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Alleged Windows flaw allows for remote code execution and is being flogged for $500,000. View the full article

As well as revealing a brand new iPhone SE, Apple yesterday announced that one of its most anticipated upcoming products is now available to preorder. The Magic Keyboard for the 2020 iPad Pro was unveiled alongside the new tablet last month, and said to be arriving in May. However, it appears to be hitting the shelves sooner than expected. As of yesterday, the keyboard is available to order from the Apple Store, with units set to be delivered next week. Apple has been touting the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement for years now, most (in)famously in its 2018 ads in which a young tablet user asks, "What's a computer?". While the ads were derided at the time, the tech giant has doubled down on the messaging – the message for the 2020 iPad and Magic Keyboard (below) proudly proclaiming: "Your next computer is not a computer." But with the addition of a trackpad, it's the new Magic Keyboard accessory that could make those claims a reality – and make the iPad an even better option for creatives (check out the best iPad apps for designers). There's just one problem: the price. The 11-inch version of the Magic Keyboard is $299, while the 12.9-inch is a whopping $349. To put that in perspective, you could buy an actual iPad for the same price. At $349, the 10.2-inch iPad certainly isn't a 'pro' tablet, but it's still a very capable machine. Still, if the Magic Keyboard is as transformative for the iPad Pro as Apple suggests, perhaps it's worth shelling out for. And there's always the trackpad-less Smart Keyboard Folio if you're after something a little cheaper. Despite the price, the Magic Keyboard was definitely the thing that really got us excited about the 2020 iPad Pro. It magnetically attaches to the iPad, and the tablet sits above the keyboard with what Apple calls a "cantilevered design" (basically, it floats), offering way more flexibility in terms of viewing angles. You can order the new Magic Keyboard now on Apple's website. If you're interested in picking up the 2020 iPad Pro (which definitely isn't a computer) or the Smart Keyboard Folio, check out the latest offers below. Related articles: MacBook Pro 2020: Latest rumour roundup New Apple gadget is not what we were expecting Illustrator for iPad now available in beta View the full article

After months of will-they-won't-they speculation, Apple has finally revealed its budget iPhone for 2020 – and instead of being named the iPhone 9 as rumoured, the new device is called the iPhone SE. It's the second iPhone to take the SE name – the original, released in 2016, was an affordable iPhone for those who preferred a smaller form factor. This new SE is certainly affordable at just $399, but if it's a small phone you want, you might be out of luck. Instead of the pleasingly pocketable 4-inch form factor of the original, the 2020 iPhone SE borrows the exact same 4.7-inch design of the iPhone 8, dashing the hopes of anyone who prefers small phones that are actually, you know, small. We loved the size of the original SE and found it perfect for one-handed use. Still, there's a lot more tech to pack into the device these days, so perhaps we need to suck it up and accept that small phones are now a thing of the past. Still, we can't help but feel the same as the Twitter user below. The iPhone is a great device for creatives – check out the best iPhone apps for designers. Speaking of tech, however, that's one area where the new iPhone SE doesn't disappoint. According to the Apple newsroom, It packs the same A13 Bionic chip as the much more expensive (and yes, bigger) iPhone 11, which should future-proof it for a good few years. Apple also claims that the SE features the “best-ever single-camera system for great photos and videos" – indeed, it's the first 4.7-inch iPhone to feature Apple's popular Portrait Mode. The original iPhone SE (left) vs. the new version (right) While a fast processor and great camera might not make this a bells-and-whistles iPhone release, that's the point of the SE. Not everybody needs Face ID, an LED display and 740 cameras – this is a device for those who want an iPhone that can do the basics, and do them fast. On the design front, the new iPhone SE is available in black, white and (PRODUCT)RED. The white model, however, appears to have the same black front as the other models – so it seems the device marks the end of white-fronted iPhones. Preorders begin tomorrow, and at $399, it's the cheapest iPhone since the original SE. We just can't help but wish the form factor was as small as the price. Want to grab the original iPhone SE while you still can? Check out the best offers below. Related articles: Is this what the iPhone 12 Pro will look like? Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

For many creatives it's a strange, uncertain time right now. For most illustrators, though, the current climate of working from home is simply business as usual. That's not to say it's all plain sailing right now; commissions may be harder to come by in these suddenly straitened times, but if you're good at your job then you should find the work. But if you need a little encouragement – and we could all use that from time to time – here it is. There's a lot more to illustration than knowing how to draw, so we've picked out four of the greatest illustrators of all time, along with lessons you could learn from their successful careers to improve your own prospects. Read on for some essential tips from the best in the business. 4 tips for your first year as a freelance illustrator 01. Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter originally self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit when publishers weren't interested If you've ever struggled to sell your work and found yourself wondering if you have a future in illustration, remember that even the greatest illustrators have been in that same boat. Beatrix Potter is one of the most beloved illustrators of all time, forever associated with a series of beautifully-realised children's books starting with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but even she had to deal with publishers who simply weren't interested. By the time Potter wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit she was already an accomplished illustrator, specialising in detailed recreations of fungus; she had also printed her own Christmas cards and sold illustrations to publishers. But when she tried to sell Peter Rabbit in 1900, there were no takers. Rather than give up, Potter had the story printed at her own expense, and this led to interest from Frederick Warne & Co., which finally published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902. Potter also took a smart approach to merchandising her work; she made and patented the first Peter Rabbit doll in 1903, and followed this up with all manner of merchandise, which provided her – and her publisher – with a welcome secondary income. Lesson learned: Sometimes you just have to take the initiative and do things yourself. Once your work's out there and gaining popularity, you'll become a much more attractive proposition for publishers – although you may still have to be persistent. 02. Quentin Blake Encouragement from an established artist helped Quentin Blake sell his first illustrations There's the most wonderful sense of controlled chaos to the work of Quentin Blake. While his lively illustrations may give the impression that they've been dashed out in seconds, he spends a lot of time preparing and planning his drawings to ensure that they fit the atmosphere of the book he's working on, and that his characters look the same on each page. The spontaneous feel of his work has made him a perfect fit for children's books; he's illustrated over 300 of them since his first book in 1961, working most famously with Roald Dahl, and also with big names such as David Walliams and even Dr Seuss, for whom he illustrated the first book that Seuss didn't illustrate himself. He's also written and illustrated a number of books by himself. Every illustrator needs to start somewhere, and Blake got his first big break thanks to painter and cartoonist Alfred Jackson, who was married to Blake's Latin teacher at school. Jackson encouraged Blake to submit his work to Punch magazine, and the young illustrator saw his first work published at the age of just 16. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the advantages of having a mentor who can help you set your career in the right direction. Getting the right advice from someone who's already been around the block can save you from some serious pitfalls and show you what aspects of your work you need to focus on. 03. Maurice Sendak Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are tells its story with just 338 words and a lot of detailed illustrations Where the Wild Things Are is one of the most celebrated children's books of all time, but at the time of its release things didn't look quite so rosy for it. Reviewers and teachers found Maurice Sendak's tale, of an angry young boy who becomes king of an island of Wild Things, simply too grotesque for young readers, and it was initially banned from libraries until it was discovered that children were finding the book for themselves and reading it over and over, captivated by the subversive themes that the adults were worried about. Sendak had been working as an illustrator for nearly 20 years by the time Where the Wild Things Are was published in 1963. It tells its story in just 338 words, leaving Sendak's beautifully detailed illustrations to do much of the heavy lifting, making it an ideal book for younger readers. And while many found its themes dark, they make perfect sense when you realise that many of Sendak's family died in the Holocaust, and he himself spent some of his childhood confined to bed with health problems. Sendak described his childhood as "a terrible situation"; it also gave him his love of stories, thanks to the books he read when he was unwell, and also to his father, an inveterate storyteller who would embellish tales from the Torah with inappropriately racy details. Lesson learned: Illustration isn't just about the pictures; it's also about telling a story. If you can carry off an entire book with barely any words, with the story mostly conveyed through the illustrations, you're on the right track. 04. Judith Kerr Judith Kerr didn't publish her first book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, until she was 45 Judith Kerr is another illustrator whose early life was touched by the Holocaust; her family fled Berlin in 1933 just as the Nazis were coming to power. She wrote about this in a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels starting with When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit in 1971; however her troubled childhood may well have inspired her most famous book, too. The Tiger Who Came to Tea, one of the best-selling children's books of all time, is the story of a little girl and her mother who are visited by a friendly tiger who proceeds to drink everything in the house before going on his way. It's been suggested that the book may have been inspired by a childhood fear of the Nazis turning up to take her father away; throughout her life, though, Kerr insisted that it was simply a story about a tiger coming for tea. Born in 1923, Kerr didn't start writing and illustrating books until she was in her 40s, just when her children were learning to read. She continued working almost up to her death in 2019; in 2015 another of her beloved characters, Mog the forgetful cat, was brought to life in an animated Christmas ad for Sainsbury's, alongside one final Mog book: Mog's Christmas Calamity. Lesson learned: It's never too late to start. Judith Kerr had a career as an artist and worked at the BBC as a scriptwriter, and it wasn't until she was 45 that The Tiger That Came to Tea was published. So if you're approaching 30 and still haven't had your big break, don't be disheartened; there's still plenty of time. Related articles: 10 top illustration trends for 2020 Illustrators depict their perfect self-isolation scenario 6 websites that use illustration brilliantly View the full article

