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Want to design user-friendly apps that will be a hit with your target audience? You can learn everything there is to know about UI and UX design with The Complete UI & UX Design Master Class Bundle. For just $39, this bundle will walk you through how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign – critical software for any UI expert. You'll also learn how to design mobile app icons and gain a solid foundation in typography. You'll even gain some important know-how in how to launch a freelance career as a UI and UX design master. Get The Complete UI & UX Design Master Class Bundle for only $39. Related articles: Top UI trends for 2019 Add UI animations to your site The pro's guide to UI design View the full article

Packaging is something we're bombarded with on a daily basis. Creating an eye-catching packaging design that suits the product, stands out on crowded shelves, and doesn't cost a fortune to produce is a real challenge. In this post, we've rounded up standout examples of packaging designs to guide your efforts. For more inspiration, jump to page 4 where you'll find a list of handy free online packaging design resources. Now more than ever, packaging design matters. A economic struggles and rising concern for environmental issues have added new challenges for packaging designers. Read on to explore the design trends shaping the packaging landscape right now. 01. Manos de Cacao Anagrama made a range of stains by hand, using different tools, for this unique packaging Premium bean-to-bar chocolate brand Manos de Cacao wanted packaging that felt simultaneously timeless and eye-catching. Inspired by the company’s local production process, Mexico-based studio Anagrama combined messy handmade textures with a vibrant colour palette and clean layouts. The result is a new visual system for the brand that places sophistication at the forefront and evokes an appropriately organic undertone. “Making a ton of stains by hand with different tools and choosing the right ones for each box was challenging,” says David Gutiérrez, partner and creative director at Anagrama. “However, this was also the most fun part of the process.” 02. Hardy The packaging for this premium smoked salmon is made from raw micro-corrugated cardboard printed in UV colour “Third-generation family business Hardy specialises in smoked salmon. The company turned to Portugal-based studio This is Pacifica to design stationery, packaging and a website that would communicate the premium quality of its product. “It’s a long-lasting process that can’t be rushed. From salting to smoking, each stage is executed to perfection. So we created the idea of ​​Hardy ‘Smoked Masterpieces’,” explains creative director Pedro Mesquita. The identity combines two main elements: an abstract salmon symbol, and a fun, sharp wordmark that could have been cut by a knife. “The packaging was treated as an extension of the brand,” says Mesquita, “and is entirely made of raw micro-corrugated cardboard printed in UV colour.” 03. Thomas Kosmala Concrete kept things abstract to suit the conservative Middle Eastern market for this perfume Looking to break into European and global markets, emerging perfume brand Thomas Kosmala tasked Toronto-based agency Concrete with a complete brand overhaul. The new packaging marries classic with contemporary, unexpectedly wrapping a sophisticated custom typeface around the edges of the perfume box and over a subtle emboss. “The brand needed to appeal to both Middle Eastern and Western audiences,” explains chief creative officer Diti Katona. “Sensuous, provocative and sometimes raw photography conveys the depth and richness of the scents, but is abstracted in the packaging to comply with the conservative sensibilities of the Middle Eastern market. A more explicit use of the imagery is employed in digital media, and it’s more subtle in print experiences,” Katona adds. 04. Wild Island Sacred Tree Thirst created a juicy colour palette using watercolour After designing the bottle for Wild Island Gin, drinks branding studio Thirst was tasked with designing a second edition, Wild Island Sacred Tree. Inspired by the gin itself – which is infused with hand-gathered botanicals from the small Scottish island of Colonsay – the studio looked to the island’s ripe bramble vine to create a deliciously juicy colour palette using watercolour. “The brief was to capture the essence of autumn on the island, and the wonderful bounty of berries and botanicals it produces,” explains creative director Matt Burns. Thirst paired the autumnal colour palette with a simple wordmark that gives a nod to the island’s Viking heritage. When it came to applying the fluid watercolour design to the bottle, the texture was printed on both sides of the transfer, enabling it to be viewed through the distortion of glass and liquid. “This allows the watercolour to take on new life, constantly changing as the bottle is rotated,” adds Burns. 05. Halo Underline Studio went for an energetic, slightly rebellious look for this brewery packaging Halo is an adventurous brewery that takes the traditional recipes of rare styles of beer and experiments with the ingredients. With a taproom and bottle shop that welcome inquisitive visitors, the brewery needed an approachable brand that matched its unconventional sensibilities. “We created a logo, labels and packaging that use geometric patterns in unexpected colours, resulting in a look that’s energetic, modern and a bit rebellious,” explains Claire Dawson, creative director at Underline Studio, the studio behind the project. “This direction was very intentionally chosen as a way for Halo to stand apart visually in the craft beer space.” Dawson admits it was a challenge to keep each label unique while still being recognisable as part of a larger system. “But finding abstract ways to graphically represent each of the beers was our favourite part of the project,” she adds. 06. Juice Society This juice branding balances scientific iconography with a touch of whimsy Third-year design student Ryan Hicks was tasked with revamping the visual identity of Austin-based juice bar Juice Society as it expanded into the wholesale market. “They felt that their previous identity was too rustic and gave an outdated reflection of their upbeat spirit,” explains Hicks, adding that the company has a philosophy of promoting realistic balance when it comes to wellness. “I decided to convey this playful attitude through an ecosystem of whimsical, somewhat scientific iconography that hinted at the juice’s benefits, but provided some element of optimism,” he says. “I also wanted to convey the brand’s unconventional approach to the health realm, so to stand out on refrigerator shelves and catch shoppers’ eyes, I chose to design the labels to be as minimal as possible.” 07. Stefano Sauces Each sauce has a unique typographic treatment Montreal-based agency lg2 took an original approach to its branding of the first ready-to-eat products from well-known chef Stefano Faita and his partner Michele Forgione. Featuring a jovial, energetic caricature of Faita, the identity gives each sauce a unique typographic treatment – with nutritional and legal information presented in an unusual vertical fashion outside the shape. “It was a major challenge to differentiate the brand in this type of category, where all brands merge into one,” says David Kessous, creative director at lg2. “The concept’s originality produced a real, appealing identity and packaging that leaps out.” 08. Fierce & Noble Halo wanted brand packaging that would jump out from the shelf Bristol studio Halo was approached to create a strategy, name, brand identity and packaging for a new craft brewery in St Werburghs, Bristol. The name – Fierce & Noble – represents the brewery team’s fierce independence and respect for the heritage of the craft, while the bold creative, custom type and bespoke patterns reflect the local vibrancy of its location. “The product needed to jump out on bar and shelf,” explains Halo design director Andy German. “And what with the brewery being in a creative vibrant area of Bristol with other craft breweries in it, it made sense for the building to stand out and be seen. The main pattern for the brand was based around the ampersand we made – my eyes went a bit fuzzy creating this one.” 09. Colors Music fans can customise their own record sleeve by moving around the coloured transparencies Musician Beck’s latest album Colors sports a customisable record sleeve created by designers Jimmy Turrell and Steve Stacey. Formed from layers of different die-cut coloured transparencies, the cover can be assembled into a bespoke sleeve by listeners. “We decided on a route of colour and shape – simple and strong,” explains Turrell, who was art director and video director on the project. “We tried not to set too many restrictions on where we went with this in the initial stages. We started looking at a whole range of things for inspiration – childhood games like Ludo and Connect 4, old VHS and cassette packaging, all the way through to artists like Bridget Riley and Piet Mondrian, and Beck was really open to us experimenting. Seeing it all out there – and the positive feedback it’s been getting – is really satisfying.” 10. Artisan lg2 wanted to up Boréale's credibility in the microbrewery space When Québec-based microbrewery Boréale launched a new series of beer, Artisan, it tasked creative agency lg2 with designing the new identity. “The client’s main objective was to restore the brand’s credibility among fans of microbrews,” explains graphic designer Marie-Pier Gilbert. “We had to establish Boréale in a niche segment without detracting from its mass appeal.” lg2 worked hand-in-hand with the master brewer. For some products, the recipe influenced the artistic direction; in other cases, the reverse happened. “For example, for the Pilsner des Mers, the name and design were developed first, which then inspired the master brewer to give the recipe a salty note,” says Gilbert. “Flexibility and listening were a big part of the teamwork.” 11. Moses Lake Cellars These labels were designed to work together as a collection [click the icon to enlarge] Thirst is a design agency specialising in the craft drinks industry, and it's currently exploring new techniques and executions in packaging design as part of its Studio Series. This range of bottle labels for luxury wine brand Moses Lake Cellars was designed to work as a collective on a dinner table. "We wanted to explore typographic lettering techniques that were bold and youthful, yet still carry the luxurious qualities associated with wine," says Thirst. To give an extra touch of luxury, the studio used heavy paper stock, and each label is double folded, white onto gold. 12. CS light bulbs These clever boxes pair light bulbs with insect illustrations Everyday products such as light bulbs tend to lend themselves to fairly utilitarian packaging, but these, produced by Belarus electrical company CS, boast beautiful boxes that turn the product into an important part of the packaging design. Designed by Angelina Pischikova, with line illustrations by Anna Orlovskaya, this amazing packaging uses detailed drawings of insects, and the bulbs themselves are paired with certain bugs depending on their shape and size. Long, thin bulbs are stored in dragonfly boxes, while the coiled stripes of an energy saving bulb become the abdomen of a bumble bee. 13. Dolce Dolce's packaging uses imagery from Alice in Wonderland Located in the heart of Belgrade, Serbia, Dolce is a cake shop that combines traditional techniques with a modern approach. Independent design studio Metaklinika was tasked with creating a range of packaging for the brand. The whimsical result takes inspiration from Baroque aesthetics, and uses iconography based around the theme of Alice in Wonderland. 14. Leafs by Snoop Pentagram's designs for Snoop are dope as heck With cannabis slowly becoming less and less illegal in the USA, cannabis branding is increasingly becoming a thing, complete with packaging to match. Snoop Dogg brought in none other than Pentagram to design the brand identity and packaging for his line of cannabis products: Leafs by Snoop. Stepping far away from the idea of furtively buying a grubby little bag of greenery, Pentagram's designs include a distinctive leaf-based logo (including an animated version), luxurious weed boxes and a range of edibles including six chocolate bars and cannabis sweets called, of course, 'Dogg Treats'. 15. Colour me Blind Graduate Alexandra Burling's designs for milk, cornflakes and tinned tomatoes are aimed at visually impaired customers For her graduation project at , graphic design student Alexandra Burling wanted to see if it was possible to create an aesthetically appealing packaging design for the visually impaired. Following her research period, she decided to focus on groceries. “I wanted to give blind people the liberty of doing something so obvious as going down to the supermarket and buying milk,” explains Burling. "The aim was to provoke discussion and pave the way for innovative thinking about how packaging design can appeal to more senses than sight." Next page: 15 more innovative packaging designs 16. The Lovely Clinic SomeOne used this painterly design to represent transformation London-based creative agency SomeOne created this tactile packaging as part of its branding scheme The Lovely Clinic. Faced with the challenge of branding a beauty client, SomeOne decided it was time to challenge the industry norms. “The beauty sector is awash with images of impossibly beautiful women, who hint that if it wasn't for a particular brand, they would resemble the back of an elephant rather than a glowing example of perfection,” it points out on its website. “We centred on the visual theme of paint – globally recognised as a way of either enhancing the existing – or a way of working with basic elements to create something astonishing,” adds senior designer Tom Myers. 17. Brandless Brandless trademarked the white space on its designs US company Brandless has taken minimalism to the extreme by trademarking white space in its range of food and home items. Co-designed with Brooklyn agency Red Antler, each product is made up of a single colour with the white box design dropped on top. The text in the boxes is effectively negative space, and is readable thanks to the colour underneath peeking through. Interestingly, the lack of identity means that the range can dodge a fee known as Brand Tax, which means Brandless is able to sell all the products at a standard price of $3. Read more about the range here. 18. Chandon Butterfly Canon has created some brilliant limited edition branding After the huge success of its American Summer limited edition bottles, sparkling wine brand Chandon approached London-based agency Butterfly Canon to create a new series of limited edition branding. The sleek design retains the elegance and playfulness of the original concept whilst replacing the 'Americana' approach with a more globally recognised nautical theme. This way, European and other non-American customers will further relate to the brand. 19. Nike Air It's certainly inventive but does it beat the classic shoe box design? Nike Air is arguably one of the most popular sneaker designs ever released. Not content with a regular old shoebox, Berlin-based agency Scholz & Friends came up with a brand new, reimagined packaging design for its favourite trainers. Very much taking the 'Air' aspect into account, the team placed the sneakers in an air-tight plastic bag to give the illusion of floating trainers. Highlighting the Air cushioning of the brand, this design also reduces the risk of damage when shipping. 20. Nail packaging A clever pack helps prevent any painful incidents Designer Melissa Archer 's project manages to make a boring set of nails look sexy – getting the thumbs up from us. The simple but clever packaging hangs from the user's belt loop, providing easy access without reaching into a box, bag or pocket and being stabbed. The materials and typography used for the design adds a touch of sophistication and desirability to what would usually be thought of as a pretty mundane object. 