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E3 2019 is well underway, and it's been a particularly exciting year. Xbox announced an absurdly powerful new console, hand-drawn indie game RPG The Legend of Wright caught artists' imaginations, and there was even a real-life Keanu Reeves, shipped in to promote Cyberpunk 2077. While Sony isn't attending the conference this year, it hasn't ducked out completely: as part of its Days of Play sale, the company has partnered with leading retailers to offer some amazing deals over the E3 period. So if all this excitement has reminded you how awesome gaming is, now's a good time to snap up a new console – right now, you can grab a PS 3 Pro with $50 off the usual price. If you can't find what you're looking for here, Amazon Prime Day 2019 is a great time to find a bargain – last year there were deals on various Playstation and Xbox consoles, and some awesome bundle offers too. The PlayStation 4 Pro is Sony's first 4K HDR console, and gives the Xbox One X a run for its money when it comes to crowning the best console around right now, and it's well grabbing one for the reduced price. You can find out more about this console in our sister site TechRadar's Sony PS4 Pro review. In the UK? Technically the Days of Play sale is US-only, but we've spotted some awesome deals for Brits too. AO.com has also dropped the price of its PS4 Pro to £339 – pick up the deal below. Read more: IKEA rips into Apple's Mac Pro in hilarious new ad The best web hosting services in 2019 Why everyone's wrong about Apple's $999 monitor stand View the full article

We're finally getting to a stage where brands are recognising the power of web animation. We've already gathered together the best CSS animation examples and shown you how to code them, but in this article we're going to share some top tips for getting more from motion in your UI design projects. Lisi Linhart is a creative developer who specialises in creating interactive, moving things on the web. At Pixel Pioneers, she took to the stage to explain to the audience how to keep animations performant across browsers, and showcase the different animation options we have on the web today. We caught up with her afterwards to hear some more top tips. DO keep things consistent with design systems Linhart has noticed a rise in the use of design systems to help control the use of animation across a project. These systems outline and define the kinds of animation that appear in different types of page within a site – for example, on the product pages. "Consistency is getting more important, and having an overall view of all your animations is also important," Linhart summarises. DON'T include animations for the sake of it "A lot of people incorporate animations but they don't think about the usability of the animations," says Linhart. "Figuring out what goal an animation has and if it is actually useful is very important, instead of just building an animation to have an animation." Design systems can be beneficial in this regard, too. When you decide the different types of motion, they are linked to the different purposes within the interface. DO consider different devices Depending on the role animation is going to play in your product, you can introduce different approaches based on device used. For desktop experiences you could add effects that react to mouse events, for example, while a mobile experience might have animations triggered by the movement of the device. Alternatively, you might want to keep things simple, says Linhart, and create global animations that are tied to the workflow and are appropriate regardless of the device being used. DON'T force animations on users There are a number of reasons why a user might want to turn off motion – for example, parallax scrolling can cause motion sickness. Users that don't want UI animations can select a reduced motion experience in their browser. Thanks to the Web Animations API, it's now easy to provide an alternate experience using JavaScript; you can stop animations within your design, or skip them all animations to their ending state. Animations are great, but don't force them on people that don't want them! DO pay attention to existing mental models There are certain mental models, based on real-world physics, that dictate how we expect objects to behave and how we react to certain movements. For example, a wiggly motion will trigger a user's attention, while a slow fade will often go unnoticed. "Animation can be used in combination with mental models, and you can use them to make your animation look better or to explain something," says Linhart. A good place to start is with the classic 12 principles of animation. DON'T forget your audience The number of animations you include in your interface should be strongly influenced by the audience you're aiming for, says Linhart. While lots of bouncy motion might help keep a young audience engaged and excited by your product, an older audience might find it distracting and off-putting as they try to absorb the content at their own pace. DO stick to Transform and Opacity Linhart explains that there are four animation types that can be processed cheaply using CSS: changing an object's position, scaling it up or down, rotating it, and altering its changing opacity (fading in and out). Of these, CSS Transform and Opacity are the most performant. Bear this knowledge in mind when designing your UI animations, for smooth and user-friendly experiences. DON'T make animations too long Getting the timing of your animations right is all-important. "You shouldn't time animations too long, because your user is trying to do something, and if you have really long animation timings, that will hinder them," points our Linhart. "So keeping the animations short in interfaces is important." There's a caveat though: if you're animating a transition, you might go for a slower animation, so as not to attract unnecessary attention. Read more: Code smart text effects with CSS The best web design jobs in June 2019 How to create a chatbot that doesn't sound like a robot View the full article

You only get one link in your Instagram profile, so you want to make it count. And a new free service from Envato aims to help you do just that with an easy-to-build site that's designed to look its best within Instagram's own mobile web browser. Milkshake is a lightweight mobile website builder that's the work of Envato co-founder Cyan Ta'eed and her team, and grew out of a desire to help people, predominantly women, to build their own personal brands and at the same time start to monetise their social media presence (see our post on how to make money on Instagram for more tips). How to change the font in your Instagram bio Available now for iOS – with an Android version to follow – Milkshake is pitched as the perfect tool for anyone who needs a site without having to spend ages on it. Creating a Milkshake-powered Insta site takes just four steps: firstly you pick a Card, a basic template for your page layout. Next you add the content you'll need, and then you can instantly experiment with designs by hitting Milkshake's 'Shake it up', which applies a fresh on-trend look with every touch. And when you've built all the pages you need and you're finally happy with your site, simply publish it and add the link to your Instagram bio. Whether you just want a standalone site that's an extension to your Instagram account, or a handy platform that links to all your other sites, Milkshake looks like a great way to do it without too much effort. And as an added bonus, Milkshake sites are designed to be swiped through like Instagram Stories (see our guide to Insta Stories), so when visitors click on them within the Instagram app, they'll be presented with a friendly and familiar look and feel. Milkshake gives you heaps of ready made designs to try out Milkshake was conceived as a fun and empowering tool to help women turn their ideas, hobbies and ambitions into businesses, and to further help along these lines Envato has also launched its own School of Instagram. It shares tips and lessons from top influencers who have used Instagram to create their own brand, and aims to help people up their Instagram game so that they can create the best Milkshake site possible. Milkshake's available to download for free on iOS now; you can find out more over on the Milkshake website. Related articles: 9 agencies to follow on Instagram How to hack the Instagram algorithm The 5 best Instagram font generators View the full article

