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Charities and non-profits may not have the design budgets of more profit-driven companies, but they're just as much in need of engaging branding. In fact, often more so; when you don't have a tangible product or service to catch the public's imagination, strong branding and the right logo can help put a non-profit's message across and encourage people to get involved. Whether it's for a global operation or a small local charity, a non-profit logo design or branding project looks good in your portfolio, too, and it's a great boost for your studio's reputation. Here are eight amazing non-profit logos to fire your imagination. 01. WWF The WWF's giant panda is based on a design from 1961 The World Wide Fund for Nature – originally known as the World Wildlife Fund – benefits from one of the most instantly identifiable logos in the world. Its iconic giant panda logo was originally drawn in 1961 by the WWF's founder chairman, artist and naturalist Sir Peter Scott, and has been refined and simplified over the years. In 2010 ArthurSteenHorneAdamson refreshed the WWF's brand identity with a stencil-based logo that allows designers to overlay colour and imagery on the black of the panda, making it easier for the organisation to convey its message and help people know exactly what it's about. 02. Shelter Turning the 'h' in Shelter's logo into a house was a stroke of branding genius Johnson Banks' 2004 redesign of the Shelter logo came about because the charity had almost been too successful. At the time it had largely succeeded in its original task – getting homelessness off the streets – and was concentrating on the problems of people living in housing that was unfit for human habitation. Getting that message across, however, was proving difficult. Working with Shelter's agency, Hooper Galton, Johnson Banks developed a new communications style to keep its messaging simple, readable and authoritative. The master stroke, though, was the logo: by adjusting the 'h' in Shelter to show a pitched roof, it created an indelible association between Shelter and housing, and provided Johnson Banks with a flagship project for its portfolio. 03. Mozilla Riffing on the http:// protocol for Mozilla is another branding win from Johnson Banks Not all non-profits are charities. Mozilla is the company behind the Firefox browser, but few people realised that it was a non-profit that developed products and technologies designed to keep the internet growing and healthy. In 2016 it brought in Johnson Banks to change this, with a rebrand that was conducted in the open, in keeping with Mozilla's open-source focus. You can see the full development process over at the Mozilla Open Design site, from Michael Johnson's first post through to the finished product. What really stands out, though, is the logo, ditching the outdated Mozilla dinosaur logo and replacing it with a wordmark that plays on the http:// protocol to create a design that is clearly internet-related. It's simple and incredibly effective. 04. Cancer Research UK The Cancer Research UK logo's a bit busy, but there's no mistaking that palette A good modern logo needs to be fairly simple, not just so that it can be easily recognised, but also so that it can scale elegantly. Sometimes it pays to break the rules, though; you could never accuse InterBrand's 2012 redesign of the Cancer Research UK logo as being simple. Made up of multicoloured dots designed to embody the collective nature of Cancer Research UK's mission and supporters, the logo's part of an identity refresh aimed at building awareness of the charity's aims and achievements. And while you could never draw the logo exactly from memory, its striking palette of purple, magenta, grey and white sticks in the mind, and is used across its brand messaging to provide an instant visual touchstone. 05. Oxfam It took Oxfam 70 years to unify its branding, but it was worth the wait Founded in 1942, Oxfam didn't have a single visual identity for 70 years. It operated as an international confederation made up of multiple organisations, each with its own branding, which worked perfectly well for many years. More recently, however, the need for a unified global identity became apparent, and a team at Wolff Olins, led by Marina Willer, now a partner at Pentagram, created a rebrand that could be used by all 15 Oxfam organisations across 90 countries. Aiming for a logo that's both visionary and practical, Willer's team also needed to make something that worked internationally and didn't feel Western. It left Oxfam's 'OX' logo largely untouched, but combined it with a capitalised wordmark, complete with new fonts and colour palettes. The result is an identity that looks the same whether you see it in a Manchester shop window or on a leaflet printed in Mexico. 06. PBS This recent update to the PBS logo remains faithful to Tom Geismar's 1984 design Tom Geismar of CGH designed the PBS logo as we know it back in 1984, taking the 'P' – a stylised man facing left – from Herb Lubalin's original three-letter logo, turning it to face the other way and layering it to turn it from one man to everyone, representing the idea of public television. It's a strong look, and with an audience of over 146 million people it's one that you mess with at your peril. But that hasn't stopped PBS from refreshing the logo; two years ago it brought in Lippincott to update the design, and the results are being rolled out now. It's still that unmistakable Geismar design, but with a friendlier rounded tip to the nose; along with the updated logo there's a custom typeface, PBS Sans, and a new signature colour called, of course, PBS Blue. 07. Red Cross There aren't many logos that are protected under the Geneva Conventions; in fact the Red Cross logo is the only one we can think of right now. Recently an Australian TV show got in trouble for using a logo that was just a little too close to that of the Red Cross, and was forced to change it. Designed as an inversion of the Swiss flag and dating back to 1864, the Red Cross – along with the Red Crescent and Red Crystal – is a symbol of protection, and international law protects anyone wearing it, as well as buildings and transport that displays it. Extremely simple and easy to see, it's one of the most recognisable symbols on the planet. 08. British Heart Foundation If it ain't broke, don't fix it The British Heart Foundation's 'Heartbeat' logo was originally designed in 1971 by Sheila Harrison, one of the BHF's regional organisers, and it's one that's stood the test of time. Combining a heart and a heartbeat waveform into a single line, it's a beautifully simple logo that does the job perfectly. And so when Wolff Olins was brought in to refresh the brand in 2018, it wisely left the logo well alone and worked around it, commissioning a custom typeface – BHF Beats by F37 – as well as icons and imagery that were inspired by the logo's pulsing and flowing motion. Along with a new slogan – 'Beat heartbreak forever' – it all adds up to a fresh look that complements one of the UK's best-known logos. Related articles: 8 big brand logos that never saw the light of day The 6 best branding books in 2020 5 big logo design trends for 2020 View the full article

If the thought of insects copulating doesn't immediately bring to mind DIY, then that's about to change. German DIY brand Hornbach's new ad gets up close and personal with insects having sex, with the accompanying tagline of 'Biodiversity starts in your garden'. There's even a squelchy ASMR soundtrack, just in case you weren't already squirming in your seat. The campaign was created by Heimat Berlin, with the CG insects made by Illusion CG Studio, and is supposed to promote Hornbach's environmentally friendly products. It might be a bit of a stretch to go from environmentally friendly fertiliser to some very friendly insects, but we'll go with it. Just like many of the best print ads, we're happy to (ahem) jump on board. The soundtrack of the ad, Dora Hall singing I love the outdoors by Jill Jackson and Seymour Miller, adds to the feel. We also particularly love the last few moments, where a lady digs her hand pretty sensually in some mud, stares at the camera while biting her lip and then seems to straddle her garden fork. If that doesn't get you in the mood for organic fertiliser then we don't know what will. The print campaign accompanying the ads is also pretty special. Just in case you didn't get that this is a campaign about sex, the prints ads are here to really spell it out. Finally! And of course drum home that all-important message about biodiversity. Biodiversity has never looked so... horny You can see more of Heimat's work for Hornbach on the agency's website, or those who speak German can learn more about Hornbach's campaign on its site. Read more: Subtle K-Y rebrand is a stroke of genius Durex hits the spot with a sexy new rebrand The problem with period product branding View the full article

Over 16 security flaws, including multiple backdoors and hardcoded SSH server keys, plague the software. View the full article

CVE-2020-0796 affects version 3.1.1 of Microsoft’s SMB file-sharing system and was not included in Patch Tuesday. View the full article

Leaked iOS 14 source code appears to have confirmed a rumoured new budget iPhone. A potential successor to the iPhone SE (Apple's previous low-cost iPhone offering), the new low-cost device is expected to feature a similar body and 4.7-inch display to the iPhone 8. Based on the code (obtained by 9to5Mac), the new budget iPhone will support Touch ID as well as Express Transit, which allows users to pay for transport without unlocking the phone. Add these features to its diminutive form, and the new iPhone sounds like a contender for our best smartphones list. An iPhone 9 concept render The new phone is rumoured to be called the iPhone 9. Confused? Apple skipped the '9' moniker when simultaneously launching the iPhone 8 and iPhone 10 (sorry, 'X') in 2017, so we suppose it makes sense to plug that gap with a budget device. It sounds perfect for those who prefer a smaller phone, and might not need an LED display or countless cameras. The iPhone SE But now, the bad news. According to Cult of Mac, a source inside Apple claims that company has now postponed the launch of the iPhone 9 indefinitely, as well as cancelling its rumoured event on 31 March due to coronavirus fears. As well as the iPhone 9, Apple is expected to launch an updated iPad Pro, and an updated MacBook Pro. Apple's campus is based within Santa Clara County, where mass gatherings of over 1,000 people were recently banned for three weeks. Even if the event is indeed cancelled, we could see Apple launch the new iPhone with a simple press release (as with the recent MacBook Pro 16-inch). If not, fans of smaller phones may have to cling on to that iPhone SE for even longer. You can read all about the iOS code leaks on 9to5Mac. Related articles: iPhone 11 Pro review Coronavirus: Work from home more productively iPhone 12: Surprising design decision revealed View the full article

In this tutorial, I’m going to walk you through how to create an impactful UX case study. It’s perfect advice for designers who are about to embark on a new job hunt. And, it’s going to be especially helpful for …View the full article

