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A design brief is a document that helps a designer and client align on project expectations; this makes the project much easier to manage as it’s being worked on. The brief identifies critical pieces of information, such as scope, that …View the full article

Yesterday saw James Bond arrive on the big screen at Super Bowl LIV, in a debut trailer for the 25th Bond movie No Time to Die. The action-packed preview told audiences the film 'will change everything'. However the new Bond teaser offered little in the way of evidence to support such a claim, which left us feeling a little confused. The video clip stayed true to the usual Bond style, opening with Daniel Craig strapped into a small aeroplane, which subsequently falls out the back of a much larger jet aircraft, naturally. Nothing new so far. And the following 25 seconds very much follows suit, complete with everything you'd expect to see in a Bond trailer – a suspense-filled bridge leap, dramatic close ups and lots and lots of gunfire. Now, while we are far from experts in design for film, and have no idea of the overall plot of No Time to Die is, we do know it marks Daniel Craig's final outing as Bond (yes, for real this time, apparently). And we have no doubt he'll go out with a (probably very literal) bang. But we can't help but wonder why if this movie really does mark a change for the famous British spy, why the production company didn't use it as an opportunity be a bit more creative with it's marketing strategy? Our take from this death-defying, stunt-filled spot is that the 25th Bond film will be more of the same Bond we all know and love. And while that's enough to make anyone, even us, go and see it on the big screen, there's an argument that the Bond brand is strong enough to break from the norm on occasion, albeit temporarily. Read more: Apple Arcade takeover is the best thing you’ll see all day Is Baby Nut one Baby character too far? New TripAdvisor logo perks up its spaced-out owl View the full article

Pay a visit to the Apple homepage today and, at first, you'll be fooled into thinking that service is running as normal. But give it a moment and you'll see that the page has been invaded by some of your favourite faces. Designed to promote Apple's Arcade service, the Apple page has been subject to an Arcade animated takeover. This glorious piece of web design is a celebration of some of the best retro gaming character design – and features characters from Apple Arcade games. Click the image to book your Generate 2020 tickets Hazard from Hot Lava leaves a trail of lava in his wake First, Hazard from Hot Lava appears, swinging and leaping across the screen, bouncing off the fanned out iPhones, with lava bubbling up in his wake. Scroll down and say hi to Sonic the Hedgehog, who drives a racing car around and over the keyboard of a MacBook Pro (and if you want to snap one up yourself, see here for the best Apple laptop deals around right now). Sonic puts his driving skills to the test as he runs over the keyboard of the MacBook Pro Lego Minifigures also settle down to watch themselves in HD on Apple TV, and you can make your way to the bottom of the screen where you'll find Pac-Man munching on the terms and conditions. The animations build into a crescendo with the last offering, which sees the characters gather together around the word 'Arcade'. The promotion culminates with the characters gathering around the word 'Arcade' The Arcade app launched on the App Store back in September 2019, and you can now play over 100 games, both original and classic. This production is a brilliant bit of cross-promotion that has got people talking, and we also think it's brilliant inspiration for creating your own animation. It's not clear how long it'll be around for so we reckon you should head over to the site immediately to take a look. Read more: 6 huge web design trends for 2020 The best print ads ever How to take a screenshot on a Mac View the full article

Snack company Planters has been making headlines for killing off its long-time mascot, Mr Peanut, and replacing him with a new baby version. Baby Nut is the newest Baby character to go viral on the internet, and he was 'born' in an advert revealed at yesterday's Super Bowl (see below). When the Kool-Aid man sheds a tear at Mr Peanut's funeral, that tear lands on a mound of dirt that sprouts into a plant, and Baby Nut is born. There's already plenty of talk online about whether Baby Nut is cuter than Baby Yoda (he isn't), but as far the rest of the campaign goes, we've got more questions than we have answers. Seeing as we've already had Baby Yoda, Baby Thanos and Baby Sonic, will consumers become wise to this Baby craze? Or is an association between cuteness and a brand a clever marketing move that will keep paying off? Should we be adding a section on Baby characters to our character design tips piece? And will there ever be a female Baby character, or is this trope reserved for male characters only? So far, it's been a mixed bag of reactions online. There have been plenty of nut jokes, naturally, with people not surprisingly talking about nut allergies. There's already a Baby Nut live stream, should you find yourself with some time on your hands. Some people are absolutely not having the Baby Yoda vs Baby Nut comparisons. And there's already Baby Nut merchandise available to buy. This whole campaign seems like it was well planned by Planters. Perhaps our favourite reaction is a request for Baby Jabba, who's been having his own viral moment of late, after the render below was created by 3D artist Leonardo Viti. It seems that for now at least, the Baby trend is here to stay. Who will be the next brand to jump on the Baby bandwagon? We're half expecting to see Baby Joker popping up soon. Now that's a slightly terrifying thought. Read more: Disney characters' homes as Tiny Houses will leave you wanting more McDonald's ditches its brand in new type-only ads Leaked Dune logo causes major drama View the full article