There was a time in the early 2000s when it was common to hear somebody answer the phone using the following greeting: 'Whasssssuuuup?!' For a while – far too long, actually – this tagline from a Budweiser commercial became more than a tool to sell beer. It became part of our culture. It changed the world – in it's own, small, weird way. Few industries have more access to our everyday lives than advertising. A lot of it – radio spots, TV commercials, billboards – is background noise (although see our list of the best billboard advertising for print ads that got it right) . But every now then an ad cuts through that noise and becomes, if only briefly, something greater than a tool to sell stuff. Below are five ads that did exactly that. Because really good ads make people answer the phone differently. But really great ads make people think differently. 01. Think Small (1959) It's not long after World War Two, and Americans are driving big muscular American-made cars. German company Volkswagen wants to break into the US market… with a car commissioned by Hitler. It's a tough sell – one of the toughest sells of all time. But DBB came up with arguably the greatest ad all time… The Think Small campaign showed a lot of empty space and a tiny VW Beetle. The followup, Lemon, took the piss out the Beetle as much as it bigged it up. Another ad promoted the Beetle as America's slowest car. The campaign was so layered, so full of cultural and historical subplots, that it featured in an episode of the most layered, most metaphorical TV show of all time, Mad Men. There was advertising before Think Small and there was advertising after Think Small. It changed things. It changed how ads were made. It changed the way ads were received. Ad Age voted it the greatest ad of the 20th century. It's also recently been repurposed for a new era of electric cars (see below). Then 1959 Lemon campaign compared to 2019's Lemonade ad [Image: Volkswagen] 02. Surfer (1999) Certain directors – Roy Andersson, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze – prove advertising can be a proper art form. Admittedly, it's an art form trying to persuade you to buy deodorant or biscuits, but that shouldn't detract from the work itself. Jonathan Glazer is another one of those directors. His ad 'Surfer' looked like no ad you'd ever seen. It was about surfers. The breaking waves were horses like in Walter Crane's painting Neptune's Horses. The narration was inspired by Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick (the surfer is monomaniacal about surfing like Melville's character Ahab is monomaniacal about killing the white whale). And it was soundtracked, devastatingly well, by British band Leftfield. This was an ad for stout that looked cooler than a French art house film and had better special effects than most blockbusters. Some called it pretentious. But, to this day, I watch it and the hairs go up on the back on my neck. Interestingly, research suggested audiences wouldn't get it. But ad agency BBDO and client Guinness held their nerve. And it paid off. Surfer won all the big awards in 1999 (Clio, D&AD, Cannes Lions) and won best ad of all time in a 2002 poll by Channel 4 and The Sunday Times. Love it or hate it, Surfer changed things by proving the humble TV commercial could be a proper art form. 03. Whassup? (1999) The first Budweiser Whassup? ad aired during NFL game one Monday night in December 1999. DDB's concept was deceptively simple: it was bunch of mates who liked talking on the phone, watching the game, having a Bud, and saying 'What's Up?' in increasingly daft ways. (The ad was based on a short film written and directed by Charles Stone III). But it did the thing ad agencies dream of: it took on a life of its own. There is a whole generation of people who at one time or another answered the phone using the ad's slurred, tongue-out tagline. The ad wasn't out to change minds. It didn't right any wrongs. But for a year or two, it became part of everyday language all over the world. You can count on one hand the number of ads that have done that. It was a campaign that knew it's target audience. Whether you like the ad or not, Whassup is one of the most successful, most memorable taglines every written. Whassup? won the Cannes Grand Prix and the Grand Clio and loads of other awards. In May 2006, the campaign was inducted into the Clio Hall of Fame. 04. Campaign for Real Beauty (2004-present) Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty aimed to change the way we think about body image. The campaign started with a billboards asking passerby to decide whether the women pictured, who weren't professional models, were 'flawed or flawless?' It was the beginnings of a movement in advertising to use men and women with normal bodies – as opposed to models or athletes with unusually thin or unusually muscular bodies. The project grew to take in everything from short films to workshops. Advertising isn't exactly known for being a tool for social change. Out of the project came the top five Campaigns of the Century, as rated by Advertising Age, and increased sales from $2 billion to $4 billion in three years. Critics said it still focused to much on surface appearances. But this campaign admitted advertising had to be more responsible when it came to portraying body image. It was a step in the right direction. Nancy Vonk put it best. She was part of the creative team at Ogilvy, Toronto, who worked on the campaign in the beginning. Vonk said: "Would I say it’s changed the world? No. "Would I say it’s had an impact? Yes." 05. Meet the Superhumans (2012) Marshall McLuhan (the philosopher who coined the phrased "the medium is the message") said this: "Historians and archaeologists will one day discover that the ads of our time are the richest and most faithful daily reflections any society ever made of its whole range of activities." If those historians were to watch 'Meet the Superhumans' then they would see a society trying to right some wrongs that had gone on far too long. Channel 4 won the UK television rights to the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, and it launched a big campaign about the Paralympics being a major event in their own right – not tacked on to the preceding Olympic Games. Part of this campaign showcased the superhuman abilities of Paralympic athletes. It was the start of a movement – that included everything from women's football to modest sportswear – that aimed to change our perceptions of what an athlete is supposed to look like. It's both a tearjerker and a fistpumper… And yet 4creative somehow missed on the Cannes Lions Grand Prix, which went to that irritating Dumb Ways to Die infomercial. Read more: 5 ads that tried to be cool but failed Why are there so few D&AD Pencils in design? 6 of the best free online graphic design courses View the full article

