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There's more to ITV than Broadchurch and... whatever else is on ITV. The British free-to-air channel also has a creative side, as seen in this new batch of experimental idents made by artists and designers, which start rolling out today. These idents see the channel's logo design taken in some strange and fascinating directions. The project is part of ITV Creates, which got 52 different artists and designers play with the channel's branding. Why 52? That's how many weeks there are in a year, meaning that each ident will get seven days in the limelight as they help to break up the scheduled programming and adverts. Kicking off the creative idents is a beautiful henna design drawn on eight pairs of hands, which symbolise an offering. This ident was made by junior creatives at Saatchi & Saatchi, Emily Downing and Olivia Weston, and represents the start of ITV's 'new talent' takeover month. The following weeks will see the work of students from Newcastle University, Arts University Bournemouth, the University of West England , and Manchester Metropolitan University take to the air. Get a taste of what to expect in the gallery below. "ITV Creates is a dream project to curate," artistic director and curator Charlie Levine said in a press statement. While curating the work for this project, Levine had to keep in mind that the artists were briefed to customise the ITV logo in any way they wished. "Being able to showcase some of the best UK wide art talent is a rare opportunity and one that I have thoroughly enjoyed - I feel ITV Creates is a real snapshot of what is happening in the arts right now," Levine adds. "It has been a priority to make the 52 artists representative and for the project to broadcast a selection of different art approaches, styles and missions." For a full look into the new talent behind this month's idents, head on over to the ITV Creates page. Related articles: BBC and ITV launch new streaming service BritBox Top 10 TV logos of all time Netflix channels the magic of the cinema in new ident View the full article

A patch does not yet exist for a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in VLC Media Player that could enable remote code execution. View the full article

Instagrammable places draw in the travellers and tourists like nothing else. Because what's the point of jetting off to exotic locations if you don't take pictures to share on Instagram? After all, the photo and video sharing social network is one of the most popular ways for creatives to record (and brag about) their adventures abroad. It's unsurprising really. With its array of filters and effects, Instagram is the perfect tool to make your incredible snaps look even better. To make your feed even more appealing and unique, take a look at our guide to how to change your font in Instagram, and our roundup of the best VSCO filters. But if you're stuck on where to travel to next, fear not. We've rounded up some of the best places in the world that are packed with Insta-worthy locations. This list takes into account the findings from Big Seven Travel, who analysed the amount of hashtags used per destination. So you can rest assured that these really are some of the most Instagrammable places in the world. 01. Sydney, Australia If you can stretch to a trip to the land down under, you'll be in the most Instagrammable country on the planet. And where better to spend you time than in Sydney? With the Sydney Opera House, Wedding Cake Rock, and Bondi Beach, there are plenty of amazing sights just waiting to be photographed. 02. Hong Kong Famous for its towering sky-scrapers, bustling business district, and vibrant food scene, Hong Kong is an unmissable destination that deserves a place on your bucket list. The Special Administrative Region of China is also the second most Instagrammed place in the world, so you're in good company when you start taking photos. 03. Kyoto, Japan While the capital of Japan, Tokyo, is seen as a modern and bustling metropolis, Kyoto is a more traditional place to unwind. The former capital is home to a tranquil bamboo forest, more temples than you can shake a chopstick at, and the famous red gates of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. You'll need to be patient if you want to get a clean photo here, though. 04. Taipei, Taiwan If you're looking for a trip with amazing night markets, stunning architecture, and a diverse array of culture to take in, Taipei is the place for you. The capital of Taiwan is a popular destination with Instagrammers thanks to its range of photogenic hotspots, so be sure to check it out. 05. Amsterdam, Netherlands Even if you just take a short trip to the Dutch capital you'll be overwhelmed with Instagram-worthy sights. From windmills, and gardens bursting with tulips, to the amazing Oude Kerk, you'll be spoilt for choice. Maybe steer clear of snapping the Red Light District though unless you want your account to get suspended. The best camera phones in 2019 06. New York City, United States If you want to fill up your Instagram page with iconic sites, book a trip to New York City. It's got the big hitters like the Empire State Building, Times Square and Central Park to make your followers green with envy, but there are plenty of lesser-known gems to be found if you go off the beaten track. 07. Vancouver, Canada Canada's a big place home to lots of Instagrammable locations, but Vancouver stands apart from the rest thanks to its eye-catching contrast of scenic views and sprawling cityscapes. And with a thriving arts scene to check out, creatives are sure to love it. 08. Cape Town, South Africa Thanks to its epic natural beauty and clifftop views, Cape Town is a playground for Instagram users. Will you start at the dramatic Cape Point? Or perhaps you'll hold out for a striking sun set at Kloof Corner? Either way, you'll get some stunning Instagram photos that will see the likes rolling in. 09. Mumbai, India Multicultural Mumbai is home to 20 million people, so be prepared to get stuck in and sniff out the best views for your Instagram account. If you don't know where to start, safe bets are the iconic Gateway of India, or the Vipassana Pagoda. If you're after a souvenir, you could also head on over to the Chor Bazaar, which is home to Instagram Stories just waiting to happen. 10. Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai is one of the most spectacular places you could hope to visit thanks to its skyscraper-filled skyline, lively nightlife, and surrounding artificial islands. This makes it the prime location for Instagrammable photos. Just make sure you leave some time to take advantage of its luxury shopping opportunities. Related articles: The best budget camera phones in 2019 9 agencies to follow on Instagram Instagram designers: Who to follow for creative inspiration View the full article

Nothing makes the heart sink like the news that that an app or website that you use on a daily basis is rolling out an enormous update. Because you know that it's going to break some feature that you absolutely rely on, or introduce new features that you totally hate. And yes, we're very much looking at you, new Twitter. So it's utterly lovely to get to report on a massive update that hasn't skimped on the user testing and that you're not going to hate. Today's big news is that Slack has rolled up its biggest desktop update in ages, and you probably haven't even noticed because it looks pretty much exactly the same as it did yesterday, nothing seems broken and there's a distinct lack of unwanted new features. Fair play. 18 of the best collaboration tools for designers There's no point supplying a screenshot of new Slack because it looks the same; these are the numbers that matter So if everything looks the same, what's the point? It's all about performance; according to the Slack, this new version loads 33 per cent faster and uses up to 50 percent less memory than before. That's quite a performance bump, and one that you'll appreciate if you have loads of channels and workspaces on the go, and it gets better if you use it for making calls: joining an incoming call is now 10 times faster. Another big improvement is one you won't notice until you find yourself with a bad net connection. You know how when the you have net problems you lose Slack completely? Not any more; with this latest version you'll still be able to see messages from your current session when your connection's up and down. Is this new or old Slack? No-one knows. All these improvements, which you probably haven't even noticed (Slack will give you a little notification popup when you get the update and that's it), are thanks to a huge behind-the-scenes operation that's involved rewriting the desktop client from scratch. There's a fascinating blog post from the engineering team here that goes through the basics of the process; bottom line is that it's been quite an undertaking. Obviously this isn't a redesign, but nevertheless it's impressive that Slack's been able to deploy an enormous update like this without breaking anything or infuriating anyone. No doubt further down the line there'll be a proper redesign that does both those things, but let's try not to think about that, instead, you can read more about this update here. Related articles: Slack sparks further outrage with tweak to new logo 8 powerful productivity apps to help you get things done 5 logo redesigns that got it right View the full article

If you want to get ahead on the web then you need to keep track of all the latest technologies and techniques. Things move pretty fast online, and what was cutting-edge a couple of years ago can soon become outdated, so it's vital that you stay abreast of new developments. One of the best ways to do this is to hit your nearest web conference, where you can learn the latest tricks and also do some all-important networking. These days you're pretty much spoiled for choice; at any moment there's almost certainly a web conference happening somewhere in the world, from small meetups to vast gatherings, covering everything from design and development in general down to individual web design tools and technologies. To help you pick your next destination, we've picked out some of the best conferences coming up until the end of 2019. Happy travels! How to network successfully 01. JSConf US Head this way if you want to combine JavaScript with surfing lessons When: 12-14 August Where: Carlsbad, California It's one of the fundamental modern web technologies, and now JavaScript is moving beyond the browser and into servers, robots, video games and other places. For a thorough update on what you can be doing with JavaScript in 2019, JSConf US brings you two packed days of talks covering everything from JS-powered gesture recognition through to creating LED art, and sandwiched between the two conference days is a 'choose your own adventure' day of workshops, surf lessons, a safari park adventure and more. 02. An Event Apart Chicago An Event Apart is always worth a visit When: 26-28 August Where: Chicago An Event Apart has been in the conference business since 2006 and holds regular events across the US, focusing on digital design, UX, content, code and more, with the biggest names in the web business sharing their knowledge. An Event Apart Chicago features talks from Jeffrey Zeldman, Rachel Andrew and Jen Simmons, amongst others, and will also host a special screening of Rams, a new documentary about the life and work of design legend Dieter Rams. Can't make it to Chicago? An Event Apart will also be in Denver on 28-30 October and San Francisco on 9-11 December. 03. Web Unleashed 2019 Broaden your front end horizons at Web Unleashed When: 13-14 September Where: Toronto If front-end development is your business then Web Unleashed 2019 is the place to get updated on all the latest tools, techniques and technologies. Held over two days, with over 50 presentations and up to four tracks to choose from, it features an array of top speakers including Wes Bos, Catt Small and Mina Markham, with subjects including individual technologies, testing, accessibility and much more. There's also a day of workshops before the conference kicks off, where you can get hands-on with Vue, Gatsby and variable fonts, as well learning about design thinking the latest JavaScript features. 04. WebExpo WebExpo: the conference you can take your kids to When: 20-22 September Where: Prague Held across three days with 70 speakers in five separate halls, WebExpo is Central Europe's largest web conference and covers the latest trends and topics shaping the future of technology. This year's speakers include Vitaly Friedman and Harry Roberts, and if you have kids then take them along; WebExpo is the first tech conference where children are welcome, with activities including 3D printing and programming courses, as well as a lounge area for parents with babies or toddlers. 05. Digital Thinkers Conference The Digital Thinkers Conference is hosted by the fine people at Awwwards When: 25-27 September Where: New York Billed as two days of knowledge and growth, the Digital Thinkers Conference is organised by Awwwards and covers all manner of subjects including UX, product design, ecommerce and branding. Speakers include Pablo Stanley, Molly Nix and Anton & Irene, and as well as the two-day conference there's also a day of workshops where you can learn about smart responsive interface design patterns, the business of design, creating a CSS Grid landing page and selling and presenting design. 06. Generate CSS Come for the CSS knowledge, stay for the LEGO When: 26 September Where: London Brought to you by net, Web Designer and Creative Bloq, Generate has been in business for a good few years but this year it's trying something different with Generate CSS, a single-day conference designed to provide a concentrated shot of CSS knowledge from some of the UK's leading CSS experts. It's taking place at Rich Mix in Shoreditch with speakers including Bianca Berning and Natalie Weizenbaum. You'll learn about debugging CSS Grid, the future of type, Sass and more, and in between sessions there are Creative Bloq breaks where we'll be holding a photography workshop, a colouring-in session and a huge pile of LEGO for you to play with. 07. Fronteers 2019 Another great option for the front-end crew When: 3-4 October Where: Amsterdam Another great conference for front-end developers, Fronteers has been organised in Amsterdam since 2008 and this year's conference has a top line-up of 19 speakers including Lea Verou, Jeremy Keith and Rachel Andrew. Subject to be covered include the future of web typography, the secrets of native-like PWAs and drawing with CSS, and the day before the conference there's also a pair of all-day workshops that'll take you through building React apps with Next.js, and discovering the latest CSS Layout features. 08. Full Stack Europe It's called Full Stack but it's for all kinds of developers When: 23-25 October Where: Antwerp Described as a conference for every kind of developer, Full Stack Europe promises to get out of your comfort zone, improve your existing skills and learn new ones, whether you're a full stack developer or not. Among the speakers confirmed so far are Sara Soueidan, Jeremy Keith and Tim Neutkens, and as well as the talks there's also a day of workshops covering everything from React for beginners through to testing JavaScript applications. 09. Web Summit When: 3-7 November Where: Lisbon If all these conferences sound a little compact and bijou to you, here's the antidote: Web Summit in Lisbon is a massive four-day event with over 70,000 attendees from more than 170 countries, with over 1,200 speakers lined up. More than about simply making the web, it's about bringing together the people and companies who are redefining the global tech industry, and with speakers including Microsoft president Brad Smith, Tinder CEO Elie Seidman and even the president of Ghana, this is a seriously heavyweight conference. You're unlikely to learn the latest CSS techniques there, but if you're interested in the bigger picture for tech in general – plus lots of networking opportunities – it's the place to be. 10. dotJS dotJS covers Javascript from front to back-end When: 5-6 December Where: Paris We started with a JavaScript conference and here's another to finish the year off with. dotJS is a two-day conference in Paris, with the first day dedicated to front end and the second to back end and language. Speakers include Chris Heilmann and Charlie Gerard, and if you fancy making a longer stay of it the organisers have partnered with Hackages to provide a two-day Vue.js hardcore training session on 2-3 December. Related articles: How to network successfully: 19 pro tips The hottest web design trends of 2019 The future of web design View the full article

