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Danish brewery Carlsberg has today unveiled a major global rebrand, courtesy of Bristol-based Taxi Studio. Following extensive research into the brand's 171-year heritage, the brand's core elements – logo, hop leaf, crown, brand typeface and signature of Carlsberg founder JC Jacobsen – have been carefully re-crafted for the first time in several years. 5 brands so strong they don't need a logo Keen to stay true to the brewery's rich heritage, the team at Taxi bucked industry design trends, focusing their efforts instead on the longevity of the brand. Spencer Buck, creative partner at Taxi Studio, says: "The new design system is very much anti-trend. It's designed to be permanent, or more permanent than any iteration of the design system has been before. There shouldn't be any need to change this for a good long time. That's part of the sustainable thinking that was built into the very core of the brief." Carlsberg's infamous hop leaf is one of many elements to undergo an update Constant pursuit of better At the heart of the Carlsberg brand is founder Jacobsen's so-called 'Golden Words' from his will: "In working the brewery we should be in constant pursuit of better beer so that the brewery may always set standards and assist in keeping beer brewing at a high and honourable level". And it's these Golden Words and "constant pursuit of better" that became the driving force behind the rebrand; a simple yet versatile identity system that now works effectively across all branding elements. Carlsberg's core elements have been carefully re-crafted to work across all branding elements Jessica Felby, design director on the project for Carlsberg, says: "Designs used to last 10 years, then five, now brands redesign every three years. It's all based on trends that go out of style. We weren't going to do that." "It's only when you see the previous design that you realise that the new design is new, because it looks like a design that's always been there. It looks like what Carlsberg should always have been." The rejuvenated Carlsberg brand is launching in Scandinavian markets this month and will be rolled out globally over the course of 2019. Read more: Logo design: everything you need to know 11 of the best free business card templates New tool turns Google into a colour-picker View the full article

The official release of the version includes 40 fixes, seven of which are rated "High." View the full article

A Monero cryptomining script is spreading in an ongoing campaign using the recently disclosed critical remote command-execution flaw. View the full article

Despite the advent to bug bounty programs and enlightened vendors, researchers still complain of abuse, threats and lawsuits. View the full article

Looking for a great camera that does all the hard work for you? You can point and shoot with many cameras, but if you don’t want to intervene while taking your photo too much, you’ll find that some models are better suited than others. Of course, the best point-and-shoot camera for you depends on your expectations and your budget. As a general rule, cameras with 1in, APS-C and full-frame sensors will perform to a better standard than others, as will those with fixed-focal-length lenses rather than zooms – but this will be reflected in their price. The best photo apps and photo editing software You should also look out for cameras with tilting LCD screens if you want to get creative, as well as viewfinders if you tend to shoot outdoors with any frequency. A long zoom is great for holidays and travelling. However, this feature tends to be accompanied by a narrower maximum aperture range – which can make the camera harder to use in low light and when looking to create shallow depth of field. Here are the best point-and-shoot cameras right now – whatever your budget. Sony has wisely chosen not to discontinue any of its six RX100 cameras since each camera’s respective launch, which means there’s a strong possibility one will suit your specific budget. While the company’s most recent two models still have an asking price that sails close to their RRPs, the RX100 Mark IV continues to hit the sweet spot between features, performance, size and price. An idea all-rounder for the more discerning user, on top of a 20.1MP 1in sensor and a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 optic, the camera has a high-quality pop-up viewfinder, together with a tilting LCD screen that goes all the way around to face to front, and even 16fps burst shooting for critical captures. 4K video and HD recording to a staggering 960fps for slow-motion output are also on hand (making this our pick of the best point-and-shoot cameras for film, too) as is Wi-Fi and NFC for simple cable-free communication between the camera and smart device. It’s not the cheapest point-and-shoot camera, but you get a solid performer for the money, whatever it is you want to shoot. While you can certainly find slimmer and cheaper cameras that would suffice for simple point-and-shoot operation, it’s difficult to find something that will compete with the Panasonic TZ70 (also known as the Panasonic ZS50). For overall specs and performance, this is the best point-and-shoot camera under £200/$300 you can get. Even if we ignore the camera’s main draw of a lens equivalent to 24-720mm in 35mm terms, we see that it’s eminently capable: 10fps burst shooting makes it great for sports, while the electronic viewfinder – rare at this price point – makes it far better suited to use in either very bright or low lighting. A fine choice for those off on holiday and needing a strong zoom, but with a spec sheet that makes it great elsewhere. Leica’s excellent M-series rangefinders are probably the last kind of camera that would make this list, but the firm’s Q (Typ 116) model is a different beast. It blends classic good looks with modern trappings, from autofocus and built-in Wi-Fi through to a 3in touchscreen and a superb 3.68million-dot electronic viewfinder. The 24MP full-frame sensor allows it to easily capture better images than most other compacts, although the fixed-focal length 28mm f/1.7 lens in front of it – while optically excellent – may prove limiting for those who may need a zoom. This is a no-compromise point-and-shoot camera that produces exquisite stills, but it’s asking price very much reflects this – definitely one for the purist. With the excellent P340, P7800 and COOLPIX A no longer in production, Nikon’s most capable compact camera that isn’t styled like a DSLR is arguably the Coolpix A900. Despite its compact proportions, the body conceals a wealth of fancy tricks, from a 35x optical zoom that travels between 24-840mm (equiv.) focal lengths through to 4K video recording and even a 1cm macro shooting option. Ideal for the travelling photographer that doesn’t want the bulk of a mirrorless camera or DSLR, the A900 is also furnished with a tilting LCD screen for framing image and videos from more awkward positions. If you like what you see here but your budget doesn’t quite stretch this far, we'd recommend the Panasonic TZ70 / ZS50 (option 2). Picture, for a minute, a compact camera that features a 42MP full-frame sensor from an acclaimed mirrorless model