Whether you're working as an illustrator or commissioning illustrations, it's important to keep an eye out for emerging talent. If you're the former, it's always useful to see what others are up to and pick up a little inspiration to help prevent yourself from getting stuck in a rut, while if you're the latter then you simply need to keep your finger on the pulse in order to publish work that excites rather than bores your audience. Every year the illustration market expands with a new crop of illustrators, many of them bringing exciting new drawing techniques, aesthetics and fresh ideas with them. Here are eight talented illustrators that have caught our eye this year, each of whom we expect to see much more of in the future. How to tell a story with your illustrations 01. Freya Betts Freya Betts learned her craft making film posters but is now developing a looser style [Image: Freya Betts] With a lifelong love of painting, drawing and films, Freya Betts left school at 18 to work for design agency XYi, where she created beautiful poster art with a strong helping of photorealism for a number of top studios. Now aged 22, she's shifted to freelancing full-time and has fallen in love with digital art, embracing Wacom and using the freedom granted by a digital setup to give her work a slightly less realistic but more 'fine art', painterly feel with looser brushstrokes. 02. Sammi Sammi's illustrations neatly combine the weird and the wonderful [Image: Sammi] Taiwan-based illustrator Hsian Hsia works under the name Sammi and creates wonderful and slightly surreal artwork inspired by a love of animals, plants and the natural world in general. With a look that echoes traditional Chinese art, but with an illustrative twist, Sammi's work is often based on inner emotions and usually features strange, unusual and expressive characters placed in weird and unexpected environments. 03. Eglantine Vittu Eglantine Vittu works across various styles including children's books [Image: Eglantine Vittu] Born in France and based in Paris, Eglantine Vittu has held various jobs over the past few years, working as a compositing artist at an animation studio, an art teacher and even as a prop designer. Now she divides her time between freelancing as a motion designer and an illustrator working in a range of styles, from digital painting through to silkscreen printing, gouache and papercut work. Recently she illustrated a children's book on the problems of plastic pollution for Petita Demas, and she's currently working on a children's graphic novel, Matcha, for Papitou. 04. Tom Guilnard Simple lines and flat colours help Tom Guilnard's work pack a punch [Image: Tom Guilnard] A graduate of the Camberwell College of Arts, Tom Guilnard is another illustrator signed to Jelly London's Futures scheme and has quickly made a name for himself with simple, playful work created with an eye for minimalism. He claims to have become an illustrator by accident – he has a wide creative palette but found that illustration was the quickest way to get his message across – and works mostly with simple black lines and bold, flat colours, with a liberal helping of basketballs. His work might look simplistic to some, but it's already been enough to earn him a D&AD Pencil. 05. Adam Latham Adam Latham's fine art background shines through in his illustrations [Image: Adam Latham] Adam Latham's background is in fine art – he has a BA in it from Byam Shaw School of Art, as well as an MA in Painting from London's RCA – but in recent years he's become drawn to illustration. Working with Indian ink fineliners and watercolour, his work is incredibly detailed thanks to his combination of observational drawing and the more intuitive techniques of cartooning. Taking influence from natural history illustration, auction house photography and mid-20th kitsch among other things, he loves to mix up exotic tropes in a way that feels slightly wrong. 06. Whooli Chen Whooli Chen's work is often whimsical, sometimes unsettling [Image: Whooli Chen] Another Taiwan-based illustrator, Whooli Chen studied an MA in Illustration at London's University of the Arts, where she found her mused in the form of an urban fox. Currently represented by Central Illustration, Whooli combines delicate palettes and painterly layers to create charming, whimsical work that's often found on the covers of Little White Lies magazine, amongst other places. 07. WRK WRK's unconventional tactile illustrations are bold and fun [Image: WRK] For a striking alternative to the illustrative norms, take a look at the work of German duo Andrea Weber and Damoun Tamir, who specialise in stunningly tactile illustrations under the name WRK. Drawing on a wide range of everyday materials to create their bold and colourful imagery, including paper, assorted foodstuffs and papier maché, they take an unconventional and playful approach to their work, producing end results with a real sense of solidity and charm. 08. Olga Zalite Olga Zalite is rising fast in the illustration world [Image: Olga Zalite] An illustrator from Saint Petersburg, Russia, who describes herself as a digital chef who turns ideas into delicious illustrations, Olga Zalite has hit the ground running in her illustration career. Previously employed in Russia as an interface designer, last year she decided to make the jump to working full-time as a freelance illustrator, telling stories through simple, fun and expressive vector characters. Having started out by finding work on Fiverr, she's since built up a following on Dribble and Instagram and has just relocated to San Francisco. Related articles: Boost your illustration career with these 6 tips 2019's illustration trends to know about How to promote your illustration business View the full article

