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The logo for the Paris 2024 Olympics has been revealed, and it's made up of three symbols that will be familiar to most. There's the olympic rings, naturally, there's the Olympic flame, and then there's Marianne, who represents France. And these three symbols have come together in a logo that plays cleverly with negative space. Look at the logo design one way, and you get a flame, that basically looks like it has lips. So, a hot flame. And look at it the other way and you get a woman with a bob and some lips, so, a hot woman. Oh là là. The gold design (apart from representing gold medals), custom-designed typeface and Art Deco styling is a nod to the last time Paris hosted the games, in 1924. "Its pure, understated lines and its original typeface take their inspiration from Art Deco, the first complete artistic movement, which reached its height at the 1924 Games in Paris," says a statement announcing the logo. For the first time in Olympic history, this symbol will be used for both the Olympics and the Paralympics, the only difference will be the Olympic gold rings or the Paralympic agitos, which are underneath the logo. The Paris 2024 website says that "The Olympic and Paralympic Games represent two halves of the same project, symbolised by a single emblem and a shared vision that sport changes lives." This seems like a good idea to us, why have two lots of logos when you could have one? So... what do we think? Honestly? We're not sure quite yet. The Paris 2024 website has some examples of the logo and typeface in context, and like most logos, it looks much better in use than it does in isolation (see our guide to logo design), and there are lots of nice uses for the typeface that make it look even better. Although confusingly, in the video below, there's a capital 'I' instead of the lowercase one used in the logo. And we're sorry to say it, but we can't help but think it looks like either a) the Tinder app logo, aka a sexy flame b) a condom packet or c) a hair salon logo. There's nothing about it that makes us want to jump off the sofa/out of bed/away from our screen to do the javelin or the long jump or pursue some other Olympic dream. Does it make us want to go to Paris? Maybe. But we already like visiting Paris. Here are some more reactions from the web. Read more: Tokyo 2020 strikes gold with its recycled Olympic medals Is the Tokyo 2020 logo better than the official design? The surprising story behind the Joker logo View the full article

It looks like Photoshop isn't going to be the only big Adobe CC tool to expand onto the iPad. According to Bloomberg, Adobe plans to preview an iPad version of its vector graphics editor, Illustrator, at its upcoming Adobe MAX 2019 conference. Given that a "real Photoshop" for the iPad has been in the works for a while, it's no surprise to hear that Illustrator is said to arrive on the iPad some time in 2020. And it's good news for Apple users because according to the Bloomberg report, Illustrator for iPad will "mirror many of the features from the desktop version". So if you've been tempted by our best cheap iPad deals in 2019 but you've been on the fence, this could be the incentive you need to click 'add to basket'. Get Adobe Creative Cloud now This tactic of bringing a desktop application over to the Apple tablet is exactly what Adobe said it was going to do with Photoshop, which is currently in beta for the iPad. However Bloomberg also reported that key features and functions were missing from Photoshop for iPad, prompting Adobe's chief product officer of Creative Cloud, Scott Belsky, to reveal that it intended to "expand the capabilities" over time. So can we expect the same gradual introduction of Illustrator for the iPad? An Adobe spokeswoman remained tight-lipped, telling Bloomberg: "We have nothing new to share at this time." This doesn't mean that Adobe isn't taking the migration to iPad seriously though. According to the well-connected Daring Fireball's John Gruber, Adobe is "all-in" for Photoshop and other Creative Cloud tools on iPad. Just don't expect everything all at once. Adobe MAX runs from 2-6 November in LA, and we'll be bringing you all the updates as and when they happen. Relates articles: This adorable ghost illustration is breaking Twitter 13 best Adobe Illustrator plugins 2019 The 10 best alternatives to Photoshop View the full article

No one ever said that working in a creative profession was easy. For every commission that you absolutely smash out of the park, you're guaranteed to have at least one where you spend ages staring at a blank sheet of paper – or its digital equivalent – with the ideas obstinately refusing to flow. Whether you're a freelancer or an art director it's all too easy to get slapped by creative block, and it's good to have some inspiration to hand in order to kick start your creative processes when nothing's happening. And now thanks to Adobe you can get a little creative boost by simply shouting at Alexa. The Adobe Inspiration Engine is a free Alexa Skill that's designed to help anyone out of a creative rut. If you have an Amazon Echo, Echo Show, Fire TV Stick or the Amazon Alexa app, you can simply say, "Hey Alexa, open the Adobe Inspiration Engine," to get a quick shot of creative juice. How to come up with ideas Get some instant visual inspiration from Behance There are four main parts to the Inspiration Engine; the first, Quick Insight, aims to fire you up with an insightful quote from a leading creative mind, with the likes of Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Walsh and Pascal Campion on hand to dole out bite-sized chunks of wisdom. If you need something a bit more practical there are also exercises in which influencers such as Elise Swopes will take you through activities designed to help get the creative gears turning. And if you need a bit of insight into what kind of creative you actually are, whether it's a Thinker, a Visionary, a Dreamer or something else entirely, you can take the My Creative Type quiz to find out how your mind works. And if your Alexa device has a screen you can simply get some Visual Inspiration, which serves up a gallery of inspiring imagery from Behance. The Adobe Inspiration Engine was prototyped using Adobe XD (you can check out the prototype here), and it's available now in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for free. To install it from the Alexa Skill Store, just say, "Hey Alexa, enable the Adobe Inspiration Engine." Alternatively you can find it here. Don't have Alexa? Check these deals: Related articles: 5 ingredients of a killer idea Drawing ideas: No more staring at a blank canvas Illustrators reveal who inspired them to draw View the full article

You're reading Showcase of Creative Websites and Tips to Design Unique Ones for Your Clients, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! The global market continues to expand. That should mean more business for web designers, and for you. But, as with many good things, there’s a catch. The new clients are out there. More of them than ever. That’s the good … View the full article

Microsoft has been pretty busy recently, launching a number of exciting, shiny new products, including the new Surface Laptop 3. Available today, the device offers an impressive balance of performance and portability, with Intel’s recently-launched Ice Lake processors under the hood. With this latest update, Microsoft is clearly looking to position the Surface Laptop 3 ahead of the competition, arming it with specs equal to (and maybe even slightly better than) that of Apple's MacBook Air. But is it enough to make creatives consider a total switch? In our opinion, the short answer is a big yes. The smaller Surface Laptop 3 with a 13.5-inch screen, Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and a 128GB SSD will set you back $999. The similarly-specced MacBook Air, which features a slightly less powerful Core i5 processor and a screen size that is 0.2 inches smaller, costs $100 more at $1,099. But surely the Air has portability on its side, right? Well, the answer is yes, but only just. Both machines are just 0.6 inches thick, with the Surface Laptop 3 barely five grams heavier than its rival. When it comes to connectivity, the Surface Laptop 3 also outweighs the Air's two Thunderbolt 3 ports and headphone jack, with a USB-C port, USB-A input, a Surface Connect port and a headphone/mic jack. Add all of that up and it's hard to see why anyone would opt for a MacBook Air when the Surface Laptop 3 has almost identical features for $100 less. Okay, so there's the whole operating system question, and naturally there's an army of loyal Apple fans out there who will never be swayed. But for those looking for an equally powerful and slightly cheaper MacBook Air alternative, the Surface Laptop 3 looks to be a very worthy contender. If you want a slightly bigger laptop to work on, you can currently get a great deals on the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 at Best Buy, more details of which you can find below. If you're looking other devices in the Surface range, be sure to bookmark our dedicated Surface Pro Black Friday deals articles, which we will update with all the best offers as they arrive. Not in the US? Below you'll find the best prices on the new Surface Laptop 3 and MacBook Air in your area: View the full article

