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LEGO DOTS is a new 2D tile concept from the king of tiny bricks. LEGO announced the range in style today, by opening a massive, interactive HOUSE OF DOTS in London (read on for more on that). The core DOTS range encompasses colourful 2D shapes and tiles that children can use to create their own patterns and designs, with the aim of encouraging creative self-expression. The range extends to include bracelets, picture frames, pencil holders and more, all with integrated surfaces that their owners can customise with DOTS tiles. Finally, there are over 30 'mood tiles' to jazz things up. These seem to have been inspired by emojis, and include different facial expressions, and symbols such as stars, musical notes, planets and paw prints. The range is due to launch on 1 March 2020. LEGO DOTS are aimed at children and teens – grown-ups might want to head to our guide to the best Lego sets for adults. The range includes bracelets and homeware that can be customised with DOTS tiles LEGO announced its new range in serious style, by asking artist Camille Walala to create a massive HOUSE OF DOTS in London’s Kings Cross. The free public art installation includes five rooms that have been heavily customised with a vibrant mix of LEGO DOTS and Walala’s signature patterns. The collection has launched in style with a five-room HOUSE OF DOTS Walala worked with 180 children and AFOLs (that's adult fans of LEGO, for those who don't know) to put together the huge, interactive installation. There's a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and even a DOTS DISCO room to explore, and guests can exit via – wait for it – an 8ft slide. Visitors are encouraged to get involved by creating their own DOTS patterns and bracelets, which they can take home with them. Artist Camille Walala worked on the project, which includes disco room, ball pit and 8ft slide The idea behind the DOTS range came from research that suggested children were looking for personalised forms of play that would enable them to express themselves more freely. “We’re extremely excited to introduce LEGO DOTS as a new arts and crafts building concept giving children a creative canvas for social, self-expressive play with endless, ever-changing patterns, colours and designs," says LEGO's Lena Dixen. "As someone who epitomises how confidence in your creativity can have a tremendous impact, Camille was perfect to collaborate with to announce it to the world. She has created something extraordinary and immensely fun that we can’t wait for our fans to explore and be inspired by.” HOUSE OF DOTS will be open from 28 January to 2 February (you can sign up to visit here). The DOTS range will be on sale from 1 March. Read more: Do people still dislike last year’s most hated rebrands? Lego art: 40 designs that will blow your mind Historical figures get Instagram-ready makeovers View the full article

Looking for a hot iPad deal this January? Then you won't want to miss out on these amazing Amazon deals. You can get your hands on a 32GB 10.2-inch iPad for just $249.99, and the larger 128GB 10.2-inch iPad for an impressive $329.99 – the cheapest we've seen it! That's a saving of $79 on the 32GB model and $100 on the 128GB model. The 10.2-inch iPad is Apple's latest entry-level tablet and offers a crisp Retina display, brilliant battery life (expect nearly 12 hours) and support for the Apple Pencil and Apple's keyboard cover. Check out our Apple Pencil deals and the best iPad apps for designers to help you get the most from your shiny new purchase. Across the pond, there are some equally impressive iPad deals worth checking out... Impressive discounts (like the ones above) on the iPad don't come around too often, so you really need to take advantage while you can. And, why not choose yourself something from the impressive range of iPad accessories available to keep your iPad Pro shiny and new. If these deals aren't available to you, here are some of the best iPad prices wherever you are in the world. You can also check our roundup of the best cheap iPad deals right now. View the full article

We all know consumers hate change, and they also love to complain about rebrands on the internet. But usually, people get used to a new logo after a while. So now that the dust has settled and we've entered a whole new decade, how do people feel about 2019's most controversial rebrands? To find out, Visual Objects surveyed 1,000 consumers in the States to get their views on some of 2019's most biggest rebrands. (See our logo design post for some expert advice on crafting logos.) Of course, 1,000 people isn't exactly the biggest survey ever created, but the results are still surprising. 01. Facebook Facebook went all caps in 2019 Facebook got a makeover in 2019, although the familiar blue and white logo is still there on the app itself. This new logo was designed to unify Facebook's various brands, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, and the eagle eyed will have noticed this new logo appears on the bottom of the loading screen on these apps. The new look is basically an all-caps font in different colours (read more about what we said at the time here), and wasn't exactly a huge risk for the company. The old Facebook logo Perhaps not surprisingly, 80 per cent of people surveyed preferred Facebook's old logo to the redesign. The question is, how many of those people had even noticed that Facebook had had a corporate rebrand in the first place? 02. Slack The new logo uses a pinwheel rather than a hashtag The Slack rebrand was pretty controversial at the time: people were very angry about the switch from a hashtag (below) to a pinwheel (above). Just for the record, we called out the haters pretty quickly. Just because the app uses hashtags, doesn't mean you need them in the logo The thing about redesigns is that sometimes all it takes is a few months of using something before people get used to it. And that seems to be exactly what happened with this rebrand. Roughly a year later, 73 per cent said they preferred Slack's new logo. The lesson? When you've really thought through your designs, people will often come round after a period of adjustment. 03. Yahoo The colour purple is still the cornerstone of Yahoo's logo Yahoo's redesign wasn't one we were particularly expecting. We'll admit that we may have almost forgotten about Yahoo entirely. But its update by Pentagram was a welcome change – it fleshed out the letterforms, went lower-case and added a jaunty exclamation mark that suggests fun. The old Yahoo logo now looks a little thin The survey shows that people were divided on this logo. Just over half of them – 58 per cent – preferred the old logo, leaving 42 per cent who liked the new one better. It seems the jury is still out on this one. 04. Zara Zara's new logo was controversial when first announced When Zara rebranded in January of last year, people got very upset (we may have said that it had been kerned into oblivion). In layman's terms, the letters are packed much more closely together in the new logo. The old logo had a lot more white space This is another one that split people almost down the middle. Fifty six per cent prefer the old logo, and 44 per cent prefer the redesign. We actually think the new logo has grown on us. Those letterforms seem to look more elegant over time. 05. Sears The new logo was supposed to put the focus on homes and hearts Sears' new logo was criticised on launch for appearing very similar to the Airbnb marque. And it seems that consumers haven't quite shaken that disquiet, because more than three quarters of them (79 per cent to be exact) prefer the old Sears logo to the new one. To be honest, we can kind of see why. The old one was kind of great. This old Sears logo looks a little SEGA to us To read more about the survey, as well as see how people reacted to the Lord & Taylor rebrand, see the Visual Objects website. You can also read more about last year's most talked about rebrands in our roundup of last year's biggest logo redesigns. Read more: Where to find logo design inspiration The PS5 logo we all wanted is here Reebok tweaks its classic logo View the full article