21. McDonald's Fries Ben Frost puts a graphic design twist on the iconic fries packaging How about a side of art with your burger? McDonald's packaging is as recognisable as packaging comes but artist Ben Frost decided to mix things up by drawing some famous faces as well as some pop-culture icons onto the red and yellow box. 22. Phantom Cigar Old naval symbols really bring out this packaging design Here, designer Alex Pabian uses old naval symbols and a minimal design to reinvent the packaging for an exclusive brand of cigars. Alex is a Polish/South African graphic designer and art director, currently based in Miami, Florida. This project involved the redesign of the case, labels and tubes, with a vintage look and feel. 23. Onuma Honey This is a truly bee-autiful piece of packaging design This offering from Japanese studio Akaoni Design is a bee-utiful example of 'less is more' when it comes to packaging. It consists of a small jar, simple stickers and classic brown paper, with an array of sweet coloured stamps to finish it all off. Art direction and design was taken care of by Motoki Koitabashi and it's clear he knows what's he doing when it comes to making a striking impact in the aisle. 24. Spine Vodka This vodka brand gets down to the bare bones of packaging German designer Johannes Schulz created this inspirational packaging for Spine Vodka. "It was a private project I started after my graduation of an international communication design school in Hamburg, Germany," he explains. "Spine is a high quality product just like the design, reduced and simple with a consciously 'twist' in his message and a memorable name fitting to the project." Integrated the spine with the ribcage to communicate a product with a 'backbone', the uniqe 3D design approach sets it aside from its 2D counterparts. "The transparent glass material stands for a product that doesn't have to hide something," Schulz concludes. 25. Allsorts Black and White A new look for an old-school sweet Back in 2014, Liquorice Allsorts had a mini facelift from Bond Creative Agency for Cloetta – a leading confectionary company in the Nordic region. The new packaging used the traditional sweets' distinctive shapes and colours and used them as the basis for a more modern design. The agency's recent update for Cloetta's Black and White edition follows the same theme, but with the colour stripped away. "The silver print and matt finishing give a tasty touch to the functional cardboard box," says Bond. 26. Karamelleriet A sweet packaging style for these caramels Copenhagen design studio Bessermachen created this frankly beautiful branding and packaging design to reflect the handmade aesthetic of the caramel producing Karamelleriet. Creating an entirely new visual identity that contains everything from the logo to packaging to display and flyers, Bessermachen has achieved an expression that is caramel production worthy. 27. Cervecería Sagrada This packaging captures the colourful spirit of Mexican wrestlers While Corona is probably the most recognisable beer exported from Mexico, Cervecería Sagrada is a Mexican craft beer that captures the country's colourful history and spirit in its label. Designer José Guízar was inspired by Lucha Libre wrestlers, who wear bright masks and have equally colourful personalities. During the 1950s Lucha Libre were considered folk heroes and starred not only in the wrestling ring, but also in comic books and movies in Mexico. Guízar’s labels recreate the masks of some of the most famous and recognisable wrestlers. 28. REN Skincare Kangan Arora is a London-based designer with a particular flair for bold textiles and vivid prints. Global skincare brand REN brought Arora in to create Christmas gift packaging to go with the theme ‘little boxes of joy’. The studio created seven different abstract patterns inspired by traditional festive products such as wrapping paper, fairy lights and cosy textiles. 29. Stranger & Stranger Spirit No. 13 Stranger & Stranger No 13 comes boxed and bagged in retro newspaper Beverage bottle branding guru Stranger & Stranger designed this limited edition holiday give-away liquor that features one of the most detailed labels you will ever see. The Spirit No 13 label just screams vintage and consists of over 500 words. To top it all off, the bottle is presented wrapped in a specially printed piece of newspaper that gives it what they call a 'moonshine' feel. 30. TIQLD TIQLD's packaging visualises the story that accompanies the spice blend When planning the packaging design for spice blend range TIQLD, Alphabet used humorous illustrations to convey a playful, confident brand identity. The pouches each feature a split design capturing an unexpected combination of objects. “We wanted to bring the idea of making meals more bold and adventurous into the brand imagery. The structure of the illustrations combines the base ingredient that the spice works with (either meat, fish or veggies) and juxtaposes this with an unexpected abstract element that visualises the story that accompanies the spice blend,” explains Alphabet. “The stories not only represent the bold personality of the brand but also the bold flavours that they create.” Next page: More innovative packaging designs 31. Topography of America State Magnets This design was inspired by a jigsaw This stunning example of packaging design was created through a collaboration between Mette Hornung of Bureau of Betterment and Greg Jones of Fifty-Four Forty. The packaging design was inspired by the jigsaw used to assemble each state, with a piece of charcoal coloured chipboard sandwiched between layers of thick cardboard. To highlight each state's unique attributes, a small pamphlet with state facts was created with images and notable geographic landmarks. 32. Poilu paintbrushes Some paintbrushes have been dyed to create a 'beard' This excellent example of packaging design comes from Simon Laliberté and offers the function of assembling two paintbrushes together with only one cardboard piece, which is printed on both sides. The natural hairs of some paintbrushes have been dyed to give the illusion of the moustache and beard combos. The font at the top of the handle is also noteworthy. 33. TeaPee Tear away the pattern to reveal your teabag Canadian art director Sophie Pépin drew inspiration from the roots of the Native American nomadic lifestyle for this tea packaging design she calls North American Teapee. The Native American patterns that are placed around the packaging are cleverly torn away to reveal the teabags themselves. 34. Mighty Nuts Maija Rozenfelde focused on user experience and function This incredible pistachio packaging design was created by student Maija Rozenfelde, when she was still completing her degree in packaging design at Pratt Institute. She says of the design: "A crucial part of the thought process was to focus on user experience and second function of the package. The main intention was to create graphics that depict the crunchiness of pistachios, that’s where the hand-made type treatment comes in." 35. Helvetimart Switzerland's regional flags provided the inspiration for these food packaging designs Helvetimart is a Swiss shop that sells specialty food products. For its packaging design, branding heavyweight Anagrama took inspiration from the regional flags of the country's 26 sovereign states. "We simplified these flags to create a homogeneous language, using representative elements and colours to develop the labels for the brand’s products and the signage within the store to ease its navigation," the agency explains. 36. The Great Bonza This packaging design is as eccentric as the wine brand itself When designing the packaging for this Australian wine, Swedish advertising agency United Power wanted to create something cheerful and retro, that also related to the product's heritage. "We thought: since the wine is powerful in flavour, and The Great Bonza is a quirky name for a wine – why not use a quirky Australian circus?" says the agency. "The design is playful with a nod to the classic image of the boxing kangaroo. We chose happy and bright colours that are perhaps a little unexpected in the context." 37. Utopick Chocolates Origami is the theme running throughout this chocolate packaging Based in Valencia, Spain, Lavernia & Cienfuegos is a multidisciplinary design studio specialising in graphic, product and packaging design. When master chocolatier Paco Llopis required a new design and packaging for his products, the team pulled out all the stops. Llopis already had an icon: a ship, to represent the spirit of adventure and hint at the long journey cocoa pods must make to reach the chocolatier. Lavernia & Cienfuegos opted for an origami version of the ship, a decision that led the theme for the rest of the packaging design. "Utopick package their batches by hand so we created a unique way of folding the paper to wrap the bars," explains the team. "The paper folds to create two triangles on the front of the design, each with their own colour and texture, personalising every bar." 38. Görtz 17: Shoelace Box Reinventing the shopping bag Claiming to be the first recyclable shoe bag, which is also 100 per cent biodegradable, this bag from design agency thjink screams innovation. This Görtz bag changes the idea of the shopping bag by getting rid of the awkward plastic handle, introducing tough and stylish shoelaces and replicating the colours of Görtz 17 converse shoes. Best of all, you get a pair of free laces. Next page: 18 top packaging design resources The web is a wonderful thing, brimming with resources and inspiration for people interested in packaging design. But, sometimes, too much choice can be confusing, so we've picked out the top online packaging design resources to help you really get to grips with it. 01. Packaging of the World There are hundreds of packaging designs to inspire you on Packaging of the World Packaging of the World is an extensive gallery showcasing the most interesting and creative packaging designs from around the world. This site is really well organised; you can choose to search for projects by category, country, product type, most popular, and so on, to narrow down what you're looking for. A brilliant resource in the area of packaging design, and updated regularly with new examples. 02. The Dieline Find the latest packaging designs and news from around the world If it's information and inspiration on packaging design that you're after then The Dieline is a fantastic place to start. Founded in 2007, the site aims to define and promote the world's best packaging design. As well as news and opinion pieces, this site features a jobs board and a library of packaging designers and suppliers. 03. Designspiration Find and share awe-inspiring packaging designs with Designspiration All sorts of creative goodness comes together at Designspiration. Created by Shelby White, Designspiration is a hub for collecting and sharing ideas, including a whole host of interesting and innovative packaging designs. The frustrating thing about this site is that there's nothing in the way of commentary; just images – and often there are no links to the creator of the packaging to enable you to explore further. However, for purely visual inspiration, it's great. 04. BXP For all things packaging design related, check out this brilliant blog Formerly Package Design, Brand Experience – or BXP for short – is a fantastic resource for all things packaging design. The site features work from designers all around globe, the latest industry news, upcoming talent in the field, a resources section and much more. You can also narrow articles by material, to find exactly what your looking for. 05. Pinterest With hundreds of images to browse through, you're sure to find some package design inspiration on Pinterest With hundreds of thousands of inspirational images in its archives, and more being added every day, we couldn't not include Pinterest on this list. Simply type 'package design' into the keyword search and watch the work appear. A popular subject on the social networking site, you'll find yourself scrolling down on what seems like a never-ending page of packaging design projects. 06. Brand New Brand New focuses solely on corporate and brand identity work A division of design firm Under Consideration, Brand New focuses solely on corporate and brand identity work, and features a vast library of inspirational packaging designs. But this is not just a showcase site; as well as all the beautiful imagery featured, many of the designs here are reviewed in detail, with experts giving their opinion on if, how and why each concept works. 07. BP&O Freelance designer Richard Baird shares his thoughts on new branding work on this blog BP&O is a blog run by British freelance designer and former writer for The Dieline, Richard Baird, who specialises in the development of branding and packaging. Baird picks recently developed designs, provides a short background and shares his thoughts and opinions on each. A great site for finding new work from around the globe. 08. Dezeen Dezeen offers news on experimental packaging Dezeen primarily explores architecture and interiors, but also offers interesting articles on product design and packaging. The resource is great for staying up to date with the more on the cutting-edge, experimental and innovative news in packaging design, including explorations into environmentally friendly packaging. 09. Retail Design Blog This site is paywalled, but there's plenty of great insight on offer Retail Design Blog (as you might expect) covers everything to do with retail design – so alongside the sections on materials and branding, there's also dedicated pages for store design and visual merchandising. You won't get too far without hitting the paywall though – if this site looks like it covers what you need, you'll need to shell out €10 a month to read everything (try it out with a free 30-day trial). 10. Ambalaj Check out designer Kristina de Verdier's blog for inspirational examples of packaging design Ambalaj is actually the personal site of packaging designer Kristina de Verdier, but offers some interesting insights. The site is split into Insight, Design and Technology sections, with plenty of interesting news and inspiring examples to dig through. 11. Packaging World Packaging World is updated daily with articles about packaging inspiration and materials Packaging World Magazine’s website is a great resource for professionals in packaging and manufacturing automation. It's not the best looking site, but it is updated daily with articles about packaging inspiration, equipment and materials, and provides a great way to stay up to date with the latest news about packaging. 12. Packaging UQAM French site Packaging UQAM is an excellent showcase of innovative packaging research French site Packaging UQAM collects together amazing packaging that might have flown under your radar. If your French is not up to scratch, don't worry – there are English translations included. Here you'll find creative solutions for storing trowels, golf tees, wishbones and plenty more unusual products. It's the place to go if you're looking to shake up your research and discover original ideas. 13. Behance There's an awesome collection of packaging design work to inspire you on Behance If you're a designer, you'll know Behance – but it's worth including here in case you'd overlooked it. The online portfolio community features all manner of packaging design projects, created by artists of all skill levels, in everything from shoe and pharmaceutical design to alcohol and electrical product designs. And of course, there are new additions being added pretty much constantly. 14. Lovely Package Lovely Package doesn't look like it's being updated any more If, like us, you can't resist a lovely package, then you should definitely check out this cool blog. Lovely Package showcases some leading design work in the packaging world, covering everything from wine and beer bottles to toothpaste and kitchenware. At time of writing, the last update was in March 2018, so it might be the case that the site isn't being updated any more. Lovely Package features an archive of work from professionals and students alike, and with over hundreds pages of projects to browse through, you're still sure to find inspiration here. Related articles: 14 controversial moments in logo and brand design Online packaging archive is a design delight 5 mesmerising uses of illustration in branding View the full article