that’s relied upon by the pros, together with a 399-point phase-detect AF system, a wide-aperture ZEISS-branded lens, a gorgeous electronic viewfinder and a tilting LCD screen, all inside a body that will just about sit in the palm of your hand. That’s precisely what the Sony RX1R II offers, a camera that’s perhaps most at home outside of the home, right on the street where its 35mm lens and f/2 aperture will help the documentary photographer capture images of a exemplary standard. On the downside, the camera’s battery life is nothing special, and the lack of 4K video means it’s looking a little dated already. Still, if the Leica Q Typ 116 (option 3) is a little outside of your price range and APS-C just won’t do, this resolution monster is a clear winner. While Canon carries more advanced models in its PowerShot compact lineup than the G7 X Mark II, this do-it-all compact has the best balance of portability, image quality and usability. A great all-in-one walkaround camera for those wanting malleable Raw files or print-ready JPEGs alike, the substantial grip makes it far nicer to handle than Sony’s RX100-series models, while a lens control ring, a tilting LCD with great touch-sensitivity, built-in ND filter and Raw shooting with in-camera processing make it as capable in operation as it is in the quality of its output, though for a camera of its size, it’s a pity that Canon hasn’t found space for an electronic viewfinder. The camera’s PowerShot G9 X Mark II stablemate is also worth a look if you like the basic idea of the G7X Mark II, but want something slightly slimmer – although its lens isn’t as wide nor as long, and its screen is fixed in place. With only a handful of compacts in Fujifilm’s stable these days, and the the XF10 still too new for review samples to be available at the time of writing, it’s the well established, very respected Fujifilm X100F that makes the cut. While pricier than the XF10, it’s hard to fault: a respected 24MP X-Trans CMOS sensor, a sharp, wide-aperture lens equivalent to 35mm, and a clever hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder are just the main highlights from a glittering spec sheet. Whether you’re shooting Raw or JPEGs, the results are filled with detail, while a collection of Film Simulation modes give you the option to treat images at once with a range of effects reminiscent of the company’s popular film emulsions. If you need 4K video then it’s probably best to hang on for the XF10, or look towards the company’s X-T20 or X-T2 mirrorless bodies, but for everything else the X100F is golden – particular for street and documentary work. As respected as Sony’s RX100 line is, the premium attached for these models doesn’t always make them the best value for money next to rival options. Step forward Panasonic, whose knack for delivering competitive specs at even more competitive prices is exemplified best in the LX15/LX10. Right now, in the UK, you can get a staggering £150 off its asking price through a cash back and bonus, which places it at the same price point as cameras with far less impressive spec sheets. It’s the 20MP 1in sensor and 24-72mm (equiv.) f1.4-2.8 lens that are this point-and-shoot's biggest draws, although the further availability of 4K video recording, a 3in tilting touchscreen and wireless connectivity make it an even sweeter proposition. The only major drawback is the lack of a viewfinder, but if you can live without that you’ll find the LX15 to be a great option for anyone who requires quality results without manual intervention. This smart option in Canon’s ever-handsome IXUS line is the cheapest option on this list – but the Canon IXUS 285HS still packs everything you need for total wireless control. Thanks to Wi-Fi with Dynamic NFC, you can instantly connect the camera to your smart device with just a single tap and even back-up images to the cloud automatically. Not only that, but you can leave the camera in one place and control it remotely using the dedicated app – great for group shots or tripod-based captures in general. There’s a Wi-Fi button nestled between the menu button and LCD screen on the rear, and this brings up all the options you need for cable-free control. Its price, large buttons and simplicity makes this point-and-shoot great for beginners, with a raft of colour options to keep things interesting. Sony’s sixth RX100 model, the RX100 VI, took a slight departure from the template set out by its forebears in that it swapped the 24-70mm-equivalent focal range we’d been used to since the RX100 Mark III for a 24-200mm alternative, while keeping the shell as svelte as before. 4K video, slow-motion recording to 960fps and 24fps burst shooting with both autofocus and auto-exposure are also highlights, but its the clever mechanism of the pop-up 2.36million-dot EVF that makes it a winner: no longer do you need to draw it back once it springs up, it all happens in one action. This makes it great for shooting with the EVF on the fly, with this point-and-shoot camera as a whole best suited for holidays and travelling photographers that need a maximum zoom in the smallest package possible. The RX100 Mark IV (option 1) sticks to a similar idea for those with a little less to spend, but sadly without quite the same viewfinder mechanism. Related articles: The best camera for photography The best photo apps and photo editing software 15 ways to improve your photography skills View the full article

If you've ever felt that there simply aren't enough ways to spend your money on the internet, we have some great news for you: Instagram is reported to be developing its own shopping app. Instagram takes on YouTube with new video channel According to The Verge, this new app, possibly called IG Shopping, will enable you to check out collections of goods from merchants you follow on Instagram and then buy them within the app. Instagram has been flirting with ecommerce for a while now; it started trialling shopping services in 2016 and rolled them out more widely in 2017; companies can tag up to five products per image and add product details and pricing, so that customers can get information and then make a purchase through the companies' own mobile sites. And then this year Instagram announced that it was testing shopping within Instagram Stories, using product stickers enabling people to quickly get information about featured products and then go on to buy them. Instagram has been rolling out ecommerce functionality for the last couple of years It's far from certain that IG Shopping will even come to fruition; according to The Verge, Instagram has refused to comment. However it makes perfect sense for Instagram to come up with an ecommerce solution that keeps everything and everyone within its own app, rather than sending users off to various ecommerce websites, and this could be great news for creatives who want to sell their wares through the platform. Of course, this thinking might not carry through to the users themselves; expecting them to install a whole new app specifically for shopping might be a bit of an ask; we'll have to see what sort of incentives Instagram can dangle in front of users – and also merchants – to encourage them to buy into IG Shopping. Instagram is certainly in a good position to move further into the ecommerce business; we'll be keeping an eye on this story to see how it develops. Watch this space. Related articles: How to make money on Instagram as a creative 6 Instagram hacks to transform your feed 5 ways to go viral on Instagram View the full article