Looking to design a logo? Some of the best logo designer software can help you do just that, even if you're a novice or non-designer. The designs won't, of course, be anywhere near as good as paying a professional designer or agency to craft your logo. But if you don't have the budget for that, and just want something that looks half decent for, say, your hobby, a personal project, a mockup or internal presentation, there are many tools to help you get you there. In this article, you'll encounter the best logo designer for pros, for beginners and for non-designers, and we'll explain exactly which tools are likely to meet your specific needs. So if you need to create look for your brand, quickly and easily, check out these cool apps (and our guide to logo design). Whether you're looking for the best paid-for logo designer software, or the best free logo designer software, we've got you covered. The best paid-for logo designer software A decent logo can be crucial to your business success, so only focusing on free tools can be a false economy. In all honesty, the best logo designer for your needs is probably going to require a bit of cash. So in the first section of this post, we round up the best logo designer software around that's paid-for; for different platforms, and for pros, novice designers and non-designers respectively. Adobe Illustrator is the best logo designer for professional use First launched in 1985, Adobe Illustrator has spend several decades now as the market-leading vector editor. As the name suggests, it's not just for logo creation, but is used to craft illustrations, posters, website layouts, icons and more. But it is the tool most likely to be used by professionals to design a logo. That’s partly because it’s very powerful and feature-rich piece of design software. It’s also because it works smoothly and efficiency with the whole Creative Cloud ecosystem, which means it’s interoperable with other Adobe apps, and you can access assets such as Adobe fonts and Adobe Stock within its interface. And it's partyly because it's been around so long, it's the indisputed industry standard. If you’re completely new to design software, though, then there is a quite steep learning curve. Also be aware that Illustrator is not available as a one-off download but solely as part of a monthly subscription, which can be quite expensive (although our Adobe Creative Cloud discount article can help keep the price down). To get up to speed with designing logos using Adobe Illustrator, check out this Adobe tutorial and our own walkthrough, Design a Killer Logo in Illustrator. Create logo designs easily using Canva Logo Maker's drag-and-drop interface If you’re a novice designer with little or no experience of creative software, something like Adobe Illustrator can be a little scary. In contast, you’ll find that Canva Logo Maker makes it easy to create a nice-looking logo using a drag-and-drop interface that works right in the browser. You can use one of Canva’s professionally designed logo templates to get started, then add your brand name, and start tweaking the elements until you’ve crafted a design you’re happy with. Once you’re done, you can download and share your finished logo as PNG file. If you use your own images and graphics then you won’t pay a penny from start to finish, while the graphic elements in the library start from $1 a pop. Overall, our favourite thing about Canva Logo Maker is how easy it use to use, with helpful pop-up instructions guiding you through from start to finish. Some examples of logos created by Tailor Brands' AI-powered logo design software In our view, Tailor Brands Logo Maker is the best logo designer software for non-designers: people without a creative bone in their bodies. Because, quite simply, it does all the designing for you. It begins by asking you to type in your logo wording, then presents you with a series of typographical options and asks which you like better (you can also choose ‘I dislike both’). It’s a bit like taking a pop quiz on Facebook, and only takes a minute or two to make your choices. Once you’re done, the tool harnesses some clever AI to conjure up a selection of potential logo designs based on your choices, which can be either icon-based, initial-based or name-based. If you like one of them as they are, then you’re free to go ahead and download as an SVG or EPS file (at which point you pay). If you sort-of like one of them, you can start to customise the text, typeface, colours etc, with simple in-browser tools until you’re happy. At this point, to get access to the hi-res logo files, you’ll have to pay from £2.99 per month, billed annually. This might sound like a lot of money, but there’s plenty more thrown in too, including a logo resize tool, your logo in different social media sizes, plus a graphic design tool, stock photos and icons, and an AI-driven website builder. In short, if you’re a non-designer looking for a bundle of marketing and website services, along with a bespoke logo design, then this is well worth considering. Designhill uses AI to make creating logos easy for non-designers Designhill Logo Maker is powered by AI and works in a very similar way to Tailor Brands’ tool (above). You enter your details, pick a range of colours and designs that you like the look of, and then the software produces a number of bespoke designs for you to choose from, and/or customise. The main difference is in the pricing: while Tailor Brands Logo Maker charges you a subscription, Designhill wants a one-off fee of £50 to download and own your logo. That might seems like a lot of money, but the logo generation itself is quick, easy and free, so if you're a non-designer it's definitely worth trying. After all, if it auto-generates a logo you absolutely love, then that's not really a lot of money at all. ICONA Logo Maker is surprisingly powerful logo designer software for iOS ICONA Logo Maker is a paid-for app ($2.98) for iPhone and iPad that most educated people will probably swipe past on the App Store, thanks to its misspelled tagline “Porfessional Logo Studio”. Typos aside, however, this logo designer software is surprisingly sophisticated. Boasting more than a million customisable designs, 350K+ image backgrounds and custom hues ranging from solid colours to gradients, there’s a lot of flexibility on display here, making it more likely you’ll create something that doesn’t look like everybody’s else logo. You can customise your design further with a range of advanced controls, including smart layering, fill and stroke colouring, solid and gradient colouring, type kerning and leading, and grid snapping. Of course, non-designers won’t know what most of that means, and thus will probably be better off with one of the simpler tools on this list. But if you’re a novice designer who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time in a tool like Illustrator (and/or spend significant money), this app might be right up your street. Logo Design Studio Pro Online lets you create unlimited logos, quickly and easily Despite having 'Pro' in the title, Logo Design Studio Pro isn't really for professionals. Instead, it's closer to something like Canva Logo Maker in providing a simple interface that makes it easy for novice designers to craft a basic logo. With tools 2-4 on this list, the creation process is free, and you pay when you download the logo. Logo Design Studio Pro, conversely, charges you to use the software itself, but allows you to design as many logos as you like. As we went to press, you had the choice of paying $29.99 for a single month, or $19.99 per month if you sign up for a year. There are plenty of included assets to help you complete your logo, including thousands of templates and graphics, and hundreds of commercially licensed fonts. If you're only looking to create one logo, this app is probably overkill, but if you want to create lots, it might well be worth the subscription. The best free logo designer software While it can pay to invest in logo designer software, sometimes you just need a quick and simple logo design as a placeholder, before you sort out a more sophisticated design further down the line. However, if you Google "free logo designer software" then beware! Many of the results will bring you to logo tools that seem to be free, but actually charge you once you want to download your logo. These three tools, however, allow you to both create AND download your logo for free (albeit with some restrictions). Read on to discover the best free logo designer software available today... Shopify Hatchful is the best free logo designer software around Shopify is a paid-for platform for building your own ecommerce website, and very good it is too. But you don't need to subscribe to Shopify to use Shopify Hatchful: it's a separate app that's absolutely free. You can use it within the browser, or download the free iOS or Android app. You start by answering a series of questions about your type of business and the kind of style you're looking for, and then the software generates a series of logos for you to choose from. Click on the one you like and you can then tweak it in terms of colours, fonts and layout. It's all pretty basic, but the logos look very decent and there are no hidden charges: it's all absolutely free. Squarespace Logo Creator is super-fast and fuss-free Squarespace is another paid-for website building platform, and they were pretty much the first to offer their customers free logo designer software. Compared to the other tools on this list, though, Squarespace Logo Creator is an extremely basic logo designer. You tell the browser-based app your company name and it generates you a logo. You can choose a symbol from the Noun Project, and that's about it in terms of customisation. Then it's time to download your logo. Not a huge amount of sophistication on offer, then. But if you just want a quick logo and don't really care about the design, as long as it looks okay, then this is the fastest and easiest way to do it. However, be aware that you need to be a Squarespace customer to get a high-res version of your logo for free. Otherwise you can download the low-res version for free, but you'll have to pay $10 for the high-res file. Ucraft is the best free logo designer software for crafting your own logo from scratch Don't want an auto-generated logo but would rather craft something of your own, from scratch? Website building platform Ucraft offers a Free Logo Maker that lets you do exactly that, for free. Click on the 'Text' button, type your text and tweak the size, font, etc. Then add shapes, icons and/or backgrounds to complete your design. As far as design tools go, this is no Adobe Illustrator. But it is very easy to use, and unlike with other so-called "free" tools, you can download a hi-res PNG version of your logo without paying a penny. (An SVG file costs $7.) Read more: The 10 best logos of all time Where to find logo design inspiration 9 of the best monogram logos ever made View the full article

20th Century Fox is an iconic name in the movie industry. It's the studio behind some of the biggest cinematic blockbusters in living memory, including Star Wars, Avatar, Titanic and, of course, How to Train Your Dragon 2, and its unmistakable searchlight logo and accompanying fanfare is a familiar sight to any film lover. But as of now, 20th Century Fox is no more. Disney bought 20th Century Fox last year, acquiring a huge library of film classics going back about 85 years, and while it's a strong brand with one of the best logos around, Disney felt that the studio simply wasn't performing as well as it did in its glory days. And so the brand's had a makeover, renamed as 20th Century Studios with a new logo to match, first spotted on a poster for The New Mutants. Disney Plus: everything you need to know If you look really closely you can see the new logo on this poster for The New Mutants It's a strange choice of name. Back at the turn of the century there was plenty of talk about what 20th Century Fox would do with its name; would it want a name that was stuck in the past, or would it rename itself 21st Century Fox to move with the times? It turns out that the name was strong enough to stick with. 20 years on, though, and Disney's decision to lose the 'Fox' bit of the name but keep the '20th Century' bit seems just a little obtuse. Arguably 'Fox' is the more identifiable bit of the brand, although it's fair to say that there are other media brands that share the Fox name, so Disney may well be taking steps to disassociate its studio from the likes of Fox News, which Disney has nothing to do with. Not much has changed from the previous logo The 20th Century Studios logo itself is almost identical to the previous 20th Century Fox logo. It's the same high-contrast black and white look, and the only real difference is that the word 'Fox' has been replaced by the word 'Studios'. If you saw it in the corner of a movie poster then you'd barely notice the change. But what about the on-screen version of the logo, the one with the moving searchlights and fanfare that we've all seen hundreds of times? Once again there's not much changed; you can see the new version at the end of this little compilation video: The first film to be released under the new 20th Century Studios banner is going to be Call of the Wild, starring Harrison Ford, and there's a fun piece of synchronicity there. 20th Century Fox came into being back in 1935, when Fox bought 20th Century Pictures, and what was the first film it released? You got it: We still wish they'd bite the bullet and embrace the 21st century, though. Related articles: Understand Disney's 12 principles of animation Is this the defining movie poster trend of the decade? 27 top movie title sequences View the full article

New research from IOActive has found that “blindly” trusting the encryption of the widely adopted device protocol can lead to DDoS, sending of false data and other cyber attacks. View the full article