When your brand is as big as Apple, people are going to make fun of you no matter what you do. That's exactly what happened last week when Apple announced its new Mac Pro. Despite the computer's impressive specs, people couldn't help but notice that its tower looked like a cheese grater. And to get in on the joke, IKEA Bulgaria has released this witty ad for its own lookalike product. Leading with the apparently innocent message "designed for apples", this tongue in cheek ad from the famous flatpack furniture shop is up there with some of the funniest and most impactful print ads we've ever seen. There's more than a passing resemblance to the new Mac Pro [Image: IKEA] Created by advertising company The Smarts, this ad doesn't end the fun there. If you look closely you'll see that there's a lower case letter "i" in the name of IKEA's meal preparation range, IDEALISK, in a subtle dig at Apple's camel case product names. It's a subtle but clever piece of copywriting from the studio. And it's all the more effective, because thanks to this ad we now know that you can pick up a stainless steel cheese grater form IKEA for just 3,99LV ($2.30). So if your budget won't stretch to an iPad Pro, this could be a bargain way to get the same aesthetic. The best Amazon Prime Day deals for artists and designers Another element that makes this ad so successful is that it taps into a wider conversation surrounding the new Apple Mac Pro. Once it was unveiled, people flocked to social media to crack the same gag that compared the computer's tower to a cheese grater. So as far as ads go, this one is a triple threat: it effectively mimics its target, it smoothly weaves its product into a general conversation, and it builds publicity for an item and a brand. And it does all this with a simple photograph and a lower case letter. Talk about making effective advertising look easy. The new Apple Mac Pro also made waves online last week as it was revealed that the computer required a monitor stand that cost a whopping $999. If this is a bit out of your price range though, don't worry. Check out our buying guide to the best monitor stands for your studio that will leave you with more cash to spare. Related articles: 5 ads that tried to be cool, but failed $999 Mac Pro stand: Has Apple lost the plot? View the full article

When you're just beginning your design career or are in the early stages, it can be tricky to get your portfolio just right. Perhaps you don't have enough work to create a long pdf of examples, and you may not feel you've contributed enough to a project to include it on your website. But there's no need to panic. If examples of truly inspiring work – such as these design portfolios – leave you feeling inadequate, what you probably need is some advice tailored to your level. We asked top creatives what they're looking for in a portfolio, and more specifically, what advice they have for junior designers. Read on to discover what they said... And if you're looking for your next creative role, then don't miss our curated list of design jobs. 01. Use just one project “If you’re just starting out and finding yourself scraping your archive for materials, I would suggest to profile yourself with just one single project that you feel very strongly about," says Thijs Remie, vice-president of product design at WeTransfer. "That may be enough to instil trust with the person on the other side of the table, and make them see your potential.” And it almost goes without saying, that if you don't like your work, don't include it: "Don’t show work that you feel doesn’t represent who you are and what you stand for." 02. Don't rate your skills “There’s a trend at the moment where people give their skills a rating: Photoshop Skills 8/10, say," says Paul Ray, creative director at Chapter. "Why would I want to employ someone who isn’t amazing at it? It might be that it’s not your strongest skill, but don’t highlight it!” 03. Show commitment to your development “I value a clear demonstration of talent, intelligence, attitude and a commitment to develop into a great designer," says Remie. "Juniors may have a limited amount of professional working experience, but I expect them to show serious potential and already bring significant abilities to the table that benefit the team from day one. Therefore, they’re expected to fully participate in any debate and let their voice be heard.” How can you show this through your portfolio? Make sure you highlight the creative input you've had into projects, and make it obvious you were a valuable part of the team. 04. Create a new portfolio every year “I’ve heard people say that straight out of school you should create a new portfolio each year as you’re establishing and finding your style," says Justin Gabbard, art director at Google Play. "That could be client work interspersed with self-initiated projects, so you aren’t limited by the jobs you’re getting and can highlight your style.” This article originally appeared in issue 291 of Computer Arts, the world’s leading design magazine. Buy issue 291 or subscribe here. Read more: 10 on-trend portfolio templates What is #PortfolioDay and should you get involved? 5 little portfolio details that make a big difference View the full article

You're reading How to Code a Mobile-First Responsive Email Template [Tutorial], originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how simple and easy it can be to code a fully responsive and fluid email template. This isn’t complicated or intimidating at all. All it takes is understanding the designs for the … View the full article

You're reading How to Build Websites for Apps: Your 2019 Step-by-Step Guide, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! Web designers: There’s some good news and some bad news. The good news is this. There’s an ongoing and growing need for app presentation websites. The more the merrier, which means more for you to work on. Not to rain … View the full article

Are you a marketing manager, an entrepreneur, or a blogger? Do you edit videos for your job, or are you interested in exploring the movie-making world? Whatever video-editing needs you have, Moviemator Video Editor is a powerful software that can help you create stunning videos quickly and easily. The best cloud storage 2019 With more than 40 built-in animation effects to choose from, Moviemator ensures that your videos will look highly professional. You can trim, crop, split, and rotate your videos — plus a whole lot more. And by adding text and titles, you can take your videos to the next level. And best of all, this software is yours for the low price of $14.99. Related articles: 49 best photo apps and photo-editing software The best video editing apps in 2019 The best video editing software in 2019 View the full article

The flaw affected all versions of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows and architecture types dating back to 2000, and was patched in November 2017. View the full article

Want to gain hands-on experience as a game developer? The Zero to Hero HTML5 Game Developer Bundle is here to help you establish a strong foundation in the skills you'll need to build a career creating games. The best web hosting services in 2019 With this bundle you'll learn how to code with the Python programming language. You'll also find out how to build a HTML5 game entirely from scratch, and you'll practice real-time web and game development using tools like Meteor.js and Phaser. And that's just scratching the surface of everything this bundle has to offer. Get Zero to Hero HTML5 Game Developer Bundle for just $25 -- that's 97% off the regular price! Related articles: How to use an HTML boilerplate: A guide Convert Flash games to HTML5 Create an atmospheric game environment View the full article

