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You can never have too many design books, and luckily there are fresh ones coming out all the time, providing everything from visual inspiration through to in-depth information across a wealth of design-related subjects. Not only that, a good thick design book is the ideal thing to put your monitor on to give it a bit of extra height. The only problem with design books is that they don't tend to come cheap, so you need to know which ones are worth your money. That's why we've rounded up some of the best we've seen this year, from graphic design books through to typography, branding and packaging; read on for some great design reading. 8 must-read books for design students 01. Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design Bask in the visual glory of the Jet Age There's a distinctive look to mid-20th century graphic design that still appeals today. Fuelled by a burst of post-war energy, artists and designers began creating work notable for experimental type, vivid colour palettes and energetic compositions, and Theo Inglis' Mid-Century Modern Graphic Design turns the spotlight on this lively visual movement. Featuring hundreds of colour illustrations showcasing the work of such luminaries as Ray Eames, Saul Bass, Elaine Lustig Cohen and Corita Kent, it's an essential guide to the the mid-century style, its development and how it still influences design today. 02. Pan Am: History, Design & Identity Pan Am's visual history is a high-flying compendium of great design It's hard to believe these days just how big Pan Am was in the 20th century. Right up to its collapse in 1991, it was the world's biggest and best-known airline, with an iconic blue globe logo and a knack for effective publicity campaigns featuring some of the best design and advertising in the business. The visual history of Pan Am is a design goldmine, and Pan Am: History, Design & Identity, featuring a stack of never-before-published images, is a must-have guide to it. The standard edition has already sold out, but a premium edition – featuring extra images, as well as spot varnishes and Pantone colours – is well worth investing in. 03. Now Try Something Weirder Exactly 233 design tips from Michael Johnson If you're looking for a book full of hints, tips and advice on how to work with clients, deal with design briefs, deliver fantastic presentations and generally improve your creative confidence, then look to Michael Johnson's Now Try Something Weirder. It features exactly 233 tips drawn from over 30 years in the creative industries, and promises to share Johnson's ultimate secrets to enviable success; sounds like a good deal to us, and it's now available in a more portable paperback format. 04. Queer X Design It's not all about the rainbow flag Starting long before the Stonewall riots and coming right up to the present day, Queer X Design highlights and celebrates the many inventive and subversive designs that have helped drive the LGBTQ movement over the years. You're doubtless familiar with Gilbert Baker's rainbow flag, but that's just a tiny part of a vast history of queer design that's covered here. From protest badges through to the AIDS quilts of the 1980s and beyond, it's an inspiring and colourful visual history of design harnessed to bring about political and societal change. 05. Jan Tschichold and the New Typography Discover one of the inventors of modern graphic design One of the most influential figures in modern graphic design, Jan Tschichold was a designer, writer and theorist who, inspired by the work of the Bauhaus school, helped bring about a revolution in visual culture between the two World Wars. Thanks to Tschichold's influence, print design in the 20th century became more dynamic and elemental, and Jan Tschichold and the New Typography by Paul Stirton expertly traces his impact as well as his own influences. 06. The Big Book of Font Combinations Stuck for a font combo? Find inspiration here Finding the perfect font pairing can be a nightmare, and it's one that gets ever bigger as the size of your font collection increases. So here's a much easier way to find the right font combination for your work without spending hours hunting down and fiddling with fonts. Over 370 pages, The Big Book of Font Combinations presents you with more than 350 typeface pairings that combine the most popular fonts in the business to stunning effect. It's perfect for inspiring browsing, it can save you time and it'll also help you work out your own font combinations in future. 07. The Graphic Design Reader A massive source of serious design reading Featuring writings by key design and cultural critics including Adrian Shaughnessy, Leslie Atzmon and Steven Heller, The Graphic Design Reader is pitched as an essential resource for students, researchers and practitioners of graphic design. Over the course of 800 pages – supplemented by 360 illustrations – this hefty volume covers is a treasure trove of scholarly and insightful writing that starts with the history of graphic design, moves through a number of topics including education, criticism and political and social issues, and finishing on the future – or futures – of graphic design. Enormous and wide-ranging, it's a must for anyone serious about the subject. 08. Own Label: Sainsbury's Design Studio 1962-1977 Explore the work of the Sainsbury's Design Studio Any lover of packaging design is certain to be delighted by this exhaustive collection, showcasing the revolutionary creative work behind Sainsbury's Own Label products in the 1960's and 70's. Headed up by Peter Dixon, the Sainsbury's Design Studio developed packaging that was simple, modern, stripped-back and thoroughly creative, and helped build the supermarket into the retail giant that it is today. More than a nostalgic trip down memory lane – although it's hard not to enjoy it from that perspective – Own Label: Sainsbury's Design Studio 1962-1977 is a beautiful and in-depth overview of an incredible body of work. Related articles: 11 books that changed designers' lives How to self-publish a book The 11 best drawing books View the full article

If you want to build a lucrative career in product management, get your hands on the Pay What You Want: The Lean Six Sigma Certification Training Bundle. And as its name suggests, it can be yours for whatever price you decide to pay! If your company is looking to get ahead of the competition, the Lean Six Sigma business process improvement methodology is a proven way to do that. At your organisation, Lean Six Sigma training can improve your career prospects, as it's sought after by many industries across the board. The best VPN service 2019 With this course, you'll gain a pretty impressive foundation in the principles and methodologies behind this system. And you'll pass certification exams that will prove your skills to potential employers. Pick up Pay What You Want: The Lean Six Sigma Certification Training Bundle today. Related articles: How to grow your design business The 21 best business card designs How to run a design business with just an iPad View the full article

Lenovo patches enterprise and SMB network attached storage devices for a vulnerability that leaked data to the public internet. View the full article

The issue, present on Android versions, is similar to the known man-in-the-disk attack vector. View the full article