If your goal is to become a full stack web developer this year, you've come to the right place. Learning how to code may not be as daunting or far fetched as you might think. Start on your path to mastering JavaScript programming languages today with The Complete Full Stack JavaScript Course, now only $13. And if you're looking for some useful web design tools, see our post that rounds up the best ones out there. All developers must start with the essential building blocks of programming. With over 20 hours of content, this complete crash course covers the fundamentals needed to start up a new career in full stack web development. You'll learn JS development and work your way to taking on projects using ReactJS, NodeJS, LoopbackJS, Redux, Material-UI, and socket programming. Concepts in calculator application, weblog, and chat application will be thoroughly covered, allowing you to fully absorb each idea. You'll soon be able to explore the full stack elements of JavaScript by taking on what you learn and coding your own REST API. The hands-on projects give you step-by-step instructions to help put what you learn to the test and apply the techniques to real-world projects. With over 85 lessons, you'll have plenty of content to comb through to launch your career. Lifetime access to the material allows you to come back to revisit the fundamentals, and updates in the course are included, automatically providing you with the latest content available. This crash course also comes complete with a certification of completion, allowing for a great résumé booster for your next endeavour. While access to this crash course typically sells for $200, The Complete Full Stack JavaScript Course is currently reduced to only $13 – that's 93 per cent off! Kick-off your schooling in full stack web development and start building an invaluable skillset for future jobs to come. Read more: The best laptops for programming in 2020 6 huge web design trends for 2020 The best free fonts for designers View the full article

Sometimes it seems as if there must be nothing left to say about Disney characters. The internet is awash with Disney quizzes and memes, (we're looking at you, BuzzFeed) and it feels like every aspect of the characters have been analysed from all angles. But just when you think you've seen it all, the concept of Tiny Houses comes up. What would Disney characters' homes look like if they were part of the Tiny House movement? We'll admit, it's not a question that's been keeping us up at night. As you probably know, Tiny Houses are all about saving space and reducing waste, which isn't really something we'd associate with Disney characters – a lot of them live in castles. And fictional castles at that. But ignoring that, imagining that characters such as Elsa from Frozen, Toy Story's Woody and Belle from Beauty and the Beast have jacked it all in to settle for a small home in the woods is sort of comforting. Who are we to assume that Disney characters aren't worried about global warming? And any disconnect you feel when looking at these renders just goes to show how successful the original films' character design is (check out Disney's 12 principles of animation to find out more about how the studio does it). For us, transporting these worlds into real life instantly makes them lose their sense of – yes, we're going to say it – magic. That said, we wouldn't mind a weekend away (especially at Woody's place) if these dream designs did really did come true. Disney Plus: All you need to know 01. Elsa from Frozen We like the frosted-looking glass In Frozen, Elsa leaves her family home of Arendelle Castle to go and live in a new ice palace of her own creation. This ice palace has features such as an ice staircase (sounds slippy) and a chandelier in the shape of a snowflake. In this Tiny House dreamland, Elsa has a gingerbread-like home in a snowy setting. Inside, it doesn't look like anything is made of ice, but there is a blue kitchen and a light fitting that looks like it could be based on a snowflake. Overall, it's really rather nice, and we certainly wouldn't mind spending a weekend there. But a few more royal touches wouldn't have gone a miss. Maybe a chandelier or two, or a crystal Olaf ornament perhaps? Hot chocolate, anyone? 02. Woody from Toy Story Howdy Woody from Toy Story doesn't have a home to call his own, exactly. He starts off living very happily at Andy's house, before going on several adventures. But this imagining of his Tiny House reminds us that Woody is above all, a cowboy. He probably would have a wood burning stove and a leather chair. And a hat stand, of course. While we love the Wild West chic of this home, it's not something we would have immediately associated with the character before now. We were expecting to see a classic saloon-style sheriff's station with a chair outside and water trough for Bullseye. But who's to say Woody and his trusty stead wouldn't prefer this more sophisticated lifestyle. There may well be snakes lurking in this grass 03. Belle from Beauty and the Beast We wouldn't mind being a guest here Belle from Beauty and the Beast's Tiny House has a French cottage feel, and is also beautifully light and airy. There are a lot of books dotted around, naturally. Although it does look like Belle could do with some improved storage solutions as several of them are just piled on the floor. The outside of her home (which is no way corresponds to the inside, where are those big windows?) is also in a fairytale style. It looks like a little turret of a castle. Or else a place where Rapunzel might also be lurking. Ooh la la 04. Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas Here's one tiny home we'll be avoiding Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas lives in a spindly looking house with an eyeball door knob. His tiny house would be the same, just smaller. But here, we can see a glimpse of the inside. It's pretty dingy in there, and it's a Christmas/Halloween mish-mash in terms of decoration, which would no doubt have been right up the Pumpkin King's street. A little bed for his loyal ghost dog would have been a nice touch, as would a framed picture of the film's iconic moon poster on the wall. As much as we love Jack, his tiny house isn't one we'd want to visit any time soon. To see more tiny houses belonging to Disney characters, visit Angie's List. You might also enjoy these real-life renders of what animated characters' bedrooms would look like. Read more: Disney redesigns 20th Century Fox, without the Fox Disney Plus UK is launching sooner than we thought Super Bowl teams have super-similar Pantones View the full article

