket.

Expect transfer speeds around the 100MB/sec mark over USB 3.0, so it will take a few hours to fill to full capacity. It’s very quiet compared with standard hard drives - we barely noticed it was there, lightweight and comes in some pretty bright colours.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive simple option for a massive file back up over USB rather than the fastest performance, this is the drive to go for.

USB flash storage can come in all shapes and sizes, and you even find USB storage fashioned into all kinds of objects, often given away as promotional items. How about one that’s so small you can leave it plugged in to your laptop and barely notice it’s there?

That’s a good description for the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, which is about the size of a thumbnail and almost disappears when plugged in, save for a small lip that helps you remove it easily. But thanks to SanDisk’s fast flash storage, it can still handle a nifty 130MB/sec read and write. Not bad at all for a little guy.

Another hard disk option here, and this time the unique feature is that the LaCie Rugged USB-C's orange rubber casing makes it extremely durable. While flash drives don’t have any moving parts, and can survive even severe drops, a hard disk (when powered on) is far more fragile. Drop your laptop while files are copying to a hard disk and there is a real risk the disk could be destroyed and your data lost.

Lacie’s rugged design apparently can withstand a 1-ton car, is resistant to rain (other versions are fully water and dust resistant) and can handle a drop of up to 1.2 meters.

That makes it a great choice for content creation on the move. If you’re capturing images and video in harsh environments, and need more capacity than a standard USB flash stick, this is a great choice.

One nice additional touch is that Lacie has thoughtfully included both USB Gen 1 and Gen 2 cables in the box, so you won’t need any adapter or dongles, whatever ports are on your computer.

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Users must update their vulnerable libraries manually.

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Taking pictures in environments we wouldn’t dare risk our premium compact or best smartphone – chiefly those where ingress from dirt and moisture is a constant risk – is the job of the ‘toughened’ digital compact. Yes, these tank-like (yet still pocket friendly) devices are claimed to be waterproof – even down to depths of 40 metres without additional housing – thanks to additional rubber seals and lockable media card and battery port covers – but, handily for the ham-fisted, they are usually freeze proof, crushproof and drop proof with it.

• The best camera for creatives in 2018

For ‘waterproof camera’ also read ‘child-proof’; for, yes, these cameras can be accidentally dropped or dunked in the mud and rinsed clean afterwards. The larger, ridged buttons not only make them easier to operate with wet fingers but those with small hands too.

So with the above in mind let’s explore a selection of 10 of the best waterproof cameras you can buy in 2018. And if you find one you like, remember to keep your eye out for any early Black Friday deals . 

Robustly fashioned ‘Tough’ camera with a 1/2.3-inch sensor providing a 12 megapixel effective resolution. Interestingly, Olympus has actually decreased the resolution from the 16MP of the previous TG-4, aiming to improving image quality by reducing visible noise. The zoom lens in use here sports a 35mm equivalent range of a modest 25-100mm, with an impressive f/2 maximum aperture at the wide end.

Two glass panel layers prevent the camera from fogging up, while it also comes with built-in GPS, thermometer, barometer, plus compass; the same combo as found in Olympus’s TG Tracker model. Such data can be displayed with photos and videos using Olympus’ Image Track app.

Waterproof credentials include being able to withstand depths down to 15 metres, drops from heights of 2.1 metres,  and temperatures of -10°C, while it can also withstand crushing weights up to 100Kg. It’s also a capable travel camera too, with the ability to shoot Raw files alongside JPEGs. Additional housings, conversion lenses and adapters – including those for underwater use – ensure that this is an expandable ‘system’ in itself.

It’s tricky to tell from publicity shots, but this GoPro-killer of a camera is matchbox-sized tiny, while still managing to pack in 4K video capture. The Olympus TG-Tracker camera's toughened credentials include the fact that it is shock-proofed to withstand a drop from a height of 2.1 metres, crushproof, in that it is theoretically able to survive 100kg bearing down on it, dustproof, freeze-proof down to -10°C, plus impressively waterproof to depths of 30 metres. In other words it’s perfect for the English Riviera.

While the camera dimensions are modest, so is the stills specification, with its 1/2.3-inch sensor offering just 7.2 megapixels. Living up to its Tracker moniker however, users can review altitude or depth, air or water temperature, geo-location and direction, plus speed of movement, via on-screen illustrations. With five-axis image stabilisation helping prevent blurred stills or video when camera and operator are in motion, the camera even registers changes in G-force.

With images saved to microSD card, its wide-angle lens offers 204° point of view – meaning ends of fingers can stray into shot. Its LCD is of the flip out variety and is likewise tiny at just 1.5-inches in size. It cannot be rotated either, which means it can be tricky to accurately compose and review shots in bright sun. Mark this one down as a bit of fun however and we’re not disappointed.

Looking for a camera that can shoot 20 megapixel photos and 4K videos at watery depths of up to 31 metres (102ft) without the need for additional housing? The Panasonic FT7 fits the bill. At its core is a respectable 20.4 megapixel sensor, while up at the front we have an internally stacked 4.6x optical zoom protected by built-in image stabilisation, its focal range starting out at a usefully wide angle 28mm. Also helpful is a 10fps maximum shooting capability along with a built-in compass and altimeter for the more adventurous. Naturally, in being a toughened camera, it can still function in temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees and is shock proofed against drops from two metres in height – fairly standard stuff for its class, admittedly, as is the fact that it comes in a choice of blue, orange or black body colours.

Putting it a cut above the rest however is the less standard feature of a 0.2-inch eye level electronic viewfinder, with 1,170K dot resolution. This is in addition to a larger three inch 1,040K dot resolution LCD monitor on the backplate of course, which utilizes toughened glass. With an average price tag for this class of camera, the FT7 has got to be high up your list of waterproofed camera choices for 2018.

Bringing to mind rugged Tonka toys of the 1970s, this all-weather Nikon Coolpix W300 compact shoots 16 megapixel photos and 4K or 1080p video down to 30 metres underwater or at minus 10°C. It also features a slightly better than average 5x optical zoom with f/2.8 maximum lens aperture. A Tool button automatically displays GPS, number of steps taken, altitude/depth plus air pressure/water pressure readings.

Also impressing us are a high-ish 921K-dot resolution OLED monitor plus the fact that the aforementioned zoom starts out at an ultra wide equivalent of 24mm for shoehorning even more into shot. Extending to an equivalent of 120mm at the telephoto end of the zoom, this toughened Nikon is something of a jack-of-all-trades, and, although we found the output a little inconsistent when it comes to getting the exposure spot on, we preferred its output to that of , say, the Olympus TG-5 or Ricoh WG-50.

Six macro lights encircling the lens are a distinguishing feature of this sporty looking and rugged 16 effective megapixel compact, matching rivals with its 5x optical zoom. Otherwise the Ricoh WG-50's Full HD video at 30fps, waterproofing to a depth of relatively modest 14 metres, shock-proofed and freeze-proofed credentials are pretty standard issue. The design, which is the visual equivalent of an energy drink, is arguably ‘Marmite’ too – albeit one that provides plenty of ridges for slippery fingers to get a firm hold on.

Further credentials of this Ricoh is that it is shock-proofed against a fall of up to 1.6 metres and can withstand a force of up to 100kg bearing down on it. Add dust proofing and being able to keep shooting in temperatures as low as minus 10°C and the basic boxes for this class of camera are ticked. So might grumble that there’s no 4K video capture here But what we admire most about it are those six bright LED lights ranged around the lens for illuminating close ups subjects – whether on land or in the briny.