This is a hands on review of the Wacom Cintiq 16 to give you the chance to see what the new pen display is all about as soon as possible. We'll be expanding and upgrading this review shortly with more information and a score. The Wacom Cintiq 16 is Wacom’s most affordable pen display tablet ever. Aimed at students, enthusiasts graduating from the Intuos line, and jobbing creatives who can’t justify the price of a Cintiq Pro, the new Wacom Cintiq 16 - which was launched at CES 2019 – offers a cheaper way for artists to master Wacom’s industry-standard drawing tools. Grabbing the headlines is the price: the Cintiq 16 is less than half the cost of the pro version. But it comes with the same super-responsive pro-grade pen: the Wacom Pro Pen 2, with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition and customisable buttons. As you’d expect, there have been some trade-offs to get the pen display down to that entry-level price. It’s 2K, for a start; and has a lower colour gamut than the Cintiq Pro. So how good is it? We had the chance to have a quick play with the Wacom Cintiq 16 here at CES. We’ll be publishing a full review on the site soon - in the meantime, here are our first impressions. The best drawing tablet in 2019 Wacom Cintiq 16: price and availability Sitting between the Intuos Pro and Cintiq Pro 13, the new Cintiq 16 costs $649.95 / £529 / €599.90. That’s significantly cheaper than the same-sized Cintiq Pro 16, which will set you back $1,499.96 / £1,399 / €1,599. It’s also cheaper than the iPad Pro, which costs $799 / £769 and doesn’t run pro creative programs (yet). And it comes bundled with the Wacom Pro Pen 2 - whereas you have to shell out another $99 / £89 for the Apple Pencil. Clearly, Wacom is looking to take on the growing market of cheaper Wacom alternatives that has developed over the last few years: Huion, XP-Pen and so on. These companies are producing excellent pen display and graphic tablets, and have found a loyal fanbase thanks to their much cheaper price points. Wacom still doesn’t win on price with the Cintiq 16, but it’s dramatically closed the gap - and still has the excellent Pro Pen 2 stylus up its sleeve. Most competitor pens top out at 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity compared to its 8,192. Wacom's new Cintiq 16 is less than half the cost of the pro version Wacom Cintiq 16: display and drawing experience The new Wacom Cintiq has a 15.6-inch display with full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080), rather than the 4K display of the Pro version. It can produce 72 per cent of the NTSC colour palette - versus the Cintiq Pro’s 94% Adobe RGB colour gamut - which means less colour accuracy, but not enough to hinder most aspiring artists. If you do photo or image-editing at a pro level, though, you’ll need the pro version. Certainly in our short time with the Cintiq 16, the screen appeared bright with vibrant colours. The bezels are wide enough to rest your plan while drawing, and while there isn’t multitouch control - so you can’t zoom or pan, or activate touch buttons with your fingers - it does mean you won’t accidentally invoke touch screen actions while you’re working. We liked the antiglare film coating, which felt like working on paper, and minimised reflection well; and we enjoyed the drawing experience: there are no cut corners here. The pen felt comfortable and responsive, and we didn’t notice any lag. We also didn’t notice any parallax – Wacom says it’s “reduced” - but there is a bit of space between the pixels and where the pen touches the screen, so we’ll test this fully, along with colour accuracy, in our longer review. Finally, bear in mind that the bezels don’t house any express keys. But Wacom’s Express Key Remote works with the Cintiq 16, so if you need programme buttons, you can buy a remote separately. Wacom Cintiq 16: features Compatible with Mac and Windows, the Cintiq 16 comes with a 3-in-1 adapter cable, which plugs into the power port on the back of the display and has both HDMI and USB plugs. As well as a set of high-grip rubber feet, the pen tablet features two foldable legs that can be used flat or at a 19-degree angle, and click into place when fully extended. They’re non adjustable, but an optional stand is available - and there are screw holes in the back panel that will fit different types of mounting system. Happily, the Cintiq 16 uses Wacom’s wireless electromagnetic resonance stylus technology. This means that – like the Pro line – the Cintiq 16 doesn’t need a battery and never has to be recharged. There’s also a handy fabric pen loop for storing the pen when you’re not using it, which you can snap onto the side of the display on whichever side you prefer. And inside the holder, you’ll find some spare Pro Pen 2 nibs and a removal tool. The excellent Pro Pen 2 stylus has 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivty Wacom Cintiq 16: early verdict Wacom has focused on creative professionals for over three decades. If you wanted to experiment with a Wacom pen display, you needed to fork out at a pro-level price point. But the new Wacom Cintiq 16 changes that. It isn’t a Cintiq Pro: you don’t get the UHD resolution, multitouch control or as many connectivity options. It isn’t as portable as a Surface Pro or iPad Pro either. But build quality appears similar, and for less than half the price of the 16-inch pro version you get what looks to be a very capable pen display. Importantly, you also get access to Wacom’s industry-standard drawing tools: these are the displays you find in most animation and special effects studios. If you’re a student or cash-strapped creative pro, we think you’re going to like the new Wacom Cintiq 16. Full review coming soon. View the full article

A remote attacker could exploit the vulnerability simply by sending an email. View the full article

Despite fewer plugins being added to Wordpress last year, the CMS saw an astounding tripling of vulnerabilities in its platform in 2018. View the full article

Overall, the chip giant patched five vulnerabilities across an array of its products. View the full article