Here's a quick quiz that will separate the creative wheat from the chaff. If you think your eyes are finely attuned to noticing subtle design details, get ready to put your peepers to the test with this difficult colour quiz. Although it only runs at a mere ten questions long, the Colour is in the Eye of the Beholder quiz is a tricky test to ace. In fact, only 1% of players were able to get a perfect score. Even if you've read our guide to colour theory, you're still going to have trouble with it. Created by Lenstore UK, the quiz asks players to identify colours by their shade; order colours in terms of lightness; and spot hidden messages and symbols in an array of colourful dots. Think you've got what it takes to get 100% Take the quiz below or by clicking here. How did you do? Don't beat yourself up if you didn't get every single question right. The average score is six out of ten, and only 0.2% of people got all ten correct. The information tab on the quiz adds that according to data collected by VIGA, women are more likely to perceive colour better than men. The survey of 2,000 adults in January 2019 also found that colour perception peaks for both sexes between the ages of 30 and 35. Meanwhile, those over 76 only got 30 to 40% of questions correct. "Colour perception depends on several factors, including colour vocabulary, home country, and languages spoken," says Lenstore. "The way we talk about colour plays an important role in how we perceive it. English didn’t have a word for 'orange' until two centuries after the fruit of the same name arrived in Europe. Before then, the colour was called 'yellow-red.'" Related articles: A short lesson on colour theory 12 colours and the emotions they evoke Quiz: Spot the errors in these famous logos View the full article

Popular media player receives 33 security bug fixes, two of which are rated high severity. View the full article

Looking for the best monitor stands? Everyone's been talking about them lately thanks to Apple. Its new Mac Pro is a remarkable machine, but it and its accompanying monitor are seriously expensive. And when Apple revealed that the monitor stand alone will cost a staggering $1,000, even the brand's most committed fans winced (although some still think Apple's monitor stand is worth it). A career as a creative is hugely rewarding, but very few of us can justify that kind of expense for what it, ultimately, a piece of highly engineered metal. That's why we've gathered together a collection of the very best monitor stands that are great quality but still affordable. The stands we've chosen are all robust enough for daily use, ergonomically designed for all-day comfort, and flexible so you can adjust them to suit you. We've also included a dual monitor stand if you prefer to work with two screens. If you haven't got a monitor yet, then don't miss our guide to the best 4K monitors. [Image: Eletab] The Eletab Single Monitor Arm Stand looks far smarter than you'e expect for its diminutive price tag. With 90 degree tilt, swivel and rotation, it's not quite as adjustable as some of the slightly pricier options here, but it gives you far more flexibility than Apple's offering. It supports up to 19.8lb, so make sure you check your monitor's weight before buying, particularly if you have a superwide display. This is the gas spring version, but there's also a mechanical spring version for even less if you're not going to be changing your monitor's height regularly. [Image: TechOrbits] The smart-looking TechOrbits Dual Monitor Mount Stand is infinitely adjustable, with two gas spring arms that make adjusting your screens a breeze. It's tough, too – the stand is suitable for 13-inch to 30-inch monitors, and each arm can support up to 20lb. It's made from high quality aluminium, making it stylish, strong and lightweight. All for a tenth the price of Apple's stand. After you fit your monitors, you might need to tighten the arms a little with the included Allen key, but once that's done, this stand will keep both your displays well supported for many years to come. Buy TechOrbits Dual Monitor Mount Stand from Amazon for £100 [Image: Ergotron] The Ergotron LX Desk Mount Arm will keep your monitor up where you can see it comfortably, raising it up to 13 inches off your desk to help you maintain good posture. It rotates and pans 360 degrees, and tilts 75 degrees, so you can adjust it any way you like. This stand is available in two colourways to suit your workspace: plain black, and silver and black, and when you've finished working, it folds neatly out of the way if you're short of desk space. It supports monitors up to 34 inches in size, and weighing up to 25lb. [Image: Ergotron] If you use a standing desk to reduce back and neck strain while you work, the Ergotron LX Sit-Stand Wall Arm could be the monitor stand for you. Like Ergotron's desk mount arm (above), it offers 360-degree pan and rotation, with 75-degree tilt. It will hold screens up to 42 inches in size and weighing up to 25lb, so it's also an excellent choice for TVs. With a polished aluminium design and neat cable routing, it's a stylish choice that'll give Apple's stand a run for its (considerable) money in the looks department. [Image: Humanscale] Until recently, we would have considered the table-mounted Humanscale M2CW1S M2 Monitor Arm a seriously premium monitor stand, and it still looks the part, finished in brushed aluminium and gloss white. It's well built, too, with self-lubricating bearings for smooth movement year after year, plus a counterbalance indicator so you can configure it for your monitor's weight before you attach it. The super-sleek Humanscale isn't as heavy-duty as some of the other monitor stands here, only able to support a maximum payload of 15lb, but provided you're not using an ultrawide display (see our pick of the best ultrawide monitors here), that should be sufficient in most cases. Read more: First Look: Apple Pro Display XDR monitor The best monitors for photo editing The best laptops for graphic design View the full article