The new Wacom One is designed to be an affordable and, more importantly, an accessible new entry point for artists looking for a drawing tablet. The Wacom One is friendly both in its appearance and its ability to work with Windows, Mac and Android devices, most notably working with a variety of styluses other than the one it ships with. The Wacom One could be a step up for many new 2D and 3D artists looking to find more natural ways to create. At a fraction of the price of the Wacom's Cintiq displays, has a reduction in price meant a decrease in performance? Or is Wacom's latest release set to hit a spot in our round up of the best drawing tablets money can buy? The Wacom One is the first drawing screens I've had access to for a long time. I used Wacom's Cintiq 13 and Cintiq 21 approximately five years ago when they were needed for my visualisation work. However, both of these devices went to eBay heaven for a couple of reasons. Firstly because they always presented a cabling nightmare and secondly because they were big and cumbersome. Also, the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil happened. iPad applications like Duet and AstroPad mimicked the functionality of a Cintiq, and when the iPad was not being used as a drawing tablet or second screen, it could also be used as an iPad. So I was interested to see what the Wacom One could offer in a post-iPad world. Especially with the addition of SideCar, which allows a newer iPad to be used as the second screen or drawing display with more recent Macs with no additional applications. Wacom One review: Design and accessories When opening the packaging for the Wacom one, I was relieved to see that Wacom still puts effort into its packaging, everything I needed was accessible and available. However, there are still cables, this is both good and bad. Bad because who wants to mess with cables in this wifi world? The Wacom One needs three to connect to a computer; one for USB, one for HDMI and one for its own power, the latter of which is annoying. The good point about cables, however, is it means the device doesn't draw power from a laptop, which is the case for iPad solutions. On both Mac and Windows, the Wacom One was plug and play. Wacom haven't skimped on dongles for the lower price. There are USB-C adaptors included for both the HDMI and USB cables, which meant that the Wacom One worked with no additional dongles needed for my two test computers (Razer Blade 15" and a 2017 15" MacBook Pro). The Wacom One needs three cables to connect to a computer The Wacom One unit itself is housed in a very well made white utilitarian plastic case, that has a couple of fold-out legs which stow away flat when not in use. There is a single power-lead which has a HDMI and USB connector, and that's it. There is no adjustment in the legs, and the placement of the power lead means that it is difficult to turn the screen around so that it could sit as an upright second monitor, which feels like a missed opportunity. The stylus that comes with the Wacom One is a more basic solution than the Pro styluses that I am used to with the Wacom Intuos range. In the little styluses defence, in use, as it has 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, drawing felt as precise as it has always done with Wacom tablets. There is only one button on the stylus, which can be mapped to whatever the user desires using the Wacom drivers. I also missed a hardware button on the Wacom One itself. Drawing feels precise with the Wacom One stylus Wacom One review: Screen The screen resolution is 1920 by 1080, which for the size is absolutely fine, especially when working with Windows. Another size benefit is that viewing angles held up well for colour accuracy when viewed off centre, even though the screen can only manage 72% of NTSC colour gamut coverage. The screen's one major downfall is that it simply isn't very bright, and this can be an issue in a room with overhead downlighting, as the matte surface spreads out diffuse reflections. When compared with an iPad with an Apple Pencil, that can connect to Mac with the new SideCar software, the screen difference and quality is literally night and day in the iPads favour. SideCar also implements dynamic software buttons on the touch display of the iPad, making it, in my opinion, a better experience both in use and value. As when the artist is not using SideCar, they also have an iPad to use. The screen's brightness is a major downfall Wacom One review: Should you buy it? The Wacom feel is 'better' than the iPad, in terms of latency. However, the drawing experience is identical on iPad or Wacom One, and a basic iPad and Pencil can be found for approximately the same price as a Wacom One. For Window users, however it is a very different story. I have never been tempted by a drawing device other than Wacom, due to their reliability and feel. In this regard, the Wacom One maintains the Wacom brand well. The Wacom One is a robust and dependable device that always just 'worked' when I plugged it into the Razer laptop. Due to its flexibility, rugged construction and drawing experience, the Wacom One should be considered by any artist looking for their first drawing display – as long as they don't work in room with lots of bright lights. View the full article

The holy grail as a freelance artist has always been the ability to work remotely on as light and simple a device as possible. It’s simple logistics: the smaller your device, the less gear you carry, the more accessible you make yourself – and the more likely you are to be hired. Wouldn’t it be great if everything you needed fit into a backpack and was all contained on one device? No peripherals, no extra cables for ports you didn’t expect, no hard drives – just one device that could do everything. That day may be sooner than you think – and possibly not on the device you would imagine. Conventional thinking would be to explore something like the Wacom MobileStudio, a device that sets out to do just this – give you the full operating power of a PC contained in a single mobile device. However, the hefty price tag may put some off, especially when combined with the cost of licenses for the best 3D modelling software. One such path is proving to be quite interesting: the iPad Pro. The latest iPad Pro starts at only $769/£769, but can it compete with the processing power of a Wacom? The answer is sadly no, however, that could be less of a stumbling block as it may not require all that raw power anymore to complete the same tasks. Recently, developments from Apple are allowing much more complex programs such as Shapr3D and Forger to really shine with the use of an Apple Pencil (see our best iPad apps for designers for more great apps). Combined with its generally user-friendly interface, portability and ease of sharing files, the iPad Pro has become a real option for basic remote 3D work. Here is the challenge we’ll explore – how much of a full 3D pipeline can you realistically recreate using apps on the iPad Pro? We put seven apps through their paces to find out. And that's before you take into account the rumours about the upcoming iPad Pro 2020. But first up, a word on what the iPad isn't. What can't the iPad do? The iPad can't do rendering, animation or rigging – so straight off the bat, we are limited to the asset creation portion of the pipeline; we can model, and create artwork and concepts, but that’s where this journey ends. Sort of. There is surprisingly some limited capability for mocap. Apps like Face Cap (see video above) allow you to use Apple’s front-facing camera as a motion capture device, allowing you to record basic speech and facial expressions. So perhaps the iPad isn't as limited as you might imagine for 3D work. And it's getting better all the time. After all, with the release of Photoshop for iPad, it looks like more and more apps could be getting an iPad-ready makeover. In order to fully release the potential of the iPad, I’ve embraced Apple’s recommendation to use as many of its products as possible, signing up for iCloud storage and linking my other Apple devices (an iPhone X and an older iPad Mini). This is actually the key to this whole enterprise: the iPad alone will not suffice, you need the cloud-based storage to make this workable, not just for its size, but also for its ease of access and shareability. In addition, syncing my iPhone makes my digital content available to me 24/7 wherever I may be, whether I have my iPad or not, meaning I can remotely download, share, move and store all my files whenever. It also becomes increasingly simple to add supporting content like photo refs and video using the iPhone’s camera and syncing my files automatically – when I turn either device on, bam! There is my content, shared and ready to go. iPad apps for 3D work 01. Forger Price: £9.99 Asset creation is where these apps shine. Forger is a solid substitute for ZBrush, in fact in many cases it exceeds it – not in its overall power or scope of tools and abilities, but certainly in its interface. It’s designed specifically for the iPad, and so the layout of tools is neatly arranged for you to use your right hand to draw and your left hand for alt keys like the smooth and inverse functions. One of the things I’ve struggled with using ZBrush on mobile devices is its navigation, as you really need to make a custom interface to make it functional on any tablet, with many people resorting to buying Wacom’s ExpressKey tool to make ZBrush easier to use on devices like the Microsoft Surface, which are not specifically designed for it. Also read: Tips to master ZBrush 02. Shapr3D Price: Free (for up to two designs) Shapr3D's closest equivalent is in fact not Maya, but something more like Moi 3D – however, the developers know its limitations and have totally embraced the gesture and tap-based interface options of Apple’s devices, providing a detailed series of free tutorials on their YouTube channel, and in fact within the app itself. Once you have mastered these, it becomes a surprisingly fast and efficient tool, able to produce accurate and complex geo in mere minutes, often beating the time that would take a more conventional tool like Maya to do. This app in particular has a dedicated feedback forum, and release updates are frequent and well thought through. Recent additions include a better outliner/geo manager, the ability to import DWG files and convert to usable meshes as well as STL files, and a greatly improved drawing mode. It’s clear that these guys are really looking to corner the market in iPad-based CAD. 03. Photoshop for iPad Photoshop for iPad is a bit of a game-changer Price: Part of a Photoshop subscription The full-fat version of Photoshop for iPad, which works exactly like the desktop version without cutting out any features or flexibility, is a rubber stamping of our main argument in this article – that the iPad is now truly powerful enough to act as a substitute for desktop and laptop computers. Adobe has already produced various graphic design apps for the iPad over the years, all of which have been decent, but ultimately limited versions of the desktop experience. At the heart of this new app is proper support for opening and saving PSD files, with unlimited layers just like on the desktop, adopting a 'pick up where you left off’ system where changes are synchronised via Creative Cloud. You can carry over your edits, brushes and layers from desktop to iPad and vice versa. Get Adobe Creative Cloud here While all the desktop tools and functions are available in the iPad version, the user interface has been redesigned for touch-interface use, with heavy use of popover icons, single and double finger tapping and so on. Some Photoshop veterans have struggled to adapt to this new UI. Much of their skill and speed at editing comes from years of use, with long-engrained muscle memory about keyboard shortcuts and menus that may be lost with this transition to the iPad. Photoshop for iPad may therefore find it hard to establish itself on tablets in the same way it has on desktop computers, and instead may become just another tablet graphics app, competing hard against other tools. See our full Photoshop for iPad review for more info. 04. Procreate The Procreate app is one of the best drawing apps on the market Price: £9.99 I’ve been using Procreate to add the finishing touches to anything I’m exporting out of Forger or Shapr3D. Effectively it’s a substitute for Photoshop, and works as my primary application for concept work. Once again this app has been designed with the iPad Pro specifically in mind, and it has an incredible amount hidden under the hood. So much so, that I would thoroughly recommend attending one of Apple’s free lectures at your local Apple Stores on getting up and running in this app, because it really is one of the best drawing apps available. It enables you to add colour layers, import photos, blend textures in and customise brushes to create a very effective paintover and complete a concept, ready to show to clients. 05. Heges Price: Free (offers IAPs) One of my favourite uses of this bridge is the app Heges, which utilises the iPhone X’s front-facing camera to create instant 3D scans of your face (you can also run it on an iPad Pro). As a workflow example, I can scan anyone I meet on the iPhone, upload it to the cloud (these files are large) and download it onto a 3D viewer on my iPad such as emb3d.com, where I can convert into an OBJ and load into Forger. 06. Affinity Photo Affinity Photo is an affordable Photoshop alternative Price: £19.99 On the Mac and Windows, Affinity Photo is a highly affordable alternative to Photoshop, a great way to avoid Adobe’s subscription plans with a modest one-off purchase fee. The same applies to the iPad version. (See our post on the best Photoshop alternatives for more options.) But what’s really great about Affinity isn’t its affordability, but how truly powerful it is. It can do every advanced thing that Photoshop can, and gives you just as much control. That includes stacking bazillions of layers together, working with Raw files and batch processing. If you can think of anything you need, you’ll probably find it’s possible with Affinity. And just about everything from the desktop version is available too. Serif also has the iPad version of Affinity. Save an Affinity document on a Mac and open it on an iPad (or vice versa) and you can pick up right where you left off, with the same brushes, masks, layers, and so on. With so many features, the Affinity iPad interface is deep and complex, and it isn’t a program that a beginner will likely be able to easily master in a short space of time. But the relatively low price of such a powerful tool means that there’s no real excuse for graphics professionals of any discipline to not keep this tool on their iPad. 07. Pixelmator Pixelmator can do more than you might imagine Price: £4.99 If Affinity Photo is the iPad’s answer to Photoshop, then Pixelmator is perhaps more akin to Photoshop Elements. That’s not a criticism, Pixelmator is also capable of powerful editing and can be used to create multi-layered images from the ground up. It's been designed to cater for advanced mobile photography more than graphic art. Pixelmator is naturally also available for the iPhone, with an interface that’s more beginner-friendly than that of the iPad-only Affinity. It has over 100 brushes, effects and filters, colour adjustments, painting and selection tools, but these are primarily aimed at retouching existing photos. In this way, anyone who is serious about mobile photography can easily create something that looks very impressive, add graphics or text to photos, turn them into collages, flip, rotate and transform them, touch up and enhance them. The interface and beginner-friendly nature of Pixelmator shouldn’t fool you though. Its engine can perform some powerful but subtle edits to images. Light processing can be done with just a few taps, making it possible to perform complex adjustments (such as lowering reflections on an object) without diving into too many settings. It’s also been around for some time now. Pixelmator is one of the most mature graphics tools on iOS, and performs spectacularly. Notably, a new iPad-only app called Pixelmator Photo has just launched this year, with even more high-end photo editing tools that take advantage of modern iPad hardware such as machine learning, but even fewer features for creating images from the ground up. We see no reason why Pixelmator and Affinity cannot coexist. They cater for two markets of mobile users, and at their low prices (compared with desktop image editing software), there’s no reason not to own both. Is an iPad better than a Wacom? The conclusion here for me is simple: this setup cannot do what a Wacom MobileStudio can. Without the processing power to fully animate and render, it will remain quite limited. However, with more and more of these types of apps coming out, I don’t think that day is very far off. At less than half the price of a Wacom MobileStudio, it’s just much more accessible, and it’s fun to use! I would honestly recommend downloading all these apps now, or splashing out on an iPad Pro if you don’t already have one, as it’s a great substitute if you want to conceive ideas, or just practise your modelling/sculpting skills. When you have the ability to create ideas and model/sculpt on the go, and then download those concepts to a more powerful machine to render out stills in software such as KeyShot, it becomes a hugely powerful tool – you can always be producing artwork without the restrictions and confines of a studio or office. Since adopting this workflow, I’ve found myself creating more and the simple truth is, it’s just much more accessible to your everyday life. Give it another year, and who knows what will be possible? An edited version of this article first appeared in issue 254 of 3D World, the leading magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 254 or subscribe to 3D World. Read more: The 10 best 3D movies of 2020 8 mind-boggling facts about the making of Toy Story 4 Amazing After Effects plugins View the full article