Art software has revolutionised how illustrators create 2D work, thanks to features that give users greater control over their creations. Alongside these tools, software tailored towards 3D art has also changed people’s creative ambitions and opened up new career opportunities. Yet, despite the two disciplines having skill sets that overlap and feed into one another, some artists have initially struggled to move between 2D and 3D. We spoke to artists who have made the leap to find out how they managed it, and discover how you can get started in 3D. Even a relatively early introduction to animation and motion graphics software Maya 3.0 couldn’t help it click with Imaginism Studios cofounder Bobby Chiu. “It didn’t really feel like sculpting to me back then,” says the concept and character designer. “As an artist, you’ll benefit from knowing and using 3D because everything you build in 3D can be used in combination with anything else, like digital kit-bashing,” says Bobby Chiu “It wasn’t until 2017 when I asked a sculptor friend of mine, Justin Goby Fields, to put together an introduction to ZBrush course for artists that ZBrush finally made sense to me. I’ve been learning and using ZBrush ever since.” For 2000 AD artist Thomas Foster, picking up 3D software skills helped improve his confidence in creating realistic backgrounds and vehicles. “Upon discovering SketchUp, I spent a lot of time designing background elements from scratch, or utilising existing assets in order to round out my repertoire.” Thomas points out that the usefulness of 3D depends on the career route. “Those illustrating children’s picture books or working in portraiture may not see any significant benefit.” The further discovery of DAZ 3D, which specialises in rigged 3D human models, enabled Foster to create full 3D scenes with minimal modelling involved, before he even put pencil to paper. “This meant I always had a solid foundation on which to build my images. The time spent exploring these methods has greatly improved my versatility and the range of resources at my disposal.” Career benefits The speed with which artists can lay down ideas with 3D software makes proficiency with tools such as ZBrush, Blender and Cinema 4D hugely desirable to clients – especially when it comes to concept art. “Designs that concept artists create are meant for one thing: to be built,” explains concept artist and illustrator Houston Sharp. “If concept artists can start that 3D visualisation in the beginning design phase, it makes it easier for the rest of the team to understand what needs to built. From there, the team can even take the 3D concept to use as a starting point for the final assets.” Houston warns that artists shouldn’t let 3D take over. “Your 2D skills are just as valuable – if not more valuable – as any 3D program,” he says. Despite its usefulness, artists are still able to get work with no prior knowledge of 3D software. It just depends on which route you want to take. Philipp Scherer reveals that getting your foot in the door still remains the most difficult step to landing projects. “If you’re working in the entertainment industry however, a basic knowledge of 3D is almost expected and working digitally is mandatory,” the concept artist and illustrator explains. “Even basic knowledge of 3D tools can be helpful. I have friends working as 2D artists that only know how to navigate in 3D and set up a basic render. But it helps them when they receive files from a third party and they’re asked to create a quick painting based on a 3D model.” "It’s a good idea to learn the principles first and the tools later," adds Sharp, "otherwise there’s a risk of becoming dependent on the tools. It’s like building a flashy house on top of bad foundations." "There are plenty of 3D concept artists who can’t draw or paint, and that compromises them when they’re asked to quickly sketch something out, or make a certain mood/composition. If you’re confident in your foundation, then learn that new tool. If not, it’s probably better to hold off until you are." At Phoebe Herring’s university, 2D is taught alongside 3D. “I do hear from some students that it knocks their confidence at first. These are often artists who have always been top of the class” Phoebe Herring, a lecturer in game art at Falmouth University, agrees that 3D art is becoming increasingly vital for concept artists. “Clients are interested in the designer’s vision, not in waiting around for them to lay out all of their vanishing points by hand.” She points out that physically based rendering offers her students a way to talk about materials that applies to both 2D and 3D art. “3D theory is a great way to talk about this stuff, and students confident in 3D can mock up quick scenes to check the way their creations respond to the light.” Sharp agrees, and from a career point of view, he adds that studios have 3D expectations. "It’s definitely better to have some knowledge of it going in. If the studio or client is expecting you to fit within their design team, who use a lot of 3D, it’ll be an issue if you can’t keep up with them. But concept artists aren’t modellers and asset builders, so sometimes just a rudimentary knowledge of 3D is enough." Going in head first Herring adds that there are other ways 3D studies can push your 2D skills to the next level. “Students often benefit hugely from sculpting proportionate human heads in ZBrush, even if they never go on to do 3D character art. The study forces a real understanding of the way features fall on the skull and reveals weak points for the artist to work on.” According to Herring, 3D knowledge can’t exist in isolation. “It needs to sit alongside rock-solid perspective, anatomy and design skills. These fundamentals are the real tricky things, and nobody ever stops learning them.” Alix Branwyn says 3D can be an invaluable time and money saver. “It enables you to either take on more work or take some time for yourself – something as artists we probably don’t do enough” Illustrator Alix Branwyn also thinks that without a certain level of 2D understanding, 3D tools can only achieve so much. “I’ve found that a lot of the software that’s used for posing figures often leaves an unrealistic feel that can seep into the illustration and make it seem ‘off’. Faces feel lifeless and a bit ‘uncanny valley’, and hands often feel stiff and waxy rather than expressive and fleshy. “I look at the use of 3D the same way that I view the use of photo reference and 2D digital shortcuts: it’s just another tool to get the work done quicker and make it look good.” Chiu is of the same mind. “If you don’t understand art fundamentals, 3D won’t save you.” Where to start learning 3D? For 2D artists looking to add 3D to their skill set, the range of tools available can be an embarrassment of riches. “Start small. 