Creating character designs for living is a dream come true, especially when working on League of Legends. The game is chock-full of diverse and over-the-top fantasy characters, and imagining them in a completely different alternative universe is even more thrilling. That’s sums up my job at Riot Games as a character concept artist developing new skins for the players. In my spare time, I try to soak up trending visual references and expand my mental library as much as possible. From looking at amazing photographs to watching videos that tell compelling stories, to studying how to draw manga and anime characters, mobile phone games, and of course browsing through amazing illustration and concept art online. After work, I wind down by painting fan art of characters that are either trending or are genuinely iconic in nature. For this workshop, I’m subtly reinterpreting Asuka from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, and give her a bit of an anime twist. I’ll be using some of the best Procreate brushes to complete this on my iPad Pro - I love this creative combo! And if you want to give it a go yourself, be sure to check out the best iPad Pro deals available right now. 01. Keep things light while sketching Try to imagine the character before laying down the first stroke To start I keep the Opacity of the default Round brush pretty light to help me see where I put down the brush strokes and how they will establish the direction of the whole image. Indeed, I try to imagine what the figure will look like before putting down any strokes. This is an important skill to learn and is something that I still struggle with. I believe that comic book or manga artists are trained to do this, so this is worth bearing in mind if this is your career goal. 02. Draw with your finger A finger stroke leaves a more natural mark The stroke on the left is the result of using my finger with the default Round brush. Notice the varying shape of the stroke. The Streamline brush setting keeps the strokes clean and steady, much like using a lazy mouse setting. Oddly, I can’t replicate this stroke using the stylus with Pen Pressure active (right). It took time to work freely this way, but now it feels natural. I’ll be using my finger to paint Asuka. 03. Create clean line art This is the time to nail down the look of the image This is mid-way through the sketch process. In the dark bold lines and ambient occlusion areas you can see the effect of the Brush pen and its distinctive brush stroke. I have to be careful about not adding too many strokes for the hair, otherwise it starts to look unnatural. I recommend regularly flipping the image during these early stages, looking for errors. It’s easier to correct them now rather than later on in the painting process. 04. Start masking areas By masking areas you can apply a consistent colour technique I use the Magic Wand equivalent tool in Procreate to select around the character, then I invert this selection to isolate the character. Next, I mask off specific parts of the character: her hair, suit, gloves, eyes and skin. This makes it possible to apply a consistent colouring technique to the image, and enables your unique painting style to come to the fore. 05. Customise the iPad workspace By splitting the display, it's easy to compare to reference material Here, I've split the screen to display reference material right next to the art work – pretty handy, eh? I have reference open at all times from artworks that I’ve saved on to my iPad and iPhone, or from Pinterest. I also have Netflix minimised in the corner for background noise or just for listening to music. 06. Start building the background Build the image up steadily by bringing the background in I’m adding the Evangelion Unit in the background to create more visual interest and contrast. I roughly put down strokes to create its overall composition and look, before committing to clean line art. I think it’s good practice to work on the entire image at a steady pace. 07. Make a simple but powerful graphic shape Keep the background clear to make it engaging Using the same Brush pen, I’m focusing on making the Eva Unit’s head clear and graphically engaging. This is because its purpose is to act as a tertiary element to keep the viewer within the scene. 08. Accentuate the composition There's still time to finalise how the different elements work together I’m exploring this composition approach, where the focal point is around the pilot’s face and upper half of her body. The cross shape acts as the secondary interest behind the pilot, while Eva Unit becomes the tertiary background element blending gently into the red background. 09. Use a Multiply layer for shadows Multiply lets you focus on one layer at a time I place the original mask of the character above all the other layers and turn it to white. I swipe two fingers and flick the layer to the right, which layer masks it. I then change the layer type to Multiply. This enables me to add a subtle grey colour without it bleeding out of the character. This is a simple process that enables you to focus on one thing at a time and gradually build up consistent shadows. 10. Paint over the lines Don't be afraid to try new techniques, even at this late stage After the shadows are painted over the character, I decide to experiment by adding some warm oranges over some lines, giving the character a stylised subsurface scattering appearance. This also enables me to blend the line art with the colours of the character. I’m happy with the results - it’s good to try out new techniques! 11. Add an explosion of art Explosion elements help to establish a sense of contrast I add some explosion shapes, which I interpret and stylise in my own way. I want to emphasise the contrast here through shapes, size, value and colour. 12. Apply post-processing to the character Post-processing can bring the whole image together, but don't overdo it When the image is around 85 per cent finished, I turn my attention to post-processing. I use blurring, sharpening, duplicating and merging techniques, experiment with many different types of layer and adjust the Opacity. I don’t want to overdo the processing. The idea is to harmonise the values and colours, and help the image have the correct balance and pop in the focal areas. I’m trying to make Asuka blend in with the rest of the image naturally. 13. Paint in background details I decide to add a little more subtle details on the red background by painting in some red cloud and smoke shapes using Procreate’s default Smoke brush. I also carefully apply the noise filter on many parts of the image to generate extra depth without it becoming a distraction. 14. Run a final polish pass over the image Final passes and tweaks make Asuka look three-dimensional This is near final and I’m happy with how the painting’s turned out. I add a lot of vignette steps to redirect the focal point to her face and upper torso. I carry out a little more colour balancing using a combination of Screen, Lighten, Overlay, Color Dodge and Add layers, bringing more vibrancy to the image's colour and values. This also enables me to mask out the initial dark lines and blend everything more naturally. I also hit the edges of the character with the big soft Round brush, painting subtle rim lighting to add more three-dimensional forms to her. This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: Recreate a manga classic How to make it as a manga artist 15 tips for better manga characters View the full article

When released in 2001, Photoshop Elements was primarily targeted towards photography enthusiasts, boasting a simple array of tools for general purpose photo editing. Over the years Adobe has steadily added new features to give wider appeal, though it will always linger under the shadow of its full-blown counterpart in that respect, relying instead on its relative simplicity and an affordable price-tag. But with brilliant Photoshop alternatives, like Affinity Photo, getting cheaper and better, is Elements in danger of overpricing and underselling itself into obscurity? The 2019 version slid onto the scene with a refreshed home screen, presenting a cleaner, more user-friendly interface on launch of the application. But any ongoing success ultimately rests on a combination of older features mixed with its new automated features, a sign of Adobe’s increasing reliance on Sensei, their impressive AI engine. These changes will come as a welcome addition to anyone looking to step up their social game or assemble a quick and stylish family photo album. Other notable inclusions are its improved performance, support of HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) and updated collage creator. Keen to learn more? Read below for the low-down on the most interesting new features of Photoshop Elements 2019. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Home screen The new home screen is a nice touch, although it could be improved by being able to resize the window. When opening the program you are greeted by the new face of Elements – a friendly, engaging Home screen. Here you will be able to discover and try out new features, search for help, open recent files, and explore the new Auto Creations feature. The top of the Home screen is now dominated by a series of large icons that showcase the new features in Elements, aided by a search bar that points you in the direction of helpful online tutorials. These will be at their most valuable when taking your first steps in the software and prove a good source of inspiration to any newcomer, but become increasingly redundant with every hour spent in the app. Unfortunately at the time of testing some of these links directed me to 404 errors, but this bug seems to have been fixed later on. Auto-creation is certainly 2019’s most exciting innovation, taking advantage of Adobe Sensei, Adobe’s AI and machine learning engine. By adding images into the Elements Organizer app, the Home screen automatically generates a selection of up to forty personalized collages or slideshows, highlighting memorable moments, like birthdays or holidays, based on folder names, associated tags and content intelligence. And there is now a bigger choice of templates, frames and backgrounds available for collages. It can take a little while for auto-curation to sort through your Organizer library, so don’t be worried if you are not presented with auto-creations immediately after installation. The results can be a little hit-and-miss, but provide a good starting point for the user to go in and make their own alterations. Overall this is a feature that has lots of potential and one that Adobe will no doubt be looking to expand in future iterations. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Guided modes Guided edits are the bread and butter of Photoshop Elements, offering effortless, stepped processes that hold your hand throughout. With each release of Elements new edits are added, and 2019 is no different, introducing us to Meme Maker, Partial Sketch, Multi Photo Text, and Text and Border Overlay. As with most of the guided edits it’s possible to achieve similar effects in Elements’ Expert mode, though you would be hard pressed to rival the speed of a guided edit, while gaining only a little extra control. One source of frustration was having to open images before entering a specific guided edit, rather than opening the edit first and then loading your images. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Meme Maker You can churn out multiple memes in mere minutes with Meme Maker, although success still relies heavily on the quality of the content. It’s hard to be too precious about anything so temporary and fleeting as a meme. The emphasis for a meme creator should be on speed and efficiency, of which this passes both with flying colours. This guided edit takes all the hassle out of generating a meme, making it extremely easy to pick a photo, overlay text and add a background. The background options are generic and limited, but quite sufficient for the purpose. The optional effects for your image seem somewhat superfluous and not something I can ever imagine using. It will not win any awards, but it might get you a few extra likes. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Partial Sketch The selection brushes in Partial Sketch are sufficiently accurate to pick out this Jacana bird from a textured background. If you are already a fan of Photoshop’s artistic filters, Partial Sketch introduces the same familiar effects with an extra level of control over the process, opening up some interesting creative options. Use the selection brush to highlight parts of your image to convert into an artistic sketch, leaving the rest of the image in the original photographic format. While the selection brush is reasonably accurate, you are also provided with a subtract option and a detail brush to clean-up your selection. The options are currently relatively limited, with a modest choice of four effects to choose from; Pencil Sketch, Coloured Pencil Sketch, Old Photo and Old Paper. It’s a clever bit of software, though it’s hard to think of any real uses for it. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Multi-photo Text Finding an image to fit the shape of each letter can be tricky and the result can end up looking a little dated. In previous versions of Elements it was possible to insert a single image into letter ‘frames’, but with the new Multi-photo Text option you are able to type out text, using the typefaces on your computer, and populate each letter with a separate photo of your choice. If you already have suitable images to hand then this is a really easy process, aided by clearly marked steps, culminating in a choice of backgrounds and text effects. A couple of minutes with this could add a splash of much needed personality to any birthday card or school project. Repositioning images within the frames is easy enough, although the whole feature (along with many other aspects of guided edits) suffers from not being able to go back and edit previous steps. If you want to make any retroactive changes then you are forced to undo any progress or start the whole edit again. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Text and Border Overlay The Text and Border Overlay can draw the eye to an without seeming too intrusive, so long as you stick to black and white. This might be the most understated of the new features, but arguably the most elegant. Use Text and Border Overlay to embellish your images, choosing from a selection of six built-in border styles, before adding a text overlay, again selected from typefaces on your computer. The result is pretty much what it says on the tin, there are no bells and whistles about it. Some of the steps were a little fiddly, such as the text automatically resizing rather than the text box around it, but nothing that couldn’t be swiftly resolved. Photoshop Elements 2019 review: Performance and HEIF support As with every update of Elements, the 2019 version runs faster that its forebears, including a quicker download and install, as well as speedier launch from Home Screen. It also has added support for HEIF (high efficiency image format), a highly compressed image format, opening it up to devices running on iOS 11 or higher. Along with other features, such as the Meme Maker, this could suggest a subsequent lean towards the instagram generation, where cheeky, instant filters are favoured ahead of a masterful, laboured works of art. Either way, any improvement in performance is a step in the right direction. How good is Elements 2019? Photoshop Elements 2019 continues to be a surprisingly powerful photo-editing application, retaining all the same tools and edit modes that made it so popular in the first place. Excluding the sprinkling of magic from Adobe Sensei, the new features are not overly impressive or substantial, representing a gradual shift towards the social media market. The special effects can be fun to play with, but can easily run the risk of rendering images as cheap, tacky versions of themselves. As much as Guided Edits are designed to be simplified for ease of use, I regularly found my progress hampered by obstructive processes, such as not being able to load images inside a guided edit or having to undo progress to make any changes to previous steps. In this respect I much preferred the relative freedom of the Expert mode. Elements is still lacking certain tools, like a CMYK mode or a functional pen tool, that would make it a more attractive prospect to aspiring professionals. It seems unlikely that it will ever reach its full potential while Photoshop CC wears the ‘premium’ crown that justifies its heftier price tag, though the divide is not quite as gaping as you might expect. If you already own a recent version of Elements then there is no pressing reason to upgrade just yet. However if you are new to photography and looking for an inexpensive software to experiment with, Elements still proudly waves the flag for fun, straightforward, and affordable editing. Read more: 54 free Photoshop actions How to resize an image in Photoshop 14 Photoshop Elements tutorials to try today View the full article

Whatever kind of work you're doing as a designer, whether you're in-house at an agency, juggling freelance commissions or building a portfolio of engaging side projects, you need to demonstrate your own visual expertise. While a big chunk of that is your ability to create the right imagery for any scenario, you also need to be able to take a wider view and ensure that the stories you tell through your work are visually consistent across all the media in which they might be used. Read on to discover three ways in which you can weave consistent visual narratives for clients, their customers, and for yourself. 01. Start with your portfolio Ensure that your own portfolio flows in a coherent way Your portfolio is one of your major calling cards for potential clients, and to demonstrate the breadth of your abilities it doubtless features a whole range of quite visually different work. And while that's a useful asset to have, you need to take care in the way all your work is presented so that it makes a strong visual statement to visitors. It's easy to just arrange your work chronologically, but unless, for example, you're an illustrator with a well-defined visual signature, the end result is likely to be a jarring mish-mash of styles. If you want to make a good impression to potential clients, you need to think in terms of your own brand and craft a visually consistent portfolio that arranges your work in a way that flows smoothly. Every page should have a similar look and feel, and feature a selection of work that sits well together, even if the subject matter is markedly different. A well-organised portfolio is much more likely to hold clients' attention than one that's all over the place visually, and it shows you're capable of thinking creatively and consistently while staying on-brand. You might want to try creating your own brand or style guide, and using that to create a stunning portfolio site shows off your work to best effect; it's a great way to display the full extent of your skills. 02. Search for imagery by colour Create an engaging visual thread by finding images featuring the same colour Working as a designer often means that you're not just using your own imagery; you also have to work with complementary images from other sources, and if you want to create a sense of visual consistency then you need to be careful about the images you choose. One way to do this is to decide on a common visual thread that links together all the imagery within a particular project, and colour can be the perfect strand that defines your visual narrative. And achieving this is easy when looking for imagery at iStock by Getty Images, as you can search by colour to get exactly the look you're after. Using iStock's colour picker – or simply searching for a particular hex code – you can easily find a whole stack of images in whatever shade you require. Even if they feature radically different content, with a strong thread of colour you can be sure of a consistent visual narrative, with the added bonus of a sense of variety. 03. Use the best-quality imagery If your image quality's all over the place, people will notice One of the most important ways of establishing a visually consistent narrative is to ensure that all your content is of the best possible quality. After all, there's nothing to turn people off like the sight of a badly scaled, over-compressed .JPG next to a much higher quality photo; it's bad for your reputation and even worse for your clients. At iStock you'll find millions of top-quality images, from essential stock photography through to vectors that can be scaled to any size without any loss of clarity, as well as videos, cinemagraphs and much more. You can quickly and easily assemble all the high-quality visual assets you need to create a project with a consistent visual narrative, and thanks to iStock's affordable pricing you can do this without blowing your budget. Visual consistency is a must in design, and iStock can help you achieve this with amazing imagery and search tools that make it easy to find what you need. Save 10% off any product by using the ISTOCK10 code before 31 September 2019. View the full article

Amazon's Prime Day 2019 is over, but there are still a few brilliant deals lingering around. So if you missed the main event, you're in luck. One of the best tablets with a stylus, in our opinion, the Surface Pro 6 is currently still available on Amazon with a huge £120 off the retail price. Perfect for busy creatives, the Surface Pro 6 is super-light (just 771g), highly portable and packed with power, making it an incredibly handy travel partner. Under the hood you'll find the latest 8th Generation Intel Core processor and a battery that can last for up to 13.5 hours, removing any limits on your creativity. There's also the option to convert the Surface Pro 6 into a full laptop by adding the signature type cover, Surface pen and Surface arc mouse (all sold separately). This is the cheapest you'll currently find this Surface Pro 6 model, so don't hang around, at this price they'll fly off the shelves. Want the Signature Type Cover too? Amazon are also offering an impressive discount on the hardware bundle: Living outside of these areas? Here are the best Surface Pro 6 deals in your area: View the full article