Design for good is not just a 'buzzy' phrase. Now more than ever, designers recognise the importance of turning their hand to become a real force for good. Put into practice, creating in this way can enrich your agency and the work you do. A real emotional investment is often at the core – working with charities can be fulfilling and rewarding in ways that commercial work simply isn’t. Creative studios of all sizes can make an effort to include charity work in their remit, and those that do it well are quite vocal about it. Commercial agencies will always have one eye on the bottom line, and it can be difficult to identify which charities or social causes are a good fit for your team. Yet the knowledge that you’re making a real difference can be the catalyst for producing your best work (and can be a great way to spruce up your portfolio, see our favourite design portfolios for some inspiration on that front). "It’s always motivating to work with organisations that are driven by doing more than just feeding their bottom line," says Jonathan Hubbard, creative director at London-based agency The Clearing. "The charity sector has interesting challenges. It’s very congested, which means that charities have to be very clear about who they are, what they do and why they exist, if they’re going to connect with supporters, partners and colleagues. Brand is vital in the charity sector." Hubbard believes that to really work, charity brands have to create an emotional connection to their audiences. "They have to be clear about their cause, their vision and the problem they’re here to fix. They need to be built from a strong and motivating idea and have a soul. Charities used to operate their brands in a traditional ‘command and control’ way. Today, they need to be able to give control to anyone who wants to engage with the brand." 01. Don't rely on tugging the heartstrings The Clearings’ One Feeds Two identity in action The Clearing worked with charity One Feeds Two to develop a brand with mass-market appeal to act as a credible commercial partner and an easy but impactful choice for consumers. The agency designed a simple, clear visual and verbal identity to attract new commercial partnerships and raise awareness of One Feeds Two’s cause. "The brand work had to move the project from one man-with-a-soup van, to a credible and desirable brand to engage national and international food partners and feeding charities to creating mass-market appeal for consumers," reveals Hubbard. Consulting with charity founders, food partners and potential customers, the agency focused on its one-for-one proposition: connecting the process of buying food with the impact of providing food. "Rather than tugging on people’s heartstrings or making them feel guilty," says Hubbard, "the brand makes consumers feel good about their choice – summed up in the line ‘Join the movement for happier meals.’" Byron Burgers got involved with One Feeds Two in part because of its branding One Feeds Two has shaken up the congested charity sector by developing a credible brand with The Clearing that’s gained buy-in from national partners, including the likes of Bryon Burgers, Higgidy Pies, Mindful Chef and Baker Miller, to name but a few. The charity has delivered over six million school meals to children in poverty, putting more than 31,500 children through a year of school. Almost 99 per cent of these meal donations are from partner activity. Cristina Fedi, former head of brand at Bryon Burgers, was won over by the One Feeds Two rebrand that caught her eye on Facebook. "We’d been looking for a charity partner that matched Byron in its individual and simple approach, with a similarly bold and eye-catching design. One Feeds Two stood out straight away: it had a strong logo that could communicate the idea without explanation, a beautifully designed visual identity that put a smile on our face, and we knew it could sit harmoniously alongside our own brand on our menus, leaflets and digital media." Three years on, Byron has been responsible for delivering a million meals and putting over 5,000 children through school. "We’re proud to work with the charity," says Fedi. Being an art director: All you need to know 02. User experience can be powerful The Calm Harm app encourages users to interact with characters to manage their emotions effectively Focusing on health, science and tech, digital agency HMA works on a broad range of projects, from the design and development of websites, apps and other digital tools to the marketing of digital products and services. Its client list includes a number of charitable organisations, including stem4, which it first worked with in 2016 to reposition the Calm Harm app. Conceived by clinical psychologist Dr Nihara Krause, the concept for the app was to help teenagers resist or manage the urge to self-harm through supportive, evidence-based dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) techniques. By the time HMA came on board, Calm Harm was already on the App Store and had been downloaded over 24,000 times, but the charity knew that there was potential to help a lot more young people. "The primary focus of its brief was to deliver a more engaging user experience; making the design and visual elements of the app more appealing to its teenage target audience so that they would feel comfortable using it," explains HMA’s managing director Nicola Tiffany. HMA brought together stakeholders, parents, young people, teachers and clinicians to carry out a strategic review of the existing app and co-produce a road map. "We looked at desired outputs, user journeys, visual concepts and security/privacy considerations leading to decisions about the user experience and tone of voice," explains Tiffany. "The app is based on the notion that the urge to self-harm is like a wave – feeling most powerful when you start wanting to do it. Once you surf the wave, the urge will fade. "Users can learn to ‘surf the wave’ using five- or 15-minute exercises with content based on evidence-based DBT techniques and the characters (avatars) were created so that users could – if they chose to – have a ‘companion’ while surfing." For more on building apps, see our how to make an app post. 03. Don't assume all charities are good Just because an app has good intentions, doesn't mean it's based on scientifically robust assumptions Tiffany continues: "While it seems like a saturated market, there’s a real need for good quality, evidence-based apps to support people in various clinical and non-clinical contexts." She discovered that, according to ORCHA (Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps) which carries out independent assessments of apps for NHS Digital, there are over 327,000 apps claiming to help us stay healthy or manage our health (rising 990 per cent from the 30,000 available in 2013), yet only around 112,000 of these apps are looked after, updated and kept fresh. Delving deeper into the evaluation of these, only around 15,000 are secure, clinically safe or have met design standards. "It begs the question as to whether the creative industry should be selective about the projects they work on if they have the potential to do more harm than good," says Tiffany. With nearly one million downloads in two years, the app has won several awards and raised the profile of both stem4 and HMA through the external recognition they’ve received. "Working within the health sector, and specifically for charitable organisations, provides a sense of worth for our project teams," reflects Tiffany. "They’re doing their job while also helping people, and seeing the difference that their work makes has a really positive impact on team morale.” 04. Get the right help It’s a sentiment that’s echoed in the collaborative efforts of Grey London’s creative team, who together with executive producers at Thomas Thomas Films, conceived the idea of The Wayback after sharing their family experiences of Alzheimer’s. "We all felt that we wanted to do something to make some kind of difference,"says Grey London's Dan Cole. "Alzheimer’s is a hugely frustrating disease for families to go through, as there seems so little that you can do. But once we started thinking about it, and talking about it, we started to have ideas of how we could help in some small way." A group of friends who have worked on advertising projects together in the past, including Vodafone and News International, the team were inspired by the idea of virtual reality. "We began to wonder if such an immersive experience as VR could help people with dementia to remember parts of their lives – and if the experience might help trigger conversations with their loved ones and carers," reveals Cole. With the idea for immersive video in mind the team started to brainstorm ideas of what time and place they could recreate in 360-degree film – with all the sights and sounds from a moment in time that would be familiar to millions. "We hoped that if we made the film as authentic as possible, so it really looked and sounded like a moment from their memory, that it would help spark some recollection," adds Cole. "We settled on the Queen’s coronation in 1953 as a pilot film, purely because many people in the UK over 70 would have some recollection of this moment. There were thousands of street parties on the day so most people took part in some way.” Interested in VR? See our best VR headsets buying guide. The Wayback takes people back to street parties around the Queen's coronation Funding the project on Kickstarter was one of the biggest challenges faced by the team, which needed to raise £35,000 to make the pilot. "It involved countless phone calls and emails and tweets, and some very generous people. We realised that every single detail in the films could be a potential memory trigger for somebody, so getting all of this right was crucial.” The team also consulted with Dr David Sheard, a leading dementia care expert, and pulled together a huge crew who sourced hundreds of outfits and props that would bring the day to life for the viewer. "Making a 360-degree film in the way that we felt was important is not cheap. From day one we were obsessed that the film should look so real that it almost felt like archive footage. So attention to detail was everything. Which meant we would need authentic wardrobe, sets and hundreds of extras!" The team also self-funded thousands of cardboard VR viewers to supply to care homes. Following the film’s release the project won several awards including D&AD, SXSW, Creative Circle and The Art of Creativity award, giving it a permanent place in the British Film Archive. 05. Pick something you really care about "Professionally, it’s been a real learning curve to be our own client, making decisions on everything from budget to PR," reflects Cole. "I think people are driven best by the causes closest to their heart, and to their own experiences." He argues that turning to people who have had personal experience of a cause and have a set of creative skills that could be utilised to bring about change should be an important stage in any social project. "I think the creative industry is sometimes overlooked by government as an effective approach to tackling some of the toughest problems in society.” 06. Check out AIGA's Design for Good initiative AIGA‘s Get Out the Vote campaign used design to encourage participation in the critical 2016 US elections. The campaign was a key element of AIGA’s ongoing Design for Democracy initiative Creative director at Seattle-based agency Modern Species and AIGA member Gage Mitchell is part of a task force/committee of socially responsible and sustainable design thought leaders that drives the AIGA Design for Good initiative. This was formed to help provide the organisation and its members with clarity around what "design for good" means and how it differs from sustainable design, diversity and inclusion, and other AIGA social impact-focused initiatives. Mitchell says sustainable change lives on after you’re gone. "That means teaching others what I know, connecting people and building teams where I can, and being an open book with all my resources, with the assumption that empowering others is more impactful that just doing what I can alone." When a designer feels they want to make a difference, they know where to go first, where their talents will be respected and where we can match them with problems that need to be solved, explains AIGA executive director Richard Grefé. "If designers are involved in projects affecting the community, and are seen as a convener of groups that can solve community problems, then they’re going to be standing with attorneys, with accountants, with community leaders who see the way designer addresses a problem and the effectiveness of bringing creativity anytime you’re dealing with a problem that has many dimensions," says Grefé. Path to Impact is a methodology that guides people through the process of designing for "good". It defines what’s meant by good, weaves in sustainability and inclusive design practices, and acts as a resource for people looking to lead communities and organisations through the process using different strategy and design thinking methods is available to AIGA members, explains Mitchell. "In the AIGA Path to Impact workbook we suggest that design can aim to make an impact on the environment, society, culture and the economy. This basically means that we believe a strategic design process could be used to help teams of people make an impact on any problem," says Mitchell. "Once you stop thinking of design as an outcome (the thing we’re designing) and more as a process (framing the challenge, ideating and evaluating solutions, and so on) you find that you can use that process in all aspects of your life and work.” 07. You don't need to work for free More assets designed by The Clearing for One Feeds Two Working alongside Gage Mitchell on the AIGA Design for Good taskforce, Rule29’s founder and creative director Justin Ahrens argues that the biggest mindshift that needs to happen is thinking work needs to be pro bono. "In any project we do, there has to be some investment by the client. It may be nominal, but the point is for everyone involved to be committed. For all the work that we do in the non-profit space we offer process audits and budgetary guidance for organisations to be able to plan over time to pay for the work they are getting. It’s really about understanding value and education." These days good charities need to view themselves more as businesses with a social objective. They need to generate income that they invest into the cause as well as building their brands and growing their people, says Hubbard. "Part of that investment in their brands is paying their partners, and although we might work at a reduced fee, we generally don’t work pro bono.” Design for good is about using strategic design thinking and processes to bring about positive outcomes and impact. Gage Mitchell "I don’t think it’s super-difficult to find agencies willing to do the occasional pro bono work for non-profits, but I do think it’s rare to find agencies who know how to design for a sustainable, measurable impact,"continues Mitchell. "By that I mean that design for good isn’t merely about doing what you’ve always done; designing a brochure let’s say, but for a non-profit instead of a corporation. Design for good is about using strategic design thinking and processes to bring about positive outcomes and impact. "That might mean telling the non-profit a brochure isn’t going to solve their problem and encouraging them to instead co-design a more impactful solution (which could be something else entirely) with their fellow stakeholders," says Mitchell, who argues designers should encourage their corporate clients to look beyond profit/sales goals and think about reducing upstream waste and/or adding additional value to the community they’re serving. "Bottom line, while it’s not ‘difficult’ per say, it’s not currently the default mindset in the design community. But that’s what AIGA (and design studios like Modern Species) are working to change.” 08. Think about all your projects Designing for good doesn’t necessarily mean designing for free or at a discount for a non-profit either, according to Mitchell. "You can design at your full rate for a for-profit corporate and still make a positive impact. So I would challenge creatives to think beyond the ‘occasional discounted work for a non-profit’ mentality and think more about how they can weave impact into every project, into their core values as a creative, and into their business model. As designers, we have a lot of power to make a difference in the world, and with that power comes a responsibility to use that power wisely. If a superhero doesn’t limit their "pro bono" work to five per cent of their time, why should we?" Positive change can only be brought about if a cause is clear, compelling and motivates participation, concludes Hubbard. "Good communication is at the heart of that change, so for us getting involved in projects where we can use our skills to further a cause we believe in is both rewarding and important." This article originally appeared in issue 299 of Computer Arts, the world’s leading design magazine. Buy issue 299 or subscribe here. Read more: 5 tips for presenting your work on social media 9 design trends that defined the year of rebellion How to generate ideas View the full article