3D can be overwhelming,” advises Magic: The Gathering artist Steve Argyle. “One very good way to learn 3D is to commit to one piece of software at a time and learn the basics of everything it does. Then go deep into whatever it is you want to do with that software.” Steve Argyle finds 3D useful for roughing out a scene. “You don’t have to model in every detail, but if you have some building blocks to work with, everything becomes easier” Dabbling with 3D software doesn't have to break the bank either, adds Sharp. "I can’t think of a single 3D software that doesn’t offer trial versions of their software, so that’s a good place to start if you’re too new to know if you want to commit." "Some software even have simplified versions of their paid counterparts. If you can’t afford ZBrush for example, Pixologic offers a free digital sculpting program that’s similar to ZBrush called Sculptris." If this sounds too much like hard work, Foster still thinks it’ll be worth your time experimenting. “There’s virtually no reason for artists not to learn about 3D. Even if the conclusion they reach is that it’s of no use to them, it will, at least, be an informed conclusion. More likely, they will come away with another string to their bow.” This article was originally published in issue 162 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 162 or subscribe. Related articles: 27 free 3D models Create your own 3D typeface Model 3D textures quickly with Normal maps View the full article

If you build a lot of websites or run your very own, you may be in the market for some Wordpress themes. With HappyThemes WordPress Themes: Lifetime Subscription, you can get your site up and running a whole lot faster, thanks to a wide collection of ready-to-use themes for you to choose from. These themes are designed to be interesting and user-friendly, and the best part is that all of the front end design work is done for you. Use the themes for however many projects you want, whether they're for you or a client. And with lifetime access, you'll be able to use any of the existing themes on the platform, in addition to any future ones that may be added down the line. Since 10 to 12 new themes get added every year, your collection will only get bigger and better from here on out. Get HappyThemes WordPress Themes: Lifetime Subscription for just $29.99. Related articles: Top tips for building a WordPress theme 23 great examples of WordPress websites 6 top tips for CRO success in WordPress View the full article

Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn , the unique, annual six-day festival for digital artists, is back! It's exclusive venue, unparalleled access to the speakers, great mentorship and recruitment section have rapidly given it a reputation as one of the best conferences on the creative calendar. But 2018 sees some changes. Don't panic; all of what came before is still there but 'there' has moved from Troia, Portugal to Valletta, Malta. The move had to happen, due to the overwhelming demand from the growing tribe of loyal THU fans, who have spread the word through the digital art, animation and VFX communities. Valletta, the new home of THU, in Malta, looks to be a special place for a special event What can you expect from THU? This year, as always, there will be a large contingent of speakers, known as Knights, presenting and mentoring at THU. These come from some of the world's biggest studios and have experience in not just creativity but business and some of the auxiliary skills that are so important to being a success in this industry. However, the big news is that the recruitment element has made massive inroads into the industry, with the organisers securing some of the biggest names in the world to come in search of the latest talent. Not only are Disney Animation Studios, Ubisoft, Naughty Dog and many others in attendance, but THU just announced that Lego and Netflix will also be there, hunting the huge pool of talent that can be found at the event. So if you are looking to make a career move, or feel ready for a fresh challenge then head to Malta this September, take in the incredible talks, rub shoulders with your heroes, then have a portfolio review before heading over to speak to your future bosses! Read more: Final Generate London lineup announced How to draw a face Best practice for capturing human anatomy View the full article

There aren’t many speakers in our industry whose passion for front end development is as infectious as Sara Soueidan’s: her workshops and talks are so crammed with advice – not least because of the dizzying speed she delivers them – that they regularly leave attendees with their minds blown. The impressive words-per-second ratio even prompted one delegate to tweet how amazing it would be if Soueidan and Eminem competed in a rap battle. Best known for her outstanding work around CSS and SVG (her SVG workshop, in fact, is her most popular one), Soueidan has been developing a new workshop, set to debut at Generate London in September, which is focused on designing and creating universal UI components. “A while ago Zach Leatherman retweeted someone who was asking for dependency-less Vanilla JavaScript components,” Soueidan remembers. “Zach said that it would be really nice if we had a universal components repository, so I searched the word ‘universal’ and came up with this definition: a universal component is a reusable component and contributes to and enhances the overall user experience of the interface. It’s accessible and embraces best practices in terms of UX design and code. Ideally it has no dependencies whenever and wherever possible and can be plugged into any or many environments and contexts.” Universal components don’t require a specific setup or JavaScript frameworks, which Soueidan always tries to avoid, unless they’re absolutely necessary. Each component has its own UX considerations. By way of an example, Soueidan points to an article by Eric Bailey on Smashing Magazine that she’s just read, in which he explains why you shouldn’t be using the placeholder attribute. “That’s a fantastic example of the things that I’m going to be covering in the workshop,” she enthuses. “It’s best practice to not use a placeholder when you’re creating input fields because it has a lot of accessibility and UI design problems. So if you’re going to ditch placeholders, you’re going to have to provide a more accessible solution." Soueidan plans to do exactly that with every single component she has time to cover during the workshop (this includes buttons, mobile interactions, navigation systems, tool tips and accordions). Attendees will explore everything from the UX decision-making process to building the component with markup, semantics and accessibility in mind. “I recommend [you] start testing for accessibility on a component level whenever possible. Don’t wait until you’ve built the entire user interface and then start testing. When you break things down into smaller parts, you get better results and it doesn’t feel that it’s a big burden.” One of Soueidan’s favourite components is the form, which she loves styling with SVG, specifically checkboxes and radio buttons. The typical way to style them would be using a PNG sprite, which is something that requires an extra HTTP request, or CSS pseudo-elements, meaning it requires writing a lot more CSS. Soueidan, however, recommends