The time for Super Bowl 2020 has arrived, and if you're looking for a way to live stream Super Bowl LIV for free, you've come to the right place. If you're a fan of American football but don't live in the US, then there's no need for you to miss out. Here we run down how to live steam the Super Bowl 2020 from wherever you are in the world. The 54th Super Bowl is due to kick off today at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium, with the players of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers vying to take home the championship rings. Even if you're not down with American football, from a creative perspective Super Bowl LIV is still an occasion of great interest. As one of the planet's biggest sporting events it's the perfect opportunity for top brands to roll out their most impressive adverts; every single ad slot was booked out back in November, with 30 seconds of ad airtime costing companies upwards of $5 million. And beyond the ads, the Super Bowl halftime show is likely to be an impressive display of costume and set design. There are certainly creative lessons to be learned on the night, outside the sporting action. So how do you get to watch Super Bowl LIV, especially if you don't live in the US and can't simply tune in? Read on for our tips on how to live stream the 2020 Super Bowl for free, wherever you are in the world. How to watch Super Bowl 2020 online Both teams have a strong monogram logo game going on There's an easy way to watch the Super Bowl online from absolutely anywhere in the world; just follow these steps: 01. Download and install a VPN If you can't easily watch the Super Bowl online in your country or if you like the idea of watching your home coverage, then the best way to see it for free is with a VPN service. Our favourite VPN right now is ExpressVPN – it's compatible with practically every device you can think of, supports most streaming services and it's one of the fastest VPN services around. 02. Select your VPN location Once you've set up your VPN, you'll need to connect to a server location. The UK is the best place to find Super Bowl LIII being streamed for free; whereas the US is the best place to catch the commercials. It doesn't matter which area in the country you choose. 03. Choose a stream For no ads: Set your VPN to UK, and go to TVPlayer.com, an online streaming service with hundreds of channels on offer for free. Select BBC One if you're not bothered about seeing the sporting event's unofficial competition – the commercials – play out. The channel will be showing the entire Super Bowl live and uninterrupted by ad breaks. Alternatively, if you want to record the Super Bowl to watch later, you can do that too. You'll need to sign up for a paid TVPlayer Premium account, but the site offers a free 14-day trial. For ads: Set your VPN to the US and choose a US stream. US: How to watch Super Bowl 2020 online for free For US viewers with internet access, watching Super Bowl LIV couldn't be simpler. As well as broadcasting the big game on cable, Fox will be streaming it live through its Sports website. If you'd rather watch on your TV rather than your computer or phone, CBS has you covered as well. It'll be streaming Super Bowl 2020 on top platforms including Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, Apple TV and Android TV. Verizon subscribers will also be able to stream the game on their mobile devices through carrier-independent sites such as AOI, Complex and Yahoo. Remember: if you want to watch the Super Bowl in the US without commercials, you'll need to follow the steps above. Besides CBS, there are other streaming options available in the US, such as Hulu with Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV Now and FuboTV. You can easily pick up a free trial from any of them, and as well as the Super Bowl you'll find that they all have plenty of channels and content to enjoy as a subscriber. Remember, you'll need to be in the US with an American IP address to use these services. If you're not, follow our VPN steps above, log in with a VPN and choose a US server location. UK: How to watch Super Bowl 2020 online for free In the UK, watching the 2020 Super Bowl should be a piece of cake. Providing you have a TV licence, you'll be able to see it on BBC One for free. It'll be showing from 11.25PM GMT – and if you'd prefer not stay up half the night it'll be repeated the next day. If you'd rather watch the American coverage, you can watch on Sky Sports, although you'll need a subscription for that. If you want to stream Super Bowl LIV for free instead, that's almost as easy. All you need is BBC iPlayer either on desktop or mobile; you'll probably have to register for free to use it, but it's a pretty painless process, and you'll be able to watch anywhere on practically every platform you can think of. Super Bowl 2020: global coverage This year's Super Bowl is available live in seven languages, and 170 countries and territories. Here are the territories and Super Bowl broadcasters you need to know: Canada (Dazn, CTV 2, TSN 1, RDS), Africa (Super Sports, Zuku), Australia (ESPN, 7 Network), France (W9, BeIN Sport), India (Sony Ten, Sony Six), China ( Fox Sports, BesTV ). You'll find a handy guide to the main broadcasters on NFL's website. Super Bowl LIV: essential information What's the Super Bowl 2020 start time? This year's Super Bowl will kick off at 6.30PM ET (3:30pm PT, 11:30pm GMT). What's the halftime show going to be? It's taken a while to get sorted, but the Pepsi-sponsored Super Bowl 2020 halftime show is going to feature Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. If it doesn't feature a crowd-pleasing rendition of 'Jenny from the Block' we're going to be utterly livid. Where is Super Bowl LIV taking place? The 2020 Super Bowl is kicking off at the at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Originally opened in 1987, it's gone by a number of names over the years, and in 2016 it got its current name thanks to a $250 million, 18-year naming deal with the Hard Rock Cafe chain. The Hard Rock Stadium is home to the Miami Dolphins, who last won the Super Bowl back in 1973. Read more: The best VPN service right now 7 lessons every brand can learn from the Super Bowl 9 inspiring examples of sports imagery in branding View the full article

Researchers have observed the cybercrime group back in action, now using a new tactic for distributing malware. View the full article

Microsoft OS flaws, out-of-bounds reads, ICS gear and a record number of high-severity bugs marked 2019 for the ZDI program. View the full article

