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Having to move the cursor and make multiple clicks for a routine action you perform all the time can frustrate and slow down your process. Fortunately, Windows offers a range of keyboard shortcuts that can help anyone working on a PC do things more quickly and easily. Most people know the common shortcuts like Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste, but there are many more combinations that can speed up the design process. Here are 11 of the most useful processes that offer shortcuts that should be as instinctive as reflex actions for any Windows-using designer. For more shortcuts for creatives, see our Photoshop shortcuts roundup. 01. Rename file or folder (F2) Simply hit F2 to rename a batch of files Nothing is more tedious then having to right-click on every single file or folder when you have a whole batch of deliverables that need to be renamed in the correct format before being shared. Thankfully, Windows makes this a lot easier with one of the most useful shortcuts out there. Simply select a file, or a whole range of files, and click F2 to rename. If you select a range of items, they’ll all be given the same name followed by a number in parentheses. To make things even quicker, if you need to rename every file in a folder, you can press Ctrl + A to select all. 02. Create a new folder (Ctrl + Shift + N) Press Ctrl + Shift + N to quickly create a new folder Folders are great for making work easier to find, so you may find you create rather a lot of folders and subfolders within them. Trying to find space to right click in an already cluttered folder to create a new one can be a nuisance and slow you down, but if you’re in Windows Explorer all you need to do is press Ctrl + Shift + N to automatically create a new folder. And if you’re not in Windows Explorer, a quick way to bring it up is by holding down Windows Key + E. 03. Switch applications or tabs (Alt + Tab and Ctrl + Tab) Hold down Windows Key + Tab to see all the applications you have open Chances are that when you’re working on a design and simultaneously looking back at a brief and responding to emails, by the end of the day you have an unwieldy amount of applications and tabs open. To switch between all the different applications you have open, press Alt + Tab. You can reverse the direction by pressing Alt + Shift + Tab. To take a glance at all of the applications you have open at once, press Windows Key + Tab. Meanwhile, to switch through multiple tabs within the same programme, for example between tabs in your browser or in Illustrator press Ctrl + Tab. Again, to change the order you move through the tabs, simply add shift: Ctrl + Shift + Tab. 04. Find your desktop (Windows Key + D) Similarly, with so many windows clogging up your screen, finding the desktop can sometimes be a time-consuming task. Delve under the clutter by holding down Windows Key + D to immediately show the desktop. This also offers a way to quickly save an image from the web. By clicking and holding the image, you can enter this shortcut and drag and drop the image straight to your desktop. Press the same shortcut again to bring back all the windows as they were. If you only need to take a quick peek at the desktop, you can press Windows Key + , This will let you view the desktop until you take your finger off the Windows Key. To be able to view more than one windows on screen at once, try Windows Key + Right Arrow or Left Arrow to your current window to half screen. Pressing Windows key + Up Arrow will restore it to full size. 05. Close Window (Ctrl + W) Here's one final essential shortcut that makes it easier to manage the multitude of windows open on the screen. This one allows you to quickly close the current window with a tap of the keyboard rather than by having to move the cursor and click on the cross in the top right corner of the window. If you’ve got a bunch of windows open and have finished with the active window, press Ctrl + W to create some much-needed room. 06. Recover recently closed tab (Ctrl + Shift + T) Accidentally closed a tab on your browser? An all-to-easy slip of the hand can cause the tab in front of you to disappear before your eyes. Don’t panic, there’s no need to go searching in History. To restore the last tab closed in any of the most popular browsers, press Ctrl + Shift + T and it will pop right back where it was before. It’s also worth knowing that you can quickly open a new tab by pressing Ctrl + T. 07. Work with text (various) There's more to manipulating text than copying and pasting. Ctrl + Left or Right Arrow will move the cursor to the next special character or space, and Ctrl + Shift + Arrow will do the same, highlighting the text it finds on its way to allow you to easily apply changes to whole chunks of text. Deleting text can also be made a lot quicker by erasing whole words on either side of the cursor with Ctrl + Backspace and Ctrl + Del. 08. Screenshot a specific area (Windows + Shift + S) You’ll often want to take a screenshot of a specific area without capturing the rest of the clutter on your screen. Just press Windows Key + Shift + S and the screen will fade to indicate that you can capture a screenshot. Pull the cursor across the area you want to capture and everything inside will automatically be copied to the clipboard. Note that you’ll need to paste the shot into an image editing application to save it. If you want to take a screenshot of only the active window, it’s even easier. Just press the keyboard shortcut Alt + Prt Scn and a shot of the window you’re currently working in will be saved to the clipboard. Again, you’ll need to open it in an image editor to save. 09. Use multiple screens (Windows Key + P) Windows Key + P will bring up your options for connecting to another screen in Windows 10 Need to make a presentation? Connecting a Windows 10 device to an external monitor or projector is as easy as a click. Just press Windows Key + P and all the options pop up on the right hand side. This allows you to duplicate the display, extend it or mirror it, and can take a little of the stress out of setting up a presentation. 10. Run an application (Windows key + 1, 2, 3, etc) A nice feature added in Windows 10 is the ability to run any of the programmes that are on your taskbar by simply pressing the Windows key + a number. For example, If you have an internet browser, Photoshop and Skype on the taskbar in that order, pressing Windows Key + 2 will automatically open Photoshop. Add shortcuts to the applications you use most often to the taskbar and once you know the order that they appear, this shortcut can save the time it would normally take to find the application on your desktop or in the start menu. If you already have the programme open, pressing the same key combination will make it the active window, making this also a quick way to toggle between applications. 11. Insert emojis (Windows + .) Add a smiley with Windows + . Want to quickly add an emoji into text? Hitting Windows + . brings up a pop up box with emojis to choose from. If you know the name of the emoji you’re looking for you can type the name and hit return to select it and enter it into your text without having to use the cursor at all. Read more: The ultimate Adobe CC keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet 12 Mac shortcuts every designer should know The 8 most disruptive apps of all time View the full article

Christmas day is a pretty exciting time for many. You get presents, you get to eat all day, there are Christmas crackers. But this year, it may be that you'll have to wait till Boxing Day to order the best gift of them all. On 26 December, Star Wars fans in the UK will be able to get their hands on a host of brand new Star Wars Lego sets, while those in the US will need to wait until New Year's Day. Some of these hot new best Lego sets for adults are based on the new film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which came hits the cinemas today. And if you're likely to have splurged over Christmas, then the good news is there are sets for a range of budgets, as these Star Wars Lego kits start at just £8.99. Our favourite of these new sets is Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder, from Star Wars: A New Hope. Not only does it include two of Star Wars' most famous main characters – Luke and C-3PO – there's also an armed Jawa. Oh, and let's not forget the impressive Landspeeder, which includes a trunk for Luke's macrobinoculars and clip for his blaster rifle. Okay, Lego, just take our money already Okay, so we know he's a baddie, but we also can't help but love this little Kylo Ren Shuttle Microfighter set from The Force Awakens. The shuttle has foldable wings for flight and landing modes, plus 2 stud shooters for battle action. A minifigure of the iconic Kylo Ren comes complete with red lightsaber too. Finally, if you're after a souvenir from the new film The Rise of Skywalker, this Sith TIE Fighter (pictured above) is a top (very affordable) option. The 470-piece set features an opening cockpit, two spring-loaded missiles and a docking tower for launch, plus First Order TIE Pilot, Knight of Ren and Finn minifigures. All of the above sets will be available to order on 26 December. If you can't wait that long, here is a selection of Star Wars Lego (and non-Star Wars Lego) you can get your hands on right now... View the full article

New Year is the last milestone in an annual email marketing campaign. Coming right after the biggest shopping events, Black Friday and Christmas, its importance is often overlooked and underestimated. The deal is that at the end of the day, …View the full article

Many employees don't follow company security policies when they use handy productivity tools. View the full article

An attacker could exploit CVE-2019-1491 to obtain sensitive information that could be used to mount further attacks. View the full article

Remote attackers can easily compromise the device and pivot to move laterally through the LAN or WAN. View the full article

Lego is loved by millions, Star Wars is loved millions, put the two together and fans of both could be about to get the greatest Christmas gift of all. The only dilemma is choosing which Star Wars Lego kit to buy – there's a lot of them. To make things a little easier, right now at Walmart and Argos you can get some impressive deals on The Rise of Skywalker Lego kits, as well as other Stars Wars favourites. The missile-firing, bomb-dropping Rise of Skywalker Resistance Y-Wing Starfighter is definitely a must-have addition for any Star Wars/Lego fan. The set boasts five characters, including commander and decorated star pilot Poe Dameron, making it perfect for recreating your favourite Star Wars scenes. You can get your hands on The Rise of Skywalker Resistance Y-Wing Starfighter right now for over 20% off and there's also free pickup, so it can be yours in time for Christmas. If you want something a little cuter, you can get Poe Dameron's assistant BB-8 for more than $30 off, or there are plenty more options available at Argos, which is offering 10% off its Star Wars kits. That includes a Scout Walker 20th Anniversary Set for just £20, or the X-Wing Starfighter toy building set for £16 less than usual. There's never been a better time to buy. Here we have brought together a selection of the best Star Wars Lego deals, to suit every budget, available right now from Walmart (US) and Argos (UK). If you're in the UK, check out these epic Star Wars Lego deals from Argos. If you're after non-Star Wars Lego, check out the best deals on other sets below. Read more: The best Lego sets for adults in 2019 The Knight Bus Lego review Stranger Things Lego set available now – and it's EPIC! View the full article