It’s not cheap by any means so you’ll have to blow the budget on this 15.3 effective MP ultra-compact shockproof, crushproof (to 200Kgf) and waterproof option (to depths up to 10 metres, or 100 metres with MPK-HSR1 housing), which impresses with its larger than average one-inch sensor married to a 24mm Zeiss lens with f/4 aperture.

Specification, including ‘RX’ camera image quality, pricing and High Frame Rate shooting a little shy of 1000fps mark for those wanting slow motion footage mark this out as a pro’s tool and one to dislodge the likes of GoPro from its perch. Weighing just 110g and measuring 59x40.5x29.8mm, the RX0 is a lesson in how small and light a camera can reasonably be.

One may argue that a wide angle of 24mm is not quite enough for the fully immersive experience, and that a screen resolution of 230K dots could be improved. It can also be a tad tricky finding your way around menu settings – for which both a larger screen and a touch screen at that may have aided usability. All beings said though, this is a specialist tool that will find an equally specialist audience. If you want a general ‘one size fits all’ image capture device then you’ll probably be looking elsewhere.

Waterproof to depths of 20 metres, the Fujifilm XP120 may not have the broad specification of several of its rugged pocket-sized competitors, but family and younger users are hardly going to care as long as it is simple to use (it is) and does the job (it does). There is a range of fun filters included to keep the family happy and Wi-Fi connectivity for the transfer of images too. Attendant features include shock-proofing against drops of 1.75 metres in height, dust proofing and freeze proofing down to a standard temperature of minus 10°C.

However we don’t get some of the more ‘grown up’ features to be found on competitors’ models, such as on-board GPS. Then again this 16 megapixel Fuji does feature built-in image stabilisation, back-illuminated sensor for improved image quality in low light scenes and is more reasonably priced than most. Incidentally those considering this model may also consider the more recently announced Fuji XP130. However a newer (yet very similarly specified) update has brought the price of the XP120 down further still and made it even better bang for your minimal buck.

Fujifilm has updated its toughened point-and-shoot camera offering with the launch of the Bluetooth-enabled XP130, meaning that images from it can be sent directly to Fuji’s Instax Share smartphone printer, for example. Key specification of the 16-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor-incorporating compact, meanwhile, includes the fact that it is dustproof, waterproof once again to depths of 20 metres, shock-proofed against drops from 1.75m in height, plus freeze-proof into the bargain.

We also get a 5x optical zoom lens, starting from a wide-angle 28mm equivalent setting, a 3-inch LCD on the backplate boasting a 920-dot resolution, plus a new electronic level function to ensure straight horizons. With a burst mode of 10fps, video capture resolution is Full HD at up to 60fps, rather than 4K, and its JPEGS rather than Raw files, but for the price it seems churlish to grumble.

This tightly compact and robust (waterproof up to 10 metres, or to 60metres with an optional housing) GoPro Hero6 in black can capture super slow motion video at a high resolution, output a stabilised image in 4K and transfer everything to a smartphone at swift speed, albeit with said phone having to cope with huge files.

For those wanting to shoot video underwater, it can offer 4K video at a smooth 60fps, though the effectiveness of its on-board image stabilisation is capped at 30fps. There’s also the ability to capture stills at a resolution of 12 megapixels, in either single, burst or time lapse modes, along with a built-in HDR mode for delivering high contrast imagery. So, though it doesn’t go as deep as some underwater compact options, it packs plenty of sophistication on board.

While it is small, there is room for a 2-inch touch screen on the back for reviewing videos and photos and making setting tweaks with what feels like possibly the world’s smallest touch-sensitive interface, adjustments made via simple swipes and taps. The Hero6 has another trick up its sleeve however: voice control. This isn’t a default setting but can be easily activated via the camera’s menus. The above adds up to pretty much the best action camera you can buy at the time of writing for this specification.

A disposable waterproof camera in this digital age sounds like madness, right? Well, if you don’t mind shooting on (and developing) film, surprisingly there are several choices to be had from the likes of former film stalwarts Fujifilm and Kodak on Amazon and the like. From these we’ve selected the sporty-looking, child friendly QuickSnap Marine, which costing just over a tenner, squares up to its flashier digital counterparts in being usable for water proofed snapping down to 10 metres in depth (or 17ft).

Described as an all-purpose outdoor camera, Fujifilm’s disposable QuickSnap Marine underwater camera arrives pre-loaded with 800-speed film (Fujicolor Superia X-TRA800) for sunny or overcast exposures, providing a nostalgic 27 exposures. The lens here is a fixed focus 32mm f/10 optic, while the camera itself will slip into a trouser, jacket or even swimming trunks’ pocket, at a weight of just 170g and dimensions of 73x133x42mm. With an underwater subject-to-lens distance of up to three metres, this camera is point and shoot all the way, which sometimes is truly all you want.

Read more:

• Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals: what to expect in 2018
• The best camera bags and cases in 2018
• 15 ways to improve your photography skills

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When it comes to evaluating the success of your user experience strategies, it's essential not to let personal bias and assumptions cloud your view. For more advice on crafting a successful strategy, take a look at our article revealing 10 steps to great UX testing.  

However, in this post, we're going to focus on the web design tools dedicated to testing your UX efforts. We'll start with some data testing tools and services, and end with a few super-helpful resources to help further your understanding.

01. UsabilityHub 

UsabilityHub promises to settle your design debates using data

UsabilityHub’s key value proposition is 'Settle design debates with data'. You can’t beat that! This tool is a great alternative to more expensive remote user testing solutions on the market. It offers solutions for five-second tests, click tests, surveys, navigation tests and A/B preference tests. 

02. Userbrain

Userbrain is great if you're just getting started with UX testing

Userbrain attempts to streamline the user testing process for smaller teams or professionals that are just getting started with UX testing. You can input a web URL and write a simple task. Userbrain takes care of the rest by recruiting for you and sending you recordings, five to 15-minutes long, that you can watch any time. A great way to get your feet wet with UX testing.

03. UserZoom

UserZoom offers a number of different UX testing solutions 

This is a more robust option for testers that have a firm grasp on what data they need and how to capture it. If you use multiple solutions (for example, User Testing, Hotjar and a survey tool), it would definitely be worthwhile to look into consolidating everything into a tool like UserZoom. It also has the ability to test grouping expectations for navigation or categories (card sorting) among others.

04. Hotjar

Hotjar offers raw, anonymous data

Sometimes you don’t need task-based remote screen recordings and you just want raw, anonymous data. If that sounds exciting, this tool is for you. Capture feedback from standards like heatmaps and conversion funnels to feedback polls, surveys and anonymous screen recordings on your site. You can set up a chat-like widget for quick surveys, recruitment or general support. You owe it to yourself to at least try this out.

05. UX Booth

A one-stop shop for information about interaction design

Time for something a bit different. This UX blog is a one-stop resource for interaction design. Learn about design systems, best practices, user testing, philosophy and even the business side of UX. The ongoing content is easy to read like a blog post, while managing to be informative like an educational resource. 