Splash pages – introductory pages that users have to exit to explore the main site – are old right? They’re certainly not as common as they once were, and they may not be the best choice for SEO or user experience, but splash pages should not be written off. There are still enough examples out there of good use of splash pages that they cannot be overlooked by web designers, and there are times when a splash page may still offer the best UX. A splash page is a preliminary initial page that visitors see when arriving at the website before advancing to the first page proper. They can serve as a gateway that customers pass through before getting free reign to the whole site. They're usually heavy on visuals and include a call to action to help the visitor decide what to do next. They can serve simply to wow the visitor with impressive CSS animation or graphics, or to deliver a crucial message such as an upcoming event or special promotion, but they can also serve to check people are arriving at the right place, check where they want to go, check they’re the right age in the case of accessing restricted content. Here are seven good examples of where a splash page can still be a good idea. 01. Zara Zara uses its splash page to impress while checking where we want to go Most websites that operate across regions and languages will now automatically detect location and language and take you the site that fits, but it’s not an exact science and can still end you in a site in a language you don’t understand struggling to find the language selector. The official Zara website still uses a splash site to ask visitors to choose. It also avoids the common error of confusing language and region, not assuming that everyone in a particular country prefers to communicate in the dominant language, so the US store, for example is available in both English and Spanish. For a brand with stores in 96 countries, it makes sense and avoids sending people away from the site all together if they arrive at a store they weren’t looking for. But Zara also takes advantage to dazzle with impressive imagery. In the case of the Zara page, the site stores your preferences for the next time you visit, to avoid getting tired, and they change it every couple of months to make sure people are seeing something new if they visit again. 02. Yeezy (Adidas) Yeezy Boost's splash page gives visitors a warning A splash page can be just the ticket for a newsworthy event or to respond to something happening now. In this case, Yeezy's splash page (on the Adidas site) serves to preempt visitors’ disappointment, making it clear before they begin the order process that a new limited edition model has sold out, and providing the chance to join the waiting list. This also serves to promote the excitement around the product, making it seem even more desirable and hard to get. 03. Smooth Hound Smith Smooth Hound Smith uses a splash page to give fans the chance to go straight to tour dates or new material Users of certain sites have particular common behaviour. Fans of a band for example are often want to get straight to the latest tour dates or newest material from the group without needing to go to the main site. Nashville Americana duo Smooth Hound Smith provide a basic splash page that previews new material while giving option to go straight to tour dates or to join the mailing list or go to social media accounts, as well as continuing to the homepage. The site lets us see the band’s new material and provides a clear and concise roadmap for the most common actions. The video in the background highlights new material and promotes the duo’s music, accompanied by a couple of good-sized quotes from reviews, 04. Glassful Special events may also be worth creating a splash page Special events are another source of splash-worthy material. In this example, wine club Glassful used a splash to promote its first birthday party, with all the information needed and a call to action to RSVP Ideally, splash pages should be as lightweight as possible to load quickly and avoid SEO or usability issues. A simple event invitation does the job nicely. 05. Schmoll Schmoll Creatives uses a splash page to define its personality A splash page can be just the ticket if you have a message you want to get out there before people are distracted by anything else. Schmoll Creative’s minimal splash page says a lot without trying too hard, with a bold claim of "less agency, more creative", it defines its personality, and offers a boldly direct call to action "hire us". It’s clear and concise and gives you a good idea of what the agency is all about before seeing a single piece of its work. 06. Resn Resn breaks the rules and takes us on a journey Here's another agency splash page, but this one has a very different approach. New Zealand-based Resn showcases not only a direct message, but takes splash pages as an opportunity to have some fun and show off its creativity by taking us on a wandering journey through a greyscale, apple-themed kaleidoscope; a bat with a ouija board that uses its x-ray laser beams to strip the flesh from people in old paintings; a psychedelic bottle that tips out bizarre clipart. It breaks all the rules of designing a splash page in that it’s meandering, has a vague point and is not entirely useful, but then a production agency can get away with such things if it highlights its creativity. The result is compelling enough that it works as something of a filter. You're likely to keep digging around if you like the style, and it’ll make an impression that will stay with you. If it’s not you thing, you’ll move on and not waste the agency's time with an enquiry. 07. Football Choose any sport, as long as it’s football Language and region settings are not the only thing you might want to give a visitor the chance to choose from when they hit your site. If you’re providing widely different products or services, a splash page can be a quick way to divide the experience and allow visitors to choose which service they want and avoid them having to wade through irrelevant menus relating to other services. American football website football.com for a time took a fun advantage over the confusion around the use of the term “football” in North America versus the rest of the world to check with visitors just what they were looking for with a visual clarification. Read more: 7 totally distinct brand Instagram feeds 6 questions you need to ask your new client Discover the unknown stories behind everyday icons View the full article

Zoom has patched a flaw that could have allowed attackers to guess a meeting ID and enter a meeting. View the full article

This issue, along with our usual reviews, inspiration and regular Q and A sections, we show you how to create our stunning fan art cover, with a masterclass in character creation using Cinema 4D. We also delve into the world of de-aging in visual effects, look at the the beautiful work done for Carnival Row and delve into Houdini 18, with a huge tips collection to help you su skill. With a mix of features, interviews and training, you'll soon be on the road to mastering your own 3D projects. We take a look inside 3D World 257 to find out what else is in store... Buy issue 257 of 3D World here Subscribe to 3D World here Read more: Become a better 3D artist The 10 best 3D movies of 2019 The best new 3D tools for 2019 View the full article

To download the accompanying files for 3D World issue 257, simply click this link and a zip file will automatically download the content to your Mac or PC. If you've missed this issue or other editions of 3D World start a subscription. If you have any problems downloading this content, please email: rob.redman@futurenet.com Read more The best cities for 3D artists OctaneRender: A beginner's guide 3D art: 27 stunning examples to inspire you View the full article

The best monogram logos are so effective, you may not have even considered that they're monograms at all. The traditional monogram – usually someone’s initials woven together to create a form – remains a powerful tool in modern identity design. If you can find a way of connecting two or more letters so that they remain recognisable while at the same time creating a memorable new shape, this is often a better solution than trying to design a logo or icon from scratch. The coup de grâce that leads to a killer monogram logo comes when not only is the letter-based form intriguing and legible, but its aesthetic qualities express something about the brand’s values or unique selling points. (These same qualities often make good logos in general, see our guide to logo design as well as our list of the best logos ever made.) Everyone has their own favourites, and debates about which logos are best will rage until the end of time. Here, we’ve brought together nine of the best monogram logos, many of which have lasted decades. While some of them may have iterated and been updated, there’s a monogram element at their core retaining a clever message and, if not that, then instant recognisability at least. For more logos made from letters, see our feature on the best 3-letter logos. 01. Roger Federer A legal battle over Roger Federer’s superb monogram is on the cards, as former sponsor Nike still owns it As with Alan Fletcher’s legendary V&A logo, sometimes the best thing about a design is what’s left out. In this case, the vertical strokes of both the 'R' and the 'F' in champion Swiss tennis player Roger Federer’s monogram are missing and yet every sports fan in the world recognises the remaining elements to be his mark. According to Federer, this little piece of design genius is based on a scribble jotted down by his wife, Mirka, in 2003. However, it seems that Nike finalised the monogram in 2010 and currently owns it. Now sponsored by Uniqlo, the athlete is working to reclaim his monogram logo, which he also uses to promote the work of his charitable foundation. 02. The New York Yankees Officially called the team’s primary emblem, the Yankees’ monogram has been tweaked only slightly over the years since its introduction in 1909 There’s some fascinating folklore behind the development of this iconic American sports brand. Prior to 1909, the team simply had the letters 'N' and 'Y' side-by-side on their caps. The inspiration to overlap them came from part-owner Bill Devery, a former policeman who had seen the design on a medal of honour presented to an officer shot dead in the line of duty. That medal, it so happens, was made by Tiffany & Co in 1877. While it isn’t the team’s official logo, the Yankees’ NY monogram is one of the most recognised sports emblems in the world and still appears on the players’ jerseys and caps. 03. Chanel As with any good monogram, we know this is Chanel’s mark without any words to tell us Like the New York Yankees, Chanel also owes its interlocking Cs monogram to an earlier design genius. The story goes that Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel first saw the emblem in 1925 while visiting Château de Crémat, a castle built in Nice in 1906. Two 'C's, crossed over, can be seen to this day in the stained-glass windows of the chateau. However, recreating this device in a geometric modernist typeface and cleverly using it – for instance on the clasps of handbags – the designer and her proteges have turned it into a worldwide icon for French fashion. 04. General Electric General Electric’s monogram logo has remained virtually untouched since 1934, and with good reason One of the most powerful logos ever created, GE’s monogram sits as comfortably in its circle at the tip of a lightbulb as it does emblazoned on the side of an enormous wind turbine generator. Although Wolff Olins reworked GE’s global brand architecture for the company in 2005, adding a typeface inspired by the monogram, for example, the script-based 'G' and 'E' remained within their embellished circle, relatively untouched. There’s an interesting rundown on the GE brand and monogram on the company’s website. 05. Grant Associates Famous for its Gardens by the Bay project in Singapore, Grant Associates could soon be better known for its superbly crafted monogram logo Designed very recently for the international landscape architects Grant Associates, this monogram locks up two mirror image letters – a lowercase g and lowercase a – quite brilliantly. In a brand redesign centred on the concept of connecting people and their environment, Supple Studio conveyed GA’s ethos in its monogram. The modern, rounded lettering emits an organic vibe also reflected in a typeface that the studio modified for the client, and a set of icons to represent the various fields the practice works in. 06. Warner Bros A shield device is an effective way of locking up a monogram logo, as seen in Warner Bros longstanding identity To film viewers, the Warner Bros logo seems timeless. A golden shield bearing the letters 'WB', three dimensional and floating – usually in front of a pleasant-looking sky. In fact, the company has changed its logo dozens of times (see our piece on the Warner Bros most recent logo update, in November 2019). In the 1970s, Saul Bass gave the company a modernist 'W' with no shield at all. Earlier, when the company was bought by Seven Arts Inc, it had an emblem merging a 'W' and the numeral '7'. However, it has always returned to the protection of the shield, the upward horizontal of the 'W' straightened to parallel the vertical stroke of the 'B'. This design has been tweaked and changed plenty. Indeed, the company has encouraged filmmakers to adapt it in their productions. And yet the basic shield design it uses, commonly seen in online logo templates, has retained its timeless quality, for Warner Bros, at least. 07. H&M H&M is the retail brand everyone recognises. Tweaks to its monogram in 1999 aimed to capture the buzz of the city and the calm of nature The Swedish department store Hennes bought a rival chain and became Hennes & Mauritz in 1968, and the hand-rendered H&M logo was born. Today, shoppers know it only as H&M and while the youthful, free-and-easy style of the H&M monogram was redrawn in 1999 by BVD to look more balanced, it still feels well-proportioned, with enough space about it to breathe and feel impactful over time. Some would even call it under-designed. However, it has proven highly successful in the 60 countries where H&M has opened shops, putting the logo on shopping bags at scale. This translates to free, mobile advertising care of an effective monogram logo. 08. PlayStation Unlike a traditional monogram, the PlayStation logo links a 'P' and an 'S' to form a unique 3D icon – an ideal brand for a games console While the recently unveiled PS5 logo has been ridiculed for its lack of innovation, let’s not overlook the very clever design work that went into the original PlayStation monogram. Launched in 1994, the gaming console’s logo was designed by Manabu Sakamoto. With the 'S' lying down as though it is a shadow of the upright 'P', which stands at an angle, the overall design embodies the original product’s key selling point – its 3D graphics capability. The red, yellow, green and blue express the vibrancy of the product and its games, though it works beautifully in mono as well. 09. Volkswagen 2019 saw what is probably the biggest shift in VW’s logo since 1945, but the stacked V and W remain at the heart of this identity The VW monogram has been a part of the Volkswagen identity since the company was founded in Germany, under the Nazis, in 1937. Indeed, early iterations don’t just look mechanical, they look positively militaristic. After the War, the monogram, stacking a 'V' within the upper half of a 'W' and capturing the form in a circle, has been modernised in line with automobile technology on average every six years. Created in 2019 by VW’s chief of design, Klaus Bischoff, the latest iteration is with a clean, slim and flat. Interestingly, the points of the 'W' don’t quite touch the bottom of the circle as they do in earlier versions. This version gets back to basics while feeling very modern at the same time. Read more: Where to find logo design inspiration The PS5 logo we all wanted is here 8 of the biggest logo redesigns in 2019 View the full article