Many millions of people have been drawn to Apple products for a variety of reasons. For some it was the intuitiveness of the Macintosh IIcx, a big beige slab that we could write and capture and process screenshots on. The first Apple experience for many others may have been the first iPod that revolutionised how we listen to music, or the eye-popping colours of the iMac G3 range that was so cool that everyone wanted one in their home. Although many of us use Apple products in a professional capacity, they have also become integrated into our social and family lives too, allowing us to record the growth of our children and speak face-to-face with loved ones on the other side of the planet. So there will undoubtedly be an Apple product that you cherish above all others. The best cheap Apple laptop deals in 2019 To mark its 200th issue, our sister magazine iCreate asked its staff, readers and contributors past and present to vote for the greatest Apple creations of all time. These are the Macs, iDevices, gadgets and peripherals that have a special place in your hearts. As Apple faces what could be a landmark moment in its product design history (read our predictions of what might happen when Jony Ive leaves the company), we hope you enjoy this nostalgic look back through Apple’s greatest hits. These are the devices that helped to break new ground and redefine how we use and interact with technology today. Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for… the 100 greatest Apple creations. 100. Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (2007) Still loved, this keyboard was encased in solid aluminium and was the first in 27 years to ditch the Apple logo on the Command key. It also features two USB 2.0 ports at either end. 99. iPhone 7 (2016) Similar in design to the iPhone 6 – but also available in the lovely new matte black and jet black options – the iPhone 7 also sported one other significant change in the exterior design: the omission of the 3.5mm headphone jack. Replaced by a second speaker grille (that also served as a vent for the internal barometer), the removal of the standard headphone jack meant that users had to either use the supplied EarBuds that connected via a Lightning connector or use their own preferred headphones with the Lightning-to-3.5mm connector adaptor that was also bundled with the device. The iPhone 7 uses the Apple A10 Fusion 64-bit system-on-chip that provides, amongst many other great things, console-quality gaming while on the move. 98. iMac (2011) The mid-2011 range of iMacs were reliable workhorses with Intel Thunderbolt technology and Intel Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge processors. Sadly, the release of macOS Mojave cut them adrift from Apple’s eco-system. 97. iPod touch 5th gen (2012) An iPhone in all but the actual cellular phoney bit, the iPod touch can be used to play music, take pictures, browse the web and play games. Mostly this has remained the same in design, although the low-end 16GB 5th generation models were particularly notable as they were sold without a rear-facing camera. Still hugely popular, the iPod touch 7th generation went on sale in May. 96. HomePod (2018) Apple’s long-awaited smart speaker is designed to work with Apple Music to create a new way of discovering and interacting with music in your home. The HomePod features seven tweeters, a four-inch woofer and six microphones so that Siri can listen out for your commands. The sound quality, for the price, is brilliant. 95. Macintosh IIci (1989) A more powerful version of the Macintosh IIcx, released earlier the same year, and featuring the same three expansion slots but with added speed and efficiency courtesy of 25MHz versions of the IIcx’s Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU chips. This, too, could be used in either vertical or horizontal orientations. 94. iPod Shuffle 1st gen (2005) A cheaper MP3 player that was designed to be easily loaded with a selection of songs and to play them in a random order. It was also the first member of the iPod family to use flash memory. 93. iMac G5 20" (2004) This is the iMac that kick-started the design trend of iMacs that has continued to this day. Ditching the detached base and display look of the G4, this iMac made the display the computer. 92. Magic Mouse 2 (2015) This wireless mouse features a multi-touch surface for scrolling and can detect gestures. The Magic Mouse 2 works with any Mac running macOS El Capitan or later and features a lithium-ion battery that can be recharged with a Lightning connector. Strangely, the port for the cable is on the underside of the mouse, meaning that you can’t actually use it while it is recharging. Comes in two colour variants – Silver and Space Grey. 91. iPod Radio Remote (2006) This add-on was a convenient way for iPod users to skip tracks and adjust the volume, even when their iPod was in their pocket or backpack, and listen to FM radio while displaying the station and song info on their iPod screen. Connects between the iPod and the earphones. 90. LED Cinema Display (2008) The 2008 update for the Cinema HD Display was this 24-inch beast that was modelled on the latest iMac, complete with aluminium surround. The display also came with a built-in iSight camera, mic and dual speaker system. The first Cinema Display with LED backlighting. 89. iPhone 4s (2011) The 5th generation iPhone first introduced us to Siri (which is what the ‘s’ stood for). Apple’s intelligent personal assistant was exclusive to the iPhone 4s before being rolled out to all future generations of iPhone. The unit also featured an improved chipset. 88. Nike+ iPod (2006) Consisting of a small transmitter that attached to your training shoe and communicated with a receiver plugged into your iPod, the Nike+ iPod measured distance and velocity and paved the way for connected sport apps as we know and use them today. 87. iPod Photo (2004) Alongside the special U2 edition iPod, Apple also unveiled the iPod Photo in 2004 as a premium version of the standard 4th generation iPod. This device featured a 220x176 pixel LCD screen, supported multiple image formats and came with a cable that could connect it to your TV. 86. Photos (2014) First released with iOS 8, Photos replaced Camera Roll as the default photo management app on iOS and also phased out iPhoto and Aperture when it came to Mac the following year. Photos makes it easy to edit and organise your entire picture library. 85. Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) (2018) Designed exclusively for use with the 3rd generation iPad Pro, the second Apple Pencil ditches the Lightning connector in favour of USB-C and is now charged and paired using the magnetic Smart Connector on the side of the tablet. 84. iPad 3rd gen (2012) The third coming of the iPad featured a Retina display, the new Apple A5X chip with quad-core graphics processor and a 5MP camera with HD 1080p video recording. Amazingly, this tablet only lasted seven months before the announcement of the iPad 4. 83. iPhone XS (2018) Near-identical in design to the iPhone X, the XS features upgraded hardware in the A12 Bionic chip, a 5.85-inch OLED display and dual 12-megapixel rear cameras and one seven-megapixel front-facing camera. Replaced the iPhone X as the flagship iPhone after just 10 months. 82. AirDrop (2011) First introduced with macOS Lion, AirDrop allows Mac and iOS users to transfer files quickly and easily between devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth without using Mail or mass storage devices. There is no restriction on the size of the files that can be transferred. 81. MacBook Pro with Retina Display 3rd gen (2015) Thinner than its predecessor, the 15-inch MacBook Pro was the first to include a high-resolution IPS 2880x1800-pixel Retina Display and also boasted a reconfigured port set, including a second Thunderbolt port, an HDMI port and a thinner MagSafe port dubbed the ‘MagSafe 2’. The Retina MacBook Pros were updated in early 2015 to include faster flash storage, increased battery life, an AMD Radeon R9 graphics card and the Force Touch trackpad. This new control interface uses pressure sensors to distinguish between the various levels of force being applied to the trackpad – much like 3D Touch on iOS. The result was a much more efficient MacBook with a trackpad that could be used for a lot more than pushing the cursor around the screen. The following year would introduce the Touch Bar to MacBooks, adding yet another new control thread. 80. Apple TV 2nd gen (2010) The smaller 2nd generation Apple TV ran a version of iOS which gave it a smoother experience and a more modern feel when in use. The streaming of media became the default option and the 8GB flash storage ensured that buffering would be a thing of the past. 79. iPod Classic 6th gen (2007) Up to 36 hours of battery life, a thinner form and redesigned interface made the final iPod Classic release a worthy product in a sea of many great devices. The 160GB of storage for a huge music library made it a near perfect portable entertainment device. 78. iMovie (1999) iMovie brought the world of video editing to the world in a way that made it possible, and enjoyable, for everyone. Its power lies in the way it can handle complex data in the most efficient way, to the point that you can even edit video on an iPhone or iPad. 77. Apple Wireless Keyboard (2007) Theoretically, the later Apple Wireless Keyboards should not be as usable as standard keyboards, but the opposite is true. The shallow keys and minimal use of colours make for a design that should not be easy on the fingers or the eyes. They do, however, offer the ability to input data and text extremely quickly once you get used to how they work. Battery life is immense and the connectivity side holds up thanks to a very stable Bluetooth connection. The newer versions are a world away from the original, which came with clicky keys, the need for four AA batteries and an older style on/off switch. As time passed, each of the wireless keyboards mirrored the style of the day and the forms became smaller and slimmer. There are no USB ports or extra features, but this is actually an advantage because you are left with a device that does exactly what it needs to all of the time. 76. AirPort Express 802.11g (2004) This very important and small product offered networking for up to 50 users, AirTunes (which was similar to what we know now as AirPlay) and enough ports to cater for wireless printing and music playback. To have these capabilities back then was staggering. 75. PowerBook G3 (1997) During its lifetime the PowerBook G3 was the fastest laptop available thanks to the (up to) 292MHz processor. There were multiple options available in terms of memory, graphics and hard drive space and the design has a friendly form that remarkably does not look out of place today. It’s a genuine Apple classic and a treasured memory for anyone lucky enough to own one. 74. Apple Watch Nike+ Series 2 (2016) With 50 metres of water resistance, swimming tracking and much faster app performance, the Series 2 was more suited to sports and fitness than ever. Throw in the Nike branding and official Nike faces and you have a stylish sports assistant that oozes personality. 73. Thunderbolt Display (2011) The Thunderbolt Display looks familiar, but it is the single Thunderbolt connection that makes all of the difference for gaming, graphics and many other activities. It is the one product that serious Apple fans want brought back more than any other. 72. Safari (2003) Safari has a long history and one in which it had to battle hard against the bigger players in the early days. Over time, however, it has grown to be a stable and secure browser which ticks all of the boxes for the majority of Apple owners. It has few competitors. 71. Power Mac G4 MDD (2002) The ‘Mirrored Drive Doors’ G4 brought dual-processors with level 3 caches to the line and also added superior graphics cards. The design is bold to say the least and the drive doors draw the eye to them every single time. It was powerful, big and a firm fan favourite. Next page: Best Apple products 70-41 70. AirPlay (2010) Technically, AirPlay was released in 2004 under the AirTunes moniker, but no matter what you call it the technology was way ahead of its time. It allows the sending and receiving of commands and media between Apple devices and can enhance your home entertainment. 69. iPod 4th gen (2004) This brought in the click wheel from the iPod mini and USB charging, but it was the associated model with a colour screen and photo viewing that made the product feel like a genuine move up from previous models. The iPod was suddenly not just about music. 68. Mac OS X Snow Leopard (2009) Snow Leopard was an unusual release for Apple back in 2009 because it was designed to bring greater efficiency to Mac OS X rather than add new features. It didn’t support PowerPC processors, which was a major signal that Apple was ready to look to the future, but support for PowerPC-only apps was still included. The improved performance philosophy has continued in macOS ever since. 67. TextEdit (1996) For many, TextEdit is an old-fashioned app that sits on a Mac doing little. For the rest of us its simplicity is what makes it so useful. It can read a variety of file types and is favoured by coders who want the purest of forms for their content. 66. GarageBand (2004) For music and podcast creation GarageBand is hard to beat. Crucially, it is designed for real musicians as well as those who want to DJ or create electronic music and this is why it has remained so versatile and popular. It is also completely free and has been regularly updated by Apple for many years. 65. Apple EarPods (2012) The EarPods were marketed as designed to fit almost any ear and by and large that proved to be true. At a good price and with a classic Apple appearance they sell in huge numbers and the unobtrusive microphone and playback controls sit quietly waiting to be used. A true Apple design classic. 64. Apple Mighty Mouse (2005) Though this gadget divides many Apple users, it was nevertheless a significant breakthrough being the first Apple mouse to use two buttons instead of one. It also included a miniature trackball. 63. PowerBook G3 ‘Pismo’ (2000) The fourth generation PowerBook G3 really ramped up the pace with CPU speeds of up to 500MHz and featured plenty of welcome updates, such as a 2x DVD-ROM drive and a new Firewire interface. 62. MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 4th gen (2016) With lots of power, a great screen and keyboard, the Touch Bar was Apple’s only practical way to enhance the MacBook Pro, adding an innovative navigation feature with plenty of benefits. 61. Macintosh LC (1990) The unique design of the LC shows that aesthetics have always been a part of Apple’s DNA. The LC was designed to appeal to schools and those looking for computing at a reasonable price. 60. Macintosh Portable (1991) The Macintosh Portable is a hugely important product in the history of computing and despite its short lifespan it is remembered for all of the right reasons. In 1991 a backlit version was released with a new screen and, amazingly because of this change, half the battery life the predecessor offered. The specifications appear laughable today (16MHz processor, just 1MB of RAM and a 40MB hard drive), although at the time it truly was a first and one that gave a glimpse of a possible computing future that would surely never come, but it did. The ‘Portable’ name also offers a sense of early computing when you consider that this computer was 16 pounds in weight and four inches thick. A good example of how Apple has been there pushing boundaries right from the very start. 59. Power Macintosh G5 dual-core (2005) Moving to dual-core processors in the G5 line of Power Macs made for a huge bump in performance and continued to ensure the reputation of the G5 as one that could cater for pretty much every demanding task thrown at it. 58. Mac mini Core Duo (2006) Back in 2006 the release of a Mac mini that offered a 1.83GHz (T2400) Intel Core Duo processor was impressive. Throw in 80GB of storage, 512MB RAM and multiple ports and you had a device that could do almost anything. 57. Power Mac G4 Graphite (1999) With specs that had previously been marketed to professionals, the Power Mac G4 offered a gateway into the world of true computing for everyone thanks to the 10GB hard drive, 400MHz processor and up to 1GB of RAM. In graphite it looked ace too. 56. iPad mini 5th gen (2019) Now with Apple’s A12 Bionic chip inside, the latest iPad mini is three times faster than its predecessor, features a gorgeous True Tone display (which allows the LCD to adapt to ambient lighting) and supports Apple Pencil (1st gen). 55. AirPods 2nd gen (2019) The second wave of AirPods include an H1 processor that supports hands-free 'Hey Siri', Bluetooth 5 connectivity, faster device connection times and more talk time. The optional Wireless Charging Case also works with Qi chargers. 54. Magic Trackpad (2010) For many people the Magic Trackpad is the perfect solution. It replaces a mouse, it looks fantastic and design-wise it adds symmetry to any desk. If you take the time to understand it and get used to the way it works you may never use a mouse again. 53. AirPort Time Capsule (2008) The promise of full automatic backups without the need to physically connect another device to your computer makes the price of admission worthwhile, despite the advent of iCloud. 52. iPhone X (2017) Apple’s first bezel-less iPhone brought many firsts to the mobile party. Face ID was a major inclusion alongside animated emojis and the omission of the legendary Home button. 51. Newton eMate 300 (1997) Part PDA and part laptop, the eMate 300 gave students a new kind of device to work with and one that offered up to 28 hours of battery power from one charge. Also, the keyboard was close to being full-sized and the machine was quick due to the relatively low specification. The memory expansion slot was useful for beefing up storage and the 6.8" screen was perhaps the only drawback of a relatively large device. With a design that is completely unique in the computing world it divides opinion, but there are elements that show where Apple was likely to head all those decades ago and there is a personality in the form that makes it truly a one-off creation. Ultimately it did not succeed for a variety of reasons, but we have to admire the fact that Apple even attempted it. 50. Apple Cinema Display (2004) The Cinema Display brought a 30” screen to the party alongside an aluminium enclosure that worked better aesthetically with the computers it was designed to supplement. It is sorely missed with the iMac considered the replacement. 49. Power Macintosh G5 (2003) Apple could boast that the Power Mac G5 was the world’s first 64-bit desktop computer. Every spec was designed to cater for those who needed serious power to do serious things and the anodised aluminium structure made for not only a strong device, but one that looked amazing. With seemingly limitless expansion options, it truly was a darling of professional Apple users everywhere. 48. AirPort 802.11b ‘Graphite’ (1999) The Graphite base station showed the world that wireless connectivity could be possible and indeed could be a pleasing experience. With a space-age design housing an ethernet port and a dial-up modem, it put Apple firmly in the lead in this sector of the market. The AirPort name has stuck ever since. 47. iPod Nano 1st gen (2005) As the name suggests, the Nano was all about size and true portability. The small colour screen made 14 hours of battery life possible and it could hold hundreds of tracks despite its tiny form. It took on many forms over the years, but the original click wheel model remains a firm favourite among Apple fans. 46. iBooks Author (2012) Alongside more series design apps, iBooks Author seems very basic – but that’s kind of the point. The purpose of this free Mac app is to provide tools for anyone to create their own ebooks and distribute them through the store. 45. MacBook Pro (2006) The Pro version of the MacBook has become the default option for creatives who need raw power in a portable form. The original was powered by Intel chips, had multiple ports and paved the way for the powerhouses of today. 44. Power Mac G4 Cube (2000) Nearly 20 years on and the design still looks amazing. The Cube was suspended within a larger cube that was clear and the specs were competitive at the time. Sadly it was not competitively priced against other Apple computers, some of which included monitors, which meant its lifespan was short. If we look back at the design today, however, we see a Mac that was hugely ambitious in the right ways. 43. Find My iPhone (2013) Since launching with iOS 5, this app has proved essential for finding misplaced Apple tech. It allows remote location tracking of iOS devices, Macs, Watches and AirPods and now works through iCloud so you can start finding them through any computer. 42. Mac Pro (2008) The Mac Pro from 2008 was a beast of a product with two 2.8GHz processors, 2GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive and the ability to expand it as you needed. The design was quite stark to say the least and it took a very long time for Apple to get round to replacing it. 41. Aluminium PowerBook G4 (2003) Apple’s love for aluminium is well known and the PowerBook G4 emphasised the skill that was used to develop this product perfectly. Only Mac OS X could be run on it, but the end result was a laptop with a superb keyboard and a design that would fit in any environment. Next page: Best Apple products 40-21 40. iSight Camera (2003) The original iSight Webcam was a short-lived product, but the term lives on as the camera in iMacs, MacBooks and other devices. It is a basic camera that is unobtrusive within a larger product, but when used for FaceTime and other tasks it can become indispensable. 39. Touch/Face ID (2013) The PIN feels archaic today thanks to Touch ID and Face ID. Apple nailed fingerprint activation and did the same with Face ID using a clever dot projector module for extreme accuracy. Even better, the info sits on a secure module within the device and nowhere else. 38. PowerBook G4 Titanium (2001) The design is what we remember the most, but the specs were also impressive, providing a worthy experience in a small space. Perhaps the first Apple laptop to emphasise professional design and capabilities in one product that appeals to everyone. 37. iPhone 5s (2013) The iPhone 5s debuted Touch ID and was the first device to bring a 64-bit processor to the smartphone world. It may have looked identical to the iPhone 5, but these extras paved the way for future mobile developments that would go on to become industry standards. 36. Apple Pay (2014) Apple is always happy to disrupt traditional industries and Apple Pay is no exception. With an emphasis on security and ease of use, Apple Pay has revolutionised the way we pay for things and it will likely be one of the dominant forces in the retail world going forward. 35. Apple LaserWriter (1985) The LaserWriter may look like just an old printer, but it was instrumental in the early growth of desktop publishing. It was very much a business product due to the price, but it offered one of the best print offerings available at the time. If only Apple made printers today… 34. AirPods 1st gen (2016) To understand the impact of AirPods just look around you. They are everywhere. With excellent sound quality, an innovative battery charging case and a distinctive design, they are one of the most Apple-like products made to date. The ideal earphones for iPhone users. 