The Chinese ISP has expanded its program via HackerOne. View the full article

Burger King has been forced to stop showing adverts for its new Rebel Whopper burger after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deemed them misleading. Launched in January to coincide with Veganuary (in which people attempt to eat only vegan food for the whole month), the ads proclaimed the new burger to be the chain's "first plant-based burger”. However, while the Rebel Whopper may not contain any beef, it soon came to light that it is cooked on the same grill as its meat counterpart. Twitter users spotted the smallprint on the ad, with many taking the fast food giant to task. In reply to countless disgruntled tweets, Burger King claimed this was to preserve the Whopper's "signature flame-grilled taste" – something we doubt is as important to vegetarians as the thing being, you know, vegetarian. It's safe to say these won't be making our list of the best poster designs any time soon. As well as describing the product as "100% WHOPPER - NO BEEF", the advertising (above) contained a logo proclaiming, "powered by the vegetarian butcher" (which, er, doesn't scream 'not suitable for vegetarians' to us). "So it’s an absolute waste of time then?" Said one Twitter user on learning that the burger is cooked on the same grill as the original Whopper. "What’s the point in bringing out plant based foods that aren’t suitable for even vegetarians?" The ASA had beef with several elements of the ads "The presence of the “Vegetarian Butcher” logo, the green colour palette and the timing of the ad and product release to coincide with Veganuary" all contributed to the impression that the product is suitable for vegetarians, claimed the ruling. Not suitable for vegetarians Burger King argued that "the small print at the bottom of the ads stated that the Rebel Whopper may not be suitable for vegans or vegetarians as it was cooked alongside other meat products", but this wasn't enough for the ASA. “We concluded that the ads were misleading,” it said. “The ads must not appear again in their current form.” Burger King isn't the only fast food chain to have social media trouble lately. McDonald's recently apologised and deleted a 'socially-distanced' version of its logo after a backlash from those who saw it as an opportunistic response to the coronavirus pandemic. At least Burger King has had more success with its ads elsewhere. We were impressed with its recent campaign featuring a mouldy whopper in a clever swipe at McDonald's. It's ironic that, advertising-wise, the chain's mouldy burger left a better taste than its "plant-based" one. Related articles: McDonald's posters go viral for all the wrong reasons The optical illusion you probably won't want to work out Burger King trolls parliament in cheeky campaign View the full article

Intel fixed nine high- and medium-severity flaws in its April security update, which could enable privilege escalation and denial of service attacks. View the full article