Is it still possible to identify a brand when its logo has been stripped back to just block colours and simplified shapes? Lisbon-based graphic designer Pedro Almeida has created a range of ultra-minimalist logos to explore just that. The best logos become so ingrained in our consciousness that in theory, you should be able to remove a lot from them before they become unrecognisable. And of course, a key logo design rule is to keep things simple in the first place. Almeida began this personal project as a way of illustrating the importance of visual communication for businesses. "I wanted to emphasise the value of creating a logo that would leave a memorable impression," he explains on his site. "Visual communication is the easiest and most important way to communicate, it should be easy, that is the graphic designer's role." So if you're designing a logo, perhaps a good exercise might be to strip it back to just the key colours and primary graphic element, and see if it still makes sense. You might also want to check out these 7 famous logos that pass the silhouette test, to see what happens when you remove colour from the equation too. This big brand has been feeding our binge-watching habits this year. We're lovin' this minimal look for a major fast food chain. You might head to this site to pass on that dodgy Secret Santa gift. Time for a trickier one – this British brand is known for its four wheel drive vehicles. Having trouble identifying the brands above? This search engine might help you. Take a look at the full selection of minimalist logos on Pedro Almeida's website, and see how many you can name. Read more: Stunning project turns logos into houses Where to find logo design inspiration New Levi's logo is infuriating typophiles View the full article

As much as the holidays are a time for family, you can't ignore the endless ads in the run up to Christmas. So Wunder, an independent Canadian creative agency, decided to buy up $10,000 worth of advertising space and fill its with absolutely nothing but plain white space. The self-promo campaign, called White Christmas, is across various mediums – including print, digital and radio – and offers respite from a deluge of in-your-face holiday advertising for the locals of Halifax, Nova Scotia. (For some ads that aren't just plain white, see our great examples of traffic-stopping billboard advertising). What's particularly interesting about this idea is that it comes from an agency that creates adverts for other people, so it's definitely a new approach to self-promo. Would you recognise this as an ad? What was the thinking behind it? Wunder creative director Stephen Flynn explains, "The first and most striking visual that came up in the concept phase was a giant blank white billboard...We started to think of it kinda like AdBlock but in real life." Getting the White Christmas campaign into physical spaces was easy, but taking it to the radio airwaves was more of a challenge. The local radio station wouldn't allow the agency to air 'silence' so they had to do with a long pause (that's not really that long). You can watch the campaign come to life and listen to the radio spot in the video below. With no colour, no slogans and no message, The White Christmas campaign could easily have gone wrong. But the timely release of the ads, coupled with the title – White Christmas – and the plain white colour (which suggests snow) combine for a success story. But, it seems another factor might well have had a part to play. "People seem to be really drawn to the absurdity of someone spending money to run a completely blank ad, and they appreciate the bold move," says Flynn. We are not so 100 per cent convinced, but this case, it definitely works. Read more: The 10 best Christmas ads of all time New ads lead people to imaginary Burger Kings 5 ad campaigns that changed the world View the full article

To get the best from your tablet, you'll need the best iPad accessories. And iPad accessories can make fantastic Christmas gifts for the creative in your life – especially when you don't have the cash to buy them a whole new tablet. They're also the sort of thing you can buy as a cheeky Christmas gift to yourself, with the excuse that they'll help you work more productively in 2020. From keyboards and stands to turn your iPad into a serious workstation, to cases to keep your tablet clean and protected, to speakers and headphones, there are plenty of iPad accessories that can improve your user experience. The right stylus could mean you're best placed to create high-quality art work on your tablet, or it could help you annotate documents faster and more efficiently than ever before. Get yourself the right keyboard and you'll find your tablet becomes a powerful computer, so you can work at full capacity wherever you are. The small extra investment of an iPad accessory can be worth so much more to you or your loved one this Christmas. In this guide, we've picked the best iPad accessories from a range of different categories. Use the quick links to jump to the section you're looking for. With all the work done, all you need to do is decide which iPad accessory will be the best Christmas gift this year. Not got an iPad yet, or looking to upgrade? Here are the best iPad deals right now. And if you've got your heart set on a stylus, you might want to take a look at our in-depth guide to the best iPad styluses, or the best Apple Pencil deals. Being the official Apple stylus, the Apple Pencil (2nd gen) is near perfect for the job. It magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro and charges wirelessly while there. The Pencil features a double-tap sensor that allows you to switch pen styles easily. It's also both pressure and tilt sensitive so can be used more like a real pen. You can increase pressure for thicker lines or tilt for shading, all while leaning your hand on the screen without marking your work. The Adonit Jot Pro is a great choice if you want to save some money without sacrificing on style (this bargain stylus looks good even when paired with the design perfection that is Apple's iPad). A magnetic core allows this to clip to your iPad while the precision head with clear plastic jot dot offers for super levels of accuracy – you can see exactly what you're pressing against. Of course, at this price, you sacrifice all the smart extras like pressure sensitivity and tilt support. This is a super-budget stylus that works on all iPad devices. The Griffin Balanced Stylus Pointer, as the name suggests, is a simple way to get more control over drawing, writing and annotating on an iPad. Since it's passive, it'll work on most touchscreens, doesn't require charging or connecting and even comes with a handy clip so you don't lose it. Griffin is a well-known brand that is able to offer this quality stylus for a silly-cheap price. If you want most of the features of the Apple Pencil but can't justify the expense, the Logitech Crayon is a good alternative – this still offers the tilt sensor and palm recognition of the Pencil. It pairs instantly when turned on and features an anti-roll shape so can be set down easily. You lose the pressure sensing and tap features of the Pencil but you save a lot of money too. Be aware: this only works the 6th gen iPads. The Wacom Bamboo Sketch is the best stylus for use on any iPad thanks to its wide compatibility and Bluetooth connectivity. The 2,048 pressure levels of sensitivity make it ideal for drawing, hence that sketch name, but it will also do the job of annotating or signing documents just fine. The ergonomic triangular design of the pen makes for a very comfortable and accurate holding position while the fine tip and pressure sensitive nib offer a paper-like drawing experience. The USB-charged battery life is really impressive too and the Bluetooth means shortcut control buttons are quickly available. The official Apple Smart Keyboard for 10.5-inch iPad Pro is one of the best ways to turn your iPad into a laptop. You get Apple-quality design and build, which means top-quality keys for typing, as well as a luxurious finish to the case itself. Everything attaches easily thanks to the Apple Smart Connector, and the case is thick enough to offer protection but slim enough to stay mobile. While this list is geared towards iPad accessories, if you've got devices from different brands, you'll want to go for a universal keyboard – the Microsoft foldable keyboard is compatible with iPad, iPhone, Android devices, and Windows tablets. Another great feature is its ability to be paired to multiple devices – switching over to the next device is as simple as pushing a button. Plus, with this being a foldable keyboard, it's easier to store when it's not in use, and nice and portable too. Logitech has been in the keyboard game for nearly as long as it has existed, which is just one of the reasons this Logitech Slim Folio Case with Keyboard is sold officially on the Apple Store. Bluetooth LE connectivity, complete iPad protection, dedicated iOS shortcut buttons, a stand mode plus a staggering four year battery life make this a winner at that low price. The Brydge 9.7 is aptly named as it aims to bridge the gap between tablet and laptop. Using its Bluetooth connected keyboard, it offers a MacBook style experience with an iPad. You get a full QWERTY keyboard with dedicated iOS shortcuts, high-grade aluminium build, 3-level backlit keys and a lifetime warranty. The Fintie Blade X1 keyboard case for iPad is, as the name suggests, knife thin and as such it's plenty light too. The keyboard is Bluetooth for quick connectivity while the case uses a leather outer and anti-slip rubber for good looks, resilience and usability. Despite the detachable keyboard being a super-slim 7mm, the case unit also offers an adjustable stand for landscape iPad use, making it ideal for work and movie viewing sessions. The iPad Smart Cover is the original and defining iPad accessory that made tablet cases such a necessity. It not only protects the tablet display with a thin yet strong polyurethane and microfibre build, but it also acts as a stand when folded back. The case also features a magnetic connection to hold to the iPad, which allows for smart awakening and sleep when opened and closed. There are a number of copycat versions available now, too. The Griffin Survivor is a superb way to make sure your iPad stays protected. Yes this isn't the most sleek or attractive case, but then it can go all the places that a pretty case couldn't. This iPad accessory is great for those with children, or anyone leading a hectic life who wants to be able to throw their iPad in and out of bags as they travel around. The MoKo Case for iPad 9.7 is an astonishing balance of super low price and multiple features. This offers the auto wake and sleep magnetic flip case of the official Apple smart cover, but also adds rear side protection with heat dissipating materials to avoid overheating. There is also shock absorption for drops and a screen protector to evade scratches. Overall, this case has a superb feature set for the low price. The Skech Flipper iPad case perfectly balances portability and protection meaning this won't add much bulk to your slate but it will offer protection for up to an eight foot drop. This is thanks to tough reinforced corners as well as a bezel protector for your screen. The case uses the active open and close to wake or sleep your iPad and it can also be propped up as a stand. There's even a small loop to hold your Apple Pencil and an option for a transparent rear to see your iPad in all its shiny glory. The official Apple AirPods have been designed from scratch to offer the ultimate wireless audio experience with an Apple device. That means a simple tap to connect and then automatic recognition when you pop them in your ears. A tap gets you Siri for voice controls without the need to touch your iPad. You get a 24-hour battery with charges from the case, plus decent audio for music and voice. And if you really fancy pushing the boat out, you can also get the new AirPods Pro . The Bose QuietComfort 35 ii headphones offer a fantastic way to drown out the world around you with active noise cancellation while giving wireless connectivity and decent battery life. These are ideal for travelling or at home where background noise can affect concentration. Comfort levels are high, meaning they can be worn for a long time without being noticed. They're the perfect flight companion. If you want to go for more subtle in-earphones but wish to stay wireless and on a budget, these Soundcore Spirit Sports are a great option. These sweat- and rain- resistant buds offer up to eight hours of listening before they need a charge. That makes them not only useful at home with your iPad but also great to head out the door for a run with your iPhone, getting you even more for that affordable price. The Bose SoundLink Revolve+ is a powerful yet portable Bluetooth speaker that offers 360-degree sound to fill most rooms. It even comes with Siri support allowing for easy voice controls via your connected iPad. The battery should keep going for 16-hours, while the IPX4 rating means splash and dust resistance to set your mind at ease as you enjoy the high-quality sound. Sonos started the multi-room speaker revolution and is still leading the way with quality products like the Sonos One. This enables you to connect using your iPad to control the speaker, or any other Sonos speaker in the home, using AirPlay for super simple access. It also supports Siri voice controls and allows you to use two speakers for stereo sound. For Sony-quality sound on a budget, this Sony SRS XB-10 is a great iPad accessory. This portable and affordable Bluetooth speaker will work with any iPad, and offers decent bass for the size and enough audio punch fill most rooms. The battery life is an impressive 16-hours and with IPX5 water and dust resistance you can take it pretty much anywhere you need to go. Despite the name, the Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro actually fits lots of different iPad types. Thanks to its malleable legs, it can be manipulated to hold the tablet at varying heights and angles – ideal for watching video or (thanks to side-on tilting) FaceTime chatting. The rubber feet hold the unit in place and you can even wrap it around a chair back or pole, for example, to get it in place where you need. The Logi Base Charging Stand for iPad Pro is a typical Apple style design that uses metallic minimalism at its best. The slither of a stand not only looks good and solid but also uses the Smart Connector for easy attachment and charging of the iPad Pro. The iPad can be placed in portrait or landscape mode for use as a video player, work station or even a FaceTime video chat interface. The Anker Portable Multi-Angle Stand works with most iPads as well as a host of smartphones including the iPhone. This stand offers support for portrait and landscape viewing and can be titled to offer the perfect viewing angle. While this is great for videos and FaceTime, you won't have any cable hiding or charging support, but at this price would you expect to? Read more: The best laptop bags right now The best cheap iPad deals right now The best iPad stylus: top iPad styluses for drawing and note-taking View the full article