Update: Adobe MAX 2019: what to expect Adobe MAX 2018 is in full swing, and boy, the software giant is certainly making an impression. Day one, waking into the South Hall of the LA convention centre, it’s hard to describe the scale of Adobe Max 2018. Approximately 15,000 seats, all filled with expectant creatives waiting to hear exactly what Adobe has been working on for the past 12 months is quite a sight. Sign up for Adobe CC now To start proceedings, a truly jaw-dropping keynote session, where Adobe leads took to the stage to reveal all. Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen got the party going, telling an almost 20,000-strong audience: “Design has never been more important and we’re living a golden age of creativity.” The reigns were then handed over to Adobe Chief Product Officer Scott Belsky, who shared the stage with Adobe product leads and special guests, including Phil Schillier and Lilly Singh, to reveal all the latest Adobe innovation. We'll be updating this post with all the Adobe Max 2018 announcements as they happen, so don't forget to check back throughout the day to find out the latest – or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Read on for all the Adobe Max 2018 news, straight out of LA. The latest news from Adobe MAX 2018 Photoshop CC comes to the iPad Photoshop CC will soon be coming to the iPad, meaning that users will be able to make all the edits they’re used to on desktop on the go. The new Photoshop will have all the core tools of Photoshop CC, but will be optimised for touch devices, making the most of gestures, and the Pencil, with a new user interface designed especially for the iPad. It will also sync across devices, so you’ll be able to switch between working on desktop/iPad with ease. At the moment we don’t know exactly when Photoshop for iPad will take off, so watch this space for more news. Project Aero And the award for presentation that blows our minds went to... Project Aero. Adobe has been working on its AR software for a while now, but today the company took augmented reality to a new level, wowing the audience with some truly jaw-dropping demonstrations. "AR is the next breakthrough medium for creative storytelling," said Adobe senior product manager Zorana Gee, as she walked through Project Aero's capabilities. We weren't surprised when the Adobe Max 2018 crowd went wild for Project Aero, but it's something you really have to see to believe, so we'll leave this just here... Project Gemini: Adobe announces new digital art app Kyle Webster takes to the stage to showcase Adobe's new painting and drawing app Project Gemini Project Gemini is a dedicated painting and drawing app for the iPad that makes full use of Photoshop's powerful painting engine. Packed with intuitive features that capture the feeling of working with traditional art tools, Project Gemini allows users to mix paints just like in real life, experiment with exclusive brushes, and make the most of a multi-screen mode. Digital artists can also sync Project Gemini with Photoshop on the desktop, allowing for a seamless transfer of files. Adobe has put Project Gemini through rigorous testing with professional artists to ensure that the drawing and painting tools are as true to life as possible. Voice prototyping added to Adobe XD Adobe XD has become the first and only UX/UI platform to enable designers to create prototypes for voice-activated devices. New voice trigger and speech playback capabilities enable designers to move seamlessly between voice and screen prototyping: users can now add voice triggers that launch particular interactions (in the same way a tap or click would), while speech playback unlocks a powerful text-to-speech engine. As voice starts to play an increasingly important role in our digital experiences, XD now offers a way for users to design and share prototypes that extend beyond the screen. Adobe launches Premiere Rush CC Adobe's long-awaited video editing app, dubbed Project Rush, has finally been released. The newly christened Premiere Rush CC promises an intuitive, all-in-one experience that will make it easier than ever to create professional-looking video content (even if you're not a video expert yourself). It's currently only available on iOS, though. Photoshop CC gets the Sensei treatment Alongside some long-awaited minor updates, Photoshop CC sees the addition of some seriously impressive new tools, Adobe Sensei selection tool being one of them. In just one click, this tool automatically detects the object you want to select and does all the hard work for you. If this works as well as today's demonstration showed, this really could be a game-changer for Photoshop users. Keynote speakers Day two of Adobe MAX 2018 saw some of the world's creative leaders take to the main stage. In an almost two-hour session, comic artist Nicola Scott, American percussionist Questlove, YouTuber Lilly Singh and world-renowned director Ron Howard shared their stories to creative success. Here's what they had to say... Nicola Scott First to the main stage was inspirational Australian comic book artist Nicola Scott, who quickly warmed up the audience with an all-too-familiar story of how creative success did not come easy. Having first wanted to be an actor, and that not working out, Scott decided to see how her other creative talents could serve her. "It was one Sunday morning, when I reformed the question, that it hit me," she said. "Instead of asking what can I do with drawing, I asked what do I want to draw. And that's when I thought, oh my god, I want to draw Wonder Woman and that could be my job! Twenty minutes later, I was in a comic book store and that started my education." Scott went to do many illustration projects, slowly building a body of work, always with the goal that one day DC comics - home of Wonder Woman - would come calling. Having never previously had a plan or strategy when it came to her career, Scott was determined to make DC her goal, and, by reworking her strategy after every project with DC in mind, she finally got that call and the rest, as they say, is history. Albert Watson Named one of the 20 most influential photographers in the world, Albert Watson followed Nicola Scott with one of the most enthralling, engaging and funny talks we've seen so far. Watson took time to cover some of his truly fascinating 50-year career, including how he found Alfred Hitchcock 'beyond fabulous' and what it was like to photograph some of the most famous people in the world. Watson also went on to offer young photographers some expert advice. "A common weakness among young photographers is lack of planning, and being reliant on Photoshop to fix their images at a later date," he said. "The soul of the picture has to be when you press the button. It's absolutely essential that the creative force is piled on to what you want that image to be, so you should always have the idea first." Questlove and Lilly Singh Following Nicola Scott was American percussionist Questlove and YouTuber Lilly Sigh, interviewed by Adobe principal worldwide evangelist Jason Levine. In the short time they had on stage, both offered two super-useful pieces of advice to creatives. "The most important part of creativity is boredom," Questlove claims. "Allow yourself to have silence and be bored. Take at least two days off a month, sit in your pyjamas with no phone and let boredom hit you so inspiration can come." "Dwanye (The Rock) Johnson is the perfect example of breaking barriers and creating a path," Lilly Singh added. "He said 'When I was wrestling, everyone said, you can’t act'. He taught me you have to buck tradition. If I you want to be the girl who goes from YouTube to movies, then I can do that." Ron Howard The crowd erupted when legendary Hollywood director Ron Howard came on to the stage for the last half hour. A truly humble man, Howard explained his love for storytelling and fascination for true stories, before going on to share stories on what it was like working in the film industry for the past 60 years. Our favourite anecdote has got to be when he explained how when working with a 70-something Bette Davis as a 24-year-old director, having the confidence to actual direct his leading lady was quite intimidating, especially when she wouldn't call him by his first name. "I'll call you Ron when I've decided I like you," he said she told him. It was only after he asked her to rework a scene that turned out better that she did, indeed, call him - and gave him a cheeky slap on the ass. “The greats outwork everybody - and they don’t stop work at age 75,” Howard said. But the best piece of advice from the morning came from Howard as he said to the audience: "Someone has to help you understand early on that your creativity has value. You're not wasting your time dreaming." Read more: 7 insane tech sneaks from Adobe MAX Adobe XD and Adobe Dimension launched at Adobe MAX How to use Adobe Capture CC View the full article

When it comes to CMSs, we live in complicated times. Which system do you choose and what do you want to achieve? If your goal is simply to build an 'editable website', then you might need to rethink your goals. You should be aiming to create the beating heart of your digital ecosystem. WordPress is a very popular choice – and there are plenty of great WordPress websites around that make it clear why. However, it's by no means the only option when it comes to CMSs. So what exactly needs to be considered when making the toughest choice in digital? Here are a few questions you should be asking yourself when selecting the right CMS for your site. 01. What is your aim? A CMS should be designed to support all of the critical interactions and functions your business needs. I hear now more than I have ever done: ‘We have invested all this money in a website but it’s not delivering what we expected.’ Establishing real KPIs for the site will help you make the right decision. 02. How will success be measured? If you create KPIs for a site’s success, match them with the right level of insight. In my view, you can never have enough data around website usage. The greatest amount of time should be given to this aspect of the CMS strategy. If you can’t integrate an adequate level of analytics into the considered CMS, walk away. Also consider the rest of the ecosystem: ensure you have measurement in place to track the impact of changes across your digital real estate. 03. How will the site be managed? A website is like a living, breathing thing: it needs to be fed. Up-front, think about your organisation’s ability to manage it moving forward. If you are a team of one or two and are targeting a content-hungry website, you will be battling competing demands so ensure you consider how you will feed it. Sites that have been designed with high content demands will suffer far worse in the hands of small teams than those with more modest content needs. 04. How will the site be maintained? Before you get in bed with one particular CMS, consider what will happen further down the line. Digital changes constantly. Things will break. Code will need updating. This is where careful consideration should be given to choosing between a bespoke, an open-source or a proprietary CMS. With a bespoke CMS, you get the functionality you need. Your budget has paid for what you are going to use and not for things you won’t use. However, its biggest asset is its greatest limitation. In most cases, a bespoke CMS is developed by a single developer or a team. Their approach to development can sometimes make it very hard for another developer to take over. A bespoke CMS will need constant updates, so consider the real cost of a relationship with those developers breaking down. Open source is free to use. This can be all someone needs to hear to make it the weapon of choice. But, as with all open source, nobody really owns it. Yes, there are more developers out there who can develop for that platform, making it easier and cheaper to recruit. But, without the defined development roadmap of the proprietary CMS, you are somewhat at the mercy of the masses. The subscription fee that comes with the proprietary CMS guarantees not only a defined roadmap but also accountability and a support network moving forward. 05. How much personalisation will you need? Beware the lure of personalisation. This is some advice based on experience. True personalisation is very hard to achieve: it will require a great deal of investment. Managing and creating specific journeys for individual personas requires time. As with all decisions when choosing a CMS, consider the reality of living day-to-day with your chosen platform. Consider using as many automated approaches to content personalisation as possible. The flexibility of a CMS is reflected in the experience a user has. If you can’t put in, visitors will get out. These are just some of the considerations when choosing a CMS, and every option will come with its positives and negatives. As long as you are clear with what you need it to do up front, you will always reduce the risk of making the wrong choice. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 313 or subscribe. Read more: Use WordPress as a headless CMS 18 great HTML APIs – and how to use them 10 amazing new CSS techniques View the full article