Wacom has released a second-gen update of its 13-inch MobileStudio Pro, which sees the popular high-end, mobile creative pen computer getting a powerful boost under the hood. The updated version packs a new CPU (Intel Core i7-8559U) and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 graphics card, and offers Thunderbolt 3 for fast data transfer. We're also pleased to see that both RAM and SSD are now upgradeable, bringing the not-inconsiderable investment some extra longevity. Originally launched in October 2016, the 13-incher is the smaller of two Wacom MobileStudio Pro models. The MobileStudio Pro 16 got its own second-gen update in 2019, with similar upgrades to the 13. See our Wacom MobileStudio Pro review for more info, or check out our guide to the best drawing tablets to see how we rank this powerful device against competitor products. Get Adobe Creative Cloud The adjustable stand offers three working angles The MobileStudio Pro is a high-end device that doubles up as both a graphics tablet and a PC. It can run full versions of industry-standard creative software, or you can plug it into any Mac or PC to use it as a standard pen display (for this you'll need a Wacom Link, sold separately). The idea is that the MobileStudio Pro offers complete creative freedom, by providing designers all they need to do their best work wherever they are. That kind of power naturally comes with a hefty price tag. The Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 has an RRP of £3,199.99, while the 13-inch version is £2,399.99 (€2,699.90). To see how this fits into the Wacom lineup, explore our guide to the best cheap Wacom tablet deals, which covers all the different models available. Like the 16-inch version, the Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 works with the pressure-sensitive, self-charging Wacom Pro Pen 2 (which comes included), and has an anti-glare screen that's designed to offer a paper-like feel. It comes a range of built-in features specifically designed to enhance the creative workflow – namely an adjustable stand, six customisable ExpressKeys and Radial Menus. Read more: Wacom Cintiq 22 review The best tablets with a stylus for drawing and note-taking in 2020 How to live stream Super Bowl 2020 for free View the full article

Larger winnings for underground skills competitions are attracting sophisticated crime groups. View the full article