There’s more to design than creating an appealing or practical product. It’s a discipline which involves creative thought processes that lead to innovative solutions. Today, this is becoming widely recognised as businesses look to use design, and design management in particular, to find new ways of succeeding commercially. Both Apple and Tesla are good examples of big brands achieving their strategic mission and goals through design management. Their teams have strategically used creative problem solving approaches to connect with the needs of their customers more effectively. And by developing their understanding of design management, its tools and techniques, creatives will be equipping themselves with skills that could help them prepare for management level positions. Even non designers working closely with creatives can benefit from a strong knowledge of design management, as it will help them to better understand and manage their design teams. One way to develop your design management skills is with a Design Management MA from Northumbria School of Design. Here’s how the postgraduate course could help take your career to the next level. It will help you master design thinking abilities Design thinking can be seen as both an ideology and a process. But at its core, it’s concerned with finding user centric and creative solutions to problems. It does this by breaking problems down into component parts, allowing you to identify core issues and take effective action. With the Design Thinking module, students will be introduced to unique design thinking methods. And with these skills, they will discover how to apply creative solutions to challenges in order to create new opportunities. This knowledge can be applied to your current role immediately, meaning that you’ll be able to see the benefits right away. And because it’s transferable, this strategic approach to problem solving can be applied to different contexts beyond the conventional design sphere. You’ll learn how design and business are connected Design and business might appear to be quite separate disciplines. However a good manager will spot how they can aid one another. With the Design Management: Strategy module, students on this course will discover how the two are closely aligned. By learning how traditionally analytic business models can work alongside creative design thinking, you’ll develop sharper and more innovative strategic skills. This is vital for managerial positions where you may be required to identify new opportunities for growth for your business. Design Management students will be ahead of their peers. They will be able to use design thinking to approach business problems innovatively. Plus they will be able to use what they’ve learnt to create unique, strategic solutions that engage with an organisation’s needs - bridging the gap between the commercial world, and the creative one. It will improve your knowledge of the design process Knowing how design works within a larger corporate framework can be difficult to figure out, and even harder to express. But being able to demonstrate how design can help your business get ahead is crucial if you want your career to progress. With the Design Management: Articulating Value module, you’ll be able to do exactly that. This section will introduce you to the definitions of design management, and show you how design is linked to your organisation’s success. By analysing case studies you’ll find out how multinationals have used design to expand their business. You’ll also learn how to communicate design theories to your team in order to put these processes and activities into action in your company. Sign up today Studying a Design Management MA at Northumbria School of Design doesn’t have to get in the way of your work, in fact you’ll be able to act on what you’ve learnt quickly. And because it’s a distance learning course, this MA is a convenient way to level up your career. Currently ranked in the top 10 for Design and Crafts in The Guardian UK University Guide 2020, Northumbria’s School of Design academic and support teams will assist you from your first year to beyond graduation. Everything you need to study will be available via an online portal, and graduates will gain exclusive access to an employability hub packed with career-developing resources. So if you want to join a design school with an international reputation for excellence, and one whose illustrious alumni boasts the likes of Sir Jonathan Ive, Rob Law MBE and Nicola Morgan, find out more about the Design Management MA here. View the full article

The best monogram fonts feature in some stunning monograms. From General Electric to Yves Saint Laurent and NASA’s iconic worm, there are plenty of intelligently drawn monogram logos around, and the best ones use an iconic and memorable typeface. When you ask graphic designers which font they’d use to create a monogram logo, the good ones will tell you that, "You’ve got to draw those bad boys". However, designers rarely draw monograms from scratch, and while an identity project is getting off the ground and the creative approach is being finalised with the client, designers will be playing around with a variety of different concepts. Off-the-shelf fonts are mighty handy in the initial design phase, and sometimes end up being used with very few tweaks even in what may look like highly crafted monogram logos (see our favourite monogram logos ever in our roundup). By chatting with a range of designers and looking for lovely monogram logos out in the wild, we've put together a list of unique, interesting and even outrageous fonts that could provide inspiration for your next monogram venture. And if you're after more font inspiration, don't miss our list of the best free fonts available, or our favourite handwriting fonts. 01. Fidelio Fidelio: Alterative characters with extravagant swashes make Fidelio a playground for the logo designer Price: From £31.99 Download here Drawn by the French graphic designer and typographer José Mendoza y Almieda in 1980, Fidelio was named after Beethoven’s only opera. Despite this Germanic influence, it’s a chancery script with a Romanesque look and feel. Its loops and flourishes are attractive, but not overdone, and pulling the initials of a brand name together in various ways will result in some fascinating permutations as the extensions of the letters interact. The beauty brand Armand Dupree uses Fidelio almost unchanged in its monogram logo. 02. Baskerville You don’t have to look far for a font that can result in fantastic monogram logos Price: From £35 Download here Designed in the 1750s, Baskerville is a classic typeface that you probably already have in your arsenal – it’s part of the Adobe Fonts collection after all. Inspired by Didot and Bodoni, it’s the contrast between the thick and thin strokes that you will play with when using Baskerville as the basis for a monogram logo. Turn up that contrast until the thin strokes have disappeared and with a touch of creative magic you’ll create a monogram that is an abstract form while remaining readable as lettering to the viewer. The V&A and Roger Federer logos are examples where a Baskerville-style font was the start of something special. 03. Caslon Graphique There’s something playful about Caslon Graphique’s curves and how they flow into those thick vertical elements Price: From £23.20 Download here Caslon is another classic English typeface that is hard to beat. The original font family was developed by Caslon in the 1720s, and Caslon Graphique takes those basic proportions and pumps up the contrast. As with Baskerville, the interplay between the light and heavy strokes is what makes Caslon Graphique a joy to work with in logo development. 04. Bellissima Script Embossed in a soft, springy stock, Bellissima Script instantly evokes a sophisticated and timeless feel Price: From $79 Download here In days of yore, monograms were formed from the initials of important people and sewn into their clothing in lavish calligraphic lettering. Bellissima Script gives you all the delicious swoops and swashes you could ever need when designing a monogram logo with an elegant, sophisticated Baroque feel. Not only does Bellissima Script ooze with class, it’s an award-winning typeface by Alejandro Paul, which helped his foundry Sudtipos make its name in the early 2000s. 05. American Typewriter Seen here in a light condensed form, American Typewriter’s serifs are just crying out for the addition of loops and swooshes Price: From £35 Download here Although inspired by typewriter fonts, American Typewriter was never really used in the machines and now enjoys life in the digital realm as a MacOS and iOS system font. As such, it is likely to be right under your nose, ready to be deployed in your monogram logo designs. The lightest versions of this typeface, with its soft curves and delicate slab serifs, are crying out to be connected with cleverly drawn swashes. Well linked, two- and three-letter monograms in this typeface work well as white out of a colour in a roundel. 06. Maelstrom Sans With its negative approach to stroke weight contrast, Maelstrom has hidden optical effects yet to be discovered Price: From $50 Download here Ever since the late '90s, New Zealander Kris Sowersby has been absolutely killing it typographically via his Klim Type Foundry. Maelstrom and Maelstrom Sans are typefaces that radically reverse typographic norms when it comes to contrast. Where a typeface like Didot would have a thin stroke, Maelstrom goes thick… and then some. It’s not the only typeface to do this – also see the Negative variation of Typotheque’s Karloff – but it is perhaps the most extreme. Playing with Maelstrom will result in a monogram logo the likes of which the world has never seen, so why not give it a shot? 07. History The decorative layer within History was used by Studio8585 to craft this monogram for sports retailer Momento Venerem Price: From $80 Download here Experimentation with letters and finding new ways to connect them is at the heart of designing an appealing monogram logo, and History from Peter Bil’ak’s Netherlands foundry Typotheque is a typeface that offers plenty to experiment with. The standard Roman letter forms are there, and you can build on them in layers, adding serifs, swashes, outlines, patterns and more. There’s ample scope with this font to create numerous utterly unique monogram logos, and History has been applied in fascinating ways already in the world of identity design. 08. Bisect It’s pretty niche, but Bisect is full of possibilities if you can match it to the right brand Price: From £45 Download here Like History, Bisect is a type system that uses layers to interesting effect. However, where History celebrates the past, Bisect effuses about the future. These geometric, monospaced fonts build each letter from basic forms, fitting them into squares on a grid. Different fonts within the typeface are designed to work in layers and using them in that way could result in a monogram logo with two slices of future and one slice of retro in its look and feel. Also read: The best monospaced fonts 09. Founders Grotesk When Bruce Mau created the identity for the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art he took a knife to Founders Grotesk Price: From $50 Download here A modern geometric typeface may not seem like your go-to when thinking about a monogram logo, but if the client you’re branding is a modern organisation then why not use one and instead of just thinking outside the box, cut the box up completely? The great thing about geometric typefaces where the 'O' forms a perfect circle is that often the letters can be quartered and used to create new typographic structures – and that’s where possibilities come to the fore in terms of monogram logo design. Founders Grotesk is a great example, but you could also try Avant Garde, DIN, Futura and many others. 10. Digestive Designer Thomas van Ryzewyk rendered this monogram for perfume brand Thomas Kosmala in Digestive Price: From $129 Download here According to its designers, Digestive is the offspring of Art Nouveau and Gothic architecture influences. However, looking at type set in this face you’d be forgiven for thinking that it is actually a clever attempt to form letters from the digestive tract of a higher mammal. Never run from a font like this: unusual and even quite ugly typefaces can result in the most interesting and experimental monogram logos and they should never be written off. Digestive is a mind bender – use it and look for others like it. 11. Vance Serif Ancient Roman and Early Christian architecture influenced Vance Serif but it doesn’t feel old or traditional Price: From €49 Download here Much like Fidelio, the font we started off with, Vance Serif has a Romanesque look to it and wonderful swashes that lend themselves so well to monogram logo design. Indeed, it was inspired by Roman architecture and like any great classical typeface has a very solid underlying structure to it. Originally designed for the architecture firm Clayton Vance as a bespoke typeface by Kevin Cantrell and Andrei Robu, it’s now available for your logo design pleasure. Read more: How to add fonts in Photoshop The best multilingual fonts A complete guide to font licensing for designers View the full article