33. iPod mini (2004) With the iPod mini, Apple demonstrated just how skilled it was at miniaturising devices to levels not previously seen. The beloved click wheel remained as the key controller just below a perfectly readable screen, but ultimately it succeeded because if its size. With 4 or 6GB of storage on offer in a device that was only 3.6” high, people could now run, commute and do anything else without even realising they had the device with them. Throw in eight hours of battery life and the excellent sound quality and it was destined for success from the very start. Strangely, this actual design did not survive for too long because Apple took the miniaturisation even further, but we can look back on the first iPod mini now as a very important part of the company’s history. It was a simple, elegant device that really did tick every single box. 32. iMac Aluminium (2007) Apple had tinkered with various iMac designs until the Aluminium version in 2007 stuck to this day. With everything stored behind the screen it is not the easiest to expand or fix, but the end result is a very powerful computer that is supremely elegant in its design. 31. Macintosh PowerBook 520 (1994) The 500 series of laptops propelled the format to a new level with many firsts built into the product. Stereo speakers, an internal expansion bay, 16-bit stereo sound and ethernet were new to the laptop form and they showed everyone a glimpse of the mobile computing future. 30. Keynotes (2005) Various people have undertaken Apple keynotes, but Steve Jobs was the king of the ‘Stevenote’. Who can forget his "A widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough Internet communicator" description of the iPhone back in 2007? 29. Apple Stores (2001) Apple has grown its store portfolio in 18 years to more than 500 locations and has now reached the point where the sales per square foot are among the highest in the world. With highly valuable retail space the stores are welcomed anywhere because they generate so many ancillary sales via the extra footfall they bring in. The design of the stores is minimal yet professional while retaining a welcoming sense that never feels overwhelming. The products are obviously key to the process, but the attention to excellent customer service and seamless repairs and sales make the real difference to the experience for customers. Apple’s way of handling retail is an example to all competitors who are battling the declining bricks and mortar retail industry – to this day Apple and its cleverly named Geniuses still stand head and shoulders above the rest. No other retail space quite matches an Apple Store. 28. FaceTime (2010) FaceTime is arguably the smoothest and easiest video communication software available today. It works on Macs, iPhone and iPads and has grown into a solution that even global businesses can use for multi-party conference calls with little setup required. 27. Newton MessagePad (1993) The MessagePad 100 was a hugely impressive portable computer which offered handwriting recognition, Newton OS and up to 4MB of memory. It was way ahead of its time, both technically and culturally, but the huge popularity of Palm PDAs showed that you could keep organised with a much smaller device and we did not see anything like it again until the iPad arrived in a modernised form. To this day the MessagePad has many fans. 26. iPad mini 1st gen (2012) The iPad mini represented a halfway-house between the iPhone and full-sized iPad and for many people the smaller, yet bigger than iPhone, screen was perfect for working when out and about. Remarkably, if you use an original today it still performs very well. 25. PowerBook 100 (1991) You may be surprised to know that the PowerBook 100 was manufactured by Sony for Apple and that despite the high price it was the lowest powered of the PowerBook family. With a 16MHz processor and 2MB of RAM it was decent enough and rather fetching. 24. Apple Pencil (2015) The Apple Pencil added a new layer to Apple’s reputation of being a tech company that works for creative people. Marrying the traditional pencil with high-tech innovation, it offered a smooth digital writing experience, which has since been improved even further. Read more: 19 best iPad Pro apps designed for Apple Pencil 23. Apple TV 1st gen (2007) The original Apple TV opened our eyes to a world where your TV could be so much more. Prior to smart TVs and the huge growth of competing devices from Amazon and Google, it offered seamless movie playback, wireless control and a sublime interface. 22. Apple QuickTake 100 (1994) One of the world’s first consumer digital cameras, the QuickTake 100 was easy to use and could connect to any Mac via the serial cable. The camera had enough onboard memory to store eight 640x480 photos or 32 320x240 photos but no focus or zoom controls. 21. iPod touch (2007) The iPod touch gave people apps and music on a device that was thinner and cheaper than the iPhone. To this day it offers many benefits and with a large screen, quick processor and a familiar form it could easily be considered to be an iPhone in almost every regard. Next page: The best Apple products 20-6 20. Power Macintosh G3 – Blue & White (1999) The ‘Blue and White’ G3 looks very much like the Bondai Blue colour used in other Apple computers of the time and it certainly added visual spice in comparison to its beige peers, especially with its matching keyboard and mouse. The internal components could be accessed easily and without special tools via a folding door on the side of the unit that swings down onto the desk, and the iconic casing included handles in the corners for easy transportation. It was a powerful tool for the time which did exactly what it needed to, but the design itself is what is the most fondly remembered as it took the colour cue from the iMac range and used it subtly and more stylishly in a tower Mac that was worthy of seeing in the new millennium. 19. iPhone 5c (2013) The iPhone 5c was the cooler and cheaper iPhone that was designed to expand the number of iPhone owners and add more choice for consumers. It most certainly did this. Featuring a durable, polycarbonate case (in blue, green, yellow, pink or white colour options) that allowed the device to stand up to the rigours and activities that go with being a teenager/young adult, the iPhone 5c served as the entry-level Apple product for a new generation of younger customers who would then become hooked on Apple products for life. In the wider world of Apple firsts, the iPhone 5c does not particularly stand out from a technical point of view, but it certainly tapped into our imagination and allowed us to own an iPhone that was colour co-ordinated to match our style. 18. MacBook Air 1st gen (2008) To understand how influential the original MacBook Air was all you need to do is look at the competition today. So many modern laptops look like the Air and it would be more than fair to say that Apple nailed the design first time. Initially only available as a 13.3-inch model, the Air was launched as the world’s thinnest notebook to mixed reviews. Praised for its light weight and portability, but criticised for offering limited configuration options and ports, the Air now serves as Apple’s entry-level laptop. Which is not too bad a place to start. 17. Mac OS X ‘Cheetah’ (2001) Mac OS X offered some subtle visual changes to the main Mac environment, including the Aqua user interface, and formed a vital part of the evolving history of Apple’s desktop environment. Bit by bit the features have been built up and Mac OS X is considered by many to be the first step in making the operating system fit for the modern age. When it was released, OS X required double the amount of RAM currently used by most Apple computers and slowed down many more Macs that could support it, yet the love affair still persisted. 16. iPad Pro 1st gen (2015) The 12.9-inch iPad Pro – originally released in 32- and 128GB versions – was Apple’s attempt at proving that the all-conquering tablet could be used for more creative purposes and for serious work. Along with the companion Apple Pencil (available separately), it pushed the boat out for interactivity and the push still continues to this day. Anyone who uses an iPad Pro can sense the massive improvements and we suspect that one day we will look back on it in the same way we do the iMac G3. It could have been the start of something huge. 15. App Store (2008) Mobile apps used to mimic desktop software with registration codes and painful installation processes, and then the App Store arrived… Overnight, all of a sudden, apps could be bought for pennies and installed in seconds, and developers rushed to create games and tools for a growing army of users. Some developers became millionaires, Apple built a seamless mobile app empire and today we all have countless apps with us all of the time. It was and still is an extraordinary achievement and will only continue to develop further. 14. Macintosh Classic (1990) The Classic is one of very few offerings from Apple that was designed to appeal to more people purely on a cost basis. Besides being the first Macintosh to sell for less than $1,000, it was not a huge jump in terms of technological prowess, but it was quicker than the Macintosh Plus (1986) and it did include a floppy disk drive for extra reach. Strangely, when we look at the Macintosh Classic today, the form of the computer is near legendary, whilst at the time concerns were raised over how uninspiring the product was to look at overall. 13. Siri (2011) Siri was yet another Apple innovation that changed our relationship with technology forever. As a virtual personal assistant it has gradually improved over time, but it would be fair to say that offerings from Amazon and Google work better for many people. Where Siri shines, alongside all of Apple’s products, is that it is secure and this is why it is slightly limited in what it can do. The fact is, however, that Siri is still a marvel on any Apple product and new ways of utilising it are constantly being woven into the fabric of Apple’s operating systems. 12. iPhone 1st Gen (2007) Apple’s most successful product ever completely changed the way we communicate with each other and consume information. It made smartphones approachable and, despite not including third-party apps or 3G connectivity, it easily demonstrated the potential for such a device by ditching a physical keyboard and stylus control in favour of a pioneering touchscreen interface that has become the norm. The competition eventually caught up, but still today the iPhone offers a smoother and more secure experience than any other phone available. When you think of Apple the iPhone immediately springs to mind which sums up the influence and importance of what is possibly the most iconic piece of technology ever. 11. iCloud (2011) Apple was late to the cloud storage game and it would be fair to say that the initial iCloud offering was basic when compared to the competition. Over time, however, it has grown to power much of the iOS and macOS ecosystems and it works quietly in the background to keep you working and playing anywhere. As iCloud has developed into apps such as iCloud Drive and Files, it is now easier than ever to move files between devices and, of course, your iCloud account can be accessed on any web browser from any computer. It is so important now that without it all of the Apple products and app offerings would be much less capable to the point that Apple would not be what it is today. It’s like magic glue, and you don’t even have to think about it. 10. Apple Macintosh (1984) For all of the importance of the very early Apple computers, the Macintosh 128K is the one that continues to live on today and not just in name (iMac, MacBook, etc). The graphical user interface, built-in nine-inch screen and mouse made the Macintosh the first to include all three and thus it shaped what we consider a computer to be today. The beige case also had a handle built into the top for portability. The lengthy development process and advanced technology made it a highly impressive offering, but the price was in stark contrast to the computers that were dominating at the time, computers that focused largely on gaming. Also, it was not easy to expand, which meant that it struggled to compete in multiple areas. The Macintosh was in many ways ahead of its time and Apple invested hugely in trying to make it as successful as possible, but it is only now that we can look back and realise just how important it was in creating the Apple we know today. You should also make a point of looking up the Ridley Scott-directed 1984-themed Super Bowl commercial on YouTube, which first introduced the Apple Macintosh onto the global computer stage. 09. iTunes (2001) iTunes was just another software solution when it was initially released, but the soon-to-come iPod changed all of that. Together they welcomed millions to the world of digital music and quickly killed off the market for illegal music sharing. For many, iTunes provided the means to rip their music CDs and convert the content for their iPods to store, allowing them to have their entire music collection ‘on demand’. The iTunes Store grew quickly over time and has brought us a huge library of music, films and TV shows without the need for physical media to store them all on. Throw in the Apple TV, AirPods, iPhone, etc, and you have a solution that is much more fundamental to the world of Apple than we often consider these days. Apple Music may be the darling of the moment and the likes of Netflix and Amazon are fierce competition, but there is no doubt that iTunes will continue in one form or another, maybe in the background, as Apple enters new markets to safeguard the future of all of its products. iTunes changed everything. 08. Mac mini (2005) The Mac mini has not created a product line that changed the world like so many of Apple’s products, but it did offer a more affordable way into the Apple ecosystem when released, and this is still true today. Apple’s only consumer desktop computer since 1998 to ship without a display, keyboard or mouse, the Mac mini has become a favourite of those who run data centres and it is also popular as a media player for personal use. As it was the first Apple computer to feature an HDMI video port, the Mac mini was perfectly positioned to serve as a home cinema hub and a more industrious alternative to Apple TV. Its tiny size belies the power inside and it is perhaps its flexibility that has ensured its durability within a sustained period of huge change. Despite its intended use, Apple has never scrimped on the design of the Mac mini to the point where some want it to be a little bigger and to be even more powerful. No matter what your feelings about this particular product there is no doubt that it has offered a gateway to the world of Apple for many people over the past 14 years. It really does just work. 07. Apple Watch Series 1 (2015) Potentially, the first Apple Watch is the riskiest major product that Apple has released in recent times. The smartphone was still relatively new in 2015 and to supplement it with a product that technically offered few extra obvious features could have gone horribly wrong, but it didn’t and over time it has become the dominant force in wearables. Fitness has been at the heart of the Apple Watch experience and millions of people have changed their lives for the better thanks to the software and hardware onboard. From this they have then discovered how useful wrist-based notifications are and the variety of uses the product offers, and have taken it further by customising it with fashionable straps and other accessories. Remarkably, Apple is now the biggest watch company in the world and it has achieved this in the space of four years while overtaking companies that have been making watches for 100 years and more. 06. iBook G3 ‘Clamshell’ (1999) Back in 1999, computers were for grown-ups and laptops were for powerful business people. And then the iBook G3 happened. Picking up the Bondai Blue thread, the iBook offered many design tweaks that are impressive – even 20 years later. The transparent plastic shell was beautiful and welcoming to look at, the carrying handle added much practicality and the wireless networking truly made it a first in the computer industry. It was quite a large product due to the components within it, but this was made up for by the revolutionary design that looked nothing like any other computer on the market, apart from the iMac G3 of which this was the portable counterpart. It also added weight to the view that Apple was not just any other computing company; it was different, it was innovative and it considered the user above all else when designing new products. Like the iMacs, the iBook G3 was completely devoid of legacy Apple interfaces with USB, Ethernet, modem ports and optical drive as standard, demonstrating that Apple was only looking forward now and not back. Next page: Best Apple products 5-1 05. Apple II (1977) In the year that Star Wars hit the big screen, Apple was taking strides in turning science fiction into science fact! You simply cannot underestimate the importance of Apple’s first mass-produced consumer product, the Apple II. It helped to kickstart the computing industry and of course it did the same for Apple as a company. With colour display capabilities, a pleasing case design (for the time of course) and a built-in speaker, it was one of the first computers to offer a personal slant that was maybe only truly appreciated later on. It also offered everyone the first glimpse of what Apple as a company was about and where its focus would lie in the future, but no one at the time could have guessed what would follow in the next 40 years. The price was high, which went somewhat against the personal focus of the product and which hampered the sales numbers, but there was more than enough potential here to spur the company on and to open the eyes of millions of potential customers. 04. iPhone 4 (2010) The iPhone 4 was to phones what the Bondai Blue iMac was to computers. It was all about the design and Apple showed that smartphones could be thin, lightweight and most importantly visually desirable. Of course there were many technical enhancements over the iPhone 3 range such as the A4 chip, iOS 4 with multi-tasking and FaceTime, but ultimately it was the new Retina display that made people look at phones in a whole new way. Throw in a clever stainless steel frame, which was also the antenna, and a glass back and you have a phone design that has arguably never been beaten. Apple was riding high with the iPhone in 2010 and this was also the first model to feature a front-facing camera and a gyroscopic sensor that detected angular acceleration around the X, Y and Z axes, enabling the precise calculation of yaw, pitch and roll – data that would be crucial in ushering in a new procession of tilt-based gaming possibilities. There was some controversy surrounding how the antenna worked and also the fragility of the glass back, which spurned the release of the now classic bumper accessory, but overall the iPhone 4 was a huge success which took the entire industry in a whole new direction. When we look back over the history of the iPhone, and indeed smartphones in general, there is little doubt that the iPhone 4 represented a sea change in terms of how personal phones could be and how they can be more fashionable than anyone would have dared to dream of previously. 03. iPad 1st Gen (2010) Some called the original iPad ‘just a big iPhone’ and as close to the truth as that is, it is also the reason why it was and remains so successful. The first generation was big and heavy by today’s standards, but it took a genre that Microsoft has tried and failed at previously and made tablets accessible to everyone. The super-sensitive screen worked perfectly with the visually expanded iOS and all of a sudden millions of people saw a new way of doing things without the need for a PC or laptop. The device featured an Apple A4 processor and a 9.7-inch display that allowed users to play music, check their emails and browse the web anywhere – even before the advent of public Wi-Fi hotspots, a 3G version was available so that you could maintain a connection on the move. While the prediction of doom for traditional computing has not come true, largely thanks to Apple’s work on the MacBook, it is true that the iPad has come to dominate the tablet industry and also the way millions of people browse the web and entertain themselves today. The iPhone’s big brother remains a hugely influential product that is still used literally everywhere. 02. iMac G3 (1999) The Bondai Blue iMac, officially the iMac G3, was the first product to truly showcase the design skills of Jonathan Ive and the impeccable taste of Steve Jobs; but it was so much more than that. In a time when computers were bland beige boxes with no pleasing aesthetics at all, the G3 made people realise that they could actually offer visual personality. The colour was the most obvious factor upon first look and this was supplemented by a handle to easily move the iMac around. USB ports were offered as standard, the floppy disk was dispensed with in favour of a CD-ROM drive and the ports were neatly hidden behind a colour-coded door. It was radical in every way and a huge risk at the time, but it paid off financially and also paved the way for how millions of people think of Apple to this day: not afraid to kill off current standards, innovative in design and technical ideas and able to push every boundary through different ways of thinking. The ‘Think Different’ slogan perfectly exemplifies the iMac G3 and we would say that it is arguably one of the most important computers in history. Just like the iPod did to the music industry, the G3 introduced the world of computers to many more people and forced everyone to perceive them in a new way. It is arguable that the G3 kickstarted the huge rise in PC growth and that without it Apple may not have even survived. The following year saw the introduction of the slot-loading iMac. This came in five additional colours (Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry) – a range that would go on to influence the colour scheme of countless other products at the time, including PlayStation controllers, such was their impact. 01. iPod 1st gen (2001) When the iPod was introduced it entered a fledgling market that was dominated by average quality sound and impractical music management. Not only did it come to dominate digital music, but it actually completely changed the way we consume all music and had a much wider cultural influence than could ever have been reasonably expected. A few key factors came together to make this groundbreaking product – iTunes was released only months before the iPod and was the first software that enabled people to access digital music in an untechnical way. The user interface was actually created by an outside company called Pixo yet was so incredibly natural to use thanks to its integration with the game-changing click wheel which changed how we thought about human interaction with tech products forever. Add to this the ability to carry around thousands of tracks, excellent sound quality for the time and 10 hours of battery life, and it became an assured success which grew over time to make the white cables dangling from the ears of strangers a completely normal sight. It was the new Walkman for a new century which grew to be infinitely more influential to the point we would argue that without the iPod we would not have the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and perhaps even Apple. Its importance to Apple at the time cannot be measured, just as we now cannot conceive the influence it has had over every tech and music-related product in the two decades since it was first released. You can look at the original iPod today and see signs of its age, but fundamentally it would still be just as usable and fun as it always was, and it still screams Apple in every area. A genuine cultural icon. Read more: It cost 50K to digitise: 5 surprising Apple logo facts Is Apple about to bring back its rainbow logo? The 10 most beautiful Apple products (and the 5 ugliest) View the full article