As the largest living land mammal on earth, elephants have quite the undeniable presence. At birth, elephants already weigh up to 200 pounds (roughly 90 kg), and in the case of a mature African Elephant, they carry the huge body mass of around 12,000 pounds (or 5,443 kg) everywhere they go, which explains why they have such bulky, sturdy structures and wide column-like legs. Elephants seem like an animal that would be fairly easy to draw just by constructing several big shapes together, but in order to realistically illustrate an African elephant, it's worth understanding their fascinating features, like the trunk, feet, and bone structure. By doing so, you'll start to notice subtle details that can be applied to capture a realistic drawing of an elephant. Pencil drawing techniques: 7 tips to improve your skills In this step-by-step tutorial, I'll be showing you how I approach a drawing of an African elephant's profile view. I'll demonstrate how to block in simple shapes and cover very basic anatomy structure to understand what lies under the skin. Then we'll carve out the mass and form of the body before diving into the details of the skin. The elephant's wrinkles and crevices are also important features we can't forget. Before you start the tutorial, don't forget to pull up your own reference as you follow along. And if you enjoy learning how to draw an elephant, make sure to check out our other brilliant how to draw tutorials. 01. Draw the torso The two bumps on the back are equal in height Draw a big circle and divide it in half. Take half the width of the circle to measure out the torso to the left. Form a bean like shape and make sure the belly side slopes down to the right. 02. Attach the legs The column like legs support and balance the heavy body Take the middle of the torso and duplicate the height of the bean to measure the distance to the ground. Divide the torso into three parts; the shoulder, stomach and hip. Block in long rectangular legs tapering in towards the bulging foot like a tall glass shape. The back legs will look more like an hour glass with the middle taped in. 03. Connect the neck and trunk The trunk has a subtle S curve and the tip curls to avoid touching the ground Draw a rhomboid shape for the head that's as wide as the shoulder width. Divide it into quarters and draw the trunk starting from the middle of the head. The trunk comes out touching the tip of the head and droops down to the ground. 04. Attach the trunk, eye, ear and tail The tusk's length is determined by their age; the older they are, the longer the tusk Fill in a circle for the eye a little lower and left off the centre of the head. Right below the eye, follow the centre guideline to draw the long curved tusk. The skin will overlap right at the bottom of the head shape. The ear will look like big butterfly wing-shapes that covers the entire neck and droops down past the chin, and tucks right up to the centre of the head. The tail will hang down past halfway to the ground. 05. Skeletal structure: Torso The spine protrudes out, which gives it the pronounced bumps The spine runs flat along the back to support all their weight and bears the massive ribcage that takes up majority of the torso. The scapula wraps around the rib cage and comes up as high as the spine. 06. Skeletal structure: Front legs Padded cushions in an elephant's feet help take pressure off their joints The shoulders attach at the bottom of the scapula and anchors to the elbow joints. From there the bone drops straight down to the big wrist. Look at an elephant's foot, they only walk on the tip of their toes. The round disc like feet are in fact stuffed with very thick padding behind the toes. The wide surface area helps to balance and support their weight. 07. Skeletal structure: Hind legs The knee placement should be a little lower than the elbow joint The hip bone attaches to the back of the spine and sits very close to the ribcage. The legs connect from the bottom of the hip and come down to the knee joint, right where the torso attaches to the legs. The back feet are a very similar shape to the front feet, only the back will have a heel sticking out. 08. Skull structure The jaw is not visible from the front view since the base of the tusk is wide enough to cover them African Elephant's signature tusks are equivalent to our front incisor teeth and their nasal structure is located right above the eyes. The cheek bones protrudes out so much, the dip in the side of the head becomes very visible and gives them the sunken cheek look as the skin wraps around the jaw. 09. Build the form of the trunk The tusk and trunk are joined together to act as the top lip Start with a flat head with a strong break for the forehead. Right over the nasal cavity, draw a subtle bump as it reaches the eye. The nose should then bump out again with a stronger arch. The nose will be a tube-like shape that tapers in as it get close to the tip. The trunk wraps around the tusk where the skin folds overlap. 10. Shape the mouth and ear Drawing lines to wrap around the form will help understand the structure of the head The corner of the mouth forms right where the tusk ends, and the bottom lips tucks under. The cheek bones have a strong plane change which makes the side of their jaw and head look sunken in. The base of the ear should feel like there's volume to it, whereas the rest should look like a thin sheet. 11. Expand the body's form To contrast the belly, the spine protrudes out forming a sharp arch Expand the middle torso as a big bulbous belly. Make the legs look like big columns, but show the bulgy joints. For the elephant to have mobility in its legs, there needs to be enough loose skin between the torso and the legs. Draw the tail, and the legs covered in the back. 12. Locate the wrinkles Concentrate the wrinkle formation at the joints; elbow, wrist, ankle, knee, tail, and even around the face Just like your finger joints or elbows, you will see the elephant's skin is similarly wrinkled and bunched up at the joints. The trunk is like an accordion where it has the freedom to move, bend and curl. It has rings of deep crevasses that fold into each other, and kind of resembles a slinky. 13. Detail the wrinkles and form Areas that need a plane change can be implied by etching in multiple lines that follow the form When you draw the wrinkles, remember to add a variety of length and thicknesses. Try to vary up the distance from each other, depending on how tight the wrinkles fold into each other. 14. Incorporate the other features Cross-hatched wrinkles will also give an elephant's skin more texture Draw the hair coming out from the end of the tail from two sides, and make sure to draw the ears as big thin sheets with veins running along them. The fingernails shaped like a crescent will sit flat against the feet. 15. Fill the light and shadows The values will help define the volume and form of each body part If you want to push the drawing a bit further, emphasise the elephant's shapes by filling in the light and shadow. Areas that sticks out like the spine and cheek bone will catch more light, while other areas such as the jaw and belly will hide in the shadow. Read more: How to draw a lion How to draw a bird How to draw a wolf View the full article

It's normal to make mistakes when writing, even if you're one of the best writers out there. For a writing assistant that's always there for you, try out WhiteSmoke Writing Assistant: Lifetime Premium Subscription. This advanced technology works overtime to check your grammar, spelling and style – ensuring you'll never have to go through the experience of sending an email to your boss or a client, only to realise too late that it's riddled with embarrassing typos. This software is easy to use, works seamlessly on mobile and desktop, and can even translate into 50 different languages. Proofread emails, check for plagiarism, and ensure all your writing is typo-free. Get WhiteSmoke Writing Assistant: Lifetime Premium Subscription for just $79 – that's 80 per cent off the regular price. Related articles: How to write the perfect brief How to write engaging case studies for your portfolio How to write a great headline View the full article

Maxon’s Cinema 4D has a vibrant and well-supported plugin ecosystem, providing all manner of extensions for the app – from filling holes in its toolset to streamlining the workflow. And because of the way that Cinema 4D is structured, not only are these plugins nicely integrated into the app (often seamlessly at times), they all play well together. So you can find Cinema 4D tutorials that mix third-party Modifiers and Effectors with native tools, use Turbulence FD to convect X-particles and then visualise them with the Hair shader, shatter meshes with Nitroblast and then animate them with Signal... the combinations are endlessly creative. In this feature we’ve rounded up a few of our favourite plugins (although not all of them by any measure!). There’s something for everyone here. 01. X-Particles X-Particles includes support for MoGraph Effectors Price: £540 This amazing particle and VFX system has a host of useful features. You can create stimulations for cloth, smoke, fire and fluids, for example, and it integrates seamlessly into Cinema 4D. If you can use C4D, you can use X-Particles. 02. TurbulenceFD This heavy sim was rendered at 2560 x 1600. The default settings took 46 seconds; by tweaking the settings we got it down to just 13 Price: £369/ $469 TurbulenceFD is a voxel-based fluid dynamics simulation system for making fire and smoke. TFD is used in movies, TV shows and video game promos, and you only need to use the plugin and see the end results to agree it’s pretty special. 03. Light Kit Pro 3.0 Light Kit Pro 3.0 has a collection of photography style lights and stands Price: $249/£190 The latest update to Light Kit Pro provides a complete and fully customisable lighting solution – providing a variety of realistic lights, panels and softboxes with which to really hone your lighting. It's easy to use, includes 120 studio presents and has built-in support for renderers Octane, Arnold and Redshift. 04. Nitroblast Nitroblast can be applied to animated characters Price: €65 Lazaros, aka ‘NitroMan’, has created many useful plugins, but Nitroblast is probably his best. This great little tool automatically shatters objects and enables you to blow them to pieces using C4D’s dynamics. 05. Scroll Roll Deformer The Scroll Roll Deformer can be used for more than just rolling out the red carpet Price: $18.75/ £12.90 Scroll Roll Deformer was designed to help create rolling paper and carpet-like effects, says Daniel Fitzgerald, developer at Curious Animal, but he found it was also a fun way to create sprouting animations. Scroll Roll also turned out to be perfect for growing sprouting objects and growing feathers. By scaling these objects up from nothing as they unroll he was able to transition them on smoothly, but in a much more interesting way than a simple scale. 06. Motion Stretch Deformer Models can be animated with and without the Stretch Deformer applied Price: $36/£25 The second entry from Curious Animal, aka developer Daniel Fitzgerald, is Motion Stretch Deformer. When applied to a mesh, Motion Stretch Deformer – as you might guess – stretches the geometry according to its movement, creating things like motion trails. 07. Signal The Signal plugin allows easy procedural animation for any parameter inside C4D without using the timeline Price: $129 Signal is a GSG plugin that’s aimed at automating the animation process. It’s applied as a tag to an object or deformer and you simply drag any animatable value into it (including colours). It’s then a matter of setting some values and letting Signal do its thing, generating random, noise- based animations and seamless loops. 08. SplinePatch 3.0 This image is an example of a Solid Extrusion to a SplinePatch on a transparent material Price: $71.48 As its name suggests, SplinePatch 3.0 brings spline patching to C4D, which enables you to create smooth, curved surfaces from intersecting splines. This is ideal for creating complex forms that remain editable and animatable, such as cars, clothing, characters, packaging or other convoluted shapes. 09. Forester A selection of Forester rocks with the various texture maps applied Price: £287 Forester is a procedural vegetation creation plugin that makes an endless variety of grass, trees and plants, and that also comes with a rock generator and a scattering function, called the Multicloner. Its latest update also integrates with C4D's Variation shader, so you can colour your leaves randomly. 10. Transform Transform works really well with objects shattered using Nitroblast Price: $199 GSG’s Transform is a neat plugin for generating animation without the need for keyframes. It provides a set of over 65 presets for various animation sequences, which can then be tweaked to suit. It works well on text, clone arrays or fractured objects made using Nitroblast. 11. Unfolder With some clever workarounds, you can cache Unfolder’s animation ready for other effects to be applied Price: €24.99 This tool by César Vonc unwraps an object as strips of connected polygons, like peeling a banana. It’s a very cool effect with plenty of options to alter the way it unfolds and disappears. However, Vonc explains that you can’t easily cache the effect as Unfolder changes the point and polygon count by default, and the PLA cache needs them to be the same. 12. Difference Map Here we’ve used the Difference Map with Curious Animal’s Impact deformer to generate a layer mask in the colour channel. The Difference Map is a handy plugin that enables you to layer effects on top of your deformation by creating a vertex map describing the effect of the deformer on each point in your model. So, if using Impact deformer to create ripples, you could use the Difference Map tab to create a vertex map that you reference in a material to give those ripples a different colour to the rest of the object. This article was originally published in 3D World magazine, and has since been updated. Subscribe to 3D World here. Read more: The best 3D modelling software right now Easy posing techniques for 3D models 15 expert Cinema 4D tips View the full article