What visuals would you use if a client set you the task of illustrating the issue of cybersecurity? Many designers still opt for dark colours, screens full of flying numbers, and perhaps an anonymous hooded figure hunched over a keyboard. It’s a lot like something from a William Gibson novel, and it’s an image that is starting to feel more than a little tired. With 2020 almost upon us, does this sinister and sensationalised idea of cyber doom really represent the depth of breadth of the cybersecurity field? Much of the imagery used to illustrate the sector in articles and marketing materials still draws from 1990’s pop culture – chains of green numbers straight from The Matrix (1999) or stylishly disaffected young people care of Hackers (1995). This was a time when the internet was new and unfamiliar, but with 95 per cent of UK households connected, the internet is now part of daily life; not something people want to feel afraid of. The word 'hacker' itself has even spawned ubiquitous non-threatening uses, with hackathons fostering innovation and collaboration, and life hacks offering shortcuts to self‑improvement. As a result, cybersecurity today is as much about feeling safe as it is about danger, and companies know by now that more positive visuals can make their businesses seem less threatening. In a trend noted at iStock by Getty Images, editors are increasingly choosing a more optimistic and more human aesthetic that focuses on the solutions rather than the threats. iStock has seen increases of more than 100 per cent in searches for 'cybersecurity', 'information security' and 'data privacy', while searches for 'hacker computer' are down by 30 per cent. What does this mean for designers? Firstly, think positive. Ditch the sinister image of the hacker to avoid your work immediately looking tired and out of date, and focus instead on making people feel safe. Product users and potential customers want to feel reassured, not afraid. For example Cybersecurity firm Hunters.AI uses friendly graphics with warm colour palettes inspired as much by Kandinsky and Mondrian as by cyberpunk science fiction. Focus on the solution rather than the threat for a more welcome and more contemporary feel. Secondly, if you’ve been hired for a project by a computer security provider, bear in mind the results of this 2019 study by the Hewlett Foundation and IDEO showing that computer security experts feel that hoodies, circuit boards, padlocks, and pop‑up windows don’t accurately represent who they are or what they do. Those working in the industry consider themselves innovators and defenders, and want to be pictured as such, so think about how you show the industry’s people in your imagery. Steer away from these cliches and show the human side, for example with smart professionals working in server rooms, and the client is less likely to come back with extensive revisions. As well as looking more contemporary and making people feel better, humanising cybersecurity is also more accurate. Phishing attacks, the most common form of cybercrime, exploit human weakness through a simple e‑mail, not through any complicated coding. For a more human take on this vulnerability that highlighted the ubiquitousness of the internet in our lives, but without any code in sight, data‑protection firm Varonis launched an ad campaign that features an oblivious naked man going about his daily business as a metaphor for being vulnerable online. But think also about the real dangers and how they work. Cybercrime will surely continue to evolve as fast as technology, and increasingly visuals will be needed that paint a clear and true picture of what users are up against online, and how the available solutions can help them. If you want to take advantage of this trend and refresh your design with more contemporary imagery, iStock can help you with a vast collection of imagery. To read about more of the trends identified by iStock & Getty Images, take a look here and save 10% on any credit pack with code ISTOCK10 (live until 31 Jan 2020). View the full article

Developers who understand design are much sought-after. When talking about upping your design skills, it’s important to understand that design does not equal colour palettes and graphics; although colour theory and visual design can be helpful, they are nothing but a small part of the field. Design involves taking an idea and moulding it into something that’s tangible through careful planning, modelling and consideration. These alone are already core skills of good developers who need to work on large-scale products and systems. When talking about digital product design, it is almost impossible to avoid mentioning UX. Although only quite recently defined as its own field, UX is a vast discipline in itself. But the philosophy behind it is simple: empathise with your user and make sure they enjoy using your product. At the very least, UX can be simplified to include five key parts: user needs, functional specifications, interaction design, information design and visual design. And of course there's user testing, which is arguably important at every stage. As you can see, developers already play a part in most of the process. Why should developers learn design? Further enhancing your understanding of the whys and hows of the user-centred approach can help you deliver a better product as a developer. This is especially true for those involved in front end user interface development. A large number of jobs targeted at experienced front end developers require UX and HCI understanding, as those creating interfaces are responsible for delivering interactions and experience to the end user. Executing designs in a way that’s fast-loading, intuitive and enjoyable is as important as the design itself. Failure to empathise with your users at any step of the product creation can cause issues for the business in the long-run. A quick search on dice.com for jobs with developer in the title that mention UX within the ad shows over 37,000 jobs. Even non-hybrid-developer roles list UX and human-centred design as one of the requirements or ‘nice-to-haves’. This means that even if you are not particularly interested in transitioning into hybrid roles, learning the basics of design can still benefit you in your developer career. Another more obvious reason to learn design is enhancing your ability to collaborate with designers, better understand the place they’re coming from and their struggles. This, in turn, will make working with the design team easier and faster and eliminate the need to constantly double-check what they mean. How can coders learn design? Leaning to design is about a lot more than just Pantone swatches Here comes the second big question: how should you go about learning design? The most important thing you will need to change is the mindset with which you approach a problem. Talking from personal experience, developers tend to disregard user needs for the sake of technical simplicity and elegance. If you want to truly practise good product design principles when you’re faced with a challenge, you need to try and solve it for the user and not for your dev team. What’s best for the user may not always have the most straightforward or graceful technical application; this is a sacrifice you will need to make and be conscious of during product creation. The best places to learn design online Depending on just how deep you want to go, many options are available. There are masters and bachelor’s degrees in digital design, HCI and, as of late, even UX that you can go for if you don’t mind spending time and money. Some of the more affordable and flexible online university programmes available include UC Irvine's Master of human-computer interaction & design, which lasts one year and costs $49.500. There's also Glasgow Caledonian University, where you can get a professional diploma in UX design in six months, at a cost of £2,250. Then there's the University of Nottingham, which offers a usability and human computer interaction HCI PGCert by distance learning. This programme takes one year and costs between £3,600 and £7,100. You can find more degrees available on the Top UX School website. For those not interested in committing to a full-fledged degree, there are many short-term courses available for either a small fee or even for free. In addition to the obvious choices like Coursera and Udemy, you might also want to check out Hack Design, which consists for 50 self-paced lessons and is free, Interaction Design Foundation, which costs between $9-$13 per month, or CareerFoundry, which costs between $690-$6,700. How can coders get really good at design? The next step once you have the basic skills learned from courses or books (you may also want to check out these graphic design books), is to practise your newly acquired knowledge. Practice makes perfect and that is especially true when it comes to design. The obvious place to start applying your design skills right away is your current workplace, especially if your team is small and the company structure is flat. Assess whether there are things that could be improved in the design of the app or website you’re working on. Make a list of improvements you think would be beneficial and double-check with your product designer; chances are your technical knowledge will bring light to some parts designers may have missed. Worst-case scenario, if your suggestions are not the best from the design perspective, you’ll get valuable feedback that you can learn from and use to become better. You might be able to use your existing job to hone your new skills If there’s a clearer role separation within your company and crossing over to design in such a way sounds like it won’t be welcome, you still might be able to use your existing job to hone your new skills. Is there an in-house app that your company uses for anything? Maybe some custom admin dashboard or time tracking software? Many times such tools are overlooked and built without designer involvement in the first place. Talk to HR or your teammates and ask if perhaps you can try improving the UX of such tools. If you’re a front end developer who regularly works on implementing somebody else’s designs, there’s an even bigger space for opportunities. Next time somewhat minor specs are missing from the design documentation, try and think about what the best approach would be and see if you can implement something without double-checking with the designer. You’ll be surprised but a lot of the time, your solution will be exactly what the designer had in mind. Or maybe even better than what they expected! Learn design skills with a side project Another obvious place you should look for some design practice is a hobby project. Many developers will have a side project at any given point in time; you can either redesign your existing project or apply your design know-how to a new idea you’ve had for a while. Product Hunt is a great place to look at for inspiration when thinking of a new app or tool. If a real-life application isn’t something easily achievable at this particular moment, don’t get discouraged. You can search for case studies on the redesign of existing apps and websites and create one on your own. UX Collective has a whole sub-category of design case studies, many of which are hypothetical. Another thing you can do is sign up for sites like Dribbble or Behance and participate in one of the many available design challenges. Posting your real or conceptual work will also help you build up your design portfolio and let you exchange critiques with other designers. This article was originally posted in issue 324 of net magazine. Buy issue 324 or subscribe to net. Join us in April 2020 to see our lineup of JavaScript superstars at GenerateJS – the conference helping you build better JavaScript. Book now at generateconf.com Read more: The best website designs of 2019 6 of 2019's best graphic design portfolios 6 huge web design trends for 2020 View the full article

