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Inktober is almost upon us! 2019 is a landmark year: it's celebrating its 10th birthday. Not heard of it before? Inktober is an art challenge that asks participants to create an ink drawing every day for the month of October. The rules, however, are very much flexible. For example, some participants might just do a drawing every other day, or once a week for the month. Inktober started life in 2009, when Jake Parker decided he needed a challenge to help him improve his Japanese brush pen technique. Since then it has exploded in popularity, and become a true community event. "I think it's popular because you can tailor the challenge to your needs as an artist and make it as simple or as challenging as you want it to be," says Parker. To help you get the best from this year's event, we asked some regular challenge participants for their advice on smashing Inktober – read on to find out what they had to say. For practical techniques, you might also want to take a look at our article on getting started with ink drawing or our roundup of how to draw tutorials. And if your pencil case is looking depleted, check out our guide to the best pens for artists. 01. Use a prompt list This year's inspiration list Whether you choose to follow the official prompt list (above) or make up your own, illustrator Cathrine Sandmæl thinks it can be helpful to have a plan of some kind. "If you are set on finishing all the days I would recommend making a prompt list with suggestions of things you can draw, a theme or anything that gives you some idea of what you can draw every day," she says. Artist Daria Golab echoes her sentiments. "Get to know the list of prompts before you start, if you follow one, or come up with enough of your own subjects or ideas to always have something to fall back to if your creativity is low some days." 02. Make a schedule Drawings can take 2-4 hours, so you need to block out that time Derek Laufman is an Inktober veteran who has completed 31 drawings each year since he discovered the challenge in 2014. His top tip? Plan ahead. "When I know October/Inktober is approaching I start to mentally prepare myself, but also set aside time in my schedule," he points out. "These drawings take anywhere from two to four hours, which is a big chunk of my work day. So I make sure that I'm setting aside a designated time each day to make it happen." 03. Don't stress about missing a day Don't forget that Inktober is primarily about challenging yourself and having fun Got late stuck at work or ended up on an impromptu day trip without your pens? Don't worry. "I see every year see people who feel stressed out when they think about doing a drawing everyday for 31 days," says Sandmæl. "To them I would say that the most important thing is to have fun and don’t stress out if you miss a day or two." Sandmæl herself has never completed the challenge 100 per cent, but has still got plenty of value from it. "I always end up with a collection of drawings I feel proud of," she continues. "I've even gotten some client work because of them, so it’s never a waste to try!" 04. Be realistic It's easy to get carried away with grand plans, but great artwork takes time, and realistically you're not going to be able to create a masterpiece each day. "Be honest with yourself how much time you’ll be able to spend on drawing each day," advises Golab. "Think how complicated you want your drawings to be according to the time you have." 05. Set up your workspace Consider sketching out your ideas before October starts Founder Jake Parker is all about preparation. "Set your tools out and get your drawing area ready in advance," he says. "You don't want to waste creative time prepping your space." Parker also suggests getting started early – use September to look at other ink drawings for inspiration, and sketch out ideas, so that come October you can just focus on inking. 06. Try something new In 2007, Daria Golab created digitally coloured versions of all her Intober drawings Whether you often work with ink or have fallen out of touch with traditional tools and are looking to reconnect, this is the time to push the boat out and be brave. "Inktober is the best moment for me to experiment, try different ways of inking and come up with some changes or additions to my style that help me evolve and push my skills forward," says Golab. 07. Adapt the rules to your needs Cathrine Sandmæl tends to do just a few, more complete ink drawings over the period While the 'official' challenge suggests completing an ink drawing each day, feel free to adapt the rules so you can get the most from the challenge personally. For example, illustrator and comic artist Alexa Pasztor tends to do just two or three artworks across the month. "If I'm going to sit down and do something on paper, I prefer to spend more time on it and make something with a more 'completed' feel to it than just a daily sketch," she says. 08. Get involved on social media If you get stuck then there's inspiration abound on the Inktober hashtag on Twitter and Instagram – plus plenty of people willing to offer help and advice. If you're comfortable sharing, don't forget to hashtag your work with #inktober and #inktober2019 so others can see it. "The community aspect of it is a great motivation," says Golab. "Every year it feels like the most creative month, all over social media and even around my friends and colleagues who draw occasionally as a hobby. I absolutely can’t imagine October without Inktober." What's more, as this will be Inktober's 10th anniversary, Parker is planning some special competitions and giveaways. Check out the Inktober website or follow the Inktober instagram account to make sure you don't miss them. Read more: How to find your art style The best mechanical pencils for artists and designers Pencil drawing techniques: Pro tips to sharpen your skills View the full article

Microsoft has issued a patch for an Internet Explorer remote code execution flaw that is being actively exploited in the wild. View the full article

A spearphishing campaign first uncovered in July is hitting more utilities firms and spreading the LookBack malware, which has capabilities to view system data and reboot machines. View the full article

Burger King has launched a new campaign in time for Climate Week. 'Meltdown', pledges to scrap the plastic toys that have been a staple of a children's meal, and comes with its own revamped packaging design, hats and logo. In fact, the fast food giant is going even further and encouraging people to bring in their old plastic toys, which the company will then melt down to recycle into other items – hence 'Meltdown'. It's a fantastic cause that was borne out of a petition created by two schoolchildren. So far, so good. But, there's a but. While we wholeheartedly applaud the King of Burgers for its ethical decision to ditch the plastic toys, we think the design team might have made a bit of a misstep with its choice of imagery. We wonder if the 'meltdown' theme is the best PR choice for the company's new green policy The Amazon forest has been burning for weeks now, with no sign of slowing down. And a spotlight has been shone on Burger King, with claims that it is one of the companies buying soy feed from the area in Brazil suffering from deforestation. In fact, only today, Greenpeace activists have hung a banner on its flagship Leicester Square store in protest at its alleged buying habits. Although Burger King denies culpability, this issue is very much at the forefront of public consciousness right now. So with all that in mind, we can't help but wonder if the 'meltdown' theme is the best PR choice for the company's new green policy. Burger King has been connected to a meltdown in more than one way The 'I joined the meltdown' label on its burgers is particularly close to the bone, and leaves itself open to parody from activists – when looking at it from that point of view, it could insinuate that by buying Burger King products you're joining the meltdown of the Amazon. And the burning plastic bunny (one of the toys previously sold at BK) is a great representation of the campaign, but some might say it's a little too reminiscent of what's actually happening to animals in the Amazon right now. Though the campaign is noble, is the imagery a little tactless? Perhaps we are being unfair. After all, it is a truly great thing that BK is doing with its plastic amnesty, and one that should be replicated across the industry. But we are surprised that no-one at the branding meetings saw the parallels with a current headline issue that's incredibly close to the industry, let alone one that Burger King has been connected to in the press. Read more: 8 brands that rule at social media 10 iconic logos with hidden meanings How to make a logo in Photoshop View the full article

You're reading Email Marketing Tips to Help You Generate More Sales, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Have your email marketing campaigns failed to deliver the results you were after? If you’re scratching your head wondering how to get email marketing right, let me tell you: when it comes to the email marketing copy, there’s nothing a … View the full article