A bit of illustration can be an excellent way to enliven a design and bring a bit of humanity to it, particularly when it comes to web design. It's hard to spend any time on the web without coming across a collection of illustrated cartoon figures promoting a new startup; it's one of those hot web design trends that's not going away. If you want to incorporate illustration into your designs but don't know how to draw or where to start, here's a brilliant solution from Pablo Stanley. He's created a library of hand-drawn illustrations called Open Doodles, and he's released them for free under a Creative Commons licence so that you can use them in any way you wish. How to tell a story with your illustrations Open Doodles are free to use, copy, edit, remix, share, anything Stanley's a big advocate of open design; he explains that when he was young and wanted to get into digital design he had no money, so had to pirate software and steal CDs from tech magazines in order to learn his skills – at least, until he got caught. "I now offer my stuff for free," he says, "because I know other people are equally eager to learn and are looking for guidance, anywhere they can. I hope that opening my work helps them grow, get better at their craft, and make their parents proud." They may be free, but Stanley's Open Doodles don't compromise on quality. Rather than simply release his illustration as a set of static PNGs, he's making the actual source files available for download, so that you can check the layers and see how everything fits together, as well as getting a glimpse of his untidy process. "The opportunities to improve, build on top of, fix, and reinvent are yours to discover," he says. Use the generator to quickly set up your own colour scheme While some of the Open Doodles are scans of hand-drawn sketches, most are illustrations that were drawn on an iPad in Procreate, vectorised in Illustrator and then made into a library with global styles in Sketch before being exported as both SVG and PNG. As well as the downloadable images, Stanley has also built an Open Doodles Generator along with developer Fang-Pen Lin. This provides a straightforward interface that enables you to change the colours of the ink, accent and background for the illustrations, and then download a custom illustration pack in your chosen palette. There's also a set of ready-made compositions to make life even easier, as well as a gallery of example landing pages demonstrating how these illustrations can be put to work online. There's even an inspiring gallery to give you ideas on how to use the illustrations Under the CC0 license you're free to copy, edit, remix, share, or redraw the Open Doodles images for any purpose, without restriction. Stanley hopes that this will encourage other designers to create their own kits and share them with the world, and that Open Doodles will make it easer for designers to show the value of illustration in mockups. And while he's making his illustrations available for free, he also hopes that designers will use them as placeholders before going on to hire actual illustrators to help to help tell their stories; he even provides a set of useful links. To find out more and grab your own free illustrations, hit the Open Doodles site. Related articles: The illustrator hotlist 2019 How to move from animation to illustration 6 websites that use illustration brilliantly View the full article

Creating believable computer generated trees has always been a difficult challenge for 3D artists; as with all things in nature, no two trees are the same, and traditional cloning techniques do not lend themselves easily to natural creation. To create impressive 3D art that features realistic foliage, you either need a lot of time and talent or a quality software solution. Enter the award-winning SpeedTree. With this application, an artist can create a bespoke series of trees of any size, either through the supplied templates or entirely from scratch, with full control over every aspect of the creation and position of every element, from trunk to leaf. The products within SpeedTree vary from modelling to plugins, which work with digital content creation applications to create instances throughout a scene. The core application for CGI creation is SpeedTree Cinema. In SpeedTree Cinema all the tools are available for bespoke tree mesh creation with a full PBR texture workflow, and a wide range of export options to allow a tree to work with practically any of the best 3D modelling software. SpeedTree accommodates different geometry levels for leaves and branches dependant on distance or use, and just like the branches, leaves can be modified and given features such as twist and curls. With easy exporting to a wide range of software and render solutions, SpeedTree is the easiest way to make lots of bespoke trees very quickly. This is greatly enhanced with the addition of the SpeedTree Library, which allows the searching of many types of foliage for quick placement or as a starting point for custom plant life. Create your own realistic 3D trees with this easy-to-follow guide... 9 of the best free 3D apps 24 free 3D models 3D sculpting: How to sculpt with style View the full article

You're reading Best Practices for Thanksgiving Email Newsletters with Examples, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! The greatest mistake of retailers is to think that Thanksgiving email newsletters are not worth their attention, betting everything on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Without a doubt, the holiday season is crucially important. And Turkey Day is one of … View the full article

Getting an iPhone skin is a great way to protect your precious device from unexpected mishaps, but someone always has to go too far, right? This creepy skin not only looks like freshly-flayed human flesh, but it's designed to be pinched, stroked and tickled in order to provide more human interactions. As reported in New Scientist, this weird piece of experimental design is the brainchild of HCI researcher and interaction designer Marc Teyssier and a team of researchers working at the Bristol Interaction Group. Teyssier notes that when we interact with others, we use their skin as interfaces – we're not entirely sure we agree with that premise – and the Skin-On Interfaces project is all about adding sensitive skin-like input methods to electronic devices. Apple Black Friday deals: What to expect in 2019 For this Teyssier and his team have developed an unsettlingly realistic artificial skin that works in a similar way to real human skin, and it looks like an impressive piece of work. It's described as looking and feeling just like human skin, and it can sense not only multitouch gestures drawn across the surface, but also more complex manipulations such as stretching or grabbing. The Skin-On Interface is layered like human skin The engineering element of it seems impeccable; the Skin-On Interface is layered in a similar way to human skin and definitely looks the part. And if the idea of fondling a hunk of ultra-realistic artificial flesh is just too gross for you to comprehend, they've produced a simple version that works just the same but doesn't look like it's been grafted onto your device from a human donor. The team envisages the Skin-On Interface as being about more than interacting with your phone; they also see it being used on trackpads, smart watch straps and robots. Yeah, we can see where this is going. No. No. Just no. We absolutely love the science behind all this, and we're always excited about new ways of interacting with devices – remember that a little over ten years ago, the idea of using a smartphone exclusively through a touch-screen seemed pretty unworkable, until Apple went ahead and did it anyway. This, though, feels to us like one of those situations where they asked themselves if they could do something, without bothering to ask themselves whether they should. And while we don't doubt the team's motives, we reckon it's a pretty big ask to expect people to want to interact through an ultra-realistic human skin-like interface, no matter how sophisticated it is. We dig the science, but the results just make us feel a bit queasy We're deep into the uncanny valley here, specifically the Cronenberg nightmare region. There are, we're sure, plenty of applications for realistic skin like this – most of them in medicine – but using it as an interface for your phone probably isn't one of them. If you want to know more – and we just know that you can't resist – there are plenty of details over at Marc Teyssier's site. Related articles: 3 ways touch is going to change design forever How to design invisible interfaces The 10 most iconic user interfaces in movie history View the full article