Amazon Prime Day is winding down, but there's still time to grab some of the best Prime Day deals. And if you're after a massive saving on headphones, this Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over-ear wireless headphones deal will be music to your ears. That's because Amazon has slashed its price by 54%. Not an Amazon Prime member? Sign up for a free trial to claim this discount. These Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over-ear wireless headphones come in a sleek and stylish black, and use Bluetooth technology to give you wireless freedom. And thanks to NoiseGard hybrid active noise cancellation, you can listen to your music, podcasts or audiobooks without any disturbance. As is the case with all Prime Day deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime member to claim this bargain. The good news is that it's free and easy to sign up. And if you decide to close your subscription before the first fee kicks in, you're completely free to do so. So if you like the look of these headphones, you can click by then close your Prime account immediately. Alternatively, you can of course stay signed up to enjoy that sweet Prime service all year round. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India If you're after other deals on Sennheiser headphones, check out the ones we've listed below. Related articles: The best wireless headphones in 2019 The best noise-cancelling headphones for 2019 5 top tips for creating a productive workspace View the full article

Not sure if you've heard, but it's Amazon Prime Day. Maybe you're not a Prime member, or maybe you just prefer shopping elsewhere, but either way we have some good news for you. This year a load of retailers – in the US as well as the UK – have got in on the act with offers of their own. Buckle in: these are the very best Prime Day deals that *don't* come from Amazon... (Or if you don't care where your bargains come from, check out our guide to the best Amazon Prime deals). View the full article

There's nothing like a redesign of a popular app or service to really get people's blood boiling. It's not so much that everybody fears change, more that enough people fear change to make a really loud noise about it when it happens. Considering how cross people get when a company unveils a new logo design, a whole new site redesign is bound to make waves. So given the news that Twitter is rolling out a completely revamped website with an updated look and feel, well, you can guess the rest. Folks aren't happy. And to be fair, there's a lot to dislike about new Twitter; everything that you hate about the app version is now there on the desktop. So for example, by default it'll show you a timeline based around 'top tweets' rather than a straightforward chronological list. You can opt for it to show you tweets chronologically, but sooner or later it'll dump you back into the 'top tweets' view, much the same as Facebook does with its 'top stories' and 'most recent' timelines. Combine PWA and AMP for ultra-fast mobile experiences There's some weird redundancy going on in the form of the new 'Bookmarks' feature, too. Up until now, virtually everyone used the 'Like' function as a bookmark; it did the job and as a bonus it also made people slightly happy. Not as happy as getting an actual retweet, but them's the breaks. Now, though, there's a new icon beneath every tweet, reminiscent of the iOS Share icon, that lets you add a tweet to the new Bookmarks section of your profile. In the same dropdown there's the option to copy the link to that tweet, something that used to appear in the dropdown at the top right of tweets, along with the option to embed a tweet, amongst other things. Weirdly, the embed option is still up there, even though it's in the same functional ballpark as the copy link option. It's all a bit of a UX nightmare; why are the embed and copy link options in separate dropdowns? It all feels like a bit of a mess; in its blog post, Twitter lists all the exciting new features that have been added, most of which are things we're pretty sure you've never wanted. It's all summarised in this little video: It's not all bad; the two dark mode options are a welcome addition, and the easy switching accounts will be a bonus for anyone with more than one account on the go. But those little benefits feel like less of a win next to that ludicrously fat sidebar menu and in-your-face trends, and the fact that when you're scrolling through your timeline, everything feels a bit sluggish and stuttery. The big win for Twitter here is that this new site is a PWA that'll work on everything, and that's designed to look amazing on most mobile devices. We suspect a part of the problem is that, like mobile-first sites, PWAs rarely look quite as good in a desktop browser. One advantage of PWAs is that they can be installed as stand-alone apps, which may result in better desktop performance. The big issue, though, is that people plain don't like change, and the #NewTwitter hashtag is overflowing with rage right now. Ultimately, though, we imagine everyone will get used to it sooner or later. Related articles: How to nail your social media strategy 6 ways to go viral on Twitter What web designers can learn from social media View the full article

You're reading Improve Your Email Campaigns with These Fantastic Tools, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Testing email newsletters is vital, even if it seems that nothing can go wrong with such a small amount of text and minimal design. Many traps await if you aren’t careful. The main problems that occur when you do not … View the full article

As part of Amazon's Prime Day deals, the company has launched a number of impressive lightning deals on products you wouldn't usually see discounted. One such offer is this MacBook Air discount, which sees the price of the popular Apple laptop dropped by $300! Usually listed at $999.99, this deal puts the price of the 13-inch MacBook Air down to a jaw-dropping $699.99. Haven't signed up to Prime yet? Sign up for a free trial now This silver 13" model comes a 1.8 GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 6000, 8GB RAM and 128GB of SSP space. In terms of specs it might not be as cutting edge as the MacBook Pro, however the MacBook Air's strengths are its long battery life and massive storage capabilities. Keep in mind that you're buying from a third party with this discount. But if you want to pick up an Apple device for less, and you're happy to buy from a reseller, this Amazon Prime Day price crash is your golden opportunity. After some more amazing discounts on Apple products? Head on over to our guide on why right now is the best time to buy an iPad Pro. Because this is a Lightning Deal, it's only available while stocks last. And given that lots of people want Apple devices for less, these MacBook Airs are likely to sell out fast. Remember: like all Amazon Prime Day deals, you need to be a Prime subscriber to place your order. The good news is that you can sign up to Amazon Prime for free, and leave before the first subscription charge kicks in. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India If you're not in the US, don't worry, we've got you covered with the best MacBook Air deals near you, just check out the links below: View the full article