06. Nielsen Norman Group

This site offers a deep dive into UX methodology

It was actually Donald Norman, a co-founder of NN/g, that coined the term ‘user experience’ in the 1990s. The group has standardised much of the industry by opening up its findings to the public while giving guidance to others in the same profession. This UX blog offers a deep dive on methodology and understanding while also providing plenty of compiled reports and webinars.

This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 310 or subscribe.

Read more:

• The 6 pillars of great UX
• The theory of UX
• 9 ways to smash UX on a small budget

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The Adobe Creative Cloud remains the most ubiquitous and relied-upon group of programs for creative professionals, and if you want to enjoy a successful career in virtually any sub-category of design, knowing how to work with these programs is a must.

• Subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud now

The Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle will teach you everything you need to know about the most popular programs in the Adobe Creative Cloud, and the best part is that you only have to pay what you want.

With twelve modules and over 100 hours of expert-led content, this bundle walks you through everything from the essentials of Photoshop and Illustrator to the most advanced elements of Premiere Pro and InDesign. You’ll even learn how to build powerful websites using Adobe XD.

Start down the path toward a lucrative career in design with the Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle. Pay only what you want, and if that’s less than the average price paid you’ll still take home something great. Beat the average price and you get the entire bundle.

Related articles:

• The 18 best Adobe Illustrator plugins
• Voice prototyping added to Adobe XD
• Adobe XD plugins are finally on their way

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You're reading How ipapi.com Taught Me to Value Users, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+!

One of my favorite tools in my API toolkit is ipapi.com. This REST API transforms raw IP data to valuable sets of information. The service automates IP address validation and geolocation lookup and offers more than 45 data references per …

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A buffer overflow bug could silence online stations.

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An exploit was released for a flaw existing in a process in CPUs called Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT).

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We all laugh about our bad habits, the ones we swear to kick every time a New Year comes around… and then totally fail to. But although we make light of them, some habits and types of design thinking can be hugely damaging to our careers, reputation and ultimately our bank balances.

We asked designers to name the habits they’ve found the most difficult to quit, and here are the most common answers; plus what you can do to overcome them.

01. Poor file-naming

If you don't have a proper system for filenames, you're going to tie yourself up in knots

Edinburgh-based designer Duncan Crawford puts it simply. “Stop using the word ‘final’ in file naming... because it never is.”

Easy advice to take, you might think, but scores of leading designers have admitted to us in the past to poor file-naming practices, usually culminating in files entitled ‘final.jpg’, ‘final.final.jpg’, ‘final.final.final.jpg’, and so on.

And that’s not surprising. Because just as it’s no fun to do household chores when you could be playing Xbox, few of us relish the task of sitting down and coming up with a logical and workable system for naming our files, Photoshop layers and other assets. 

Doing so will, though, save you time, effort and a good deal of frustration in the long run. It’s also vitally important in helping other people make sense of your work, be they colleagues, collaborators or clients, and in general making you look professional.

If you need help and guidance in getting more organised, we’d highly recommend Get Your Shit Together. This excellent resource from Justin McClure offers clear examples of how other creatives organise their assets and even allows you to download their folder structures, After Effects organisation scripts, and naming conventions.

Also make sure you read the 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette.

02. Misjudging timescale

Rushing your process for estimating project duration can be a spectacular own-goal

In the past, one of the most difficult habits Brighton-based graphic designer Nick Carter found to break was: “Underestimating the time and effort involved in a design project.” And he’s by no means alone.

Accurately estimating the time required to complete a project isn’t something that comes naturally to most of us, but is a skill that takes years of trial and error to master. 

Designers commonly underestimate project time for various reasons, including over-optimism about their own abilities, eagerness to please a client, poorly written client agreements (leading to ‘scope creep’), and a failure to build in extra time for unknown or unpredictable factors, such as the inability of third-parties to deliver to your preferred schedule.

The key to breaking this habit lies in careful and methodical planning, based on proper research of all the variables. Ironically, our instincts can prompt us to rush or even bypass this stage, in order to “save time”, but that’s almost certainly a false economy over the long run. 

Then it’s a matter of breaking the project as a whole into individual tasks, allotting realistic timeframes to each of them, and then sticking to it. If you need help with that side of things, see our selection of the best time management and workflow tools.

Also read how to price logo design services and 6 techniques to help better manage your time.

03. Starting your designs on screen

Don't jump ahead to the final stage; plan your design properly first

The main difference between art and design? Art is about creating visuals for their own sake, while design is primarily about performing a useful function. 

So one of the worst habits a designer can succumb to is, as Bavaria-based designer Jacob Lee puts it is: “Jumping straight in to designing high-fidelity screens”, without doing some preliminary work first, in the form of sketches, mockups, wireframes and/or prototypes.

Again, this usually results from a misplaced instinct to “save time”. But again, it’s a totally false economy. 

Simple wireframes are quick and easy to create, especially with today’s best wireframing tools, while notebook sketches can literally take seconds. 

Conversely, diving into high-fidelity screen design at the outset means you’ll be obsessing over the finer details before you’ve nailed the basic functionality. And you’ll almost certainly have to go back and revise this early work later on when problems arise.

To learn more, read 4 different ways to create a website mockup.

04. Not selling yourself

Networking is as important for your career as any design skill 

Ever noticed how the best paid designers aren’t always the best designers? That’s because one of the most pervasive bad habits in the industry is, in the words of freelance designer Ros Harriott: “Not spending enough time marketing yourself”.

Like it or not, we live in a capitalist society and the only way you’re going to get rewarded for your design work is if you market yourself, just like any product or service. There are many ways to do this, including learning how to network successfully, starting a blog, how to make social media work for you, working with an agent, or just applying for jobs on recruitment sites in the normal way. 

There’s no one ‘best method’, though: it’s more a case of trying different things, seeing what works for you, and giving it your all. So for example, there’s no point in blogging or being active on social media unless you do so regularly and consistently. If you’re applying for staff jobs, you need to sign up for a range of recruitment newsletters; apply to lots of roles; and avoid being too picky about what you apply for. Ultimately you can always turn a job you’re offered down, and you’ll still have got valuable experience and a confidence boost in the process.

If you don’t really know where to start in promoting yourself as a designer, check out our articles 5 essential rules of self-promotion and how to market yourself as a freelance designer.

05. Undercharging

If you're feeling poor, then you're probably undercharging

One of the worst habits a designer can have, believes Harriott, is “underestimating your worth and charging less than you should”. Put simply, design is generally a well-paid profession. So unless you're totally new to the game, if you’re feeling poor, it probably means you’re undercharging. 

The most common reasons for freelance designers to undercharge are a lack of confidence and a fear of “scaring off” clients. But if you’re worried about losing cash, be aware that it’s possible the opposite may occur. Often, charging more means that certain clients are more likely to want you, as they associate low rates with low quality. 

If you’re a salaried designer who feels underpaid, there are many strategies you can pursue to get a pay rise or promotion. Or you might find the easiest route to more cash is simply to apply for another, better paid job. 

All in all, though, be aware that at the moment at least, good designers are hard to find and strongly in demand. So while some clients and employers will try to get away with paying you the lowest possible rates, don’t assume that’s what you’re worth. Put yourself out there amongst alternative employers or clients, and see just how much the market will bear. 

For advice, read our articles how to raise your prices , how to calculate your freelance rate and 8 ways to make more money in 2018.