With Christmas now just days away, time is running out to get that perfect gift. However, today Adobe has launched a killer deal for those living in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), which is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of the creative in your life and will be delivered in time for the big day. For just 72 hours, you can get 19% off a selection of single apps in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. The offer includes all the big players – photo editing favourite Photoshop, digital artists' go-to Illustrator, video editing software Premiere Pro, web building tool Dreamweaver and desktop publishing and typesetting software InDesign. This single app deal is great, cost-effective solution for artists and designers who only need access to specific tools. So if you know someone longing to start image editing in Photoshop or work their drawing skills in Illustrator, this could be the perfect Christmas gift. If you're not based in EMEA regions, be sure to take a look at our round-up of the best Adobe deals in your area. Below are all the details you need to take advantage of this great deal. But hurry, this offer is only around for three days (ending on 19 December). All of these deals are only available until 19 December 2019, so if you want to save big on some of Adobe's most popular apps, grab them now. Want the full Adobe Creative Cloud suite? Find the best deals in your area here: Related articles: Top-class Photoshop tutorials to hone your skills Secret Adobe eyedropper trick will change your life The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

Every good film relies on well-written characters to convey the essence of the story. But in an animated feature, good writing doesn't guarantee success. Everything depends on character animation. And character animation used to cost a lot of money. This was the problem I faced when planning animated film noir and video game The Chest with my production company Rendered Frames (watch the trailer below). 10 or 15 years ago, only the bigger studios could produce good-quality animation; it was a challenge for indie animators to find the budget and the staff they needed. But this has changed in the past few years. More and more companies have realised the opportunities presented by solo artists and small studios, and the new generation of animation software they have created has opened up new horizons for ambitious freelance teams. Created using Reallusion software While working out how to create The Chest, I looked for tools that could form a rock-solid production pipeline, from character creation to the final render. After a bit of research, I found three pieces of software from Reallusion that became the main pillars of my workflow. The first is Character Creator. I use this to create fully rigged 3D characters, complete with all of the morphs needed for facial animation. The second is 3DXchange, which imports assets and motion-capture data from external sources. And finally there's iClone, my main animation tool. I use this to put together all of my characters' movements and to lip-sync speech. Rendered in Unreal Engine To create and render the neon-lit retro-noir world of The Chest, I used Unreal Engine, Epic Games' powerful real-time graphics engine. This tool makes it possible to create very complex scenes, like Budapest in the 1960s, or the cellar of a medieval castle. In a film noir lighting is critical, so the direct visual feedback that Unreal Engine provides is very important. But before I can see how my characters are being lit inside a scene, I have to export all of my iClone animations to Unreal. Although iClone has included built-in presets, everything is exported as an FBX file, which must then be imported into Unreal Engine manually. This isn't the fastest way to work. Thankfully, the new iClone Unreal Live Link plugin sets me free from this annoying export/import process. United by iClone Unreal Live Link iClone Unreal Live creates a bridge between the two applications, making it possible to make changes to a character in iClone and see instant visual feedback in the Unreal Engine viewport. When using iClone Unreal Live Link, export becomes automatic, with the plugin even generating materials based on Epic's Digital Humans research. This process takes only a few minutes, saving weeks of hard work. And you can still fine-tune the appearance of the character manually, thanks to the instanced materials generated by the plugin. It is also possible to use a motion-capture suit to track character movements in real time, with the actions being saved to Unreal Engine's Sequence Recorder. You can even use Reallusion's Live Face app to record facial movements on an iPhone. A powerful pipeline for indie animators Thanks to Reallusion's software and the real-time rendering capabilities of Unreal Engine, character animation isn't a struggle for me any more. The tools help me to achieve my creative goals, with The Chest recently winning a prestigious Unreal Dev Grant. Installing and setting up iClone Unreal Live Link takes only a few minutes. As a visual storyteller, I highly recommend that you try it. No matter whether you are an indie artist or an industry professional, the plugin makes your life easier, handling technical tasks automatically and leaving you free to focus on the narrative. From that point on, the only limit is your imagination. Read more: Make vehicle animations with iClone 7 Live Face for iClone 7 review View the full article

The Surface Pro 7 is Microsoft’s seventh attempt to create a tablet that’s powerful enough to run full Windows 10 programs, while remaining sleek and light. While Microsoft might be best known for its software, with the Surface range of products, it’s also built a rather impressive reputation for building stylish and desirable devices that have proven popular amongst digital creatives, even if mainstream success has still alluded it. The Surface Pro line-up of tablets is supposed to be Microsoft’s flagship Surface device. However, while the original Surface Pro felt fresh and exciting, recent generations have felt a little stale. After the Surface Pro 6 proved to be a solid – yet unexciting – entry, many of us were hoping that Microsoft would really pull out the stops with the Surface Pro 7, and reignite our enthusiasm for the products. Unfortunately, Microsoft has made just another iterative upgrade with the Surface Pro 7. Its design is pretty much identical to the Surface Pro 6, but there have been some tweaks behind the scenes. So, is the Surface Pro 7 a good tool for creatives? Should it get a spot in our pick of the best tablets with a stylus? Read on to find out. Surface Pro 7 review: Price As with previous version of the Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 7 comes in a variety of configurations. The base model costs $749/£799, and this gives you an Intel Core i3 processor (CPU) 4GB of memory (RAM) and a 128GB solid-state drive (SSD). This is actually a cheaper price than the Surface Pro 6’s base model when it launched, which cost $899/£879. It’s still very pricey for a tablet, however, especially considering Apple’s excellent iPad Air costs almost half the price at $499/£479, whilst the iPad Pro 11 costs $799/£769. It’s also pretty expensive when you consider those specs. For any sort of creative work, 4GB RAM is just not enough – and that 128GB hard drive is going to fill up quickly if you store large files such as photos and videos. So, for creatives, you should only be considering configurations with at least 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. A version of the Surface Pro 7 with those specs, and a more powerful Intel Core i5 processor, begins at $1,199/£1,169. In short, that’s incredibly expensive. You can even go as high as an Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, which costs a huge $2,299/£2,249. For that kind of money, you’re better off looking at a laptop like the MacBook Pro. It’s also worth pointing out that even with these high prices, the Type Cover (which protects the screen and doubles as a keyboard) and the Surface Pen stylus are not included – so you’ll need to buy them separately at a cost of $160/£149 and $99/£99 respectively. Surface Pro 7 review: Power and performance One of the biggest benefits the Surface Pro 7 has got over its processor is that it uses Intel’s latest 10th generation processors, which use the new 10-nanometer (nm) process – whereas the Surface Pro 6 used CPUs with the 14nm Intel process. Now, we won’t bore you with loads of jargon, but what this essentially means is that Intel has made a new series of processors that are more powerful and also power efficient. So, with products like the Surface Pro 7, you should see improved performance and battery life compared to the Surface Pro 6. In our time with the Pro 7, we certainly felt that the new tablet was a lot faster, with Windows 10 feeling smooth and responsive when in use. Intel has also improved the integrated graphics of its 10th generation processors, now using Intel Iris Plus graphics over the older Intel UHD graphics. This means that the Surface Pro 7 is better at handling graphic-intensive tasks, such as video rendering, as well as even some light gaming. Now, this won’t be able to compete with a device with a dedicated graphics card, but we were seriously impressed with the integrated graphics performance of the Surface Pro 7. It’s able to do a pretty good job at handling graphics whilst still remaining thin and light. The model we tested came with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and it handled most day-to-day tasks well. We installed some pretty intensive apps, like Photoshop, which worked well, and when using the Surface Pen stylus, the Surface Pro 7 was able to keep up with our scribbles without much noticeable lag. However, if you go for a version of the Surface Pro 7 with less powerful hardware, you may find that your experience isn’t quite as smooth as ours. While the performance of the Surface Pro 7 is a nice step up from the Surface Pro 6, the same cannot be said for the battery life, which we found to be shorter than its predecessor. In our battery life tests, we found that running a looped 1080p video, the Surface Pro 7’s battery lasted six hours, well below the eight hours and 45 minutes the Pro 6 achieved. When using the Surface Pro 7 for even more intensive tasks, battery life dropped even further, with it achieving just three hours with the PCMark 8 battery life test, which replicated document creation and video calling. This is a worryingly short battery life for something you may want to use throughout the day. For a longer battery life, we’d recommend the older Surface Pro 6, then, or one of Apple’s iPad competitors. Surface Pro 7 review: Display The Surface Pro 7’s screen is 12.3-inches, with a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution and 3:2 aspect ratio. That offers a pixel density of 267 pixels per inch, and results in an impressively sharp display that’s also bright and vibrant. As you’d expect, it’s also touchscreen, and when in tablet mode, Windows 10 works well, changing the interface to better suit being jabbed at by fingers. It doesn’t support standards like sRGB or P3, which means if you’re after a tool that offers industry-accurate colours, then this is probably not the right device for you. It’s effectively the same screen as the one found on the Surface Pro 6, and while that’s not a particularly bad thing, as the Pro 6’s screen is pretty lovely anyway, it’s a bit of a shame that Microsoft didn’t take the opportunity to upgrade the screen with the Pro 7 – especially if it wants to win over creative professionals. Surface Pro 7 review: Features Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is that it is a tablet that’s able to run Windows 10 in full, while also being able to turn into a laptop if you need to fire off some emails (and have the optional Type Cover). If you do grab the optional extras, you’ll find the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 to be a very versatile device. The Type Cover is made of a gorgeous Alcantara fabric which feels lovely, and gives the Surface Pro 7 a premium look and feel. Despite doubling as a cover, the Type Cover also does a good job as a keyboard, with the keys being large enough to hit accurately when typing fast, and with enough travel to make them feel satisfying when pressed. Of course, if you don’t want to spend extra on the Type Cover, then you’ll miss out on these features. We really wish Microsoft would include the Type Cover, and the Surface Pen (which works brilliantly), as they are essential to getting the full Surface Pro 7 experience – especially if you’re a creative. The Surface Pro 7 also at long last features a USB-C port, bringing it in line with many modern devices. It’s great for people who have a growing collection of USB-C peripherals. However, it is not Thunderbolt 3, which means it can’t quite reach the speeds of the ports found on the MacBook Pro. However, where the Surface Pro 7 does have an advantage over the MacBook Pro (and iPads) is the selection of ports. Alongside the USB-C port is a standard USB port, for older peripherals, a Surface Type Cover port, which makes it easy to connect the Type Cover, and a MicroSDXC card reader – this is particularly useful for photographers, and its absence with the MacBook Pro is something we’ve often complained about. Power is supplied via the Surface Connect port, which is a magnetic power port that makes connecting and detaching the power supply quick and easy. Surface Pro 7 review: Should you buy it? The Surface Pro 7 is a tempting device if you’re looking for a tablet computer that has enough power to run full Windows 10 programs. If you don’t want to be stuck using Android or iOS apps, which can often feel stripped down compared to their Windows 10 counterparts, then this is one of the best Windows 10 tablets you can buy. However, while it’s undoubtedly a stylish and powerful tablet, it does feel like Microsoft hasn’t put a lot of passion into this version. Everything seems like a little iterative upgrade, rather than a revolutionary leap. This means that the cheaper Surface Pro 6 is a better buy for people on a budget, as you’re not sacrificing much – and you get a better battery life as well. Ultimately, the price of the Surface Pro 7 will determine if you should buy it. At it’s current price, it’s just too expensive when compared to the iPad. Apple’s tablets offer a comparable experience with better battery lives, and for a lot less. Sure, they don’t run Windows 10 apps, but iOS apps have come a long way, and they now offer features and performance that are just as good as the Windows 10 versions. Meanwhile, there are plenty of Android tablets out there which offer even better value for money. Unless you’re really wedded to Windows 10, we suggest skipping the Surface Pro 7. Hopefully Microsoft will come back with a new Surface Pro in 2020 that will give creatives a reason to fall in love with their devices again. View the full article