It's day two of the 2019 Amazon Prime Day event and the best Prime Day deals are quickly being snapped up. If you're after a monitor, you've come to the right place. We've got all the best monitor deals right here. We've got deals on ultra-wide monitors, such as the Samsung LC49HG90DMUXEN 49" for just £809.19 (that's £190 off) through to smaller, cheaper monitors such as the HP 23.8-inch FHD IPS Monitor for just under $100. Scroll down for our pick of the best bargains on Prime Day monitors, though hurry, as most of these deals end at midnight tonight. If you're not sure what you're looking for find out more about ultra-wide monitors with our guide to the best ultra-wide monitors, or see our best monitors post. To qualify for the Prime Day deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime member (sign up here), although not all of our deals are from Amazon, so there really is something for everyone here. Best monitor deals on Amazon Prime Day (US) Best monitor deals on Amazon Prime Day (UK) Not a Prime member yet? You can sign up easily for a 30-day trial and can cancel at any time, so you won't be tied into anything as long as you remember to cancel at the end of the 30 days (set a reminder if you're likely to forget). Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India You can also check out more monitor deals below: Read more: The best monitors for programming The best monitors for photo editing The best monitor calibrators View the full article

It's day two of Amazon Prime Day, and the best Prime Day deals for creatives keep on coming. So if you're in the market for a new camera, today could be the day to pick one up because there are lots of photography-related discounts to be had. Amazon has already slashed £320 off the price of the Sony A7 III camera, but it's not the only retailer offering a good deal. Walmart has a generous deal on the Canon T6 EOS Rebel DSLR camera, which comes bundled with plenty of accessories at more than $700 less than the listing price. If Amazon's offers have got you reaching for your wallet, remember that you need to be an Amazon Prime member to claim the savings (sign up here). Without further ado, here are some of the best camera deals we've seen from Amazon. Best Amazon Prime Day camera deals (US) Best Amazon Prime Day camera deals (UK) Not signed up to Amazon Prime yet? Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India If you're after more discounts on cameras, check out our list of the best point and shoot cameras, and these deals: Related articles: The best camera for creatives in 2019 The best cameras for beginners in 2019 The best camera phones in 2019 View the full article

It's still Amazon Prime Day, but if you have an eye for a bargain but don't want to sign up for Prime then there are still some sweet deals to be had if you look around. One of the best we've seen today is available at Walmart. It has a cracking pair of deals on the Wacom Intuos Pro, and if you're in the market for a top quality graphics tablet then now's the time to pounce. If size matters to you then you'll want to take a look at Walmart's offer on the large Intuos Pro. It's available now for $399.95 – that's $100 off the RRP and a thoroughly inviting price for a multi-touch tablet with Wacom's Pro Pen 2, giving you 8.192 pressure levels plus around 60 levels of tilt recognition. The best saving, though, is on the medium sized model. A bit smaller than the large Intuos Pro, the medium is otherwise identical – not to mention more portable – and is on sale at Walmart for $279.95, again saving you $100, but taking a much bigger chunk off the RRP than you'll get with the larger Pro. Both models feature an intuitive multi-touch surface, eight express keys and a customisable touch ring, enabling you to set up your Intuos Pro to work best with your workflow. If you want to know more, take a look at our Wacom Intuos Pro review. And if you're keeping an eye out for Prime Day bargains, don't forget that you can take advantage of Amazon's deals by signing up for a free 30-day Prime trial that you can cancel as soon as you've stocked up on savings. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India Related articles: Want a cheaper Surface Pro 6 than Amazon's? Save big (and small!) with these stonking stylus deals Prime Day deal cuts almost £200 from Samsung's ultrawide monitor View the full article

Amazon Prime is now in its second day, and the best Prime Day deals for creatives just keep on coming. There are great savings to be had across devices such as tablets (see the best iPad Pro deals here), and although some of the savings on styluses might be smaller overall, they're still worth snapping up. The best deals include a Wacom Bamboo Sketch Fine Tip for just £55.36 at Amazon and a Microsoft Surface Pen Platinum for $34 off (now costing $66), also from Amazon, and there's even some money off Apple Pencil – although we'll be honest, it's not much (£10 off a second generation Apple Pencil from Amazon is the best you're gonna get). You'll need to be a Prime member (sign up here) to get most of the Amazon deals (although not all of them, be sure to check), but this year, other retailers are joining in on these summer sales, so even if you're not a Prime member, there are still plenty of bargains to be had. Read on to find your perfect styluses, at a discounted price. But hurry, many of these deals will run out at midnight on Tuesday 16 July, when Amazon Prime Day officially ends. Wacom stylus deals on Amazon Prime Day (US) Wacom stylus deals on Amazon Prime Day (UK) Apple Pencil deals on Amazon Prime Day (UK) Microsoft Surface Pen deals on Amazon Prime Day (US) Microsoft Surface Pen deals on Amazon Prime Day (UK) Other stylus deals on Amazon Prime Day (UK) Not signed up to Amazon Prime yet? Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India See more great stylus deals below: Read more: 19 best drawing apps for iPad Finally! The stylus Wacom users have been waiting for The best ultrawide monitor in 2019 View the full article

If you're after a shiny new Surface Pro 6 then it's hard to go wrong with Amazon's current Prime Day deals. Right now Prime members can get a 12.3-inch Surface Pro 6 for £749.99 – that's £279 off the RRP, and that's a pretty sweet deal for possibly the best 2-in-1 laptops on the market. But hang on a second; is that the best price you can get a Surface Pro 6 for? It definitely is on Amazon, but if you look around you'll find the likes of John Lewis, AO.com and Curry's selling a 12.3-inch Surface Pro 6 for just £689. So what's going on there? The difference you might have missed is in the specs – these £689 models only have 4GB of memory rather than the 8GB you'll find in the Amazon offer; not only that, the cheaper model packs a Intel Core m3 processor rather than the Core i5 at Amazon. And here's the Amazon deal as a reminder: So what you're getting for £60 less than Amazon's Prime Day offer is a Surface Pro 6 that isn't quite as good. Not terrible, by any means, but definitely not as powerful. The difference is probably best summed up by the product descriptions over at AO.com - while it says that the 8GB model 'delivers seamless multitasking', the 4GB model 'easily handles light multitasking'. However, if you're after a Surface Pro for work then you probably still want to head to Amazon. However if you're after a Surface Pro and you're not too bothered about performance, but even at its discounted price the Amazon offer is just a little too steep for you, then this is a fairly tidy alternative. You should still get plenty of use out of it and look good doing so. Our opinion on the matter? We'd totally pay the £60 extra for the one on Amazon, though. Get a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India Remember that you need to be a Prime member to take advantage of Prime Day deals. If you're not sure it's for you in the long term, sign up for a no-strings 30-day free trial, and you can always cancel later. Not in the UK? Take a look at the best Surface Pro 6 price in your territory: Related articles: Get our favourite wireless mouse for under $40 Today could be the best day EVER to get an iPad Pro deal The best Amazon device deals on Prime Day 2019 View the full article