Today's the day. You've finally decided to start your own consulting business. Now what? Getting your new company out into the world can feel like quite the challenge, but it's not as difficult as you may think. These three comprehensive courses will help to guide you through the murky waters of launching your career as a consultant. 01. How to Get Media Coverage One of the biggest hurdles in starting a new business endeavour is getting your name out there in the press. Jason Feifer, editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine, digs into his career and provides a useful guide into what he's experienced first-hand. He touches on topics such as what journalists think, what they're looking for, and how to develop a press strategy that will work for you. The one-hour masterclass comes complete with a Q&A panel and includes tips and tricks that will assist you in learning how to scale your business effectively. Get lifetime access to How to Get Media Coverage for just $19 02. How to Launch a Consulting Business (Pitching & Proposals) Whether you're already profiting from your business or you're just getting started, this series of workshops is all about getting your finances in check. Discover how to monetise best the services you are providing and learn how to pitch without coming across too sales-y. Terry Rice, Marketing Expert-in-Residence at Entrepreneur Magazine, leads you through courses that will help to manage expectations and explain how to create better conversion rates for your business. Get lifetime access to How to Launch a Consulting Business (Pitching & Proposals) for just $19 03. How to Create a Compact Marketing Plan When it comes to marketing, consultants can often get overwhelmed as they don't always know where to start. Ph.D. Marketer Charlene Walters brings you a comprehensive and compact marketing plan that's split up into sections, making it more digestible and easier to retain. The workshop will guide you through identifying your business' target market, company messaging, conversion strategy, and so much more. Each area will be broken down into action steps so you can easily apply each phase to your own business. Get lifetime access to How to Create a Compact Marketing Plan for just $19 Related articles: 5 winning personality traits all studios are looking for 31 books every graphic designer should read 4 things you should NEVER do in a design studio View the full article

Animation companies have been using charming little clips to introduce themselves and their films for years. Just think of Pixar's hopping lamp or DreamWorks' boy lounging on a crescent moon. But now Paramount Animation has got in on the act with a new logo and mascot, which were recently revealed in a short animation. For a company set up in 2011, the move to make a logo and mascot has been a long time coming. After all, as our guide to logo design points out, they're a crucial piece of branding that help companies connect with their audiences. The decision to create a bespoke logo and mascot for the studio comes as Paramount Animation ramps up production, with four films expected in 2021. The project was designed by Christopher Zibach, and produced by creative agency ATK PLN and Reel FX Creative Studios. In the animated launch clip we see the studio's appropriately named tween mascot, Star Skipper (above), as she skips a stone across a river. This stone then transforms into a star, before zooming up to reveal the new Paramount Animation logo. Check it out, below. As far as logos go, it's very similar to the Paramount Pictures logo but with the word 'animation' written underneath in a handwriting font. The orange sunset in the background also helps to differentiate it. Perhaps the new logo didn't need to be a massive departure from its parent company, though. The mountainous, star-encircled Paramount Pictures logo is strong enough to be tweaked and yet still remain recognisable. The Paramount Animation logo as it will now appear The Paramount Pictures logo also contains an element which was at the core of the development of the Paramount Animations branding. Speaking to Variety, artist Christopher Zibach said "We were inspired by the idea of stars and reaching for the stars." Speaking about the decision to make Star Skipper a female character, Zibach added: "In our operation overall, the team that we’ve put together is a majority female team, so it captures the magic of what we’re going for in the division. It's about dreaming big. When we thought about the character, we thought, why wouldn't it be female? And we wanted a girl connected to nature, in who she is and how she looks." As for whether or not Star Skipper will one day feature in her own film, Zibach says: "Our hope is all of our movies will be successful. We'll wait and see if there are any changes with her as the movies grow. It’s a fun idea." Related articles: Is this the new Lucasfilm Animation logo? Understand Disney's 12 principles of animation Inside Aardman Animations View the full article

When it comes to creating art, there's a distinction to be made between a 'perfect' image and one that’s 'complete'. A piece of work can be said to be complete for a number of reasons: for example, it fits a role for a client or explores a technique that an artist wanted to experiment with. Achieving perfection, on the other hand, is invariably more demanding and time-consuming. And that's even with the help of our how to draw tutorials. That's because perfect art has to live up to the expectations of perhaps the toughest critic: the creator themselves. The best digital art software For Atlanta-basesd illustrator Nuri Durr, the desire for perfectionism became not only an obsession, but a hindrance to his growth as an artist. And it turns out that he wasn’t alone. A common problem Taking to Twitter, Nuri recently shared his struggles with perfectionism, and how completing work instead was much more gratifying. His followers agreed, and at the time of writing Nuri's tweet has racked up nearly 5,000 likes and dozens of comments from other artists dealing with the same predicament. But for Nuri, the response didn't come as much of a surprise. "I've always felt that perfectionism was a thing that most people tend to struggle with," he says. “It’s difficult to talk about, because we all want to present the best version of ourselves. There's this feeling that every piece of work has to be better than the last one, or at least match it, which is just not true. I think everyone hits this wall at one point or another. It's not always vocalised though, so it's important that we have these types of conversations.” Letting go of perfectionism benefited Nuri’s art for himself and his audience: “The end result is more honest and fun to look at.” Unfortunately, the desire to achieve perfectionism can be drilled into artists while they're developing their craft. "Perfectionism is definitely not your best friend while you’re learning," says Chengwei Pan, a senior illustrator at Riot Games. "In order to improve you must be brave to make mistakes in your art. I've seen artists take brave chances and therefore improve much faster than me." Chengwei continues: "I started to question why this was happening, then I realised that they were making bold decisions that enabled them to overcome their weaknesses. There is no single 'perfect' artist - it simply comes down to style." Developing a style “I’ve often been labelled as perfectionist, because I care deeply for everything I do and I have pride in my work,” says Kalvachev Speaking of style, different studios and publishers have their own unique looks. These house styles can set a high bar for artists, but for visual storyteller Viktor Kalvachev, they help to relieve some of the expectation of perfection. "Knowing how to understand a style and being able to recreate it is probably the biggest advantage in my career," says Viktor, who has worked with the likes of Disney, Pixar and DC Comics. "I usually adjust my style to what the client wants and try not to force my personal view on the project, unless I'm asked to." Similarly, Chengwei found the pressure of living up to the perfectionism of the Riot Studios house style a useful incentive. "When I was just a junior artist, our art director showed us an example of Jason Chan's art, which immediately inspired me," he says. “Don’t be shy if you’re chasing perfectionism,” says Chengwei, “but just be mindful that when you are learning it can potentially slow you down and limit your mistakes and artistic growth.” "I built up my foundational skills over the following years and the process became cleaner, enabling me to work more efficiently and deliver higher-quality art as a result." Meanwhile, for comic book artist J Scott Campbell, chasing the perfection of his artistic heroes helped to build his own unique visual language. "By settling on to a combination of four or five of my top artistic influences, and a mix of my own personal observations, I was able to get over my frivolous pursuit of unattainable artistic cloning and move forward on this more rewarding, artistically exciting and freeing path," he reveals. Does perfectionism exist? Wei Weng’s stylish art for World of Warcraft was a big influence on Chengwei, who says, “It feels similar to a traditional oil painting.” These different types of perfectionism, either from studio expectations or personal standards, beg the question: does absolute perfectionism exist? "Perfectionism is a desire for the object to be perfect, not that it is perfect," says Chengwei. "Perfection is simply something that lives within the artist. It's an idea that they want to become the best version of themselves." For Viktor, perfectionism is much more concrete than an idea: "From my point of view, perfectionism does exist and can be damaging to the creator. “A friend of mine would redraw a comic book page over and over again until he thought it was semi-decent, only to move to the next one and repeat the self-torture. All his pages were masterpieces to the rest of us, but to him they were awful and disgraceful. One day he discovered how to let go and move on, and he's been really happy ever since." How to power through On occasion, J Scott Campbell has felt perfectionism pressure from companies: “I’ve had to push back against those pressures to preserve my artistic voice.” Finding a balance between productivity and abandonment seems to be the cure for creativity that's been blocked by perfectionism. "It's also important to understand that you're not alone in the creative process," says Chengwei. "There are thousands of artists and their style is based on perfectionism, including myself. Sometimes I spend over six months on a single image. "Be confident in yourself and what you like and know that we're all going through the same process," he adds. "There were many teachers and fellow artists who told me to not be perfect, but to be rough and loose with my art. I know they wanted to encourage me to be brave and make mistakes, but the desire to make perfect art has led to my current style and ability." For Nuri, getting over perfectionism is all about remembering what inspired you to create in the first place and recapturing that feeling. "Also, embrace healthier working habits and try not to be so hard on yourself. "Focus on enjoying the creative process and learning as you go, even if it doesn't turn out exactly as you wanted. It's better to have finished something than nothing at all." This article was originally published ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here. Related articles: How to adapt your digital art to feedback 5 ways to improve your digital art skills 8 inspiring digital art portfolios and why they work View the full article

