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Recreating the human figure is one of the toughest challenges artists face, and that includes 3D artists. After all, the human eye is trained to notice even the smallest details in a person. So if you want to create 3D anatomy that looks lifelike, you'll want to brush up on your sculpting skills. To help you polish your 3D anatomy skills, we caught up with digital artist and CGI anatomy trainer Ryan Kingslien. With his 10 tips, which don't pull any punches in the discipline department, Kingslien show you what you need to consider when creating convincing sculpts in ZBrush. And don't forget, if you're stuck for time and need free 3D models, we've got you covered. In the meantime, here's what Kingslien has to say. 01. Start with quality The key to creating great work is a simple equation: garbage in = garbage out. I learned this from sculptor Richard Macdonald. If you want to create quality work, start with quality material. In Richard’s case, instead of using regular life models, he works with world-class athletes. I use PureRef a lot. 02. Learn the way to use tools Mastery is not magic. It’s process. Use the process the masters use and you’ll produce great results. People think they need to take class after class and learn tool after tool. The truth is they’ll grow faster if they slow down and take their learning deeper. Learn the ‘way’ masters use tools instead of just learning the tool. 03. Commit to the daily work It’s ugly – until it’s not ugly. Get over it. Get over the sob story of ‘I should be better’. Get over the drama of ‘I’m not good enough’. Commit yourself to doing the daily work. It will be beautiful in its own time. Stop rushing your greatness. Let it be who it is and by ‘it’ I, of course, mean you! 04. Know that success is built Art is learned. It’s not genetic, or some magical potion. Some have more talent, some have less. Success doesn’t come by accident, nor is it measured in the small ways you might be thinking about now. We all have the ability to be successful as artists but we don’t all build the capacity to achieve it. Success is built – daily. 05. Start with a blank face A basic base mesh helps give your work structure Start with a base mesh. This gives you a blank structure to start with. This gets you the essential structure of the cheek, orbit of the eye, muzzle of the mouth and horse shoe shape of the jaw, as well as the dome of the cranial area. Remember, the basic structure of a human doesn’t change much, otherwise you would be sculpting a different species, so start with a generic human structure and you’ll make your life much easier. Mine is a modified version of one I got from Hossein Diba’s class he taught with me. 06. Settle on a generalisation Time to lay down the key facial features Start with specifics. What does the nose look like? Is the nose small or large? Does it droop down or lift up? Is the chin large and round, or small and pointy? Are the eyes small and beady or are they large and soulful? Is the face tall and thin or is it short and wide? Is the front of the face flat or does it project forward like a pyramid? At this point your tools are Dam_Standard brush, the Standard brush and the Clay Buildup brush. The key to the Clay Buildup brush is to set Brush > Depth > Imbed to 5. Your goal is a soft generalisation that resembles your target but isn’t locked down yet. 07. Paint realistic eyes Carefully painted eyes help to give your 3D face a sense of realism In order for the next few stages to work, we need to bring the level of realism up by painting the eyes. Use simple spheres in ZBrush and just paint the iris and pupil in using Polypainting. A great alpha to use to help paint the striation in the iris is Alpha 05 and Alpha 34. Then make sure to assign the Toy Plastic material to the eye subtool. Also, don’t forget to paint the caruncula lacrimalis. 08. Shift to the Rake brush At this stage you need to crawl the face and give it chracter Now it’s time to shift to a different tool: the Rake brush. I had the good fortune of putting the Rake brush into ZBrush when I worked at Pixologic, but I have a new and better one at ZBrushWorkshops. In this stage your job is to crawl the surface of your model and work to create more of the specific ‘character’ of the face. Instead of focusing on the cheekbone you’ll dive deeper to focus on the palpebromalar groove, the malar mound, the five different fat pads of the face, the eight lines of the face – whatever helps you create more ‘character’ and dive deeper into the specifics of the face. 09. Add the pores Get all your detail down before adding pores At this point, we’ve created a basic shape that has some of the specific character we want, and it’s now time to add in the pores. Make sure that you’ve crawled over the surface of the model with the rake brush before doing this. You want to have as much detail as you can in there before you go into tertiary forms like wrinkles. For this sculpt, I used a process that’s documented on Texturing.xyz’s site under their multi-channel texture packs. It uses a really cool workflow and leverages Photoshop’s Puppet Warp feature to line up the Albedo and Displacement maps for fantastic results. 10. Power through the final push Your best work lies outside of your comfort zone Finally, it’s time to push it! You’ve been staring at this thing for days, and that has made you too close to it. You’ve got to give it that last push and stretch into your discomfort zone. All your future growth is there. I looked for more specific lines and half-tones to establish a deeper, more authentic sculpt. For example, in the final piece I added what I call the associate jugal groove and broke up the lateral cheek fat more. This final sculpt only had an hour of extra sculpting, but it looks a lot better. That’s what happens when you build the foundations right. This article was originally published in issue 130 of 3D Artist. Buy issue 130 or subscribe to 3D Artist. Related articles: The best 3D modelling software 2019 These 3D portraits are unbelievably realistic Sculpt realistic anatomy in ZBrush View the full article

With the one of the biggest events in the retail calendar just a couple of weeks away, we're already seeing some incredible Prime Day deals cropping up. Speaking of which, today Amazon announced an unbelievable offer: right now, Prime members can get four months' access to Amazon Music Unlimited for just 99¢/99p. Just in case you are unfamiliar with Amazon Music Unlimited, let us fill you in. Amazon's on-demand, ad-free music streaming service boasts a library of over 50 million songs, which you can download and listen to on- and offline. You can also control your playlists via Amazon's smart assistant Alexa. If you, like many creatives, recognise the benefit of kicking back with a few of your favourite tunes, you won't want to miss this incredible deal. We can hear you all now – "Alexa, play MMMBop please." If you'd rather enjoy a bit of Hanson in peace, be sure to check out our roundup of the best noise-cancelling headphones and the best wireless headphones money can buy. The deal is for new subscribers only, and you'll need to be a Prime member. Sign up for a free Prime trial now and you'll be able to take advantage of this sweet offer, plus any Prime Day deals (this year's event will start at midnight on Monday 15 July and run for 48 hours), all within the 30-day trial period. Once your four months of Amazon Music Unlimited is up, if you're still a Prime member you can continue the service at $7.99/£7.99 a month (or £9.99 if you've cancelled your subscription by then). This is a limited time offer, with Amazon Music set to return to full price on 17 July 2019. Read more: Forget Amazon Prime... save £100 on an iPad Pro right now! How to get the best Prime Day deals Official Amazon Prime Day 2019 dates announced View the full article