Have you ever wondered what Henry VIII would look like now? How about Julius Ceasar? It's difficult to imagine figures from history as having been real people. This is partly down to the styling of the era, the formality of their portraits, and also due to the medium used to depict them – it can be hard to connect with a marble sculpture or oil painting. But graphic designer Rebecca Saladin has given history new life with her Royalty Now project, which reimagines what historical figures would look like today. A highly original way to approach the art of character design, the results are both amusing and fascinating – so much so we found comparing the new and old artwork weirdly addictive. Take a look for yourselves... Saladin uses Photoshop to photo-manipulate well-known figures from history, bringing them to life with modern dress and styling. The renders bring the subjects firmly into the 21st century, changing the way viewers see, and potentially feel, about them. (To improve your own Photoshop skills, see our piece rounding up the best Photoshop tutorials around). The Royalty Now Instagram account is packed full of these reimagined historical characters, and there are certainly some names you'll recognise. Queen Elizabeth I is in the mix. Known for her heavy makeup and over-the-top hairpiece, it's amazing to see her her completely stripped back and post-work-drink-ready. Those curls are a modern take on Queen Elizabeth's usual hairpiece This transformation of Henry VII into a suit is particularly amusing. A haircut and a smart attire is all it took to bring him up-to-date. Henry VII belongs in a business meeting You can check out more of Saladin's work over on Instagram, which contains renders that are way less disappointing than these real-life renders of animation bedrooms. Read more: 7 totally distinct brand Instagram feeds PSD to 3D: Turn Photoshop images into 3D scenes 9 of the best 3D apps View the full article

Apple has filed a patent that suggests future iMacs could have a radically different design. The patent details a slick, mostly glass, all-in-one (AIO) design with a distinctly futuristic vibe. There are some similarities to the current aesthetic – the curvy junction between the screen and its stand; the generally minimalist, sleek approach – but other than that it's a whole new ball game. Below is the current Apple iMac (incidentally, our pick of the best computer for graphic design, and the best computer for video editing right now). This brushed aluminium look has been around for a while now Below, you can see the diagrams of the potential new design included in the newly published patent. The distinct screen, housing and separate keyboard encased in brushed aluminium have been replaced by an AIO made mostly of glass. The accompanying text details "a glass housing member that includes an upper portion defining a display area, a lower portion defining an input area... a continuous, curved surface between the upper portion and lower portion." A new patent shows a mostly glass all-in-one design The patent also includes a support structure on the rear, which TechRadar suggests could contain the machine's computing power, with the glass section being fitted solely with sensors for the inputs, display and camera. See the full patent here. Apple has gained plenty of news inches for its design decisions over the years – even something relatively minor, such as the replacement of Forest Green for Navy Blue in the iPhone 12 lineup – has people talking. So we're doubly excited at the prospect of something potentially radical to follow in the footsteps of the Mac Pro 'dustbin' and 'cheese grater' designs, for example. When, or even if, this spacey new look will become reality is quite another thing. At the moment, it's still in its research phase, so it's certainly not on the cards any time soon. Although it's worth noting that while the patent was published on 23 January 2020, it was filed last May, which means Apple has been exploring this direction for a little while now. Read more: The best Apple Watch apps in 2020 Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2: which should you buy? The best cheap Apple laptop deals View the full article

Which approach should you take when building an app? Should you take up the PWA/web technologies route or should you go native and design for specific platforms? Both options have their pros and cons, and in this article we concentrate on a few of the popular choices used to create web and native apps. PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) aka web apps, are built with popular web technologies HTML, CSS and JavaScript and work in a web browser. (Check out some of the essential HTML tags to help with your builds.) PWAs are effectively mobile websites designed to look like an app, and the use of web APIs gives them functionality similar to a native app. For more advice on app building, see our post on how to make an app. PWAs vs. Native apps: What's the difference? Progressive Web Apps have the advantage of being installable and live on a device without the need for an app store. And, part of the process is the Web App Manifest which allows developers to control how an app appears and how it's launched. Also, web designers/front end developers will already have the skillset needed to start building immediately. There's no need to learn a new language, unlike native apps. Native apps are built with a specific OS in mind – ie. iOS and Android – and use a framework or language to fulfil that purpose. iOS applications typically use Xcode or Swift, and Android apps, JavaScript. But, for this article we concentrate on a couple of JavaScript-based open source frameworks – React Native and NativeScript – that work for both platforms. The advantages of native apps is that they typically bring better functionality as they make better use of a devices hardware and software, are faster and more responsive and you get quality assurance though ratings in app stores. But, it will mean having to learn how to use a specific framework or library. Here we look at three different options – one for web (PWAs) and two for native (React Native, NativeScript) – for building an app. We run through how they operate, what they can do and look at their strengths and weaknesses to help you decide which option you should choose to build your app. Progressive web apps: Building for the web PWAs use the web stack – HTML, CSS and JS Strengths of PWAs Apps also work in the browser Distribution: browser, enterprise and app stores Can utilise React, Angular, Vue, vanilla or other frameworks Weaknesses of PWAs No access to every native API Abilities and store distribution on iOS and iPadOS are limited It’s in continuous evolution PWAs are the current design pattern to create high-performant, offline, installable apps using just the web stack: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and browsers’ APIs. Thanks to the service worker and the web app manifest specs, we can now create a first-class app experience after installing for Android, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Linux. To create PWAs, you can use any architecture: from server-side, vanilla JavaScript, React, Vue, Angular or other client-side frameworks. It can be a single-page application or a multi-page web application and we define how are we going to support users while offline. In this approach, we don’t need to package and sign the resources of our app: we just host the files in a web server and the service worker will be responsible for caching the files in the client and serve them after installation. This also means if an app needs updating, you just change the files on the server and the service worker’s logic will be responsible for updating them on users’ devices without user or app store intervention. In terms of distribution, the most common method is the browser. Users install the app from the browser by using the Add to Home Screen or Install menu item, by accepting an invitation to install or by using a custom web app user interface on compatible platforms. It is worth noting that Apple rejects pure PWAs published in the App Store and encourages web developers to distribute it through Safari. The user interface is purely managed by the web runtime, which means the web designer is responsible for rendering each control on the screen. If you use a UI framework, such as Ionic, or a Material Design library, HTML and CSS will mimic native interfaces on Android or iOS but it’s not mandatory. When doing PWAs, applying web performance techniques is mandatory in order to keep a good user experience. In terms of abilities, a PWA will have access only to APIs available in the browser engine on that platform and it can’t be extended with native code – with the exception of app store PWA distributions. In this matter, iOS and iPadOS are the more limited platforms for PWAs, while Chrome (for Android and desktop OSs) has more availability and is working hard to add every possible API to JavaScript with the Fugu project. React Native Facebook's React Native is JavaScript-based and similar to React.js Strengths of React Native Same patterns as with React.js Some web APIs are exposed Web and desktop support Weaknesses of React Native Can’t reuse web UI components The native bridge needs some work React experience is needed React Native is an open-source JavaScript-based component framework, sponsored by Facebook, that uses React design patterns, as well as JavaScript language to compile native apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android from one source code. But no HTML elements are accepted for rendering; only other native components are valid. Therefore, instead of rendering a <div> with a <p> and a <input> element with JSX, you will be rendering a <View> with a <Text> and a <TextInput>. For styling components, you still use CSS and the layout is defined through Flexbox. The user interface won’t be rendered in a browser’s DOM but using the native user interface libraries on Android and iOS. Therefore, a <Button> in ReactNative will become an instance of UIButton on iOS and the android.widget.Button class on Android; there is no web runtime involved in React Native. However, all the JavaScript code will be executed in a JavaScript virtual machine on-device, so there is no JavaScript to real native code conversion when compiling the app. There is a set of well-known APIs for web developers, such as the Fetch API, WebSockets and the browser’s timers: setInterval and requestAnimationFrame. Other abilities are deployed in the platform through custom APIs, such as animations. You can start a quick React Native project with two free CLIs: Expo or the more advanced and official ReactNative CLI. If you use the official CLI, you also need Android Studio to compile and test the Android app and Xcode to do the same on iOS and iPadOS, so you will need a macOS computer for that platform. React Native compiles native apps for iOS and Android, which means the distribution of your app will follow the same rules as other native apps: app stores for public apps, enterprise distribution and alpha/beta testing. Typically, you can’t distribute an app through a browser, although React Native for Web and Microsoft’s React Native for Windows platforms can help. NativeScript The NativeScript framework works with Angular, VueJS and vanilla JavaScript Strengths of NativeScript Good tools for coding and testing Extensive gallery of apps ready to play with All Android and iOS APIs are exposed in JS Weaknesses of NativeScript Small community Can’t reuse web UI components No web, desktop or React support NativeScript is not as well-known as React Native but it competes in the same field: native iOS and Android apps from JavaScript and web frameworks. It lets you use JavaScript or TypeScript and an XML user interface file to create native apps. It also supports Angular and Vue right out of the box, so it’s a great solution for developers used to these frameworks. The advantages of NativeScript are clearer when you use Angular or Vue. For Angular, you create the same components you are used to but using XML instead of HTML for the template, including all data bindings. In the XML, instead of a <div> with a <p> and an <img>, you will place a <StackLayout> with a <Label> and an <Image> component. CSS and Sass are supported with similar styles to CSS in the browser. Routing and network management are done through implementations of the standard Angular services. For Vue, it’s something similar; you write the template in XML instead of using HTML in the same <template> element in your .vue file. NativeScript includes a collection of components that are then mapped to an Android or iOS native control, so when you render a list or a picker, it will be the native app, using the same idea as in React Native. Your JavaScript or TypeScript code (transpiled) is executed in an on-device JavaScript virtual machine with a bridge to/from the native environment. In that bridge, the entire native APIs from Android or iOS/iPadOS are exposed so despite having access to cross-platform APIs, we can instantiate or call any Java or Objective-C code from JavaScript/TypeScript and NativeScript will marshal data types. NativeScript has great support for tooling, including VS code plugins, the CLI, a hot-reload testing system and a NativeScript playground app, so you don’t need to install all dependencies while testing, as well as several additional services such as an online playground. Finally, NativeScript only compiles an app for Android and iOS that can be installed from official distribution channels and app stores if you comply with their rules, enterprise distribution and alpha/beta testing. Typically there will be no way to distribute apps from a browser and there are no solutions for desktop apps for this platform. 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: A guide to Google's web tools Write HTML code faster 13 of the best JavaScript frameworks to try View the full article