Clothing brand October's Very Own (OVO), owned by Drake, has had its feathers ruffled by luxury accessories brand Bellroy using an allegedly similar owl logo. OVO has filed a law suit against Bellroy, claiming that the company's recent move into footwear means its products benefit from resembling OVO's. The Canadian rapper's brand called fowl after Australia-based Bellroy supposedly changed its hunched-over owl to more closely mimic OVO's trademarked logo. And shortly after launched a range of shoes in collaboration with footwear brand Clae. (If they needed ideas, they should have read our logo design inspiration guide.) Bellroy's owl logo appears to have flown under the radar since 2013, or perhaps OVO (established in 2011) weren't too concerned when the leather goods brand were only selling wallets and phone cases. Either way, they certainly gave a hoot when footwear entered the frame. OVO's owl (left) vs Bellroy's (right) In court papers obtained by TMZ, OVO claims Bellroy "changed the design of the owl by altering its posture, width, wings and feet in order to blatantly mimic the OVO owl." It also claims that by placing the owl on footwear, Bellroy is competing with its "core business" of apparel. While we couldn't possibly say whether the similarity is intentional, Bellroy's owl (below) does indeed appear to have learned, at some point, to stand up straight. Bellroy's current logo (right) and an older version This is by no means the first time a company has been sued over logo similarities. Just last month, the City of Chicago sued a coffee company over trademark infringements. OVO is asking for an injunction to stop Bellroy and Clae from selling anything that looks similar to their owl. They're also seeking to get their talons into any profits made from the collaboration. Related articles: Under Armour sues Hotsuit for 'copycat' logo... but are they really that similar? Facebook sued over copycat Calibra logo The 10 best logos of all time View the full article

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Illustrated book publisher Thames & Hudson has revealed a brand new visual identity designed by Pentagram. The rebrand includes a new cartouche (a frame around a design) in which the publisher's monogram and dolphin symbol are surrounded by an oval. This new cartouche is both a modernisation and a nod to the publisher's heritage of over 70 years. As well as being designed to work in various sizes across digital and print, it was partly inspired by an original mosaic found in Thames & Hudson's London office (below). The mosaic features the two dolphins that represent the rivers the publisher is named after, in London (Thames) and New York (Hudson). If you haven't got an old mosaic hanging around, check out our logo design inspiration guide. The original mosaic (left) and the new cartouche (right) Pentagram isn't kidding when it says the new identity was inspired by the original mosaic. As well as informing the new cartouche, it has coloured the identity's palette of cool and warm greys. It's a nice touch of detail from the studio, and certainly fits the new ethos of bringing the publisher's heritage and digital future together: Now that's what we call colour matching Demonstrating the new mark's flexibility is its application on Thames and Hudson's sales catalogues (below). The oversized, brightly coloured design sits off-centre behind bold typography, for a strikingly contemporary look. We'll be ordering a few of these. Thames & Hudson's new sales catalogue design Thames and Hudson has over 2,000 books in print, from fashion titles to children's books. It was founded in 1948 with a mission to make the world of art accessible to everyone. With an eye on both the past and future of the publisher, this is a rebrand that ought to keep most people happy. Related articles: Subtle K-Y rebrand is a stroke of genius Fisher-Price’s new logo puts the fun back in branding The 10 best logos of all time View the full article

Design is an industry that thrives on new blood, and this means that the shelf-life for a successful design company can be relatively short. Out of the 30 companies listed in last year's Computer Arts UK studio rankings, 21 were founded in this century, and only one dated back to before the 1990s. Like people, many businesses tend to reach a point where they become middle-aged and a bit conservative. That's absolute poison when it comes to the creative industries, though, which rely on fresh ideas and experimental design that tend to come from younger designers. Some companies, though, have managed to not just stay the distance, but to positively thrive despite their advanced years. Here are six that have stayed relevant and look like continuing to do so for a long time yet. 01. Johnson Banks Whether it's working with non-profits or companies such as Duolingo, Johnson Banks strives to make a difference Founded: 1992 Michael Johnson set up Johnson Banks back in 1992, and 28 years on he's still in charge, overseeing the strategic and creative side of the company, but still relishes the opportunity to get involved with projects. Sometimes having a veteran at the helm who likes to get hands-on can be counter-productive, but this approach seems to pay off well at Johnson Banks. With its focus on non-profits and a mission to create work that makes a difference while demonstrating wit, intelligence and humanity, it's carved out an enviable niche for itself and looks set to remain relevant for a long time. 02. Spin Spin is determined adapt to design's constant flux, as this playlist design for Apple Music demonstrates Founded: 1992 Staying in the design game for any length of time means that you have to adapt to a discipline that's constantly changing. Tastes never stay the same for very long, new trends are turning up all the time, and any agency that doggedly sticks to what it knows is unlikely to last the distance. Spin recognises this, and describes itself as being obsessed with the challenges that this ever-changing discipline throws in its way. Recent clients include Apple, Wallpaper* and MUBI, and its placing at number 7 in the Computer Arts UK studio rankings shows that it's definitely taking the right approach. 03. JKR This branding project brought JKR plenty of attention Founded: 1990 Now in its 30th year, JKR has studios in London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore, and recently came in at number 2 in the Computer Arts UK studio rankings thanks to some stunning work for big brands such as Budweiser, Burger King and Heinz. What's really grabbed the public's attention recently, though, is its controversial rebranding of Dunkin' Donuts as simply Dunkin'. Not everybody approved of the move, but it generated a stack of publicity for the brand and also brought in its fair share of design awards, demonstrating that JKR very much has its finger on the pulse. 04. Graphic Thought Facility Graphic Thought Facility likes to build lasting relationships with clients such as the Frieze Art Fair Founded: 1990 Another studio due to celebrate its 30th birthday this year, Graphic Thought Facility is jointly owned by its three directors, two of whom – Paul Neale and Andrew Stevens – were its original founders, while the third, Huw Morgan, joined in 1996 and became a director in 2003. All three describe themselves as very hands-on, and with a small team of nine designers they maintain their reputation for appropriate, effective and original design solutions. Graphic Thought Facility prides itself on understanding its clients and building long-term relationships with them, and a look through its portfolio reveals a stack of regular clients; a great way to ensure your studio's longevity. 05. Pentagram Pentgram's approaching its 50th birthday but as this Fisher-Price branding demonstrates, it's not showing its age Founded: 1972 Often the driving force behind a studio is its original team of founders; if they move on the studio subsequently loses its way. For Pentagram this hasn't been an issue. All of its original founding partners have long departed the company, but Pentagram keeps going from strength to strength and is now the world's largest independently-owned design studio. Perhaps the secret to its ongoing success is a flat management structure in which all its partners are working designers who are also the primary contact for clients. Even though many of its partners are industry veterans, they're still very much in the game, and this personal commitment to design shines through in Pentagram's portfolio, which most recently has seen stunning work for the likes of Fisher-Price, Warner Bros and Yahoo. 06. Wolff Olins Work for companies such as Uber and Google are proof that Wolff Olins still has a finger on the pulse Founded: 1965 Now well into its sixth decade, Wolff Olins has never lost the ability to surprise – and occasionally outrage. Originally founded by Michael Wolff, who left the company in 1983 and now runs Michael Wolff and Company, and Wally Olins, who stayed until 2001 and died in 2014, Wolff Olins was well into middle age when it attained notoriety for its London 2012 Olympics logo. More recently it's worked with brands including Uber, Tesco and Google, and was named the most innovative design firm in the world in 2018 by Fast Company. Related articles: The design agency survival guide 9 agencies to follow on Instagram How to be the designer every agency wants to hire View the full article