Signed up for Adobe Stock, but not used it in a while? Then it’s well worth taking another look! The world-class image and video stock provider doesn’t stay still for long, and is always adding exciting new features and resources to its offering. To give you a taster, we've rounded up 10 of our favourite additions to Adobe Stock across the last 12 months. Meanwhile, if you’re new to Adobe Stock, then here's a great offer. Try Adobe Stock free for a month and get 10 standard assets with your free 30-day trial! 01. Free Illustrator templates Floral Overprint Effect Flyers Set by by Medialoot Adobe Stock is not only free to join, but it’s packed full with free resources too. (To get the full skinny, read our article How to use Adobe Stock images in your designs for free). And news freeblies are being added to Adobe Stock all the time. For instance, if you’re an Illustrator user, you’ll want to check out these five new Illustrator templates; all new for 2019, and all new to download. They will help you design beautiful flyers, resumes, infographics, brochures and social media layouts with the minimum of effort, without costing you a penny. 02. Free Valentine’s Day templates Valentine’s Day Handcrafted Social Media Set by Wavebreak Media Time marches on, and suddenly 14 February 2020 doesn't seem so far away. So it’s a great time to check out this set of free Valentine's templates released this year for Photoshop and Illustrator, each designed to promote a brand or service on social media for the Valentine’s season. 03. Day of the Dead templates Día de los Muertos Paper Cutout Flyer Set by Roverto Castillo. There are plenty more free templates on Adobe Stock for designers, and here's another amazing set added in 2019. Earlier this year Adobe Stock worked with artist Roverto Hartasanchez Castillo, on a new set of Photoshop and Illustrator templates to celebrate Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead. Find out how they were created, and how to download them, here . 04. Free NASA 3D models Just some of the free NASA 3D models on Adobe Stock 3D artists shouldn't feel left out: Adobe Stock has some great freebies for them too. Last autumn, for example, Adobe Stock 3D teamed up with Dimension CC to offer users a range of stunning space models to use in their projects. These include a gallery of free, hyperreal 3D models originally created by NASA and its contributors and optimised by the Adobe Stock 3D team. You’ll find more details of, and links to, the new 3D models here. 05. GoPro content Just some of the GoPro video clips available on Adobe Stock Another recent addition to Adobe Stock's content has been a new partnership with GoPro. Creatives now have access to thousands of curated GoPro video clips for inspiration and use in their projects – available right within your Creative Cloud applications. The brand-new, exclusive library of GoPro content can help you tell your story with immersive POV footage, dramatic landscapes, aerial and underwater scenes, including rare content captured from places that only GoPro HERO cameras can go. Check out what’s on offer here. 06. Find Similar controls "Find Similar" colour controls being used on Adobe Stock Perhaps the biggest news for Adobe Stock users over the last 12 months has been the upgraded search facility, powered by Adobe’s AI technology, Adobe Sensei. These are designed to help you find the perfect asset, faster than ever before. One of the new features are the Find Similar controls, which enables you to focus specific aspects of image similarity, such as colour, content, or composition, in your search. You can either search by text or image. If you have a reference image, drag and drop to kick-start your search, then refine it with the Find Similar controls to find the perfect image for your project. 07. Copy Space filter Copy space feature in use on Adobe Stock In addition to Find Similar Controls, Adobe has launched a new search filter for Copy Space. This can potentially save designers a lot of time and effort, by allowing you to quickly and easily find images that feature enough room to add text - without compromising on legibility. Learn how to use the feature here. 08. Premiere Rush templates Motion graphics templates in Premiere Rush Until recently, motion graphics templates were available on Adobe Stock for Premiere Pro users only. Now, however, Premiere Rush users can also find suitable templates, allowing you to add polished transitions, titles, and more to your videos. Read this article to learn more about motion graphics templates and how to access them directly within Premiere Rush. 09. Video loops Just some of the video loops now on Adobe Stock Another recent addition to Adobe Stock, video loops are lightweight files that are ideal for presentations, web pages, and online campaigns. To see what’s on offer, go to Adobe Stock, click the Videos tab in the navigation bar, and from there, search for “video loops.” And to learn how to use video loops to bring your presentations to life, check out this tutorial. 10. New contributor bonus Adobe Stock recently announced a special bonus for contributors that have more than 300 accepted assets between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019. In addition to any royalty payments, they’re received a one-year subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan featuring both Lightroom and Lightroom Classic as well as the latest version of Photoshop. That’s good news for those contributors, of course, but also to the rest of us. Because by treating its contributors well, Adobe Stock is continuing to ensure it has the best and most professional images, videos and templates on its site. We can’t wait to see what else will be added to Adobe Stock over the next 12 months! View the full article