At the start of every year, millions of people jot down their resolutions then give up on them by the end of January. Crank up your creative juices and start the year by following through with the goals you want to achieve in 2020. Whether you're looking to start a new career or want to brush up on the skills you already have, these creative bundles will boost your artistic abilities in the new year. If you want to improve your Adobe skills across the board, check out our posts rounding up the best Photoshop tutorials and Illustrator tutorials. You can now get Adobe apps with an amazing discount. Get 20 per cent off single apps including Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator – but hurry as the offer ends today! 01. The 2020 Adobe Illustrator CC master class bundle Was: $284 / Now: $39.99 (85% OFF) Dreaming of becoming a digital artist? With over 30 hours of training, you'll soon be able to master the techniques and tools in 2020 Adobe Illustrator, the industry-standard vector graphics program. The six-course training bundle includes over 250 lessons, starting with concepts such as scaling and aligning your objects with ease, and moving on to more complicated techniques such as advanced anchor point and pen tool tricks. Several project-focused tutorials will teach you how to redraw real-world examples of famous logos, give you workflow tips to speed up complicated graphics, show you how to build a professional portfolio website with your designs, and so much more. 02. The Adobe After Effects & Nuke VFX production bundle Was: $617 / Now: $29 (95% OFF) If you want to master After Effects to create realistic visual effects (VFX) shots and not just motion graphics, this course is for you. With over 120 lessons, you'll learn visual effect techniques for movies and screen editing, straight from the creative mind of a Hollywood Artist. You'll start with the fundamentals and work your way into more advanced techniques in 2D compositing, rotoscoping, and so much more. Vicki Lau, a Hollywood VFX artist for movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy, War for the Planet of the Apes, Aquaman, and more, brings you a hands-on approach to the secrets and tricks by providing you with real-world projects that will put your skills to the test. You'll even be equipped with a course on becoming a visual effects supervisor for live-action film production, taking your expertise beyond sitting behind your computer. 03. The 2020 Adobe InDesign CC master class bundle Was: $221 / Now: $39.99 (81% OFF) Looking to design a digital magazine this year? InDesign is quickly becoming the industry-leading tool for creating digital layouts, eBooks, posters, lookbooks, and more. With lifetime access to five comprehensive courses, you'll learn everything you need to navigate the design software for both print and digital media. You'll start with InDesign interface essentials and master your way towards more advanced concepts such as creating semi-flat presentations, working with various layers, mastering text-wrap and masking, and more. With over 200 lessons, you'll soon become a pro at the InDesign interface, and learn professional workflow shortcuts for formatting your text and images. Hands-on projects are provided, allowing you to practice what you learn and apply each layout technique to real-world documents. Read more: The best alternatives to Photoshop The best laptops for Photoshop in 2020 The best InDesign tutorials View the full article

Which approach should you take when building an app? Should you take up the PWA/web technologies route or should you go native and design for specific platforms? Both options have their pros and cons, and in this article we concentrate on a few of the popular choices used to create web and native apps. PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) aka web apps, are built with popular web technologies HTML, CSS and JavaScript and work in a web browser. (Check out some of the essential HTML tags to help with your builds.) PWAs are effectively mobile websites designed to look like an app, and the use of web APIs gives them functionality similar to a native app. For more advice on app building, see our post on how to make an app. PWAs vs. Native apps: What's the difference? Progressive Web Apps have the advantage of being installable and live on a device without the need for an app store. And, part of the process is the Web App Manifest which allows developers to control how an app appears and how it's launched. Also, web designers/front end developers will already have the skillset needed to start building immediately. There's no need to learn a new language, unlike native apps. Native apps are built with a specific OS in mind – ie. iOS and Android – and use a framework or language to fulfil that purpose. iOS applications typically use Xcode or Swift, and Android apps, JavaScript. But, for this article we concentrate on a couple of JavaScript-based open source frameworks – React Native and NativeScript – that work for both platforms. The advantages of native apps is that they typically bring better functionality as they make better use of a devices hardware and software, are faster and more responsive and you get quality assurance though ratings in app stores. But, it will mean having to learn how to use a specific framework or library. Here we look at three different options – one for web (PWAs) and two for native (React Native, NativeScript) – for building an app. We run through how they operate, what they can do and look at their strengths and weaknesses to help you decide which option you should choose to build your app. Progressive web apps: Building for the web PWAs use the web stack – HTML, CSS and JS Strengths of PWAs Apps also work in the browser Distribution: browser, enterprise and app stores Can utilise React, Angular, Vue, vanilla or other frameworks Weaknesses of PWAs No access to every native API Abilities and store distribution on iOS and iPadOS are limited It’s in continuous evolution PWAs are the current design pattern to create high-performant, offline, installable apps using just the web stack: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and browsers’ APIs. Thanks to the service worker and the web app manifest specs, we can now create a first-class app experience after installing for Android, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, macOS, Chrome OS and Linux. To create PWAs, you can use any architecture: from server-side, vanilla JavaScript, React, Vue, Angular or other client-side frameworks. It can be a single-page application or a multi-page web application and we define how are we going to support users while offline. In this approach, we don’t need to package and sign the resources of our app: we just host the files in a web server and the service worker will be responsible for caching the files in the client and serve them after installation. This also means if an app needs updating, you just change the files on the server and the service worker’s logic will be responsible for updating them on users’ devices without user or app store intervention. In terms of distribution, the most common method is the browser. Users install the app from the browser by using the Add to Home Screen or Install menu item, by accepting an invitation to install or by using a custom web app user interface on compatible platforms. It is worth noting that Apple rejects pure PWAs published in the App Store and encourages web developers to distribute it through Safari. The user interface is purely managed by the web runtime, which means the web designer is responsible for rendering each control on the screen. If you use a UI framework, such as Ionic, or a Material Design library, HTML and CSS will mimic native interfaces on Android or iOS but it’s not mandatory. When doing PWAs, applying web performance techniques is mandatory in order to keep a good user experience. In terms of abilities, a PWA will have access only to APIs available in the browser engine on that platform and it can’t be extended with native code – with the exception of app store PWA distributions. In this matter, iOS and iPadOS are the more limited platforms for PWAs, while Chrome (for Android and desktop OSs) has more availability and is working hard to add every possible API to JavaScript with the Fugu project. React Native Facebook's React Native is JavaScript-based and similar to React.js Strengths of React Native Same patterns as with React.js Some web APIs are exposed Web and desktop support Weaknesses of React Native Can’t reuse web UI components The native bridge needs some work React experience is needed React Native is an open-source JavaScript-based component framework, sponsored by Facebook, that uses React design patterns, as well as JavaScript language to compile native apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android from one source code. But no HTML elements are accepted for rendering; only other native components are valid. Therefore, instead of rendering a <div> with a <p> and a <input> element with JSX, you will be rendering a <View> with a <Text> and a <TextInput>. For styling components, you still use CSS and the layout is defined through Flexbox. The user interface won’t be rendered in a browser’s DOM but using the native user interface libraries on Android and iOS. Therefore, a <Button> in ReactNative will become an instance of UIButton on iOS and the android.widget.Button class on Android; there is no web runtime involved in React Native. However, all the JavaScript code will be executed in a JavaScript virtual machine on-device, so there is no JavaScript to real native code conversion when compiling the app. There is a set of well-known APIs for web developers, such as the Fetch API, WebSockets and the browser’s timers: setInterval and requestAnimationFrame. Other abilities are deployed in the platform through custom APIs, such as animations. You can start a quick React Native project with two free CLIs: Expo or the more advanced and official ReactNative CLI. If you use the official CLI, you also need Android Studio to compile and test the Android app and Xcode to do the same on iOS and iPadOS, so you will need a macOS computer for that platform. React Native compiles native apps for iOS and Android, which means the distribution of your app will follow the same rules as other native apps: app stores for public apps, enterprise distribution and alpha/beta testing. Typically, you can’t distribute an app through a browser, although React Native for Web and Microsoft’s React Native for Windows platforms can help. NativeScript The NativeScript framework works with Angular, VueJS and vanilla JavaScript Strengths of NativeScript Good tools for coding and testing Extensive gallery of apps ready to play with All Android and iOS APIs are exposed in JS Weaknesses of NativeScript Small community Can’t reuse web UI components No web, desktop or React support NativeScript is not as well-known as React Native but it competes in the same field: native iOS and Android apps from JavaScript and web frameworks. It lets you use JavaScript or TypeScript and an XML user interface file to create native apps. It also supports Angular and Vue right out of the box, so it’s a great solution for developers used to these frameworks. The advantages of NativeScript are clearer when you use Angular or Vue. For Angular, you create the same components you are used to but using XML instead of HTML for the template, including all data bindings. In the XML, instead of a <div> with a <p> and an <img>, you will place a <StackLayout> with a <Label> and an <Image> component. CSS and Sass are supported with similar styles to CSS in the browser. Routing and network management are done through implementations of the standard Angular services. For Vue, it’s something similar; you write the template in XML instead of using HTML in the same <template> element in your .vue file. NativeScript includes a collection of components that are then mapped to an Android or iOS native control, so when you render a list or a picker, it will be the native app, using the same idea as in React Native. Your JavaScript or TypeScript code (transpiled) is executed in an on-device JavaScript virtual machine with a bridge to/from the native environment. In that bridge, the entire native APIs from Android or iOS/iPadOS are exposed so despite having access to cross-platform APIs, we can instantiate or call any Java or Objective-C code from JavaScript/TypeScript and NativeScript will marshal data types. NativeScript has great support for tooling, including VS code plugins, the CLI, a hot-reload testing system and a NativeScript playground app, so you don’t need to install all dependencies while testing, as well as several additional services such as an online playground. Finally, NativeScript only compiles an app for Android and iOS that can be installed from official distribution channels and app stores if you comply with their rules, enterprise distribution and alpha/beta testing. Typically there will be no way to distribute apps from a browser and there are no solutions for desktop apps for this platform. 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: A guide to Google's web tools Write HTML code faster 13 of the best JavaScript frameworks to try View the full article