using SVG. “Add an SVG path – which would be inlined in the HTML – then when the box is checked, animate it using the line-drawing technique and combine it with the sibling selector in CSS. It provides a really nifty animation when the user interacts with the checkbox and requires only inlining a very small SVG in your HTML – no extra HTTP request and one line of CSS. It’s visually more appealing as well!” She loves using SVG in unconventional ways, for example to replace CSS features that don’t have enough browser support. An example of this is the object-fit property, which defines how an element responds to the height and width of its content box and enables you to crop and scale images by giving control over how it squishes and stretches inside its box. “If you need to support any version of Internet Explorer, it’s not going to work,” Soueidan warns. “But with SVG, you can use the most powerful attributes: the viewBox attribute and the preserveAspectRatio attribute, my absolute favourites. They can be used to get exactly the same result as object-fit but instead of using CSS, you use SVG and get browser support all the way back to IE9.” These kinds of tips just burst out of her, yet Soueidan says the more she works with CSS and SVG, the more she struggles to differentiate between what’s common practice and what are novel techniques of her own creation. This means she doesn’t always recognise how useful they could be to other developers. “A lot of the things that I use in my workflow and take for granted are still new and would count as really nifty tricks to someone else but I’m really bad at identifying them. I just have too many.” As you can probably surmise, Soueidan isn’t one to add trendy new frameworks to her workflow without being sure they’ll boost a site’s efficiency. Whenever a new feature is released she doesn’t dig right in but first tries to get a broad overview to determine if it’s going to help her in her work. She was well aware of both Vue and React about a year ago but only started really learning one of them when she decided that she needed a JavaScript framework, both for client and personal projects. “I chose Vue because it’s much more approachable and closer to my mindset,” she explains. “The paradigm shift isn’t as strong as it is with React. I just can’t get my brain to think in the React way, whereas Vue is a lot closer to my way of thinking.” Soueidan also doesn’t like the way React is being used, which prompted her to tweet that React is the new jQuery, a widely misunderstood statement. “Some people thought that I was hating on React but I definitely didn’t mean it in that way,” she clarifies. “React seems to be becoming the go-to choice when building components for a lot of developers, even when it’s overkill and completely unnecessary. This is similar to when everyone used to plug jQuery into all of their projects, even though Vanilla JavaScript or even just CSS was more than enough for the task. I just don’t like the misuse of it.” Sara Soueidan will be delivering her talk – Using CSS (and SVG) for the good of UX – at Generate. In it, she will show you how UX has a direct impact on how the user feels, whether they find it delightful to use and, most importantly, whether or not they can use it properly. Generate London takes place from 19-21 September 2018. Get your ticket now. This article was originally published in issue 310 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 310 or subscribe to net. Related articles: Get your head around React with these five factors 4 ways to create CSS that's modular and scalable Changing the game: Sara Soueidan on new web technologies View the full article

Certain styles of illustration come in and out of fashion, whether in response to global design trends or simply because a high-profile campaign sets a bar that 'me too' clients clamour to match. Examples in recent years include, industry-wide booms in illustrated 3D type, flat-colour vector art, hand-lettering, paper art, and bright, stylised set design. The world's leading practitioners of those styles are surrounded by plenty of stylistic chameleons who want a piece of the same pie. You may well choose to pick some on-trend illustration styles for your next project, and we'll not judge you for it. But some styles of illustration have a timeless appeal that exists irrespective of trends, and some of the best illustrators working today have managed to carve their own niche. Read on for five illustration styles with a more traditional heritage. These examples may persuade you to abandon trends and embrace a more timeless aesthetic... 01. Detailed architectural drawing These detailed drawings take hundreds of hours to complete Spending hundreds of hours crafting huge, painstakingly detailed architectural-style drawings with pencil and Indian inks, French-born, London-based illustrator Thibaud Herem is a strong advocate for a very traditional approach to illustration. And with clients including Wallpaper*, Science Museum and Transport for London, it's clearly a style that's in demand. Each piece is drawn by hand on a large sheet of quality paper, and then scanned in at very high resolution, with dust and other imperfections cleaned up digitally. It's a laborious, hugely time-consuming process but the results are stunning, and strikingly authentic in a digital world. While perfectly suited to any 'hero' illustrations for particularly ornate and distinctive buildings that are worth spending the time to craft in such detail – such as Wes Anderson's iconic Grand Budapest Hotel, above – Herem has also lent his pen to more organic but no less detailed forms, such as trees. 02. Traditional woodcut style This aesthetic is particular popular for book covers Wood engraving and linocut printing are well-established techniques that pre-date vector artwork by centuries, but like Thibaud Herem's painstaking pencil-and-ink method, they lend an illustration a distinctive authenticity and craft that digital work struggles to emulate. Print-maker, illustrator and children’s author Chris Wormell is a master at putting a contemporary twist on these most traditional of approaches, and his style of work is very much in-demand in the world of publishing in particular. Wormell has worked on over 30 books, including Waterstones' 2017 Book of the Year, La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One (pictured above). Wormell's style is not just popular for book covers, though. The demand for crafted authenticity in branding shows little sign of waning, and in 2016 he worked with SomeOne to help craft a new crest for Aston Villa football club. 03. Expressive watercolour Watercolour has a free, expressive quality Watercolour-style artwork isn't just about landscapes and flower arrangements. Flowing, expressive uses of ink are very much in-demand, if Sarah Maycock's success is anything to judge by. It's a style that works well for fashion, lifestyle and cultural clients who want freer, more organic illustration for their brands. After graduating from Kingston in 2011, Maycock honed her skills drawing animals from nature documentaries, developing an uncanny knack for capturing their characteristics and movement. She has since worked with clients such as Natural History Museum (above), the Guardian, Waitrose and Liberty London. 