In the last few weeks many cancelled events, from concerts to conferences, have been replaced by virtual ones. And in the process, many are realising that moving events online isn’t just about damage control; it actually brings benefits of its own. “For a start, the reach can be much greater,” notes Olga de Giovanni, global PR and communications manager at marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity. “Our initial webinars, for example, attracted five to 10 times as many participants as we’d typically get, and we reached an international audience too.” Vinda Souza, VP of global communications at Bullhorn, is also enthused by the possibilities of virtual events. “The fact there’s virtually no barrier to attendance, other than internet access, means there’s capacity to invite way more people,” she says. “Those who couldn’t otherwise afford to travel, be away from their computer, leave overnight and be away from their family, or have mobility concerns, can now attend.” So how do you make your event a success? In this article, we gather the best advice from both veterans and those who’ve recently joined the party. 01. Make it relevant With so many virtual events taking place right now, you need to work hard to grab people's attention The first point might be obvious, but it’s worth stating: any event you organise needs to take account of the strange circumstances we all find ourselves in right now. Dan Peden, strategy director of marketing agency Journey Further, offers a typical example. “We had a number of brand-facing events in Manchester, Leeds and London planned in over the next few months but have had to completely rethink them,” he says. “There’s no point offering advice that brands can’t action in the current climate,” he reasons. “So our first online performance marketing masterclass instead focused on how we're helping leading brands navigate the Covid19 crisis. It went down really well, and we have more planned in for the next couple of months.” Neil Davidson, CEO at communications agency HeyHuman, tells a similar story. “People are heading towards ‘peak webinar’,” he says. “So when we organised our latest online event, which replaced a face-to-face event we’d had in the diary since the start of the year, our first question was: 'Is the content applicable right now, and is it future-gazing?' If not, don’t bother; you’re just adding to the pile. So our event focused on how neuroscience can help brands connect with customers, during and after the pandemic. It was something all brands, no matter what position they’re in, could learn from.” That doesn’t mean, of course, that every virtual event has to be about the pandemic and its effects on society; just that it has to take it into account. For example, running an online music festival doesn't address people’s concerns about Covid-19, but it does address their need for entertainment and distraction while under lockdown. 02. Get the timing right People are busy, so don't make your event run any longer than it needs to How long should your event last? Of course, that will depend on the context and the audience, but in general, an hour is a good ballpark to aim for, says Rob Dennis, PPC specialist at Liberty Marketing: “Any longer and people start to lose interest,” he says. If you’re hosting multiple events, you should soon get a feel for how long your audience’s attention will last. “Our first masterclass was 60 minutes long with talks from three different speakers,” says Dan Peden. “However, to keep people engaged we now think it’s best to keep events to around 30 minutes. Moving forward, we’ll be doing more focused events with just one speaker.” Emma Robson is head of events at Ingenuity London, which recently launched Virtual Connect, an online ‘speed dating’ event for brands and agencies. She advises: “Keep individual sessions concise: anything more than an hour could be a bit of a drag. Looking at a computer screen isn’t the same as seeing someone in the flesh, so take attention spans into consideration.” Also think carefully about when your event starts. “For instance, anything too close to lunch could summon the wrath of a small child, so give enough time either side of lunchtime to allow people to be settled into their work,” Emma recommends. 03. Differentiate your event Roger Sanchez was among the DJs taking part in Defected Records' Virtual Festival 3.0 While you want your event to be current, don’t just copy what others are doing. “For example, Coldplay’s Chris Martin live-streamed singing from his living room, and now everyone’s doing living room gigs,” says Alex Wilson, head of content at brand experience agency Amplify. “Instead, think about how you can differentiate from the ‘wall of same’. The way you do that is the same as before: lean into the insights of your audience, look at the best solution to the problem, and be creatively brave, to ensure you’re leading from the front.” James Kirkham, chief business officer at Defected Records, pushes a similar line. "It isn’t enough to merely stream and assume you’ll cut through; there are too many competing events,” he points out. “So consider what it’s unique about you, convey the essence of who you are, and find a way to get super-personal with those viewing. For example, when we put on our virtual music festival, we created a set of ‘House Rules’ for those watching and dancing along at home, intended to help convey the spirit of the brand and add a layer that made it feel like a truly Defected event.” 04. Brief your speakers carefully Panellists at the World Media Group webinar: advertising and the COVID-10 Pandemic If your event involves talks, then don’t think that just picking speakers and topics is all you need do. You still have to brief those speakers carefully; in fact, even more so than you would for a physical event. That’s a lesson recently learned by Belinda Barker, director of the World Media Group, which hosts regular events for the marketing, creative and publishing industries. The Group recently held its first virtual event; a webinar with 10 industry experts discussing whether advertising is appropriate at a time of crisis. “A webinar doesn’t have the natural flow of a live event, so it’s vital to keep speakers brief and on point," she advises. "For Q&A sessions, for instance, I'd suggest scripting some of the questions in advance to make sure that speakers are aware and fully prepped for them. And remember that virtual audiences are far harsher critics, because it’s much easier to turn off an app than it is to walk out of a room full of people.” Also, just because people are good at speaking at physical events, don’t assume those skills are instantly translatable. “Too often there’s a mistaken belief that people will learn how to do live events through osmosis,” says Richard Robinson, managing director of Econsultancy. “This dangerous falsehood is akin to asking an army of stage actors, who normally feed off the audience and energy of the room, to seamlessly step onto a film set and shoot an Oscar-winning movie." Anyone new to speaking at a virtual events needs to rehearse, rehearse and rehearse again, he stresses. If that includes you, you'll need to: "Master the tech, make sure you’re fluent on the platform, and the computer it will run from. Find a stable and quiet area to present, and consider the unexpected like other people living in your household, especially children and animals who take no prisoners. Lastly, be aware of the power of your gestures: rolling eyes, eyebrows and other mannerisms that may detract from your delivery.” "Not everyone knows how to use FaceTime and how to frame themselves," adds Jon Pearson, who's recently been running a virtual comedy night called Comedy Virtually LIVE. "So I'd advise people to look directly down the lens of the camera, even if they're on video call, because you look strange on screen." 05. Choose your platform wisely Erica Freas of Specialist Subject Records says Instagram Stories works well for hosting gigs online When it comes to software, you’re spoiled for choice in terms of what to use to host your virtual event, as you’ll see from our sister site’s round-up of the best videoconferencing services. But how do you choose between them? “Before you decide on an off the shelf tech platform for your virtual event, pay close attention to your users and the devices that they are most likely to be using,” advises Jason Anderson, digital director at experience agency Avantgarde. “Not all tech solutions play that well on mobiles, and some are more suitable for informal gatherings amongst friends rather than corporate events. Privacy and data security are important: the recent issues with Zoom and its invisible sharing of data with Facebook and others is a prime example. Make sure your chosen platforms meet your security, GDPR and data requirements.” Aside from formal videoconferencing tools, social media platforms can also offer a great platform for hosting virtual events. Erica Freas of Specialist Subject Records, for example, has been coordinating virtual gigs on Tuesdays for the past month via Instagram Stories. “We've had between 150 and 5,000 viewers depending on the band, and it's been a really nice touchstone for the music community,” she says. The company opted for Instagram Stories because it was the most simple, low barrier way to organise the event at the last minute, she explains. “YouTube Live requires verification, and none of us uses Twitch. We looked at applications that let you stream from multiple sites at once but those cost money. Instagram Live was something we already had access to, and it alerts your followers that you've started a stream, so it catches more people than those who were paying attention to the upcoming event. “Once we clocked that we could let the performers into our account and everyone could stream back-to-back through @specialistsubject, we knew we were done," Erica adds. "It's so fun and seamless to have musician after musician pop up in our stream. A downside is that to watch you have to have an Instagram account, but they are free. I have a handful of friends, some in their 60s and 70s, who downloaded the app just to come to the show.” 06. Consider specialist services Hopin allows you to build in chat functionality that enables meetings and networking during the event While there are many free services, you may find it's worth paying for a platform that will make your event look and feel more professional. Imagen's Plan B, for example, is selling itself as a ready-made solution to deliver content to registered attendees online as a consequence of event cancellations. CMO Helen Aboagye outlines some of the benefits. “For imminent events, many video assets, scripts and presentations will already have been completed,” she says. “Imagen’s Plan B offers the ability to immediately create a branded portal to host video presentations, interviews and clips, enabling you to easily repurposing these assets for your virtual events. Access to this content can be controlled on a very granular level, so VIPs or sponsors can access premium content that is invisible to standard delegates, for example. In addition, the platform is browser-based, so any attendee with a desktop can participate, while any speaker or contributor can upload assets for approval from any computer too.” Hopin, meanwhile, is marketing itself as an online events platform that allows attendees to learn, interact, and connect with each other. “Content is only half of a good event experience, connections are the other half,” says founder Johnny Bourfarhat. “For an online event to replicate an offline event, there needs to be a way to meet new people serendipitously. Hopin does this with an automated one-on-one matching system in the event for networking meetings, like a Facetime chat. “Speakers may have a back and forth with your attendees in a controlled way,” he adds. “We do this through our moderated sessions. And to prevent people from feeling ‘lost in the crowd’ and losing interest, you can create different spaces where they can meet people in the way they prefer, whether that's broadcasting, one on one, or in a group.” 07. Make attendees feel involved Letting attendees hold meetings makes a virtual event feel more like a physical one, says Dave Bradley of Real Steel Presenting the right content is only one part of your event. If all you do is stream content in one direction, there’s no real incentive for people to keep watching, so you need to find ways to make people involved and engaged. Dave Bradley of Steel Media was keen to pursue this when he recently organised Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #1, a virtual event for the games industry that's going to take place again in June. "Our live conferences are well known for being places to meet and do business, so we wanted to continue that into the virtual event as best we could," he explains. "The 'meeting' system we’ve used enables you to search for individuals based on the job they do, or what they are looking for - a games developer in need of a publisher, for instance - send them a message, and automatically schedule a Zoom call. "There’s evidence that this feature has been heavily used," he adds. "We can see that literally hundreds of meetings per day – thousands in total across the week – were arranged. We encourage people to meet at our events through all our marketing shout-outs and this event was no different. One thing the meeting system also includes is a Digital Expo. To replace the exhibition hall, with its booths and tables, we created a space where people can post portfolio pieces, links to game trailers, samples of their work, descriptions of their services and so on. This proved to be very popular, with over 200 display pages published there." Don’t forget about social media, either. “Social can be a major aspect of in-person events and can be just as useful for virtual events too: you just need to adjust your approach accordingly,” says Corie Leaman, director of IT Nation Events at ConnectWise. “So in our case, we still create hashtags and look for ways to communicate with our audiences, but now we’re asking different questions – about participants’ views, locations and lunches – because we know this encourages engagement. It’s also important to find a dedicated moderator and a platform able to support chat and Q&As, so that your moderator can guide the conversation and focus on relaying information between speakers and attendees." Meanwhile, Erica Freas says that encouraging interaction between audience members at virtual gigs has happened naturally on Instagram. “Whenever someone new joins the stream at our online gigs, their Instagram handle pops up in the scrolling comments, so you do get a lot of recognition and chat, just like at a real show,” she explains. “We can't see each others' faces but we can talk to each other, welcome each other, make jokes and ask questions across the platform." 08. Remind people it's happening Given the multiplicity of virtual events happening right now, it’s easy for people to forget they’ve signed up for one. So don’t take anything for granted, says Jason Anderson. “Don’t forget the pre- and post-event communication,” he says. “You still have to engage your audience with pre-event marketing, to ensure they sign up and actually turn up, while post-event analysis through scores such as NPS can provide great feedback and insight.” 09. Expect technical challenges Internet connection issues can play havoc with timing, warns Jon Pearson of Comedy Virtual Live Technical problems are the bane of every virtual event, and they’re only more likely to occur at the current time, with unprecedented demands on the broadband network. “Glitches are always likely to crop up, so be prepared,” says Emma Robson. “For instance, we found out that you can’t host two different events or meetings at the same time on our choice of platform. This meant a frantic call to our agency selection manager was needed so he could move his meeting onto another platform, and we could start our event. Wifi is also famously temperamental, so it’s helpful to have another team member on standby to jump in when your signal falters. When this happened to my colleague, I had to reclaim myself as host and take over temporarily.” Also, don’t assume that attendees are well-versed in using videoconferencing technology: this may be the very first time they’ve used it. “So if there’s a ‘mute all’ option, make sure that’s activated as people join,” adds Emma. “This will help avoid the confusion of people talking over one another, and to help create a more seamless process.” Rob Dennis adds: “If you’re doing a screen share like I had to do, then ensure your laptop is in Do Not Disturb mode, so that you don’t receive any notifications while you’re in screen share!” It’s important to understand the limitations of a virtual event, too. For instance, Jon Pearson of Comedy Virtually LIVE notes that “Timing is essential, and any lag on the internet will ruin punchlines.” Erica, similarly, has learned that “Singers can't duet across a shared stream: the lag is unbearable.” It’s also worth asking yourself: do I actually need video? “For our event, we found it more natural to turn off the video once we got going," says Neil Davidson, CEO at transformative communications agency HeyHuman. “It’s not a physical audience to begin with, so we focused on great slides: they should be well-designed and pointed, rather than animated. I’ve been burnt by too many dodgy home Wi-Fi connections!” 10. Generate a sociable atmosphere Most of these tips have been focused on public-facing events, but what about organising social events for your colleagues online? With all of us stuck home remote working, getting together for drinks and a chat can be an invaluable way of keeping up morale and motivation. But it can be tricky to organise a group chat that feels less like a meeting, and more like a social occasion. “So consider including activities that get everyone involved,” suggests Heather Delaney, founder of Gallium Ventures. “Games for teams can be a good way to keep a fun and consistent flow, keeping staff connected without it feeling like an awkward conference call.” She adds: “It’s great to set a start and finish time for your internal event, in order to allow any late arrivals a window to when they might have missed the boat. Obviously virtual drinks with friends or colleagues has the likelihood of running over any calendar invite, but at least you offer those with prior commitments a way out without scrutiny.” View the full article