Designers with creative resumés may find they stay one step ahead of the rest in this fiercely competitive industry. Though most creatives will have a killer design portfolio, with so much talent around it's worth pushing your creativity even further. Unusual creative strategies will help you to get noticed, and they can be used to give your resumé an edge in the hunt for employment. If you're in need of some inspiration for your own CV, here are some of the best creative resumés out there to get your creative juices flowing. If you just want a starting point rather than creating the whole thing from scratch, then check out our free resume templates post. And once you've made your creative resume all sparkly and new, head over to our brilliant design jobs board to find your next career challenge. 01. Rikhard Hormia The attention to detail in this resumé package speaks volumes Designer Rikhard Hormia, based in Helsinki, created this Portfolio Mailer so he would have something to carry with him when he went to job interviews – "a small and neat way of presenting what I am all about", he says. The package contains a business card, a CV and a laser-engraved USB stick containing selected works from his portfolio. It's a beautifully put together package, with some great attention to detail such as the vector image of Hormia's face and the well-thought out typography. 02. Kenny Barela This resumé pairs sharp copywriting with sleek design This one's an oldie but a goodie. Back in 2010, designer Kenny Barela put together this self-promotion package to attract potential clients when he moved to a new city. Containing a screenprinted T-shirt, infographic, and a cover letter showing off his sharp copywriting skills, this tube bundle demonstrates both his creative skills and his sense of humour. All his hard work paid off big time. The hand-delivered or mailed package lead to Barela being hired as an art director at Motive, plus it was honoured as the Best of Show winner in the 2010 HOW Promotion Design Awards. We wonder if in the future he'll update this resumé to include its fantastic performance... 03. Vidar Olufsen Møller Pssst, this resumé's top secret... Keep this to yourself, right, but freelance graphic designer Vidar Olufsen Møller designed a creative resume that looks like a 'Top Secret' report. Just like Barela, Møller put this package together when he settled in a new city and had to start drumming up clients. After a phone call with a design studio who said they would file him for later, Møller couldn't get the idea of old and dusty filing cabinets out of his head. This lead to the creation of his brown folder resume that looks like it should be exchanged in a car park by a pair of shifty looking spies wearing trench coats. Inside you'll find a CV booklet, documents that look like they've been filled out with a typewriter, and even Møller's fingerprints. In a nice final touch, everything is held in place with paperclips. 04. Victor Rodriguez This cereal-themed resume is high in fibre and work history details Colombian art director and designer Victor Rodriguez, also known as Vimarovi, has an appreciation for lots of different aspects of graphic design, including corporate identity, packaging and product design. So what better way to showcase all these interests than with a resumé that brings together all these elements? That's just what Rodriguez has done with the innovative VICK cereal box. Designed to look like an everyday cereal box, this CV humorously weaves his work history and creative skills into the design. Instead of ingredients, hungry clients will find information about his personality, strengths and previous employment, and if anyone needed any proof of Rodriguez's claims, the packaging speaks for itself. 05. Andy Morris Andy Morris thought small when it came to his new CV Art director, artist and designer Andy Morris caught the design industry's attention for all the right reasons with this fantastically creative resumé. Rather than sticking with the traditional paper design portfolio, Morris commissioned a LEGO minifigure in his own likeness, complete with a tiny laptop in one hand and a mini-CV in the other. To update prospective clients with the information they need, the packaging features a bitesized run-down of Morris' skills, plus contact details. 06. Pierre-Marie Postel Postel's impressive CV shows off his illustration style Graphic designer and illustrator Pierre-Marie Postel – also known as Paiheme – decided to use his CV to show off exactly what he's best at. His creative resumé displays his impressive illustration style, and mimics a Japanese print advert. It's not style at the expense of substance, however – this CV includes plenty of key information, plus some quirky additions such as character designs to show off Postel's personality. The monochrome colour palette ensures it doesn't become overwhelming. 07. Brennan Gleason Brennan Gleason decided to combine two passions Interaction designer Brennan Gleason was nearing the end of university and needed to get his name known by potential employers. To do so in style, he brewed up a batch of blonde ale, packaged it up in a neat cardboard carrier, and printed his CV on the back. The idea being that prospective employers could sit down for a quick drink and peruse Gleason's design skills at the same time. 08. Curriculum 3D Benjamin Benhaim's 3D CV really stands out Inspired by this great-looking flat CV from Jimmy Raheriarisoa, Paris-based art director and motion designer Benjamin Benhaim set to work and made this stunning 3D rendered resumé. Created using Cinema 4D, Octane and After Effects, it covers all the bases and features plenty of playful touches, and each image took around seven minutes to render. Time well spent! 09. Robynne Redgrave You'd be all over this if it turned up in the post This portfolio mail package created by Robynne Redgrave, a Canadian graphic designer based in Helsinki, is a real attention-grabber. It contains not only her CV but a whole load of stuff including a hand-bound portfolio book, a letter of intent, application form and certificates. 10. Robby Leonardi Robby Leonardi's interactive CV caused a real stir when he launched it Robby Leonardi is a multidisciplinary designer based in New York City. Specialising in illustration, graphic design, animation, and front end development, he has worked with the likes of Fox, Speed TV, FX Networks, myNetworkTV and G4. His incredibly fun interactive design resumé will have you scrolling for hours. 11. Julia Miceli Julia Miceli's CV is testament that creativity can also be practical Julia Miceli – a graphic designer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina – managed to hit all the right notes with her creative resume. It's simple compared to many of the other in this list, but still oozes personality. The bold orange colour is unusual and eye-catching, and there isn't an element that hasn't been carefully art directed. Miceli has also considered practical aspects: the CV is a standard A4 size, but sits in a wallet that shows it off to its full potential, and there's a neat slot that holds a business card the viewer can pop out and keep. 12. Zhi Liang This is a simple and inventive approach to resumé design Singapore-based student Chen Zhi Liang was set a task by his graphic design tutor to create an inventive resumé that would make him stand out from the crowd. The semester-end assignment was to create an infographic resumé and we think he's come up trumps with this design. Showcasing the all-important qualifications and skills, the resumé is eye-catching without being overwhelming. Liang's minimal approach is perfect for an overcrowded job market. You can now also buy this template. 13. Ed Hamilton Ed Hamilton's Google Map resumé uses personalised placemarkers to highlight his skills When London-based copywriter Ed Hamilton was out of work, he decided to put his time to good use and develop a creative way to stand out to prospective employers. Using Google Maps' My Maps feature, Hamilton mapped his resumé, using different coloured pins to create personalised placemarkers, each accompanied by explanatory text. The brilliant design includes pins for where Hamilton lives, his interests and his previous employment. Related articles: The wrong way to build a portfolio The 21 best business card designs Boost your illustration career with these 6 tips View the full article

If you're waiting patiently for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to arrive to get your hands on one of Microsoft's popular Surface Pros, you're in luck. Right now, Best Buy is offering some incredible Surface Pro 6 deals, which sees various models reduced by up to $600. One of the best offers we've seen ever, you can currently grab a Surface Pro 6 with a Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD for just $699. That's a whopping $200 off the regular retail price. Need more power and storage? In another epic deal, the Surface Pro 6 with Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512 SSD is also reduced by a mammoth $300, taking it down to $1,599. These impressive savings are no doubt a direct result of the Surface Pro 7 hitting the shelves this month. But the Surface Pro 6 is a powerful, highly capable machine in its own right, so much so it has maintained a very prominent position in our round up of the best tablets with a stylus for quite some time now (find out why in our Surface Pro 6 review). If you're looking for deals on Surface Pro accessories, or other devices in the Surface range, be sure to bookmark our dedicated Surface Pro Black Friday article, which we'll be updating with all the best deals as they arrive. In the meantime, we don't expect these Best Buy deals to hang around for long, so if you're in the market for a Pro 6, now's the time to buy. Not in the US? Here are the best Surface Pro 6 deals in your area: View the full article

Researchers can earn up to $15,000, depending on the severity of the bug found. View the full article

A patch is currently under revision but has not yet been incorporated into the Linux kernel. View the full article