04. Simple, witty sketches Simple, witty sketches have made Mr Bingo incredibly popular For 15 years, self-dubbed "artist, speaker and twat" Mr Bingo lent his distinctive style of hand-sketched illustration – often with a savage twist of abusive humour weaved through – to clients such as The New Yorker, the Guardian, TIME, Channel 4, the Mighty Boosh and The New York Times. Bingo's Hate Mail project launched in 2012 as a tongue-in-cheek service in which you pay to receive an abusive postcard, and then developed into a Kickstarter-funded book, complete with hilarious rap video and string of increasingly surreal rewards. Following its phenomenal success, Bingo moved away from client work to become an artist. Some of his more intricate client work over the years makes it clear that Bingo can draw in beautiful detail when he wants to. But he's proven many times over how in-demand very simple, witty sketches can be, if you have the personality to pull it off. A more extreme example would be the success of Jon Link and Mick Bunnage, the duo better known as Modern Toss. Here the coarse, abusive humour is very much the star – the fact that their About page leads with the question: "How come you can't draw?" says it all, really. 05. Retro 1950s advertising Trip down memory lane, anyone? Arguably a bit of a cop-out inclusion on the list, as this style of illustration was by definition 'on-trend' in the 1940s and 50s, and is part of a revival of more retro styles of illustration. But that nostalgic, comforting, classic approach definitely has timeless appeal, if used in the right way. Picking up a D&AD Graphite Pencil in 2018, adam&eveDDB's beautifully illustrated ad campaign for Great Western Railway (GWR) follows Enid Blyton's Famous Five on an adventure through the countryside, in an attempt to evoke the long-lost childhood excitement of rail travel. Another creative influenced by mid-20th-century commercial illustration, Colorado-based Brian Edward Miller has lent his distinctive 'modern retro' style to various editorial, commercial and advertising briefs. No creative wants to be stuck in the past, but the above examples show that at a time when brands crave craft, heritage and authenticity, traditional aesthetics and techniques can still resonate with contemporary audiences. Related articles: The designer's guide to illustration The illustrator hotlist 2018 10 killer examples of illustrated ad campaigns 4 on-trend illustration styles for your next project View the full article

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Using a known vulnerability, the threat actor is listening to a variety of ports. View the full article

With the days counting down until Apple unveils the latest iPhones at its 12 September event, it's only natural that Samsung would want to spoil the party. And right on cue, its mobile division CEO DJ Koh has revealed that Samsung's long-rumoured foldable phone could be launching later this year. Codenamed the Samsung Galaxy X – it may well have a completely different name by the time it appears – it's likely to be unveiled at the Samsung Developer Conference in November; around the same time that the next iPhones will be going on sale. So, if you're after one of the best smartphones for creatives, should you hold off on a new slice of cutting-edge Apple goodness? We don't know much about the Galaxy X, but here's what we do know. Samsung Galaxy X release date As we've already mentioned, DJ Koh has suggested that the Galaxy X will be be shown at the Samsung Developer Conference in November; it may go on limited sale before the end of the year, but don't get your hopes up. Realistically, you're unlikely to get the opportunity to buy one before 2019, which gives you a little extra time to save up. Samsung Galaxy X price And yes, you're probably going to need to save up for the Samsung Galaxy X, There's been no official word on the price but we're definitely into iPhone X territory here and probably beyond that. The smart money says that if you want to get a Galaxy X at launch then it's going to set you back around $1,500. Samsung Galaxy X design Samsung has been working on foldable displays for a while now There's a reason for the eye-watering price, and that's the Galaxy X's foldable form factor. Folded, it looks like an ordinary phone; unfold it, however, and you unleash a 7-inch screen, comparable to a small tablet, making it the ideal phone for creatives with designs to take on the road and no desire to get overloaded with tech. Why pack a tablet when you can simply unfold your phone and show your work off that way? Samsung Galaxy X rumours There's a lot that we don't know about the Samsung Galaxy X; pretty much everything, in fact. However the rumour mill suggests that it's going to be bulkier than comparable phones; understandable, given all the extra technology that's going to have to be crammed into it. It also seems likely that the foldable screens could make the Galaxy X a lot more fragile than similar phones, and we wouldn't be at all surprised if battery life and overheating became an issue. Releasing something quite so cutting-edge as a foldable screen comes with all manner of risks. However, Samsung seems confident that the technology is ready and the the market is ready for it too. We'll just have to see what it comes up with in November. Samsung Galaxy X: what we want to see Honestly, it all hinges on this foldable screen. If it's reliable and it looks as good as a tablet screen, then the Samsung Galaxy X could be an absolute godsend for creatives – especially if you can pair it with a quality stylus. That way you'd have a device that could do away with the need to carry a laptop or iPad Pro with you when you're off for client meetings or pitch presentations – just unfold the Galaxy X and you're good to go. The other issue, of course, would be performance and battery life. Love for the Galaxy X's sexy new features is going to drop off pretty quickly if it runs out of juice in a couple of hours, or overheats due to extensive use. This is all stuff that Samsung will be ironing out now, though. The Galaxy X will need to hit a sweet compromise between performance and power usage, so let's hope it gets it right. Related articles: The 28 best iPhone apps for designers 10 trends shaped by the iPhone What the new iPhones mean for designers View the full article