The Dell XPS 13 has been updated for 2019 with some key changes that make one of the best laptops even better. Launched here at CES 2019, the Dell XPS 13 (2019) is faster and more powerful than ever, thanks to new eighth generation Intel Whiskey Lake CPUs. Crucially, Dell has addressed last year’s biggest complaint and ditched the ‘nose cam’, moving the webcam up above the display, instead of sitting on the bottom bezel. But by-and-large, much about the Dell XPS 13 remains the same – and that’s a good thing. Dell XPS 13: Price and availability Two of the different Dell XPS 13 (2019) colour options: black-and-silver; and artic white and rose gold So far, we only have US pricing for the base model Dell XPS 13. For $899, you’ll get an 8th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD and a 1920 x 1080 non-touch display. At the very top of the range, you’ll get an 8th generation quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, a 2TB SSD and a 4K touchscreen – but we don’t have pricing for this yet. The new Dell XPS 13 (2019) is available from today, 8 January, with more colour options becoming available later in the year. Dell XPS 13: Design The biggest visible change to the Dell XPS 13 is the webcam has been moved from bottom of the display – where it became dubbed ‘nose cam’ – to above the display. To do this, Dell’s re-engineered the webcam, shrinking the housing from 7mm down to just 2.25mm, and making this Dell’s smallest-ever webcam. It uses a 720p widescreen sensor with four far-field microphones, and has temporal noise reduction to help make images clear. The hinge mechanics have also been improved, making the Dell XPS 13 easier to open with one hand. And a new colour has been added to the collection: frost silver joins the existing rose gold and artic white, and black and silver options. Finally, you get two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one USB-C 3.1 port, a microSD card slot for expanding the memory and a 3.5mm headphone jack, plus a wedge lock slot for securing your laptop. Dell XPS 13: Display The XPS 13 (2019) is the first Dell laptop with Dolby Vision The Dell XPS 13 (2019) has retained its slim Infinity Edge bezels, and still gives you the choice of a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) with 100 colour gamut or FHD display (1,920 x 1,080). What’s new this year is a touchscreen option for the FHD model - before this was only available on the 4K version. There’s also support for Dolby Vision, which Dell says can make highlights in images 40 times brighter and blacks 10 times darker, compared to a standard picture. Dell XPS 13: Performance Armed with new options for eighth generation Intel Whiskey Lake CPUs, plus a dual-core i3 model to start, the Dell XPS 13 has more power for multitasking, and should keep you going for a few years. Memory options range from 4GB to 16GB, and SSD storage from 128GB to up to 2TB. The company claims a massive 21 hours of battery life for the Full HD display and Core i5 version, and up to 12 hours for the 4K with Core i7 model. Is that too good to be true? We’ll test how well they hold up when we do our full review. Dell XPS 13: Early verdict The Dell XPS 13 was already an excellent laptop. The biggest change on the new Dell XPS 13 (2019) is the repositioned webcam, but the addition of Intel Whiskey Lake only reinforces its best-in-class reputation. Bear in mind that the XPS 13 doesn’t have the graphics performance of the larger Dell XPS 15. This isn’t a laptop for serious video editors or gamers. But if you’re a photo editor or a creative specifically looking for something lighter, more mobile, with a better battery life and still promising great colour accuracy, the Dell XPS 13 (2019) initially looks stunning. We’ll bring your our full review soon. View the full article

Bad actors are imitating high-level executives in the shipping industry to launch BEC attacks that could lead to credential theft or worse - system compromise. View the full article

Microsoft January Patch Tuesday roundup includes four critical patches for its Edge browser. View the full article

When it comes to tech trends, there are few better places to get a glimpse of the future than at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. On Monday, before CES 2019 officially opened its doors, we had a preview of the biggest tech trends to watch in 2019 and beyond, courtesy of Steve Koenig from the Consumer Technology Association. We’ve highlighted the most exciting tech trends for designers below – all of which can be seen on the CES show floor this week. Much of this tech has been talked about before, but what’s new in 2019 is we’re finally seeing its first commercial deployment: think 5G, 8K TVs, self-driving cars. “We’re seeing a lot for the innovations we’ve been talking about for years becoming reality,” Koenig told the assembled media in the Las Vegas Convention Centre. “So what direction are these trends and technology pointing to? The answer is that we are fast approaching a new era of consumer tech: the ‘data age’.” How to build trust in emerging tech According to Koenig, we’re transitioning from the ‘connected age’ of consumer tech, where we’ve been focusing on connecting people, into the ‘data age’ – where we’ll now concentrate on connecting things. “5G will become the central nervous system of the data age. It isn’t like flipping a switch though,” he cautioned. “The build out of the 5G network is like a toddler learning to walk: we’ll see the networks expand in the coming years. In two or three years we’ll see the majority of these 5G networks up and running around the world.” Here are the biggest 2019 tech trends on show at CES this week that designers need to know… 01. Embedded AI Intel launched its Xeon Scalable CPUs featuring robust AI and memory capabilities at CES this week AI is gathering serious momentum in households around the world. The McKinsey Global Institute likened the global impact of AI to the steam locomotive in a late 2018 report, and that analysis certainly chimes true at CES. The likes of Nvidia and AMD are showcasing their latest processors devoted to machine learning and AI. They’re designed for end devices like TVs and smartphones – why? To improve the UX. Embedded AI means our TVs will always display the best picture quality, and our camera phones will always take the best photos. “Embedded AI is a major device trend to look for,” Koenig confirmed. 02. The rise of the digital assistant Digital assistants sit at the most visible part of the AI spectrum. “There are more smart speakers, smart displays – digital assistants are quickly becoming omnipresent,” said Koenig, adding that right now there are over 20,000 compatible devices with Amazon Alexa. Even the Church of England has an Amazon Echo app. “Services, business – everyone is supporting these digital assistants," he continued. "Why? Because consumers are starting to expect it.” 03. Voice will be a paradigm shift With the rise of digital assistants comes voice design – as we've talked about before. Voice isn’t universal as an interface yet, but in certain cases we’re increasingly pivoting towards it: to ask questions; check the weather and so on. (Things we’d normally open an app for.) With digital assistants, we’re speaking to more brands and services. And with every conversation, the AI becomes better trained. “This activity is showing us we’re on the cusp of a major shift in consumer behaviour. This will multiply as we move into the data age,” predicted Koenig. “Voice will become established as a go-to digital option. Digital assistants will be our digital co-pilots.” 8 tips for designing voice interfaces 04. There are limits to automation “We’re beginning to understand the limits of automation, where AI doesn’t really fit,“ said Koenig. “The things we ascribe to AI are solving really hard problems, but when we pass physical tasks to robotics, they struggle. There has to be training. Also, there are a lot of cases where the tech worked fine but it failed because we need that human element.” Koenig says that we can expect more human-machine partnerships in the data age. But he believes that the outright automation of different job tasks won’t mean mass job displacement for people. “These systems will take over tasks that aren’t safe for humans, like search and rescue,” he pointed out. “Ai is all about perfecting processes, freeing us up to do other things. Job displacement will be the real outlier. And we’ll come up with other things – we always do.” 05. AR has quietly overtaken VR Zara has introduced augmented reality displays into its stores – expect more of this in 2019 “VR surged at front at first, but AR has quietly pulled forward,” says Koenig. “We’re seeing a lot of innovation in AR.” From wearables and fashion to tourism and education, there’s an abundance of AR hardware and software at CES this year. Smart mirrors – where consumers can see what they look like in different garments without physically wearing them – could revolutionise fashion retail; while the tourism and education sectors are already amplifying experiences with AR. “The forecast for VR headsets is fairly flat,” he added. “There will be more experimentation over the next few years; the headsets will get better. But on the S-curve of adoption, we’re still at the bottom of the curve – in the middle of the next decade we’ll see the inflection.” “That said, VR is the perfect fit for brands – look at what Audi did with its Enter Sandbox demo. It’s a great way to communicate brand experiences.” 06. 8K TVs are here CES is writing another chapter in display innovation this year, with 8K TVs out in force. Do we really need them? Yes, says Koenig. Here’s why. ”Screen sizes keep getting bigger and bigger,” he explained, ”because consumers demand them. It’s a global thing. In this sense, 8K is right on time. The average screen size shipping this year is almost 50-inches.” The super-big TV segment is the fastest growing in the sector – and it makes sense. But if you’ve only just invested in 4K, don’t worry. There isn’t much 8K native content yet. It’s coming, sure. But these are just the first steps. 07. The rise of resilient tech Genny makes water out of air...yes, really “Resilient tech is emerging in the context of smart cites,” said Koenig. Without resilience these cities can be fragile, he added, highlighting areas of cyber resilience, 'emergency preparedness' and anti-terrorism as areas of growth. Take the Genny, an atmospheric water generator that literally makes water out of air. The small home and office device can generate 25 to 30 litres per day, needs only electric infrastructure to operate and can be installed anywhere. It won a CES 2019 Best of Innovation Award – and there are plenty more examples of this growing tech trend across the CES show floor. Also read: Huawei squares up to Apple with new MateBook laptop Startup beats Samsung to show the world's first foldable phone Wacom unveils new entry-level Cintiq View the full article