As designers, there is always the question of what prototyping tools you should use for your project. There is lots of software out there for tasks like wireframing (see our top wireframing tools), prototyping and building complex interactions; however very few tools are capable of handling all of these. Framer is one tool that has all these functions and greatly speeds up the process of creating tiny animations and interactions. The latest iteration, Framer X, now uses React and JavaScript instead of using CoffeeScript for developing micro-interactions and animation. This helps deliver faster load times and better performance. Plus, the use of React components means that users have more scope to add and extend including embedding media players, real-time data and graphs inside prototypes. Testing is a core part of the the prototype building process and while Framer X is great at creating interactive prototypes it needs help to see how good its creations are. Also check out our user testing post for some of the best tools to complement Framer and help build real-world prototypes. How to create an app with Framer X To fully appreciate the power of Framer X we’re going to create a real-life project: a simple cooking recipe application with some content and media. The first thing to build is the homepage. We shall keep things simple with the following elements: Standard search bar to find recipes Recent activity to show the latest recipes viewed Recipe cards showing things like the most popular recipes Creating a detailed view of the recipe with video and sharing options To get started you need to create a new Frame (an artboard) by clicking the + icon on the left navbar. Select any artboard style from a list of standard iPhone/Android templates on the right bar. Now you are ready to go. 01. Build a search bar Let’s begin by building the search bar. Instead of creating a rectangle and adding a search icon like we normally would, we can actually use quick reusable components in Framer X, these are called packages. There are thousands of packages that can be found in the left navigation bar under Store. Click on Store, search for Android Kit and Example Kit and then install them. These packages contain elements like cards, buttons, keyboards, sliders, inputs and navigation menu items. Once you install these packages, you can use the elements from the Components menu on the left. Find the elements you want by searching in the filter – in this case a search bar, which is found under Example Kit. Simply drag and drop it onto the frame. Now you can modify properties such as placeholder text, font size and colour using the right bar. 02. Create a content stack For this recent activity block, first add the text ‘Recent Activity’, which is pretty straightforward. Now we can use a new feature of Framer X called Stacks. This can be done by clicking on the + icon and selecting Stack S from the menu. After selecting the stack, drag and drop an area of 600 x 300 on the working frame to create a stack. This stack will be shown as blue. Now let’s go back to the Components section and under Android kit, search for the Card-5 element and drag it into the stack we just created. Duplicate these cards twice and make sure all the three cards are in the stack. As long as they are in the stack, these three cards can be easily rearranged without you having to worry about the spacing. If you want to increase the spacing between the cards, you can increase the width of the entire stack. It’s as simple as that. 
You can also personalise these cards by changing the name of the title and background according to your liking. Now that we have created a stack, let’s make it scrollable. Move it out of the frame / artboard. Click on the + icon from the left nav and click the Scroll option. Just as we created an area with the stack, create a scrollable area on the frame / artboard that’s the same size as the stack. Now change the property of the scroll in the right bar by changing the direction arrows in order to make it a horizontal scroll. After our scroll container is created we need content for it, which is served by the stack we previously created. So simply connect the scroll container to the stack using the arrow prompt on the scroll container. It works by dragging the mouse pointer to the stack. 03. Create a vertical stack Framer X lets you introduce horizontal and vertical scrollable stacks For the recipe cards, you need to follow a method similar to step 2 but instead of creating a horizontal scroll of cards, you will create a similar vertical one that is essentially a list of the most popular recipes with thumbnails. For this exercise, each card for a recipe has four elements – an image thumbnail, rating, name of the recipe and time needed to prepare it. Do not worry about the details of each card. They can be personalised based on your design taste. Follow the same method of using a card from the components, duplicating them and adding all of them to a stack with vertical scroll. 04. Create a new page Now let’s create a new page to go into the details of a particular recipe. For example, let’s take the case of the second card here: French Pasta. To create this new page, create a new frame/artboard and introduce the elements that we need for showing more details about the French Pasta recipe. This new page can be broken down into a video, a title, the rating, the time needed to make it and a few action buttons, such as save to list and share to social media. For adding video, go to the store and install the YouTube package, which enables you to effortlessly add videos to your prototype. Now go to your Components panel and drag-and-drop the YouTube element from under the YouTube component into the frame. Adjust the width of the thumbnail so that it fits the width of the frame. In the right Properties pane, you can insert the URL of the video that you want to play in the prototype. If you’d like, there is also a way to autoplay videos through the checkbox in the Properties panel. Below this video, you can add the title, rating and various icons. To add icons for our example, I made use of the component from the Icon Generator store. It’s an easy process: simply drag-and-drop the base icon onto the frame and then change the property called Icon on the right-side panel to ‘heart’ and ‘share’. This will change the base icons into the save and share icons respectively. Their colours can also be easily changed using the right panel. To make things easy for visitors, you could add a section called Ingredients, which would list all the ingredients needed for our recipe – in this case, French Pasta. 05. Introduce interactions Add interactions to buttons and elements to make them more engaging Now let’s make our design more engaging by adding interactions for a button. Ideally, when you click on the share icon, you should be prompted with a screen to share the recipe across various social media channels. Let’s build that using a new frame. Make sure that the width and height of this frame is the same width and height as the other two frames we created. The idea is for this new share screen to slide up and replace the present screen when the share icon is clicked. To help make the screen distinct, let’s add some colour to it and fill it with social media icons such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and email. This share screen should also have an X icon added to it, which when clicked would bring it back to the original state. Make sure that all the icons are arranged inside a stack. As soon as the X icon is included, the next step is to link this frame so that it pops up when you click the share icon. In order to do this, select the frame that contains the share icon. In the right-side panel, there is a property called Link. Once you click on that, the application interface will provide you with an arrow that you can drag to the new share frame we created. This will create a link in the background. Now, when you select the share icon, you will observe new properties in the right-side panel under Link, which are Target, Transition and Direction. Each of these properties enable you to change the elements, such as type of transitions and the direction in which the screen should pop up, etc. You can test if the prototype is working or not by clicking on the play icon found at the top-right corner of the interface. Similarly, you need to link the share screen to the video screen so that when the user clicks on the X icon, it returns to the previous screen. This can be achieved using a similar link property and adding the target as the video screen. If you want to have a go at adding a bit of variation, you can make the direction left instead of top and then use the play command to test if the interaction is working or not. 06. Add a save button Now let’s add an overlay interaction to the save icon. Here, our goal is that whenever a visitor clicks the heart-shaped icon, there should be a pop-up window appear that asks if you want to save the recipe to a custom made list. Let’s start by creating a new frame called saved lists. Just as you did with the previous one, make sure this frame has the same width but this time you need to reduce its height because it will appear as an overlay when clicked. For the styling of the saved lists frame, add a header, a text input to enter the name of the list and a button that’s a CTA for saving it. To link, select the heart-shaped icon on the video frame and add a link to the saved lists frame. Now, instead of the transition property being a push, make it an overlay. Adjust it to 80% and then test it using the play button. Modify until you are satisfied with the overlay. Link the X icon on the saved lists icon back to the video page. This is how to use Framer X to easily create actionable interactive prototypes. There are also advanced tools you can use, as well as adding React coding snippets to the elements of the frames. Also, the best part of Framer X is that anyone can master it by trying it out on a few prototypes. This article was originally published in issue 325 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 325 or subscribe to net. Learn how to build better JavaScript at GenerateJS Join us in April 2020 with our lineup of JavaScript superstars at GenerateJS – the conference helping you build better JavaScript. Book now at generateconf.com Read more: How to stand out and get hired as a UX designer The 20 UX tips you need to know 22 best UI design tools View the full article

Program is the latest the tech giant has launched that pay users and security researchers to find vulnerabilities in its numerous products. View the full article