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Black Friday 2018 is landing on November 23 (with Cyber Monday a few days later), and it's a great time to bag a new screen for your creative work. The day itself will be full of retailers slashing prices all over the place, which can mean getting the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals can be a bit overwhelming.

So, let us help take the stress out of finding the best Black Friday monitor deals by giving you practical buying advice and tips for finding the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, as well as looking at what deals previous Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays have brought.

We've been covering Black Friday for a fair few years now, and using our expertise, along with knowing what previous Black Friday monitor deals were offered, we've also made some predictions for what kind of Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals we'll see this year.

The best Black Friday/Cyber Monday monitor deals: our predictions 

Previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday events have proved to be a great time to pick up a new monitor, with some of the biggest brands in the industry having the prices of their screens cut.

So, we'd expect to see some great Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals from the likes of Samsung, LG, Dell, Asus and BenQ.

For example, Dell often has a big Black Friday sale in the run up to - and during - Black Friday, with a number of 'door buster' deals on its products, including Dell monitors, that are designed to tempt you to to head over to its website and spend your cash there.

We also have a feeling we'll see more Black Friday 4K monitor deals this year as well. This is because 4K (or UHD - Ultra High Definition) monitors are becoming increasingly popular, and as the technology matures, and the price of manufacturing goes down, the more likely we are to see sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Make sure you check out our best 4K monitors for designers guide for more buying advice.

If incredibly high resolutions aren't much use to you, we also expect to see Black Friday monitor deals on screens with 1080p and 1440p resolutions as well.

The best US Black Friday/Cyber Monday monitor deals in 2017

To help us get a better idea of what soft of Black Friday monitor deals we can expect this year, let's take a look at what monitor deals Black Friday and Cyber Monday offered in 2017 in the US.

The best UK Black Friday/Cyber Monday monitor deals in 2017

In the UK, there were some great monitor deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017, and these can help us get an idea of what sort of deals we'll see this year.

How to get the best monitor deals on Black Friday/Cyber Monday

So, now we've got an idea of what sort of monitor deals we are likely to see on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, let's look at some tips for making sure you get the best monitor deals.

1. It's never too early to look

While the names Black Friday and Cyber Monday suggest the deals happen over single days, an increasing number of retailers start their Black Friday deals earlier every year. In particular, Dell is known for its Early Black Friday Deals, which have already kicked off in the US.

So, it's never too early to start looking out for Black Friday deals.

2. Think about what you need

Before shopping for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals, you should take some time thinking about what you need out of a new monitor. What kind of screen size are you after? Would a 32-inch monitor fit your desk? Would a 22-inch monitor be too cramped? 

By having a clear idea of what sort of monitor you need, you can focus your attention to ensure you get the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

3. Set a budget

Setting a budget - and sticking to it - can really help bag a bargain on Black Friday. Again, it helps you narrow down your choices, which can sometimes be overwhelming on the day, and ensures you're not paying more than you can afford.

4. Check reviews

Once you've found a Black Friday monitor deal that looks really good, it's worth taking a look at reviews before you make the purchase, to ensure you're getting a good deal.

We have plenty of monitor reviews, as does our sister site TechRadar. which give unbiased opinions on what monitors are worth your money. Many online stores such as Amazon also display reviews from people who have bought the products, and this can be a useful way of gauging how good the monitor is before you buy.

5. Visit Creativebloq to ensure you don't miss out on any deals

One of the easiest ways of making sure you get the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday monitor deals is to keep this website bookmarked and return here regularly in the run up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as on the days themselves.

We'll be keeping a keen eye out for any brilliant deals and will be highlighting them here, so you don't need to check anywhere else. Also, we'll be using our expert knowledge to make sure that only the very best Black Friday monitor deals are included, so you don't have to worry about being let down.

What monitor features creatives should look out for

If you're looking for a monitor for your creative work, then there are certain features that you should look out for when browsing Black Friday monitor deals.

Colour management

For creatives looking for a monitor to work on, the way the monitor handles colour is essential. You'll want to make sure it has a wide colour gamut that is capable of displaying colours accurately, and the best monitors for creatives will have profiles that match certain display standards such as sRGB, Adobe RGB and Rec. 709.

HDR

HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it is a feature that is increasingly being included in modern monitors. It allows for a greater dynamic range of luminosity and higher contrasts between light and dark, and can make a huge difference to the image quality of the monitor.

Wide viewing angles

Another important feature to look out for in a monitor is wide viewing angles. This means you can view the images on the screen from various angles without the image displaying incorrectly. This is important when working with large monitors, or if you often have other people crowding around the monitor to look at your work.

What specifications creatives should look for

When browsing monitor deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you may see lots of numbers and specifications bandied about. But what are the important specifications to bear in mind?

Resolution

Resolution is probably the most important specification when it comes to image quality, as the higher the resolution, the sharper and more detailed the image. However, high resolution monitors are more expensive, and need more powerful hardware. Most monitors come in 1080p/Full High Definition (1920 x 1080), 1440p/QHD (2560 x 1440) or 4K/UHD (3840 x 2160) resolutions.

Screen size

A monitor's screen size is another important specification to consider. Smaller screens, 19-inch to 24-inch in size, are usually more affordable and are better suited to desks where there's not much room. 

Medium-sized monitors of 26-inch to 27-inch in size are a good middle ground if you want extra space to work on. 

Large monitors that are 30-inch, 32-inch and 40-inch are great for presenting on and working on big images, but can be expensive and, of course, need more room on a desk. The larger a monitor, the further back you'll need to sit to work on them comfortably.

The size of a monitor can also dictate what resolution is best. Smaller monitors don't need very high resolutions, and too high resolutions on small monitors will make them uncomfortable to use. Meanwhile, large monitors with low resolutions will result in poor image quality, as fewer pixels are enlarged to cover more space.

Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of the monitor is another important specification for creatives to consider. This determines how high and wide the monitor is. Most modern monitors are 16:9 aspect ratio, which is standard widescreen. Some are a more square 4:3 aspect ratio. There are also ultra-wide monitors with 21:9 aspect ratios. These give you a huge amount of space to work on, but for most photographers and creative professionals, 16:9 is the aspect ratio to go for.

Three monitors for creatives to look out for on Black Friday/Cyber Monday

We absolutely love the BenQ PD3200U. This is a Ultra HD monitor with a large 32-inch size which makes brilliant use of the high resolution. It's part of BenQ's Designer Monitor range, and comes with some great features for creatives and professionals, with a CAD/CAM mode, along with factory-calibrated color accuracy and Rec. 709 support. If you see any Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals for the BenQ PD3200U, then you should seriously consider buying it.

If you don't have the room for a huge monitor, and you don't need incredibly high resolutions, then the AOC PDS241is definitely a monitor to look out for on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It's beautifully designed, and it provides very good image quality considering its low price. It does lack some of the features of more expensive monitors, but if you're shopping on a budget and see a deal that knocks even more money off its asking price, it's a great bargain.

Dell's top-end 31.5-inch 4K display packs in a lot of professional-grade features for superb color accuracy. It supports the DCI-P3 color spectrum and manages 99% Adobe RGB coverage and 87% DCI-P3. This makes it a great monitor for people who really depend on color accuracy for their creative work. However, there is a catch, as this is a pricey monitor. That does make it a great monitor to keep an eye out for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, however, as it could see some hefty price cuts. Also Dell is well known for offing great Black Friday deals on its monitors.