One of the biggest problems with writing articles about logo design trends is that every year, readers expect to be told something new and unexpected. For the last four or five years though, it's been increasingly difficult to do so without bending the truth. Because on the whole, logo design has been going in one specific direction for a very long time. We're talking about the trend for simple, reductive logo designs that can be scaled up and down almost infinitely, whatever the size of the screen. That said, it's not just a new year we're entering, but a brand new decade. Could this be the year that everything changes? Will we have to update everything in our ultimate guide to logo design? We chatted to some experts to find out. 01. Simple and minimalist The 2019 logo for Halifax draws on an uncluttered aesthetic Dull though it may be to report, the main logo design trend in 2019 has basically been the same as that of 2018. As Gabriella Corbett, designer at StormBrands, explains: “Straightforward minimalism has set the standard, as seen with Pentagram simplifying MasterCard's marque and dropping the name from the logo entirely. This kind of minimalist refresh, which can also be seen in the marques of major players like Warner Bros and Facebook, is almost certainly set to continue and evolve in 2020.” That doesn’t mean, though, that everyone approves. Among the trend’s critics is Dan Bramham, senior designer at Greenwich Design. "I find it bland, bloated in parts; a bit 'meh' really,” he says. “Staples did well to update their typography which was looking a bit tired, but the new 'staple' icon is too versatile and lacks personality. And as for BT, I couldn’t believe it when I saw their new logo. I'd say they really had their pants pulled down on that one." 02. Authenticity and narrative Elmwood's new logo for Carlsberg brand Somersby is grounded in the ethos of the brand Will there be a countertrend against bland simplification in 2020, even if it’s just by a minority of companies? Adam Murdoch, senior art director at Grady Britton, thinks so. “Generification of logos and brands are on the way out,” he predicts. “The coming year is an opportunity for brands to be truly authentic and allow the history and narrative to be a living part of their stories and visuals. This can’t be done when design systems look like a template.” Lee Hoddy, creative partner at Conran Design Group, believes that such a change will certainly occur in the startup world. “In 2019, most startups developed a brand expression which, when viewed together as a suite, felt far less distinctive than it should have done,” he says. “In 2020, I believe more startups will look to differentiate themselves via their design language, and find a level of attitude and uniqueness which will be creatively very exciting.” 03. Playful simplicity Rolled out in 2019, MailChimp's new logo may be simple, but it isn't boring Rescuing logo design from generic blandness doesn’t necessarily mean jettisoning the simple approach, though. Chris Moody, global chief design officer at Wolff Olins, believes that it’s perfectly possible to purse “simplification purely in service of creating a structure for something extraordinary, smart, impolite and even downright noisy. Such brands interweave with technology to help to stop you in your tracks, inspire and talk to you; not at you. "This year, BBC2 went electric with its chameleon logo whilst Spotify did it purely with words," he continues. “The key is transmitting and amplifying a spirit through the power of technology rather than seeing it as a filter to make everything as frictionless and pale as possible. So just like Bob Dylan in 1965, in 2020 it’s time for every brand to plug in and start creating some feedback.” Pete Jeffs, creative director at loyalkaspar, takes a similar view. “Even if everyone is asking the same questions, we still have an opportunity as designers to come up with unique answers,” he argues. “For example, MailChimp’s refresh features the same ingredients as many other recent rebrands — a simplified wordmark, custom typeface, and hand-drawn illustrations — but the choice of a playful serif font and more expressive illustration style give the brand a unique voice that helps them stand out amongst a sea of sameness.” 04. Clean typography in luxury Celine's simple, geometric wordmark is a typical look for the luxury sector at the moment One place we’re not likely to see too much graphical playfulness, however, are in the logos for luxury brands. “In 2019, it’s been hard to miss the increasing homogeneity of typography in this sector,” says Chloe Schneider, semiotician at Here Design. “The tide of radically simplified sans-serif logo redesigns has been extensively collated and critiqued: Burberry, Celine, Saint Laurent, the list continues.” These types of logo have obvious appeal. “They’re bold, practical, effective, geometric,” says Schneider. “They work at any size, ideal in a digital age. As I see it, these redesigns resemble the behaviour of art gallery identities. Luxury fashion brands as curators, as contemporary signifiers of quality, whether they display a fur hat or a baseball cap... because today luxury is constantly switching between the two. “These logos are designed to work with infinite exhibitions and styles,” she continues. “Luxury is preoccupied with fantasy, reimagining and re-describing its truths with every collection; with this comes a diversity of styles, periods and textures. The move towards typographic neutrality and abstraction, untethering from constant reference to heritage and origins, is luxury setting itself free. An act of redefinition towards the dream of limitless possibilities in a digital age.” 05. Brand mascots Android's mascot may have been minimised, but remains central to its logo While the luxury sector may have its own rules, in other areas we’ve seen an increasing use of brand mascots in 2019. And Simon Chong, associate creative director at Gretel, feels that’s no coincidence. “The growing abundance and availability of emojis is driving a change in how people communicate, allowing them a wider range of tonal expression,” he points out. “As brands are building closer relationships with their customers on a greater scale, the need to be more flexible in conversation is only going to grow.” Brand mascots have existed for years of course, but their prominence and importance will be seen and felt in the coming year, Chong believes. “Duolingo and Android have recently rebranded, doubling down on their owl and robot mascots respectively,” he notes. “By doing this, they have a wider spectrum of emotion to both express their brand and communicate with customers. Mascots offer a sense of fun, playfulness and humanity within digital environments, acting as a familiar and friendly guide: someone you trust and would want to hang out with on a daily basis.” A lost art? Many designers loved this concept Crocs logo by designer Stephen Kelleher So where do we go from here? Is the future of logo design more of the same, with just a little tweaking around the edges? Mike Foster, founder and creative director of Straight Forward Design, hopes not. "Logo design has been in a dark place for the past decade or so. It has become a bit of a lost art," he believes. "Logos offer an opportunity to give brands a bit of personality, but we seem to have moved into a generic, boring place, where there’s little room for quirk or whimsy or new ideas. What would Paul Rand make of it all?" But he has hopes for the future. "When everyone’s a sans-serif, surely brands will have to have a rethink? Maybe the logo’s value as a powerful asset will be rediscovered. There are glimmers of hope: just look at some of the design blogs. They are filled with lovely logos for imagined brands, start-ups, and faux rebrands for huge companies. Stephen Kelleher gave Crocs ‘ugly’ shoe brand a dummy refresh earlier this year. It replaced the original crocodile-in-a-circle design with a simple vector shape, representative of a crocodile’s head and the shoe — brilliant and so simple. Perhaps we’ll see the tide turn in 2020." Read more: Where to find logo design inspiration 7 famous logos that pass the silhouette test 8 of the biggest logo redesigns of 2019 View the full article