Mastering pencil shading techniques will only be achieved through regular practise. This is because different pencils create marks that are noticeably different from one another, which means that understanding which pencil does what is extremely important. My best advice to learn shading is to go out and experiment with multiple pencils and explore different methods, in this article I'll share my insight to help clarify this learning process. My goal is to inspire you to try shading with intent and create drawings by employing a range of shading techniques. Need some new tools? Here's a rundown of the best pencils around. Plus, you can widen your technical expertise further with this guide to pencil drawing techniques. Which pencils should you use? I used HB mechanical pencils for a long time when I changed my focus from digital to traditional art. However, once I started working with regular pencils, there was a clear execution difference that I wasn't able to produce with mechanical pencils alone. Since then I've discovered techniques on how to produce different textures, tones and results that I combine to create my pieces. It wasn't just the different HB hardness pencils that showed me the clear difference, such as shading with a 4B versus a 4H. I learned that the tip of the pencil also gave vastly different results. For example, a more rounded tip gave a larger, softer result and was more efficient to work with. 01. Choose your pencils carefully Having a duller-tipped pencil will produce larger areas while shading. They'll also create more of a textured look the higher you go up the B scale I recommend having a few solid pencils at hand that you can use in your work with full knowledge of the results they'll produce. There's a noticeable difference when working with different pencils on the HB scale and how sharp or dull the tip is. Test and see how some will produce dark texture while others create consistent mid-tone smoothness. Going higher on the H scale will produce lighter yet smoother, buttery looking results. Using a small tip mechanical pencil will create precision, but often will smooth out the paper texture when shading to create a more matte look 02. Create different types of shading The different methods create wildly different results Every artist will find the shading method that works best for them and I tend to use a few while drawing. I primarily work with circling, but I've experimented with all of these methods and more to help me create my best results. Each method produces a distinct result and depending on what type of art you want to create, you'll want to find which is best for you! Hatching and stippling often create an underlying presence of texture and roughness. Circling and using a blending stump creates clean, gradual smoothness. 03. Get to know your values when shading The simple sphere example shows a clear and easy-to-understand separation of values from a singular light source and the shadows it creates Take the time to understand how lighting works and the values it creates to shade properly. Do studies, find references and resources that provide this insight, and then apply that knowledge in your practice pieces. There's a range of value to work with, not just dark and light. Understanding how lighting works will drastically influence your shading execution and consistency in your work 04. Practice helps to provide insight You can see how I build up the values slowly, creating a foundation that I can confidently make darker marks on top of Now that I've been working with a handful of pencils with each drawing, I know when to switch over to another for a particular result. It's traditional and effective to start with a lighter H pencil and then gradually work darker into the B scale, to punch out the values and contrast. Higher B pencils tend to be harder to erase and that's why I normally start with a 2H pencil in my work 05. Discover which shading techniques suit your style While neither method is wrong, in time you’ll find which technique works best for you. This is why I recommended experimenting Here's an example of two different types of shading methods. The left half has a softer realism finish with gradations on the paper texture done with a circling method and a slow build-up of value. The right half was done primarily with hatching and creates a crisp bold finish. This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe to ImagineFX. Read more: How to draw perspective The 12 best drawing books How to draw: The best drawing tutorials View the full article