Did you know that during the summer a car's internal temperature can reach up to 70 degrees Celsius? That's hot enough to bake a dog treat, but it's also hot enough to kill a dog. A range of car-baked dog treats called Hot Hounds has used this connection, as well some clever packaging design, to highlight the risk that hot cars pose our canine friends. Released last month by Canadian social enterprise Earth Paws, Hot Hounds was a limited edition range of dog treats that were baked in overheated cars. The biscuits and logo are centred around a deceptively cute design, which features a deceased dog in a flame. It can take a moment to process the morbid message, but once you do, you'll realise that Hot Hounds has used its packaging and graphic design in a really smart way. With its twee logo and typeface, you could almost mistake Hot Hounds for a regular brand of dog treats. This makes it all the more effective when its statement hits home. Together with pastel colours, the contrast of Hot Hounds' cheerful branding and serious message is a disturbingly inspired way to raise awareness of the threat canine heat stroke. As if the angle of car-baked dog treats wasn't good enough, Hot Hounds were made with 100 per cent natural and organic ingredients. You can even see them getting cooked in a car in the video above. Unfortunately, Hot Hounds has completely sold out. But the good news is that all proceeds from the sales have gone to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. What's more, you can still make a donation to the SPCA when you head over to the Hot Hounds website. Related articles: 6 times brands temporarily changed their packaging 20 packaging concepts we wish were real Online packaging archive is a design delight View the full article

There's still another few weeks to wait until all the best Black Friday deals start appearing. But it looks like Adobe is kicking off the big savings early, now offering artists and designers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa a whopping 39% its entire collection of creative apps. That means instead of costing £49.94/€59.99 per month, you'll pay just £30.34/€35.99! The price reduction applies to the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses Adobe's 20+ applications, including photo editing favourite Photoshop and digital artists' go-to Illustrator. You'll also find video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects among the impressive toolset. Not in EMEA regions? Take a look at our guide to the best Adobe deals, which we update with all the best offers when they go live. > Get Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps with 39% off As if that wasn't enough, when you buy Adobe's full 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. And if you'd like to include Adobe Stock too, then you can get Adobe All Apps + Adobe Stock for just £58.92/€71.98 – reduced from £78.52/€95.98. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly – whether you’re out and about or in the studio. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal will be available until 30 September 2019, so if you're in EMEA regions and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it before it's gone. Related articles: 60 top-class Photoshop tutorials The best 4K monitors for designers The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

Forcepoint has fixed a privilege escalation vulnerability in its VPN Client for Windows. View the full article

You might've thought that we've discovered every single colour under the sun by now. But no, colour expert Pantone has stumbled across 294 new shades and added them to its popular Pantone Matching System. The new spot colours are the first additions to Pantone's world-renowned chromatic system in three years, and together they bring its total number of colours to 2,161. We're looking forward to how these shades play into what we know about colour theory. What's more, artists and designers can use these colours digitally thanks to Pantone's colour libraries, which can be stored and accessed as an extension across Adobe Creative Cloud applications. If you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up to Creative Cloud here. According to the description on Pantone's formula guide page, these new shades are "trend and market relevant graphics colours." Fancy. The colours are also available as fan decks "We are always attuned to the changing market and the needs of our creative customers," said Adrián Fernández, vice president and general manager of Pantone. "As a result, we are excited to create an even more efficient workflow as we roll out new colours for the graphic arts and improved cross-referencing between Pantone's PMS and FHI colour systems. "Adding the launch of the Pantone Extension for Adobe Creative Cloud to this mix will enhance the ability to identify, communicate and verify colours both physically and digitally in the Pantone universe." If you want to get your hands on the 294 new colours physically, you can also buy them as a swatchbook. Related articles: Pantone announces its Color of the Year 2019 If celebrities were Pantone colours Discover your 2019 Pantone with this quiz View the full article

The Golden Joystick Awards is the world's biggest video game show voted for by the public – and votes for the 2019 edition are now open! If you're a designer who likes to dabble in a bit of gaming on the side, here's your chance to support your favourite games, developers, publishers and personalities. > Click here to cast your votes There are 17 different categories, including Most Wanted Game, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, PC, Indie and Multiplayer Games of the Year. This year, the Golden Joysticks will also be introducing two new categories: Best Gaming Hardware and Best Game Expansion. If you want to vote for the grand prize, Ultimate Game of the Year, you'll need to hang on a little longer however. There's a dedicated one-week voting window for this highly coveted award, running from Friday 25 October to Friday 1 November. The ceremony will take place on 15 November Leading the shortlist nominations this year are open-world mystery Outer Wilds (six nominations) as well as action-adventure hit Control (four nominations). Other popular titles to crop up a few times include Metro Exodus, Observation, Days Gone, Tetris Effect, Sunless Skies and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Check out the full shortlist and cast your vote here. Voting closes on Thursday 24 October. As a small thank you for getting involved, every voter will receive a free ebook. The star-studded ceremony will take place on Friday 15 November, and viewers will be able to tune in to a livestream for all the news as it happens. Read more: The best video game character designs Adobe deals: How to get a Creative Cloud discount Special effects in movies: 10 stunning examples View the full article