Fox Entertainment has taken some big gambles in its time. After all, this is the brand that brought viewers groundbreaking shows like The Simpsons, The X-Files and American Idol. And for its latest leap, Fox has unveiled a risky new rebrand that repositions the network in the constantly changing entertainment landscape. Created in collaboration between Fox Entertainment and Trollbäck+Company, the new look was unveiled during the 71st Emmy Awards. It comes off the back of Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox back in March, and Fox Broadcasting breaking away to become the independent network, Fox Entertainment. Our guide to logo design looks at when a company should rebrand, and it looks like Fox Entertainment chose its moment well. The new identity will appear across the entertainment company's 17 stations, as well as more than 100 affiliate stations. Elements of the Fox lettering form a geometric backdrop In a statement, Fox Entertainment's head of marketing Darren Schillace said: "We needed to break down our brand in order to reimagine it. Trollbäck+Company worked with us on a focused and ownable strategy that looked to our past to reimagine our future, and their design-forward aesthetic brought us a smart and flexible design that is unlike anything else we've seen." Meanwhile, Trollbäck+Company's executive creative director Elliott Chaffer added: "The way the industry is today, the middle of the road is the best place to get run over. We needed to bring back and champion the brand's ability to take big swings and bigger risks." Ssh, it says Fox, not Vox This all sounds very impressive, but how does it translate into reality? Perhaps the most noticeable bit of design work is a geometric version of the Fox logo. Its chunky letterforms form the basis of a background pattern, which sees their shapes broken down and sprinkled around the network's name. If we were to be picky though, we'd say that the lettering is easy to misread. The 'F' in particular has become so angular and streamlined that you'd be mistaken for thinking the network was called 'Vox' Entertainment. In promotional videos for upcoming programmes though, it looks like the geometric logo transitions into a more recognisable Fox identity. In fact the abstract design appears so briefly, we wonder why it was made at all. Perhaps, like many recent rebrands, it was done with a digital presence in mind. The new logo can already be glimpsed in promotional idents Either way, the patterns and pieces are a smart way to give the Fox brand some cohesion. Viewers can expect to see the new look on billboards, social media posts, and large-scale environmental settings. Related articles: 5 innovative startup logo designs from 2019 Where to find logo design inspiration 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding View the full article

At what point will infiltrating companies via the "insider threat model" become less costly and difficult than using malware? Threatpost discusses with a SolarWind expert. View the full article

Typefaces can be controversial things. One person's Times New Roman could be another's Papyrus. Perhaps the only sure-fire way for a typeface to win the hearts of designers is if they're reasonably priced. (We even went one better and sourced the best free fonts for you to download right now.) But how do you separate the good typefaces from the bad? Such a task would surely require a chart breaking down the gradations of font quality. Luckily, we have exactly that. The chart follows a pattern you're sure to recognise if you spend a lot your time plugged into social media. It's based on the Dungeons and Dragons character alignment scale, but the structure has become a popular design meme in itself. In this chart, typefaces are split between good, neutral and evil types, then further sub-divided based on whether they're lawful, neutral, or chaotic. Do you agree with how these famous typefaces have been sorted? See the original thread here. As you can see, the old reliable Times New Roman is the most clean-cut of the typefaces as it takes the lawful good crown. On the other end of the scale, Papyrus occupies the chaotic evil spot. Meanwhile, Cambria sits slap bang in the middle. Although we can't help but notice the absence of Helvetica, which would surely sit comfortably alongside the good guys? But as Michel points out, this is a typeface scale for writers, who have different priorities when it comes to letter shapes. This begs the question: what would a typeface alignment chart for designers look like? We bet it would look a little different, although Comic Sans would probably still be filling in one of the evil sections. Related articles: QUIZ: Which typeface are you, really? Font vs typeface: the ultimate guide How to choose the right typeface View the full article

If you're a regular web user, you'll no doubt have seen notifications from websites you regularly visit appear in the top right-hand corner of your screen. Every website has to ask permission to send these, but just because you pressed "Allow" once, doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Should you ever change your mind, you can turn web notifications off or stop them at any time. While push notifications from Creative Bloq are a great way to keep on top of the latest design industry news and trends, we recognise and understand that you might not want to receive them. That's why we've put together this article to help you disable notifications on Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari whenever you want. Note: iPhone and iPads automatically prevent web notifications, so anyone with a portable Apple device needn't worry about deactivating these. How to turn off web notifications in Google Chrome Open up Google Chrome on your device and go through the following steps: and head to the ‘Settings’ tab, found on the drop down menu when you click the three vertical dots in the top right hand corner of the browser itself. Scroll down to the ‘Advanced’, and open up the ‘Content Settings’ section under ‘Privacy and Security’. Open 'Settings' (find via the three vertical dots in the top right hand corner of the browser) Scroll down to 'Advanced' Open the 'Content Settings' section under 'Privacy Control' In here you'll find a 'Notifications' tab, which when clicking on it, will reveal all the sites you've both allowed and blocked from sending you web notifications. To block a site, simply click on the three vertical dots next to its name under the 'Allow' section and hit Block. Choosing the Remove option will mean the website in question will be able to ask you if you want to reactivate web notifications next time you visit, which is something to bare in mind. And if you want to switch them back on? Simply the follow the same steps above but instead of hitting Block, click Allow All setting changes are applied to your Chrome account, so you don't need to worry about updating individual devices (as long as you're using the same browser login in for each). Turn off web notifications in Firefox (PC, Mac, Android) If Firefox is your browser and you're using a Mac or PC, the easiest way to turn notifications off is by entering about:preferences#privacy directly in the URL box at the top of the browser. Then follow these steps: Scroll down to ‘Permissions’ Then ‘Notifications’, and click ‘Settings’ From here you can edit which sites to Allow and Block from sending you any in-browser pop-ups before hitting Save Settings at the bottom. Firefox on a phone requires heading directly to the website you want to stop notifications for. Find the padlock in the top left corner, click on it and 'Edit Site Settings' will appear. Press that and you'll see a 'Notifications' option with a check box on the right hand side. Click the 'Clear' button at the bottom of this window and you will have unsubscribed. Turn off web notifications in Microsoft Edge (PC) If you're a Microsoft Edge user, you need to access the Over Edge section (main menu) via the three horizontal dots in the top right corner. Here you'll find an option called 'Settings' followed by 'View Advanced Settings', which has a 'Notifications' option. Here you need to click on 'Website Permissions' to control what each page can do with your Microsoft Edge browser, including unsubscribing from web notifications. Turn off web notifications in Safari (Mac) Safari, again, is a little different. With this browser you need to start by opening up Safari Preferences and finding the 'Websites' option along the top of the screen. Click this and in the list on the left you'll find 'Notifications'. Here you'll find all the sites you're subscribed to, and you can check either Allow or Deny in the drop-down menu next to each. View the full article