It's one of the most contentious debates of our times, and one that has raged across the internet for years: is the mushroom on Toad's head a hat, or part of his head? The adorable "fictional humanoid mushroom" (thanks, Wikipedia) is a favourite from the Mario game franchise, but fans have butted heads over the contents of said mushroom to the point where Nintendo recently stepped in to clear things up (more on that below). Mushroom-gate has led to many speculative illustrations from artistic fans, and now illustrator Alex Solis has given us perhaps the most nightmarish concept yet. The question is no longer whether the mushroom is a hat (it is, according to Solis' depiction), but whether Toad's eyes are actually... nostrils? (Check out our character design guide for some less terrifying examples.) We're sorry We're filing this one straight under 'wish we could unsee' (where it joins the likes of the glitch that applied Donkey Kong's mouth texture to his feet). Fortunately, Solis' terrifying (and apparently sleep-deprived) interpretation doesn't match up with Nintendo's explanation of the mushroom. "So that, as it turns out, is actually Toad’s head,” Super Mario Odyssey producer Yoshiaki Koizumi recently revealed on the company's official YouTube channel (below). So, there we go. The general reaction on Instagram matches our own ("YOU DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS," comments anths.art). Perhaps he didn't, but then what's the internet for if not for sharing horrifying concept illustrations of fictional humanoid mushrooms? It got a reaction from us and for that, we take our hat off to him. Solis' Toad concept is part of a series of similar illustrations he calls #UnpopularCultureSeries, which also includes this depiction of an evolving Pikachu: Head over to Solis' Instagram page to see more from the #UnpopularCultureSeries. We can't guarantee, though, that they won't reappear in your dreams tonight. Related articles: The optical illusion you probably won't want to work out Someone found a top-down view of Mickey Mouse, and people are horrified Logo swap is surprisingly disturbing View the full article

HP is on a bit of a roll of late. Even though the company has been one of the biggest laptop and PC makers in the world for a while now (second only to Lenovo when it comes to market share, fact fans), it certainly hasn’t been resting on its laurels, and its recent laptop releases, like the HP Envy 13, are some of the best laptops its ever made. HP’s Envy lineup of laptops are mid-range device that aren’t as premium (or expensive) as its Spectre line of laptops, pitching it against the likes of Dell’s Latitude range of laptops. But don't let that put you off, these computers are still hugely powerful and feature regularly in our round up of the best laptops for video editing. Creating a mid-range laptop that treads that fine balance between offering great value for money, while making sure not to skimp on performance, features and design, can be tricky, but it’s a feat that if any company can achieve, it’s HP. These mid-rangers are ideal for creative professionals as they look good, perform well for many creative tasks, like photo and video editing, while not costing the earth. HP Envy 13 review: Price The cheapest configuration of the HP Envy 13 costs £779. While this isn’t budget laptop territory, it’s certainly very affordable when compared to premium laptops like the MacBook Pro (see our 16-inch MacBook Pro review for more details), or Acer ConceptD 7. For the price, you get an Intel Core i5 8265U processor, 1.3-inch full-HD display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and an Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics card. That graphics card is a nice bonus in a laptop of this price (which usually use lower-powered integrated graphics), and while it’s not much use for gaming, it gives the laptop a bit more oomph when it comes to graphic-intensive tasks. As is often the case with HP’s laptops, there are various different configurations, so if you have a bigger budget and want something a bit more powerful, there’s likely a HP Envy 13 for you. For example, the next model up comes with a new Intel Core 15-1035G1 processor for £899. In our opinion, getting the newer processor is worth the extra money, as you’re getting a decent performance boost. You don’t get the discrete Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics card with this model, but that doesn’t really matter as the integrated graphics of the Intel processor are much improved. You can also get a model with an Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor and double the SSD storage space for £999, which again is worth considering if you want more power, and that extra storage space will be welcome for anyone who works with large files (such as photographers). Finally, there’s a version (which is the one we have tested here) which comes with an Intel Core i7-8565U processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for £1,049. Despite the older processor, this is the best configuration for digital creatives thanks to the additional RAM and storage space. HP Envy 13 review: Power and performance The HP Envy 13 that we got in for review comes with an Intel Core i7-8565U processor. This is an 8th generation Intel processor, which means its showing its age a bit, but it’s still a formidable CPU that offers plenty of power for a laptop. Coupled with the 16GB of RAM, and this configuration is a powerful little laptop that will breeze through day-to-day tasks. That amount of RAM and powerful quad-core processor means multitasking isn’t an issue – you can easily have plenty of apps open at once, and swapping between them all is fast and fluid. The HP Envy 13 comes with Windows 10 Home, and that feels quick and responsive when in use. The only complaint we have with the Intel Core i7-8565U is that the integrated graphics aren’t as good as Intel’s newer 10th generation processors, but that’s been mainly addressed by the GeForce MX250 GPU, which is enough to handle video and photo editing. For the price, we saw performance on par with more expensive laptops, like the Dell XPS 13, which is very impressive, as it means you can save money without compromising on performance if you go for the HP Envy 13. Battery life is also impressive, as we managed to work a whole 6-hour day without needing a charge. Now, during that time we didn’t do anything too intensive, like render 4K videos, but it means you can happily work on this laptop without worrying too much about when you’ll next need to charge it. When the battery does need charging, it does so pretty fast, thanks to fast charging tech that meant it was able to go from empty to 50% in just 45 minutes. Compared to more expensive ultrabooks like the XPS 13 and HP Spectre x360, the HP Envy 13 did really well, beating them all by about an hour. Power-wise, then, we were very impressed with the HP Envy 13, and for most people’s needs, this laptop offers a level of performance that will allow you to work while on the go. HP Envy 13 review: Display As a mid-range laptop, you won’t find any crazy-high 4K resolutions here, but the IPS 1080p display of the HP Envy 13 is bright, vibrant and looks excellent considering the price. The 13.3-inch diagonal display may feel a little cramped for people, but it keeps the overall size of the HP Envy 13 down, which means the laptop is a great portable choice for people who do a lot of travelling. There’s no professional calibration or support for industry colour gamuts, and this might put off people who need colour accuracy with their creative work, but again, due to the price of the laptop, this omission isn’t too surprising, and for many people it won’t be an issue. Certainly using the HP Envy 13 for day to day use will leave you with a positive impression of the display. The thin bezels around the screen again keep the overall size of the laptop down, while also giving the laptop a modern look. The screen is also a touchscreen, and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass technology, to keep it from getting scratched. While the touchscreen doesn’t mean this laptop can be used as a graphic tablet (the screen doesn’t fold all the way back, nor is a stylus included), it gives you an extra way to interact with the laptop, and that’s to be commended. Overall, the display isn’t the most amazing screen we’ve seen in a laptop, but it does the job well, and most people will enjoy the bright and vibrant image quality on offer here. HP Envy 13 review: Key features Even though the HP Envy 13 is on the more affordable spectrum of Ultrabooks (which are classed as thin and light laptops that offer high-end performance), it still comes with some great features that will be especially useful for digital creatives. For a start, it has a decent port selection with two standard USB-size ports and a single newer USB-C. This offers you a decent amount of flexibility when it comes to what peripherals you use. If you have older USB devices, you can easily plug them in to the HP Envy 13, while newer USB-C devices are also supported – though as it is just a single USB-C port, it means if you have more than one USB-C device you may need to buy an adapter to add more ports. The USB-C port is also used for charging the HP Envy 13. This is good as it means you can make use of that fast-charging feature we mentioned earlier, and it also means you can use other USB-C chargers to top up the HP Envy 13 if you forget the one that comes with the laptop, as long as they provide enough power. However, it does mean that you lose that single USB-C port when charging. An interesting feature with the standard USB ports is that they feature mechanisms that close the port when not in use. This helps keep the HP Envy 13 as thin and light as possible while including the full-size USB ports. Another welcome feature is the inclusion of an SD card slot, which will be of interest to photographers in particular, as it means you can insert your camera’s memory card into the HP Envy 13 without the need of an adapter. These ports are in stark contrast to the limited amount Apple includes in its modern MacBooks, where you’re stuck with two (or four in bigger models) USB-C ports – which means anyone with older USB devices need to buy an adapter. The HP Envy 13 also features a physical kill switch for its webcam, which is a great privacy feature for people who are wary of the potential for hackers to gain access to your webcam. There’s also a fingerprint scanner for biometric login to Windows 10, and Bang & Olufsen speakers that provide impressive sound quality that you don’t usually expect from a laptop. HP Envy 13 review: Should you buy it? The HP Envy 13 is a great example of a laptop that manages to offer premium features, performance and design, while keeping things reasonably affordable. This isn’t the cheapest laptop you can buy, and nor is it the most expensive, but it’s a great mid-range laptop that will suit most people’s needs. Crucially, it never feels like a compromise. Build quality is excellent and performance for most day-to-day tasks is excellent. There’s a decent amount of ports available, so if you’re a photographer this is an easily portable – and cheaper – alternative to the MacBook that offers more versatility than Apple’s laptop. There’s certainly a lot to commend the HP Envy 13 for. At this price point, it offers a design and features you’d expect to see on a more expensive laptop. However, it won’t be for everyone. Some models use older hardware, and none of the configurations of the HP Envy 13 are hugely powerful. If you need a workstation laptop that can handle particularly heavy workloads, like 4K video rendering, then you’d be better off spending more money on a more powerful laptop – you’ll only get frustrated. Also, digital artists who are after something to doodle on may be better off getting a 2-in-1 laptop, like the Dell XPS 13, as while the HP Envy 13 comes with a touchscreen, it’s not very suited to use with a stylus. Overall, though, for the price, the HP Envy 13 offers excellent value for money. View the full article