Choosing the best processors four your next computer can already be a daunting task, what with AMD and Intel rolling out new chips every few months. And, that’s without factoring in the fact that you need to find the one that’s ideal for graphic design, 3D rendering or web development. Let us help you cut through all that noise. Whether you’re trying to update components in your current workstation or investing in a new computer altogether, the processors on this list will help you make that crucial decision. What to look for in a processor Processors are incredibly important, as they are the brains of a computer. Four artists who do their work on the computer, however, particular specifications need to be met to ensure seamless workflow and time efficiency. The clock speed might be the easiest spec to look at when comparing different options, but it’s not quite that simple. While you might be looking at which CPU is the fastest, you must also consider the number of cores as well. This is vitally important if you’re doing video editing or 3D rendering, as a processor with more cores will essentially split the workload between them. That enables them to complete tasks quicker than a processor with a higher clock speed but fewer cores. Perhaps the most contentious aspect of choosing a processor is picking a brand – namely, whether to buy Intel or AMD. They both offer excellent options four different needs and budgets, but also differ in some significant ways. Intel is known more for its higher clock speed while AMD is typically cheaper and offers more cores, especially with its 3rd-generation Ryzen line. New processor or new computer? Deciding on whether to upgrade your current machine or just spring for a new processor depends on a few things. A number of computers, notably Ultrabooks and Macbooks, aren’t upgradeable. The processors are soldered in to help keep that svelte design as thin as possible. If you’re leaning towards a more portable solution, consider getting the configuration with the most powerful components, as you aren’t likely to be able to upgrade it later. On the other hand, desktop computers are very upgradeable. If you’ve already got one, putting in a CPU might breathe new life into what you thought was a dinosaur and save you the price of a new computer. Just make sure to get something that’s compatible with your motherboard. Regardless of what you’re hoping to get out of a new processor, one of these 5 processors will certainly fit the bill. The recent arrival of the AMD 3rd-generation Ryzen and with it, the flagship Ryzen 3900x, put enthusiasts on notice. Processors with 12 cores have typically only been available in HEDT (high-end desktops). While this chip is currently the most expensive mainstream chip on the market, it’s also the only one to offer 12 cores and 24 threads, a significant jump from the 8 cores from the previous generation. It also comes with a hefty base clock of 3.8GHz, making this a fantastic option four those who need some serious power four rendering and graphic design, as well as gaming. And while its single core performance is still slightly behind Intel’s, it still has more power than you’ll need. The Ryzen 3900x also supports PCIe 4.0, which doubles the bandwidth over PCIe 3.0. Most mainstream devices such as SSDs and graphics cards currently use PCIe 3.0 so this is an exciting feature four future upgrades. While Intel’s new flagship is among the most expensive mainstream processors available, it more than delivers as Intel’s first 8-core, 16-thread chip. The Intel Core i9-9900K is blazing fast with a 3.6GHz base clock, which can be overclocked to an incredible 5GHz. This is simply as good as you can get four single core performance. This makes the i9-9900K ideal for gamers or anyone who needs amazing single core performance. However, despite the lower core count compared to AMD’s flagship, it still has more than enough juice to handle intensive tasks like video editing and rendering as well. It is in some ways a minor improvement over the 8th-generation flagship i7-8700K, offering only slightly better single core performance on average. However, once you factor in the ability to boost to 5GHz and the extra cores, you’re looking at the perfect chip four anyone who wants to balance out workstation power and gaming prowess. For a HEDT processor, the AMD Threadripper 2950X toes the line between performance and price. It offers a remarkable 16-core, 32-thread count at a lower price than most other HEDT processors on the market while providing similar base clock speeds. And, while some people might want 32 cores, the 2950x will power through just about any video project with aplomb. If you’re more of a hobbyist or looking to game, you can get away with paying half or less on mainstream chips that will cover most of your needs. In particular, the single core performance is not going to be head and shoulders above mainstream CPUs so make sure that having those extra cores are important to the projects you’re working on. Four those looking four HEDT processors, however, the 2950x is an excellent choice. Not just because of the price. It balances its high core count with a high base clock speed, making it a versatile option four those who switch between intensive single-core and multi-core tasks. With Intel i9 processors now powering a fresh wave of new and refresh laptops, why pick up the Intel i7-9750H? Well, for one, the i9s have a tendency to overheat, and with a device as compact as a laptop, thermal throttling is a real concern. The i7 also has a higher base clock – good for single core tasks like gaming – while also delivering a powerful performance with its more than adequate 6 cores. The i7-9750H won’t have as much juice as its desktop counterpart. However, it is powerful enough to be a mobile solution for video editing and graphic design, so you can tick things off your work to-do list while on the go. This chip is only a minimal upgrade from the previous generation i7-8750H, so only jump on the newer chip if you have to upgrade from an older laptop. If you’re holding onto a computer with last generation’s chip, you’re better served just waiting for the next generation processor. What makes the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 so attractive is its price. It comes in at a significantly lower price point compared to either AMD or Intel’s flagship chips, but its performance is still on point. It comes with a great base clock speed and a decent, albeit lower, 6 cores, making this one perfect for anyone that wants to do less intensive video editing and perhaps a bit of gaming. It might not quite hold up as well under intensive loads like the flagship CPUs, but if price is a concern, then the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is an excellent compromise. Like the flagship 3900x listed above, PCIe 4.0 support is a welcome addition to this line of processors. Even if there aren’t many peripherals that utilise it yet, that’s certain to change. Once it does, you’ll be able to take advantage of even faster transfer speeds from the newest SSDs and graphics cards. Just remember to spring for a compatible motherboard. View the full article

If you want to make a successful logo that encourages shoppers to buy from you, you're better off using a descriptive logo. That's according to a recent study which found that trendy, minimalist logos are less effective because they don't indicate what a company does. The findings are a great addition to our logo design guide, and fly in the face of stripped back, abstract logos, which have been all the rage for a while now. Meanwhile, a descriptive design like the Burger King logo is more effective because it resembles the hamburgers it sells. The study, which was originally published in the Journal of Marketing Research, argues that a descriptive logo is more successful as it creates trust. Research professors from Canada, England, and France examined 597 logos with the help of 2,000 participants to discover that "logo descriptiveness can positively affect impressions of authenticity and, in turn, purchase intentions". Descriptive logos like these give you an idea of what each service provides Participants in the study were given descriptions of various companies, then judged their logos on their authenticity. Descriptive logos came out on top in every category. The study even goes on to say that there is a "significant positive association between logo descriptiveness and gross profit." A good example of how a minimalist design can cause upset is the new logo Slack unveiled in January. With its pinwheel of vibrant colours on a white background, users accused it of appearing generic and unconnected to the workplace chat app. Abstract logos generate less trust, and therefore less profit There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach though. When a company becomes big enough, it doesn't need to rely on a descriptive logo that tells people what it sells. Just take McDonald's, whose famous Golden Arches logo has nothing to do with its fast food. It's also a good example of how a textless logo can work. However, if a company sells something unpleasant, the research suggests that a descriptive logo might not be the best solution. Related articles: How to make your logo stand out in the digital age 5 fascinating stories behind unusual logo designs 5 expensive logos and what they teach us View the full article

Reading and writing have been integrated into our everyday lives from an early age. We've been challenged to use it correctly and efficiently in school and also at work. But like many things, there are always ways of improving the process. Conquer your goals and learn best practices with these bundles – with savings of up to 97% to be had. 01. BeeLine Reader How many times have you caught yourself reading the same line of a novel or email several times and losing the context of the paragraph all together? Many of us experience errors like these, causing us to spend extra time reading. The award-winning tool BeeLine Reader is a great asset for fixing these problems. An eye-guiding colour gradient is applied to your text, allowing your eyes to read faster and more effectively. Adopted by the California Public Library System, these tips and tricks will help you speed up your reading rate by 20%. Get a 1-year subscription today for $9.99 (81% off $54). 02. The 2019 Award-Winning Speed Reading Bundle With three step-by-step training courses, The 2019 Award-Winning Speed Reading Bundle can also help your reading speed and comprehension. Equipped with lifetime subscriptions to each platform, this (also) award-winning bundle is packed with learning strategies, activities, vocabulary building, and more. 24/7 access to over 20,000 free eBooks will help train the eye and allow you to practice the techniques learned, helping make your reading experience more precise and productive. Get lifetime access to 7 Speed Reading EX 2019, Spreeder CX 2019, and Vocab1 for just $19 (97% off $669). 03. 12min Book Summary Library If you enjoy reading but don't have enough time in the day to relish in your hobby, the 12min Book Summary Library may be an excellent tool for you. With access to hundreds of micro books in text and narrative form, the lifetime premium subscription brings you titles that can be read and digested in just 12 minutes each. Currently only $39, the subscription includes 30 new titles every month, continually growing your on-the-go library. Get a lifetime premium subscription for just $39 (88% off $346.50). 04. The Become a Solopreneur Expert Bundle Becoming your own boss in the digital realm may be something you've been yearning to achieve. With ten unique courses dedicated to the ins and out on all things digital, The Become A Solopreneur Expert Bundle includes comprehensive tutorials on digital marketing, copywriting, SEO, AdWords, and more. The lifetime course even includes tools on how to start your own copywriting freelance business, helping you build your self-employed empire. Get the bundle for $39 (97% off $1,813.99). 05. Write Copy Like a 6-Figure a Year Copywriter in 2019 Get inspired to become a copywriter with the Write Copy Like a 6-Figure a Year Copywriter in 2019 course. Learn methods to effortlessly write first drafts, step-by-step processes for writing effective headlines, and how to hone in on your target audience to improve your content. With 13 mini-missions, the course will help you practice what you've learned and put your new skills to the test. You'll be writing like a pro in no time. Enroll now for just $12.99 (93% off $200). A little push can go a long way in finessing the skills you already possess. Start amping up your reading and writing skills with these courses, all while saving hundreds of dollars. Related articles: 8 powerful productivity apps to help you get things done 5 top tips for creating a productive workspace The best new tech products for designers in 2019 View the full article