If you were asked to make a list of your favourite artists, chances are you'd be able to explain the small quirks or creative decisions they've made that made an impact on you. You might have even tried to recreate these styles in your own pieces. But is honing a style – either someone else's or your own – an achievable goal? Or is it counter-intuitive to your development as an artist? The answers depend on how you want to work, and to figure everything out you need to listen to your instincts. This article explores how different artists have developed a 'look'. For more advice on honing your art, explore our guide to mastering different art techniques, and our roundup of tutorials exploring how to draw just about anything. Djamila Knopf’s style is quiet and contemplative Various factors contribute to the development of a style. For fantasy illustrator Djamila Knopf, it can all be traced back to watching Sailor Moon for the first time. "The minute that intro came on I was completely mesmerised," she explains. "To my five year-old self, the colours, the style, the story, the transformation scenes – it was all perfect. From then on, I drew Sailor Moon fan art non-stop and tried to emulate the style." Today Knopf describes her work as evoking a "sense of wonder and nostalgia", which sounds like a fitting way of carrying forward her formative anime experience. "I use colours that are far from realistic and so they create a more dream-like, alternate reality." Toni Infante describes his style as a mix of East and West Freelance illustrator Toni Infante had a similar experience upon discovering manga. "Dragon Ball was probably the first one I came across," he says. "Seeing those powerful characters with weird hair really left an impression on me. I think it's still easy to see the influence of Dragon Ball writer and illustrator Akira Toriyama on my style, which includes plenty of dynamic shapes and angles." Career options So honouring your influences can lead to your style, but can your style lead to work? According to Knopf, a signature style can both open and close doors to potential projects. "If you're someone who enjoys being a chameleon, all power to you! It can actually be great when you're working on different productions that require you to switch styles," she says. "But having a style that people recognise has its advantages, too. Because you're being hired for bringing your unique voice to a project. For me, the signature style has been my way to go. It makes me so happy when people tell me that they saw an illustration of mine and recognised the style. When I was trying to work like a Magic: The Gathering artist, I never received comments like that because all I did was try to mimic other people's styles." Dave Rapoza's first important influence was anime For illustrator, concept and comic artist Dave Rapoza, it's best not to overthink your approach and your position in the industry when it comes to style. "You'll always be looking to see what everyone else is doing to stand out and end up comparing your work to theirs, which can be very unhealthy for your development," he says. "When you're happy doing what you do, people can definitely tell. And if your style is also all your own through a melting pot of all your influences then you'll get work. Don't worry about trying to fit in – there's always someone out there like you in all industries." Dealing with criticism Following your inspirations can result in a conflict of artistic as well as professional interests. Some styles come under fire from other creators, which in Knopf's case left her feeling frustrated and insecure about her abilities. "As long as I can remember, everyone has tried to beat my anime influence out of me," she reveals. "I kept trying different styles that I thought were expected of me and that were properly ‘artistic', but I never settled on anything." After exploring different styles away from the glare of her teachers for a few years, Knopf decided to switch back to what is now her current style. "Ever since then, I've been having so much more fun with my work." The wrong portfolio can attract work you don't want, warns Toni Infante Anime and manga in particular seem to be susceptible styles. Given that the world is more connected than ever, Infante isn't surprised that they are popular styles, although that doesn't mean creators can rely on them entirely. "I think that if someone imitates a particular style or artist without adding in anything, they're not being honest with themselves," he says. "It's from the mix of influences that creative things happens." "Manga is an art style that only comes under criticism in a narrow field in this industry," Rapoza adds. "If you enjoy doing a manga style and it makes you excited to sit down every day and draw, then you must follow your instincts." Finding your voice Knowing yourself and what excites you sounds like straightforward advice, but sometimes even the most assured artists could do with a reminder to keep them on track. "An important thing I've learnt is that style is not only how you draw but what you draw," says Knopf. "Often, all it takes is for you to open your sketchbook and look at what you're doing when nobody gives you any instructions – the things you draw just for yourself. "If you're completely lost, creating an influence map could also be a useful exercise," she adds. "Think about the artists or IPs that resonate with you, put them on a grid and analyse each one. What do you like about it? How could you incorporate that aspect into your own work?" Don’t get too bogged down in styles, or you'll forget how to be yourself, says Djamila Knopf Rapoza takes a less methodical approach. "I don't think you can truly find your voice without failing over and over and never settling for comfort," he says. "Don't limit yourself by being afraid to show the weakness of what you do. Address it and put it out there on the forefront. Show people what it takes to achieve your best version of you as an artist." This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here. Read more: 15 tips for better creature design How to create powerful artistic compositions 27 top character design tips View the full article