The bug is previously unknown but yet still fixed in later releases. However, many organizations are likely still vulnerable. View the full article

Us by Night is unique among creative events, not least because – as the title suggests – it's a nocturnal affair. After all, who wants to stumble into a conference centre early in the morning, bleary-eyed, when you could instead enjoy talks, networking and entertainment in the much more civilised evening? Taking place in Antwerp, Belgium between 26 and 28 September, Us by Night features an arcade, a night market, a delicious selection of local food, and the extraordinary delights of fluorescent ping-pong. But of course, the main reason to head to Us by Night are the inspirational speakers, and one of the top attractions this year will be the return of Tyrsa. Who is Tyrsa? Tyrsa, aka Alexis Taïeb, first discovered graffiti in 1999, and fell in love. But unlike other graffiti enthusiasts, he decided not to pursue the route of 'pure artist', but instead went to study design and typography at the Gobelins School of Visual Communication and Arts in Paris. Since graduating in 2007, Tyrsa carved out a rich and successful career as a freelance designer, with work ranging from murals, logos, posters and installations to packaging designs. His distinctive, hand-crafted typography has won him countless fans, and clients including Nike, Carhartt, Louis Vuitton, Timberland, Foot Locker, Issey Miyake and Childish Gambino. We caught up with Tyrsa to find out what he'll be talking about at Us by Night, and why no one should miss it. What will your talk at Us by Night be about? 9.50 x 8.3m mural by Tyrsa for the Mr Freeze festival in Toulouse, France Firstly, I should mention that I did a talk at Us by Night three years ago. But anyone who saw that should know that my 2019 talk is going to be pretty different. I'll be discussing my work, of course, but I want to provide a perspective on it that can help people think about their own designs in a different way. I don’t like talks at creative events where it’s just people showing their portfolio and going through each project, one by one. After all, if you want to look at my work, you can go onto my website and just check out my portfolio! Instead, I'm not just going to show the finished work, but also stuff from behind the scenes, to show how each project developed from start to finish. And I want to talk about the mistakes I made and the things that went wrong, as well as the things that went right. I think you can learn a lot more from that than just hearing about people’s successes. Your style is pretty distinctive - how would you describe it? Well, I started in graffiti and moved into typography, so I brought that street style and energy into my work in a way that seems to connect with people. But of course, I know that I’m not the only person who’s followed this path. So I think one thing that helps make my work distinctive and different is that it’s underpinned by a proper understanding of the fundamental principles of typography, which I taught myself. In other words, it’s not just cool-looking lettering, it really follows the function of typography in an organised manner and I try to always do something appropriate to each project, each client. Also, I’m always trying to take in new influences and develop my work, so it doesn’t stay looking the same but constantly evolves and improves over time. You've done a lot of work for Childish Gambino, can you tell us a little about that? After a rocky start, Tyrsa has established a strong working relationship with Childish Gambino I've been working with Childish Gambino's team for about three years. In the beginning, I was working on an album cover, which was originally titled “Operation High Jump”. I spent months working on getting type lettering for the title right. They were happy with what I’d done, but then at the last minute they decided to change the name of the album to "Awaken, My Love". That was very frustrating after I’d done so much work on it! But we continued to work together, and I went on to design for other covers, merchandise, a wordmark, and typography for the ‘This is America’ music video. So it’s worked out really well in the long term. I'd say that we’ve reached a point in our relationship where we know each other and understand each other’s perspective so well. So when they need something, they know I can create something they’ll be happy with. What else have you been working on lately? Art-directing the food court of the new Galeries Lafayette concept store has been Tyrsa's biggest project to date In the last year, I’ve been working on my biggest project to date, art-directing the design of the food court of the new Galeries Lafayette concept store, on the famous Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris. This has been a big challenge, because it’s a huge area, with 10 different food stands, and each restaurant already has its own branding and identity. My job was to reinterpret each identities into a broader general branding, so there was an overall look and feel to the place as a whole. I also did individual, two-metre tall illustrations for each of them, using mosaics, plus there's a lot of neon, a lot of signage... I’ve designed all of this, and it's been great because the client has given me a lot of freedom in how to approach it artistically. How do you see your career developing in future? I don’t have specific plans, to be honest. I just want to keep working and evolving my style. If you make too many plans, I think it just closes off a lot of potential opportunities to do new things and to grow. And really, I just feel blessed to be doing what I’m doing. My parents were very unhappy with me doing graffiti originally, so every day I feel blessed that I can work as a designer and keep creating cool new things. And will you keep coming back to Us by Night? Typography by Tyrsa for the Childish Gambino movie Guava Island I certainly will! This will be my fourth time at Us by Night, in fact. As I said, I did a talk three years ago, and for the last two times I did a mural there. I really love the event: it has a great atmosphere and it’s such a great opportunity to meet other creative people and get inspired by them and their work... whether that’s photographers, designers, artists or whoever. In fact, I think that if they carry on doing Us by Night for the next 20 years, I’ll want to go to every single one. Us By Night takes place at Antwerp, Belgium from Thu, Sep 26, 2019 – Sat, Sep 28, 2019. Don't miss out: buy your tickets now! View the full article

You're reading Free Generators for Web Designers and Developers, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Are you looking for a way to ditch the routine and have more time for art and creativity? The harsh reality is that every project involves boring, mundane tasks that need to be done. But it does not mean that … View the full article