It's no secret that the animation and gaming design industries are expanding extensively. Job opportunities are growing daily in the field, and more and more qualified applicants are being scouted. With the right tools and fundamental training, you can let your imagination run free and become a trained professional. These course bundles bring you everything you need to kickstart the career of your dreams or finesse the skills you already possess. The Complete Beginner's Guide to Animation Bundle Learn all the fundamentals you need to become a successful animator with this complete beginner's guide bundle. You'll learn how to use essential Adobe tools like After Effects, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro and learn concepts such as techniques on how to speed up your animation time and how to design memorable characters with strong personalities. The 8-course bundle includes over 250 tutorials, helping you become an expert animator and trained professional. MSRP: $549.92 / Buy Now: $24.99 (95% OFF) Viddyoze Animation Templates: Lifetime Subscription Video is quickly becoming one of the best mediums for engaging with an audience and driving sales. Viddyoze brings you an immense library of easy to use video templates that are designed, tested, and approved by a dedicated team. The lifetime subscription comes complete with licenses for both commercial and personal use, allowing for customised animations for projects of any scale. MSRP: $2,000 / Buy Now: $89 (95% OFF) 3D Game Modeling & Animation with Blender Course With more than 40 lectures and 22.5 hours of content, the Blender 3D creation suite will help you tackle the art of 3D modelling and animation. Bring your creations to life by learning techniques on low poly modelling and how professionals use them to create 3D models, characters, and VFX for games. There are even quizzes, and interactive chatrooms included so you can put your skills to the test. MSRP: $199.99 / Buy Now: $19 (90% OFF) Master SVG Animation Using HTML & CSS: Build 8 Projects SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) programming is a top tool needed to code two-dimensional graphics. With 55 lectures and 24/7 access, you'll learn the ins and outs of SVG and have the ability to design your logos, images, and complex animation. Taught by Kunal Asudani, a seasoned web developer, this lifetime course even includes a certification of completion once the course initiatives are mastered. MSRP: $199 / Buy Now: $10 (94% OFF) Related articles: How to move from animation to illustration Create animated CSS art Is this the new Lucasfilm Animation logo? View the full article

Creatives from all walks of life have become increasingly reliant on the internet to get their work seen. You might share your designs to an audience of millions on social media (complete with your personalised Instagram font, of course), but you could also be leaving yourself vulnerable to hackers. With cyber attacks on the rise, it's enough to make anyone paranoid. After all, your personal information or financial details could be floating around on the internet for hackers to steal. That's where ex-hacker and Twitter user @somenerdliam comes in with his thread "How to delete 99.9% of your digital footprint from the internet". And it seems to be the advice that users have been waiting for. Despite having only been posted a couple of days ago, at the time of writing the thread currently boasts over 110,000 retweets and 439,000 likes. Perhaps he's on to something... While his advice isn't going to help you disappear completely (the author admits his knowledge isn't completely up to date, and the "99.9" claim in his title isn't a practical claim), the tips in the thread are a good starting point when it comes to monitoring your digital hygiene. It makes for chilling reading. Not only does it ask you to trawl through a decade's worth of email addresses, it also acts as a wake up call to the amount of data people willingly share. Take a look at some of the stand-out points below. To read the full thread, click here. One point highlights the importance of using a VPN, which @somenerdliam admits is a personal preference. Find the right one for you with our guide to the best VPN services in 2019. And as for @somenerdliam, he's not letting his new-found viral fame go to his head. Instead, he's been wondering why the thread struck a chord. His conclusion being that the tips were popular because they were accessible. Related articles: 9 security tips to protect your website from hackers Here's how hackers are stealing your data Is it okay to build sites that rely on JavaScript? View the full article