Want to get started using Bulma? You're in the right place. Bulma is a popular CSS framework with a simple flexbox grid system. It differs from other frameworks by taking a lighter approach and not including any JavaScript – leaving that decision entirely up to the developer (to explore other options, see our pick of the best CSS frameworks). In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to install Bulma, and build a website with its various classes. To prove how versatile the classes are in Bulma, the entire tutorial page has been built without writing a single line of CSS. Click to download the tutorial files Generate CSS is the hottest web event in town. From 20-22 Sept you can pick up a ticket for half price using the code FLASHSALE5. Click the image to find out more. 01. Get started Create a new directory, and within it, create an index.html file. Open this file in a code editor and create a simple starter HTML document, with a DOCTYPE html and a responsive viewport tag. 02. Install Bulma Using Bulma out the box is as fast as adding a single CSS file. Using the CDN add a link in the HTML. If it is necessary to change variables and have more control over the framework, npm install Bulma can be used (see the full documentation). For the full experience, font awesome 5 should also be included. 03. Build a page Inside the body tag, create a section element and a div with the class container. Within the container, create an h1 with the class title then a paragraph with the class subtitle. For now, input 'hello world' into the title and some text into the paragraph. We now have the basic starter template for Bulma. 04. Create a top hero bar Make a new section above the previous one, and instead of the class section, give it the class hero. The hero class allows the creation of a full-width banner, with a variety of options controlling its height. Within this new section create a div with the class hero-body and then a container this will hold the content. 05. Add title and subtitles Inside the container div, add an h1 and h2 tag with the classes title and subtitle. These are typography classes that will increase the size of their content. Bulma is smart to know when a title and subtitle are combined, and will bring them closer together. 06. Add a splash of colour Add the class is-primary to the hero section. This will apply the primary colour to the background, and change the text to the lighter variant. Instead of primary, info, success, warning, danger, light and dark can also be chosen 07. Split the content into columns The first content area of the website is split into two columns. Make a new section with the class section and add a container. To set up the columns, a div is added with columns class. Each column is added within the parent container. Columns will space themselves equally in the available space with a small gap between unless specified. 08. Create responsive images The second column will contain an image. Wrap the image in a figure element, and, if possible, give the figure a class of the aspect ratio of the image. In the example, 16by9 has been used (see the full list of available ratios). 09. Suggest action with buttons The button class creates colourful buttons and can be applied <a> elements or <button> elements in forms.Add two buttons to the first column and apply colour modifiers to them. If using more than one button, wrap them in a div with the class buttons, which corrects the gap and allows the application of classes as a group. 10. Create boxed content Add a new section at the bottom of the page with three columns. Within the columns, a box element is added. Box elements are simple containers with a border around them that separate them from the background of a page. 11. Use iconic boxes Bulma integrates with Font Awesome 5, but is compatible with all font libraries, and has classes to call most available icons. Inside each box, add a content container, followed by a span element with the class icon. Inside the span, use an <i> element to call the required classes for the desired icon. Icons are coloured the same way as text. 12. Be bold Create a new two-column hero section at the bottom of the page, giving an is-info class to the section. For an interesting effect, also apply the is-bold class to this section for a subtle gradient. This modifier works with all seven of the main colours. 13. Change the levels Levels are a great way to ensure elements are vertically centered in a row. Within a new section at the bottom of the page, add a div with the level class and nest inside four level items. Any content added within a level item will be vertically aligned. 14. Add and control forms To add a form to the bottom of the page, make a new two-column hero section with is-primary. Split it into two columns, and in the right column, create a field class. The field class is used to group several form inputs together, ensuring they are spaced properly. Every input must also be wrapped in an individual .control class. 15. Give users feedback Once a form is submitted, it should return a message to users so that they will know what happens next. Although Bulma is not able to control when this message will be displayed, the front end can be built with the message class. 16. Add a footer The flexible footer class allows any element to be added at the bottom of a page, providing a place for copyright info and bottom navigation, as well as bringing a finish to the website. 17. Customise variables Most projects, beyond prototypes, will have a requirement to work with a brand guideline and colours. Similarly, it is safe to assume a designer will need to change the fonts, colours or other aspects of Bulma. A major part of Bulma is that it is customisable and modular. Not only can modules be selectively imported, but up to 415 Sass variables can be changed within the framework. The use of variables means setting a new colour as primary will change that colour across the entire Bulma framework for that project. Setting this up can be tricky at first, but guides have been provided using three different methods in the documentation. This article was originally published in issue 289 of creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 289 or subscribe here. Read more: 5 inspiring web design case studies The best UI design tools Master minimalist website design View the full article

When it comes to using stock imagery in your design work, there's no better place to head than Adobe Stock. That's not just because it's a great source of high-quality photos, illustrators and videos, at a low price. It's also because Adobe Stock works seamlessly with the Adobe Creative Cloud apps, in a multitude of ways that can help you be more creative and efficient as a designer. This is done so intuitively that it's pretty easy to pick up. However, there is a little bit of a learning curve; so here we've brought together a series of short and easy-to-follow tutorials, which will get you up to speed in a matter of minutes. Read on, and find out how to perform an image based search within Adobe Stock, how to find and use images, video and templates directly within Photoshop and other CC apps, share Adobe Stock assets within your teams, and much more! 01. Find the right image fast with visual search and Aesthetic Filters You can search using words or images in Adobe Stock: this tutorial explains how to do both Visual search means dragging a photo into Adobe Stock to find similar photos. This quick walkthrough explains how to do it. As an alternatively, it also walks you through how to type a search term and use Aesthetic Filters to focus your search. 02. How to find and buy Adobe Stock assets Learn how to search for the right images, directly within CC apps One of the best things about Adobe Stock is how it makes it super-quick and easy to buy images, without ever leaving the app you're working in. This tutorial explains how you can open and purchase an Adobe Stock asset in your Adobe Creative Cloud application, all in just a single click. 03. Learn about Adobe Stock licensing options and usage rights Discover the simple rules of what you can and can't use Adobe Stock images for When you purchase an asset from Adobe Stock, you need to make sure you are cleared to use it legally. This straightforward video explains, in terms anyone can understand, the difference between Standard and Extended licenses, and what usage rights each allows. 04. How to use Adobe Stock within Creative Cloud Follow this five-step tutorial to become an Adobe Stock pro What's amazing about Adobe Stock is being able to search for images, video and templates directly within software that support Creative Cloud Libraries, including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, InDesign CC, and more. This tutorial walks you through how to do so, in five simple steps. 05. How to use Adobe Stock video within Premiere Pro & After Effects Adobe Stock has a lot to offer animators and video creators, as this tutorial explains Want to use Adobe Stock's royalty-free video footage? It's easy to search for what you want, download it and licence it directly within Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. This seven-step tutorial explains how. 06. Jump-start your designs with Photoshop templates in Adobe Stock Learn how Photoshop templates can save you a ton of time Adobe Stock's Photoshop templates are a great way to avoid reinventing the wheel, and get your design work completed faster. This tutorial walks you through the process of downloading, opening and using one within Photoshop, as well as looking at how to use presets. 07. How to use motion graphics templates from Adobe Stock How to download a motion graphics template, and use it within Premiere Pro Motion graphic templates in Adobe Stock offer an easy way to add pizzazz to your videos and animations, and many of them are even free! This four-step walkthrough explains how to find, download and use a motion graphic template within Premiere Pro and then customise it to your needs. 08. How to design a book cover in InDesign with Adobe Stock This tutorial walks you through using Adobe Stock to design a book cover, in nine straightforward steps Want to create a professional book cover? Then you need a professionally designed Adobe Stock template. This nine-step tutorial takes you through the process from start to finish. 09. How to customise an Adobe Stock template in Illustrator Here's how to design in Illustrator, using an Adobe Stock template Designing a stylish business card doesn't have to take forever. Follow this tutorial to modify an Adobe Stock template in Illustrator CC, and cut your design time in half. 10. How to track and share Adobe Stock assets within teams Adobe Stock makes it easy to share assets across teams: learn how in this tutorial The seamless way that Adobe Stock is integrated into the Creative Cloud makes it perfect for working in teams, particularly distributed ones. This tutorial outlines exactly how to track and share assets within teams using Adobe Stock and Creative Cloud Libraries. View the full article