Mastering creative process is one of the hardest things to do, especially as a freelancer. Juggling all the admin things you need to stay on top of, all while keeping your creativity and inspiration flowing, can quickly start to feel overwhelming. There is a plethora of literature on design processes, but it's not a one-size-fits-all situation, and it takes many designers years of trial and error to find a workflow that suits them. However, while you're finding your process, there are some handy hacks you can use to help keep things running smoothly and (hopefully) prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. Here are eight lesser-known workflow tips designed to help you stay sane as a freelance designer. While you're rethinking your workflow, you might also want to check out our pick of the best productivity tools or the books every graphic designer should read. 01. Understand you don’t always need to be productive We're starting with this one because it’s massively important – especially if you're a freelancer. Overworking yourself is a great way to stifle creativity. It’s okay to take the time you need to create great design or art, and it’s okay to not be productive all the time. Just make sure you get the work done when it counts. Try not to add too many things to your to-do lists. Instead, create smaller lists for each day, and break things down into achievable goals. This way, you can feel good about checking things off, and as much as possible, avoid having to roll over tasks to another day. 02. Recharge with meditation breaks In order to nurture your creativity you need to ensure your mind is a free space. Aim to make your head as clear as your desk is (unless your desk is a mess, in which case ignore this). Guided meditation or mindfulness apps like Headspace can be a great way to help you learn how to clear your mind. Of course, they're not an instant hit for everyone, and how helpful you'll find them depends a bit on how open you are to the concept already. A little bit of patience and perseverance can go a long way. Reducing stress and working on your general wellbeing will have hugely positive results for your creativity. 03. Let your subconscious do some legwork Starting work ahead of schedule and working iteratively allows you to use the gifts of hindsight and reflection while you still have time to make changes. Here’s an example workflow scenario: Work on your project until you get to a point in the day where you feel like you've run out of creative juice. At this point (if it's not the end of the work day), switch to admin or other, less creatively-demanding tasks. Then come back to your creative project the next day, with fresh eyes after a good sleep. You might be surprised how many creative problems look different after a break. Often, your subconscious will save the day by popping up with a solution when you least expect it (if this happens, write it down or send yourself an email with the details if you're likely to forget your bright idea). To adopt this approach, you need to build extra time into your workflow. It won't always be possible if you're working to tight deadlines. Even if you don't have time to stop completely for the day, try to make the most of these techniques by splitting your work into chunks and reflecting on progress along the way. 04. Find a mentor It’s easy to forget this one when you’re in the middle of a project or creative problem, but it’s always helpful to get feedback from your co-workers, peers, friends, family and so on (the more varied the group you can draw from the better). It can really help to seek out a mentor or mentors – these can make a big difference in your personal and professional development. This is true no matter what point you're at in your career – some of the most successful people still have industry mentors, which just goes to show how valuable this process can be. Similarly, if you find yourself mentoring someone else, you might be surprised at how much you can learn from them, in return. There are some great communities out there for designers and creatives where you can seek feedback and/or find a mentor. Facebook group such as Designer’s Guild and Designer’s Lounge bring together of designers from all walks of life, including alumni from the top universities and organisations around the world. 05. Maximise your creative intake It makes sense to say that for maximum creative output we should also maximise creative input – what we're going to call 'creative intake'. Make time for the things that make you happy. Read more. Surround yourself with positive influences. Go for walks in places you’ve never been. Listen to music*. The sum of these influences will enable you to be a prolific creative. *When listening to music whilst working go for something with a slower tempo: research has shown that listening to music below 120bpm is good for concentration, rather than distracting you from the task at hand. Try classical, lo-fi hip hop instrumentals or electronic music. (In a noisy spot? Try some noise-cancelling headphones.) 06. Get moving Exercise has many obvious and well-documented benefits for the mind and body, but it’s not always something that springs to mind when struggling with a creative problem. Exercise is a great way to clear out the cobwebs from your creative brain. If you're feeling creatively frustrated, doing something as simple as 20 star jumps or push-ups can help reset your system and get the blood pumping around your body. 07. Don’t check emails first thing There's nothing that can't wait until you’ve completed your morning routine. Disrupt your waking-up period, and you're in danger of sabotaging your entire day before it even starts (think: urgent changes to work, overdue invoices, etc). After a shower and food (at a minimum) you will be more prepared to handle any surprises, rather than get weighed down by them. Pro version: don’t look at your phone or laptop at all until you've completed your routine. Also see this infographic on the productivity mistakes you're making in the first 10 minutes of your day. 08. Declutter your workspace It’s very easy to overlook the impact your immediate surroundings can have on your mindset and creative process. Keep your desk area clean and organised (don’t be afraid to use Post-it notes and other analogue ways of scribbling down ideas if you find this help you, for example). Try to maximise natural light, get a small plant (a real one!) or decorate your space in a way that is personal to you. This extends to your digital workspace too. Try and organise your computer desktop and emails in a way that means it’s not a chore trying to work around either of these things. If you work from home, ensure as much as possible that your work space is separate from your living space, so you aren’t drawn into any distractions. It’s worth trying co-working spaces, creative studios and cafés as these help maintain the distinction between work and personal time. They're also good places to network. Read more: 19 ways to streamline your workflow Everything you need to know about going freelance 9 tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer View the full article

The Super Bowl is nearly here, and this year is extra exciting in terms of colour, because it's the first time that two primarily red teams are going head to head. And to celebrate this potentially quite confusing colour clash, colour experts Pantone are even getting involved. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are only one official Pantone hue apart, with the Kansas team represented by a slightly lighter tone – Pantone 186 C to be exact – and the San Francisco 49ers playing in Pantone 187 C. This is the first time such colour synergy has happened in Super Bowl history, and Pantone is so excited that it's decided to live tweet the game. Learn how you can live-stream the Super Bowl, wherever you are in the world, and brush up on colour theory with our dedicated post. And of course, almost identical team colours also means almost identical branding colours across the board. Check out the teams' logos below: We quite like the idea of having a Super Bowl commentary that solely consists of comments on colour (not colourful comments, you understand). It'll definitely be worth following Pantone on Twitter to see what it comes up with. What shade is the ball exactly? And will the account be analysing any bloody noses in terms of their Pantone hue? We hope not. For more colour geekery, see our posts on the colour trends to watch in 2020, and our essential guide to colour correction. And as for the Super Bowl, the phrase 'Come on you reds!' has never been more appropriate. May the best team win, or at least the best colour (we prefer the scarlet tones of 187 C, sorry Kansas City Chiefs). Read more: New Super Bowl LV logo leaked, and it's not good The best Super Bowl commercials ever, and what creatives can learn from them McDonald's ditches its brand in new type-only ads View the full article