Have you ever felt that your studio's missing something? You might have all the technology and design equipment that you need, a collection of tasteful prints adorning the walls, a smattering of office plants and of course all the commissions you can comfortably handle, but if things still don't seem quite right then maybe you need a studio pet to breathe some extra life into your workspace. Having a friendly animal around the place can be a great stress-reliever, and they're also brilliant at forcing you to take those essential screen breaks. Even better, they can help sharpen your creative skills; what better way to figure out how to draw a cat than by having an actual cat around to practise on? We put the call out to creatives to tell us about their studio pets, and they delivered. Let's take a tour of eight studios and their assorted furry friends. 8 totally amazing design studio dogs 01. Harley, Shelby, Scooby and Watson Clockwise from top left: Harley, Shelby, Watson and Scooby, all of them very good dogs Toronto-based infographic wizards Venngage come top of the studio pet pecking order with a fine-looking quartet of dogs; say hello to Harly, Shelby, Scooby and Watson. Scooby holds the prestigious position of Chief Barketing Officer, while Shelby is Venngage's Head of Pawperations. More pets with job titles, please; the punnier the better as far as we're concerned. 02. Layla and Lexi Both Layla and Lexi would very much like to go out, now Nancy Ruzow is a graphic designer who lives and works in the NYC suburb of Westport, Connecticut, and specialises in annual reports, logo design and ads. She's ably assisted in her work by a pair of cats, Layla and Lexi, who bring some essential skills to her design practice: the ability to always come running when the printer starts up, jumping on the desk when Nancy's on a video call, and eating any important papers she's left lying around. 03. Charlie Charlie knows what time it is Charlie is an English Springer Spaniel, and he helps Paul Edwards, a web consultant and front end developer based in Worthing, Sussex, to keep his sanity. What he lacks in web abilities – Paul says his CSS linting skills are sub-par and he doesn't like mobile menus – are more than made up for by the fact that he's learned the specific key combination Paul uses to lock his PC, and whenever he hears that special sound he springs into action. Walkies! 04. Maya Maya finds graphic design incredibly interesting To Barcelona, and Yellow, a design and audiovisual studio founded in 2011 by Konstantina Gavala. Working on a variety of cross-discipline projects including brand identity, print, packaging, architectural and interior design, photography and digital media, Yellow is also home to nine-year-old Maya. Her main enemy is the office printer, and she likes to keep an eye on how the team is handling projects. 05. Bruin Bruin was recently treated to a pro photo shoot for Bring Your Dog to Work Day Say hello to Bruin, the Head of Visitor Relations at Skeleton, a video production agency in Nottingham. Without doubt a very good dog indeed, he recently led Skeleton's annual fire drill. Useful Bruin facts: (1) his favourite food is all food; (2) he's no longer allowed on video calls because he barks at strangers to protect the Skeleton team; (3) he can go from sleeping to 'OMG-the-door-is-open-gotta-get-out' in precisely 0.3 seconds. 06. Daisy Katy is currently plotting vengeance for the unicorn bib Still in Nottingham, let's pay a visit to Chloe Joy, who's studying game art at university and plans to become a character designer. Chloe also has to protect her Cintiq pen from her 'helper', Daisy, who'll seize any opportunity to chew on it; her talents also include jumping onto Chloe's desk at the most inconvenient times, and tapping her arm with her claws until she gives her head pats. Chloe says that while Daisy isn't overly skilled, she is at least fantastic at cuddling. 07. Poe Cheer up fella, it's not so bad Who's this sad-looking guy? His name's Poe – as in Poe Doggeron, the cutest puppy the resistance had to offer – and he belongs to Melody Foster, a freelance graphic designer and illustrator from Mishawaka, Indiana. He's sad because of Melody's computer – presumably because she's paying more attention to it than to him – and sometimes he attacks her desk chair. Fair play, Poe. Fair play. 08. Katy, Lily and Pooky Don't mess with Katy Finally, a trio of cats who bring their vast feline experience into play at indie game studio, Infinite State Games, which is currently putting the finishing touches to its latest title, Family Tree, on Nintendo Switch. Katy can be found at ISG's Tonbridge studio with CEO Charlie Scott-Skinner; she's one sizeable cat who, Charlie says, isn't conducive to his creativity. Seconds after this photo was taken, Pooky (right) murdered an innocent slow-worm Over at ISG's Bristol studio with creative director Mike Daw you'll find Lily and Pooky; Lily is an adorable, good-natured fluffball, while Pooky is described by Mike as a semi-feral bat-goblin that's murdered most of the local wildlife. Now that's a proper cat. Related articles: World's smallest McDonald's opens for bees – and it's amazing! 11 easy-to-find plants that will improve studio life How to draw a dog View the full article

You're reading A Helpful Guide for Overcoming Design Frustration, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Every designer wants to be successful. But success is a subjective measure. For many designers, success means that they are proud of the work they do, but for top designers, this is not enough – top designers want to become … View the full article

An advert for ride-hailing app Kapten has been taken down from London's transport network after complaints about its appropriateness. The ad shows a photograph of a man, with the words 'When you recognise your blind date from the news', and then 'Get me out of here Kapten'. As ads go, it's pretty creepy (compare it to our favourite billboard ads to see how it measures up). And the suggestion behind it is even creepier. The assumption is that this blind date is not on the news for fundraising or saving a life, but rather for something sinister, such as rape or murder. Playing on people's fears of personal safety to promote your taxi company? Hilarious. Mollie Goodfellow sarcastically tweeted about the 'funny' campaign... While others pointed out that the perils of such associations. Goodfellow's tweet was picked up by mayoral candidate and Green London Assembly Member Sian Berry, who asked the current mayor how the advert had got through TfL's approval system at the Mayor's Question Time last week. She pointed out the offensive nature of the ad, and that all adverts that appear on TfL have to go through checks. TFL has now taken down the ad, and said in a statement: "This advertisement was approved in error and we apologise for any offence it has caused. We are working to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The advertisement does not meet the requirements of our advertising policy and is being removed from across our transport network. Kapten have also said they will not use this poster in any future campaign." Campaign reports that this campaign was created by Mr President, although there's no mention of the work on the agency's website or social media. This isn't the first time adverts approved by TfL have caused offence, and despite the news that sexist ads are now banned in the UK, we can't imagine it'll be the last. Read more: NatWest apologises for patronising women, by patronising women The best print ads ever 5 ad campaigns that changed the world View the full article

We all know that a good logo should sum up a brand in a single image. Just think of McDonald's Golden Arches, Facebook's deceptively simple 'f' icon, or the colourful Comcast peacock. All of these designs are instantly recognisable, but do they really capture the essence of the brand? This is the idea that the artist Future Punk has explored in its latest witty creations. In an effort to represent some of the world's largest corporations a little more truthfully, Future Punk has cleverly tweaked the designs of their logos. This includes the playful swelling of McDonald's Golden Arches to reflect the chain's calorific food, through to on-the-nose designs like the addition of a headstone to the Marlboro logo (smoking's bad for you, kids). Now, of course, it would be branding suicide for a company to use any of these images. Our guide to logo design points out that they're so important because they're often a business' first point of contact with the outside world. However Future Punk's ideas are a fun, subversive look at how to reinterpret familiar designs. Check them out in action below. Which one's your favourite? We're fans of the blurry Budweiser logo. Although we're surprised that Future Punk didn't go after Amazon's smiling logo in the run up to the Prime Day deals that the online retailer has become famous for. If these designs are a bit too earnest or edgy for your tastes though, how about something a little bit more wholesome? Future Punk isn't a total cynic, in fact they've injected some retro charm into the logos of entertainment companies like Hulu and Netflix. These designs offer a tantalising glimpse into a world where the streaming sites existed in the '80s and '90s. Or at least that's when we guess they're from, judging by their simulated VHS blur lines. The animations can be found on Future Punk's Instagram page, with the caption "If corporate logos were a little more honest". Have Future Punk's designs inspired you? Or do you think you can do better? Why not head on over to our logo design apps for beginners page and see what you can whip up. Related articles: 8 of the best free logo design tools 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding 5 logo design terms you should know View the full article