Autumn is nearly upon us. Not only does that mean that the streets will soon be adrift with leaves but it also means that Generate CSS – our web design conference dedicated to all things CSS – is less than a week away. And to celebrate we’ve decided to throw a final flash sale, offering 50 per cent off all tickets bought by the end of the weekend. That’s right. Not only will you get access to the best and brightest speakers from the world of CSS, talks from the likes of Natalie Weizenbaum and Jeremy Keith, Creative Bloq breakout sessions, networking drinks and tons of other activities but you can now save £124.50 on the price of your ticket. So if you want to learn some CSS for less, get your half-price ticket by entering the offer code FLASHSALE50 at generateconf.com by 11:30pm BST on Sunday 22 September 2019! Related articles: Create animated CSS art First speakers announced for Generate CSS Get 30% off team bookings for Generate CSS View the full article

For a long time, buying a laptop has been about making compromises. If they’re big and powerful then they’re often heavy, noisy and have poor battery life. If they’re thin and light, then they’re often lacking in power. But, nowadays, you shouldn’t have to compromise – and Gigabyte’s latest AERO 17 is the perfect example as to why. Whether you need a laptop for resource-intensive design-work, hardcore gaming or simply watching movies and TV, this large-screened, 17.3-inch portable powerhouse has you covered. The first thing to note is that while 17-inches may lie firmly in ‘desktop replacement laptop’ territory, the days of that moniker meaning you have to deal with an unwieldy, unportable form-factor are over. Despite its generous screen size, the AERO 17 is only 21mm thick, less-than 40cm wide and weighs just 2.5kg –core specifications that you’d normally associate with a 15-inch laptop chassis. Add to that a battery-life that’s enhanced with Microsoft Azure AI and which can push a full 8 hours and you’ve got one surprisingly-portable machine. With two distinct options, the AERO 17 lets you choose your ideal screen for either gaming or design and entertainment. A display that handles everything with ease Part of the reason for the compact chassis is that the 17.3-inch screen’s bezel is just 3mm thick at the top and sides. If you’re worried that a lack of bulk equates to a lack of features, fear not though: the AERO 17’s screen options are among the best on the market. You’ve got a choice of two distinct screens, so you can choose the one that’s right for you. For gamers, Gigabyte has fitted an LG-made Full HD 1080p IPS panel that runs at a speedy 144Hz, giving you super-smooth and accurate motion performance for the ultimate gaming experience. For content-creators or movie buffs, the second option is an Ultra HD 4K HDR panel with a brightness rating of 400cd/m2 at the VESA-certified DisplayHDR 400 standard – meaning it’s perfect for editing (or even just streaming) High Dynamic Range 4K movies and TV shows. On top of that, all AERO 17 displays support 100% of Adobe’s RGB colour gamut and have been certified for X-Rite’s Pantone Colour Calibration. Gigabyte individually tunes every screen before it leaves the factory, meaning they’re ready to go for demanding colour-accurate work straight out of the box. In short, the colour performance and consistency is superb to the point where even the most demanding graphic designers will be able to rely upon its accuracy. The screen’s not the only display element to come with cutting-edge certifications. The AERO 17 as a whole supports Nvidia’s RTX Studio technologies, which means it provides superb reliability for creative apps, fast ray-tracing performance and AI-based processing. This standard comes with particularly high requirements and, not surprisingly, the AERO 17 doesn’t just meet them, but blows them out of the water. The sleek chassis hides a surprising amount of horsepower. No compromises, inside or out The top-end AERO 17 models showcase the best consumer laptop components on the market in 2019, with options scaling all the way up to Intel’s eight-core Core i9-9980HK processor (the first time eight-core chips have been available for laptops), along with 64GB of dual-channel Samsung RAM, Nvidia’s top-end RTX 2080 graphics chip, and a huge-and-speedy 1TB PCIe hard drive. Whether you’re gaming or rendering, this is one of the fastest portable machines currently on offer. Of course, if all that power is more than you really need, Gigabyte still has you covered. There are eight different AERO 17 models available in Australia, which range in price between a very-affordable AU$2,599 to a ‘pros-only’ AU$6,299. Whatever you choose, you’ll find a model that matches your specific needs, and there are potentially big savings to be made if you want less storage, less graphical grunt or are happy with a Full HD screen, for example. And no matter which one you opt for, you can rest assured that the power within your AERO 17 will remain discreet. Gone are the days where a high-powered laptop sounded like it was going to take off due to loud, blaring fans. Gigabyte’s latest cooling technology is called SupraCool 2 and is based around two 71-blade fans, five heatpipes and 11 vents. These all combine to ensure that maximum heat can be pushed out of the chassis without disturbing even the quietest chic, design studios. The AERO 17 has enough ports that you can plug in all your critical accessories with the need for a separate dock. Perfect for both play and work That’s not to say that the AERO 17 can’t make some noise when you want it to. The inbuilt speakers provide surprisingly immersive surround sound, and when combined with that 4K, 17-inch display’s incredible visuals, that makes it an outstanding option for watching HDR movies or shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video – either on your own, or with a friend or two. When it comes to gaming, the AERO 17 amply delivers too. Every model offers a gaming-grade Nvidia GeForce GPU to help drive that screen at buttery-smooth framerates. And with Nahimic 3D Audio technology built in, you can pinpoint exactly where sounds are coming from on the virtual battlefield. While it’s all very good to know that a laptop can perform every task well, it’s also important to note that it’s great to interact with in the first place! The AERO 17’s new keyboard offers improved responsiveness compared to previous-generation AERO devices, has a full-size keypad and arrow keys, and the built-in RGB Fusion 2.0 rear-lighting system is brighter than ever. Meanwhile, the trackpad supports multiple multi-finger gestures and contains a fingerprint reader that is compatible with the highly-secure Windows Hello login. Other premium features include an HD webcam with privacy slider, high-performance Killer Networking plus the latest Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 wireless connectivity. And it also includes all the connectivity features you’ve come to expect, with a 1Gbps Ethernet port, two audio jacks, three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, two USB-C ports (that both support Thunderbolt 3) plus DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0. There's also an ultra-highspeed (UHS-II) SD Card reader that offers transfer speeds up to 300Mbps. All in all, it’s a perfect setup for creatives who rely upon external storage, multiple peripherals and external displays. Of course, if you’re investing in a machine like this then it’s fair to expect it to look good and the AERO 17 does not disappoint. Its aluminium chassis utilises cutting-edge cutting technology and Nanoprint Lithography to achieve a design that’s inspired by science fiction. What you’re left with is a classy device that oozes sophistication whether its in a swanky, creative office or at the grimiest gaming LAN. For a limited time, you can score a free 12-month subscription to Microsoft Office 365 and a perfectly-sized laptop backpack with every AERO 17 purchase. Score free extras for a limited time A great laptop is more than the sum of its many parts and so you want to know that such complex machinery is going to last and be reliable. The good news is that Gigabyte has a long-history of creating sophisticated technology, to the point where it’s offering a generous two-year warranty with the AERO 17. And if peace of mind isn’t enough to tip you over the edge then there’s an added, limited time bonus on offer right now too: Gigabyte is throwing in a free laptop backpack and a free 12-month Office 365 subscription with every AERO 17 purchase. So, whether you’re a gamer, designer or just want the best laptop for general entertainment, be sure to check out the AERO 17 for its unbeatable combination of power and portability. For more information on the AERO 17 series, please visit the official Gigabyte Australia product pages: Where to buy The Gigabyte Aero 17 is available in Australia from the following online retailers: Scorptec Mwave Affordable Laptops View the full article