CodePen is a killer toolkit for rapid prototyping, with an inspiring and supportive community of contributors. It has become one of the industry's favourite web design tools by offering hassle-free iteration of creative code, eliminating the headaches of generating fresh development environments, and enabling users to easily tackle myriad frontend concepts ranging from the whimsical and ridiculous to the practical and deploy-ready. In this article, we've pulled together 10 top tips for getting more from the web industry's favourite coding playground – these will change how you use CodePen forever. If this inspires you to get creative, you might also want to check out our roundup of CSS animation examples, or the most exciting open source projects on the web. 01. Explore something new using Topics Searching for tools and tips that suit your project? Look no further CodePen Topics are a relatively new community-driven feature offered to users of all levels, and they’re a great way to set about exploring new frameworks, UI Patterns or JS libraries. Upon opening the Topics page, you’ll be met with a host of options, filtered by category and even further by subcategories. Once viewing a topical category, for instance Vue.js, we’re met with an overview screen with multiple options. Need a starter template to help build out that Vue component? Here’s a list of popular components, and a nifty 'New Pen from Template' button to help us get started. Want to see some expertly curated examples of the framework in action? Filter on over to 'Featured Vue Pens' and you’re met with inspirational works by framework masters and novices alike. While browsing these Topic overviews, we’re offered persistent links to official sites, framework or library documentation and guides, and the project’s core GitHub presence. 02. Prototype quicker with templates Every developer at some point has likely felt real pain when setting up a local development environment, no matter the stack; even a boilerplate setup can require far more time than one is looking to invest in to create and test something like a few submit button prototypes. With CodePen, you’re already there – an IDE standing ready for you to easily dump the contents of your creative mind. But by using CodePen’s template feature, it’s now even easier to spin up the exact environment you need to get the job done. A template can contain any number of predefined external scripts (you can include another pen as an external asset), will allow you to preset your preferred HTML/CSS/JS preprocessor (which will neatly auto compile on the fly), and will even preserve any existing code that you care to preserve. Rapid prototyping gets turbocharged with dialed-in dev environments It’s quite simple to specify a Pen as a template – with your Pen opened, mash that Settings button, click on through to Pen Details, and from there you’ll see a neat little toggle offering the option to save as a Regular Pen or a Template. So how does this differ from forking an existing Pen? Setting a Pen as a template will allow you to choose this setup immediately upon opting to create a new Pen, with no need to search through your previous pens to fork and modify them, no need to re-import all your scripts of choice from the ground up, and no need to reselect all of the syntax options and settings you might prefer for the given concept. Additionally, starting a new Pen from a template treats your Pen as a wholly new creation, whereas forking will create a pen that links back to the original, with a distinct history rather than a blank slate. Upgrading to a CodePen Pro account offers you an incredibly valuable set of expanded features, but even the free user accounts will allow for unlimited template generation. 03. Start a collection CodePen Collections offer a great way to group and locate concepts If you enjoy having the ability to seek out resources using CodePen Topics but wish you could curate your own, Collections are the answer you’re seeking. Adding a Pen to a collection is as simple as selecting the 'Collections' drop-down from any Pen’s edit view, where you can specify a Collection or create a new one. Again, it can be anyone’s Pen (and if you’re a Pro user, you can set your Collection to private). The beauty of Collections is the ability to view all of your Collections in one place with robust filter, sort and search options — a great way to define resources by stack or framework, keep a running list of inspiration, or cluster Pens by UI concepts. Interested in another user’s public Collection? You can even subscribe to the Collection via RSS to stay on top of updates. 04. Improve efficiency with preprocessors Let’s face it, most of us spend more than enough time behind screens than we likely should. Many of us are so overwhelmed with practical career-related endeavours it’s hard to find the time to build a library of useless toggle switches or WebGL page transitions, and while CodePen strips away typical setup time and allows us to get straight to work, efficiency can always be improved. This is where CodePen’s native preprocessors come in handy. For instance: want to build a grid of a few hundred HTML cells, each one’s style attributes randomly updated via JavaScript? You could go about copying and pasting div after div, sure. And by the end of this all the editor window is nearly impossible to navigate. Here’s where HAML, Pug or Jade shine: from the Pen’s settings window, select an HTML preprocessor with ease, write a simple loop, and generate these elements in roughly two lines. Not sure where to get started? There’s Pen for that: a search of 'HAML Loop' at CodePen yields a good number of boilerplate Pens that will give you a cursory understanding of how to efficiently generate your page elements. Preprocessors get your concepts off the ground even faster With CSS preprocessors like LESS and Sass, we can build mixins and predefined functions that accept a multitude of arguments, making them a perfect addition to your CodePen templates and allowing you to write otherwise complex styles with relative ease. Perhaps you’re building out UI elements for a greater project – you can now define all your colour, typeface and spacing variables with clear and concise naming conventions; and again including these in a CodePen template allows you to iterate with virtually zero setup. Enjoy the efficiency of CoffeeScript, TypeScript or Babel? CodePen can natively compile your JS preprocessor of choice too. If at any time if you’d like to peek under the hood and see what your compiled code looks like, you can simply select 'View Compiled' from your code editing pane of choice to get a feel for what your final output will look like – and you should; working with loops and advanced functions can make setup and iteration incredibly fast, but can also wind up spitting out a good amount of unused syntax. If at any time you intend to use these creations in production, be sure to view all of your code fully compiled, and make any reductions or adjustments necessary for performance. 05. Explore CodePen's coolest new feature: Projects Even if you’re writing production-ready code, CodePen’s got your back Still a somewhat fresh feature, CodePen Projects are sort of an unsung hero – CodePen’s original three-pane HTML / CSS / JS setup already allows for custom external includes and real-time preprocessor compilation. So what makes Projects stand out? In addition to the standard editing pages, you are able to add your own local files – meaning you can flesh out your own file structures as you would on a local environment, creating multi-page sites or applications in a singular, self-contained environment without the need to set up complicated Gulp or Webpack configurations, for instance. CodePen projects make it easy to drag and drop your existing files, and will neatly maintain your structure or allow you to make changes from within the editor. And if you’re a Pro level user, it gets a bit sweeter: when you’re ready to deploy your work, you can deploy the environment of your choice with a single click. 06. Turn on the telly CodePen TV offers a delightful diversion for your downtime Hidden amongst all of the powerful, practical tools offered by CodePen is a whimsical distraction known as CodePen TV. CodePen TV is simply a randomised sampling of Picked Pens that gradually rotates in a screen saver-like fashion. Perhaps you don’t care to look at a random selection of Pens and want to curate your own 'channel' of Pens featuring cats — you can also launch a CodePen TV channel based on any CodePen Collection (including Collections created by other users). And if you’re a Mac user, you can even use CodePen TV as a standalone OSX native screensaver! 07. Embrace the community spirit Coding communities are notorious for exclusivity, creating veritable breeding grounds for impostor syndrome that can feel impenetrable and unwelcoming to even the most seasoned designers and developers. This is where CodePen stands out – and why becoming an active member of the community offers such benefits. See a Pen that sparks joy? Mash that heart button, and show another user a little love. You can go ahead and click it up to three times if you really, really love the work they’ve done. Feeling inspired, or maybe thinking of an alternate take on another user’s Pen? With a single click, you can fork a Pen, and then impart your own creative flourishes, or even refactor it as you see fit. Alternately, if you see a better approach, or you find a flaw in a user’s code, consider commenting on the Pen with any constructive suggestions that you have. While most of the comment sections on sites like these are typically an uncontrollable dumpster fire of negativity, the community typically does an excellent job of self-policing, encouraging positivity, and bolstering others. Community is CodePen’s true superpower Perhaps the best way to dive into the community is by joining CodePen’s Spectrum chat – an open forum for sharing work, soliciting advice, and creative collaboration. One example is Pass the Pen, a concept from CodePen user Kristopher van Sant, wherein a Pen is created, and then iterated over by users who would like to contribute. CodePen also offers weekly challenge prompts to keep you creatively engaged. You may not feel your work is worthy of sharing, but you’re probably wrong. Take to CodePen’s Spectrum chat and show off what you’re working on no matter how big or small. You’ll be pleasantly surprised how supportive and helpful the average CodePen user is, and probably learn a few different things along the way. 08. Attend a meetup IRL At the core of what makes CodePen an essential tool for frontend developers is the community. But sometimes it’s helpful to take your skills offscreen – and there’s no better way than to host or attend a CodePen meetup. CodePen will graciously supply you with swag for attendees, and with the help of their sponsors, they can even help you secure reimbursement for food and drink – the location and date are up to you. Meetups provide an excellent opportunity to pair program, publicly solicit strategies or concepts, complete a team challenge or just better get to know what motivates your fellow coders. Or maybe you’re just there for the free pizza. We forgive you. 09. Upgrade to Pro The depth of functionality CodePen offers free of charge is really quite remarkable, particularly considering the burden of thousands of users simultaneously cobbling together some incredibly server-intensive creations. Out of the box, it’s a pretty well rounded experience – that is until you’ve taken a bite from CodePen Pro. So why make the jump? While it carries many useful expanded features, one feature alone makes it worthwhile: the ability to save Pens privately. For non-Pro users, every Pen created is publicly indexed, which is often just fine. But what if I want to flesh out some UI flourishes for a yet-to-launch client project? This is where the ability to save privately comes in super handy – 'private' doesn’t mean hidden, you can still share direct links to your pen with your internal team, for instance. But your pen is otherwise indiscoverable. Perhaps you just need an environment to test out new concepts, or you have limited time to work on a creation and intend to return later – this is where privacy options make the difference. Get a taste of the features of Pro and you’ll never look back So what else does a Pro account include? Asset hosting! Within a 2Mb per file limit, CodePen will host your Pen’s assets, meaning no need to upload images or scripts to an external host, and allowing more flexibility when working with frameworks with strict cross-origin specifications. Pro accounts offer access to Live View – allowing users to see their edits reloaded on-the-fly across multiple windows – Collab Mode – which allows for live pair programming and includes a handy chat option – and Professor Mode, which will broadcast your code updates alongside the Pen’s live preview in real time, ideal for code instructors or conference-circuit masochists alike. CodePen Pro also offers the ability to edit your very own profile page, including custom CSS and JS, and an optional Pen embed as page header – because knowing their audience means knowing frontend developers are clamoring to customise, customise, customise. 10. Dip into the well of inspiration Missing that creative spark? Dribbble is a great place to look A fresh Pen is like a blank canvas, but sometimes creative block will hit, and that canvas will take a long Nietzschean gaze into you. Feeling uninspired? Look into the latest CodePen Challenge or join in a coding challenge group like Codevember or DailyUI. Maybe head on over to Dribbble and recreate (or perhaps animate) an illustration in CSS – just be sure to give credit where due (adding backlinks to your Pen’s public details is the preferred method.) These might seem like exercises in futility, and we’ve all been privy to arguments against coding in one’s free time, but there’s another little-recognised upside to (publicly) creative coding at CodePen: potential employers and recruiters actually spend time scouring the site for folks who display creative ambition. Built some things you’re particularly proud of? Be sure to include them in your portfolio. CodePen makes embedding easy, with multiple display options, and using their new prefill embed feature, you can add a CodePen editor window with rendered code directly from your portfolio site’s codebase. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 290. Read more: Minimalist website design: 12 beautiful examples 8 CodePen features you didn't know about Top Sketch plugins to try View the full article