It's Amazon Prime Day 2019 and we've already seen some awesome Prime Day deals ready for you to check out. Discounted for Amazon Prime members, this HISENSE 50-Inch 4K UHD HDR Smart TV (H50B7100UK) with Freeview Play has 33% off. Coming in at £299 (down from £449 – a saving of £150!) this is by far the cheapest price we've seen for this Smart TV. This was originally reported as a Lightning deal, but the good news it it looks like Amazon has extended the offer, so you now have a few more hours to snap up this bargain. Not an Amazon Prime member? Sign up for a free trial to claim this discount. Bring your viewing experience bang up to date with this 2019 Smart TV. It has a 4K Ultra HD screen that at 50 inches will feel like total immersion. With full Freeview Play included, and handy shortcut buttons for Netflix and freeplay on the remote, you can dive right into your favourite visual content. Reviews say the DTS Studio Sound quality is good enough that you can do without a fancy soundbar too – so it's an all-round win for value. If you'd like to compare some different TV options before you dive in, check out our post on the best cheap TV deals at Walmart in 2019. You do have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of these deals, but the 30-day free trial is perfect for you to qualify without having to pay. It's easy to sign up with no strings attached as you can cancel at anytime during your trial or subscription without charge. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India. For deals on comparable 4K Smart TVs today, check out those we've found for you below: Read more: The best monitors for video editing The best ultra-wide monitor in 2019 The best wireless speakers in 2019 View the full article

Working in the creative industries is undeniably inspiring. However that doesn't mean designers are exempt from creative block or not subject to the daily grind of life. When it comes to keeping your creative mojo, life experiences can provide huge amounts of inspiration, and so just imagine the impact upping sticks and moving to a different country to study could have on your creativity. This may seem like a wild idea, which could potentially take you massively out of your comfort zone. But what if we told you the opportunity to do short-term study in some of the most creative cities in the world was not only possible, but easy and affordable. Shillington offers three month (full time) and nine month (part time) graphic design courses in London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and New York. Fast-paced and industry-focussed, the short-term study on offer will arm you with a polished portfolio and all the skills to hit the design industry running. And it's a cinch to apply. There are lots of visa options that allow you to study design abroad. Research your options – it’s probably easier and more affordable than you think. "I studied on the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417), which allows you to enrol in a program for up to three months and work up to a year – it made perfect sense for the full time course, " says Lenny Kai Yang who left his home in Toronto to study at Shillington in Brisbane. Design student Lenny Kai Yang struggling with his decision to study in Brisbane A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity So it's super-easy to do and affordable, so what's holding you back? If it's taking that leap off faith and heading off to a destination unknown, we get it. It's a scary and daunting prospect. But so much more than that it's hugely exciting and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help you become a professional, world-savvy creative. “Jump in and go for it. I believe anyone will benefit from studying abroad. It is a great experience to step out of your comfort zone and be surrounded by new people and new adventures. You will learn so much about yourself and it is a real opportunity to rethink your priorities and where you want to go in life!” says Henriette van Baren, a former student who left Amsterdam for a three-month course at Shillington New York. Speaking of New York, Chrystal Christie is another student who decided to leave sunny Sydney and get a student visa to study design for three months full-time at Shillington's Big Apple campus. Here's a snapshot of her adventure and how the city's vibrancy inspired her as a student of design. If all of this isn't enough to give you itchy feet (are you a robot?), these interviews with past students who have studied abroad will have you planning your own epic adventure in no time. Shillington student Robyn Hunt was initially apprehensive when she took the decision to move from Cape Town to study in Sydney. "If I think of my Shillington class, we were a super weird mixture of people, so much so that on the first day I panicked a little bit to be honest," she says. "But after a week we’d all become such great friends and it was truly the most supportive and encouraging class you could ever wish for.” Babeth Olde Hanter, who moved from the Netherlands to study in Manchester had a similarly positive experience. "At Shillington I could combine living abroad with an intensive three-month course that would prepare me for a job in the creative industry. I have fantastic memories of my time in Manchester, and it changed my career!" To find out more about studying abroad, head over to the Shillington website, it could be the best creative career decision you ever make. View the full article