Today's best pre-Black Friday monitor deals

Can't wait for Black Friday to grab a monitor bargain? Here's the best pre-Black Friday monitor deal's we've already found.

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Being a creative is undoubtedly the best job in the world. But even the best job comes with its frustrations. Have you ever run into issues when simply trying to share your work? The file size is too big? The format needs changing? Clients have trouble opening files? Or maybe the simple act of sending and receiving a file for review is the issue, with constant back and forth via emails, phone calls and messaging apps?

It will come as no surprise to know that these are issues designers face on a daily basis. The question is, are you ready to do something about it?

Meet Hightail: designed for creatives

With Opentext Hightail, the days of worrying about file sharing limitations, security and complicated collaborations are long gone. Built for creative teams, Hightail enables designers and artists to easily share work - no matter what the file size or format - and collect precise feedback and approvals all in one place. 

So whether you’re an illustrator wanting to share a file made up of hundreds of layers, or a videographer wanting feedback on your multimedia project, Hightail has everything you need to fully facilitate your creativity. 

Multiple price plans - including a free 14-day trial - cater to all needs and every budget, offering file size send limits of up to 100GB and integration with other popular creative software services, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. 

More creative, less process

Not only does Hightail offer a safe and reliable file sharing service, it also facilitates better team collaboration via a number of super-useful features. 

As a start, Hightail removes the need to download large files when sharing with clients, instead previewing or streaming the work you share with clients and team members via a dedicated workspace automatically in the browser. Here you can collect precise feedback from multiple reviewers in real-time directly on the creative, make sure you are always working on the latest version and plan ahead by assigning follow-ups with due dates to specific team members. 

Hightail keeps your files secure and you connected in a streamlined environment, in turn eliminating many of the frustrating elements of the creative process. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for your free trial and start your next collaboration!

View the full article

While the internet remains an overwhelming force for good, a number of recent events have led to some very serious questions being asked about its future direction and how it could be 'reset' to work in a better way for everyone going forward. Various utopian and dystopian visions of the internet have been suggested and some of these may hinge on the future role played by the tech giants that are currently dominating the industry.

• The 14 most exciting open source projects on the web

We may look back on this time as the tipping point. Genuine questions are being raised about how best to manage the internet's challenges, and whether the internet itself needs to be redesigned.

There are two ways to address these challenges: we either reform the technology of the internet itself – essentially resetting it – or we find a way to regulate what we already have. Most likely we will need a combination of both approaches, so let's look at these in turn.

Self-regulation or government influence?

The main argument made against government regulation is that it's hard to regulate something that crosses international boundaries and isn't centrally controlled. Other than ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), there are no global internet authorities that are solely responsible for our internet experience. There is nothing an individual government can do to meaningfully influence the internet, and even those countries that attempt to impose some levels of control or censorship can only do so much.

If individual governments cannot implement a meaningful solution, perhaps we need a global approach. Could a globally endorsed treaty for the internet be the solution, whereby every country agrees to pursue a common internet agenda? A Paris Agreement for the internet, if you will. While such an agreement would be a laudable achievement, I suspect it would be nigh-on impossible to achieve such a technical level of agreement among all 193 UN member countries that could make any meaningful impact.

Building a brave new internet

So, what would a 'new' internet look like? If we took today's most advanced technologies and attempted to build something new – that retains all the benefits of the internet, while avoiding all of the drawbacks – what would that look like?

Many of those who operate the internet today – and even those who played a major part in its original design – are attempting to answer this very question, with some interesting results.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, leads Solid, an MIT project that proposes decoupling applications from the data they produce. Solid is both a form of self-regulation and adaptation of the internet.

Solid aim's to self-regulate the internet by changing the way data is handled

Solid was founded in response to the growing hegemony of the big internet players. Facebook, for example, now has over two billion active users – it is effectively the filter through which nearly two thirds of the world's internet users access the internet. These platforms control much of what is done on the internet and their platforms are accessories to the widening problem of 'fake news'.

Today, most internet companies require you to hand over your data before you use their services

The ambition of Solid is to self-regulate the internet by changing the way data is handled. Today, most internet companies require you to hand over your data before you use their services. For example, every picture you post on Facebook belongs to Facebook because the company is the one that stores it. 

By contrast, an application built on the Solid infrastructure will ask users where they want to store their data – with the application requesting access to it. The crucial difference in this scenario is that data remains in the ownership of the individual, not the application using it. While you may decide to store your data on Dropbox, it remains always under your control, and you can prevent the application from accessing it at any time you choose.

And this isn't the only technical solution devised by those who operate the modern internet. In December 2016, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft also unveiled an information-sharing initiative to tackle extremist content on the internet. They pledged to work together to create a database of unique digital fingerprints (hashes) for videos and images that promote terrorism, so that when one firm flags and removes a piece of content for featuring violent terrorist imagery or a recruitment video for example, the other companies can use the hash to remove the same content on their platforms.

No more fake URLs?

Another technological solution to the internet's challenge is being devised by the technology research company InterDigital. Its ICN (Information-Centric Network) proposes to eliminate the client-server topology that is responsible for much of the latency and duplication of data experienced across the internet.

An ICN-based internet would do away with URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) that tell us where on the network the information is and swap them for URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), which tells us what the information is. The contrast here is that when you want a piece of information, you leave it to the network to find it. It will more likely be much closer to you than a remote server somewhere.

The advantages of the ICN is a reduction in latency – since data would be accessed from a location much closer to the user – but it can also improve trust because it removes the ability to use fake URLs, a common tactic for deceiving users with fake websites used for phishing attacks or distributing fake news. These are two very significant improvements.

Watch this space

Solid and ICN are just a couple of the possible examples of self-regulation and technical changes that can be made to the internet in order to reform it. The heartening point of all this is that those responsible for the internet are also the ones looking to improve it. Self-regulation is already happening.

Self-regulation might not be a perfect solution just yet, but it is still better than knee-jerk legislation

As visionary internet pioneer, John Perry Barlow (author of, amongst other things, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace), once said: "[A] good way to invent the future is to predict it." This might sound slightly naive in today's world, where the freedom of the internet is the centre of such a huge ongoing debate, but it might just turn out to be true.

Self-regulation might not be a perfect solution just yet, but it is still better than knee-jerk legislation that could stifle creative and commercial innovation and infringe upon people's civil liberties.

Through the spirit of openness and collaboration – principles that are so core to the internet itself – I am confident that the technology-led, self-regulation solutions being proposed by those in the industry will be delivered far more quickly and effectively than any government-led approach.

The internet will continue to regulate and redesign itself. It has never stopped evolving to address its challenges. By continuing to do so, it will manage to find its own solutions.

Lead illustration by Kym Winters.

This article was originally published in issue 306 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Subscribe here.

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• How to build cool stuff for the Internet of Things
• 9 security tips to protect your website from hackers
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PIXL is an infinitely expandable system of building blocks. So far, so LEGO, right? But how about this: these little blocks can connect on any edge, so you can build just about any 3D shape you want, or even stick to 2D pixel art (more on that later). There's no fiddly clicking or lining up, either – PIXL cubes connect via auto-polarising internal magnets. No wonder this Kickstarter project has already knocked its goal right out of the park.