Welcome to your guide to MacBook Black Friday 2020. Okay, it's perhaps a bit soon to be thinking about the next Black Friday, but we like to take the Scout approach when it comes to shopping events, and Be Prepared. In this article you'll find everything you need to know about the MacBook Black Friday sale 2020, whether you're after a deal on a classic MacBook, a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro. That includes a guide to the retailers to look out for, tips for snapping up the best offers, and a look at the discounts we saw in 2019. Of course, over the event itself we'll be curating the best MacBook offers here for you, in an easily scannable format. But we're a little early for that right now (bookmark this page though, and check back for any early deals). If you're visiting this page before Christmas, you're best looking at our guide to the Apple Boxing Day sale 2019. While you're here, you might also want to explore our dedicated guide to the best Apple laptop deals or our predictions for the wider Apple Black Friday 2020 sale. There were a few standout retailers in the US and UK that offered the best MacBook Black Friday deals in 2019. It's worth having look on their sites as your first port of call, to check if they're running any offers right now. These are also the places we'd expect to see discounts in the 2020 Black Friday event. Amazon (US and UK) Best Buy Adorama John Lewis Currys B&H The best MacBook Pro Black Friday deals Over Black Friday, it's usually a safe bet that the biggest bargains will be on slightly older models. Apple launched a brand new 16" MacBook Pro in late 2019, and this did result in some price drops on the previous 15" MacBook Pro (2019) in the 2019 Black Friday MacBook sale. However, most of the best deals were on the (also pretty new) 13-inch MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro's high price – especially on, say, the Touch Bar models – means it's easier for retailers to deliver a huge temporary price cut and still turn a profit, so if you're looking for a powerful creative laptop it's worth bearing in mind. You'll still be paying out quite a bit for it, but it'll be worth the expense. The widgets below will pull in the best prices in your region right now for various models. Alternatively, scroll down for a look at the best MacBook Black Friday deals from 2019. There were some big discounts on MacBook Airs over Black Friday in 2019 – although they were heavily concentrated in the US (there were a few odd discounts for the brits). The MacBook Air is the least powerful MacBook you can get...and it's not even the thinnest and lightest any more. However if you simply have to have a MacBook but you're on a budget, it's a strong choice. Below are the best prices in your region right now, or read on for a look at the biggest deals we saw over the Black Friday weekend. How to get the best MacBook deals on Black Friday The best advice we have for you is this: be sure to decide just how much you want to spend on a Black Friday MacBook deal (or a MacBook on Cyber Monday, of course), and if you see one within that budget, go for it. The best deals can be gone in minutes, so don't waste time if you know you're looking at a solid gold bargain. Bookmark this page and check back to make sure you know what to expect and you can jump on the best Black Friday MacBook deals before they sell out. Preparation is key when it comes to getting good Black Friday MacBook deals, or picking up a MacBook Cyber Monday bargain, especially when you bear in mind that a lot of retailers can't wait for Black Friday, and so start shipping their bargains well in advance of the big day. In the run-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday we'll be keeping tabs on new deals as they appear, so keep checking back for offers that you won't want to miss. You'll need to decide whether it's a standard MacBook you want, an Air or a full-fat MacBook Pro. If you're planning to use your new MacBook as an all-round work machine then it's worth holding out for a good deal on a Pro as it'll be able to cope with just about everything you throw at it. If you're less of a power user then the ordinary MacBook should suit your needs. Beware of older models – they're likely to see the biggest discounts but they'll be packing less power than more up-to-date machines. Although you could consider getting an SSD to speed things up. And of course, use a bit of common sense while shopping; look out for cashback offers, always check the guarantee and make sure you keep your receipt in case of faults or buyer's remorse. View the full article

This year has seen many businesses streamlining their websites and thinking more than ever about the user experience and how this can generate conversions. Despite much promotion and commercial activity moving to social media, companies are still looking at ways they can use the more tailored experience of a website to catch the user’s attention and imagination and showcase their products or services in an eye-catching way. For help improving your own designs, see our web design tools. In the meantime, here are eight websites that caught our attention this year, and a look at what they did right. 01. Apple Apple knows that its look sells Apple knows that a picture is worth a thousand words, and many thousands more conversions. Its website has been at the forefront of one of the major trends we’ve seen this year: a move towards going big. Really big. In Apple's case, huge crystal-clear close-up shot of products are accompanied by equally large display text in San Francisco Pro to offer drool-worthy presentations of the brand’s products. Throw in a neat scroll-controlled zoom out effect that takes you out from extreme close-ups, and the page provides an undeniably impressive overview of both the brand’s products’ aesthetic features and of what they can do. Apple knows that users spend less time on websites than they did in the past and that they’ll leave if a site lacks a message, and here the message is crystal clear: 'Admire our products and see what they can do'. 02. Pitch This presentation software has pitch-perfect presentation Pitch's website makes a sharp presentation, which is crucial since presentation software is this new company’s product. The site is even designed so that scrolling out from the landing page reveals the first screen to be the initial page in a presentation. It’s a clever interactive device that makes it clear from the outset what the product is about, while a bold sans serif headline gets our attention and a distinct colour palette makes this new brand quickly identifiable. Keep scrolling and the fun illustrations and clay-look animation complement the UX rather than slowing it down. There’s a lot going on, but still plenty of white space to let the different elements stand out. The illustrations makes the brand feel down-to-earth and thoroughly contemporary. In fact, we’re sure that the combination of flat design and 3D isometric elements is going to be a major trend in the year to come. 03. Lemonade Meet Maya the CUI What makes this site for US insurance company Lemonade really stand out is the game-changing use of a conversational user interface (CUI) to offer innovative and effective interaction. Maya, as she’s called, shows how far chatbots have come, and where they’re heading. She interacts on a human level and gathers information efficiently to drive conversions, taking users through each stage in the process and providing insurance quotes in just a few minutes. The transitions are smooth, with clearly labelled answer forms, making Maya an engaging, forward thinking kind of interface that we’re sure to see more of next year. Elsewhere, the site’s bold headline of ‘Forget Everything You Know About Insurance’ is also elegantly backed up by well-placed pink action buttons that put the focus firmly on the UX. 04. Essentially Geared Wine Co EG shows us where and how we can enjoy their wine Many of the most eye-catching websites this year feature background videos showing their products or services being used. The best videos don’t require sound and hook the viewer quickly, while large, short headlines avoid video and copy competing for the viewer’s attention. Essentially Geared Wine Co.'s choice of video looks good and is very functional, showing us how the company’s wine in a can may be enjoyed everywhere from the city to wild camping. Scroll down and the message is backed up with bold, colourful images and texts showing each product in the range and even making quick suggestions for which foods and experiences to pair each of them with. 05. The Frontier Within - Thorne Take a journey inside your own body Interaction can make a website truly stand out, and this site designed by Active Theory is an engaging example of the possibilities out there. The Frontier Within is a promotional campaign for Thorne, a nutritional supplements company. It’s also a whole digital experience that combines storytelling with biometrics and produces graphics of particles that move when you drag the cursor over them. The experience is personalised from the outset, with the site asking for your name and to take a photograph. Each step leads towards an interaction that measures and beautifully depicts data from the visitor’s own respiratory, circulatory and nervous system to present an internal view of the human body. The developers used a custom C++ OpenCV to allow accurate face tracking, while the website detects the GPU being used to provide a scalable version appropriate to your device’s capabilities. 06. Cities talk back – Lyft Lyft shows there’s still a place for long-form content online This capsule site from Lyft, a US ride hailing company, shows that websites can still aim to be about more than making quick conversions and that there is still a place for engaging original longer-form content when presented in a compelling way. The site tackles the timely issue of immigration in the US and gives a voice to some of the immigrant drivers who work for the company through a series of documentary films that are exquisitely presented by Hello Monday. It does so via an easily navigable platform with smooth hover menus and scroll triggered transitions. 07. Seriously unsweetened Seriously Unsweetened is seriously on trend We think Seriously Unsweetened is bang on trend with its website’s bright but earthy colours and clean design with huge amounts of white space. The site is so seriously minimalist that it does only three things. It tells you the brand’s story, it shows you the brand’s products (and makes them look great) and it provides a way to get in touch, and each of the three messages is clearly communicated with a headline in Bebas Neue. Created on a Squarespace template, the site is minimalist but fun with main image and colours popping off the page, while the visual flow is eminently scannable, proving that in web design, less really can be more. 08. Oasen Oasen’s website makes its purpose as clear as water This website for Dutch not-for-profit drinking water provider Oasen is nothing revolutionary in terms of design, but we love the way it shows that even a utility company can add a little personality into its site while maintaining appropriate seriousness. From the dripping loading animation to the splashes that accompany moves from one screen or menu to another, and the subtle liquid effect on the buttons that ripple when you move the cursor over them, the site is full of little micro-interactions that make the company seem warm and approachable. These interactions don't obscure what the company does or harm the navigability of the site – which is proved by the fact that we can understand what each section is about despite not being able to read Dutch. Read more: 6 huge web design trends for 2020 HTML tags: A guide to the basics The 8 most disruptive apps of all time View the full article