A customer journey map is a visual representation of the different steps a customer goes through to achieve a goal within your company’s website or product. It’s meant to provide insight into what’s going through a customer’s mind as they’re …View the full article

With Instagram font generators, you can customise the text in your Instagram bio, captions and comments. There are several 'font generators' for Instagram (we'll explain those quote marks in a minute) that make it easy to use custom text styles on Instagram, helping you to make your posts stand out from the crowd. To be honest, these services are all pretty similar. But there are some small differences in terms of reliability, usability, cost and the number of ads. So in this post, we've selected our five favourite Instagram font generators. As we explain below, none of these Instagram font generators are exactly perfect. But overall, these are the best we've found online, and as an added bonus, they're all totally free. Once you've found a design you like, head over to our how to change the font in your Instagram bio article for full details on how to customise your grid. How they work (and why they sometimes don't) Want to use wacky text styles like these on your Insta? Then read on... All the tools on this list work in more or less the same way: You type in your text and change the text style it's set in You open the Instagram app You cut and paste your customised text into your bio, caption and/or comment Simple, right? Unfortunately, nothing's ever simple on the internet, and in practice, this process doesn't always work. That's because, despite being called "font generators", you're not actually generating fonts at all, but a special kind of symbol that's part of a system called Unicode. In theory, Unicode should work perfectly in every browser and on every device, but in reality it just doesn't; not yet anyway. And so depending on what OS and hardware you're using, your text may not show up as it's supposed to, and just appear as blank squares. When the device or browser doesn't play nicely with the Unicode, you get a lot of blank squares where the text should be Where this happens, there's not really much you can do to be frank, other than look at the text styles that have rendered correctly, and choose between those. Also note that all of these fonts can also be problematic for those using screen readers, so make sure you consider this. With all that in mind, then, we now present our favourite font generators for Instagram. (Just please don't blame us if they don't work on your system!). 01. Meta Tags Font Generator Get a feel for your new Insta font with a live preview Meta Tags Font Generator is superior to the other Instagram font generators in this post because it allows you to preview what your new font will actually look like in Instagram by mocking it up on a profile. With the other generators, you have to copy and paste the font you want over to Instagram and click save, and then you only get to see what your new shiny font looks like on your profile once it's live. With the Meta Tags Font Generator, you can preview how your font will look in Instagram or Twitter without having to touch either profile. Once you've got the look you want, you just click 'copy' and then you can paste the whole thing over to your social media profile. There are also quite a few Instagram font options, including some with stars and other such excitement. So there's plenty to choose from. We'd say if you want an Instagram font generator, you'd be wise to start here. 02. Instagram Fonts Type or paste your chosen words into Instagram Fonts, and it will render it in a range of fun text styles Instagram Fonts is our second favourite font generator for Instagram, because it does one thing, and it does it well. The interface is clean and easy to follow, and when we tested it out on both phone and laptop, there was zero lag. You simply type or paste your text into the first text box you see, and then scroll down to see your words rendered in a variety of crazy looking text styles. If you find one you like, you can then paste it into your bio, caption or comment on Instagram. The site sets your words in a variety of text styles, quickly and easily If you don't see anything you like, just click the 'load more fonts' button at the bottom and you'll get more (although don't get too excited, as these are essentially variations on a theme). Beneath all this are some ads. Then below that is a detailed summary of how the Unicode system works, which is very interesting. Don't worry, though: this is purely background information, and you don't need to read it to use the tool. 03. Instagram Fonts Generator Don't try to delete the placeholder text – you can't – just start typing or pasting Number two on our list, Instagram Fonts Generator, works in exactly the same way as the entry above. You type or paste your words into the first text box, and then scroll down to see them cast in a variety of styles, ready for pasting into Instagram. The main difference here is that there are a ton of emojis at the bottom of the page, which you can also add to your text, should you feel the need. This font generator for Instagram comes with added emojis (copy and paste to use them, you can't just click) On the minus side, we found it the act of pasting in our text to be a bit unintuitive and clunky. Specifically, we assumed that we needed to highlight the bold placeholder text and replace it with our own. In fact, you just start typing and the placeholder text disappears; but it took a bit of fiddling for us to work that out. 04. Fonts for Instagram by LingoJam This font generator shows the new and old text side-by-side Fonts for Instagram by LingoJam is another similar tool, the main difference here is a nicer interface, particularly the way the new text appears to the right of the original text, rather than below it. Its creator is clearly keen to improve it further, as there's a suggestion box at the bottom, as well as a facility for comments. A shame then, that most of these comments are just "please follow my Instagram account" and this section could do with a bit of pruning. There are quite a few ads too, but on the whole this site delivers if you're looking to create some cool text for your Instagram. 05. Try Fonts Online Neither fun nor attractive, but it does work Sprezz Keyboard is an iOS app for creating custom keyboard themes and fonts for iOS 8, largely through in-app purchases. But on the site promoting it, Sprezz, there's also a font generator that's free to use within your browser. It's a bit fiddly, and not a particularly fun or attractive visual experience to be honest. But hey, if all the other sites on this list are down or broken for some reason, then this one will at least get the job done. You simply scroll down the page to 'Try Fonts Online', click on the placeholder text, and type or paste your chosen word. They will then appear in a variety of styles below, which you can copy and paste into Instagram. Related articles: How to hack the Instagram algorithm A designer's guide to Instagram Stories The best free fonts for designers View the full article