Whether you're a fresh-faced design school student or a seasoned art director, nobody is safe from the nightmare that is creative block. Thankfully, make it pop is here to get your design thinking back on track, increase your creative confidence and give you the skills to start pitching to potential clients. 20 ways to overcome creative block Originally founded as a side project in 2017, make it pop is a fun, card-based prompt game that challenges users to think up creative solutions for a range of problems and clients. Over the last year, the make it pop team has been testing and polishing the cards to create a game that can be used by a team or just for fun. There are cards covering tasks, clients and modifiers, and make it pop keeps things fun by chucking in ridiculous curve balls. The cards also include useful resources to help players out of a tricky spot. These may also come in handy for a future real life project. Check it out make it pop in action with the video below. If you've always wanted to design for big brands, make it pop gives you a taste of what that feels like. Although, there's plenty of fun to be had, as well as a lot of valuable lessons to learn, by puzzling out briefs for smaller and weirder clients. "When I speak to people starting out in the industry, they often gravitate towards doing their design practice for the most recognised brand they can think of, the fortune 500s," says make it pop co-founder and creative director Ade-Lee Adebiyi. "What they don’t realise is that they’re following a herd of creatives doing the exact same thing. They can easily create a more diverse and compelling portfolio by simply approaching their local florist or even creating a concept from a completely unexplored avenue." Currently, make it pop is raising funds for its launch over on Kickstarter. The pledge has already smashed its goal, but if you want to support this amazing project and secure yourself an early deck of make it pop cards, be sure to head over and make a donation. Related articles: How to be a better speaker: presenting and pitching tips 13 great tools for pitching to clients 3 top tips for pitching over Skype View the full article

In many occupations, solving problems and finding ways to be more productive are top priorities. This is especially true for web designers and frontend developers who perform many micro-tasks many times over. The fact we work with open web technologies that are often used to build free and open source software means we have a plethora of web design tools at our disposal. That also means there are mountains of tools to choose from, from scripts and plugins to WordPress themes, browser extensions, native apps, web services, libraries, frameworks, website templates, graphic packs and so much more. We've sifted through the hundreds of options available to find the best tools to try – and the best part is, all of these are free. Use the boxout on the right (or the drop-down menu above) to jump to a specific area. HTML and CSS tools 01. ai2html Now you can design in Illustrator and create instant HTML and CSS This is an open-source script that converts your Ilustrator documents to HTML and CSS, from the developers at the New York Times. It looks like a really powerful and useful tool for designers who work in Adobe Illustrator. The script is a JavaScript file that you download and drop into the scripts folder of your Illustrator install. 02. Autoprefixer You're not still writing CSS vendor prefixes by hand, are you? Keep your development files clean and let Autoprefixer (now a PostCSS plugin) do the hard work for you as part of your build process. 03. Susy A Sass-based layout toolkit that has been steadily gaining steam since its launch. It has a strong community and offers lots of customisable features to suit the needs of just about any project. 04. Critical Inline CSS is a requirement for good performance. Addy Osmani's Critical is available as a Grunt plugin, and along with Filament Group’s loadCSS script, it is a great option for extracting and loading your above-the-fold styles. 05. Shoelace Shoelace is an easy-to-use Bootstrap 3 visual grid builder. Amongst its features are responsive media query views and a fully functional preview. 06. DomFlags DomFlags makes it easier to navigate deeply-nested HTML elements in the DevTools A Chrome extension that enables you to flag elements in the DOM using a domflags attribute. When the DevTools are opened, the first flagged element will be auto-inspected, and keyboard shortcuts can be used to navigate through the flags. This tool is handy for tackling a messy DOM that’s hard to navigate. 07. Sass Lint Sass Lint is a node-based code quality tool for Sass/SCSS code, available as a Grunt or gulp plugin. Sass Lint is especially great for beginners who aren't too familiar with Sass best practice. 08. SMACSS SMACSS is a scalable and modular architecture for CSS. There is nothing to download or install here, just a whole host of ideas for structuring projects both large and small. The website includes a free ebook for you to download, read and study. 09. BEM BEM is a CSS methodology that is widely used throughout the industry. The simplicity of its naming convention helps to tackle specificity problems in CSS – enabling elements to be scoped to a block name using a double underscore and modified using a double dash. 10. Object Oriented CSS OOCSS was born out of the backend development methodology. The core principle is around the reuse of code and Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) programming, the results of which are easier to maintain, with smaller CSS in your project. Next page: Free JavaScript tools... 11. Webpack Keep your JS files small and focused Webpack is a JavaScript module bundler that enables you to keep your JavaScript files small and focused. In its simplest form Webpack will then bundle them all into one minified JS file which can be included in your website or application. 12. React Facebook's popular library includes a virtual DOM and optional JSX syntax. Its reusable components are designed to to help anyone building large, dynamic web apps. 03. Vue.js Vue is a progressive JavaScript framework. It can be easily integrated into an already existing app and used in one small part if needed. Equally, it can be used to build full single page apps. The framework is approachable and the basics can be easily grasped. 04. React React is a JavaScript framework for building interactive user interfaces. The framework is developed and used by Facebook in all of its apps and websites. React aims to provide speed, simplicity and scalability for any project by providing a component based library. 05. Svelte Svelte is a component-based JavaScript framework, much like React, Angular and Vue but with a difference. Svelte compiles your code into vanilla JavaScript at build time – not at runtime like the others – which means no framework abstractions or lengthy load times, generating fast and performant apps. 16. Babel Babel enables you to use tomorrow's JavaScript today A JavaScript transpiler that lets you use the newest ECMAScript features (ES6, now called ES2015) without having to wait for browsers to catch up. 17. annyang A small JavaScript library to help you build voice-controlled interfaces. It has a really nice API that's easy to use. After including the library, you define your commands along with the behaviour in response to those commands. 18. List.js Add search, sort, filters and flexibility to HTML lists and tables with List.js This is a fast and powerful way to create search, sort and filter functionality for lists, tables or just about any type of grouped content. All you need is some HTML and a few lines of JavaScript. 19. KnockoutJS KnockoutJS is a small and lightweight JavaScript framework — weighing in at just 59kB. It enables developers to create simple data binding for interactions with automatic UI refreshing. The KnockoutJS website also includes a really nice interactive tutorial, which can help you get started. 