Working as a creative professional undoubtedly means, over time, you will build a library of design assets, which is invaluable if you're short on time. If you need to add to that collection but are on a tight deadline, thankfully there are many resources offering ready-made design elements like icons, vector graphics, and stock images to help ease the pressure. But with so design assets now on offer, it can be confusing to find the best when it comes to quality and value for money. Luckily, there are reputable sites ready to supply you with high-quality design assets without breaking the bank. So, whether you're on the hunt for eye-catching imagery or unique icons, these top design asset repositories will deliver what you need. 01. StockUnlimited Vector Plan If you're on the hunt for quality stock vector graphics and clipart, StockUnlimited is a great place to start. A subscription gains you access to over half-a-million premium vector designs (with fresh designs added monthly), all of which are royalty-free for commercial and personal use. Its collection only comprises of exclusive one-of-a-kind, quality content that you won't be able to find in other sites. You're also given the freedom to download anything you wish an unlimited number of times, allowing you to use the assets in a variety of projects. Grab a lifetime subscription, on sale for $34.99. 02. EpicPxls Design Assets Premium Plan Cut the time you spend toiling away on projects with the assets you collect from EpicPxls. The site offers a slew of premium curated fonts, graphics, templates, mobile app designs, and more to help aid your creative workflow. The subscription affords you 20 downloads on premium items each month, for life. Grab a lifetime subscription, on sale for $49. 03. Storeshock WordPress Themes & Elements Who says you have to learn code to create stunning websites? Storeshock boasts a myriad of WordPress themes and elements like plugins and web packages to streamline the site-building process. Upon signing up, you'll immediately receive lifetime access to more than $50k worth of premium products. Indulge yourself in thousands of web elements to get your dream site into fruition. Your subscription even includes a drag-and-drop page builder so you can create your website even faster. Grab a lifetime subscription, on sale for $59. 04. Icon54: Unlimited Membership Icon54 is the place to go for line and glyph vector icons. Drawn by hand and approved by top designers, their array of assets nets you 5,000 unique icons in over 100 different categories ranging from web and apps use to iOS and Android use. Each icon is designed to precision on a grid system, and you can easily customise them to suit your needs using your preferred design software. Plus, each icon comes in line and solid versions, giving you double the options. Grab a lifetime subscription, on sale for $19. 05. The Stock Photo Mega Bundle: 80,000+ images Stock imagery is a handy addition to have in your designer toolkit, and with the Stock Photo Mega Bundle, you can get access to a rich library of over 80,000 royalty-free stock images, for more than 750 diverse themes, niches, and categories spanning nature, travel, lifestyle, and more. Plus, not only will you be supplied with images, but you'll also get drone video footage, animated motion backgrounds, and premium cinemagraphs to bring your projects to life. Grab a lifetime subscription, on sale for $29.99. Related articles: 15 essential tools for graphic designers in 2019 The best laptops for graphic design 10 of the best 4K monitors for designers View the full article

Apps that change your face are all the rage at the minute. From animal filters to tools that make you look thirty years older, there's no shortage of portraiture fun to be had. But the site AI Portraits Ars goes further than other photo editing apps by completely redesigning your face, and shows you what you would look like as a Renaissance painting. The results are truly stunning, and have taken social media by storm as people upload their photos to see what they would look like if they were painted by Rembrandt, Caravaggio or Titian. And if you want to have a go, it's really simple. Just take a selfie, save it to your device, then head over to AI Portraits Ars. All you have to do then is upload your photo, and let the website work its magic. (We say magic, we really mean extremely complicated Generative Adversarial Network models that can reproduce portraits with different styles and levels of abstraction.) We gave it a go in the office, and here's a taste of how AI Portraits Ars can transform a photo into a classical piece of art. What do you mean "he's no oil painting"? Part of the appeal with AI Portraits Ars is that you have no control over the process. The 4K resolution portraits are redesigned by the GAN models, which use data from the photo to decide on a style. If you don't like the result, tough. This also means that AI Portraits Ars is more sophisticated than your bog-standard app, which likely uses a style transfer edit. "In style transfer, there is usually a strong alteration of colors, but the features of the photo remain unchanged," the site explains. "AI Portraits Ars creates new forms, beyond altering the style of an existing photo." Just take a look at the incredible work it's capable of: And before you attack AI Portraits Ars for merely being a front for data harvesting, relax. The site's privacy policy explains that you can upload your photo without having to worry about it being passed on. "Your photos are sent to our servers to generate portraits," it says. "We won’t use data from your photos for any other purpose and we'll immediately delete them." So what are you waiting for, head on over and see how you'd look if you were painted by a Renaissance artist. And if you want to have a go at image editing yourself, check out our guide to the best digital art software available right now. Related articles: How to find your art style 10 apps for endless design inspiration Tackle portrait painting with oils View the full article

It's been a big weekend for Marvel. Not only did Avengers: Endgame overtake Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all time, but at last weekend's San Diego Comic Con the studio announced a glut of new films, series and animations for fans to look forward to over the coming years. And to give audiences a taste of what to expect from these upcoming titles, Marvel also revealed their accompanying logos. These include a thunderously retro logo for Thor: Love and Thunder, and a Stranger Things-esque design for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness. But perhaps the most notable identity is the unashamedly chaotic look for the Disney + series, Loki, which throws out of the window everything you need to know about logo design. Check it out below, but you might want to brace yourself first. Okay. Deep breaths. Just remember that Marvel Studios is a massive entertainment company so they know what they're doing with this logo. To a designer with no interest in Loki or the Marvel Cinematic Universe though, this identity sure looks like a ransom note written in WordArt. But perhaps the logo makes some sort of sense when you consider that Loki is based on the Norse god of mischief. So what better way to represent a troublesome god than with a logo that flies in the face of typographic convention and the principles of good design? You could even argue that, given the circumstances, the Loki logo is so bad it's good. However social media, with it's knee-jerk reactions and hyperbolic opinions, has been less patient with the Loki logo. Plenty of people even suggested that Marvel Studios use a popular fan logo designed by BossLogic. Whatever your feelings on the logo, there's no denying that it's an unforgettable design. If we were to try and defend it, we'd say good on Marvel Studios for daring to try and do something different. The MCU is a franchise that's pretty much printing its own money at this point, so at least they didn't let themselves go stale. And perhaps the studio felt it could be more creative with this logo because it's for a Disney + series, not a fully fledged film. The other logos for Phase 4 (that's what Marvel calls the next batch of releases) were all uploaded individually on the Marvel Studios Twitter page. But you can take a look at them all in one handy image courtesy of this post by Logo Geek. Which is your favourite? Related articles: Marvel reveals new X-Men logo Scantily clad Marvel heroes subvert the pin-up genre Captain Marvel website is a beautiful '90s mess View the full article

When you're stuck in a creative rut and searching for inspiration, your first port of call is usually the web. But if you subscribe to Netflix, you may be missing a trick. The streaming video service is packed with inspiring documentaries on all kinds of creative subjects, ideal for helping resurrect your mojo and give you fresh ideas and inspiration. The only problem is that there's such a huge amount of content on Netflix (much of it mundane) that the best stuff can get lost in the mix. So we've done the work for you and unearthed the best creative documentaries available to watch on the world's favourite streaming platform right now. Remember that the best shows don't always stay on Netflix forever, though, so catch them while you can! Not available in your territory? Use one of the best VPNs to access foreign Netflix catalogues. 01. Abstract: The Art of Design Illustrator Christoph Niemann is one of eight leading creatives profiled in this groundbreaking docu-series Created by former Wired editor-in-chief Scott Dadich, docu-series Abstract: The Art of Design offers eight standalone profiles of prominent designers and creatives. Each is around 40 minutes long, lavishly shot and beautifully edited. And even if you don't think you'll be interested in the individual profiled, you soon get sucked into their world. It's not just an exercise in backslapping, either. There's a great deal of insight and information along the way, as each creative reveals their process and the challenges they face in their work. In short, if you watch one Netflix show this year, make it this one. The first season, which first aired in 2017, profiles graphic designer Paula Scher, illustrator Christoph Niemann, Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, stage designer Es Devlin, architect Bjarke Ingels, automotive designer Ralph Gilles, photographer Platon, and interior designer Ilse Crawford. 02. The Creative Brain Canadian singer and visual artist Grimes is among the interviewees sharing her thoughts about creativity We'd all like to be more creative and productive in our work, but often struggle to do so in practice. The Creative Brain is an insightful 52-minute documentary aims to help us find a way forward. Neuroscientist and best-selling author David Eagleman takes as its starting point the idea that "Creativity doesn't mean creating something out of nothing. It means refashioning something that already exists." To find out how that works in reality, he meets accomplished professionals from across the creative spectrum - from pottery to nanotechnology – and tries to unravel their creative process in a way that makes logical sense. The results are truly fascinating, and will make you think about your graphic design work in a whole new way. 03. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things This documentary uncovers the social and cultural forces behind the minimalism trend Right now, minimalism is a huge trend in graphic design, from app interfaces to logos. But what's minimalism really about, and how can you make it enhance your creative ideas, rather than just make them look like everything else? Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things is a 2016 documentary by Matt D'Avella examines the roots of minimalism as a reaction to modern consumerism and media overload, and how it's let to new movements such as decluttering and simplified ways of living. It's important to note that this documentary, which runs to 1 hour 18 minutes, doesn't actually talk about the use of minimalism in graphic design. But it will help you reach a deeper understanding of where the minimalism trend comes from and why it has a cultural resonance in today's society. 04. Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer Showcasing the life and work of an iconic fashion designer, this documentary has a lot to say about the creative process Directed by Vlad Yudin and running at one hour 48 minutes, Jeremy Scott: The People's Designer is a documentary movie showcases the life and work of American fashion designer Jeremy Scott. Known for his designs for Adidas and Moschino, Scott has also worked with countless celebrities, and many of them contribute here including Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, and Paris and Nicky Hilton. Charting his journey from humble roots on a Missouri farm to creative director of Moschino, this 2015 documentary highlights the fact that despite his success, Scott's designs have had mixed reviews throughout his career, a fact that clearly irks him. It's a fascinating reminder that however good you are, every designer has to deal with criticism and people who don't understand your work. 05. Floyd Norman: An Animated Life There's a lot we can learn from the first African-American animator to work for Disney Now 83 years old, Floyd Norman is an American animator, writer, and comic book artist who's worked for pretty much every big player in the business, including Disney, Pixar and Hanna-Barbera. In 1956, he became Disney's first-ever African-American animator. Then after founder Walt Disney's death, he left to start his own company, which produced black history films for high schools. This intriguing documentary, Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, was made in 2016 and charts how Norman continues to impact the industry and battle ageism. Running at 1 hour 34 minutes, it's an incredible story of a man who comes across as humble yet charming, incredibly creative yet unassuming and underappreciated: an inspiration, in short, for us all. 06. Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski Stanislav Szukalski's story shows that fame and recognition for your work doesn't always follow a linear path Never heard of Stanislav Szukalski? Nope, neither had we, and that's kind of the point of Netflix Original documentary Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski. Its starting point is 1968, when pop culture collector Glenn Bray, who had an interest in surrealist art, discovered an unusual book featuring the art of Szukalski. He delighted in showing its drawings and photos of sculptures to his circle of friends in the underground art comic world, including Robert and Suzanne Williams and George DiCaprio, who found the forgotten Polish master's vision far ahead of its time. Then a few years later, Bray discovered this "lost genius" was not only still alive, but living in the same area code. Offering an eye-opening look at how history can stand in the way of true creative genius in one generation, then reveal it dramatically in the next, this documentary is quite riveting. Running at 1 hour 45 minutes, the film makes you really think, especially about what creative legacy you might leave yourself. 07. I am Sun Mu Sun Mu is truly putting his life on the line with his provocative, political work Many graphic designers like to describe their work as "edgy" and "risky". Well, just to put that in perspective, here's the captivating story of someone who really does risk everything for their work. Sun Mu worked as a propaganda artist in North Korea before fleeing to South Korea in the 1990s. Today, he creates satirical art about Kim Jong Il's regime that parodies the propaganda style he was once tasked with creating. In 2014, he embarked on what many saw as a risky move: a solo exhibition of his work in China, North Korea's greatest ally. Documentary film I am Sun Mu, which runs to 1 hour 27 minutes, follows events as Mu prepares his show undercover, before an unexpected turn of events puts him and his friends and family in danger. 08. The Toys that Made Us This doc takes a deep dive into the design of our most beloved toys Many of us found our first real appreciation for design – albeit a subconscious one – through interaction with our childhood toys. It's a love which often sticks with us throughout our lives. And so quirky docu-series The Toys that Made Us, which looks at the creation of some of the world's most iconic toy franchises, is a great way to think about design in a way that's both nostalgic and familiar, and provides new insights into what goes into crafting a classic. Its 40-50 minute long episodes investigate everything from Star Trek and Transformers to LEGO and Hello Kitty. In doing so, this series goes beyond the superficial and really digs into how toys are conceived, designed and made. 09. The 100 Years Show You can still be creative at 100, and here's the proof Feeling like you haven't had the career success you deserve? Well, there's still time, and here's a great example of how it's possible to get recognition for your work late in life. Born in Cuba in 1915, artist Carmen Herrera sold her first piece aged 84, and held her first solo exhibition at 89. Her abstract and minimalist art has since brought her international recognition, and this documentary was made to celebrate her 100th birthday in 2015. Directed by Alison Klayman, 29-minute documentary The 100 Years Show celebrates a "fame that literally took a lifetime to happen”. An excellent watch that will inspire creatives of all stripes and all ages. 10. The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography Elsa Dorfman's story is at turns uplifting, enlightening and entertaining It's not always the most famous creatives who make the best documentary subjects; sometimes it's quite the reverse. And that's definitely the case with 2016 documentary The B-Side. Directed by Errol Morris, it explores the life and career of his friend Elsa Dorfman, a Polaroid photographer. This 80-year-old woman comes across as warm, charming, insightful and inspirational, as she reminisces about her photography career, publishing, feminism, friendship with Allen Ginsberg, and more. The fact that you probably don't know anything about Dorfman makes the story of her life all the more compelling, and Morris brings it all together in a way that keeps up the pace and remains captivating throughout its one hour 16 minute length. Read more: 5 podcasts every freelancer should listen to The 10 best 3D movies of 2019 5 logo redesigns that got it right View the full article