Auto-rotating magnets mean you can connect these blocks on any side

PIXL has been designed by The McLachlan Brothers – the minds behind another Kickstarter success story, the Fidget Cube. And there is something about this building system that fully appeals to our creative urges. PIXL cubes connect using mysterious-sounding rare-earth magnets, which self-correct so you can connect them any way you like. 

Simply take one PIXL block and place another one next to it; the two will immediately click together. From there, you can choose to line up your blocks so they're perfectly flush with each other, or add some dimension to your model by rotating or shifting the blocks to create depth.

They can be used to build complex (or simple) 2D pixel art

Unlike with LEGO, you can also build flat with PIXL blocks, to create impressive 2D artwork. With four sizes and a whopping 52 different colours in the range, you've got have a pretty varied palette to work with. 

The creators have put together a companion app to provide inspiration to PIXL users. As well as sharing other designers' work, you can upload images and the app will convert them into patterns for you to follow, using the block shapes and colours in the PIXL range. So essentially you'll be able to recreate anything from your latest Instagram snap to the Mona Lisa, in tiny magnetic cubes. Cool right?

Build out pretty much any shape you want

"We believe in playing. And we think everyone has a creative side, whether or not they’d traditionally consider themselves a 'creative person'. What we hope to do is provide the world with a tool... that unleashes that creativity," explain the MacLachlan Brothers on their Kickstarter page. "One of our favourite things about PIXL is that there are just no rules."

At time of writing, the project was 891 per cent funded, with over a month remaining on the Kickstarter. So it's safe to say these addictive little cubes will be making their way onto the market soon.

Read more:

• Lego art: 40 designs that will blow your mind
• Coding for kids: 8 top toys
• 10 inspiring design toys for your desk

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In  J.A. Bayona's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing return to Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from an erupting volcano. However, their efforts are undermined by those with more nefarious plans for the prehistoric beasts. Just under 1,200 visual effects shots were supervised by David Vickery, with help from his ILM colleagues in London and Vancouver, along with other contributors. 

“We did establishing shots of Isla Nublar,” states ILM visual effects supervisor Alex Wuttke. “The challenge there was to stay true to all of the various depictions of the geography of the island that we’ve seen before, and put a big volcano in the middle of it.” 

You could create little boundaries of CG vegetation around the flowing lava, which would catch light and be driven by the thermals being kicked out

Alex Wuttke, ILM

Aerial plate photography was shot of Hawaii with the wider views generated in CG. The opening sequence follows a team of mercenaries in small submersibles, on an expedition to recover the Dominus Rex bones. Powerful searchlights on the aquatic vessels assisted with the illumination of the underwater environment. “Whatever falls within the beam gets slightly less falloff than what’s outside of it. This helps with the sense of claustrophobia, because anything outside of the beams you can’t see, while things that fall within reveal themselves.”

For the thinner smoke, ILM Vancouver used Plume (an in-house ILM tool for simulations) while ILM London created pyroclastic flows in Houdini. “The volcano eruption is compressed from a real-world to a cinematic timeline, so things happen quickly,” notes Wuttke. The team built a big vegetation toolkit, which could be used for scenes involving dinosaurs knocking vegetation aside, but also for capturing lava moving through the jungle. 

The volcanic eruption presented major VFX challenges

"You could create little boundaries of CG vegetation around the flowing lava, which would catch light and be driven by the thermals being kicked out by the lava. A lot of times we were augmenting the plate with digital vegetation to give it that interaction.” 

The ILM animation team in London used simple geometry and deformers in Maya previs to ensure the lava worked properly. They established the amount of lava, where it would pour and how quickly, to enable the effects team to get their simulations moving in the correct direction.

Practical realism

A gyrosphere containing two of the characters tumbles into the ocean, leading to a long underwater shot. “Those were big and difficult effects simulations that needed to feel believable and be readable on-screen,” states animation supervisor Jance Rubinchik. “We looked at a lot of references of whales breaching and diving back down. What we found was when large objects crash into the water, you get tons of bubbles streaming off of them, which tends to obscure everything. There was a lot of back and forth trying to arrive at something that feels like you’re underwater but also isn’t hiding it too much.” 

Every location was based on real elements. “In a lot of occasions, we created a digital version of the environment that we shot in, to give us more flexibility with the camera placement.” 

You look at the anatomy of each dinosaur to figure out what real-life references you can grab to give them a unique movement

Jance Rubinchik, ILM

Wherever possible, the team tried to make use of animatronics – specialists built a whole kit of different dinosaur parts, as well as full creature builds. "There were instances of digital augmentation to give the animatronic an extra range of motion," says Wuttke. "When you have long shots and stampeding dinosaurs, we switched to fully digital versions.” 

Digital files of the creatures were created at ILM and shared with Scanlan to ensure visual consistency between the CG and animatronic versions. “You look at the anatomy of each dinosaur to figure out what real-life references you can grab to give them a unique movement,” remarks Rubinchik. 

“For the Stygimoloch, we looked at cassowaries and ostriches. It’s a lot of pantomime. You have to try to find what types of poses indicate what sort of emotion, and break those up to make it as clear as possible for the audience. Then you try to work in any personality stuff that you can. The Stygimolochs were always running around smashing into things, so we did a lot of little twitches, shudders and headshakes to try to make them funnier.” 

New and familiar characters

“The Indoraptor was our new addition to the family of genetically engineered dinosaurs,” remarks Wuttke. “There’s a lot of Gothic and Dracula influence. We spent a lot of time at the beginning of the show working out animation cycles, making sure that we could achieve the required range of motion with the design. Indo has these long limbs and is quite skeletal, which means he can get into various contorted poses easily.” 

Bayona was keen to make the genetic hybrid creature slightly psychotic, so the animation team introduced little shakes and unexpected tremors. Its black skin combined with the nighttime setting helped add to the horror and suspense. “Bayona liked the idea of not being able to see the dinosaur at times; he thinks that is scarier. It played in our favour. You get these memorable moments where you can almost see nothing and get this dark flash that reverses out of the backlight," adds Wuttke.

Baby Blue needed to be playful, but still feel like a Velociraptor

Making a reappearance is Blue, the female Velociraptor raised by Owen Grady. “A higher-resolution version of Blue was created with really fine detail and face shapes so we could get those extreme close-ups that Bayona was after,” remarks Rubinchik. “We wanted Blue to feel like the same character from Jurassic World, but also deepen the relationship between her and Owen."

In the film, you see how Owen's character raised Blue from a baby. "It was fun getting to explore how the baby raptors would move," adds Rubinchik. "They had to feel like a raptor but also be fun and playful, almost like puppies.” Audience expectations also needed to be addressed. “We have to be careful with a character like Blue because she is iconic and recognisable,” notes Wuttke. 

Invisible effects

Along with principal photography taking place in Hawaii, sets were built at Pinewood Studios in the UK. The diorama room in Lockwood Mansion was a large set, although the team did use a lot of CG set extensions, on the exterior of the house in particular. Rubinchik explains that putting the CGI Indoraptor into the set helped it feel more real. 

“When Indo is on the roof that was all a real set, but there were pieces that we had to augment and replace – for example, when Indo falls through the glass domed roof,” he adds. 

When Ken Wheatleyis in the cage with Indo that was all animatronics... You get a more believable performance than having them act against a green tennis ball

Jance Rubinchik, ILM

Animatronics were also used as much as possible to add to the realism. “When Ken Wheatley [Ted Levine] is in the cage with Indo that was all animatronics. The actor was really approaching, poking and prodding Indo. We augmented the animatronics. You get a more believable performance than having them act against a green tennis ball.”