Wouldn’t you like to earn more money in your freelance career, without working harder, and preferably even doing less work? Well, who wouldn’t? And so if a world-class business coach offered you free sessions to help get you there, you’d jump at the chance… right? Well that probably isn’t going to happen, but you know what? There are so many podcasts out there right now that offer pretty much the same thing, in the comfort of your own home, and they’re all free to download. So why aren’t you taking advantage? One reason may be because there’s just so many to choose from, you don’t really know where to start. In which case, let us help you out. Get started with these five brilliant podcasts for freelancers, and you’ll soon be more inspired, informed and motivated to make changes in your approach to freelance work, that will boost your income, well-being and happiness levels to new heights. 01. The Accidental Creative The Accidental Creative podcast helps you build your freelance practice in short and snappy chunks Most freelancer designers and illustrators will immediately identify with the title of this podcast. You didn’t originally set out to be a business person, you just wanted to make cool stuff. Freelance turned out to be the best way of doing so and pay the bills, so you basically became an entrepreneur by accident. And you often feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, when it comes to setting fees, billing clients, and so on. The huge audience for the Accidental Creative podcast stands testament to the fact that you’re not alone. And so around once a day, host Todd Henry shares his insights on how to build your freelance practice, to help you become successful both in terms of income and work-life balance. Most episodes come in the form of a monologue from Henry. These typically address a single topic (such as how to keep your passion burning, or the gap between ambition and ability) or answer a question set by a listener (such as “How can I stay creative in the midst of a plateau in my work career, instead of always daydreaming of switching jobs?”). There are also occasional interviews with authors and speakers, such as Austin Kleon and Laura Gassner Otting. Best of all, episodes are generally short, some coming in at just three or four minutes, but are still packed with useful information, as not a second is wasted. The tone is calm and measured, so if you’re looking for someone hyper to get you fired up, you’ll need to go elsewhere (we might suggest Gary Vaynerchuk). But if you just want practical advice that you can act on to improve your freelance operation, there’s none finer. Head over to the website, and there’s a huge amount of episodes to choose from, with archives on the website going back to 2007. 02. Clients from Hell The Clients from Hell podcast is laser-focused on helping you improve your client relationships Clients from Hell is a popular website that delivers what it says on the label: a cathartic collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers. If you've never checked it out, we'd urged you to do so when you've got a few minutes to spare; it really is a lot of fun. You might expect the Clients from Hell podcast to be more of the same, but actually that would get a bit wearing. So its good news that Clients From Hell editor Bryce Bladon has taken a slightly different direction with this show, and one that works brilliantly. In each of the episodes, which appear roughly every two weeks, Bladon and a rotating panel of guests address the current landscape for creative professionals, providing insights into survival and exploring the future of the self-employed. That's something that a lot of other podcasts do, of course. But the secret sauce here is the laser-focus on clients (who are, after all, the people who pay our wages), combined with the mix of humour and helpfulness that's in the DNA of the original Clients from Hell website. Recent episodes, for example, have included Annabelle King's tips for pitching to clients, Alison Knott on recognising your ideal client, Ami Sanyal on how to get clients on board with value-based pricing... you get the idea. If you feel underpaid or undervalued by your freelance clients, or simply want to find better ones, then this is the podcast that can help. 03. The Freelance Podcast The Freelance Podcast looks at how when and how to leap into freelancing Launched in 2014, episodes of The Freelance Podcast appear infrequently, and there hasn't actually been an episode since last October. So why is it on this list? Quite simply, because rather than focusing on experienced and successful freelancers, this show addresses the specific question of how and when to leap into freelancing, and how to survive your first months. Its casual and likeable host RJ McCollam started it because, when he was starting out: "I found [that] some of the advice was a little beyond where I was at in my journey to make the jump to a full time freelancer. That is where The Freelance Podcast jumps in and tries to bridge the gap." And it does so brilliantly, with each episode examining in a friendly, approachable way the nuts and bolts of topics like how to put together a portfolio, the benefits of working in a niche, and the importance of establishing a freelance routine. Some episodes feature guests; in others McCollam answers listeners' questions. He's recorded a total of 42 episodes to date, between 2014 and 2018, but you don't need to listen to each of these in order. Instead, we'd suggest scrolling through the list on the website and picking the ones that are most relevant to you. 04. Being Boss The Being Boss hosts will inspire you to be more entrepreneurial in your freelance career When you go freelance, you automatically become an entrepreneur. Yet many freelancers don't feel comfortable with this. If that applies to you, you need a regular dose of inspiration and advice from two successful independent creatives. In short, you need to listen to the Being Boss podcast. Episodes appear around one a week, and last about an hour. This gives presenters Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon ample opportunity to dig into the habits, routines, marketing tactics, strategies and processes that can help you make money as a creative freelancer, entrepreneur or side hustler. The pair interview bosses such as Brené Brown, Brooke Castillo, Marie Forleo, Ramit Sethi, Danielle LaPorte, Chalene Johnson, Mike Michalowicz of Profit First and Melissa Hartwig of Whole30, to get insights that can be shared with creatives across the board. They also discuss topics between themselves, such as the importance of rest for productivity, how to overcome your self-limiting beliefs, and the best ways to collaborate with others. The tone is light, upbeat and positive throughout, and you're sure to leave every episode feeling re-energised and full of ideas to boost your own freelance business. 05. The Six Figure Freelancer Audio Course Want to earn a six figure income as a freelancer? Here's how Part of the charm of your typical podcast lies in being casual, chatty and frequently meandering off topic. But if you're truly pumped to develop your freelance career, particularly if money is a great motivator, then you might like to try a different kind of show. This Six Figure Freelancer audio course, created in collaboration with AND CO from Fiverr, is squarely aimed at explaining "exact formulas for success in starting growing, and maintaining a six-figure freelance career". With a total absence of waffle or idle chat, each of the 12 episodes packs as much practical, actionable advice as possible into around 20 minutes. In each one, host Juan Felipe chats to experts like Ryrob, Kaleigh Moore, Paul Jarvis, Justin Gignac and Dane Sanders, about topics including "How to Charge 10 Times More Than Your Competition", "How to Get High-Paying Clients No Matter Where You’re Based", and "How to Get Big Clients to Trust You Enough to Pay You". These goals may all sound ambitious, and of course they are. But the experts all explain in simple terms how they did it, and how you can do it too. And think of it this way: if you learn just one tip that helps you increase your earnings as a result, can you afford not to listen to this podcast? Read more: How to be a thrifty freelancer 9 things you need to sort before going freelance How to manage your freelance cashflow View the full article