Getting a web banner designed professionally can give your brand that much needed ‘sparkle’ to stand out in the mad clutter of cyberspace. But enlisting the services of a design studio can prove costly and frustrating – after all – nobody knows your brand quite as well as you do. Adobe Stock provides all the tools you need for the best of both worlds, a quick and easy solution that doesn’t cost a lot of money. In this tutorial you will learn how to use one of Adobe Stock’s professionally designed templates to create your own personalised web banner, populated with stock images from its extensive library. 01. Choose a document template The New Document window presents lots of options for different document types as well as a selection of stock templates Open Photoshop CC and create a new document. For these banners I used one of the free templates made available in Adobe Photoshop CC, but you can browse the Adobe Stock website for a wider variety of options. Click on the ‘Web’ tab in the New Document window and scroll down to the ‘Modern Web banner Layout’. This template presents a simple and clean layout, allowing plenty of space for words and images. Double-click on the template or on the Download button in the bottom corner. This will make the template available in your New Document window. Open the template in Photoshop CC. This file uses the typeface ‘Roboto Slab’ for all of the text. If this is missing from your computer then a window will open letting you resolve the missing font issue with Adobe Typekit, available to all Creative Cloud subscriptions. The canvas contains four banners in basic display advert sizes, which are written above the top edge of each artboard. Pick one to work on and perfect that design before applying it to any others. It’s possible that you have different size requirements for a specific website. You can change the dimensions of the artboard in the Properties panel or by clicking on the artboard in the Layers panel and using the Move tool to drag the corner points. Some of the layers will need to be resized to account for these changes. 02. Add your own text The Character tab lets you switch your typeface and adjust your text size, leading and kerning Each layer is named and grouped to make it easier for you to edit. Use the Type tool to click into text boxes and insert your copy. If you already have your own logo you may want to insert a graphic into the document to replace the top two layers, which currently read ‘Company Name Here’. You can do this by clicking their eye icon off in the Layers panel or simply deleting the layer. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different typefaces, especially if your company has its own brand guidelines. I used a combination of 'Brush Script Std' and 'Adobe Caslon Pro' to add style to my company name ‘Sweet Dreams’. Use the Character panel to adjust the size, leading and kerning of your text to fill the space, focusing on making the text as readable as possible. 03. Experiment with images Search for images in the Library panel, then drag them into the canvas for low-res versions This document uses smart layers for image placement, allowing nondestructive editing of the layer while preserving the original image data. You can access the smart layer source file by double-clicking on the layer thumbnail or through Layer > Smart Objects > Edit Contents, which opens the file in a new window. It’s possible that you already have a selection of your own images to use, but it is unlikely you can match the quality and variety of Adobe Stock’s library. I used the image search function in the Library panel to browse for images of cakes, breads and tarts, without ever having to leave the app window. You can test low-res versions directly on your design, by dragging them into the canvas, before making any final decisions to purchase. When I was happy with my choices I right-clicked on them and licensed them, making high-res versions available. If you have already placed these images into your file, simply right-click on the image thumbnail and select ‘Update Modified Content’. 04. Personalise the style It's hard to predict how different blending modes will affect your image, so it can be worth trying them all out With all the content in place it’s time to transform the banner into something that really sings of your own style. Start by changing the background. Under the group labelled ‘Background Options’ you can edit both the colour and texture of the background (from three textures supplied). I chose a punchy magenta that would stand out in digital format, but you may have your own brand colours or prefer to use the eyedropper to pick a colour from one of the images. I chose the Marble Texture and switched it to a Divide blend mode. It may be worth experimenting with other blend modes as they can often lead to unpredictable results. If you have more specific textures in mind, you can always import your own images and experiment with different blending modes and opacities. Edit the other elements, in this case the text and button, to complement the colours you have already chosen. I don’t like to confuse a design with too many colours so I stuck with a simple scheme of magenta, white and black. 05. Save and export Exporting artboards is a little different from saving normal Photoshop documents, but the Artboards To Files option makes it a simple task Save the document in .psd format. The file will already be RGB and ready for digital platforms. To export one of the artboards, without the surrounding pasteboard, go to Export > Artboards to Files. After designating a file name and destination, you get the option to export all artboards or just the one selected. Change the filetype to jpg and turn the quality up to 12 in the Export options. Then press Run and upload the finished banner to its desired location. View the full article

Visual builders have existed for a long time for WordPress, but have always caused division with their use. Most had significant drawbacks in terms of page speed and the code that they generate, and more often than not the drag and drop blocks in the editing screen were not a realistic representation of the final result. On the other hand, sometimes you just want to be able to design and prototype quickly without having to write code. Using the pagebuilder plugin Elementor with the right setup, WordPress can be converted into a minimalistic visual website builder, almost independent of the theme, that wields an array of settings, allowing you to create complex designs with ease. Using the Twenty Nineteen default WordPress theme, you can build a ready-to-use canvas that can be used to prototype or build production-ready WordPress websites. With this canvas, we will make a simple page with two sections and a contact form. We will make the web page mobile-friendly, and using two plugins, we will address the main concern with using a visual builder and minimise the page’s already minimal load time. Use the icon in the top right of each image to enlarge it The best WordPress hosting services in 2019 01. Install a copy of WordPress To kick things off, install a copy of WordPress on the system you are using. We are using a program called Laragon which offers a quick install option to create an instance on my machine. 02. Remove the parts you don’t need Give yourself a clutter-free page to work with Head over to plugins, and delete everything that comes bundled with WordPress. At the time of writing, it will streamline our efforts to install the ‘Classic Editor’ plugin to disable the new Gutenburg editor. To reduce clutter, we should also go to Appearance > Widgets and remove all widgets. 03. Pick a theme with a header and footer The only part of the theme we will use is the header and footer – everything else will be stripped back. We will be using the default Twenty Nineteen theme, and will show you some quick alterations to make it look sharp. When using Elementor, the less the theme does the better. 04. Install Elementor and create a page You'll find Elementor in the WordPress plugins library Use the WordPress plugin search to find Elementor and install it. Once installed and activated, create a new page. Name the new page ‘Home’ and save it as a draft so that it exists in the database. Click ‘Edit in Elementor.’ This will load the Elementor visual builder. 05. Full width the page Looking at the page, it’s constrained to the boxed layout of our theme. To disable this, click the cog at the bottom left of the Elementor editor and change ‘page layout’ to ‘Elementor Full Width’. If you are making a website without many pages, you might consider the ‘Elementor Canvas’ option, which removes the header and footer too. 06. Add some content Give yourself some content to work with Now that we have a blank page, we should give ourselves something to work with. Click on the Elementor grid icon at the top right of the editor to see all available elements. A header block and text block are added by dragging these into the middle of the page. These two elements will help us style our typography. 07. Remove heading lines You may notice when using the Twenty Nineteen theme that a line is rendered above all headings. Let’s remove that using the WordPress customise tool. While we’re here, I will also add a logo in the site identity settings and some menu items. 08. Fix the content width Ensure the content lines up with the header Our content section doesn’t quite line up with the header. This is because Twenty Nineteen uses a calculated margin to set the width of the header and footer. We can replicate this on our Elementor sections for consistency with some CSS. We should also increase the content width in the main Elementor settings page. 09. Make an opening section Drag in the elements you want to include We’ll start with the top section of the page, which will contain a small amount of text and an image. Delete our section from earlier and replace it with a new two-column section by clicking the red plus. Drag in a header, a text editor and a button to the left column. On the right we’ll drag in an image. 10. Add a background Select the section either by hovering over it and clicking the blue tab, or using the navigator at the bottom right of the Elementor buttons. You will see three tabs – layout, style and advanced. Using the layout tab, give our section a height of 80vh. Select Style to find the options, and use the background option to set a background of #0073aa. 11. Style the text You can change the font for your whole document in one go To change the font for our entire document, we can click on ‘Default fonts’ in the hamburger menu at the top of the Elementor bar. You can also click on your individual text elements and use the Style tab to change colour and other options. 12. Use a background overlay effect A great addition is the ability to quickly add background overlays from the section style tab. Select our section and go to the background tab. Give our background an image to give it texture, then go to ‘Background overlay’, the dropdown below, and select a gradient background overlay. 13. Create a call to action The second section of our page will be a call to action section. We will embed Contact Form 7, but anything that can generate a shortcode will work. Make a new section with two columns, or right click on our last section and duplicate it. Install your contact form plugin and generate the shortcode for your form. In the right column, drag in a shortcode widget and paste the shortcode into the box. 14. Mobile friendly Don't forget to tweak your design for mobile To access mobile options for our page, you will need to turn on ‘Responsive options’ at the bottom of the Elementor panel. By selecting ‘Mobile’ mode, we can see that our sections will need some padding. Using the mobile option, which you can check by making sure there is a blue icon next to each setting, our choices will not affect the main desktop view. However, any layout changes made in this mode will affect the desktop view. 15. Optimise images To minimise page load speed concerns, we should run an image compression. This can be done through a plugin or through your web server. For now, let’s use a popular plugin, EWWW image optimiser, to set a maximum quality and width for our images, and then run an optimisation. 16. Cache pages to boost performance Make your site lightning-fast with help from a cache plugin Finally, we will install a cache plugin to maximise load times for our page. There are many cache plugins out there, but currently, Cache Enabler is low profile and works well with this setup. With the cache enabled, the website loads quickly. It also has a fully functional visual builder in the background. It’s the perfect fast-working blank canvas for you to design on. Join us on 26 September for Generate CSS, a bespoke conference for web designers brought to you by Creative Bloq, net and Web Designer. Save £50 with an Early Bird Ticket when you book before 15 August 2019. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 287 or subscribe. Read more: 40 brilliant WordPress tutorials Use WordPress as a headless CMS What’s new in WordPress 5.0? View the full article