Gamers will be well aware that E3 is currently in full swing. And while there are plenty of exciting announcements for gamers to savour, there are also some amazing releases that will capture the imaginations of creatives. Take the trailer for upcoming RPG The Legend of Wright, which uses a charming hand-drawn aesthetic. Created by Japanese indie studio Desk Works, The Legend of Wright takes place inside a student's notebook. The game's distinctive graphics excellently recapture the look and feel of jotter scribbles, as we see dragons and ogres come to life on the page. These hand-drawn visuals are also a brilliant digital recreation of the results you can get when you use the best pencils for sketching. In the video below you can see how the player controls a fantasy hero to solve puzzles and vanquish all manner of mythical beasts. To stop the hand-drawn visuals from looking a bit grey and monotonous, The Legend of Wright frames the notebook with colourful controls and vibrant maps. Accompanying tools such as a compass and an eraser also suggest that the player will be able to use more stationery than just a pencil. The announcement for The Legend of Wright took place during Microsoft's E3 2019 presentation. Another significant Microsoft story from the conference includes the unveiling of its absurdly powerful new Xbox console, which looks set to take the gaming experience for players and developers to a whole new level. And just like Xbox Project Scarlett, there's no concrete release date for The Legend of Wright. However we do know that it will be available on mobile, PC, and Xbox One at some point during 2020. Related articles: 15 observational drawing tips The 11 best drawing books How to draw a figure View the full article

You're reading Different Faces of Gamification in Web Design, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook! It will come as no surprise that games have become a part of our everyday life. Whether it is a multiplayer online role-playing game like PUBG or just a small oversimplified platforming video game like Doodle Jump, you’ll certainly have … View the full article

Game developers and designers are set to see their work come to life like never before. This is thanks to the announcement of Microsoft's next generation console, which goes by the tantalising codename: Xbox Project Scarlett. Revealed on 9 June at the Los Angeles E3 conference, Project Scarlett is the successor to the XBox One. In the launch video for the console, below, the creative team behind Project Scarlett promise that it will deliver "the most immersive gaming experience ever". Sounds like exciting news if you want your environments, characters or even free textures to look their very best. But how exactly will the console deliver on this promise? Project Scarlett claims to deliver a four times more powerful gaming experience when compared to previous generation consoles. Games will also run more smoothly due to Project Scarlett being able to handle up to 120 frames per second. The best Amazon Prime Day deals for artists and designers Images will be displayed in up to 8K resolution, although it's unclear if this will be limited to video streaming or include video games, too. Meanwhile 3D lighting will look more realistic than ever with the help of hardware accelerated ray tracing. On top of that, load times will be drastically reduced with the support of a solid-state drive. In short: get ready for a load-time-free gaming experience that's suited to bringing immersive worlds to life. All in all, these updates have lead to Microsoft claiming that Project Scarlett is the biggest generational leap yet in terms of its consoles. If this has whetted your appetite for all things Project Scarlett, you'll have to wait until Christmas 2020 to get your hands on it. Microsoft hasn't revealed any pricing details yet, however it has unveiled that Halo Infinite will be among the console's launch titles. Related articles: How to get a job as a video games artist Riot Games' new logo packs a punch Playdate is the most adorable games handheld ever View the full article

It’s nearly time for Amazon Prime Day 2019, the day when Amazon celebrates summer by dropping the prices of all kinds of things. Deals on Amazon hardware and smart home products are a given; as we discovered last year, there are often decent deals on software, laptops, accessories and all kinds of consumer electronics. Prime Day is rather like Black Friday, but it’s Amazon’s baby and it has a different focus. Where Black Friday is largely about buying things for other people, Amazon Prime Day is more about buying things for yourself. That’s good news for designers, as it can mean money off things you actually want and things you actually need. At least, it can mean that if you’re careful. Like any big sales event, There Be Dragons. Let’s find out how to put their (Kindle) fires out. 01. Remember to cancel your Prime account We keep our Prime membership all year round, but if you’re only signing up for Prime Day so you can access the Prime Day deals then make sure you cancel again before the 30 day free trial period is up. If you forget, congratulations! You’ve just dropped more on a Prime membership than you may have saved on Prime Day itself. 02. Look out for the deals Many of Amazon’s deals are time-limited or have limited stocks available, so make sure you set a reminder for the ones you really don’t want to miss. When they’re gone, they’re gone. Mostly. But sometimes you get a second chance. Did somebody say 'wait list'? 03. Use the wait list That must-have lightning deal you forgot about may appear to be sold out, but just like in a real shop, a sale isn’t a sale until it goes through the checkout and the retailer gets paid. That means it’s worth joining the wait list on any deals you’ve missed. The wait list isn’t always available but when it is, it could mean you get the product when someone else changes their mind. 04. Check around for better deals What may appear to be a massive discount on the RRP could just be the same price everybody else is charging. Use Pricespy.co.uk to check, and don’t forget eBay either: it’s packed with retailers who may have better deals. 05. Consider if Amazon's deal is a good one CamelCamelCamel.com is your friend here. It enables you to see a particular Amazon products’ price history to make sure the deal really is a deal. Some product prices vary wildly over time, and if the product you’re looking at is one of them then there’s a lot less urgency: if you could use the same money better elsewhere, you can use it elsewhere and be confident the price will come back down again soon. 06. Do your homework It’s really important to plan ahead for big events such as Prime Day. For example, if you want to buy a particular kind of product, what’s the going rate for it? What specs do you really care about? That laptop isn’t a great deal if the graphics card isn’t what you need; that iPod touch may not be such a bargain if it’s the recently replaced model, which uses a four-year-old processor. Check out our range of buying guides, such as our guide to the best computers for graphic design and the best graphics cards to get some advice. 07. Pay attention to other retailers One of the reasons Amazon started Prime Day was because competition was making it harder and harder to stand out during Black Friday Super Bargain Enorm-Deals Week, or whatever Amazon’s calling it this year. It was a cunning plan, but the thing about enormous annual sales events that you have to announce in advance is that other retailers can do their own discounting to compete with you. Which is exactly what the big-name retailers have started to do on and around Prime Day. 08. Buy stuff you actually need Just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean you need it, and if you don’t need it then it doesn’t matter how good a deal it is. We still haven’t unwrapped the wireless headphones we bought last Prime Day. Had we waited, we’d have seen their price get even lower. Or we’d have realised that we didn’t actually need them in the first place. 09. Believe in the potential Not all the deals on offer will be exciting. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be deals worth getting excited about. If you’re considering any kind of hardware purchase, or if you just need to stock up on coloured pens, it’s worth hanging on to see whether Prime Day will make it cheaper. Read more: Amazon Prime 2019 date leaked? The ultimate guide to all Amazon devices How to get the best Amazon Prime Day deals View the full article