Whether you’re new to Photoshop or a seasoned professional, Adobe Stock proves a welcome addition to anybody’s creative arsenal. Integrated directly into Creative Cloud platforms, Adobe Stock offers much more than your average stock library, allowing you to search, test, license and apply images without ever having to leave the app window. As well as offering millions of royalty-free images, Adobe Stock has expanded their library to include other media types such as 3D models, vectors and video. And all this can speed up your workflow considerably. In this tutorial we will be taking advantage of their artist-designed templates to create a striking poster in a fraction of the time it would take to design one from scratch. And note that many of these excellent templates are free, so there's no reason not to start giving it a try yourself! 01. Choose a template When choosing a template it’s important to consider what style will complement your own content Begin by opening Photoshop CC and creating a new document. The New Document window displays a small selection of the templates available, but you will have to visit the Adobe Stock website to access their full range. You can do this easily by typing a search term into the bar at the bottom and pressing enter, which opens the results in a new browser window. When choosing a template it’s important to consider what style will complement your own content, the type of images required and how much copy will need to fit in. You should aim to have a poster that will stand out, while presenting your information in a clear and readable format. Once you’re happy with your choice, click on the template and license it. You will now be able to access this template in Photoshop’s New Document window. I chose a basic but versatile template that could be applied to a range of different projects, in this case an ‘urban fitness’ campaign. 02. Get to grips with the template All elements of the template are fully customisable and should be altered to suit your own content. Open the template in Photoshop and save your document as a .psd file, assigning it a new name. If your computer is missing any of the document fonts then a window will appear allowing you to activate them with Adobe Typekit (available to any Creative Cloud subscription). With all the layers named and grouped, it should be a simple task to work out which layer controls which object on the canvas. You will notice a layer at the top called ‘bleed’. This is a print term used to describe the area around the page that will be trimmed off by printing, allowing space for printing errors. You should turn this off when outputting the final image or it could show up in the final print. Although the template is a good starting point, you should not view it as the finished article. Like any normal Photoshop document all elements are fully customizable and should be altered to suit your own content. 03. Add your own text You can adjust the size, leading and kerning of type, and even change the font if you wish Start to populate the document with your own copy, using the Type tool to click into the text boxes. Although the typefaces are specifically chosen for the template you may have others you wish to try, especially if you have brand guidelines to follow. All the text in my template was set to ‘Alternate Gothic No3 D’ and I had no reason to change it. However I did adjust the size, leading and kerning where necessary to fit my new copy into the space. Kerning tends to be less of a problem when using an all-caps, condensed font like Alternate Gothic. I removed hyphenation from the text in the hexagons and edited the text down to fill the space, making sure it was vertically centered in the shape. If you’re worried about making changes and losing anything then you can always duplicate a layer and make it invisible, by clicking the eye icon to the left. This leaves you with an identical layer to edit, while retaining the original as a back-up. Alternatively you can rely on the undo option or history panel to retrace your steps. 04. Choosing images Finding the right image is a simple task with Adobe’s integrated library This is where Adobe Stock really comes into its own. Finding the right image is a simple task with Adobe’s integrated library, which allows you to browse and access a huge number of images in a matter of seconds. With Adobe Stock there’s no need to switch back and fourth, from app to website, when you can test multiple images directly on your design with low-res samples, before making any final decisions on purchasing. In this template the large hexagonal hero image is a Smart Object, which can be accessed by double-clicking on the layer thumbnail. I searched for words like ‘exercise’, ‘fitness’ and ‘workout’ in the Library, dragging different test images onto my canvas before deciding on one I liked. I licensed the image and placed the high-res version into the Smart Layer file. Once this is saved and closed, the Smart Layer should automatically update in the main document, but you can also right-click on the layer and select ‘Update Modified Content’. 05. Final changes I add a splash of colour to the background, changing it from white to purple Once your images and text are placed it’s time for some fine tuning. Try to balance the structure, giving each element enough space to breathe as well as respecting vertical and horizontal alignments. You can then think about adding the personal touch and unleashing your creative side. My first change was to add a splash of colour to the background, changing it from white to purple. This meant that the main headline was getting lost so I changed it to white, adding a hard Drop Shadow and switching its blending mode from Multiply to Normal. Adding an inner shadow to the main hexagon brought it away from the headline and added depth to the design. The colour of the girl’s shirt complemented the purple nicely so I used the eyedropper to select it and apply to some of the smaller hexagons. With this complete it was just a matter of saving a high-res jpg and sending to the printers, since the document was already set up for print (300dpi and CMYK). View the full article

As we head into day two of Amazon Prime 2019, it's fair to say we've seen some incredible Prime Day deals so far. From big savings on Wacom tablets and sought-after marker pens, to huge discounts on the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 6, now's the perfect time to bag a creative bargain. If you missed any deals yesterday, never fear, we've listed all the best ones for you right here, and will keep adding them as they appear so make sure to bookmark this page. The Amazon Prime Day event ends tonight (16 July) but there's still plenty of time to get a great Prime Day deal. In order to get all the best Prime Day deals, you need to be an Amazon Prime subscriber. If you're not a member, sign up for a 30-day free trial now, and you can always cancel if it's not for you. There are already lots of incredible Prime Day deals for designers and artists in this year's event, with more rolling out over the next few hours. If you have been waiting for the moment to shell out for a new laptop or graphics tablet, there's likely to be an Amazon Prime deal that will make the investment a little easier on the wallet. In past years we've also seen discounts on creative software (including Adobe Creative Cloud) and nifty gadgets to make your design life easier. You'll find all the best Prime Day deals in our roundup below. Excitingly, we're seeing other retailers getting involved with the event this year, with people like Walmart and John Lewis offering some top deals too. Jump to the category relevant for you now using the boxout opposite, or scroll down to browse all the best deals. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India US: Computer accessory deals UK: Computer accessory deals Back to the top US: The best computer, laptop and tablet deals UK: The best computer, laptop and tablet deals Back to the top Amazon Prime Day 2019: software and apps Back to the top Graphics tablet deals Back to the top Amazon Prime Day 2019: cameras Back to the top Prime Day deals: Audio and headphones Amazon Prime Day deals: The best of the rest Back to the top How to get the best Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals Sticking with us is a good strategy: we’ll spend the days up to and including Prime Day scouring Amazon for the best genuine deals for creatives. We’d also recommend doing your homework before the day itself, deciding on what you want and what you want to pay for it, and ignoring any deals that aren’t on your shopping list: a deal is hardly a bargain if it ends up gathering dust in a corner of your studio. Beware stunt pricing, too. To see if a deal is really a good deal, we’d recommend using CamelCamelCamel.com to check its Amazon price history and PriceSpy.co.uk to see what other retailers are selling it for: while many deals are genuine, some sellers increase their prices just before big events so that the discounts appear to be much bigger than they actually are. When is Amazon Prime Day 2019? Prime Day 2019 is due to run for 48 hours, from Monday 15 to Tuesday 16 July. Prime Day deals started rolling in at a minute past midnight on Monday 15 and will end at 11:59pm on Tuesday 16, wherever you are in the world. In the US, deals start at midnight Pacific time, and 3am on the East coast. Is there an Amazon Prime Day 2019 in Australia? Yes there is. Amazon.com.au has a holding page prepped and ready to go. We'd expect Prime Day Australia to be a bigger event in 2019 than its 2018 debut. Last year Australian shoppers were only offered 340 deals, compared to 2,800 in the US, and the focus was on smart home and gaming devices. In 2019 we’re expecting a wider range of products and many more offers. View the full article