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An on premise hacker can cripple even the best cybersecurity defenses. View the full article

Portrait photography is a bit like balancing a marble on a plate. There are so many things to keep track of. You have to communicate clearly with your subject, make them feel at ease, worry about camera settings, choose the right lens and compose your shot all at the same time. In this article, we'll offer some portrait photography tips to help you hone your skills. You’ll find mastering portrait photography isn't quite so difficult if you break things down into bite-sized chunks: posing, lighting, colour, accessories, exposure settings, and lens choice are the main things you need to focus on. That’s exactly what we're talking about here – use the quick links opposite to jump to a particular section. I'm going to demystify the process of portraiture and give you some quick-start portrait photography tips. So let’s start with our first section, posing. To get the best from this article, you'll need a good DSLR. Take a look at our guide to the best cameras for creatives for our pick of the best options. However, you can still get a fair way with a good camera phone – especially if you also pay heed to these smartphone photography tips. Portrait photography tips: Posing I’m going to save you about three years of learning with this next sentence. Unless you’re working with a professional model, don’t pose your subject. Chances are you’ll be shooting friends and family, so making them pose is just gonna make them feel nervous and look awkward. Also, if you’re not a seasoned portrait photographer you won’t have the experience to pose them well anyway. But there are a few things that’ll make your subject feel comfortable, happy and relaxed which makes for a better shot. By giving the subject something to focus on they are visibly more relaxed and as such create a more natural pose You’re gonna hear 'What do I do with my hands?' A LOT. This is when their nerves will spike, and that makes for a bad photograph. To remedy this, give them something to do. They could thumb through some old photos, or play with some jewellery they’re wearing. Pockets are a great way to hide fidgety fingers, just avoid shooting your subject straight-on unless you’re going for that boyband/girlband look. Are your subject’s eyes looking strained? Get them to look off to one side and/or close their eyes to remove the problem. It’ll look graceful and timeless – just because you’re taking their portrait doesn’t mean you need their eye contact as well. For wider shots you’re looking to make curves and S-shapes with their body to place points of interest throughout the frame. If you feel like the subject can take a bit of suggestion, just get them to drop a shoulder or a hip to break up the parallel lines in their body. Overall, the most important thing when working with your subject is to be friendly and make them feel comfortable. Aim to chat to them more than you shoot; it builds rapport and trust between you both. Offer them a drink and play music in the background to avoid awkward silences when shooting. Portrait photography tips: Lighting Sunlight (natural light) is the simplest and quickest way to light your portrait subject. The trick to lighting like this is in the blocking and positioning of the light. An easy way to get good lighting for your subject is to use a window. The walls around it will naturally block the light, so you have a directional light source, and the size of the window will determine how diffused the light is. Light that's more spread out is more flattering for portrait photography Look for soft light – that is, light that’s been spread out – it’s flattering for portraits by helping hide pores and smooth wrinkles. That’s because there’s little difference between shadows and highlights. You’ll find soft light outside on an overcast day, in shade or through north-facing windows with no direct sun. For example, in the images above there are no direct sun rays coming through the windows, so the light is already heavily scattered. This wide spread of light from the window is directional and softens facial features. Hard light is much more difficult to control Hard light is means direct sunlight – whether the model is inside or outside. It's best to avoid hard light when starting out in portrait photography. It’s more difficult to control, and gives extremes in brightness, from cavernous black shadows to white-hot highlights. Hard light accentuates skin texture and casts unflattering, sharp shadows. It’s difficult to get a good exposure in harsh, direct sunlight. Shadows are too dark and highlights too bright – plus the subject will likely squint if looking towards the sun. The key to perfect portraits is to capture the light and the shadows. A great, quick portrait set-up goes something like this. Place your subject in front of the window and shoot them side-on from a distance. Notice how the light coming in falls off rapidly as it travels through the room. Get the subject to look towards you for stunning, soft shadows across the face, or have them look out the window for an accented profile. Avoid shooting the subject with the subject back lit (i.e. the light is behind them) or risk underexposing the subject. Portrait photography tips: Colour Clothing and styling makes a big difference to how your portrait looks. For a classic, timeless approach use neutral and earth tones such as browns, greys, whites and blacks. To give your portrait more punch look for splashes of vivid colour such as bright clothing, make-up or colourful backgrounds. However, avoid mixing all three options unless you feel confident behind the camera. Left-right: Shade, Sunny and Tungsten white balance Capture accurate colours by matching the white balance in the camera to the available light. Is it sunny outside? Choose the sunny preset. Under shade? Hit the shade preset. Lightbulbs indoors? You guessed it… Tungsten! This tricks the camera into reproducing accurate colours because all of these light sources look different – sunlight is middle toned, shade is bluer and light bulbs are more orange, so the camera compensates by shifting its white point. If you’re not sure whether things look good or not, make sure you’re shooting in RAW file format (rather than JPEG) and change it when editing later. Portrait photography tips: Accessories There isn’t much you need to start taking some fantastic portraits with the camera you already have. However, if you want to take things to the next level there are few tricks you can try. This portrait was shot with a CD in front of the lens Try placing translucent objects in front of your lens for cool effects. Objects that work well are either see-through, or translucent such as jewellery and CDs (remember those?). The photo above was taken with a CD placed just in front of the lens. This reflects the light from the sun, giving the portrait an ethereal light flare and a coloured tint. Smoke works best in a portrait when it wraps around but doesn’t cover the subject’s face Smoke grenades look awesome too, but be careful and use them outside on days with no wind – your subject needs to remain visible. You might also use solid objects such as leaves and flowers, but these are best placed around the edges of the frame. This develops a sense of intimacy in your portraits and are great for romantic couples photographs. The key to making these techniques work is to keep the accessory close to the lens so it drops out of focus. Portrait photography tips: Lenses The whole ‘portrait’ lens thing is a myth – just pick the focal length and aperture limit that’s right for you. These two lens variables affect your portraits in meaningful and impactful ways. Focal length affects photos in three forms: the field of view, depth of field, and perspective distortion. Wide-angle lenses (such as 18mm) give a wider field of view which makes it easier to fit the surroundings into your frame, and they also have a greater depth of field meaning things up close and further away are more likely to be sharp simultaneously. The opposite is true the longer your focal length. Telephoto lenses (~70mm and up) isolate subjects with a shallow depth of field and flatten features. In the gallery above (use the arrow icons to scroll through) you can see how focal length affects a person’s features due to perspectival distortion. Every time we go longer with the focal length we have to step back further away to keep the person taking up the same amount of space in the frame. Notice how the facial features appear flatter as the focal length goes up. The wider the aperture, the harder it is to resolve the light passing through it, to make sure things are sharp. All the colours from red to blue will resolve at different distances unless some clever optical engineering and coatings are used. That’s why f/1.4 lenses are usually more expensive than f/1.8 lenses – because they’re harder to make sharp when wide open. That’s hard enough for prime lenses (fixed focal length) but add to that a zoom range and the price can go up even more due to the requirement for more glass and harder optical problems to solve. That’s why cheaper zoom lenses will often have a variable aperture range such as f/4.5-5.6 with the aperture becoming narrower as you zoom in. It’s restrictive because the more you zoom, the less light passes through the lens. This forces you to adjust shutter speed or ISO and affects depth of field, but it’s a small concession to make if you’re on a budget, as zoom lenses with constant apertures are often expensive. Portrait photography tips: Camera settings If the best friend of the beginner portrait photographer is aperture, the enemy is shutter speed. Aperture controls our depth of field – how much of the scene is in focus. An aperture of f/16 will make almost everything sharp from foreground to background, whereas an aperture of f/1.4 means only a small slice will be sharp, with the rest falling into a creamy blur. There’s no right or wrong way to use aperture. If the surrounding environment is as important as the subject, go narrow (f/8, f/11, f/16). Or if your subject is the most important thing, or perhaps the background is distracting/ugly then use a wide aperture (f/1.4, f/2.8, f/3.2). In the gallery above are four examples of how aperture changes the depth of field of a portrait, all taken on a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G. Use the arrows to scroll though. You can see that narrowing the aperture from f/1.4 up to f/16 extends the depth of field so the background is more clearly rendered. Shooting at 1/10 sec shutter speed on a 50mm lens incurs camera shake, blurring the photo because the photographer can’t keep the camera still enough Shutter speed determines whether motion is blurry or not. A fast shutter speed (1/1000 sec) is so short that even subjects in motion are frozen still, whereas a slow shutter speed (1/10 sec) will incur some blurring if either the camera or subject is moving. The camera’s shutter speed has to be fast enough not to blur your subject so keep the number the same as the focal length of your lens. For example: 50mm lens = 1/50 sec, 200mm lens = 1/200 sec. Use this to guide you, but know that it’s flexible, as long as things are steady you could go down to 1/20 sec hand holding a 50mm lens without any blur. ISO should be set accordingly to expose your image enough to get a clear view of your subject. Modern DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can handle high ISO noise quite well, so you shouldn’t fret over how high your ISO is getting. As a rule of thumb, know that at above ISO1000, entry-level cameras will start to struggle. Read more: Street photography: 11 expert tips The 10 best point-and-shoot cameras in 2019 The best cameras for beginners View the full article