Email marketing and e-commerce are mutually reinforcing elements. While they can exist independently, they are inseparable when it comes to online sales. They provide business owners with a powerful tool for drawing attention toward the brand, keeping audience interest alive, …View the full article

You might have thought that a brand as strong as McDonald's relies on its most famous elements – the big 'M' and bright yellow and red hues – being present, but apparently, you'd be wrong. The fast food chain's latest ads consist solely of a list of ingredients that make up its most popular offerings: "muffin, egg, sausage, cheese, muffin", for example. Or "bun, beef, gherkin, lettuce, sauce, bun, beef, cheese, lettuce, sauce, bun". The words might be in the colour of the ingredients, but there's no branding to speak of – no logo, no tagline, not even McDonald's' custom typeface. Intrigued? We thought so. It's a risky strategy, but we bet it'll pay off; McDonald's has always been good at marketing. We've included plenty of its adverts in our best billboard ads roundup, and the chain does have form when it comes to running ads that deliberately mix up or adapt its famous golden arches. Remember those blurry ads it ran last year? This time, McDonald's has taken things a step further. Agency Leo Burnett London and designer David Schwen are behind the ads, which are a play on a project named Type Sandwiches that Schwen created in the early 2010s. The project listed the ingredients of sandwiches in basically the same way as these new ads. They even both use Helvetica, instead of McDonald's custom typeface, Speedee. Was that a Big Mac you wanted? What's interesting about these ads is that they could arguably be describing just about any burger or muffin, but somehow, we know these ingredients and these ads belong to McDonald's. Or we can at least guess they're from some super-brand, and not just a small burger company that hasn't decided on its logo yet. Okay, we're hungry now While this is a bold move for McDonald's, we have to admit, its simplicity and sheer audacity kind of works. Plus, if anyone can pull off listing its ingredients on a poster without saying who they are, it's the biggest fast food chain on the planet. What more can we say? We're lovin' it. Read more: Minimalist McDonald's ads use fries to guide motorists The best print ads ever Poster designs: 46 inspirational examples View the full article

Developers behind WordPress plugin Code Snippets have issued a patch for the high-severity flaw. View the full article

TripAdvisor has revealed a new logo, which sees its well-known and (fairly) well-loved mascot Eddie getting a sensible, monochrome makeover. The new logo for the hugely popular travel review company is part of a wider rebrand, and comes courtesy of Mother London. As a reminder, here's what Eddie, and the rest of the TripAdvisor logo, used to look like. (For more branding inspiration, see our pick of the best logos of all time.) The old Eddie looked like he was on a different kind of trip It's striking and memorable, but the mix of colours within what is already quite a complex logo limits how impactful the design is in certain contexts and sizes. Not to mention those mismatched eyes giving the distinct impression that Eddie is on a different kind of trip. Below is the new TripAdvisor logo. The new logo has been simplified Mother London's new look rectifies both of these issues. The redesigned logo keeps the essence of Eddie – a smart move, given how globally recognisable he has become – but given him a minimalist makeover. The new TripAdvisor logo has a simpler, monochrome design that's much more flexible for use in different contexts (publisher DK did a similar thing with its own logo earlier in the month). "Appreciating the current love for and global recognition of the iconic logo, we retained its inherent personality but refined its geometry for better reproduction at all sizes," says Mother London. "What was an exercise both in reduction of complexity and amplification of character resulted in a much simpler owl." The spaced-out eyes may have disappeared, but there's still a strongly playful vibe to Mother's new branding scheme, as you can see if the GIF above. The rebrand incorporates a new custom typeface and colour palette The rebrand introduces a new custom typeface, Trip Sans, created by Colophon Foundry. There's also a cheerful new colour palette, built around a similar green (Trip Green) to the distinctive shade we've come to associate with TripAdvisor. The company has announced it will be rolling out the refresh in phases over the coming year, so it seems like there might be more updates still to be revealed. TripAdvisor is a travel guidance company that attracts nearly 460 million unique visitors each month. Read the Mother London case study for more. Read more: The Royal Astronomical Society gets a mesmerising new logo Leaked Dune logo causes major drama Should the NBA logo feature Kobe Bryant? View the full article

Vulnerabilities allow unauthenticated remote attackers to access sensitive device information and launch denial of service attacks. View the full article

This Krita tutorial is the first in a series of lessons that will have you using the software like a pro. Krita is an extensive free digital painting programme that can achieve professional painting and editing results. The interface is sleek and easy to use, making this platform a logical choice for users who want to jump into painting unencumbered by some of the superfluous features found in other painting programs ( it made it to our list of the best software for digital artists for a reason). This workshop will be simple for any user to follow, whether you're a beginner or expert in Krita. Using only three adjustment layers and one brush, you can achieve a professional and clean edited version of your scanned sketches and drawings. If you want to improve your drawing skills, head over to our post on how to draw – a roundup of the best drawing tutorials out there. Download Krita Begin the process by opening up a scanned image into Krita. For your scan settings, it’s important to scan at 150dpi at the very least. This is what the best monitors (okay, all monitors) use for displaying images. For print, scan at 300 or 600dpi. The former is sufficient, but I always scan at 600dpi to ensure I capture every detail, especially since my drawings are usually on the smaller side. When saving the image, JPEG files are the most convenient. Always make sure to save at the highest quality if you intend to print out or post the final image on social media. This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe to ImagineFX. Read more: The best software for digital artists Foreshortening in art: Essential advice The best stock art websites View the full article