Amazon Prime day is well underway now, as our post on the best Prime Day deals shows. Not ones to miss out on all the action, today Adobe has revealed an incredible deal of its own, reducing its annual Creative Cloud subscription to users in the US and Canada by a whopping 43%. That means instead of costing $52.99 per month, you'll pay just $29.99! The price reduction applies to the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which encompasses Adobe's 20+ applications, including photo editing favourite Photoshop and digital artists' go-to Illustrator. You'll also find video editing software Premiere Pro, web prototyping tool Adobe XD and motion effects creator After Effects among the impressive toolset. Not in the US or Canada? Take a look at our guide to the best Adobe deals, which we update with all the best offers when they go live. > Get Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps with 43% off As if that wasn't enough, when you buy Adobe's full package you're also getting 100GB of cloud storage (with the option to upgrade to 10TB) and premium features like Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, and Adobe Spark. And if you'd like to include Adobe Stock too, then you can get Adobe All Apps + Adobe Stock for just $59.98 – reduced from $82.98. The programmes are fully integrated, so you can switch between them (and jump from one device to another) seamlessly – whether you’re out and about or in the studio. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This deal will be available until 19 July 2019, so if you're in the US and Canada and want to save big on Adobe's entire suite of creative software, grab it before it's gone. Related articles: 60 top-class Photoshop tutorials The best 4K monitors for designers The best web hosting services for designers View the full article

Here at Creative Bloq, we're always on the lookout for Apple Pencil deals. But it probably won't surprise you to know we almost never find any. Apple products are notoriously difficult to find discounts on, but none more so than its two sought-after styluses. But that all changed today with Amazon Prime now in full swing. Wait for it, guys, these deals are going to blow your socks off. As of right now, you can save a whole £5 on the price of a 1st Apple Pencil. Yes, you read that right. Five. Pounds. Okay, okay so we're being sarcastic. It's hardly one to write home (or a blog post some might argue) about. But now priced at £84 (as opposed to £89 on the Apple website) this discount make this the cheapest we have ever seen this model Apple Pencil. And that's not the end of the excitement. With double the discount of the first, the 2nd gen Apple Pencil is currently discounted by £10, again making this the lowest cost we've ever come across for this model. Once you've taken advantage of this, ahem, little deal, be sure to check out the incredible iPad Pro discounts available right now too. We may scoff at these discounts, but considering these items are almost never reduced, anything is better than nothing, right? Here are full details on how to get your hands on these super savings. Don't all rush at once... Not in the UK? Here are the best Apple Pencil deals in your area: Read more: The best tablets with a stylus for drawing and note-taking The best drawing tablet Rare Copic Marker deal is unmissable View the full article

An independent researcher earned a $30,000 bug bounty after discovering a weakness in the mobile recovery process. View the full article

It's Amazon Prime day and we've spotted some of the best Prime Day deals there have ever been. This Dyson Pure Cool Air Purifier and Fan has 27% off, down from $449 to just $329.99. This is an awesome deal, saving loads on the RRP and the cheapest deal on this fan around at the moment. It's guaranteed to keep you cool when working on those last-minute deadlines during the summer months. You do have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of this deal so sign up here if you need to. Dyson is a tech giant that often comes with giant prices. But this deal takes the sting out so you know you're getting a quality piece of kit at an amazing price. This fan is as high-tech as they get. Wi-Fi enabled so it can be controlled by Alexa, it senses pollutants in the air and reports on air quality on its LCD screen – in fact it's the only fan that's been designed and tested to improve the air quality in your room. It oscillates at 350 degrees and even has a night time mode that includes quiet settings (great if you like to work in total silence). You need to be an Amazon Prime member to qualify for the deals available this Prime Day. It's super easy to sign up, with no strings attached, and the 30-day free trial is the ideal way to take advantage of the offer. You can cancel at any time during your subscription without charge. Get a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India . Not in the US? Don't worry, there are some brilliant Dyson fan deals around the world, details of which you can find here: Read more: The best Amazon device deals on Prime Day 2019 Today could be the best day ever to buy an iPad Pro This standing desk deal is here to save your posture View the full article

There's no better time than Amazon Prime Day to give your desktop setup a bit of an overhaul. While it's natural to go hunting for a bargain monitor or maybe a new laptop, don't overlook your mouse when you're checking out the best Prime Day deals. A good-quality mouse can make a world of difference to your workflow, giving you greater precision and comfort, and you'd be hard pushed to find a better desktop mouse than Logitech's MX Master 2S wireless model. It came top of our list of the best mice for designers, and in this stunning Prime Day spotlight deal you can get it with 60 per cent knocked off the asking price. Even at full price, the MX Master 2S is a hell of an attractive proposition. It features a 4000 DPI precision sensor that tracks on almost any surface, including glass, so you're not shackled to a mouse mat, and thanks to a pair of scroll wheels you can navigate huge image files in any direction you like. The best mouse for Mac in 2019 Got more than one computer in your workflow? Control them all with one mouse! It features an advanced hand-sculpted ergonomic design that supports your hand and wrist in a comfortable and natural position, and if you use more than one computer to work with then you'll love its cross-computer control option. With this you can use the MX Master 2S across up to three computers, and even copy text, images and files between them, using Logitech's FLOW technology. The Logitech MX Master 2S connects to your computer wirelessly, using either Logitech's Unifying receiver or Bluetooth, and its rechargeable battery will keep going for up to 70 days on a single charge. Get a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial: US | UK | Canada | Australia | India Remember that you need to be a Prime member to take advantage of this deal. If you're not sure it's for you in the long term, sign up for a no-strings 30-day free trial, and you can always cancel after Prime Day. Related articles: The best graphics cards in 2019 This standing desk deal is here to save your posture The best ultrawide monitor in 2019 View the full article