There’s one recurring question that consistently comes up at workshops, talks and seminars. It’s always the same question. And I think I always answer it very badly. The question? “Where do all the ideas come from?” My way to deal with it has been to develop a set of fairly stock, almost glib responses. Response number one: “By having lots of ideas.” Response number two: “By having lots of influences.” Or response number three (and this is the hopeless one): “I’m not really sure, they just happen.” A few years ago, I began to realise quite how useless this was, especially to a young creative starting out, or a student facing a horrendous deadline. Imagine facing a blank sheet of paper and the pressing need for that killer thought. Yet the only advice you’d been given on how to do it was to “have lots of ideas.” Not ideal. Get inspired by these amazing design portfolios 01. Do something (anything) Now, as it happens, there is the kernel of some decent advice in response number one. It was just phrased far better by the American writer and scientist Linus Pauling. He asserted that "the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas and throw away the bad ones". Pauling’s point was simple: get started, and do something – anything. Stick your first ideas on the wall. Share them with colleagues or flatmates. Pull them to shreds or celebrate them – it doesn’t matter. It’s the same as writing a letter. Once you start, the rest will follow. 02. Soak up the world around you Number two works much better if you view your brain as a big sponge, ready to soak up and absorb everything in the world around you. It doesn’t matter if that sculpture exhibition isn’t relevant today, go anyway. Watch obscure art-house movies or the Tarantino homages – both will give you future ideas for camera angles. That soap shop in Portugal? Great packaging. Could come in handy (in about a decade’s time). As an example, for years I would stop and admire the sign for a Polish baker in Swiss Cottage, north London. It was beautifully ‘wrong’ and I loved it for that. One day, an old friend wanted the logo for his new shoe business to look old and cranky – and I had just the thing to show him and inspire me and out came the logo for (now world-famous shoe designer) Rupert Sanderson. 03. Start in the wrong place I’ve spent the past few years trying to track quite how and when the ideas come, and whether there’s any perceivable pattern. The honest truth? There seems to be dozens of different ways. Sometimes I will start somewhere totally wrong, just to see if it might make something right. When building a tedious London skyline for a logo project, I hated it so much I flipped it 180 degrees. Which then inspired a new idea: to build a skyline out of everything else the city had to offer. 04. Look right in front of you Sometimes an answer might be staring you in the face. I was absentmindedly watching an assistant cut out a pile of Beatles albums before placing them on to suitably 60s carpets and backgrounds. Then I realised that the set of stamps I wanted were there – on-screen, on their own. I just had to remove all the stuff that wasn’t needed. 05. Forget about it Now there are many theories about how our brains work when they are in search mode. For example, have you noticed how you have an idea for a project precisely when you’re not working on it? It’s because our brains are smart and push problems into ‘background processing’, then link forward to solutions every now and again, often when you least expect it. I attended a typography seminar last year, whilst mulling over a project for foster carers. One of the speakers shared a fascinating, ligature-full font that had multiple characters neatly protecting others. All of a sudden my mind made the jump and there was the solution, on screen. Our brains also seem to know when we’re trying too hard to have an idea, and that’s when they like to down tools, just to piss us off. I spent an entire eight-hour f light pushing a bad idea around on a laptop, then had the only good idea in the cab from the airport. 06. Prepare yourself But you can be ready for those good ideas, or at least stand a better chance of catching them before they fly off. Always carry a sketchbook. Put a good camera in your bag and start ‘reframing’ the world around you. Try adopting a daily creativity project like Nick Asbury’s Realtime Notes (or our #PictureTheNews project from last year). These tricks and techniques keep your trusty brain nimble, limbered up and ready for anything. The trouble is, ideas do just happen (so response number three, I guess). When we were trying to create ‘Barrel Art’ for a whisky client, we struggled. Then out of the blue came an idea that the barrel’s various elements could have a voice. It worked nicely. Every note on my sketchpad before I wrote ‘Dear World... Yours, Cambridge’ was tedious and dull – then came those four words, an ellipsis and a comma. I’d made a creative jump from ‘quite dreadful’ to ‘quite possible’. I wish I knew quite how those ideas came, but I don’t. They just happened. This article was originally published in issue 294 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 294 or subscribe here. Read more: Fantastic design fails 8 of the best design ideas in the world (and 3 of the worst) How to refine your design portfolio View the full article

The year 2022 might sound a long way away, but for the organising committee behind the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, it's not to early to start building the hype. And to keep the games on peoples' radar, it recently released a pair of frankly adorable mascots. Unveiled with cute animations on the Beijing 2022 Twitter account, Bing Dwen Dwen (above left) and Shuey Rhon Rhon (above right) are a prime example of our character design tips in action. They're simple but distinctive, and we expect we'll be seeing a lot more from them in the lead up to the games. We also like that they both take a familiar part of the region and build on that existing awareness. It's a clever approach that character designers would be wise to keep in mind when working on their next creation. The first mascot to be announced was the cute panda, Bing Dwen Dwen, who is capable of zipping around the world and flying into outer space. Beijing 2022's organising committee had this to say about the mascot on Twitter: "With a suit of ice, a heart of gold and a love of all things winter sports, this panda is ready to share the true spirit of the #Olympics with the whole world." And in a short animated announcement video, below, we see that Bing Dwen Dwen got its powers with the help of a cosmic force that crashes into its bamboo forest home. But Bing Dwen Dwen isn't left to carry the games by itself. Next up is Shuey Rhon Rhon, who is described as a Chinese lantern child. This fiery character is the mascot for the Paralympic Winter Games, and we agree with the organising committee when it says Shuey Rhon Rhon "has already warmed our hearts!" With its little eyes and oversized head, Shuey Rhon Rhon is the definition of cute. We also like how the mascot is something ordinary that gets turned into a character. Check out how it comes alive in the video below. Designing a character can be a hard skill to master, and the Olympic Games is littered with forgettable creations. Anyone remember Wenlock and Mandeville from London 2012? Hopefully these two will make more of an impact. Beijing 2022 will run from 4 February to 20 February, in the year 2022 (obviously). Related articles: 9 character designers you need to know Push your character designs further with this workout Insider advice from a master film character designer View the full article