The finale is a stand-out moment. “Getting believable rain on all of the characters, who are super close to the camera, was crazy,” states Rubinchik. “We were getting so close to dinosaurs that we were seeing the inside of their mouths. It was a constant back-and-forth with the modelling team to give us more control and better deformation to the level of detail that Bayona was after in those extreme close-ups.” 

The fight in a child's bedroom required the creation of 130 assets

One of Wuttke's favourite scenes is the fight between Blue and Indo, which takes place in a child's bedroom; an interior set at Lockwood Mansion. The room is filled with toys, and required the creation of 130 assets. "Bayona wanted to make it feel claustrophobic," remarks Wuttke. "Getting a clarity of action and blocking through that scene was one of the biggest challenges, but the results were cool.” 

There are also plenty of invisible effects. When dinosaurs are planting their feet and you see wet mud lifting up and cracking, leaves moving, twigs shifting and getting knocked around,” notes Rubinchik. “It’s stuff you don’t even register when watching the shot as an audience member, but it doesn’t feel real until you have that level of interaction.”

This article was originally published in 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 238 or subscribe.

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A high severity zero-day flaw exists in Cisco System's SIP inspection engine.

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Meanwhile, Saturday now is the most “dangerous” day of the week for DDoS attacks.

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If you've ever played Pokémon on the Game Boy or ventured out with the immensely popular Pokémon Go app, chances are you've imagined what the franchise's creatures would look like if they were real. Well, wonder no more, because concept artist and writer Joshua Dunlop has started bringing them to life with his amazing pieces of 3D art.

Each month on his Patreon page, Dunlop will be creating a new Pokemon from the first generation as part of his Pokémon Zoology series. His long-term goal is to build a website that showcases the critters in a true-to-life way, even going so far as to imagine what their biology, diet and habitat would be like if they could be found in the real world.

You'll already have seen a realistic looking Pikachu at the top of this page, complete with sparks buzzing out of its red cheeks, but there are dozens more to enjoy. We've rounded up some of our favourites in the gallery below, just click left to right with the arrow icons to check them out.

If you want to see the full collection of realistic 3D Pokémon, head over to Dunlop's ArtStation page where you'll find the likes of Meowth, Butterfree and Dugtrio. And remember, if you want to help Dunlop out on his Pokemon mission, spare what you can over on his Patreon page. There are even exclusive rewards up for grabs depending on how much you donate. Gotta render 'em all!

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• Munch's Scream gets a Pokémon twist
• Turn 2D illustrations into 3D art
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Savage Interactive released Procreate Pocket at the end of 2014. The iPhone version of Procreate was well received, with users making the most of the app’s 12 default brushes to paint on the go.  

In the years since, artists have come to expect more from their creative apps, and so the developers have stepped up to the plate with Procreate Pocket 2 , which, with its freshly written underlying code, may as well be a brand new paint app.  

Clean, user-friendly interface

The Modify, Layers, and Adjustments dialogs are just a quick tap and a swipe away

When it’s launched, you’re presented with a screen asking if you want to select a canvas from displayed examples, use a user-created one, import an existing image, open a photo, or create a new canvas. New canvases can be created in various sizes up to a whopping 8K resolution. 

Procreate Pocket 2 has a clean and minimally invasive interface that makes the most of the iPhone X’s larger screen, although it works well on smaller iPhone models, too. Basic tools are located at the top of the screen including a drop-down Modify menu. Two small tabs on the left control your brush’s size and opacity level. 

The Modify menu items enables you to make changes to either the app or your image. The spanner icon opens the Actions menu where you alter how the app behaves, while the wand icon brings up the Adjustments menu. Here, art tweaks can be applied to layers or complete images. The 'S' icon brings up the Selection menu, and the Arrow icon accesses transforming tools. 

Multiple drawing and painting tools

There are various brushes to choose (left), plus four different methods of selecting colours (right)

To start painting, select the brush on the top menu. You’re presented with multiple drawing and painting tools that are arranged in 17 individual sets. Each set comprises multiple brushes – there are now 136 to choose from in the app – and brushes can be customised and saved. With a brush chosen, select a colour using the far right circle icon. 

There are four ways of choosing colours, and colour palettes can be imported, too. Click the Layers icon to see all the image’s layers. You can add or turn on and off a layer’s visibility, create new layers, group layers and change blending modes. 

Advanced features

Incredible artwork is at your fingertips with Procreate Pocket 2

Ready to start painting? With so many options the number of choices can seem overwhelming but really, you can start by picking a brush, a colour, and then just start getting creative. 

The app contains many more advanced features, such as 64-bit colour, continuous auto-save, 250 undo levels, and recording your work in 30-second bursts for sharing online. Overall, a product of this maturity and quality is a rare thing. Artists who own an iPhone should make Procreate Pocket 2 their app of choice, and this app also works on iPad and iPod touch.

• Buy Procreate Pocket 2 for $4.99/£4.99 here 
• Read more about the best iPhone apps for artists and designers

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Most of us are inundated with too much content on a daily basis – so it really isn't surprising that animated content is such a useful tool for marketers, especially for anything in the digital sphere. This Animatron Studio Pro Plan: Lifetime Subscription helps you create engaging animations and graphics, even if you don't have any design or technical know-how.

The app helps you design your animations visually with a WYSIWYG editor, so you can make videos to explain your product or service, design banners and animations, make compelling presentations and more. You can even save time by choosing from thousands of free, pre-animated characters, backgrounds and props.

Get a lifetime subscription to this Animatron Studio Pro Plan for $49.99 – that's 95 per cent off.

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Take your digital character design skills to the next level with the latest issue of ImagineFX, which is on sale in the UK today. Inside the pages of issue 168, pro artist Mel Milton shows you the many creative choices he has to make when he crafts a distinctive character. So if your characters are failing to stand out from the crowd, this workshop will show you how to create people that stick in your audience's memory.

Buy issue 168 of ImagineFX here

If you're polishing your character design skills, you'll also want to double down on your figure drawing. In part two of his in-depth workshop, the legendary Patrick J Jones is here to show you how he achieves a dynamic look with his figures. With tips on how to master contrapposto, this is a tutorial you won't want to miss. As well as these expert insights, there's also all the usual news, reviews and reader art that you've come to expect from ImagineFX – make sure you don't miss it!

Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here

Explore what's on offer by taking a peek at the lead features, below.

Learn new skills in character design

Tighten up your character designs with this expert workshop

Don't you just love the distinctive character design on this issue's cover? We speak to artist behind this frizzy haired wonder, Mel Milton, to discover all of the micro-decisions he made to bring it to life.

Create contrast with just four values

Believe it or not, there are only four values in this image

You don't need an extensive palette to create striking art. That's the key lesson in this workshop from Mim Yum. With the help of this Photoshop tutorial you'll see how the artist makes the most of four values to create an optical illusion that's full of depth and atmosphere.

Create characterful portraits in ArtRage 5

Turn your screen into a canvas with this workshop

Looking to add a sense of texture to your digital art? In this portrait workshop by Phil Galloway, you'll learn how to do exactly that in ArtRage 5. With the help of ArtRage's palette knife and custom brushes, you'll discover how to create a choppy painting while adhering to real-world painting techniques.