The past 25 years have been rich in terms of graphic design history. We've seen monumental changes, and our sister magazine Computer Arts has been there to bring you the lowdown on everything that's happened in graphic design and illustration. The magazine hit the newsstands in 1995, meaning a quarter of a century has passed, so it seems like the perfect time to take a look at how exactly the industry has evolved in that time. In this article, we look back at some of the biggest moments, milestones, trends and developments over the last 25 years, and to provide a broad perspective, we’ve asked the opinion of some well-known industry names. For further exploration of what's happening in graphic design, see our post on the hottest graphic design trends, and put them to use with our pick of the best tools for graphic designers. What has changed since 1995? "So much has changed since 1995!" says Neville Brody, one of the 20th century's most famous graphic designers. "While the main changes have been technological – fast and large data transmission, video conferencing, actual-time responses, mass storage, processing capabilities and portable computing power – the more invisible changes have come through cultural responses, leading to greater empowerment. We have a major self- publishing world now, on every level, and distribution models that allow greater scaling and fundraising." In his eyes, though, it’s not all been positive. "Brands have increasingly become homogenous storytellers, competing usually for the same demographic and market using the same tools, mechanisms and content," he says. "Media has at the same time become relatively utilitarian and homogenised. Ultimately, creative choices have been reduced to simple patterns and restrictive palettes." (We explore this further in our post has branding become boring?) For these reasons, Brody believes that, "after 25 years, what’s really needed now is some new break-out thinking and creativity – real risk- taking and rule-challenging". 01. Computer Arts launches Computer Arts was launched in 1995 The fashion world had Vogue. Advertising had Campaign. Then in 1995, graphic designers and illustrators got their own, must-read 'Bible', as issue one of Computer Arts hit the shelves. "I was a reader right from the start, as there was nothing else like it," recalls artist and designer Brendan Dawes. Those early issues now provide a snapshot of the time, packed with advice on how to use exotic new tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator. As artist Jon Burgerman puts it: "It was there for professionals and students alike, offering insight and cover discs... like a friendly tutor who’s a bit too cool for college." The print magazine is now more geared towards idea generation, conceptual thinking and design process. As Jamie Ellul, founder of Supple Studio, describes it, "Computer Arts today is a really good resource for reading in-depth project case studies, and hearing opinions from other designers and creatives." Marie Claire, FHM, Loaded and NME have closed, but Computer Arts is still going strong, and as influential as ever. As creative director Kyle Wilkinson says: "The number of young designers that Computer Arts has helped develop through advice, tutorials and exposure must be countless." 02. The web Although the internet had existed in some form since the early 1970s, virtually no-one outside of computer scientists and serious nerds had heard of it. But in the mid-1990s, a program called Netscape came to prominence, and started to turn web browsing from a bafflingly complex task into something that was relatively achievable. "In terms of design moments, there’s been nothing more impactful for me than the birth of Netscape," recalls Laura Jordan Bambach, creative director and former president of D&AD. "It turned playing on MOSAIC and working in Hyper Card and Director into something that had a potentially unlimited audience. A space to create art, and a community in cyberfeminism that’s had a massive impact on my life. It also gave me my career – starting a business at university, designing and coding when it was still all done in Notepad." Bambach was very much ahead of the game here: most graphic designers wouldn't be designing for the web for at least another decade. But Netscape, on which the modern browser Firefox is based, remains a key moment in an internet age that’s changed pretty much everything. 03. UX Design Today, user experience, aka UX, is one of the most in-demand services from graphic designers. But back in the mid-nineties, it was something early pioneers were only just inventing, usually in total isolation from each other. Graphic designer and professor Louise Sandhaus offers a typical example. In the 90s, she was hired as an art director on a project for Taco Bell, which wanted to electronically run all of its store ordering through a single touch-screen system, to make life easier for employees. "But the methodologies didn't really exist," she recalls. "User experience and user interface design had yet to go mainstream. It was the Wild West." User experience and user interface design had yet to go mainstream. It was the Wild West. Louise Sandhaus Initially, the visual design of the interface and the writing of the software were going to be conducted separately, but to Sandhaus, that seemed all wrong. "So I developed a methodology of sketched storyboards running through various tasks that allowed myself and the software engineers to develop the project together," she explains. It might sound obvious now, but at the time it was revolutionary. Similar experiences by other pioneers eventually evolved into commonly accepted best UX practices (to test your own, see our guide to user testing), and today define everything from Android apps to video-streaming interfaces. Most of this work remains invisible to consumers, but we'd find our daily lives extremely time-consuming and frustrating without it. 04. IKEA "In my 25 years as a professional designer," says Taxi founder Spencer Buck, "the thing that's struck me most is the revolution in people's aesthetic awareness and design sensibilities." The influence of Apple is an obvious and much-cited reason for this cultural shift. But Spencer points to another, often overlooked one: the rise of Swedish furniture retailer IKEA. "In 1996 IKEA burst on to our TV screens with its iconic ad: Chuck out your Chintz," he recalls. "It essentially encouraged British housewives – their core demographic then – to throw away their fussy and frilly furnishings in place of cool, minimalist Scandi gathering momentum, it started to transform attitudes to design, by getting people to question why they were accepting of awful home decor, which was usually directly influenced by their parents' tastes." And that, says Buck, was profound. "Up until that point in time, very few people had questioned, 'Why do I live like this?' They just blindly accepted a Laura Ashley way of life. The strategy of ad agency St Luke's was to help IKEA change British design taste for the better and boy, did it succeed." 05. The iMac The iMac changed how designers work John Lloyd, co-founder of Lloyd Northover Limited, puts it simply: "One of the most significant technological events of the past 25 years must be the arrival in 1998 of the iMac. We were early adopters of the Macintosh when it appeared in 1984, but it's the iMac in its various iterations that's completely transformed the practical ways in which designers work." Sawdust co-founder Rob Gonzalez was "overawed" when he first saw one as a design student. "To me it looked like something straight out of Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey," he recalls. "The flat screen, shiny white case with over-the-top bevelled edges felt so futuristic: I was in love." But it wasn't just about good looks, it was about what it could do. "Before the iMac, I painted with real paint on real canvas," says artist and illustrator Stanley Chow. "I wouldn't have remotely entertained the idea of using a computer for my art. But in 1999, my Dad bought me an iMac for my 25th birthday, and it literally changed my life. High-speed macs were revolutionary "Just being able to 'paint' a whole page with a touch of the button was a revelation," he explains. "It was a number of years of self-teaching before I got any good at it, but now I pretty much solely rely on Illustrator. If it wasn't for the iMac, I'd probably still be painting traditionally, and probably still be poor and starving." More broadly, the rise of affordable Macs powerful enough to handle the entire design process has changed the game for the creative industry. As Ellul notes: "You could suddenly be a design agency by buying a laptop, a software licence, a printer, a scanner and a Pantone book. It opened the gateway to smaller agencies setting up and competing with the big boys. Because of this, I was able to set up my first agency [Magpie Studio] in 2008 with two friends and tiny overheads." "From a technical perspective, the advent of low-cost, high-speed Macs has been pretty revolutionary," agrees Michael Johnson. "Consider this: I started Johnson Banks in 1992 and had to take out a substantial bank loan in order to buy three Apple Macs and a crude laser writer. I think they cost nearly 20 grand!" 06. Type creation tools The idea of actually creating your own typeface used to be out of reach for most designers. Then in 1998, FontLab 3 was released for Mac, and things started to change rapidly. Today, sophisticated font creation tools are easy to find and use, enabling designers to add a whole new string to their bow: the ability to create custom type for their clients. "The increase of more accessible software that enables typographic ideation and creation has been one of the biggest things to influence my career," says Pentagram designer Paula Scher. "This has allowed designers to work with type in their day-to-day, which has been really exciting and helpful for me and my team." Wilkinson agrees, and says his life would have been very different without it. "Although the work of Wilkinson Studio has never been about one specific discipline, the rise in typographic commissions and our experimental approach to type has led to us working with some of our dream clients, such as The New York Times, Adobe and TIME Inc.," Wilkinson says. 07. Visceral design Underworld cover by Tomato Many youngsters today would only associate the word 'grunge' with music or fashion. But the late 1990s saw its influence on the worlds of graphic design and illustration. "As a design student at the turn of the century, I came up in a hugely exciting visual era that was, for me at least, dominated by the likes of Tomato, Vaughan Oliver, David Carson and Stefan Sagmeister," recalls Craig Ward. "They all had this very visceral, almost abusive relationship with typography and technology." At the heart of it all, he notes, was the marriage of design and music. "Vaughan's aesthetic in particular was a perfect outfit for the grunge soundtrack of my teenage years while, in the decade of Trainspotting, Tomato's covers for Underworld married the incoherent, mumbled poetry of their music with a push-it-until-it-breaks approach to design and communication. I'd never seen anything like it." Ward's cover for Computer Arts in 2009 When Computer Arts first featured Ward's work on the cover, almost a decade later in June 2009, he was just hitting his stride in terms of his experimental work. "What I was doing was an extension of that 90s approach and, on occasion, pushing legibility and communication until it broke," he recalls. "So that whole period of late 90s design was hugely important for me." 08. Video conferencing Skype's original logo from 2003 When you think of the tech that's influenced design, you naturally think of design tools. But other developments have been just as crucial. Lindon Leader, the graphic designer best known for his iconic FedEx logo, offers an example. "The number one thing that's influenced my practice over the past 25 years has been the advent of superior video teleconferencing technology," he says. "Video conferencing in the late 80s was archaic by comparison, what with chronic resolution, poor colour performance and syncing issues, and it was very expensive," he recalls. But since the launch of Skype in 2003, all that has changed. "Today, economical and sophisticated online services – even FaceTime on my phone – keeps me close to the client." And that's important for environmental reasons, too, Leader stresses. "Today, I'll fly only when absolutely necessary," he explains. "That amounts to a good dozen or so four- to five-hour flights that don't get taken; by my office, at least. And clients today are cool with online presentations, especially as it saves them considerable money." 09. Tate Modern The Tate Modern has put to rest the idea that no one enjoys modern art It's weird to think that before May 2000, there was no Tate Modern. Launched in an era when the Young British Artists (YBAs) such as Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin were breathing new life into contemporary art, the London gallery has been a huge hit. Last year, for example, it pulled in almost six million visitors, giving the lie to the idea that "nobody likes modern art". "Tate Modern has become for me a much-loved and frequently visited fount of creative stimulation," says John Lloyd. "I've always sought, and encouraged my colleagues to seek creative inspiration away from the computer and the studio. If you're experiencing a creative block, I'd always recommend you pick up a brush or a pencil, go for a walk, look around, visit a gallery." The building itself – a conversion from an old power station – is a stunning inspiration in itself. And that's typical of the past quarter- century, which has brought us countless architectural feats of wonder across the world, from New York's High Line project to Berlin's reconstructed Neues Museum. Michael Wolff, co-founder of Wolff Olins, picks as his personal favourite: "The Biomuseo, Frank Gehry's astonishing natural history museum in Panama City, which opened in 2014. It highlights Panama's natural and cultural history, emphasising the role of humans in the 21st century." 10. Speak Up While books and magazines delve into topics in depth, sometimes you just need a quick burst of more casual inspiration. Hence the rise of the design blog, which has become an integral part of the creative landscape over the past quarter-century. The blog that broke the mould was Speak Up. "Launched by Armin Vit in 2002, within a year it was one of the most read sites on the internet," recalls Debbie Millman, artist, designer, educator and host of the podcast Design Matters. "I was written about in May 2003 and my career was excoriated. I ended up participating, and the path I took after that experience ultimately put me on the path to do everything I'm still doing today. This was a big influence on my career." 11. YouTube YouTube tutorials changed the way designers learn Another technology that isn't a design tool, but has definitely impacted the profession, is YouTube, which was launched in 2005. "I've lost count of how many YouTube tutorials I've watched that have taught me things, from how to construct enclosures in Fusion 360, to learning advanced techniques in Houdini, or simply how to nicely tie a parcel with string," says Dawes. "It's an amazing resource – alongside the web itself – like a modern library of Alexandra. It makes me wonder how many designer careers have been started by having the ability to learn through YouTube." 