Kia isn't exactly an automotive brand that you associate with exciting design. We've nothing against its cars – they have plenty of decent qualities and certainly tick many of the right boxes you might look for in a new motor – but it's definitely one of the more functional marques. No teenager has ever plastered their bedroom wall with photos of the latest Picanto, is what we're saying. To its credit, though, Kia at least seems to realise this, and now it's moving to reposition its brand as something a little more thrilling and forward-looking. Its current logo's never going to turn up in anyone's list of best logos. A lot like Kia's cars, is perfectly serviceable. It looks like someone typed out KIA in the first sans-serif they could find, then livened it up a bit by adding a few serifs with a chisel-tip marker and cutting out the crossbar on the 'A'. Yeah, that'll do. 7 best car logos of all time Say what you like about the old one, but it's definitely a logo With its new logo, recently discovered within a Korean trademark filing, Kia is definitely putting a lot more effort in. The new design is a sleeker, racier number that still loses the crossbar off the 'A' but carries everything off in a much more stylised way, ditching those half-hearted serifs and instead arranging the logo in the form of a sawtooth wave. It's just the leg of the 'K' that turns it into a splendidly minimal representation of Kia's name. This new design's clearly been in development for a while; the original filing was made in July, and back in March a similar logo was spotted at the Geneva motor show, adorning the nose of Kia's all-electric concept car, named 'Imagine by Kia'. It's worth pointing out that this isn't the exact same logo. The one on the front of the Imagine featured similar letterforms to the one in the new logo, but they weren't connected as in this latest version. Now that's the sort of Kia that could set hearts aflutter It's not entirely clear how Kia intends to use this new logo design. It's been suggested that the swish new logo will be used on high-end electric vehicles and SUVs, while the sensible motors that everyone associates with the Kia brand will continue to use the boring old logo. We hope not, though; we'd like to think that Kia's finally getting its design act together and sprucing things up across its entire output. Don't hold your breath, though; the logo's yet to be officially approved. If Korean trademark filings are your thing, you can find Kia's application here. Related articles: New Volkswagen logo breaks its own rules 8 of the biggest logo redesigns of 2019 Where to find logo design inspiration View the full article

Logos are all around us, we see them on-screen, on buildings, on clothing, on packaging, on cars, almost everywhere we look a brand is trying to grab our attention. And, the latest architectural imaginings of Karina Wiciak – of wamhouse studio – has taken logo design to a level that is hard to ignore. The architect has designed a series of houses inspired by the logo design of some very well-known brands. The lineup boasts sportswear giant Adidas (and its famous three stripes), along with car manufacturers Chevrolet, Renault and Mitsubishi, which have all been reimagined as contemporary concrete and glass structures. The Chevrolet logo in house form Our favourite of the logo-houses is the trihouse, which is dedicated to the Adidas brand, with three concrete strips separated by large panels of glazing. Thankfully, it doesn't look like a big shoe. The Chevrolet-inspired design – the crosshouse – looks very much like a James Bond villain's house – stuck in the middle of the ocean waiting for a helicopter to land on the roof, while the design for Renault – the rhombhouse – stands like an ancient monolith that future generations should be pondering. The final design in the series – the pyrahouse – belongs to the Mitsubishi logo. The pyramid shape offers a design that would be perfect as an exclusive beach house in a sedate and secluded location. The Mitsubishi house looks rather Star Wars-esque Unfortunately, you can't purchase or visit any of these architectural beauties. They are only at the concept stage, but just imagine being able to live in a house that resembles your favourite brand. You could live in a Google house, a big 'G' with a slim window resembling the search bar. Or, what about a home inspired by the iconic Apple logo. It might be built with shiny white plastic, or potentially in the shape of a cheese grater if we're going by the design of the new Mac Pro. You can see more of these logo concept buildings on wamhouse's Instagram page. Where to find logo design inspiration These logo design mashups will mess with your head 38 beautiful band logo designs to be inspired by View the full article

Been waiting for a cheap pen tablet? Your patience has been rewarded. Wacom has dropped its Intuos Pro (Medium) tablet to just $299.99 – and is throwing in a free 2-month subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan to sweeten the deal. This is the cheapest price we've seen on the medium pen tablet this year – and this offer is not going to stick around long. Over Black Friday you could pick one up for $328.99, and if you decided to hold out for a better offer your patience has been rewarded. Right now you can get an extra $30 off – taking the total discount to $80. Not bad at all. Not sure if the Wacom Intuos Pro is the right tablet for you? Check out our guide to the best drawing tablet in 2020 for an in-depth look at your options. It's not super clear how to redeem the Adobe CC offer on the Best Buy site (read: it's not mentioned at all). That's because this part of the offer is being fulfilled via Wacom itself. For a limited time across the festive period, you can get a two-month subscription to the Photography Plan when you register any new Wacom tablet (more details of how to redeem the deal here). It's a great way to get started creating digital art immediately with your new pen tablet, but if you need apps such as Illustrator too, you might need to subscribe to the full Creative Cloud suite. Read more: Lightroom vs Photoshop: What's the difference? The best digital art software: a guide 10 top illustration trends for 2020 View the full article

For many years, web designers have strived to provide the optimal information people are searching for, quickly and effectively. It’s undeniable, when comparing websites from a decade ago to those of today, that the industry is getting better at this. But have we lost something along the way? "I think we’re in an age of user feedback that drives well-optimised but increasingly generic executions," argues Simon Gater, creative director and co-owner at Mad River. "The quality feedback we get from users makes it much easier to get a solid understanding of whether your work is 'fit for purpose' quickly, and ensures we achieve client goals at a statistical level. But as more and more people get similar feedback, we’re at risk of being filtered down the same design trend or path of execution. Because of this, we now need to work harder for that point of differentiation while maintaining the optimum user experience." So as we continue to walk the line between functionality and originality, usefulness and inspiration, what are the big trends we’ll need to take account of, in 2020 and beyond? In this article, we chat to some leading voices in the industry to find out. If you're after more web design help, see our web design tools roundup. 01. Sophisticated micro-interactions On Crowd’s website for Bournemouth Beach Lodges, hovering over buttons creates an animated wave effect Micro-interactions have been around for years, especially on social media; an example would be the red heart popping up when a post is liked on Instagram. But as attention spans continue to constrict, Lee Poynter, global head of design at Crowd, believes they’re going to become a bigger deal in 2020. "Micro-interactions and micro-animations are going to become more sophisticated until they become part of everyone’s interactivity," he predicts. "They are a way to signpost, feedback and ensure trust." His colleague, digital designer Vicky Kwan, agrees. "Micro-interactions are used to show the personality and the vibe of a brand," she explains. "For example, if a product wants to be presented in a sleek way, then the interactions will not be bouncy; instead, they’ll come in smoothly and slowly, so it gives the whole elegant feel when the person is looking at it." 02. Taller image crops Mountainguides.is, a website about adventure travel in Iceland, makes strong use of portrait, as opposed to landscape, images "I’ve noticed a real increase in the use of portrait imagery in desktop experiences this year," says Jake Young, senior digital designer at Mad River. "This is only going to become more prevalent as more and more people view content on their phones." And this trend is bigger than a case of lazy mobile-first designers with portrait crops scaling up to desktop, he adds; nor is it confined to the common 4:5 ratio. "We’re increasingly seeing taller and taller image crops on desktop experiences... and they’re beautiful. This image consideration is resulting in taller, but well-considered designs, be them carousel or card." 03. Dark mode design Instagram was one of several big sites to introduce dark mode in 2019 “Dark mode design has been a big topic of conversation this year,” notes Davide Barrata, design director at Impero. “We’ve seen pros and cons being discussed everywhere, notably asking if 'design' is being sacrificed over science. I expect the discussion to continue in 2020.” Consuela Onighi, UX designer at Illustrate Digital, sees the trend as a good thing. “Dark mode is a nice option to have for a more delightful UX, as it brings out the content and it's easier on the eye,” she argues. “I wouldn’t be surprised if most designers started switching to dark mode in the new year.” This concept isn’t new, of course. “However in 2019 we’ve seen brands like Pinterest, Slack and Instagram bring this into the mainstream, with Facebook and Whatsapp due to launch imminently,” points out Lee Hoddy, creative partner at Conran Design Group. And he heartily approves. “Beyond the more functional benefits that dark mode offers, such as increased battery life and low-light settings, aesthetically speaking it achieves the feat of creating the impression of a truly bezel-less, notch-less design, something which the majority of smartphone makers are clamouring towards from a product design perspective,” Hoddy argues. “It is going to be interesting to see how designers push dark mode further in 2020.” How to turn on Instagram's Dark Mode 04. The foldable web Designers will need to take account of foldable devices like the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G going forward Many big trends in web design have been driven by new devices, most notably at the beginning of the 2010s by the rise of the iPad. And perhaps at the dawn of the 2020s, we’ll see a similar shift to respond to new foldable devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G. "The rise of a 'foldable web' will mean more and more designs will recognise and provide a unique experience for foldable phones and tablets,” predicts Adam Innes, senior software developer at 50,000feet. “I think you'll see some of the more unique and innovative designs go viral while the concept is fresh." 05. Typographic diversity A beautiful implementation of 3D animated type on the &Walsh website Will 2020 see more typographical experimentation on the web? “Bold lowercase sans-serif typefaces have been doing the rounds for years now and, as a result, lots of websites have begun to look a bit samey,” says James Wood, co-founder and creative director at ShopTalk. “But we’re seeing the seeds of change, and that’ll gain momentum in 2020. Handwritten type, retro fonts and animation typefaces are making a comeback. “We’re also seeing combinations – things that look as though they shouldn’t belong together but somehow work anyway," he continues. "‘Imperfections’ can add real personality. Look out, too, for a big push in immersive 3D elements. &Walsh’s rotating 3D metal ampersand is a great example of this.” 06. Minimalism goes further Even at Christmas, Apple.com keeps things sleek and minimal "One trend we’ve been seeing more and more of in 2019 is simple and minimalistic web page design," says Steve Sharp, director of Fat Cow Media. "Following in the footsteps of the Apples of this world, companies are looking for simple templates to land their brand message and showcase their products and services in a clear and concise way." And he’s a strong supporter of this approach. "It’s clean, modern and fresh and makes the user experience all the better. I’m excited to see this particular trend becoming more widely adopted into 2020.” Of course, minimalism is ultimately about providing an easier and better experience for the user, and that's just as much about functionality as it is aesthetics. Alex Schleifer, chief design officer at Airbnb, believes that's going to see big strides in 2020. "We’ll become accustomed to very low-friction, or zero-friction interfaces when it comes to things like sign-ups and payments," he predicts. "One-tap registration and instant payments will become the norm, while entering credit card numbers and passwords will start to feel archaic." We're looking forward to that! Read more: The biggest portfolio trends for 2020 Top illustration trends for 2020 Master minimalism in web design View the full article