For the first time since 2015, Wizards of the Coast has released an annual Core Set of cards for Magic: The Gathering. The 2019 set is available now and it’s bedding in with players as they get to grips with some very in-your-face creatures and spells. It also contains some exciting imagery and a selection of work from new artists to keep the fantasy card game’s main themes as fresh as ever. Over the past few years, M:TG sets such as Amonkhet, Ixalan and Dominaria have focused on settings and narratives based around historical and mythological themes. There have been pirate and dinosaur invasions, Egyptian-style gods and vampiric hints of horror. Core Set 2019 gets back to basics in many respects. We caught up with some of the illustrators to find out more about the art techniques and thought processes that went into making the new set. Click the icons in the top right of the images to enlarge them That means dragons “We went into M19 with a goal of evoking classic fantasy that a variety of people know and love, regardless of whether they’re long-time players, or are just picking up their first Magic cards,” says senior art director Cynthia Sheppard. In addition to the planeswalker Nicol Bolas – as seen in the game’s hero art by Magali Villeneuve – four elder dragons come to the table including the impressive Chromium, The Mutable as illustrated by Chase Stone, and an array of lesser ones like Lathliss, Dragon Queen by Alex Konstad. Alex Konstad's Dragon Queen Lathliss However, you never know where the best artwork is going to turn up in a new set. Something as simple as Rustwing Falcon, a white card costing one mana, has an eye-catching silhouette as it’s dropped by a player on their first turn. The artwork was painted by British artist Paul Scott Canavan who’s new to the extensive Magic universe. “Getting Magic briefs is my favourite part of the job,” says Canavan, “because they’re always descriptive but flavourful, with lots of scope to tackle them in your own way. The brief for Rustwing Falcon was all about the light and colour, selling the idea of a beautiful bird soaring about the grasslands, flecks of rich gold in its feathers.” Rustwing Falcon by Paul Scott Canavan – of the new Magic artists Planeswalker cards are a major focus for players because they’re so powerful. Core Set 2019 sees the return of old favourites, including Ajani, leader of the cat warriors, and Liliana the necromancer. The latter was painted by another new magic artist, Livia Prima, who as well as creating the necromancer and a gorgon for the black series, also painted Angel of the Dawn for the white section of the release. “Angels, necromancers and gorgons complement each other in a fantasy world. It’s such a pleasure to paint different moods and characters one after the other,” says Prima. Livia Prima painted this Angel of the Dawn for the white section of the release One new planeswalker was introduced to the set in the form of Vivien Reid, who is aligned with the game’s green manna and who can summon creatures and direct them to attack using a magic bow. The card was painted by Austrian artist Anna Steinbauer. Dark and violent Visually, the Core Set has a darker and more ominous feel to it than the previous release, Dominaria, which had a light and dreamlike tone. Core Set 2019 takes players back to the planes first introduced in the 1990s. In play, creatures’ powers can be built up quickly and although many intricate control strategies can be developed, it perhaps facilitates a more aggressive gameplay style. Slawomir Maniak caputres Ajani's last stand For the artists, however, each brief contains four main goals. “Firstly, it needs to say something about what the card does. Does the creature fly? Does the spell draw other cards? Our creative team is responsible for distilling down the card rules and mechanics to visuals that we then give to the artists to bring to life,” says Sheppard. Cards also need to connect with the overarching themes of the set. As Sheppard explains, “That’s what helps a goblin or a burn spell, for example, look different from set to set. “Thirdly, it needs to be illustrated with care and good craftsmanship. Much of that is on the artist and their abilities, but we will sometimes push.” “Finally, it needs to look different from other cards on the table. Art is remarkably important for quickly identifying what cards are being played by opponents during a game.” Fresh blood Naturally, Core Set 2019 contains the work of some of Magic’s legendary artists, including Chris Rahn, Magali Villeneuve and Svetlin Velinov. But with each new magic release the art directors at Wizards of the Coast bring in new blood. While some of the more experienced painters are able to develop a knack for painting iconic card artwork, sometimes it’s work by new names that players gravitate to. Svetlin Velinov's Fraying Omnipotence When Dominaria came out in 2018, it saw the debut of Tyler Walpole. One of his commissions was a Knight Token, a sort of fodder card that’s usually summoned by a more powerful creature or spell. However, with a unique stained glass style to it, his knight became a card of choice for just about everyone playing a white deck. For artists, making a card desirable among players is a trick of the trade. “The biggest piece of advice I give new artists is ‘be yourself’,” says Sheppard. “Sometimes there’s an unspoken pressure on artists to try and make their work look different, or like a generic average of everyone else in the game – and that goes for all clients, not just Magic. But the truth is that if we want to work with you, we think you have something special to bring to the game, beyond just an ability to paint.” This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 166 or subscribe. Read more: 22 best painting and drawing apps for iPad How to design believable fantasy beasts 20 sketching tips to help you make your first marks View the full article

The update comes on the heels of critical fixes in an unscheduled patch last week. View the full article

The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2019 is in full swing, and there's some impressive tech on show, not least the new Huawei MateBook 13 laptop. Widely touted as a potential Apple MacBook Air killer, the MateBook 13 features an incredibly narrow-bezel display and an 88 per cent screen-to-body ratio, which is more generous than the MacBook Air's 82 per cent. The best laptops for graphic design in 2019 And it's not just weight that the MateBook has on its side. Its two configurations, an entry-grade version and a high-end version, are not only backed up with powerful 8th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, the screen also supports touch, something we've yet to see on the MacBook Air. However, that said, there's no support for a stylus. The new MateBook 13 is 0.7cm thinner than the new MacBook Air The MateBook 13 sits among Huawei's already established MateBook series, slotting between the cheaper MateBook D and the premium MateBook X Pro. Like it's older siblings, the MateBook 13 offers a 3:2 aspect ratio display, at a 13-inch size with a 2160 x 1440 resolution. It's clear Huawei has Apple in its sights, with this latest offering 0.7cm thinner than the MacBook Air. We'll be getting our hands on one soon at CES 2019 to really get a feel for it, but right now – and considering that the pricing smartly undercuts Apple’s latest MacBook Air by 100 bucks – the MateBook 13 looks to be an option creatives might want to seriously consider. Read more: View the full article

Royole has unveiled its FlexPai – the world's first foldable phone – at the CES 2019 trade show. While the benefits of having a phone that folds remain hazy, electronics companies have been tripping over themselves to get one out for some time now. In a surprise move, relatively unknown startup Royole has overtaken the likes of Samsung to be the first to get an actual flexible phone onto the market. The Royole FlexPai is a 7.8-inch phone with a flexible AMOLED screen. We first heard of Royole's foldable phone in October 2018, when the company announced the FlexPai would go on sale for around $1300 just a few days later. Prior to the news, big players such as Samsung, LG and Huawei were the big names in the race, but none had managed to get their efforts to market. Originally debuted at an event in Beijing, a demo at the CES trade show currently running in Las Vegas was the first chance for a major audience to see the flexible phone in action. CEO Bill Liu wowed the audience by demonstrating how the FlexPai could be folded from a 7.8" tablet into a smartphone with displays on two sides. Liu also announced some details about the revolutionary phone. When folded the FlexPai offers two screens: one with a 16:9 aspect ratio and the other a wider 18:9. It's powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 855 chipset and runs Android's Water OS, which supports the split-screen mode. It also includes two cameras (including one 16MP wide-angle lens) that work as both rear and front cameras, depending on how the phone has been folded. Sadly, early reviews suggest the FlexPai is still a little rough around the edges – it's not a contender for the best smartphone for designers quite yet. Flexible accessories What do you need with a foldable phone? Well, flexible accessories of course. As well as showing off its competition-beating FlexPai, Royole has used CES 2019 to reveal a flexible keyboard, bendy speaker, and smart selfie stick, all featuring thin, foldable displays. This flexible keyboard rolls up into its casing The bendy QWERTY keyboard connects to your phone via Bluetooth and can be laid on any smooth surface. The cool part is that when you're done typing, you can roll it up and pop it in your bag, or pocket. The keyboard works wirelessly and Royole promises impressive battery life. As well as the bendy keyboard, Royole showed off a smart speaker with a 7.8" AMOLED flexible touchscreen. Users swipe and tap the screen to play music or watch movies. The device also includes an 8MP camera that pops out of the top and rotates 180 degrees. Whether these flexible devices are part of a passing fad or set to become a stable of the smart office of the future remains to be seen. More news from CES 2019: CES 2019: Wacom unveils new entry-level Cintiq CES 2019: Gaming giant MSI unleashes high performance laptop for creative pros View the full article

A new year means new resolutions, which in the world of 3D means checking the lay of the land to make sure the tools you're used are the still the ones that are best suited to your needs as an artist. To kick off 2019 properly, we've gathered together the tools you should consider adding to your 3D art toolkit. All of the applications in this list are either new or have undergone a big update recently, so they're worth a fresh look. 01. MODO 12.2 New denoting techniques in MODO 12.2 promise faster and cleaner renders While MODO has been around for over a decade now, the latest version has definitely set out MODO’s stall for the future. With the integration of the latest rendering tools such as AMD’s ProRender and Nvidia’s OptiX Denoiser (pictured) with a heavily revamped and streamlined UI. MODO offers artists a strong platform to consider with its best-in-class subdivision modelling toolset – which can be leveraged to work with game engines easily through customised layouts and exporters. MODO 12 has also introduced a VR viewport (on Windows only) that allows artists to get close to their models in a way that is simply is not possible in other digital content creation applications. 02. Redshift 3 Redshift has earned its place in the industry as one of the leading GPU-rendered engines – its biased underpinnings allows much more flexibility than unbiased alternatives. Redshift is also famed for its very clean animations across a wide range of host applications, as can be seen in the Bruton Stroube video above that uses Redshift. In 2019, Redshift 3 will launch with a refactored core that increases the trace depth limit, allowing more indirect light bounces and improved transparency levels. Even faster render speeds are coming with Redshift 3 thanks to optimisation for the latest Nvidia RTX cards, as well as a wealth of other new features later in the year, including distributed and network rendering. 03. V-RAY Next While there are newer rendering kids on the block, Chaos Group has been hard at work maintaining and improving V-Ray with the launch of V-Ray Next, currently available for Autodesk 3DS Max and Autodesk Maya. V-Ray Next features GPU acceleration that offers a 2x speed bump over previous GPU V-Ray options. A much improved IPR for lightning quick playblasts, crypto matte output and volume rendering all mean that Chaos Group is continuing to keep V-Ray amongst the leaders of 3D rendering technology. 04. Octane 4 Released in November 2018, Octane 4, the leading unbiased GPU render engine, promises a lot for users in 2019. Octane already had one of the fastest interactive previews of any render engine, but with the addition of OTOY's own Brigade real time path tracing engine, Octane 4’s preview is between 10 and 100 times faster than previous versions. Out of Core geometry support is another feature of Octane 4, along with new denoising techniques with the implementation of the machine learning-based Spectral AI denoiser (video above). Hopefully Octane 4 will make good on its promise of allowing Octane to work with any GPU, as OTOY has worked hard behind the scenes over the past few years to maximise Octane's compatibility. 05. Gravity Sketch VR is fast realising its potential as a true creative tool. Price discounts on VR headsets, coupled with great software have meant that many areas of creative design are embracing VR. At the forefront of this creative software revolution is Gravity Sketch. When used as a concept development tool for 3D creation, there is little that can touch Gravity Sketch's ability to immerse an artist in their design. By purposefully limiting the toolset and features, Gravity Sketch enables artists to sketch in 3D and then use the intuitive snapping, surfacing and patch tools to create prototype models that can be exported as an OBJ or FBX into a full 3D or CAD application to be be refined. However, the lighting and texturing tools are good enough in Gravity Sketch to create a unique model sheet. 06. AMD ProRender A number of our highlights for 2019 are render engines that make the most of the new GPU hardware on its way in 2019. But many artists have already paid a significant amount for their 3D modelling software, and understandably begrudge having to shell out for a third party render solution no matter how good it is. Thankfully AMD has realised that this is an issue and made its hybrid CPU/GPU render solution AMD ProRender available for free. AMD ProRender is available as a plugin for Autodesk Maya, 3DS Max, Blender and SolidWorks as well as being the inbuilt accelerated render solution for Maxon Cinema 4D and MODO. There is also support for ProRender in Unreal Engine. ProRender is already an industry standard, is easy to learn and comes with a great inbuilt material library (with the plugin versions). It works on practically any Windows or Mac computer and is well worth checking out in 2019. 07. Houdini 17 SideFX, the developer of Houdini, has recently released the latest version of its procedurally focused 3D application. Houdini 17 Banshee features the OpenCL accelerated Vellum cloth solver for better simulations, with support for multi-layered cloth elements and dynamic constraints for stitching, bracing and tearing. Vellum also works across hair and grooming. There is a new material-based destruction tool paradigm that pre-fractures materials such as concrete, glass and wood and then builds networks to tie the resulting system together. In fact there are too many new features to list here. As ever, Houdini starts with the free Apprentice edition, but the Indie version is great value for freelancers and is also available for subscription on Steam. Take a look at our 15 top Houdini tips to get started. 08. Cinema 4D 20 Many Cinema 4D users have started looking at Houdini to cover some of the shortcomings in Maxon’s digital content creation software. However, the release of Cinema 4D R20 changes all that by offering a whole new motion graphics fields-based paradigm, node-based materials, improved viewport performance, and improvements to the hybrid ProRender integration including features like motion blur and SSS (see these in action in the video above by f°am Studio). Couple these with modelling improvements such as the new CAD importers and the whole new volume modelling paradigm, and Cinema 4D becomes one of the most compelling, easy to learn and stable digital content creation applications available in 2019. It is rightly being awarded an Academy Award for its MoGraph toolset in February. For advice and inspiration, take a look at our roundup of Cinema 4D tutorials and Cinema 4D tips. 09. Blender 2.8 It is hard to believe that Blender, the open source digital content creation application, is now 25 years old. There are few, if any, applications that can do as much as Blender can – from 3D modelling and sculpting, to animation and compositing, all available for the perfect price of free (take a look at our roundup of brilliant Blender tutorials for inspiration). With the recently released Blender 2.8 beta and accompanying roadmap, 2019 looks like an exciting year for existing and new users alike. Blender works on nearly every platform and the improvements in Blender 2.8 concentrate on making Blender easier to use, with a new UI, the Eevee real-time renderer (which works both for viewport and final render) and a raft of other new features. 10. Substance Painter Substance Painter has become the industry's favourite texturing application (art by Nikie Monteleone) Ladies and gentlemen, we may have a winner for the standalone texturing application of choice for the industry. Substance Painter seems to have become the default tool for texturing assets, with a constantly updating toolset that strives to match the creativity of its users. After a gangbuster year in 2018, Allegorithmic has spent the holiday break showing off some the stunning creations Substance Painter has been involved with, from games to CGI. When coupled with the rest of the Substance suite applications and the fantastic Substance Source asset library, this is a toolset that works as a linking tissue between 3D and game creation applications for keeping material looks consistent. It is deserving of any CG artist's attention in 2019. Read more: Become a better 3D artist How to land your dream job in 3D Essential Cinema 4D plugins View the full article