Apple is all about augmented reality right now, from touting the power of the new iPad Pro's LiDAR Scanner, to highlighting various AR apps (more on these later). As with any new technology, it can be easy to question what it's actually useful for. But a new concept video has arrived demonstrating how AR could work with the Apple Card to give the user information about their balance and transactions – and it looks pretty darn exciting. Volodymyr Kurbatov's concept video (below) shows the user swiping the Apple Card as one would an iPhone, while information appears alongside it. A few rotations of the card change the date from balance to recent transactions, and even allow the user to set a new credit limit. "This is a future I could look forward to!" says one commenter, and we agree – it's one slick-looking concept. Apple sale: Cheap MacBook Pro deal is not to be missed Something that isn't clear from the video, however, is what AR device is needed to view the information. "How would the device work? Embedded in my eye or my brain?" asks one YouTuber. Kurbatov doesn't elaborate, but there are various possibilities. According to Cult of Mac, iOS 14 might include a built-in augmented reality viewing app, and there are even rumours that Apple is working on a set of AR glasses. Either way, Apple is clearly doubling down on its AR efforts, so something like Kurbatov's concept could very well become a reality. The Ikea Place AR app In a dedicated augmented reality page on its website, Apple extols the virtues of the technology. "Imagine if the line between the virtual and the real simply didn’t exist," it says, which somehow manages to sound both inspiring and terrifying. Fortunately, Apple's current examples on the page are a little less dystopian – such as the IKEA Place app (which lets you see how furniture might look in your room). Apple also claims that the new iPad Pro's LiDAR scanner offers "cutting-edge depth-sensing capabilities" which make the tablet 'the world’s best device for augmented reality". Time will tell what this technology actually allows us to do in the future, but for now, we're happy to sit back and enjoy cool creative concepts like this one. Related articles: New Apple gadget is not what we were expecting New Apple Pencil could get dramatic redesign Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) View the full article

The Gigabyte Aero 15X is an Nvidia RTX Studio laptop featuring the tried-and-tested combination of the six-core Intel Core i7-9750H and GeForceRTX 2080 graphics card. It's a thin and light design, with our review model boasting 32GB of memory and a 1TB PCIE 3.0 SSD. This internal specification is more than capable of both high-end 3D design tasks as well as games. But is it capable enough to deserve a spot on our round up of the most powerful laptops? Let's take a look. The stand-out feature of the 2019 version of this laptop is the advanced 4K HDR AMOLED display. OLED display technology presents extremely bright and colourful images, and is generally touted as being more advanced than the LCD screens in typical IPS panels, capable of deeper blacks and better overall image quality. That said, while the OLED display in the Gigabyte Aero 15X presents a very sharp picture with superb image quality, the colour-accurate displays hardly look bad in laptops that use traditional IPS technology, so we’re not so sure the OLED advantage is quite the deal breaker you might imagine. Thankfully the Gigabyte has retained a physical Ethernet port, joining the three USB-A and USB-C ports. We’re pleased to see an SD card reader as well, which is not something you get these days on every laptop. The Aero 15X's OLED display presents a very sharp picture with superb image quality One area we weren’t keen on was the design. The garish and bright default cycling RGB pattern over the keyboard backlight might be delightful for teenage boys who are looking for a loud and brash gaming laptop, but we actually found it quite distracting and harder to type on. Thankfully, however, this can be disabled with the Gigabyte Fusion software. Similarly, the overall design feels like a step down from the metal exteriors of other laptops. We prefer the all-metal unibody of the Razer Blade 15 and the more roomy trackpad. We also found the Gigabyte Aero 15X to be quite noisy, emitting a very low hum when running 3D tests, despite the 71-blade dual fans inside it. This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 255; subscribe here. View the full article

There's talk a new Apple gadget could be released at the end of this year, but, for once, the chat isn't about new iPhones. This time speculation surrounds AirPower, Apple's wireless charger pad that it appeared to have unceremoniously ditched plans for last March. But now, just over a year later, rumours suggest that AirPower might be about to be resurrected in time for the launch of the iPhone 12. Apple sale: Cheap iPad deal is not to be missed According to Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, Apple engineers “haven’t given up yet", and are currently prototyping a new version of the gadget. In a tweet last week (below), Prosser revealed a leaked image of what is known as "C68," a prototype of the newly-revived wireless charger. According to Prosser on Twitter, the photo "was taken in the home of an employee" who obviously wants to remain anonymous (hence the photo looking like it was taken with a potato). Prosser's tweets reveal that the AirPower successor will include an A11 chip to help manage the distribution of power. A report from Wearable suggested the original version of AirPower was allegedly prone to overheating when charging an Apple Watch, as it requires more power than other devices. Based on the leaked image and specs, Prosser has shared his own mock-up (below) of what the new Airpower could look like. According to the render, it looks very similar to the original, albeit with the charging cable connecting to the side of the mat instead of the top. It also appears to have retained the headline feature of being able to charge three devices at once. Apple's original design (above) and Jon Prosser's new render (below) While the resurrection of AirPower is good news for Apple fans, its leaked price isn't. Prosser's tweets suggest we could be looking at shelling out $250 for the thing. Yikes. Still, there aren't many wireless chargers out that that can charge three devices at once, so perhaps it'll be worth the cost for Apple fanatics in possession of an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. If the new AirPower does land at the end of 2020 as Prosser suggests, it may even arrive in time for the iPhone 12 (check out this amazing render of what that phone could look like). The world is a strange place right now, and only time will tell what Apple products manage to make it out this year – but we don't think the new iPad Pro and MacBook Air will be the last we see from Apple in 2020. Read more: New Apple Pencil could get dramatic redesign Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) Apple WWDC 2020 moves online View the full article