We knew the Wacom Intuos Pro small was coming, and it doesn't disappoint. This latest model completes the new Intuos range, following its medium and large-sized siblings, with all the same functions and features at a more compact size. The Intuos Pro small is perfect for professionals who may need to work on the go. Its physical footprint is small and it can be run via bluetooth, so it's simple to use almost anywhere. And unlike some of it's cheaper competitors, the Intuos Pro small's size doesn't affect its performance (so much so you'll soon find it in our round up of the best drawing tablets money can buy). Wacom Intuos Pro Small: Display The Intuos Pro small's dimensions and active drawing see it come in at just under half the size of the largest in the Intuos Pro range. Despite its diminutive frame, the Pro small still boasts six programmable Express Keys, a touch ring and Multi-Touch features. It's matte black, and somehow, despite weighing less than one pound, it still feels resilient and durable. Wacom Intuos Pro Small: Stylus [Image: Wacom] The Intuos Pro small comes with the glorious Wacom Pro Pen 2, which delivers 8192 pen pressure levels, 60 levels of tilt recognition in every direction, sensitivity on both the pen tip and the eraser, two programmable switches and is battery-free to boot. The Pro Pen 2 is the industry leader, and with good reason. While there are many budget competitors that tout similar levels of sensitivity, Wacom's Pro Pen 2 has a much better Pressure Response than XP-Pen's stylus, for example (read more in our full XP-Pen 15.6 review). Both are good pens, but the Pro Pen 2 will respond to even the lightest touch, and give pleasingly smooth lines without having to adjust a single setting. You won't need to worry about wobbly lines or jitter issues with this stylus. The tilt functionality feels great too. The Pro Pen 2 comes with replacement nibs, six standard and four felt nibs inside the pens stand. The only downside to the Pro Pen 2 is the stand, which doesn't hold the stylus too securely. Wacom Intuos Pro Small: Price and performance At the time of writing, The Intuos Pro small retails for £199.99, which is reasonable, although, for only around £90 more you could get the Intuos Pro Medium. Setting up the Intuos Pro small is a breeze. Initially, you connect the tablet to your Mac/PC/Laptop via USB-A to USB-C cable, download the driver from Wacom's website and you're ready to go. It's that simple. Even better, it won't conflict with any existing Wacom devices you have running currently. We tested ours on an iMac that was also using a Cintiq 24 Pro and it works flawlessly alongside it. The cable itself is over 6.5 feet long so you won't run into any trouble working from a distance, and the cable acts as a charger too, so you can conveniently power up the tablet from anything that has a USB outlet. If you want a tidier workspace, or to be a bit more mobile, connecting via bluetooth is a simple matter of pairing it to your computer and you're ready to go. No wires cluttering up your workspace. Lovely. The Intuos Pro small can work on any monitor, or across all monitors in a multi-monitor setup. Wacom Intuos Pro Small: Key features On the left side of the Intuos Pro small there are six customisable ExpressKeys and a touch ring, which is only two less ExpressKeys than what you'll find with the small's larger siblings. The tablet can be both left-handed or right-handed, thanks to the USB-C cord or bluetooth usage. The multi-touch surface is intuitive and the gestures are programmable; whatever workflow suits your needs, you can achieve it with just a tap of your fingers. We found the gestures easy to to use, and didn't trigger any accidental functions, but if you want to disable the touch features at any moment, you can flip a switch on the side of the tablet, which is much more convenient than having to access some system settings. Flip the switch again and the multi-touch functions will be instantly re-enabled. [Image: Wacom] Wacom Intuos Pro Small: What we don't like There are very few negatives to take from the Intuos Pro small, but it's worth considering the following points. If you're an illustrator, and rely on making larger brushstrokes, you may find the active drawing area somewhat restrictive. It is small, by design, so you may have to adjust to making smaller movements, which may give some artist difficulties, as well as potentially cramp your hand after prolonged usage. It's going to depend on how you draw/paint. Similarly, more heavy-handed artists may find that they get through their nibs faster using the Intuos Pro small. Unlike its larger counterparts, the Pro small does not offer changeable texture sheets, so you're stuck with the surface grain. This could potentially devour nibs at a reasonable rate if you're a creative that pushes down hard. The lack of software that comes as standard with the entry level Intuos range is a disappointment (no options of free Corel Painter Essentials or Clip Studio Pro here). And finally, quite possibly the smallest quibble ever to feature in a review, unlike the medium and large models, the Pro small doesn't come with the customisable colour rings for the Pro Pen 2. Madness. Wacom Intuos Pro Small: Should you buy it? If it's not already abundantly clear, we love this tablet range. If it's just for your office, we'd recommend paying a little more and going for one of the larger versions just so you have a bit more drawing space, but if you're after a portable tablet the size of an iPad to design with and maximise your creativity, the Wacom Intuos Pro Small 2019 is a superb choice. If the Intuos Pro small doesn't meet your artistic needs, here are three other options that might: View the full article

You're reading Speed up Your WordPress Site with Kinsta Hosting, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Are you sick and tired of a WordPress website that just seems to drag? The problem could be living in your hosting account. Kinsta is an optimized WordPress hosting platform that’s powered exclusively by Google Cloud Platform and Google’s premium … View the full article

You may have heard about the fancy business card that describes a man who washes dishes at his local café as an ‘underwater ceramic technician’. I like this – I see it as a poignant poke at the over-elaborate, exaggerated and increasingly meaningless job titles we see more and more – especially in the creative industries. Ridiculous job titles are not a new phenomenon, though. They've been around a good while, lingering and flaring up every now and then like an annoying virus. Right now we seem to be in the throes of an epidemic. And it's probably not because people are able to make their own business cards and job titles with business card templates. Why do I care? Well, I’ve been in the business of design and branding a long time, and I’ve always believed that a big part of a designer’s remit is to provide clarity – to ease the flow of complex themes and subtle messages without ambiguity or over-statement. You’d think the design profession would take the same approach to its own nomenclature, yet in many baffling and occasionally amusing cases, you’d be very wrong. Design jobs: find your dream role with Creative Bloq The end of transparency? Since the 1990s, using pseudo-intellectual, jargonistic terminology to describe everything from basic client services to long-established design processes has been on the rise. Today it’s at full crescendo, and arguably the worst afflicted is the straightforward job title. Don’t take my word for it – ask a 2019 ‘creative’ what they do. Better still, ask for their business card… then you have proof. In an age where transparency, and a straight-talking and approachable tone of voice are the preference of the most enlightened brands (because such things work wonders and always did), it seems contrary to have job titles like head of brand provocation, growth hacker and ignitor. Yes, these are real, and they baffle, frighten and anger me. What are these people thinking? More importantly, what do they actually do? Ask a passer by, and I bet they pull a funny face, and say, ‘a what?’ Perhaps people just think designer or client services manager isn’t cool, mysterious or sexy enough I’ll go as far as to say many industry folk don’t really know, either. It seems to be an attempt at conveying niche expertise, or perhaps people just think designer or client services manager isn’t cool, mysterious or sexy enough. Imagine telling your mum you’ve just been promoted to chief visionary officer – and her look of bewilderment before she says ‘sounds like fun, dear’ and asks, ‘what does that mean?’ What was so bad about being a production manager? People know what you do (manage production), so you don’t have to explain – and no one ever calls and asks to speak to the growth hacker. The 'say it out loud' test If you want grandiose or specialist job titles, at very least consider what it’s like to say it out loud – and beyond the clique. What might sound almost acceptable in a soft Southern Californian twang, in a San Francisco creative hub, or vaguely impressive in a middle-class Manhattan drawl on a conference call might not come across the same in, for example, my broad UK Lancastrian. If I say 'head of realisation', it sounds more like 'Ed oh reeli-zayshun'. If I said it at the school parents’ evening, to an inquisitive teacher, they’d think I was mad. Whose bright idea was it to re-brand ‘thinking’ as ‘ideation’? Who promotes the practice of 'design thinking' as 'conceptual innovation'? Who thinks having folders of themed images makes them a 'curator'? I understand the desire to make one’s role sound more impressive, but not to the point where it’s a) wholly unclear what you actually do and b) embarrassing. What’s wrong with being a really good artworker, as opposed to the only and lonely 'minutiae-focused ante-output oracle' on the planet? Emotive name vs informative descriptor I think I have an idea what’s happened. Somehow, our industry has lost the distinction between an emotive brand name and an informative descriptor. Kellogg was a bloke looking to sell cereal in a box, and he named his product ‘Kellogg’s Cornflakes’. A brand name and a descriptor, and the rest is history. British paint company Ronseal produces such a variety of wood-care products (from ‘one-coat-fence stain’ to ‘high-gloss interior varnish’ and everything in between) that it’s almost impossible to have a tagline that encompasses them all. So it simply proclaims, 'Does exactly what it says on the tin'. Brilliant. But doesn’t it come to something when a tin of gloop can teach the design industry a lesson? Why present a potential client with an at-best ambiguous, but more likely baffling explanation of what value you bring to the table? I don’t see what’s wrong with enjoying professional life simply as a designer or artworker I don’t see what’s wrong with enjoying professional life simply as a designer or artworker. In my own companies I’ve successfully championed doing away with the junior, middleweight and senior tags, as they don’t really add anything anyone else needs to know. In other capacities I’ve had colleagues who simply had ‘Strategy’ or ‘Client Services’ on their business cards and email signatures, and I honestly can’t recall any of them being questioned about their seniority, or what their role entailed. Their work built a reputation that spoke for itself. Likewise, I see no place for a VP in a small design agency, or for corporate CEO and CFO acronyms in our industry unless you’re a monster outfit. Someone once told me, ‘oh, that’s essential when negotiating with senior stakeholders in the Asian market'. I don’t believe that one bit. And even if were true, it shouldn’t be encouraged. Perhaps it harks back to the 1990s' obsession with trying to identify a formula or process that more or less guaranteed risk-free and successful innovation and design, and then to package it up in a memorable phrase and sell it to gullible marketers. This spawned a fog of proprietary processes that now includes the gratuitous ‘Store Safari’, the frankly indecipherable ‘Mettle Thinking’, and the profoundly preposterous ‘Imagineering™’. To me, today’s ridiculous job titles are a hangover from this. They do not impress or inspire people; insight, creativity and communication skills do. It’s the quality of the work that matters, and the impact it has that counts. Surely being the best at what you do, individually and collectively, is more important than trying (and failing) to sound clever. Good communication has always been about clarity and simplicity. It engenders approachability and trust in any industry, but especially in the creative sector. Please, let’s not spoil that with cheesy grandeur! Read more: How to find a new job in 2019 5 things NOT to say in a job interview Being an art director: all you need to know View the full article