Rollover links are a great way to grab a user's attention, especially if they do something unusual or original. Middle Child has a great effect, seldom seen elsewhere, that captures each letter and splits them apart with animation, which kicks in when the visitor hovers over the word. The animation helps convey the sandwich brand's playful character. In this article, we show you how to recreate the effect on your site. For more inspiration, take a look at our guide to the best CSS animation examples (with instructions on how to code them). 01. Rollover text effect One of the great text effects on the Middle Child website is for the rollover effects on the menu, where the letters split apart on the text and rotate slightly. Start this with some simple HTML tags. 02. Create CSS Use a separate CSS file or style tags to add the following CSS rules and make the page fill the full size of the browser by ensuring the body and the wrapper take the full height available. 03. Position the word The word class centres the word in the grid. Any text that is given the word class can have this applied. The up class is going to be applied to every other letter and these will move upwards. 04. Up and over Now the down class shares very similar settings to the up but the hover shows the movement upwards for the up rollover. Upwards is also rotated slightly to enhance the look. 05. Hovering down When the user hovers over the text, the down class moves the text downwards. Later in JavaScript the text will be split into separate spans with the classes added automatically to alternate spans. 06. Automatic for the people It's a bit of a hassle to have to put every letter in alternating spans with different classes, so we'll automate the process by getting JavaScript to query the selector and take each letter. Here the str variable grabs the current letter as it loops through the text. 07. Add alternating classes Now another loop places each letter in its own span element and adds either the up or down class to the spans. If you look at this in the browser you will see the text split by each letter up and down, while rotating slightly. You can see the effect in action on the Middle Child website. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 286 or subscribe. Read more: Add SVG filters with CSS How to design with CSS shapes: An introduction 5 cool CSS Grid generators View the full article

A design scholarship can go a long way to making your artistic dreams come true. But that takes a lot of time and money, right? Wrong. If you can’t afford much of either, you’re in luck. Right now, leading creative college Shillington is offering aspiring designers the opportunity to win both a full scholarship in London and half scholarships for its September 2019 full- and part-time graphic design courses at various locations around the globe. Shillington’s innovative approach to teaching sees students learn the creative process fast. In just three months (full time) or nine months (part-time), Shillington students can be industry-ready and graduate with a polished graphic design portfolio to boot. Super scholarships If Shillington’s style of study sounds like it suits, the college currently has two incredible opportunities to help boost your creative skillset. First up, there’s a chance to win 50% off the total cost of fees to the college’s September 2019 graphic design courses in New York, London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The perfect partnership Shillington has also partnered up with Champion, a creative enterprise with a social mission to help young creative talent (under 25s) from disadvantaged backgrounds, to offer one aspirational designer a full scholarship in London. One successful applicant will receive a 100% scholarship to study graphic design at Shillington (£11,400 value), along with equipment loan and a living bursary.. Presenting passion Use your creativity to show the Shillington team why you love design and you could win a super scholarship So what is Shillington looking for? The opportunity to give these potentially life-changing scholarships to people with a passion for design, that’s what. Whether you have zero design experience, want to kickstart your creative career or simply want to hone your skills, a real affection for design and a unique way of presenting it is all you need to apply. The rules of entry are, there are no rules. Mostly. After answering a short set of questions, super-flexible requirements means how you show the Shillington team why you love design and want to learn from them is entirely up to you. PowerPoint, collage, poetry, Instagram accounts, the choice and, more importantly, creativity is all yours. You can find full terms and conditions (including extra requirements for New York applicants), plus where to submit your entries over on the Shillington website. The deadline for submissions to win both the full and half scholarships is Monday 8 July at 1700 (BST). So what are you waiting for? Apply today for a chance to win a design scholarship and study in some of the most creative cities in the world! View the full article