12. Designer as author Since 1995, Computer Arts has served as a 'journal of record', pulling together the latest design work, trends and technologies into one digestible, monthly volume. But when it comes to deeper study of more complex design theories, you still need a good book. The past 25 years hasn't only brought us a lot of great design books; it's also heralded a new approach to design publishing itself. We can pursue subjects, research them, get them produced and published Stefan Sagmeister "The most influential development of the past 25 years is the new possibilities that the idea of the 'designer as author' has brought to the profession," says graphic designer, educator and studio head Stefan Sagmeister. "The fact that we don't have to wait for clients to commission work, but that we can pursue subjects, research them, get them produced and published. "For us, this was true for the series that made up the book and exhibit Things I've Learned in my Life so Far, The Happy Film and the current exhibition on Beauty." 13. The iPhone The advent of smartphones meant another way to produce content Although there's greater love among designers for the iMac, the iPhone, launched in 2007, has probably changed the industry – along with the world in general – even more. With his device that 'just works', Steve Jobs launched a revolution that means today more people access the web via phones than desktops, and consequently the design of everything from logos to illustrations needs to work perfectly on small screens. Of course, the iPhone, much like the Android imitators that have flocked in its wake, isn't just about consumption, but a means of creative production, too. "I've always wanted to dabble with video, photography, animation and so on, but never really had the headspace to get into the tech to explore those things properly," says Burgerman. "With the advent of smartphones, I suddenly could play with all those things at any time; especially in the lulls during the day, when commuting, idling or just loitering. Making access to those tools so easy, intuitive and casual has really suited me, leading to broaden my practice far beyond just creating 2D images for print." 14. Mad Men Not everyone loved Mad Men While Milton Glaser may decry the influence on commercial mores on design, for many who were born into it, this now-symbiotic relationship seems natural and normal. So it's not surprising that many creatives loved Mad Men, a blockbuster show celebrating the supposed golden age of advertising in the 1950s and 1960s that premiered in 2007. Not everyone was a fan, though. Editorial designer George Lois, who's best known for the Esquire covers he crafted between 1962 and 1972, describes the launch of the show as "a key personal moment in my life as an art director and designer"... but not in a good way. "To this day, I resent being called the 'Original Mad Man'," he complains. "The 1960s was a heroic age in the art of communication, but the show was nothing but a soap, where stylish fools humped their appreciative secretaries, sucked up Martinis, and smoked themselves to death as they produced dumb, lifeless advertising. "The more I think about Mad Men, the more I take the show as a personal insult," he continues. "So, fuck you Mad Men, you phony, 'Gray Flannel Suit,' male-chauvinist, no-talent, WASP, white-shirted, racist, anti- semitic,RepublicanSOBs!" Next page: Graphic design history landmark events 15-25 15. The Obama Hope poster Janoff was a huge Obama fan, and this poster sealed the deal Rob Janoff is best known as the designer of the original Apple logo (one of our best logos of all time). So it's fitting that the biggest influence over his work in the past 25 years is another iconic piece of design: the 'Hope' poster for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. "I was a huge Obama fan from the beginning," says Janoff. "I campaigned for him in several states in the Midwest where I live. And that iconic graphic poster by Shepard Fairey perfectly represented my hometown Chicago hero's message of hope. The strong Obama logo was the thing that sealed the deal for me. He was an icon representing himself with an icon. He was speaking my language." 16. Occupy The worldwide 'Occupy' protests against capitalism in 2011 were a dramatic sign that old political models were breaking down. And they influenced many walks of life, including art and design. "Seeing people in the Occupy movement – not all of them necessarily designers – respond to a moment visually and creatively was incredibly inspiring," recalls designer and creative director Craig Oldham. And the design world has since repaid the favour, becoming increasingly political itself. The role of politics has changed in design, and is so much part of it now Jonathan Barnbrook "The role of politics has changed in design, and is so much part of it now," says graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook, who's best known for his font designs and David Bowie album covers. "When I became interested in 'activist work' it was seen as something quite separate; it's now part of the mainstream. There's a bigger understanding that those seductive tools – which are used to sell us stuff we don't need – could also be used against the same pointless grind to endlessly consume." 17. Marketing takes over Glaser was awarded the National Medal of the Arts award The man who's been called the godfather of graphic design, Milton Glaser is known for everything from the I 'Heart' NY poster to the DC Comics logo, and was awarded the National Medal of the Arts award in 2009 by President Barack Obama. Now 90, he tells us, however, that his career has not been all sweetness and light. "The key elements in my professional life that have had the most influence have been the alarming degree of control over all graphic projects by marketing and advertising companies," Milton complains. "Every idea is dominated by previous historical success, which tends always to protect profitability by creating things that are already familiar. "This is not a great environment for the imagination, in search for meaning," he argues. "People in the graphic arts are thought as technicians to help achieve the already- established goals." 18. Genre blurring Another trend has been a breaking down of boundaries between job titles. This means, happily, that creatives no longer need to be pigeonholed in one specific role, but can cross disciplines and follow their dreams at will. "The blurring of lines between creative genres has been very freeing, creatively," says artist and designer Jeremyville. "Clients and galleries have been much more open to viewing all aspects of the artist's career as a part of the whole, with no one discipline being more important that the other. And that's made it easier for me to pursue a huge variety of approaches, whether that's illustration, painting, publishing, product design, toy design, installations, large-scale sculptures, animations, brand collaborations, or street and community initiatives." 19. Web typography Web typography became a plausible venture In the late 2000s, web typography rose to the fore. "Developments between 2008 and 2011 finally made web typography a plausible venture, both for type users and type makers," recalls type designer Tobias Frere-Jones. "It had been possible for several years before, but that period saw browsers adopting wider font format support, the WOFF spec and the launch of Typekit. Sophisticated web typography quickly went from an exception to an expectation." 20. Creative Bloq In the late 2000s and early 2010s, many publications launched websites, but most simply replicated their print content online. In 2012, however, Computer Arts took a different tack. It teamed up with two sister titles: net magazine, which focused on web development, and 3D World, which covered VFX and animation, to launch a new kind of website called Creative Bloq. The idea was that, with more and more creatives working across different disciplines, one site covering all areas would prove more than the sum of its parts. Later, ImagineFX came on board, and articles about traditional and digital art were added to the mix. Since then, Creative Bloq has become the world's biggest online art and design magazine globally, bar none. 21. Digital drawing "The most memorable tech for me of the past 25 years was getting my first digital pen," says graphic designer, illustrator and artist Noma Bar. "Moving to Wacom from a mouse and the different gripping and hand movement involved wasn't easy. But after a while, it became an extension of the arm, liberating my lines and making everything faster." The iPad had become a tool of creation, rather than just consumption Daniel Stolle Wacom's success spurred other manufacturers to enter the market, and today Lisa Maltby is a big fan of Apple's own drawing tech. "The invention of the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil has changed how I create illustrations," she says. "There are so many options of digital brushes, textures and colour that would otherwise be hard to replicate traditionally. Exploring new technology forces you to try out different things, and rethink how you draw or design. While wary of assigning too much importance to tech, illustrator Daniel Stolle says digital tools have been a big influence on his career, too. "For me, the combined introduction of Procreate, the Apple Pencil and the iPad Pro was a critical moment," he says. "It meant the iPad had become a tool of creation, rather than just consumption." Feeling inspired? Check out our pick of the best drawing tablets on the market right now. 22. 2012 Olympics' logo Wolff Olins' Olympics logo was controversial Wolff Olins' logo for the London Olympics was something you either loved or hated, but everyone certainly had an opinion on it. First launched in 2007, tabloid newspapers campaigned to have it changed and at Adobe Live in London in 2007, Neville Brody argued it resembled Bart Simpson receiving fellatio from Lisa. But the design also drew fans and admirers. Computer Arts gave airtime to both sides of the debate, and incredibly, it's one that reverberates to this day. Radim Malinic, creative director at Brand Nu, selects this logo and identity, perhaps provocatively, as his stand-alone design moment of the past 25 years. "I think Wolff Olins has proven, despite the great controversy, that it's possible to deliver timeless ideas against the magnitude of the event," he says. "It reminds me that going against the grain pays off." 23. Computer Arts redesigns The Computer Arts redesign launch cover By 2013, Computer Arts had reached a watershed. Its original selling point had been its tutorials, which had appealed to amateurs and pros alike. But tutorials in general were now widely available online for free. In response, the magazine slowly transformed itself into an authorative industry title, pitched squarely at professional designers and agencies. This new content wasn't gelling right with the ageing look and structure of the magazine, though, and so a major redesign was in order. And it had to be done right, with no half-measures. It was a radical change for a new era, and somewhat of a gamble. "We knew there'd be some backlash from more entry-level readers who enjoyed the step-by-step tutorials and cover-mounted disc. But we knew this move was necessary to open up exciting new possibilities for the brand," says then-editor Nick Carson. And the gamble paid off. "The corresponding positive feedback at the other end of the readership – particularly agencies – was overwhelmingly positive, heralding Computer Arts as a much-needed champion for design, and applauding its real-world approach to practical content. And the following year, the successful launch of the Brand Impact Awards and the UK Studio Rankings proved that the brand could engage the industry at the very highest level." 24. Design moves outside of major cities In the mid-nineties, British magazines were often accused of being London-centric. But in all honesty, if a UK design agency didn't have a London base back then, it probably wasn't going to be taken all that seriously. Over the years, though, greater connectivity has meant that where you're based matters less. And nowadays some of the biggest British firms are now based outside the capital; in 2019, two even entered the top 10 of the UK Studio Rankings: Universal Everything (Sheffield) and Taxi Studio (Bristol). Freelancers, too, have been moving out of London, New York and other big cities, and that's created a virtuous circle. "A defining moment for me was when I was still a student and discovered the wonderful typographic work of Steven Bonner," recalls graphic designer and typographer Craig Black. "I couldn't believe he was based in Scotland, yet working as an independent designer with some of the world's most exciting brands. Before then, I never knew that was possible. This was the point when I realised what I wanted for my own career, and it provided me with the focus to make that dream become a reality." If you want to check out job opportunities across the UK, head over to our newly-refreshed design jobs board. 25. Design becomes a global language Zac Liberman's code experiments buck the trend towards homogenisation So what's the biggest thing to happen to design over the past 25 years? Perhaps it's less a specific technology or piece of work than a fundamental reimagining of what a designer is. Jessica Helfand, designer, educator and founding editor of Design Observer observes the changes. "Design has become a global language, and here's why that matters. To the degree that technology and automation both amplify and threaten so much of what we do, see and make, our human skills – seeing, observing, listening as the ambassadors of communication we've all been groomed to become – will become even more critical over the next 25 years." While there's a clear trend towards homogenisation, artist and designer Kelli Anderson feels that isn't the whole story. "Right now, it feels like there's new room in design culture for weird, niche, experimental projects," she says. "For instance, as an independent designer, I can now design on my computer, prototype using a Graphtec desktop cutter, and coordinate a print/ production run of thousands of books from my home studio. Perhaps because of this increased access, we're seeing more perspectives, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. "Playful, experimental, weird design work is championed on social media," she continues, "ranging from Zach Lieberman's code experiments to Sight Unseen's championing of new forms of furniture, and in real-life spaces, from the wide variety of experimental books and zines at the NY Art Book Fair to the design objects for sale at SSHH!. It's a very exciting time." This article originally appeared in the 300th celebratory issue of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 300, or subscribe to CA here. Read more: The best computer for graphic design right now 16 essential tools for graphic designers A complete guide to font licensing for designers View the full article