Meet Magic: The Gathering's Svetlin Velinov

Velinov has illustrated over 200 Magic cards

Svetlin Velinov's illustrious career as a Magic: The Gathering artist all started with a mysterious email in 2009. Since then he's gone on to become one of the top artists for the hugely popular game. We caught up with him during a rare quiet spell to hear his story and rummage through his portfolio.

Explore Vanessa Lemen's portfolio

Lemen says painting is like finding a face in clouds

When asked why she decided to pursue a career in painting, the incredible Vanessa Lemen revealed that it was just what she did. In our interview with her, Lemen shares her career so far, how she turns abstract marks into stunning portraits, and the importance of keeping a journal.

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Five of them allow remote compromise of the IoT gadgets, so attackers can intercept video feeds and more.

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Poor DNS housekeeping opens the door to account takeover.

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Called BleedingBit, this vulnerability impacts wireless networks used in a large percentage of enterprise companies.

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Websites that are slow to load, hard to read and confusing to navigate aren't good for users or clients. Here are some of our top web design bugbears; feel free to join in and let us know what design quirks you find annoying.

01. Light grey text on a white background

A poor contrast ratio makes your text hard to read, so why do we see it so often?

A design trend that many regard as unfortunate has taken hold in recent years: the use of light grey text on a white background. Sometimes the lack of colour contrast even gets paired with a tiny typeface, making the resulting copy uncomfortable to read even for people with good eyesight, and totally inaccessible for those with any level of visual impairment, which is quite a lot of people. 

The thinking behind grey text rather than black is that too much colour contrast can cause eye strain. This is true, but it's important to make sure you're striking the right balance between the visual assault of black-on-white versus ghostly text that fades into the mist. The first thing to know is that the W3C Accessibility Guidelines state that you need a minimum contrast of 4.5:1 for most text, so making sure you hit that is a good starting point. 

Lea Verou's Contrast Ratio tool is good for getting the mathematical information about your colours, and there's also some sample text so you can see how it looks. It will accept colours in any format: words, hsla or hex values, and it tells you whether you're compliant with the accessibility guidelines. 

Colorable (pictured above) is a good option for judging by eye, and it has sliders so you can tweak things until it's just right. Remember that testing text colours on different devices and lighting situations is important – what's readable on your high-end screen might look very different on another device. Even if you've hit the minimum contrast ratio for accessibility, there are other factors that affect how text actually appears to the end user – so testing is the only way to make sure you've got it right. 

02. Modals

Modals are taking over the web – here are some things you can use instead

Modals are a user experience horror that have taken over the web in recent years, adding the administrative chore of closing an intrusive pop-over to the process of visiting many websites. It's particularly bad on mobile, and can make your site extremely frustrating or totally inaccessible to those using assistive technologies. MODALZ MODALZ MODALZ by designer Adrian Egger provides advice on alternative options for those moments when the urge to use a modal strikes. 

"Modals are the crutch of the inarticulate designer and developer," he writes. Instead of a modal, he suggests that you could use an expanding element, a non-modal dialog, or it might be more appropriate to use a new page. If you can't resist, or someone else is insisting on modal-usage, he's got some pointers for making them as tolerable as possible, and some particular pitfalls to avoid. 

03. Not optimising images

The low-down on how to make sure your site's images are optimised efficiently

Large images are one of the biggest sources of unnecessary page weight, and optimising them is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your site's performance. 

Addy Osmani's free ebook, Essential Image Optimization, is an excellent resource for learning about how to do this. If you don't have time to read the whole thing, he has a handy 'the tl;dr' at the top that points you towards resources for automated image compression, which he recommends, and other efficient tools if you're not going to automate. 

Responsive Issues Community Group (RICG) chair Mat Marquis' book Image Performance is also a great read on this topic, and also check out our 4 essential image optimisation tips.

04. Not prioritising performance

Work out how big each page resource can be if you want the site to load at a particular speed

The statistics on this vary, but the overall picture is that if your website takes more than a few seconds to load, people start leaving in droves. According to this article, most people will choose to browse fast sites that are irrelevant to what they're looking for than a slow site that contains the information they want. And of course, this intolerance for slowness has a massive impact on conversions. According to these numbers, slowing load time from 2.4 to 3.3 seconds can lose you a quarter of your conversions. 

With this in mind, it's clear that speed has to be a top priority if you want to create a good user experience and maximise your conversion rates. Here are some great resources to help you out:

Performance Email
This newsletter is great for staying up-to-date with all the most useful performance-related tools and information. 

Performance Budget Calculator
Decide how fast you want your site to load on which kind of connection and this calculator tells you how much page weight you can spend on each resource. There are sliders so you can adjust the allocation between CSS, images, fonts and so on. 

Browser Calories
Check out your competitors' sites with this browser extension that compiles a report on the page resources of any site you visit, comparing them to the weights of the web's top 100 sites. 

Smashing Magazine's Front end Performance Checklist
As well as the checklist, this article is packed with a huge selection of performance resources and general guidance on getting started with optimising your site.

Also read our post with four tips to improving your page's performance.

05. Using a big framework you don't need

Do you really need this for a simple site?

If you've put in the time to learn a big framework such as React or Angular it can be tempting to use it for all your projects, but laying down reams of boilerplate code and introducing complex technology and a bunch of dependencies for a simple site that doesn't need it usually isn't wise. Why bloat things up when a static site would be faster and leaner? 

Chris Coyier has written up his take on the situation here, where he discusses the good and not-so-good reasons for using a framework. 

Sometimes, writing things from scratch can be the right call even for more complex projects as it gives you more control and you end up with a leaner code base and fewer dependencies. This article explains why the team behind MeetSpace decided to build without a framework. 

06. Small body text

Consider larger body text to improve readability

There are many reasons why we tend to design with text that is smaller than the ideal: pressure to fit a lot of content on the first screen of a page; a perception that larger text somehow appears less sophisticated; and the default font sizes in the big frameworks, to name just a few. 

In his post Your Body Text is Too Small Christian Miller explains the many benefits of using larger text – it improves readability, it works better from a distance (maybe your site is being viewed on a smart TV) and it improves visual impact and usability. Another interesting side-effect of using bigger type is that it improves copywriting because it encourages you to use fewer words. 

The ideal font size for your website is probably larger than you think, and Miller has some great advice on how to design with bigger text in mind. 

07. Not prioritising the user

User research will help you find out what people want from your site

A sure-fire way to end up with a terrible website is to prioritise what a client wants to say over what a user wants to know. The entries below from The Oatmeal and xkcd may be old, but they still do a great job of articulating a phenomenon that persists to this day – a complete failure to consider why someone is visiting your website. 

In the Oatmeal piece, the author lists the things most people want when they go to a restaurant site, such as a menu, address with link to a Google Map, and opening hours. Then he presents a site that demonstrates what we often get: images or animations you don't care about, text about 'ambience' or the ethos or history of the place, the menu as a downloadable PDF, and pertinent information hidden away. 

The xkcd cartoon does the same thing for university websites: people want course lists, contact information and application forms, but they get a photo slideshow, a letter from the president and the institution's mission statement. 

The way to avoid this is to do user research and testing, even if it's just an informal conversation with a sample of users. Find out the main reasons someone visits your site, the main tasks they want to achieve, and prioritise those. Our tips for better user testing will get you started.

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