Cisco has patched two critical vulnerabilities in its Data Center Network Manager software, which could allow a remote attacker to take over affected devices. View the full article

With the right Photoshop Elements tutorials you can do much of what you can achieve with the full version of Photoshop CC, at a fraction of the cost (read our review of Photoshop CC if you're not sure whether you need it). Photoshop Elements contains many of the features of the professional version, and it's a great choice for creatives who don't need all those heavyweight options. These Photoshop Elements tutorials cover versions from 7 upwards, and they'll take you through from basic tools through to more advanced effects. Get Adobe Creative Cloud 01. Introduction to Photoshop Elements Get to grips with the basics [Image: Adobe] If you're new to Photoshop Elements, watch this video by from Jan Kabili of Lynda.com. It'll help you understand the main workspaces – eLive, Media, People, Places, and Events – and also explains how to organise, edit, create, and share your photos. 02. Use the Elements Organiser Take control of your photos with this guide [Image: Adobe] To help you find your way around, this guide will take you on a tour of the Elements Organiser and show you how to view, organise, search, and tag photographs. It'll also teach you about the workspace, layout, views, and how to quickly find photos. 03. Sort and organise images Elements team member Philip Andrews talks through how to sort, manage and find photos really quickly in this video-based Photoshop Elements tutorial. 04. Remove objects or artefacts with Content-Aware Fill Lose unwanted photo elements with ease With more recent versions of Elements you have plenty of useful options for cleaning up photography. In this tutorial for Elements 13, you'll learn how to remove unwanted parts of a photo using Content-Aware Fill, which replaces selected elements with content from elsewhere in the photo. 05. Use the Refine Selection brush Here's a way to ensure that your selections are absolutely perfect When you're trying to make selections around intricately-shaped objects, it can be really fiddly to get things exactly right. This tutorial demonstrates how you can modify an existing selection using the Refine Selection Brush to get the best results possible. 06. Adjust composition with the Recompose tool Recompose your photos to make them easier on the eye If a photo almost looks good but the composition isn't quite right, Elements makes it easy to move things around until it's all a bit more aesthetically pleasing. Watch this tutorial for Elements 13 and you'll learn how to use the Recompose tool to shift everything about, keeping important elements while getting rid of unwanted parts. 07. Clean up your scene The intuitive scene cleaner tool was introduced in Photoshop Elements 7. In this video-based Photoshop Elements tutorial, learn how to add to or remove objects from your image. 08. Fix image exposure and lighting Is your image over exposed? Or are details lost due to poor contrast? Many photos look better with corrected brightness and contrast, learn how to adjust both here. 09. Airbrush and remove blemishes In just 10 minutes this useful Photoshop Elements tutorial covers user interface, airbrushing and smoothing skin, layers and remving blemishes. 10. Create pop art This video-based Photoshop Elements tutorial discusses how to make pop art effects using the Pop Art edit function. For Photoshop Elements 9 and above. 11. Use Guided Photo Edits In Guided Edit mode, you can create eye-catching special effects. From basic photo editing to awesome VFX, this video walks you through the fundamentals of working in this mode. This Photoshop Elements tutorial is for versions 10 and above. 12. Create sophisticated blur effects In this tutorial, the Photoshop Elements team talk through features that allow you to create sophisticated blur techniques, such as tilt shift and lens blur, with ease. 13. Create a Copyright watermark brush Want to protect your work? This 20-minute Photoshop Elements tutorial walks you through how to watermark your images with one click of the mouse. 14. Master the pen and ink filter The pen and ink filter cleverly takes a photograph and gives it a drawn or cartoon look. Follow this short video tutorial to find out just how to use it. Read more: The best alternatives to Photoshop How to resize an image in Photoshop 50 best photo apps and photo editing software View the full article

If you're such a big fan of Star Wars that you simply have to base your home furnishings on it, that's not a difficult thing to do. There are plenty of companies selling licensed Star Wars furniture, but what if that's all a bit too cheap and common for you? What if you really need some luxury Star Wars furniture at a price most can't afford? Well, here's the good news: there's now a range of high-end Star Wars furniture designed by Kenneth Cobonpue, and it comes at suitably eye-watering prices. 6 free Star Wars fonts Who wouldn't want a TIE Fighter chair? Kenneth Cobonpue is an award-winning designer and manufacturer from the Philippines who has made a name for himself by combining natural materials, traditional craft and experimental design to create unique and whimsical pieces of furniture. Given the opportunity to collaborate with Disney on a collection based on the movies or brands of his choice, Cobonpue immediately picked Star Wars, and was given free reign to create as he wanted. The results are some striking-looking pieces with prices to match. The most Star Wars-looking is without doubt the TIE Fighter chair; featuring woven wings and a matching table, it bears a distinct resemblance to the Empire's go-to starfighters, and it's marketed as being the perfect choice for a game room. The Sidious Chair faces off against the Chewie stool, overlooked by a Jedi lamp If you're after something more comfortable, we'd go for the Sidious easy armchair. With a raised backrest to resemble the Emperor's hood, it's an elegant yet menacing piece that looks great for lounging around. On a similar note, there's also a Vader easy armchair with its own foldable swivel table and an open weave canopy for that echo of the Dark Lord's famous helmet. Ideal if you want a bit of privacy for hatching evil plans. By far the most adorable piece in the collection is the Chewie rocking stool, adorned with a thick Wookiee-style coat of microfibre strips and wrapped in a fabric belt resembling Chewbacca's bandolier. And the weirdest piece? The Little Jedi lamp, made out of what looks like a tangle of lightsaber-wielding Jedi action figures going into battle against a solitary red Sith. Hatch your evil plans from the safety of the Vader easy chair The best thing about this strange collection is that none of it looks too Star Wars-y; it's fantastic-looking deco furniture with just enough of a Star Wars feel to get the fans – at least the ones with deep pockets – flocking to it. And yes, those pockets will have to be pretty deep; the TIE Fighter chair clocks in at $2,700 (with the matching tables another $655), and if you have an eye on the Vader easy chair then that's going to cost you a cool $4,320. There's good news for those of you who can't quite run to those price tags, however: the Chewie rocking stool could be yours for just $1,345. Puts that $999 Apple monitor stand into perspective, doesn't it? And if you still can't stretch to that, then check out our best office chair buying guide instead, which has some more affordable (non Star Wars) options. Previously available only in the Philippines, the Kenneth Cobonpue Star Wars collection is now available through outlets in the US; find your nearest outlet here. Related articles: How to illustrate a Star Wars-inspired environment The best office desk Stunning trailer shows what Star Wars might have been View the full article