A Wacom Cintiq Pro is the dream creative tool for many artists and illustrators keen on drawing or sketching directly onto the screen; the only problem is that they don't come cheap. Even if you aim for the bottom-end 13-inch model you're not going to get much change from $800/£800, so if you're a student or just getting started in your creative career, the tool is almost certainly beyond your budget. However, there's some great news from CES 2019 for anyone who's after a creative pen display without having to cough up a fortune. Wacom has just announced the new Wacom Cintiq 16, and it's an entry-level model aimed at young designers, students and hobbyists, for a price that's much more manageable than anything in the Pro range. The Cintiq 16 has just enough features to make it a must-have entry-level pen display Cheap-ish and reasonably cheerful, the Cintiq 16 looks like it could easily become the go-to option for any creative who needs a pen display but balks at the price of a Cintiq Pro; it doesn't have the full range of Pro features, but there's enough there to get the job done. The best drawing tablet: our pick of the best graphics tablets in 2019 It features a decent-sized 15.6-inch HD display with an anti-glare film and reduced parallax so you can always see what you're doing. It's not a touchscreen, but it does come with the Wacom Pro Pen 2, which gives you 8,192 levels of sensitivity, low activation force and tilt recognition. Thanks to the Pro Pen 2's Electro Magnetic Resonance technology, you'll never have to charge it, and it also features two programmable side buttons for instant access to your favourite shortcuts. Get 8,192 pressure levels with the Pro Pen 2 For setting things up comfortably, it packs foldable legs that provide you with a 19-degree tilt; if you want steeper angles there's an optional stand that'll give you up to 68 degrees. And while the Cintiq 16 doesn't feature any ExpressKeys other than the Pro Pen 2's side buttons, there's ExpressKey Remote available that gives you 17 customisable, app-specific ExpressKeys, as well as a Touch Ring. If you fancy a bit of an upgrade then the Cintiq 16 is fully compatible with Wacom's complete range of accessory pens, and while if you sit it side-by-side with a Pro model you'll instantly spot the difference – the 16's display isn't as bright or as crisp as the one you'd find in a Pro, and its colour gamut is lacking in comparison, too – it's a cracking piece of kit that's going to be much in demand when it goes on sale later this month for $649/£529.99. Related articles: Wacom Cintiq Pro 32 review How to draw: the best drawing tutorials The best cheap Wacom tablet deals in 2019 View the full article

Always feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Get more done every day with a productivity booster bundle. The Complete Productivity Booster Bundle will help improve your time management skills and teach you how to get twice as much work done every day. Boost your focus, and watch your work efficiency skyrocket. You'll be surprised at just how much more you're able to accomplish every day. The Complete Productivity Booster Bundle is yours for just $29 – that's 98% off the regular price. Related articles: 5 top tips for creating a productive workspace 8 simple productivity tools for designers 8 must-have products for a smarter studio View the full article

When working on projects like app design or branding collateral it’s important that there is consistency between different elements, to give a sense of continuity across the design. In Affinity Designer, Assets help address this issue. You are able to save sets of Assets, ready to drop into your document for repeated use. In this article, we'll show you how to get started using the Assets function in Affinity Designer. Watch the video above for a 2-minute overview, or read on for some top tips. This is part of a series of video tutorials showing you how to use Affinity Designer - a popular vector art tool for Mac, Windows and iPad. 01. Accessing the Assets Panel You'll find the Assets panel under the Studio category You can access the panel and add it to your workflow by going to View > Studio > Assets. Once selected you can drag it to your panels and keep it there for future use. I keep my Assets panel next to my colour palette. 02. Importing and exporting Assets There are plenty of UI kits available for Affinity Designer It may be that you are working with team and there is an existing collection of assets for your design, or that you want to download a UI kit (many of these are now being made for Affinity Designer). To import Assets, simply click the Options icon on the Assets panel and click on Import. This will bring up a finder window for you to select the relevant .afassets file for immediate installation - no need to close and reopen the app. To export Assets, just hover over the export option. This will create an .afassets file, and from here you can make your own asset kits for others to use. 03. Creating Assets Drag a design element into the relevant category To create an Asset, just drag whatever object you want to into the the relevant category. Things that you will reuse often, such as buttons, logos or illustrative elements are good things to turn into assets. However, technically you could go all out and turn whole website layouts into assets - if, for example, you wanted to replicate a template. 04. Creating categories and sections Organise your Assets into categories and sub-categories Click on the option/menu icon in the Assets panel to create additional categories and sub-categories. Sub-categories are useful if you want to divide up assets, for example: you might have one sub-category for branding (logos and so on), one for illustrative elements and another for UI elements such as buttons or icons. 05. Embedding Assets Embed assets to hand them over to another party Finally by clicking the option/menu icon in the Assets panel, you can embed your assets into the file. This means that when you share the file with someone, they will also be able to access all the assets relevant to the file. This is great for handing over work to a client, or if another designer wants to pick up where you left off. More in this Affinity Designer tools series: Using constraints Using Grids The Pen tool The Export persona The Pixel persona View the full article

Combining vector and raster tools, Affinity Designer is an affordable-yet-powerful alternative to Adobe CC. It’s available for Mac, PC and also iPad. Offering impressive quality and features, this tool provides a great middle ground between the more basic free graphic design software and the pricey but feature-rich Creative Cloud suite. In this tutorial, we’re going to be taking a closer look at Symbols. When creating design systems for things like websites or apps, its important to keep a sense of continuity in your work, which is where Symbols come in. With Symbols, you create an object and any changes you make will be reflected across all other instances of that object across the whole document, in real time. These features really are a game changer in terms of productivity and can save you hours of time when utilised correctly. Read on and watch the tutorial to see how symbols work. 01. Accessing Symbols You may want to add a Symbols shortcut to your window if you use it a lot To access the symbols panel, go to View > Studio > Symbols. It may be useful to add this to your your window permanently if you make a habit of using this feature. Once opened you can see three buttons with their own symbols: the first on the left is Create, second is Detach and the third is a Sync symbol. 02. Creating Symbols To create a Symbol, select the object you wish to turn into a Symbol. If your chosen object has multiple layers, make sure they are grouped to a single layer first, or else you will create several separate Symbols. 03. Editing Symbols Any edits will appear across all instances of your Symbol Now you've created a Symbol, you are able to drag and duplicate it to be used in other elements in your design. The beauty of symbols is that any edits are duplicated across all instances of that symbol. So, for example if your symbol is a button, any tweaks to that button's design will appear in every instance of that button. Ideal for creating consistency within your designs. 04. Detaching Symbols This feature enables you to make an edit to just one instance of your symbol Let's say maybe you want to make changes to only one button and not have the changes affect the rest of your your document. This is where the Detach tool comes in handy. With the symbol you wish to change selected, press Detach and you are now able to edit this element independently. More in the Affinity Designer tools series: Using constraints Using Grids The Pen tool The Export persona The Pixel persona View the full article

Taiwanese gaming pioneer MSI has announced a powerful new ultra-portable laptop for creatives at CES 2019. Aimed at professional artists, video editors, photo editors, graphic designers and animators, the 15.6-inch P63 Modern comes with up to the latest eight-generation Core i7 processor, and optional discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. The best laptops for video editing The best laptops for graphic design Meanwhile, True Color Technology promises up to 100% sRGB on the IPS-level FHD panel, and four-sided 5.6mm bezels provide an 86% screen-to-body ratio to help you see every detail of your creations. There’s also Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 for your camera phone, a fingerprint sensor, support for 802.11 Wi-Fi and two 2W speakers. In addition, MSI claims the P63 Modern has an “all day” battery that can last up to 16 hours, which we look forward to putting to the test. The new laptop, which was launched in collaboration with the Discover Channel here in Vegas this afternoon, is part of MSI’s Prestige notebook series. Weighing in at 1.6kg, the 15.9mm thick device comes in charcoal blue and boasts a Quiet Mark certification for its Cooler Boost 3 dual-fan cooling system – which means it’ll be particularly quiet when you’re working. MSI also showcased the MS65 Creator. This 15.6-inch laptop comes with a 4K HDR IPS-level display with 100% Adobe RGB. Pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet, but both laptops will ship sometime this year. Read more: The best laptops for photo editing Asus announces new StudioBook S for pro designers The best laptops for Photoshop View the full article