Reportedly, the bug wasn't patched, leading to a data breach in July. View the full article

The Royal Astronomical Society is celebrating its 200th birthday this year, and is marking the occasion with a rebrand that includes a redesign of its logo – the first logo overhaul since the society was founded back in 1820. Johnson Banks is responsible for the new look, which is a huge departure from the previous incarnation and certainly brings the society hurtling into a new era. Let's take a look at the new version (check out our logo design post for all you need to know about creating new logos). Based on the RAS' motto: 'Let whatever shines be observed', Johnson Banks says that the celestial symbol can be interpreted in different ways. The repeated stepped spokes (which, when observed in the universe, are thought to be radial fingers of light) make up a rotating emblem that's reminiscent of a sun, planet or moon – reflective of RAS' focus on the universe. The small black, moving dot looks like a sun spot, or an orbiting moon. In a further astronomical touch, the symbol is tilted 23.5 degrees to mirror how the Earth is tilted from the plane of its orbit around the sun. The positioning of the typography allows the symbol to shine above it, like a celestial body above the Earth. An exploration of symbols for the RAS logo redesign Accompanying material is made up of images of the planets, sun and geological formations, and the imagery has a base colour palette of black, white and grey. The picture below also includes a nod to the logo design with the halo of light circling the head of a young person gazing at the stars. One of a series of images adorned with RAS' mission statements The new look aims to appeal to attract a younger and more diverse membership. And according to Johnson Banks, the brand-new logo and accompanying imagery better reflects the purpose of the RAS, which is to "to explore our planet and the Universe around us and to share its learning for the benefit of society". The original RAS logo (left) next to the new incarnation (right) The old logo (above) included an engraving of the telescope designed by Sir William Herschel, the society's first president. But it was cluttered, meaning it didn't reproduce well in a small size – or on a screen. The connotations of the old-style telescope also didn't convey the potential that comes with the current and future exploration of space. We think the new design is sleek, technical and future-proof while managing to retain character. While this redesign is yet another scaling back of a fussy logo – a trend that has prompted pros to ask if branding has become boring – this one manages not to feel flat or lacking in character. Read more: 5 big logo design trends for 2020 Where to find logo design inspiration 5 logo design apps for beginners View the full article

A new logo for an adaptation of Dune has been leaked, and it's causing all kinds of drama. We'll start by pointing out that it's obviously not the one above. That's a fan-made recreation in pasta, and we'll get to why that's our header image in a minute. There are a couple of variations of the actual Dune logo doing the rounds online, but the one causing the most upset is shown below. It uses four U-shapes in different orientations to spell out the title. Cleverly, this super-minimalist design can be flipped vertically and still read the same (see our logo design tips for more inspirational examples). This was widely reported to be the official design, but a lot of the shares are being removed for copyright reasons. Which suggests it's either not the official design, or it was released without permission. The problem people are having is that, while it's clever and sleek and sci-fi and all that, it's not hugely legible. Especially that 'E', which, let's face it, is actually a 'C'. A curve-ball in the story is that the leaked photos from that French conference show a slightly different version of the Dune logo, which is apparently what the actual logo will look like. This one has a lens flare (or eclipsed planet, if you prefer) to represent that problematic missing crossbar. Which logo, if either, is the right one, remains to be confirmed. There's certainly something controversial going on behind the scenes at Warner Bros. But all that hasn't stopped the wave of 'fixed' logo versions making their way on to Twitter. Here's our pick of the best, which range from snarky but hilarious to actually good. While the logo is proving contentious, fans of the Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic seem to be feeling positive about this Denis Villeneuve reboot. We'll update this article as we know more. Read more: Should the NBA logo feature Kobe Bryant? 9 of the best monogram logos ever made Space Force logo furore is a massive overreaction View the full article

Every now and again the internet serves up a controversial colour-based question that splits people firmly down the middle. Whether you thought that dress was white and gold, or blue and black, you'll be pleased to hear another corker has been found. This time it's in the high-end form of some Louis Vuitton sneakers. Click on the image to enlarge it An eagle-eyed, but quite confused, Twitter user shared the image above and asked for opinions. And people are certainly divided. (Find out more about how colours relate to each other in our colour theory post.) All we see is black. And others see only white. But not everyone is so certain. There are several theories floating around as to why this might be the case. Many commented that the shoes have been photographed in the dark with the flash on, which gives the impression of the white shoes being black. And the LV emblems may be glow-in-the-dark, apparently. One commenter suggests changing the brightness on your computer screen, which shows the sneakers as white (below). Turn the brightness up and you'll get closer to reality Gino's poll currently shows that 44.2 per cent of the Twitterverse believe the shoes to be white, and 53.4 per cent see them as black. The rest chose the 'other' option, so who knows what colour those folk are seeing. The optical illusion may not be as controversial as these moments in branding, but these conundrums are a way to wile away a few minutes pondering the reality of what lies before you. And they spark a great debate, too. What do you see? Share your thoughts on Twitter or Facebook. Read more: 7 colour trends to watch for in 2020 How to use colour to shape UX How to use photography in design View the full article