A bug in the Electronic Arts gaming platform's single sign-on mechanism could have allowed hackers to access game accounts. View the full article

When it was released last month, Apple's new Mac Pro was praised for its incredible specs. Despite this, people were distracted by the unusual design of the computer's tower, which was compared to a cheese grater. Was this a fair comparison or an unwarranted jibe? To settle the matter, a YouTuber has created a replica of the tower to see whether it can in fact grate cheese. So forget whether or not the Mac Pro is set to become one of the best computers for graphic designers, let's take a look at how it shreds lumps of dairy products. Keep in mind that Moy doesn't test an actual Mac Pro though. We don't blame him either, seeing as the upcoming computer is set to cost a hefty sum and there won't be Prime Day deals this year to bring the price down. You don't exactly want to clog it up with strips of cheddar. As you can see in his comprehensive seven minute video, YouTuber Winston Moy puts the matter to bed by proving that the Mac Pro does not actually grate cheese all that well. Moy isn't the first person to find an inventive use for the Mac Pro's cheese grater aesthetic though. Only recently IKEA released a tongue in cheek advert promoting its cheese graters with the phrase "designed for apples". With its clever use of typography, this IKEA ad is one of the best print ads we've seen in a long time. And if this video has made you hungry to try out Moy's model for yourself, he's shared the files for his Apple Mac Pro-inspired cheese grater on his Thingiverse page. Although he admits it's better suited to being a soap dish than a cheese grater. Related articles: $999 Mac Pro stand: Has Apple lost the plot? First Look: Apple Pro Display XDR monitor Is Apple ditching its 'i'? View the full article

If you find yourself struggling to build or optimise fast web pages, there may be an alternative solution for you as a developer. Why not turn to an open-source tech solution called accelerated mobile pages (AMP)? AMP offers near-instant delivery of mobile pages (0.8 seconds average), making it an ideal perfect solution for a user's first interaction with your website. Progressive web apps (PWA), on the other hand, enable you to offer more interactivity and engagement features. AMP and PWAs are really just sets of technologies or web pages offering complementary ways of achieving different goals. In this guide, we'll show you how to combine the two to create truly compelling and ultra-fast mobile web experiences. For more helpful advice, take a look at our roundup of tutorials exploring how to build an app. 9 amazing PWA secrets AMP: Accelerated mobile pages AMP loads 85% faster than standard mobile pages AMP delivers blazingly fast, smooth landing pages. The framework itself is quite simple to code, with most developers taking less than a week to fully implement it. AMP puts content in front of users quickly, loading 85 per cent faster than standard mobile pages. So long as your page remains 'AMP valid', you can be confident of not breaking the code or sacrificing performance. You can develop a valid AMP page following the framework built with AMP HTML, AMP JS and AMP Cache and then using AMP Validator to check you haven't missed anything. For more on how to build APM, take a look at the Google Developers site. It's always important to test AMP for impact. We recommend that you A/B test AMP with respect to what effect it has on your mobile performance with a 50/50 split test on traffic. This way you can safely see the results that AMP has for yourselves. PWA: Progressive web apps PWAs are essentially websites that behave like native apps A PWA combines the reach of the open web with the functionality of native web applications. It's essentially a website that behaves almost like a native mobile app. They are quick to load – especially on cached or repeat mobile visits – available offline, secure and can be accessed from your home screen. However, their first load is hindered by the fact the site's service worker (assets and app shell) only accelerates delivery to a repeat visitor on a site's subsequent load. Service workers in PWAs enable reliable experiences when there is no network or slow/intermittent network connections. A major benefit of PWAs is that they use web technologies at the right time and can replace app-like permissions, push notifications, payment request APIs and better form interactions (autocomplete, input types, etc). PWAs can also work towards less download requests for a user, which can be quite taxing on smartphones in general, using 50 per cent fewer external JavaScript requests. PWAs literally put your business at your consumer's fingertips once installed (with an app-like icon) and provide richer experiences – and more immersive ones with push notifications enabled – compared to the average website you will visit. It's through the set of technologies (https, service worker and a manifest file) enabled that enhance your website, even making it accessible offline. In addition, they can be easily discovered because users are far more likely to download the PWA when prompted to 'add to home screen' while they are browsing the web, rather than visiting an app store and looking for applications. How to combine AMP and PWA Since AMP and PWAs are really just sets of technologies or web pages offering complementary ways of achieving different goals, we should really take a second to acknowledge the unique strengths of each. Plus, both technologies have their own shortcomings when implemented individually that should also be considered. AMP presents fast-loading, out-of-the-box content that requires relatively low effort but has some features missing. PWAs, on the other hand, offer more advanced platform features, are fast-loading for repeat visits and content is reliable even in offline mode. However, PWAs are not as strong as AMP during first content load because they are not quite as fast. AMP and PWAs can be combined to create an engaging and super-speedy mobile web experience. Think of it as the perfect tech match. Here's the simple two-step process you need to follow: 01. Build your site with AMP That doesn't necessarily have to mean your entire website: you can focus on 'entry points' or landing pages. Decide on where you would expect to see the biggest incremental gains from AMP's speed. When implemented correctly, AMP should retain interest with the lightning fast load time when it's served from Google Cache. In order to integrate PWA logic with AMP, it all starts with an AMP component called amp-install-service worker, which can install a service worker from any AMP page. This makes the magic happen. It enables service worker installation from the AMP cache, so the service worker is installed by the time users visit the origin site. The user-experience remains uninterrupted and the service worker runs whenever the AMP file is served from the origin where the AMP file is published. Before integrating PWA features, it's a good idea to serve AMP in this way as an entry point via 'leaf pages' to your site and warm up the PWA 'behind the scenes' before switching a user to the smooth onward journey. 02. Progressively enhance with PWA features After you've implemented AMP and the service worker, progressively enhance your site with the PWA features that best meet your business goals. PWAs have a vast array of benefits when fully integrated, which makes it easy to delight more users, grow engagement and increase conversions. Here is a useful checklist that explains what it takes to produce a baseline PWA and then develop it into an exemplary PWA. The best teams out there are the ones willing to adapt to the new consumer expectations. AMP and PWAs go well together and ensure that your website holds a user's attention and is more engaging. One thing's for sure, we like websites to be fast and we want content to arrive ready and easy to complete. In our modern world where almost everything is skippable and we can choose to disengage, we need to focus on retaining interest. Remember: the smallest screen represents the largest opportunity. Book now for a super early bird discount This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 318 or subscribe. Read more: The best monitors for programming 2019 5 different ways to develop a mobile app The best web hosting services View the full article