Microsoft issued 113 patches in a big update, unfortunately for IT staff already straining under WFH security concerns. View the full article

While Adobe's regularly scheduled security updates were light this month, they fixed "important" severity vulnerabilities. View the full article

Cybercriminals aren't sparing medical professionals, hospitals and healthcare orgs on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic when it comes to cyberattacks, ransomware attacks and malware. View the full article

The product update email is a unique type of newsletter. Although it seems that it does not differ from others, it is a collaboration between marketing and product teams. Along with delivering information about the improvements that secure trust in …View the full article

The brand new logo for Warner Bros.' new reboot of Frank Herbert's Dune has been released, and it closely matches the controversial title treatment that leaked back in January – with one key difference. Along with the first image from the movie (featuring Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides), the new logo first appeared on the film's official Twitter page last night. The logo uses the four U-shapes in different orientations that we first saw in photographs from a French convention at the start of the year. Back then, the design proved contentious, with many concerned that the leaked logo appeared to read 'DUNC' rather than 'DUNE'. However, that widely-shared concept (below) was in fact a fan rendering based on photographs from the convention, and was missing an all-important lens flare inside the 'E'. Thankfully, said lens flare is present and correct in the new, official logo. Phew. Looking for ideas? Check out our guide to finding logo design inspiration. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is slated for release on 18 December this year. According to its official synopsis, film "tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people." An all-star cast features, alongside Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac and more. You can read all about the original leaked logo drama (and enjoy a brilliant pasta-based take on it) here. We're excited to see how Villeneuve makes his stamp on the sci-fi franchise, and, most of all, we're relieved to know that this December, we won't be queueing up to watch 'Dunc'. Related articles: Is this the new Cadbury logo? Iconic logos reimagined for the age of coronavirus The 10 best logos of all time View the full article

If you live in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) regions and have been thinking of signing up to Adobe CC, you're in luck. Today Adobe has launched an amazing deal that knocks a whopping 39% off individual Creative Cloud subscriptions. As an example, this means UK creatives will now pay just £30.34, rather than the usual £49.94 – a saving of almost £20 each month! The price reduction applies to the complete Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses over 20 different apps. That includes all the big players – photo editing favourite Photoshop, digital artists' go-to Illustrator, video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects. You'll also be able to explore the new additions to the Adobe family, tablet-based art app Adobe Fresco, and Photoshop on iPad. Just in case you need some extra encouragement, remember that when you buy Adobe's full All Apps package you're also getting 100GB of cloud storage (with the option to upgrade to 10TB) and premium features like Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal is valid until 23 April, so if you're in EMEA regions and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it now. If you live outside where the deal applies, here are the best Adobe CC prices in your area: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills The 13 best alternatives to Photoshop The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

The popular video-sharing apps’s use of HTTP to download media content instead of a secure protocol could lead to the spread of misinformation on the platform. View the full article

As we all continue to adjust to the 'new normal' of social distancing, parents and guardians will be wondering how to keep kids busy with schools closed across the world. Various creatives and companies have offered free resources to keep little ones' minds (and hands) busy, and now Apple has joined their ranks with a worksheet of 30 free activities for kids. Shared by Apple's Education team on Twitter (below), the resource suggests various daily activities, including "17. Write a love letter to the planet", "8. Storyboard your daily routine" and "13. Record news interviews'. Every activity is designed to be completed with built-in features of the iPad or iPhone (naturally). Some of the instructions are a little vague ("28. Use your voice"), but fortunately the next three pages offer a more detailed description of the activity and the apps it involves. Juggling work as well as kids at home? Check out our guide to working from home more productively. Certain activities are likely to keep kids busier for longer than others. We can see families making a whole day out of recording news interviews on Garageband, especially as Apple suggests trying different vocal effects ("an alien giving the weather in outer space"), whereas "25. Have a laugh" simply involves asking Siri to tell you a joke (which, let's be honest, isn't guaranteed to bring the house down). We're nitpicking, though – it's great to see Apple offering free support for parents and kids during isolation. “We know parents out there are juggling a lot in this challenging time,” says Apple CEO Tim Cook, and this activity sheet offers "fun ways to keep kids everywhere creating". And with Apple also producing millions of protective face shields for healthcare professionals, the company appears to be doing its bit. And these exercises don't just have to be for the kids. As Apple's worksheet says, "these activities can easily be tailored for the whole family". You can download the activity pack from Apple's website. From online drawing lessons to free software, the creative community is continuing to pull together to offer support to those stuck at home. Take a look at our list of the best free resources currently on offer. Related articles: Illustrator gives free drawing lesson to inspire kids stuck at home This artists' activity pack will keep you busy for days iPad Pro 2020: All there is to know about Apple's new tablet View the full article