Spring email newsletters should be a breath of fresh air. They are invigorating, energizing, and inspiring. It is here where you can finally spread your wings after a long cold winter. Subscribers are longing for warm and sunny designs that …View the full article

As part of its International Women's Day celebrations this weekend, Apple has changed its homepage into an interactive, scrollable catalogue of images and biographies celebrating "the women who are changing everything". These include campaigner Malala Yousafzai, Little Women director Greta Gerwig and 12-year-old Ghanaian musician DJ Switch. At the centre of the new website layout is a link to Apple's latest Behind the Mac ad. The video features a montage of the same images of the female creators (and, of course, their Macs), soundtracked by Beyoncé's Flawless – which samples a TED talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie called We should all be feminists. Previous Behind the Mac ads have featured similarly candid, black and white photos of musicians from Paul McCartney to FKA Twigs using Macs as part of their creative process. The homepage also links to Apple's She Creates series. For the entire month of March, the brand's in-store Today at Apple sessions will be led by inspiring female creators, helping customers make creative use of various Apple products. With its simple photography and monochrome palette, the classy new homepage carries an inspiring message and looks good doing it. We like it, and we hope it inspires other women in creative careers – whether they're an art director or just starting out. Apple has form when it comes to tweaking its homepage. We were big fans of last month's playful Apple Arcade takeover, which saw animated video game characters turn its products into a virtual assault course. Check out the Apple homepage here. Join us this April at GenerateJS Join us at GenerateJS this April to learn all you need to know about JavaScript. Book your tickets now. Related articles: MacBook Pro 2020: Latest rumour roundup Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch review Design's gender problem, and what you can do about it View the full article

Are you at a turning point in your career? Do you want to learn new skills that bring in income? This course may be for you. Learn the fundamentals of project management with Lean Six Sigma and begin your new profession by mastering skills that will help you launch an in-demand path for only $70. GoLeanSixSigma, a web-based company that made the Inc. 5000's list for 2019, brings you a four-course bundle that is jam-packed with over 60 hours of training in the project management realm. Starting a new role? You'll want some new business cards. Here are our pick of the best business card templates around. Get valuable hands-on experience You'll start by getting a comprehensive look into Lean Six Sigma (with courses in roles, wastes, and DMAIC) and then move on to more advanced Sigma terminology such as establishing the current state of a business, developing its future state, and building a Lean culture. Lessons in Six Sigma White and Yellow Belts, how to get your Lean certification, and how to use 20+ Lean tools will all be conquered at the end of the courses. With access to the lessons on web and mobile, you'll be able to learn Lean Six Sigma at home or on the go. Perfect for any level of expertise, these easy to follow tutorials guide you through each step of the project managing ladder and allow for valuable hands-on experience in building high-performance teams, minimising costs, and maximising profits. Perhaps most importantly, you can learn at your own pace and will receive a certificate upon completion, a great skill set booster for your current or next position. The Ultimate Lean Certification Prep Bundle is usually priced at almost $2,000, but, for a limited time, you can kick off a money-making career like a pro for only $70 (that's 95% off). Transform your working life and begin a new job that will help you learn new vital skills, not to mention bring in a prosperous income. Read more: UK design jobs: Find your dream role with Creative Bloq and Design Jobs Board How to get a job as a video games artist How to be a better speaker: presenting and pitching tips View the full article

HDMI vs DVI probably isn't a question that keeps you up at night, but it is important to know the difference. A creative’s workstation is never run of the mill, with drawing tablets, graphic design laptops and multiple monitors all piling up around us as we try to get our work done. All those peripherals littering our desks need to be hooked up somehow – but how exactly should it be done? Not infrequently, that comes down to a simple question: do you need an HDMI or DVI cable? Each looks different, works differently, and supports different outputs. To the untrained eye, it can be a minefield of resolutions, data rates and supported features. So, which should you get? The answer depends on more than just the ports on your best laptop for graphic design or one of the best monitors. But fear not, our no-nonsense guide lays out exactly why you might need each cable, and which is the best option for creatives right now. HDMI vs DVI: Footprint Comparing HDMI and DVI plugs shows the large difference in size between them HDMI and DVI are simple to tell apart thanks to their contrasting footprints. Unlike the myriad forms of USB cables, which often look deceptively similar, HDMI and DVI ports look strikingly different. Being the older standard, it’s perhaps unsurprising that DVI is the larger of the two. Viewed front on, a typical DVI plug is rectangular in shape, with a matrix of (usually) 24 pins three rows deep making up the bulk of its front side. To the right of this matrix is a square consisting of four more pins. The whole arrangement is flanked on either side by screws that fix it in place. The number of pins, combined with the screws, make DVI a relatively large plug. HDMI, in contrast, is much smaller. Its plug consists of a slim rectangle with a sloped lip below it. In the middle is a thin gap surrounded by 19 pins. Despite having close to the same number of pins as DVI, HDMI plugs are much more compact, in part due to their lack of securing screws. Note that it is possible to get Mini and Micro versions of both DVI and HDMI plugs. Mini-DVI and Micro-DVI are only found on older Apple computers such as the original MacBook Air and 2009 Mac mini. Mini-HDMI and Micro-HDMI can be found on a wider variety of devices, including some tablets and phones, but are still uncommon compared to standard HDMI plugs. HDMI vs DVI: Compatibility Need to connect HDMI and DVI devices together? Adapters are simple and won’t break the bank One of the most important questions when it comes to deciding between HDMI and DVI is what each standard works with and whether it’ll work with your devices. The first thing you can do towards answering this is check the ports on your hardware. Some computer motherboards will have ports for both, for example, while your TV or monitor may only support one or the other. These days, HDMI is much more common than DVI. That’s especially true on laptops, where HDMI’s smaller connector is much more likely to make an appearance due to its space-saving design. You’re likely to find it on computers, TVs, monitors, games consoles and a variety of other hardware types. However, even HDMI is not as common as it once was, as both DisplayPort and USB-C have eaten into its market share. As we mentioned earlier, the best thing to do is check your hardware to see what exactly you’ll need. Don’t forget that you can always get an adaptor if you need to connect two mismatched devices. HDMI vs DVI: Quality HDMI plugs are far more compact than their DVI equivalents, allowing them to be used in smaller devices Both DVI and HDMI have certain limitations on what they can display, both in terms of an output device’s resolution and its refresh rate. Given that HDMI is newer than DVI, it’s unsurprising that it works with better specifications in both cases. The latest version of HDMI (2.1) can support a maximum data rate of 42.6 Gbit/sec. That means it can support some truly impressive resolution and refresh rate combinations: up to 4K at 144 Hz natively, or a mind-boggling 8K at 120 Hz using Display Stream Compression. It also works with HDR video output (although its maximum resolutions and refresh rates take a slight hit given the increased bandwidth used by HDR video). DVI, meanwhile, only has a maximum data rate of 9.9 Gbit/sec. Taking that into account, the maximum resolution and refresh rate it can support is 3840x2400 at 30 Hz, or 2560x1600 at 60 Hz. As well as its notable visual advantages, HDMI can transfer audio signals, something DVI is unable to do. That means streaming a video from one device to another only requires one cable with HDMI; with DVI, you also need to account for audio cables. HDMI vs DVI: Price Regardless of whether you need an HDMI or DVI cable, neither is likely to set you back very much. For example, you can pick up an HDMI cable on Amazon for or a DVI cable for around $5/£5. Both standards’ popularity means neither will cost you much. You may sometimes see expensive versions of each cable doing the rounds, with fancy-sounding features and eye-watering price tags. Don’t be fooled. Even the cheapest HDMI or DVI cable will get your signal to its destination just as fast as the most expensive one, without leaving a galling dent in your finances. HDMI vs DVI: Which should you buy? If you’re looking at computer components such as motherboards and must choose between one that supports HDMI and one that supports DVI, we’d advise the former every time. HDMI is a more modern standard and supports much higher resolutions and refresh rates, and will also work with a wider variety of peripheral devices. If you have a DVI device that you need to hook up to another device, you can always use an HDMI to DVI cable or an adapter; neither is likely to cost you much more than a fiver. Given that HDMI cables are more modern, more common and often cheaper than their DVI equivalents, there’s no real reason to stick to DVI unless you really have to. Read more: The best L-shaped computer desks The best mouse right now The best computers for graphic design View the full article