A concept logo for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games (above) has got creatives debating the merits of its design. The unofficial logo, created by designer Daren Newman, has been praised for elegantly capturing the spirit of the games and the Japanese city, although it's also prompted people to defend the actual Tokyo 2020 identity. The idea for the logo was recently posted by Newman on his social media channels. The design plays with the shapes of the Olympic rings and makes them read '2020'. It also fills in the red ring to make it look like the rising sun disc found on Japan's flag. Our guide to logo design stresses the importance of shape and symbolism, so we can see why Newman's idea, which plays with familiar imagery, has been warmly received by some. Reddit user DiImmortalesXV said that it: "Perfectly encapsulates the modernity and simplicity that it wishes to convey. Beautiful." And people on Twitter even had some nice things to say about it. However some Twitter users have been less favourable with their feedback. The massive reaction took Newman by surprise. "I just put it out there on my Instagram feed expecting it to just get lost in the sea of other posts," Newman tells Creative Bloq, "but the opposite happened and it has since gone a bit bonkers!" "I’ve had people getting in touch with me from all over the globe. I wasn’t sure why this was happening, and then a few people got in touch to tell me it was on Reddit and it had created a bit of a storm. And then a fair few people on Twitter started reposting it!" "There has been a lot of positive response to it which is great. There have also been a fair few negative responses, which I’m more than willing to accept – I’m just overwhelmed with the response to it." So why has Newman's concept logo split the opinion of designers? Perhaps it's to do with the way the logo has been shared. Plenty of places, including this thread on Reddit, don't make it crystal clear that Newman's idea is a concept design. In fact the official design for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games (below) was created by Asao Tokolo. This isn't the first time the game's identity has whipped up a dispute either. There's a controversial story behind the Tokyo 2020 logo in that the original official design, created by Kenjiro Sano, was scrapped due to accusations of plagiarism. The official Tokyo 2020 logos were chosen from thousands of submissions Logo designs are often incredibly personal and controversial things. Back in 2012 the London Olympics logo came in for a lot of flack, but we've spoken to designers who defend it. So ultimately it's up to you whether you think this design is better or worse than the official logo. Beyond personal preference though, Newman's design does run into a few usability issues. That's because the Olympic rings have to adhere to some specific usage guidelines, which this Tokyo 2020 concept don't follow. For example, the Olympic rings should not be distorted into other shapes, and their width should not be adjusted. So while you could argue that Newman's concept is at least a succinct and neat way to communicate Tokyo 2020, it unfortunately wouldn't hold up in an official capacity. There's plenty to enjoy in both this concept and the official logo though. And considering that Tokolo's geometric design was chosen by a public vote, it looks like a lot of people like the Tokyo 2020 identity just as it is. Related articles: Does Eurosport's Tokyo 2020 logo embrace the spirit of manga? 10 of the best logos ever 11 steps to better logos View the full article

Web analytics firm plugs a hole in its platform that allowed attackers to open a reverse shell that could be used to attack the service. View the full article

Researchers have found samples of malware that targets a recently-disclosed, unpatched MacOS vulnerability. View the full article

If you're tuned into the artistic side of Twitter, chances are you might have seen Pokémon fan art inspired by bizarre mashups filling your feed. The reason for this is that a tool called Pokemon Fusion has found a new lease of life on the social media platform, and artists are celebrating by getting creative. For those who are new to the world of Pokémon, or perhaps don't spend their time trawling through Twitter, Pokémon Fusion is an online program that combines two different Pokémon into one absurd critter. Often with hilarious results. As far as tools go, Pokémon Fusion is a fun way to shake up your imagination and see familiar characters in a new light. And considering that Pokemon creatures are a great example of our character design tips in action, this is no mean feat. Not only that, but the program has spawned some truly unique Pokémon that have been immortalised as fan art. How fan art can get you paid The funny thing is that Pokémon Fusion has been around for ages. In fact web developer Alex Onsager originally launched the Pokémon Fusion site way back in 2010. So why is it back in the spotlight now? As is the case with a lot of fan art, the story leads us to Tumblr. In a recent post from a Tumblr user with the handle ijustreallylikeeevee, the reader is told: "Whatever Pokemon appears when you load Pokefusion is now your government assigned starter." The fresh spin on the old meme was all it took for Tumblr users to fire up the program again. And the whacky combinations it produced proved to be so popular that Pokémon Fusion fan art soon spilled out onto Twitter. Here are some of the creations that caught our eye. To get a look at all the Pokemon Fusion antics, just check out the Pokefusion hashtag. And if this fan art has made you want to create a masterpiece of your own, you might want to take a look at our best tablets for drawing. Related articles: Artist reimagines Pokémon as real-world creatures Insider advice from a master film character designer 5 key trends in character design View the full article

So, you've decided to try mobile app design, but you're not sure where to start. No worries, we've got you covered. In this article, we'll outline five things you need to know to help get you started in mobile app design. This guide is aimed at beginners to mobile app design. If you've already got some skills, take a look at our roundup of tutorials that will walk you through different aspects of how to make an app, in detail. What is mobile app design? To put it in very broad terms, app designers are in charge of making an app look good, while developers make it work correctly. Mobile app design encompasses both the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Designers are responsible for the overall style of the app, including things like the colour scheme, font selection, and the types of buttons and widgets the user will use. So, where do you start? At the beginning. Which platform should I design for? Android or iOS? [Image: Pixabay] Depending on your reasons for wanting to design mobile apps, you may already know which platform you want to work with and why. But, if you're just starting out and you're not sure which is right for you, got for the one you're most familiar with. If you're using an Android phone, design for Android. If you're using an iOS device, start there. Alternatively, you could decide design for both, but it's best not to bite off more than you can chew – at least not in the beginning. What tools should I use? Photoshop, Adobe XD and Sketch are all strong contenders Once you know what platform you're designing for, the next step is to select the right web design tools to get the job done. When it comes to designing mobile apps, the good news is that regardless of the platform, you can generally use the same tools for both. Popular options for app design include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, and Sketch. There are many, many more, but these are the heavy hitters in the industry. Sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud here. You might think Photoshop is your best option for mobile app design – especially if you've used it for other types of design work – however when it comes to designing mobile apps, you're better off with Adobe XD or Sketch. That said, Sketch is considered the de facto standard here, although Adobe XD is putting in some strong competition, having recently added design systems. One of the biggest reasons for using Adobe XD or Sketch over something like Photoshop is that these two tools are built with designing and prototyping in mind. They help streamline your design workflows and are targeted at UI and UX designers, whereas Photoshop is more for image manipulation. One important note here: If you're planning on cross-platform development or support, Adobe XD is the clear winner here as Sketch is only available on macOS. OS design guidelines Before you start designing, because you first need to understand the dos and don'ts of your platform. Generally speaking, mobile app design shares some similarities between the different operating systems, such as: Goal-driven design Keep it simple (less is more) Maintain the flow Readability is key Respect the platform That last one, 'respect the platform', is more important than you may realise. When users download and install an app to their device, they expect it to behave in a way that's familiar and intuitive to them. They base their opinions on what they know, so when an app goes against 90 per cent of the OS-specific design rules, users are likely to delete it. Not only do you need to consider the different navigation patterns that iOS and Android have, but you also need to think about buttons, font selection, and placement of UI objects – all of which vary for each platform. The good news is that you don't need to guess what's acceptable. Both Apple and Android have a set of design guidelines that you can review before you get started (and while you're actively designing): iOS Human Interface Guidelines Android Design Guidelines Wireframes and app flow Use a dedicated wireframe tool, or stick to pen and paper [Image: Pixabay] Before designing an app's look and feel, it's essential to work on its flow control and structure. This is where wireframes come into play. Wireframes help you understand how users will navigate and use an app. They're generally simplified in their design so that the focus is on flow and usability. While there are many dedicated wireframe tools, it's not uncommon for designers to simply use a pen and paper. However, if you're looking for something more hi-tech and collaborative (which is especially important when you're working with a remote team), consider creating your wireframes in Sketch or Adobe XD. The benefit of using these tools for wireframing is that you can turn your low-fidelity wireframes into high-fidelity previews with relative ease. Note: With Adobe XD, you can even grab yourself some free kits to help get you started. Mockups and prototypes Time to turn your wireframes into working products [Image: Pixabay] Once you've worked through your wireframes and shared them with the development team and/or your client for discussion and approval, it's time to make some mockups and prototypes. This step is generally easier if you've used the same design tool to create both your wireframes and your mobile app design. If you haven't it might take you a little longer to populate your design tool, but once you do, you're well on your way. Many tools, including UXPin (which integrates with Sketch), include ways to annotate your wireframes with the detailed information required by devs, to remove the need for any guesswork. While you're working on the app's design is an excellent time to start building a shared library of assets. For example, standard buttons, icons, and other elements that you create here might prove useful in other apps you design, so make sure you save them. Find out more about this step in our article: 4 different ways to create website and app mockups. Handing over to development This step won't actually look like this [Image: Pixabay] Designers are also responsible for delivering these elements and visual assets to the developer. Things like icons, backgrounds, logos, and even fonts, are all things a designer might hand off to a developer. Once the developer has everything they need, it's their job to take that design – and its various parts – and make it work. Sometimes, however, a designer doesn't understand the limitations a developer faces. And when that happens, all hell breaks loose. As a mobile app designer, you could ignore the developer and the development process altogether, but it's better to understand the challenges a developer faces, whether they be with the tools they're using or the limitations of the operating system and/or devices on which your apps will run. Armed with this knowledge, you can design mobile apps more efficiently, with less push back from your developer, while at the same time fostering a more collaborative environment. Read more: How to create an app with Vue.js Get to grips with mobile app onboarding Top Sketch plugins to try View the full article