We're living through weird, unprecedented times right now, and dealing with it all isn't easy when you're expected to be creative for a living. You might be struggling with having to work from home, facing uncertainty over your job, or simply be overwhelmed by everything that's going on. Of course you may be taking it all in your stride and using the current lockdown as an opportunity to try new ideas and play around with experimental design. But if you're just not feeling it, some design exercises can help fire those weary synapses and keep your skills honed, ready for when things start getting back to normal. We've found this selection, covering everything from serious design challenges through to fun creative games; try them out next time you're tempted to just reach for another box set. 10 essential desk exercises for designers 01. Icon studies Ramp up your reductive skills by crafting the perfect icon CreativeLive has a great set of exercises aimed at improving your drawing skills for graphic design; our favourite is based around creating effective icons. A good icon needs to be instantly recognisable, capturing the distinguishing characteristics of your subject within a tiny space. CreativeLive suggests picking an animal or common object as your subject and trying to depict its neutral, universal aspects, trying a few versions from different angles to see which is the most recognisable, and combining different aspects to achieve the best silhouette. 02. The Bézier Game Can you do this one with nine nodes? Bézier curves are an essential part of the graphic design toolbox, but executing them perfectly – especially when you're just starting out with Illustrator – isn't always easy. If you're having trouble with those pesky handles, The Bézier Game will help you get a better feel for creating commendable curves. Not only does it walk you through the process of making curves that bend in exactly the way you want, it also challenges you to think about your process and create your shapes using as few nodes as possible. 03. DEX There's a whole stack of briefs to tackle at DEX If you're after a regular challenge, the Graphic Design School has something for you in the form of its weekly design exercises, or DEX. They're free and provide an assortment of tasks that'll keep your skills ticking over across the design board. Each exercise gives you a brief as well as a tutorial video to help you meet your goal – the latest at the time of writing challenges you to create beautiful type design editorials for print and web – and hooks you up with resources as well specifying design constraints and how long you're allowed for each exercise. 04. How Low Can Your Logo? Unleash your inner branding monster Here's a fun site that's the absolute antithesis of most design exercises. At How Low Can Your Logo? you're encouraged to throw away all your design inhibitions, forget everything you've learned and go all-out to create a truly terrible logo, working from a horrible brief from a dreadful startup. There are actual prizes to be won for the most awful logos, and the judging panel includes design luminaries such as Jessica Hische and Michael Bierut. Do your worst! 05. Deconstruction 99designs has some great design exercises; this one's all about deconstruction Some days – maybe more so at the moment – you're just not feeling creative and you need something to fire up your inspiration glands. If that's you right now, over at 99designs they've put together a set of six fun creative thinking exercises for designers that are guaranteed to get your mind nicely stimulated. Our favourite is based around deconstructing content: take a word and start chopping bits out of it to create a design; it's easy to do and can generate impressive results, and you can follow up by taking a similar approach to patterns, photographs and other imagery. 06. KernType There's nothing quite so satisfying as some perfectly-kerned type Careless kerning can ruin your typography; here's a fantastic way to polish your skills and produce text layouts that are a lot easier on the eye. KernType's a browser-based game that presents you with a series of badly-kerned words; the first and last letters are fixed in place, and your job is to shift the other letters around to try and find that sweet spot where everything's beautifully balanced. Each challenge is marked out of 100 – if you think your solution is better-looking than the game's, there's an option to share it – and at the end you'll be given a final score, which you'll probably want to go back and beat later on. 07. Hue Test Test your colour vision (or the quality of your monitor) Finally, give your colour perception a bit of a workout with Hue Test. It's easy to play; you're presented with rows of coloured blocks, and you have to rearrange them so that the hue flows smoothly from beginning to end. Getting it exactly right, though, involves a lot of swapping blocks around and squinting at the screen. At the end you're presented with an evaluation of your colour vision; bear in mind, though, that if you don't score as well as you'd hoped it could be that your display's not up to scratch, in which case be sure to check out our guide to the best 4K monitors. Related articles: The best mindfulness apps in 2020 6 of the hottest gadgets for designers Pencil drawing techniques: Pro tips to sharpen your skills View the full article

Oracle will detail 405 new security vulnerabilities Tuesday, part of its quarterly Critical Patch Update Advisory. View the full article

What will probably be the most significant event of our lives has just been thrust upon the world. And while we don't yet know when things will return to some form of normality, there will no doubt come a time when future generations will ask “What did you do to help?” Right now, countless creatives are facing a titanic struggle to survive, with some in dire need of funds to meet their basic human needs. Yet at the same time, many are actually doing all right. In fact, some whose jobs or freelance contracts remain in place will probably be financially better off, due to the lack of spending opportunities during lockdown. To help those who have lost out during lockdown, a number of creatives have set up crowdfunding campaigns over the last few weeks, many of which we've listed here. If you’re in dire need yourself, we also explain how to apply for help through these funds, where direct approaches are encouraged. These campaigns have largely sprung up spontaneously, and this by no means a comprehensive list. All the ones we have found are in the US and UK, but if you’ve started a crowdfunding campaign that’s not been featured, please let us know on Twitter via @creativebloq and the #crowdfunding hashtag, and we’ll do what we can to help you amplify your campaign. Jump to US Britain and Ireland 01. Manchester Artists Coronavirus Hardship Fund "Many workers face economic uncertainty, while bills, childcare costs, rent and livelihoods demand so much," notes Laurence Young on this crowdfunding page This fund has been set up by Laurence Young, a freelance theatre director and maker. It is providing £200 hardship funds for artists, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Those in need can apply via email, and Laurence says: “No questions asked, no proof needed. If this fund speaks to you, we want to help.” 02. London Artist & Creatives Coronavirus Fund Set up by agency co-founder Josh Akapo and illustrator and designer Denzel Kessie, this campaign aims to raise £200 hardship funds for London's struggling creatives. These are being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and those in need can apply via a Google Form. At time of press, applications were currently closed, but the more money they raise, the faster they’ll be able to reopen applications. “ We will get past this,” says Josh, “but let's try and do so with as little bad as possible.” 03. Wales Artists and Freelancers Coronavirus Fund Wales Arts Review has launched this crowdfunder to help people struggling to make ends meet due to the cancellation or postponement of project. It has been handing out £300 hardship funds, on a first-come-first-serve basis to freelancers in Wales. Editor Gary Raymond says: "Now, in these difficult times, it would make for a powerful gesture to just alleviate some of the pressures many now face paying bills and putting food on the table." 04. Northern Ireland: Bread and butter fund Coronavirus NI artists The work of Abbie Spallen, this fund has been sharing sums of £200 with out-of-work Northern Irish freelancers. “No big forms to fill in,” she says. “None of that malarky. It's not a huge amount. But it will buy bread and butter. Well, maybe Flora.” At time of press, applications were currently closed, but there will be a second round as soon as possible. 05. Ireland Artist Emergency Relief Fund Set up by Niamh Ferry, this crowdfunding campaign has been providing financial relief to Irish artists experiencing lost income related to COVID-19. Small grants of up to €500 are being paid on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups. 06. Scotland: Wan Mair Tune Fund "This is a community based endeavour that will operate in good faith, discretion and transparency," says Meghan Meghan Tyler is organising this fundraiser for Scottish arts practitioners and creatives affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. It has been distributing £200 to up to freelance artists and creatives on a first-come, first-served basis; those in need can apply by email. “For those of you who had a good year, or have a sexy salary and a bit to spare, please give what ye can,” she says. “And for those of you riddled with anxiety, hang tight. We can do this together.” 07. South West Creatives Corona Virus Impact Fund Launched by theatre director Jay Crutchley, this fund aims to provide £200 hardship funds to artists, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. These will be distributed on a first-come, first served basis: details of how to apply will be published soon. 08. East Midlands Artists Corona Virus Impact Fund Founded by Rafia, a freelance producer based in the East Midlands, this emergency fund exists to support the artists/freelancers/self employed workers who work in arts and culture through sums of £200 distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re in need, you can DM Rafia on Twitter, who says: “It can be for rent, childcare, groceries etc - there will be no questions asked.” 09. West Midlands Artists Coronavirus Emergency Fund This campaign is being organised by Amahra Spence, who’s worked as an artist and in the creative industries for 12+ years. The idea is to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists, cultural workers, practitioners and creative freelancers who cannot work during this time or who have been affected by cancellations or other impacts. Those in need can apply via email or Twitter or Instagram DM. 10. South Yorkshire Creatives Covid-19 Hardship Fund Created by Linda Bloomfield is organising this fundraiser for creatives who “fall through the cracks” during the current turmoil. The idea is to supply amounts of between £50 and £200, “very quickly for rent, bills, a food shop, transport or petrol, access support, childcare or anything else,” she says. “Please get in touch, and don't be shy. First come, first served - let's look after each other.” Those in need can apply by email: “You don't need to tell us much - just what's happened and how much you need to get you through in the immediate term.” 11. Hull Artists Coronavirus Fund by Middle Child "We're going to keep the fundraiser running and see how far we can get," say the organisers of this campaign. "Each new milestone means we can help support more freelance Hull artists in this uncertain time." Jamie Potter, Emily Anderton, Matthew May and Rozzy Knox are organising this campaign, which aims to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists that cannot work during this time. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no questions asked. 12. Norwich and Norfolk Artists’ Hardship Fund Jack Lowe is organising this fundraising appeal on behalf of Curious Directive, a small theatre company in Norwich that manages a social enterprise co-working space for freelancers. It aims to provide £100 donations to those in need, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, with no questions asked 13. Coronavirus North East Creatives' Hardship Fund Set up by Daneka Etchells and David Loumgair, this fund aims to provide amounts of £200 to creatives who are living and working in the North East, and who require urgent financial assistance due to hardship, loss of employment and additional challenges. “The transparency of this fund could result in individuals exploiting this,” they say, “but we are hoping that honesty will prevail and that this money will go to the people who need it the most.” 14. Liverpool Artists Coronavirus Fund This fund has been created by Luke Barnes, a writer across theatre, film and television, and wishes to provide £200 hardship funds for any artists that cannot work during this time. These will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with no questions asked. “Artists are the back bone of the city and we need to look after them,” says Luke. “They already live precariously lives to make this city better and we need to help them not go into poverty because of something out of their control.” USA 15. NYC Low-Income Artist/Freelancer Relief Fund This campaign has received support from everyone "from drag queens, to performance artists, to musicians, to theater and dance makers, to freelancers". Could you join them? Shawn Escarciga and Nadia Tykulsker, two artists in New York City, have launched this money-raising appeal to support other artists and freelancers who are taking financial hits as a result of Covid-19. Having received 500 applications, they are currently pausing further requests until more funds can be raised. 16. Jersey City Feed The Freelancers Isabella Olaguera, a freelance first assistant director for the film industry, has set up this crowdfunded initiative to distribute groceries to non-union freelancers, who are treated by many companies as sub-contractors and are thus overlooked by the majority of programs providing aid. 17. Philadelphia Relief Fund for Artist and Freelancers This campaign organised by Aaron Ricketts is setting out to raise at least $25K. The plan is to send out one-time payments of $500 to artist/freelancers to help cover the cost of things like rent, utilities and groceries. Application for funds will become available soon. 18. Chicago Freelancer Fundraiser Daniel Fansler, an event professional working in the events industry, has set up this fund to help event professionals and music industry freelancers. “I hope you find an extra $10 or $20 in your pocket, and can help out my fellow freelancers and music business folks,” he says. “They work their asses off to help you enjoy some of the most bad ass event in the country.” 19. LA Freelancers Relief Fund This fund is focused on "emergency situations for those who are not able to have their basic human needs met" This fundraiser set up by Vanessa Rene goal aims to support Los Angeles freelancers and artists with emergency financial support, childcare financial support, as well as resources for those whom have been impacted directly by the COV-19 crisis. If you’re in need, you can apply for support via a form on the campaign page. 20. Phoenix Freelancers COVID-19 Relief Fund Alex Leiphart has launched this fundraiser for creative freelancers in the Phoenix community, with priority to those that have lost considerable income or are struggling to make ends meet. View the full article