If you're looking for the best home design software in 2019 to plan your workspace or studio, then you've come to the right place. The best home design software allows anyone to plan their own home or workspace without having to study to become an architect. They should be easy to use with a clear and concise user interface that gives you all the tools you need to design the perfect studio for your creative work. You can then export your plans to give to architects and builders – who will then turn your designs into reality. There are plenty of reasons why a creative would want to buy the best home design software for their needs. You may want to design a studio or workspace that gives you the room you need to take your creative work to the next level, while complimenting your existing building or home. Of course, you may also want to use the best home design software we've included on this page to extend your home or build a dream house from scratch. Because you're a creative, and not an architect, the best home design software that we've picked will make it easy for anyone to come up with quick and good-looking designs. They will also allow you to add features such as doors and windows, while also guiding you so you don't make any dangerous, impractical or downright impossible designs! So, when choosing the best home design software for your needs, you'll need to consider how easy it is to use – and if there are any features such as manuals and video tutorials that can help you get started. Every piece of software we've included in this list of the best home design software has been picked because it offers an excellent balance between features and ease of use. That means you can pick any of our choices here with confidence, knowing that you're not spending money on advanced features you'll never use, and overly complex software, nor will it be too simple and lacking in features. The best free home design software Before we get into our main list for the best home design software, we'd like to highlight our pick for the best free home design software: RoomSketcher Home Designer. This is the perfect home design application for people who just want to dip their toes into the home design waters, and test out the software before spending any money. It's basic, but it does the job, and allows you to make a quick and easy floor plan with windows, walls, stairs and doors, and you can also add objects to get an idea of how the building your designing will look. It offers basic tools, but doesn't match the paid-for home design software we list below. You're limited to designing five buildings – though you can buy five more for $10, and your designs are saved online so you can access them from other internet-connected devices. Plus, it has an app for iOS and Android mobile devices, so you can get designing while on the go. Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design is our pick for the best overall home design software thanks to its easy-to-use interface and sample plans that will get you designing your home, studio or workspace in no time at all. It's incredibly easy to use thanks to a number of wizards that take you step-by-step through the process of designing each room, and it has a large object library for you to add to your design. It also automatically calculates what materials you need - and there's a price calculator as well which gives you an idea of how much it will cost to build your designs. TurboFloor Plan Home & Landscape Deluxe is our pick for the best value home design software due to the fact that it is almost half the price of the other entries in this best home design software list, yet it still comes with almost all of the features its more expensive competitors offer. So, you've got 45 sample plans to get you started, as well as the QuickStart feature which lets you jump right in and begin designing your buildings. It has a huge library of video tutorials that can help you if you get stuck, but there's no step-by-step wizards to help you create rooms – unlike Virtual Architect Ultimate Home Design above. However, it still offers fantastic value for money, and is perfect for people on a budget. Macs are very popular with digital creatives, however, they don't have the same breadth of choice when it comes to home design software. If you use a Mac, it means you're limited to only a few software suites - and Home Designer Suite by Chief Architect is by far the best. It comes with a huge selection of features for designing the inside and outside of your building and it's compatible SketchUp and Trimble 3D Warehouse, which host ready-made 3D models which you can include in your designs. It's also easy to export your designs into formats used by architects and builders. Oh, and it's also available for Windows PCs as well. If you're just designing a small project, then you don't want to spend a fortune on a complex suite of design applications that include features you'll never use – which is why DreamPlan is an excellent choice. It gives you all the tools you need to quickly whip up designs for small projects, without overwhelming you. Of course, if you're going for a large project - like a total renovation of your home - then this isn't the tool for you, due to a lack of cost calculator, only one sample plan and a small object library. For for small projects, that should be more than enough. View the full article

JavaScript is one of the first languages any programmer should learn. And with the Comprehensive JavaScript Bundle, you’ll gain 42 hours of knowledge that will give you a solid JavaScript foundation. What's more, this bundle can be yours for just $31 – that’s 97% off the regular price. This bundle will teach you how to create dynamic JavaScript content. You’ll even practice building five mini applications entirely from scratch. The best web hosting services in 2019 You’ll also learn how to build games using the coding language, which will get you up to speed if you’d like to launch a career as a game developer. The Comprehensive JavaScript Bundle is the perfect package that will introduce you to JavaScript and teach you everything you need to know about the language. Make sure you don't miss this offer, grab the bundle now for just $31. Related articles: The best code editors 14 of the best JavaScript APIs All you need to know about JavaScript code splitting View the full article

Time's up on public disclosure of six serious bugs impacting the vendor’s IPM-721S model security camera. View the full article

It's been a busy week in the world of Apple. If you've been keeping up with the announcements coming out of the WWDC 2019 keynote, you'll be aware that Apple's been rolling out some controversial products (including this $999 monitor stand). One update that's sure to keep iPad users happy though is the launch of iPadOS, a new version of iOS specially geared towards its tablets. Announced by Apple's software chief, Craig Federighi, iPadOS is a separate version of iOS that caters towards the user experience of people working on iPads. Due to launch in Autumn, iPadOS will make multitasking easier. It's also set to improve the lives of digital artists and designers by working better with the Apple Pencil. Crucially, the iPadOS update will improve the latency of the Apple Pencil. This means that it will drop from 20ms to 9ms, so it will feel even more like writing or drawing on paper. Great news if you're already using some of the best iPad apps for designers. The best Amazon Prime Day deals for artists and designers Usability, such as the ability to pin widgets, was warmly received [Image: Apple] Not only that, but the tool palette is getting a redesign. Users will be able to shrink it and move it around to wherever suits them best. By dragging the pencil form the corner of the iPad, you can also take a screenshot and start working on it right away. Handy. A new pixel eraser tool will allow iPad users to remove exactly what they want and nothing more, while a ruler tool will make drawing lines a more straightforward process. Over on its preview page, Apple says that iPadOS users will also be able to get fonts from the App Store to use in documents. Custom fonts can also be installed to make your work truly your own (check out our best free fonts for some typographic inspiration). There's also new photo library options, augmented reality support, and text editing options. The upcoming iPadOS will support custom fonts [Image: Apple] Other workflow updates include a smoother split-screen experience that will help to make multitasking easier. A new home screen sees widgets expand alongside conventional app icons, and an improved Files app will feature a column view similar to macOS. The Files app will also be able to support USB drives and SD cards. So if your projects are stored all over the place, it looks like soon you'll be able to edit them all on an iPad. With all this on the iPad, and Photoshop for iPad launching soon (sign up to be a beta tester here), will creatives even need to bother buying a laptop at all? Related articles: The best iPad accessories in 2019 Apple's new free system font isn't actually that new The best cheap iPad deals in 2019 View the full article