Working in web design means that you're constantly having to keep track of all the latest developments. New technologies and techniques are cropping up all the time, and if you want to deliver the sites that your customers demand then you need to at least be aware of up-and-coming web design tools. Beyond the technical, though, there's also the visual angle to consider. Tastes are always evolving, and what looked good a couple of years ago is likely to look less appealing today. If you want your website layout to look fresh and stand out from the crowd, it pays to be up to speed with the latest trends. So read on for eight of this year's hottest looks, some of them technical, some of them more aesthetic, and most of them essential. The future of web design 01. Strong typography Safari Riot's site is big on typography and bigger on doing amazing, attention-grabbing stuff with it Web design has always been a bit of a poor relation of graphic design, and part of the problem is that while a graphic designer has more or less complete freedom to create across the page, web designers were for a long time shackled by primitive layout options and the most basic typography. This is, thankfully, changing; CSS Grid and Flexbox give designers the opportunity to create more print-like pages, and vastly improved typography tools have meant that big, bold, and experimental typographic layouts are very much the in thing right now, making full use of oversized retro fonts in all the styles and weights, and complete with assorted effects and deformations to add extra character. 02. Progressive Web Apps The Starbucks PWA won't set your world on fire, but it'll just work, whatever They're not a one-size-fits-all solution, but if you're building a site that's predominantly targeting mobile users who don't always have the bandwidth they want, a Progressive Web App is an elegant way of doing it. PWAs are progressive and responsive, so they should work on any platform and look good too, and they deliver an app-like experience that, crucially, isn't dependent on having an internet connection, using service workers to allow offline use. And while you wouldn't want to use a PWA for your next full-blown desktop site, they're ideal for creating fast and lightweight ecommerce sites when high engagement is a must. 03. Illustration Cytora's guide to AI underwriting uses illustration to make a complex subject understandable It's hard to visit a new startup's site these days that doesn't have a smattering of flat and funky cartoon figures illustrating its business and providing some much-needed character for visitors to identify with. They're everywhere and they don't seem to be going anywhere for now, but while we're sure this particular style of illustration will fall out of favour sooner or later, illustration itself as a staple element of web design is one that seems set to stick around; it's just the style that's likely to evolve. If you're keen to incorporate modern-looking illustration into your site, be sure to read our guide to 2019's illustration trends to know about. 04. Animation and video The Stonewall Forever site mixes video and 3D animation to fabulous effect While it's not always wise to build sites that deliver a performance hit while guzzling bandwidth, if you want to make an impact then it's a lot easier these days to go full-on with all the attention-grabbing visual flair you feel you need. It's not that long since embedded full-screen video was simply unthinkable; now it's visible on an ever-increasing number of sites, and a great way to deliver instant visual interest while getting a brand story across. And for a less heavyweight visual punch, JavaScript or CSS animation used well not only looks good on the page, but can also be used to breathe life into navigation and enhance the user experience. 05. Pastel palettes We're not sure what Liebe Quark is, but its colour scheme is to die for Because web design trends are so much more closely linked to more general visual trends these days, it's not surprising that many of the must-have looks for web sites tend to mirror the sort of design decisions you can already see in print pages and advertising. An outmoded palette is the perfect way to turn people off, and if you want a site to look bang up-to-date then you need to reflect current colour trends. Right now gentle pastel tones are a strong look – see Pantone's 2019 colour of the year, 'Living Coral', for example – but what can really help bring them out is adding one or two really vibrant shades in the same way that print designers use spot colours. 06. Custom cursors Romain Avalle's portfolio site does some impressive things with your mouse input With modern websites being home to so much visual interest these days, the humble mouse cursor can sometimes feel a bit lost, which would go some way to explaining the increasing number of sites that try to do something exciting with the pointer. Merely changing the mouse cursor into something else has been possible for a very long time, but the return of custom cursors sees much more elaborate techniques coming into play, such as reactive cursors that change in response to site elements, and secondary pointers that follow the cursor around, but sweeping across the screen in a much more organic manner. They're very much the fashion right now, but we suspect this trend will run out of steam before too long. 07. Colour gradients Just look at Abella Andrade's gradients; whatever they're selling, it looks delicious Beautiful colour gradients have long been available to graphic designers, but until recently they've been difficult to bring to web designs as they have to be rendered as bitmaps that don't always scale well. Now, though, CSS gradients mean that it's easy to enliven a page with an eye-catching gradient, whether it's simply to provide a gently colourful backdrop, or as an overlay providing an attractive way of fading in photography from one side. CSS gradients are just as versatile as the ones you'll find in Illustrator or Photoshop CC, and combined with CSS blend modes there are almost unlimited ways to use them imaginatively. 08. Micro-interactions A better Montreux Jazz Festival experience through micro-interactions Sometimes the devil is in the details, and spending time on adding delightful extra touches can add a much-needed dose of personality to a site. A little animated feedback can be a great way to keep users engaged and entertained, but there's more to micro-interactions than simple visual feedback. They can be used to make navigation clearer, to reassure visitors while they're waiting for something to load, or to draw attention to useful features such as the inevitable hamburger menu. And used imaginatively, they can help your audience find the information they need without any unwanted noise; for example, check out this site for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which will put together a custom list of the acts you'll want to see, based on a handful of decisive swipes. Nice. Related articles: Colour in web design: all you need to know The 7 deadly sins of web design How to survive as a web designer beyond 2020 View the full article