During the year, email marketers conduct a considerable number of campaigns. Small, big, local, international, seasonal – there is a rich variety. Each month has its list of events that can be used as a perfect occasion to drive traffic …View the full article

HTML is the foundation of every website on the web. It defines where the visuals should be placed, what they look like and what behaviour they should have. It is the first thing a browser receives, making it a crucial piece to get right even before the CSS and JavaScript. It is the main driver of the Document Object Model that allows the browser to read the structure of the page and render its contents (see more about page layouts here). Elements are created by parsing the tags we write in the markup. Because of this, it’s important to make sure the HTML is correct. The language itself has been improved upon over the years to make sure the syntax used can describe the content within it accurately, and allow consumers to make sense of it. As HTML has evolved, things that were once recommended could now be considered bad practice. It’s important for us to keep on top of the language we use to make sure it best serves the visitors to our sites. Incorrect HTML can cause more harm than good. By ensuring we get the right structure in place we can be sure the content we create is set for the future. The <div> element is the most generic container in HTML. By default, it has no styling applied to it, no inherent meaning associated with it and every browser supports it. By applying our own styling, we make it look and behave however we like. While this may sound ideal for visitors in a browser, it comes at a cost to other users and consumers of that content. Read on to discover the basic HTML tags you should be using, and what underlying advantages using the right tags will bring to your builds. What are the basic HTML tags? In HTML tags, a semantic element is one that provides meaning to its contents e.g. <header>. A non-semantic element is typically used to apply styling and does not carry any meaning. Before HTML5 introduced a new set of semantic elements, developers would use <div> to achieve the same effect e.g. <div id="header">. Adding a descriptive class to that element makes it clear to the developer what that element contains, but a computer would not be able to understand it. We now have several semantic elements such as <nav> or <header> to help structure a page. We should be able to follow the structure by only looking at the tags being used – something that would not be possible with only non-semantic elements such as <div>. This guide will help you make sure you are always using the right semantic tags for the right job. And, you could create your own HTML boilerplate template, so that your tags are always right and ready to go every time you start a new build. The <header> tag The header normally contains some kind of repeated content not directly related to the rest of the page. The specification defines it as “a group of introductory or navigational aids”, which could include a logo, site-wide navigation or a search function. There can be multiple <header> elements on a page. For example, a blog’s home page could contain a <header> tag for each post it displays. The <nav> tag Most sites will have an area dedicated to navigation. This can include links to specific areas of the site or a breadcrumb style hierarchy. Not all links need to be within one. Only collections of links in other parts of the page would be candidates for their own <nav> element, but this is dependant on the context. A common pattern is to include links to a privacy policy or contact page in the footer. If this area makes use of the <footer> element, this is enough to identify these links as site navigation and there is no need to use a separate <nav> tag. The <main> tag The <main> element is the focal point of each page. Outside of the page’s header and footer, all other content should be inside here. There should only ever be one <main> on a page. Assistive technologies such as screen readers can detect this element and allow users to skip straight to the content. Semantic tags such as <header> help the browser recognise specific content The <aside> tag As the name suggests, the <aside> element contains information that is related to the main content of the page. The information inside this element could exist separate from everything else and not lose context. The most common use for this element is a sidebar navigation or to run adverts alongside the <footer>. The <footer> tag A <footer> element contains any summarising information about the page. For many websites, this includes an address, copyright information or links to supplementary pages. There is no requirement to always have a single footer at the bottom of the page. It can be placed anywhere – including inside other sections – or not included at all. The <article> and <section> tags The W3C specification defines <article> and <section> in a similar way. Both are designed to group distinct pieces of a page together. A key difference is composition. An <article> is designed to be self-contained. The contents inside of it would make sense as a standalone piece. Examples of this include a blog post, a user comment or an embedded tweet. In contrast, a <section> groups together multiple parts of a page together that would otherwise have no other semantic meaning. These would lose their meaning if separated. Examples of this include a group of related paragraphs, a chapter of a book or a single tab as part of a tabbed interface. It is worth noting that an <article> tag could be comprised of multiple <section> elements. Remember, semantic HTML is more than just the outline structure of a page. Almost every element provides some kind of meaning, which means there is often a good fit to be found. Only ever use <div> or <span> tags when nothing else will work. Why does proper HTML markup matter? Specific tags such as <summary> must contain the right content to be effective Getting the right HTML tags and markup is vital. Here's are three reasons why. 01. Improved discoverability Search engines such as Google are constantly crawling the web, finding sites and parsing their content. They do this by looking for certain tags such as <h1> and <article> and using the contents of those to inform their algorithm. For example, searching for tickets for a concert may involve looking for headings containing the name of the event, <p> elements discussing the artist and <time> for the correct date. If they cannot find what they are looking for, the site will not show up in those search results. Some browsers and services such as Pocket allow users to read websites in a distraction-free mode. These extract the heading, contents and media from the site and lays it out in a view that makes it easier to read. By using the correct elements to construct the page, it makes is easier for these tools to extract the right information and provide a better experience for the user. 02. Better for accessiblity Some elements have defined behaviours associated with them. A <button> element, for example, is expected to be interactive and perform an action when clicked. If a non-interactive element such as a <div> is used instead, a parser would not know it could click it without some added attributes. This affects those using accessible technologies as well. It can be slow to navigate a page without any visuals. These users may instead choose to navigate through websites by landmark or heading level. A landmark is created either by using a sectioning element such as <nav> or by applying an equivalent 'role' attribute. Without these, or by using them incorrectly, the user will not be able to find the content they need. 03. Plan for the future One of the primary principles of the web is backwards compatibility. All specifications are designed to be compatible with sites made many years ago and have considerations in place for changes that may happen in the future. By using the correct elements and tags now, we are ensuring our site has a chance to be understood, found and seen in the future. Do you want to learn more about web design? Then subscribe to net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Learn how to build better JavaScript at generateJS Join us in April 2020 with our lineup of JavaScript superstars at GenerateJS – the conference helping you build better JavaScript. Book now at generateconf.com Read more: How to use an HTML boilerplate: A guide Master minimalism in web design The best infographic tools from around the web View the full article

Element 3D was born as, compared to its competitors, out-of-the-box After Effects lacks true 3D capabilities. The team at Video Copilot realised that this was a feature-gap they could fill, and so created Element 3D. Element 3D is effectively a 3D animation application within After Effects. It uses an advanced real-time render engine to make 3D objects look almost as good as if they were coming directly from a full 3D application. If you'd like to sharpen your After Effects skills, check out our roundup of the best After Effects tutorials. Element 3D's core features With advanced features such as motion blur and depth of field and the capability to play well with other 3D-enabled After Effects plugins, artists can (and do) use Element 3D for a range of work from corporate animation to full- feature VFX. Element 3D comes with a series of basic shapes that can be textured, sized and lit within the Element 3D interface. Then within the After Effects interface, an artist can animate and replicate these objects to their heart’s content. The proven production development shows itself in features such as the ability to attach models to After Effects nulls. This makes animating Element 3D objects much more straightforward than just using the application’s effects palette alone. Element 3D objects can be easily animated with other After Effects 3D plugins that can make particles, allowing the creation of a jet plume from a fighter jet without the need to touch a volumetric simulation. Element 3D can work with OBJ objects, including animated OBJ sequences that have been textured with UVs, and it also supports the basics of a PBR workflow. For Cinema 4D users, the news is even better, as Element 3D can open C4D files natively with textures attached. Let’s explore what it has to offer. 01. Access Element 3D Once Element 3D has been installed, it is applied to a 2D solid object then, in the effects palette, select the Scene Setup button to open the interface. In the main Element 3D window, objects can be added and adjusted. If one of the native procedural objects is added, it can be manipulated in various ways; for example, this tube can have its inner diameter modified. Extra Element 3D native model packs can be bought from Video Copilot and other vendors. 02. Add textures Element 3D makes it easy to add textures to a model. Materials are dragged and dropped onto the chosen object. Element 3D classifies objects into five groups, so make sure to use the Group dropdown in the scene palette to define the model’s group assignment. Materials can be adjusted in a variety of ways; for example, glossiness can be roughened in metals. An artist’s texture maps can be added to give bespoke looks to materials and shaders. 03. Modify the model in After Effects Once the model is ready to animate, close the Element 3D interface to work with the model in After Effects. Standard After Effects keyframing works with Element 3D properties, and After Effects expressions work as well. Element 3D allows easy replication of objects by increasing the 'particle' count, where the number of particles equates to the number of objects in a group. This can allow the creation of a range of complex animations very quickly. 04. Create 3D text After Effects is well regarded for its type control. Element 3D works with text layers to allow the creation of 3D text, which can have its depth adjusted and materials applied to it as well. As with other models in Element 3D, text can be animated. Groups can be parented to Element 3D-created nulls, which allow much easier animation than using the Effects controls, making Element 3D the favourite of title designers across the world. 05. Work with external models Element 3D works well with OBJ models with UVs applied, including OBJ sequences to allow complex 3D animations to be imported into After Effects. Cinema 4D files can be imported natively with the textures still applied. If the textures are not working to the artist’s taste in Element 3D, materials can be swapped to native shaders. Working within groups makes it easy to swap models without having to recreate complex animations. 06. Use advanced render effects Element 3D allows advanced features such as motion blur and depth of field to be applied in After Effects. After Effects lights also work with Element 3D, allowing a scene to be relit on the fly or as part of an animation. Element 3D is an ideal companion for After Effects artists who want to explore what 3D can do, and 3D artists who want a quick way to integrate their models with motion graphics and VFX. You can buy Element 3D or find out more on the Video Copilot website. This article originally appeared in issue 252 of 3D World the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 252 or subscribe here. Read more: 9 of the best 3D apps These 3D portraits are unbelievably realistic 12 amazing After Effects plugins View the full article