Millions around the world will know Cadbury for its silky smooth chocolate, but there's no doubt the company logo is just as famous. Based on the signature of founder William Cadbury, the instantly recognisable purple script logo first made an appearance on the company's transport fleet in 1921. Simplified over time, in 1952 the decision was taken to make the cursive design the face of the brand. By 1960 the logo had been simplified somewhat, but it has remained virtually the same ever since. Until now. Maybe. A recent news story from news.com.au reported that the company has changed its logo for the first time in over 50 years, with a design that nods back to Cadbury's original 1921 signature. Rumours are that Cadbury Australia is set to roll the new look out to coincide with the launch of a new chocolate bar, Marble. Digital designer Lee Barguss also tweeted about the potential new logo design: People drew car logos from memory and the results are hilarious It's a brave move for any big brand to make logo changes, but who knows, maybe this will pay off and see Cadbury make it our list of the best logos of all time? But why now? The same article from news.com.au reported a Cadbury company spokesperson saying: “The new elevated packaging includes a redrawn wordmark, new iconography and typography, making the look and feel more natural, authentic and high quality. The revitalisation of the Cadbury wordmark drew inspiration from the hand of founder John Cadbury himself to create a beautifully crafted signature with a more contemporary feel.” So far there's been no official word from Cadbury as to whether any of these rumours are true, but, honestly, we're hopeful they are. The proposed new thinner wordmark looks way more refined, with the added loop in the 'b' helping it flow more seamlessly. In our humble opinion, this smooth, more cursive design seems a much more fitting option for the brand it represents. Whether Cadbury is in fact planning to use it, however, remains to be seen. Read more: Sony's PS5 DualSense controller is here – and it ain't pretty Is this what iOS 14 will look like? (We really hope so) Logo design: Everything you need to know View the full article

While right now might not seem like the best time to be splashing a load of cash on a new MacBook Pro, if you're in need and your budget allows it, Best Buy's one-day sale is not to be missed. The 24-hour event sees huge savings across a range of popular devices, but the one we're most excited about knocks a staggering $1500 off the 15-inch MacBook Pro. That's the biggest discount on this model we've ever seen. And means the powerful laptop, which features an Intel Core i9 processor, 32GB Memory and a whopping 1TB SSD now costs just $2649.99! The MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for graphic design. A popular choice among creatives, this device his powered by six-core Intel Core processors, and boasts a brilliant, colourful Retina display featuring True Tone technology to view your design work in all its glory. If you're looking for a cheaper model, or a different device, be sure to check out our round up of the best Apple laptop deals or, if it's a tablet you're after, don't miss our round up of the best iPad deals and cheap Apple Pencil deals. Not in the US? Here are the best new MacBook Pro prices in your area: Best Buy has some incredible deals on other devices too, including headphones, tablets and TVs. Here's our pick of the best offers for creatives currently available: Outside the US? Here are the best offers on these and similar devices in your area: View the full article