It probably won’t surprise you to know that the creative industry is full of shy and introverted people; we’re all familiar with the idea of the quiet artist, beavering away studiously in the corner. But there are two things you might not be aware of. Firstly, although the terms are often used interchangeability, shyness and introversion are not the same thing. An introverted person finds social activity tiring, and craves periods of solitude to recover (as opposed to an extroverted person, whose energy rises when being actively social). But that doesn’t necessarily mean they lack confidence: so it’s possible, for example, to be a shy extrovert, or a confident introvert. A second thing you might not be aware of, if you’re a shy and/or introverted creative planning to go freelance, is that you’re in good company. It might not seem like it, but many of the most successful people in our industry are in exactly the same boat. Even if it doesn't show in their portfolios (see our favourite design portfolio examples and see if you can guess who's an introvert). But how do you promote yourself, if the mere idea of learning how to network or selling your services to strangers makes you want to crawl up into a ball? Clients enjoy someone who actually listens to them when they talk, and introverts are most of the time very good at listening to people Mylène Boyrie First of all, you should realise that introversion or shyness can be beneficial to your creative life. As freelance designer Mylène Boyrie points out: “Clients enjoy someone who actually listens to them when they talk, and introverts are most of the time very good at listening to people. If you take advantage of this, it helps you to better understand the clients' personalities and how you’re going to communicate effectively with them.” In this post, we speak to a range of freelance creatives who’ve felt daunted by self-promotion, hear about their experiences, and get their top tips for breaking out of the self-promo panic. 01. Pursue personal projects Cerberus is a series of images championing three great sportswomen and was a personal project collaboration by photographer Philip Haynes and designer Craig Minchington Award-winning designer Craig Minchington has suffered from social anxiety throughout his freelance career, and speaks openly and thoughtfully about his mental health challenges on his Medium blog. “Anxiety can make everything difficult, and can be crippling at times,” he tells us. “And as a freelancer, it often makes it difficult to deal with self-promotion. Things like networking events and meet-and-greets, making yourself known face-to-face, or cold-calling studios can be gut-wrenching and exhausting. I certainly wasn’t up to facing that at first. So I looked in to alternative ways to promote myself.” One strategy he found useful was to focus producing personal projects or collaborations. “Think about it,” he says. “You have new work to show off, and it’s often your best stuff because it’s what you want to be creating and you’re excited to show it to the world. “You can produce and promote it all from a comfortable place, at home, via social media channels, or if you collaborated on the work then your partner in crime can help promote it too.” 02. Set yourself goals Work for O2 by Craig Minchington, covering web, animation and art direction Another way that Minchington often promotes himself is to make tailored portfolios and send them out to contacts. “These can be people you know, peers you have made over the internet, or people you have searched out online,” he explains. “Do you want to have your work seen by the creative director from XBox? Then jump on LinkedIn and take the time to find the right people to send work to. If there is a studio you love, then don’t send a portfolio to their generic ‘Hello@example.com’ email address; give them a call and ask for the best person to send an email through to. People are generally nice and will often look to help you out.” Of course, a lack of confidence can hold you back in doing these things effectively. “I used to start all my emails with an apology, like I was taking up their time,” he recalls. “Something like ‘Sorry for bothering but was hoping that if you had a second you may take the time to look at my portfolio”….what the hell is that? So remember that you went freelance because you feel that your work offers something to the world; if not why are you doing it? You need to wear that confidence, just don’t be arrogant.” Most importantly, he stresses, don’t expect instant results. “It is unlikely that you’ll officially stick your ‘freelance’ flag pole in to the ground and that second work will start flying in,” he notes. “So have a plan of what you would like to achieve, how you’re going to go about getting work, and what you’ll do if you don’t get anything for a little while. Have a passion project in mind to fill those quiet days. Having daily, short-term and long-term to-do lists and goals will help keep you on track.” 03. Make the most of online communities Client work by Sush Kelly for OpenActive, a community led initiative using data to help people get active in England An interactive designer and web developer based in Birmingham, Sush Kelly describes himself as “mainly introverted but a little bit shy. I can speak to people but have to suppress anxiety, which sometimes means I don’t focus 100 per cent on the conversation.” For this reason, he’s channelled his networking efforts online throughout his career. “Real-life networking is never on the top of my list, as it pushes all my shy/introvert buttons,” he explains. “Having to approach a group of people I don’t know and talk to them, retain names, and big myself up are things that don’t come naturally to me. I've toughed it out when needed, but only when the potential outweighed the things holding me back.” Being able to break down these initial barriers means a future meeting won’t be half as anxiety-inducing Sush Kelly In contrast, he’s found the web a much better place to promote himself. “You can have conversations and engage with people you most likely wouldn’t in real life situations,” he enthuses. “For example, I chat to quite a few notable designers and developers on Twitter, but would probably have bottled walking up to them at a conference. Being able to break down these initial barriers means a future meeting won’t be half as anxiety-inducing.” Of course, social media can often be anxiety-inducing in itself, but he stresses that you don’t have to flaunt yourself. "For example, Instagram Stories and vlogging are not my thing at all, but I do like a nicely framed arty Instagram shot and writing, so I know can have an impact in those areas," he says. "Just stick to channels that don’t trigger you. Try and force yourself to engage in things if the opportunity is really good, but don’t sweat it if not.” Finally, he notes that: “Video chats are not as hectic as real life. In fact, after having a fear about them, I'm starting to quite like them. Just remember to drive the conversation so you don’t have those weird moments of silence or both speaking!” When it comes to interacting with people in real-life, Boyrie finds it a great help if she’s previously spoken to them on social media. “There are people whom I've known on Twitter for years, and have never met them,” she says. “But when I do meet these people, usually at conferences, we already have a common ground, stuff to talk about, and have a sense of the other's personality.” And this is something she feels is getting easier and easier. “Introvert personalities are a little more understood and accepted than 10 years ago, and there are many introvert accounts to follow” she says. “So try to find likeminded people. They’re dealing with the same difficulties as you, which means you can both relate, share tips, have meaningful conversations and feel less like outcasts.” 04. Do your research Artwork and design for Axel Boy’s single Escapism (Circus Records) by Mark Leary Based in Nottingham, Mark Leary is an artist, illustrator, designer, photographer, project manager and art director. Shyness is not a big day-to-day issue for him, he notes. “When I'm in a situation where I feel I know what I'm doing, such as in my work, I'm relatively confident,” he says. “I’m only really shy in situations where I'm uncertain, such as on the first day backstage at an event where I don't really know my way around yet.” He does, however, class himself as an introvert. “I enjoy collaborating creatively and chatting through ideas, but find social interactions quite draining,” he explains. “So if I have a few days that are packed full of calls, meetings and collaboration, I'll try to plan in a couple of days of work by myself after that, to collect my thoughts and recharge my social batteries.” All this limits his options when it comes to self-promotion. “I'm not someone who feels confident marching into an unfamiliar situation unprepared, so cold-calling around studios, publications or record labels was never going to be in my skill set,” he says. If I want to self-promote, I have to do the research and build the connections over time, in order to be able to do so confidently Mark Leary Over time, though, he’s come to realise that that's a good thing. “Because it means that if I want to self-promote, I have to do the research and build the connections over time, in order to be able to do so confidently, and I’ve found that gets better results than cold calling anyway.” Importantly, he feels that building personal relationships is not all about one-way traffic. “Recommendations and introductions are a big part of my self-promotion work,” he says. “For example, I work with artists, producers, labels, managers, PRs and printers across the music industry. So I can often introduce one to the other to help fill a gap in their production chain. And equally, I'll ask them to look out for opportunities to connect me with anyone who might be able to use my services” “It's a really organic process and it's not a straight transaction like, ‘You recommend me for X and I'll recommend you for Y’. It's more a case of making those connections when the opportunity arises, so all the time, I'm seeing new client enquiries come in where it's a case of, ‘I was given your name by…’. 05. Don't avoid chances to network Artwork and design for Massive Wagon's album Full Nelson by Mark Leary (Earache Records) Many people find the idea of real-world networking at events terrifying. But you don’t have to spend the whole time hustling and thrusting your business card into strangers’ faces. Leary suggests that even if you spend most of the time in the corner, attending the event in itself can be worthwhile “It's easy to avoid events and opportunities to network because you feel like you're too introverted for it to be worthwhile,” he says. “But even if you only talk to one person, it's one more connection you wouldn't have made from your desk. Also, people get to know your face, and being able to put a face to a name can make all the difference when it comes to recommendations.” 06. Write a blog Blogging is a great way to get your name out there, as long as you do it regularly! Boyrie first went freelance in 2010. But being both shy and introverted, she initially suffered greatly from 'imposter syndrome'. “At that time, most of the advice I found about promoting yourself was written by, and for, extroverts,” she recalls. “So for a while, it felt like I didn't belong in this community, because I wasn't this outgoing person who mingles easily with other people in social gatherings and has no problem giving a spontaneous elevator speech to a total stranger.” One self-promotional technique that did work for her, though, was writing a blog. “I published tutorials and tips in line with the work I was doing, and got some really good feedback,” she explains. “That brought me some new clients, as well as setting myself up as knowledgable and articulate about my work.” She went on to design video courses, and the feedback was even better, which got her more gigs. “I was then asked to give real-life training in professional training centers and design and web schools. These experiences were hard at first, but they gave me a little more self-confidence, and I started to enjoy training people.” 07. Get involved with events If you're shy or introverted, speaking at or organising events can be easier than just being an attendee Boyrie’s blogging helped to both promote her services to clients and boost her confidence generally. “I started attending meetups, more to learn than to mingle, to be honest, which is still difficult for me,” she says. “But then I started being part of the local WordPress community where I live, and soon was part of the organising team too. We organised two WordCamps, and I found that I helps a lot with talking to people and mingling.” In short, being in an official capacity breaks down many of the psychological barriers to chatting with strangers. “People spontaneously come to talk to me, because they know who I am, or just see that I'm part of the team on my badge and T-shirt, and that takes a lot of anxiety out of being sociable,” says Boyrie. And as technology leader Kevin Goldsmith noted, this applies to giving talks too. “One of the reasons I like speaking at conferences is because it makes networking a lot easier,” he tweeted. “People know who you are and have something to talk to you about. Seems counterintuitive, but one of the best things for introverts is to become speakers!” 08. Find an event buddy Finding a conference buddy can make attending seem much less intimidating Boyrie’s final tip for real-world networking is to try to find someone who can accompany you to meetings and social gatherings. “It's really hard to be in the situation where you don't know anyone in the room and hang out alone in a corner while eveyone ignores you,” she says. “I experienced this several times. It sucks.” Who to ask? “Maybe you have a friend that work in the same line of work than you, or have met one or two people who are frequent visitors of your coworking space. Also, when going to a meetup, for example, you can check on the website who is going to be there. Maybe you already know someone, or you can ask someone if they want to go to the event with you? “Also, some conferences try to create ice breaker situations to help people talk to each other and mingle, so take advantage of that, if you can. And if you know someone on Twitter and know they are going to be there, you can ask them if they want to meet with you, too.” 09. Make the trade-off Kayla Naab's website invites users to take up space While there are many strategies to help you self-promote, there’s no sugar-coating it: as a shy or introverted person, you’ll probably be at a disadvantage compared to more confident and extroverted people. And so at a certain level, that’s probably going to mean making some kind of trade-off between your life and work. Kayla Naab offers a good example. Based in Washington, she’s a consultant helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with their branding and content marketing. Yet she describes herself as “introverted full-time and socially uncomfortable sometimes”; something she’s aware doesn’t always mesh well with her line of work. “Referrals are a huge part of service businesses, so being averse to networking is something I struggle with,” she says. “I’m a good writer and that's been a saving grace for digital promotion, but a lot of it has been saving up all my social energy for business. And so I don't do as much recreationally social any more. Plus I try to spread out my prospecting calls or other overwhelming tasks, so I don't burn out.” It's important to understand this is all a trade-off Kayla Naab And yet she has no regrets about making the plunge from salaried worker to freelancer. Because the former wasn’t exactly a cakewalk either, and freelancing does at least let you manage your activities in a way that suits you. “It's important to understand this is all a trade-off,” says Naab. “Instead of eight straight daily hours of pretending to care about your co-workers’ problems, making small talk with your boss, and being in meetings in person, you can spread out your people-handling, mute yourself in meetings, and cuddle a pet of your choice. “Yes, you'll trade for having to be on sales calls, manage client relationships, and promote yourself but theres another hidden benefit: all that work is worth it when it's an investment in you. Why do that same amount of work and be just as uncomfortable at a job, plus lose time commuting, gain less diverse experience, and give it all to make someone else's dream come true? Decide what's worth it to you.” Read more: 5 inspired self-promo ideas for design agencies 5 essential rules of self-promotion The expert guide to working from home View the full article

Researcher creates 'Selfblow' proof-of-concept attack for exploiting a vulnerability that exists in "every single Tegra device released so far". View the full article

We all had an awkward phase when we were growing up, and Photoshop is no exception. And thanks to this visual history, you can now track the design history of the popular Adobe software from 1990 all the way through to its current form. This is thanks to the Version Museum, an online resource which showcases the visual history of popular websites, games, apps and operating systems. While you might not find perfect examples website layout here, you will find an amusing glimpse into the history of your favourite platforms. "Much like walking through a real-life museum, Version Museum aims to illustrate the visual, tangible elements of various versions of technology, rather than just the written history behind it," the site explains on its about page. And what better place to show how far design has come than Photoshop? After all, it's the platform we'd use to airbrush out all the dodgy haircuts and poor fashion choices from our own, unfashionable histories. The best Adobe deals in 2019 For readers of a certain age, the Design History of Photoshop will make you feel warmly nostalgic. For our younger audience, it'll make you look on in amused fascination that these pixelated controls were once considered cutting edge. Check out some of its iterations in the gallery below, the head on over to the Design History of Photoshop to see the full archive. The screen shots in the Version Museum have been compiled from a variety of sources, including fandom.com, winworldpc.com and guidebookgallery.org. It's interesting to see how some elements of Photoshop have changed radically, such as its logo design which morphed from an eye, to a feather, to the 'Ps' lettering we all know today. Meanwhile other parts, such as the Color Picker controls, have just been given a spit polish over the years. If this has whetted your appetite for more retro web designs, check out the responses to the 10 year challenge, which saw the world's biggest websites reveal what they looked like back in 2009. Related articles: Photoshop CC 2019 review The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette How to resize an image in Photoshop View the full article

From the cover to the last page, Computer Arts magazine in championing new talent this issue – showcasing the winning entry of its cover competition, by Hazel Mason, with accompanying spot UV and pink Pantone to give the illustration and extra punch. Inside, the team reveal their top picks of creative UK graduates that you should keep an eye on in 2019. They've scoured the UK for the very best, most original graphic designers and illustrators, and the results speak for themselves – the future of the creative industries is looking pretty healthy! > Buy Computer Arts issue 295 now Elsewhere in the issue, explore five amazing examples of collaboration, from creating a book of poetry to producing an award-winning line of confectionary products. The mag also lifts the lid on the process behind two major new projects – the new redesign of Foilco. by Studio DBD and the new identity of The Syrup Company. > Save up to 71% on a Computer Arts subscription Catch up with the irreverent Spanish creative duo Twee Muizen, and look at their genre-mashing work that spans massive murals to friendly taxidermy. SODA Studio open up their headquarters to show you how they blend architecture and design, and as ever there's loads of insight from the industry leaders inside. Get your copy now! Computer Arts is the world's best-selling design magazine, bursting at the seams with insight, inspiration, interviews and all the best new design projects. For all this delivered direct to your door each month, subscribe to Computer Arts. Right now you can save up to 59 per cent on a print subscription. Digital editions are also available. Related articles: Broaden your horizons: why you should study design abroad 7 ways to make your studio more Instagram-friendly Discover 2019's hottest design books View the full article

Did you pick up a bargain this Amazon Prime Day? If so, you probably didn't find a better deal than these lucky photographers who saved tens of thousands of dollars on camera gear due to a pricing error. We tried our hardest to bring you the best Prime Day deals this year (and you'll still find the cheapest prices on our roundup of the best cameras), but even we couldn't compete with this Amazon blunder that saw the reduced price on a range of different products appearing as $94.50, rather than the intended discount price. For snappers looking to take their photography skills to the next level, this was a once in a blue moon opportunity to grab expensive equipment for next to nothing. The pricing error was first noticed on a Sony Alpha a6000 and 16-50mm lens bundle, which had been accidentally reduced to $94.50 instead of $550. This miraculous deal was soon shared on Slickdeals, where it unsurprisingly hit the front page. Not everyone was able to see the hugely reduced price, but those that could were able to add a mega bargain to their baskets. It's important to add that this wasn't an error being pulled through by third-party sites, these orders were being processed and shipped by Amazon itself. Slickdeals member 'Steeve' confirmed that his order had been shipped The discount price of $94.50 was soon being spotted on other products and bundles. One lucky shopper was able to pick up a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS, which usually retails for $13,000, for less than $100. Now that's what we call a discount. They even registered their disbelief with the comment: "LOL waiting for the cancellation but that's like 99.3% off." And while it's reasonable to expect that Amazon would cancel orders that are obviously too heavily discounted due to an error, Slickdeals member 'Steeve' shared confirmation that the photography gear had been handed over to UPS and would indeed be shipped at the unbelievably cheap price (see above). The forum thread over on Slickdeals is filled with hundreds of comments where photographers celebrate that they managed to nab a discount camera. Meanwhile others commiserate that they missed out. Related articles: The best camera phones in 2019 Photography cheat sheet helps you take better photos The best cameras for beginners in 2019 View the full article

A trailer has finally dropped for movie adaptation of Cats, and... honestly, we're not quite sure what to say. When the venture was announced, we were sceptical, but happy to suspend judgement – after all, progressions in VFX and mo-cap have unlocked exciting new doors in movies. In a world where a plastic spork can become a legitimate main character (Toy Story 4) and singing warthogs seem perfectly believable (The Lion King), surely rendering a plausible take on this feline fiesta shouldn't pose too much of a problem? Well it seems not. Judging by what we've seen so far, Tom Hooper's reimagining of the phenomenally popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is all kinds of wrong. One thing's for sure, this 'demented dream ballet' isn't likely to enter our ranking of the best 3D movies any time soon. Take a look at the full trailer below, then read on for what we think are the four most bonkers CGI decisions. 01. The cats look like humans covered in fur What am I looking at? First up, let's decide what you're going for here. Realistic creatures conveying human emotions? That works – just look at the Lion King remake. Humans that give the impression of cats through stylised costumes and body movements? Another strong approach – go ahead. But no. The film-makers here have opted for something between the two: super-realistic CGI cat fur (achieved using 'digital fur technology' nonetheless) paired with entirely human faces and human proportions, but (understandably) no accurate anatomical details. Whoever decided this eerie hybrid of human and feline could be anything other than a one-way ticket to uncanny valley was sorely mistaken. We'll see you in our nightmares, Mr Mistoffelees. 02. No one can decide what size the cats are By all means bend the rules of nature and ask the audience to suspend their disbelief, but if you're going to do that you at least need to be consistent. In the Cats stage show, the cats are human sized. Here, the technology is there to shrink them down to the scale of a natural cat. However, across the course of this two-and-a-half minute trailer the feline characters are variously the size of a piece of cutlery, roughly real-cat-sized, and entirely human-sized. It's all a bit distracting. 03. Only some cats wear clothes Cover up, won't you? How clothes work in this nightmarish alternate world is incredibly hard to fathom. Many of the cats, as you would expect of a cat, are naked but for the aforementioned realistic fur. However, others wear clothes, ranging from jackets to top hats. Judi Dench's gender-swapped Old Deuteronomy, already a fairly fluffy breed, sports a fur coat in the same colour as her fur. Where does this fur come from? Another cat? Let's not dwell on the logistics there too much. 04. Lady cats have cleavage Taylor Swift as you've never seen her before The last of our gripes is perhaps the most upsetting of all: there are a number of shots that suggest these kitties – the females in particular – are meant to be sexy. While the addition of animal ears or tails might float some people's boats, even Hefner would surely have been thrown by a furry Taylor Swift wearing heels. And absolutely no one wants to see a cat with cleavage. Read more: 30 greatest CGI movie moments of all time View the full article