Sometimes creative briefs can get a bit, well, boring. After all, there are only so many times designers can read the same buzzwords before their eyes glaze over and their creativity dries up. If this sounds familiar, this parody branding deck that pokes fun at bland guidelines is sure to make you laugh. Created by copywriter Vikki Ross in partnership with ad agency Mellor&Smith and its junior designer Grace State, the Bland Book is a parody of the decks that brands give designers to help them get a feel for a company. In particular, the Bland Book takes a swipe at companies who describe themselves with mundane and meaningless phrases like 'dedicated', 'authentic' and 'passionate'. The Bland Book is so spot on because surely a company should be all of these things anyway? Businesses that use these terms are missing the point of what makes their brand tick. For an example of creative outlines done right, check out our feature on how to make a style guide. Originally the guide was launched on April Fool's Day. However pages from the Bland Book can now be found in Ross' hilarious Twitter thread roundup (below). Chances are its witty contents will look familiar to projects you've either seen or worked on. All the main culprits (generic fonts, boring stock photos, uninspiring copywriting) are all present and correct, with each one coming in for an overdue mocking. So if you're in need of a chuckle, check out some of the pages from the Bland Book below. We particularly like the keen attention to detail in the Bland Book. For starters, the colour scheme is so generic yet so accurate, that you get the impression that Ross and the team created this project out of bitter experience. 'Always make the logo bigger' is one of the most frequent and irritating requests to bug designers. So of course, the Bland Book dedicates one of its pages to really ramming home how annoying it is. Generic stock photos of happy smiling people also get a dressing-down by the Bland Book. And rightly so. How is a brand meant to stand out if its imagery looks similar to the photos uses by plenty of other companies? To download the Bland Book, head over to Mellor & Smith's site. As Ross says herself, "thank us later". Related articles: 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding Liquid Death is 2019's stupidest branding 8 brands celebrating Pride Month View the full article

After months of speculation about when Amazon's biggest retail event is happening, this morning the company finally confirmed that Prime Day 2019 will start at midnight on Monday 15 July. And in what will be the longest Prime Day ever, the event will run for 48 hours, ending at 11:59pm on Tuesday 16 July. So if you've been holding out for a creative bargain, you can now mark the dates firmly in your diary and bookmark our best Prime Day deals page, which we will be updating as and when all the best offers come in. The official dates were revealed in an email sent out to Amazon customers earlier this morning, which stated: 'This year we're celebrating Prime members with exclusive entertainment offers, brand new product launches, and more. Prime Day brings you the best of shopping and entertainment and starts at midnight on Monday 15 July with hundreds of new deals popping up every hour.' While the Prime Day bonanza is still a couple of weeks away, it looks like Amazon has started the party for its Prime members, already discounting a number of new products for a limited time. If you're not currently an Amazon Prime member, it's easy and free to sign up, and you can cancel at any time during the initial 30-day trial period with no strings attached. If last year is anything to go by, we're expecting to see some incredible creative deals this Prime Day so make sure you stay tuned. In the meantime, don't miss our tips on avoiding a Prime Day rip off and how to get the best creative Prime Day deals on the day. Read more: The best laptop for graphic design The best external hard drives for Mac and PC users The best power bank in 2019 View the full article

If you're looking to grow your brand, increase web traffic, or earn revenue, YouTube ads could be the way to go. But how do you get started with them? To help demystify how they work, sigh up to The Complete YouTube Master Class. can be your one-stop shop for learning how to grow your Youtube channel. Consider this class to be your one-stop shop for learning how to grow your YouTube channel. In it, you'll learn how ads can jumpstart your YouTube channel with the help of 62 lectures and 5 hours of content. The best cloud storage 2019 Once you sign up, you'll find out how to create professional-quality videos even if you don’t have a big budget to work with. On top of this, you'll learn how to improve your channel through analytics and monetise your channel through ads. Not only that, but you'll also discover how your channel can enhance your brand and business. Best of all, it’s yours for the low price of $11. Related articles: How to become a YouTube sensation 18 web design YouTube channels you need to watch The 10 best YouTube art channels View the full article

One of the hardest aspects of learning 3D is figuring out how to transfer a rough idea into a 3D shape. Most 3D applications depend upon the user having a working knowledge of a complex system of mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts to move around and draw in 3D space. It would be great to have a 3D application that offers an intuitive modelling environment, and can still create geometry that is able to be transferred to other 3D software when finished. Gravity Sketch fulfils goes a long way towards fulfilling this need. For awesome examples of other 3D software you could use with Gravity Sketch, we have a rundown of the best 3D modelling software for your perusal right here. Gravity Sketch on Oculus Rift review Gravity Sketch creates its modelling environment in VR which helps it along its way towards becoming the dream application. It has a transformative impact on modelling creation, and along with a deceptively simple control scheme that is manipulated by VR hand controllers, Gravity Sketch can quickly make any artist feel at one with their model. As Gravity Sketch is dependent upon hand controllers, only full PC VR systems will run it. Both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are fully supported, as are a range of Microsoft mixedreality headsets. VR sets have had massive price reductions in the past year, and Gravity Sketch itself starts at an affordable price for a full-featured creative version that's only missing out on some of the more advanced export options. This base version happily exports OBJ models, allowing a Gravity Sketch creation to work with practically any 3D application on the market. 01. Create in VR Hand controllers are essential as they contain all the tools needed to use Gravity Sketch [Image: Mike Griggs] To use Gravity Sketch, a VR-capable Windows machine is needed along with an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or certain brands of Windows mixed-reality headsets. Whatever headset is used, hand controllers are essential, as they contain all the tools needed to use Gravity Sketch. Gravity Sketch is available either through Steam or the Oculus Rift store. For this tutorial the standard version of Gravity Sketch was used. 02. Get sketching Switching on the axis makes drawing in symmetry easy [Image: Mike Griggs] After pulling in reference imagery by clicking and dragging from the intuitive interface, sketching can begin. Switching on the axis makes drawing in symmetry easy. As Gravity Sketch creates vector lines, even in the sketch phase, each sketch line can have its control points edited, deleted or moved. This makes Gravity Sketch an excellent tool for artists of any skill level, as any mistake can be quickly tweaked and refined. 03. Work with layers The layer and grouping system on Gravity Sketch is excellent [Image: Mike Griggs] Gravity Sketch has an excellent layer and grouping system. Grouping objects is controlled by the left controller, and objects can be added and groups broken with a single click. The layer palette can be pulled into the VR environment, and an object can be dropped into the correct layer by picking it up and dropping it into the blue box at the end of each layer title. Layer visibility and activation are all easily controlled using the larger buttons on the layer palette. 04. Pull out surfaces You need both hands for pulling out surfaces [Image: Mike Griggs] When creating the main surfaces, both hands are needed. Surfaces are literally pulled into shape and can snap to guide geometry such as paths. Like all elements within Gravity Sketch, these surfaces can then be modifi ed and adjusted after they have been created. Standard 3D practices such as less control points enable surfaces to work well with Gravity Sketch, as it makes the control points easier to capture. 05. Lathe tool and array drawing The methodology for creating lathe objects is unique [Image: Mike Griggs] Gravity Sketch has a unique methodology for creating lathe objects. Using the secondary hand to place the axis, lathe objects are drawn out in situ. Again, these can be edited after they have been drawn. This methodology also works with the circular array system within Gravity Sketch, which uses the same axis to allow multiple instances of the same spline to be created – a great way of creating wire looms and other detailed elements. 06. Export to a 3D application The ability to create geometry for export into 3D applications is invaluable [Image: Mike Griggs] The basic version of Gravity Sketch allows OBJ exporting, which is fine for most uses. The OBJ can be geometry-heavy, so be prepared to retopologise the model if needed for real-time or animation requirements. If colours are added during the Gravity Sketch creation process they carry across as separate materials. Gravity Sketch is capable of creating basic renders, but its ability to create geometry for export into 3D applications makes it an invaluable creation tool. This article was originally published in issue 246 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 246 or subscribe to 3D World. Read more: These 3D portraits are unbelievably realistic 24 free 3D models 20 Cinema 4D tutorials to up your 3D skills View the full article