Clever animation can completely transform a character design. But good animation is difficult to achieve, the software is complex, and in general it's best left to the experts, right? Wrong. With Cartoon Animator 4, anyone can become an animator. This animation design software is super simple to use, with professional looking results. Find out more about Cartoon Animator 4 Try Cartoon Animator 4 for free now Take a look at the demo reel below for a taste of exactly what this tool can do. This might be just the tool you've been waiting for to take your practice to the next level. Let's say you're an illustrator or character designer. Cartoon Animator 4 will help you bring your creations to life and capture the imaginations of new clients. Maybe you're a YouTuber or video maker – CTA 4 will help relieve the pressure of daily production. Or perhaps you're already an animator, and on the hunt for a tool to speed up your workflow? It will help you out there, too. Let's take a closer look at some of CTA 4's most exciting features. 2D facial mocap with any webcam Motion capture has been a complete game-changer in the animation industry. It enables animators to capture expression and emotion in their characters like never before. Now, thanks to CTA 4, you can get started with mocap using just a standard webcam. Watch your character design – human, animal, or mythical beast – mimic your facial expressions and eye movements in real time, on screen. Filters and controls let you fine-tune the intensity of different gestures, and there's a clever feature that enables you to start building body movements based on how the head is animated. Finally, try the real time lip sync and audio recording if you want to go one step further. 360 head creator to give 3D power to your 2D art Character artists will know that one of the trickiest elements of the job is turning a 2D face design into a 3D head. This can limit the possibilities of what you can do with your character. Cartoon Animator 4's 360 head creator helps remove those limits. Use the tools to define how your face design should look from different angles, and CTA 4 will use its smart capabilities to animate the transitions in a realistic way. Again, everything is adjustable and customisable, so you can get your characters looking and behaving exactly how you want them to. Want to give it a try for yourself? Download Cartoon Animator 4 trial version and experience exactly what it can do. View the full article

Cisco has issued patches for critical and high-severity vulnerabilities in its Aironet access point devices. View the full article

The flaws in the container technology, CVE-2019-16276 and CVE-2019-11253, are simple to exploit. View the full article

With Halloween fast approaching you might be tasked with any number of seasonal designs that give you the opportunity to let your dark side loose. Without the right fonts, though, your finished work might not manage to get everyone screaming. Fear not, because we've rounded up 13 gloriously ghastly free fonts guaranteed to spook everyone senseless. And not only are they all free, most of them can be used for commercial projects, too. 5 of the hottest typography trends 01. Double Feature Come up to the lab and see what's on the slab It's hard to beat The Rocky Horror Picture Show for a bit of Halloween viewing, and if you want that Rocky Horror vibe for a design then Double Feature should do nicely. Based on the Rocky Horror title font with plenty of dripping blood, it's ghoulishly bold and free for both personal and commercial use. SAY IT! 02. Nosferotica Get that sexy vampire look with Nosferotica For a sexy, vampiric vibe, get your teeth into Nosferotica. A horror font designed by Sinister Fonts, it's a terrifyingly tall and thin serif, and while it's all-caps, the lowercase set is more bottom-heavy while the uppercase is top-heavy – mix them up for an unsettling effect. It's free for personal and commercial use. 03. Buffied In every generation there is a chosen font If all this vampire talk's getting a bit much, here's the antidote: a font inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Created by GemFonts, Buffied is modelled on the Buffy title font, comes with an upper and lowercase set, and it's free both for personal and commercial use. 04. Halloween Spider Halloween Spider's more scared of you than you are of it Feeling arachnophobic? Stay away from this eight-legged font, then. Halloween Spider is a bold brush script with nice thick strokes, and adorned with both spiders and spider webs. Try layering it in different colours and cutting out the spiders and webs in the top layer to add to the effect. It's free for personal and commercial use. 05. Fiddums Family CLICK-CLICK Created by BoltonBros, Fiddums Family is gloriously gothic and inspired by the creepiest, kookiest clan of them all, the Addams Family. Featuring some excellently ornate touches, including some seriously over-the-top swashes, it's a freeware font that's good for personal and commercial use. 06. Vintage Halloween All the spooky imagery you need in dingbat form As well as standard fonts, we've also found some handy dingbat fonts that'll make it easy to populate a design with plenty of ready-made Halloween imagery. First up is Vintage Halloween from Woodcutter, with a stack of useful pumpkins, bats, spiders, skeletons and more, all fully vectorised and free for personal and commercial use. 07. Freaky Halloween ...and a little more A more stylised dingbat font, Freaky Halloween features 26 glyphs covering most of the Halloween bases, rendered in a minimal, cut-out fashion. Perfect for designs with a more simple look, it's free for personal and commercial use. 08. Wild Wood Don't go into the Wild Woods alone There are few things scarier than being alone in the woods at night, especially if you've seen The Blair Witch Project. And if you want to evoke that creepy forest feeling, Wild Wood, with its letterforms sprouting gnarled branches, ought to do the job. It's free for personal use. 09. Spiderfingers Another font to frighten arachnophobes with Ideal for Halloween designs or maybe for death metal album covers, Spiderfingers features tall, grungy letterforms that taper down to viciously sharp points. Designed by Sinister Fonts, this is another freeware font you can use for both personal and commercial work. 10. Ink and Bones Now hear the word of the Lord Nothing says Halloween like a spooky skeleton, and if that's the sort of feel you're after then Ink and Bones does exactly what it says on the tin. Its hand-drawn letters and symbols are built out of bones, and while it's all-uppercase, the lowercase letters are solid strokes while the uppercase set is highlighted by some outlined bones. It's free for personal and commercial use. 11. Castle Dracustein Stay away from the creepy castle Mix up your horror brands with this sinister font from, appropriately enough, Sinister Fonts. Perfectly evoking the look of vintage horror movie posters, Castle Dracustein is another Halloween font that tapers down for a striking visual effect, and its eroded edges just add to the creepiness. It's free for personal and commercial use. 12. Hallowen Please don't write in No, that isn't a typo. Hallowen is a spooky outline serif font by Peter Olexa, and it wouldn't look out of place on the poster for a Tim Burton film. It's an all-caps font with a set of smaller glyphs in the lower case, and it really comes alive if you alternate between them, and it features some lovely spiral terminals for added visual interest. It's free for personal use only. 13. Ill October A final helping of demonic dingbats Finally, here's one last set of Halloween dingbats. Featuring plenty of skulls, spiders, snakes and more besides, Ill October is another minimal dingbat font packed with glyphs that look like they've been carved into a pumpkin, and it's free for personal and commercial use. Related articles: 21 fonts every graphic designer should own 33 perfect font pairings 10 best free calligraphy fonts of 2019 View the full article