The internet has gone wild over President Trump's 'Star Trek' redesign of the Space Force logo, which was unveiled on Friday 24 January. Framed as a hilarious rip off of the fictional Starfleet's logo, the logo is extraordinarily similar to that found on the uniforms of the Starfleet personnel. But is it really that simple? We're somewhat disappointed to point out the logo redesign (see here for some of the best logo design out there) may not be as ridiculous as we want to believe it is. Or at least, it looks as if Trump wasn't the one to first emulate the Star Trek logo, anyway. John Noonan tweeted the above just after the Space Force furore began, alerting the Twittersphere to the fact that the logo already looked a lot like the Starfleet Command one. The emblem is the same as it has been since 1982, the starry background is reminiscent of the original, and there are still loops circling the emblem. The reduction of the number of loops from four to one definitely emulates the design of the Starfleet logo, that's for sure. But there's more precedent to this design in the history of U.S. space branding, which may let the current incarnation off the hook. U.S. Space Department logo comparison This image (taken from this SlashGear article which examines the origins of the various logo incarnations in more detail) shows that the single loop is a proud part of the NASA logo. And different numbers of loops can be found in all of the U.S. Space Command insignia dating back to 1985. And the circling typography is also in the Space Command insignia, though the font and placement is definitely more Star Trek than it has been previously (which does make a big impact). Space Command logo comparison So who copied who? Well, the Starfleet Command logo was actually first found in... drumroll please... 1996. In fact, according to Ex Astris Scientia, the Star Trek Sticker book contains an inscription from Mike Okuda (a notorious graphic designer who worked on Star Trek and created the insignia) that states: "The Starfleet Command seal was first seen 'Homefront' (DS9) and later in 'In the Flesh' (VGR), although the agency itself, of course, dates back to the original Star Trek series. The symbol was intended to be somewhat reminiscent of the NASA emblem." The US government branding existed first, and Star Trek emulated it intentionally. However, the current Space Fleet incarnation is clearly the most like the Star Trek insignia out of all the previous versions, and it could definitely be argued that Trump and his team should have noticed and avoided derision by shaking up the branding. The design definitely takes the specific parts of the previous logos and puts them together in a decidedly Star Trek-like fashion. Maybe it's a deliberate branding decision (note: the government says it isn't). Playing with the connotations of futuristic space travel, plus enhancing a link between popular culture and the government is sure to invoke strong feeling from the public – whether positive or negative. In either case, it's one of those controversial branding moments that's got people talking – and just before an election, too. Read more: Has branding become boring? Where to find logo design inspiration Designers give iconic logos a radical makeover View the full article

Louis Vuitton's latest collection is a glorious homage to sci-fi and horror books and films of the '70s. The fashion house has drawn on some mega stars to model for its Pre-Fall collection, including the likes of Jaden Smith, Sophie Turner, Robyn and Chloe Grace Moretz. (If you didn't know that 'Pre-Fall' was a season, you're not alone.) To create the campaign, Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière photographed the stars in the new clothes, and then created made-up B movies or sci-fi or horror book covers around them. The results manage to be gloriously chic and modern, yet with a real retro edge. They may even be up there with some of the best poster designs ever made. Oh, and the clothes look good too. Fancy creating something similar? See our roundup of the best free retro fonts. And if you think that some of the images have a dreamlike quality about them, you wouldn't be far off. According to Vogue, Robyn's cover was inspired by a dream she had where she meets a talking tiger. That became The Night Chaser. The quirky campaign seems to be part of a trend for major fashion houses pushing the boat out with their collection campaigns. Earlier in the month, Gucci caused a major stir when it unveiled a bizarre new logo to promote its Fall Winter 2020 Men’s Collection. Swedish pop star Robyn's poster was inspired by a dream she had What's particularly interesting about Louis Vuitton's campaign is that it was the idea, rather than the clothes, that came first. "William Peter Blatty, who wrote The Exorcist, gave us the rights to print the cover of the book. It started there," Ghesquière told American Vogue. "It’s such a great symbol for me to use a fiction and incorporate it into an outfit. I thought, what’s the reverse? To use the fiction as the illustration of the fashion. It’s a kind of a mirror effect in this action of representing them all in these different characters." We think this is a stunning example of how effective use of character design and illustration can enhance a campaign. See our character design tips for more on creating your own worlds. Read more: Is this the defining movie poster trend of the decade? Hilarious parody posters reveal the truth behind Oscar-nominated movies 5 brilliant brand collaborations (and what you can learn from them) View the full article

If you missed all the early January sales, never fear. Adobe has launched an amazing late January Creative Cloud deal, shaving an impressive 20% off its top apps for users living in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The price reduction applies to image editing favourite Photoshop, vector graphics editor Illustrator, web development tool Dreamweaver, desktop publishing app InDesign, motion graphics software After Effects and video editing powerhouse Premiere Pro. Usually £19.97 / €23.99, this mega deal means you can now get hold of them for just £16.18 / €19.19 each, per month. But you'll need to be quick, this is a four-day-only offer, ending today at 11pm GMT (Monday 27 January). If you're not in EMEA regions, be sure to check out our dedicated Adobe Creative Cloud discount page for the best deals in your area. All of Adobe's apps are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly – whether you’re out and about or in the studio. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. Need the whole suite of Adobe apps? Here are the best Creative Cloud deals in your area: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

The flaw could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to enter a password-protected video conference meeting. View the full article

Modern web hosting companies are generally more reliable than they used to be. Gone are the days when uptime was the only deciding factor in choosing a host. Today it takes something special to stand out. 20i is a UK web hosting company that’s rapidly becoming the go-to choice for those whose business is the web. Its Reseller Hosting product is ideal for freelancers and agencies – users can host an unlimited number of websites, which can be a great way to add extra value to the business. 20i was created by Jonathan and Tim Brealey, the original founders of Webfusion, 123-reg and Heart Internet. Their vision is clear: “With 20i we wanted to create a hosting package focused on the web professional; those with a large number of websites to host. They might be designers, developers, agencies or those wishing to start a web hosting company. We understand these people, and it’s our ambition to give them better value than any alternative.” Using their experience in the industry, Jonathan, Tim and the team are succeeding in that ambition: 10,000 websites move to 20i every month. Jonathan and Tim Brealey's vision was to create a hosting package focused on the web professional What makes 20i so special? Key to 20i's success is the talent Tim and Jonathan Brealey employ. By developing their own platform instead of relying on off-the-shelf software, they can include features and optimisations you can't find anywhere else. A good example is 20i's new free CDN. As you’d expect, it gives you global edge caching that increases loading speeds wherever you are. It also includes a sophisticated web acceleration suite, which optimises all your content, from images to code – a feature you'd need to pay for with many other providers. My20i is an exclusive, free-forever hosting control panel focused around making bulk site management easy 20i's hosting is managed through My20i – an exclusive, free-forever hosting control panel focused around making bulk site management easy. Resellers’ clients can be given access to a highly customisable control panel, StackCP, through which they can manage their own hosting. By ‘white-labelling’ all its products, 20i gives businesses the freedom to keep their branding consistent across the hosting services they offer. The 20i team can develop new features quickly, and include them for free. For example, in 2019, they released HostShop, which automates most of the routine tasks involved in running a web hosting business. Another example is WordPress Tools, which not only provides one-click WordPress staging, but also enables users to control many WP functions from the hosting control panel. Lightning-fast reseller hosting It isn’t just the ‘extra value’ features that are important to 20i. Its core product – lightning fast, super-reliable shared hosting – is where 20i really shines. Instead of relying on outdated software, 20i offers a unique autoscaling platform that means busy websites aren't confined to single servers. This gives busy sites access to 20i's full hardware estate; as many high-spec servers as the site needs. It ensures busy sites stay fast, and don’t affect other sites on the shared platform. 20i's innovations ensure lightning fast, super-reliable shared hosting Late last year, 20i developers saw an opportunity to further improve performance for their clients. By writing their own PHP-FPM and OPcache code they were able to improve on existing commercially available options. While other solutions will apply limits on cores, memory, bandwidth and processes, 20i's code achieves this without imposing any such restrictions. It gives further credence to 20i's promise of ‘truly unlimited hosting’. Making the switch Switching to 20i is a breeze, thanks to the service's automatic Migration Centre for resellers. Just enter your current hosting credentials, and all your site files, databases and emails are transferred over – no fuss. “People are always pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to move over to us," says customer services manager Austin Brealey (20i is a family firm!). "While our support team is always there to help with any concerns, it’s a quick, simple automatic migration, without any downtime.” This support is another way that 20i is different. Instead of going for remote or outsourced options, the whole support team is based at 20i's HQ in Nottinghamshire, where they have direct access to the developers working on the product. "This means that solutions to customer problems can be found quickly, and if necessary, we can apply updates immediately,” adds Austin. From 20i's reviews, this strategy seems to be working: its Trustpilot score is a perfect 5.0 out of 5.0. You can trial all of 20i’s Reseller Hosting features for just £1 for your first month, at 20i.com. View the full article

The graphics card world (yes, that's a thing) is currently all in a flurry. That's because the battle between AMD and Nvidia, the big players behind basically all the best graphics cards, is heating up. AMD is rumoured to be testing the 'Big Navi' GPU, nicknamed the Nvidia killer. This supercharged graphics card is expected to come out in 2020, as confirmed by AMD's CEO Lisa Su at this year's CES. The latest rumours are suggesting there won't be that long to wait either, as it may launch at Computex in June. Why is the Big Navi so special? Well, according to rumours spotted on the Chiphell forums and reported by our sister site TechRadar, the Big Navi (aka Navi 21 GPU, or maybe the Radeon RX 5950) will run on a completely new form of architecture, compared to previous cards. This new RDNA2 architecture will have 80 CUs (complete units) – that's 5,120 stream processors. This could (emphasis on the 'could') make it doubly as good as AMD's RX 5700, which has 40 CUs. It is also rumoured to feature hardware support for ray tracing, making it the first of AMD's cards to do so. Other rumoured features (according to WePC) include variable-rate shading, mixed-precision compute improvement, better caches, higher instructions per clock and advanced voltage regulation. Which all adds up to a pretty sexy sounding card, if it works, of course. We'll assume that's what the testing stage is for. And if the rumours are to be believed, this means AMD's new card will be in a strong position to fight off the competition from big rival Nvidia. This new super graphics card could end up being 30 per cent faster than Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (number one in our best graphics card roundup), so the nickname Nvidia killer may well be appropriate. However, Nvidia is also set to release its own super-charged consumer graphic card at some point in 2020, too. And these Ampere GPUs are expected to be, well, AMD killers. It's a hard one to call, at the moment. So while we're only working on rumours, and AMD is testing its Big Navi, we'll reserve judgment until we can fully test these new GPUs. In the meantime, we'll settle for twiddling our thumbs and buying ourselves one of the best laptops for graphic design, instead. Read more: Why graphics cards matter and how to pick the right one for your needs The best computer for graphic design in 2020 iPhone 12: Surprising design decision revealed View the full article