20. Preact Preact is geared towards performance Preact is a JavaScript framework that touts itself as the 'Fast 3kB alternative to React with the same modern API'. Its small size makes it quick to download, parse and execute your application. Geared towards performance and with a handy 'Switching to Preact (from React)' tutorial on the Preact website. 21. VerbalExpressions If you’re like me and can't stand the thought of writing regular expressions from scratch, this is the library for you. It's a plain-English way to write regex, and since the return value compiles to the actual expression, it can be a great way to learn, too. 22. ESLint If you want to make sure that your JavaScript is error-free, ESLint is an essential and versatile linting tool that you'll want to keep within reach. It comes with built-in rules enabling you to get started straight away, but its real power lies in the fact that its rules are completely pluggable, enabling you to create and dynamically load the rules that you need at any time. 23. Chart.js This is just one of the many available JavaScript charting libraries, but it's certainly one of the nicest. There are six HTML5 canvas-based chart types, and all charts are responsive, modular and interactive. The library is small and dependency-free. 24. Quill This is an embeddable rich text editor supported in all modern browsers, as well as IE 9 onwards and mobile. It offers powerful customisation options through a clean API. 25. Awesomplete Awesomeplete is Lea Verou's easy-to-use form input autocomplete widget. I love that it can be used with just HTML and the library, without any extra lines of JavaScript. On top of that, it offers advanced customisation options through built-in events and methods. 26. Foundation for Apps You’ve no doubt heard of ZURB's Foundation framework. This is a separate project specifically designed for building responsive web apps. It's based on AngularJS, but doesn't require advanced knowledge of Angular. 27. UIkit UIkit's a plucky young competitor in the frameworks hood While Bootstrap and Foundation are the clear winners in terms of popularity in the framework space, UIkit is worth checking out. Its core features and interface components are right up there with the big kids on the block. 28. PostCSS PostCSS is a toolkit of JavaScript plugins that helps you take advantage of the latest standards and conveniences in CSS development. There are plugins for linting CSS, working with variables and mixins, transpiling future CSS syntax and more. It’s well worth looking into. Next page: more free web design tools... 29. Typorama This iOS app is packed with image editing options Typorama is an iOS app that enables anyone – with design skills or not – to create awesome graphics. Packed full of image editing features and beautiful typography options, it’s like Instagram on steroids. The app is frequently updated and has gathered a loyal following since its launch in 2015. 30. Sparkline Typeface The Sparkline Typeface enables you to create sparkline graphs using just a font, no need for complicated JavaScript libraries and configurations. While it can be limited, it’s also a huge timesaver. 31. Coolors Coolors is ideal for colour palette inspiration Coolors is a great little web app for when you need inspiration; fire up the app and hit the Spacebar to generate a random colour pallet. Once you find a colour you like you can ‘lock’ that colour and hit the Spacebar again to generate more colours. 32. FontBase FontBase is a font management tool which works across all platforms, offering a beautiful and intuitive UI for searching and sampling fonts. It also enables fonts to be shared among teams so you’ll never need to hassle your designer to send you the fonts ever again! Paid plans are available. 33. Google Fonts Google Fonts offers a large selection of free web fonts which can be used on any project. The interface is clean and minimal but enables you to easily see and test new fonts. It also offers a number of different ways to include the fonts in your project. 34. Adobe Capture Adobe Capture is a smartphone app – available for Android and iOS – that enables you to take photos of anything inspirational, and then generate colour palettes, vector shapes and repeating patterns, all of which you can upload to Adobe’s Creative Cloud. 35. Font Base Font Base is a font management tool which works across all platforms, offering a beautiful and intuitive UI for searching and sampling fonts. Font Base also enables fonts to be shared among teams so you’ll never need to hassle your designer to send you the fonts ever again! 36. AllTheFreeStock This is a massive single resource where you can search for free stock photography from loads of different sites. It includes popular free sources such as Unsplash, along with other, lesser-known sites, to give you plenty of options for populating your designs. 37. Transformicons Transformicons: SVG and CSS icons that can be animated with CSS transitions Transformicons is a different kind of icon set. These are SVG- and CSS-based icons that incorporate CSS transitions for an animated effect that can be controlled with some JavaScript. 38. Octicons There are countless options for icons, and GitHub has released its own nicely designed set. Octicons is available as an icon font (or web font), which is commonly inserted into a page using CSS pseudo-elements. 39. Ionic Ionic is a popular library of mobile-optimised CSS and JavaScript components One of the biggest HTML5-based mobile app development frameworks, built with mobile-optimised CSS and JavaScript components, Ionic boasts a very strong community – which is great for those looking for a good long-term option. 40. Embed Responsively A simple online tool that enables you to grab responsive embed codes for all sorts of popular media sources. It supports YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps, Instagram, Vine and more. 41. Tablesaw Responsive tables are one of the most difficult layout considerations. Tablesaw is a set of jQuery plugins to help in this area, by means of features like stack, toggle, minimap and more. 42. Froala Design Blocks Froala has over 170 ready-made design blocks to choose from There's a strong case for using tried and tested design patterns – people know how to use them, and if your client wants evidence, there's plenty of user testing that shows them to be effective. A resource like Froala Design Blocks is ideal for putting sites together quickly, with over 170 design blocks that you can assemble into a great-looking, responsive site. 43. Site Palette Site Palette is a Chrome extension that enables you to grab the colour scheme from any website, which you can then turn into a number of useful elements, such as Sketch Templates and Adobe Swatches, or you can print or download them. 44. Atomic Design Atomic Design is a methodology for creating design systems. It breaks design into five different levels: Atoms, Molecules, Organisms, Templates and Pages. Each level can and should include elements from the previous layers to build up designs. 45. Wireframify Wireframify is a Chrome extension that enables you to turn any website into a wireframe. It works by applying a custom stylesheet onto the website, which removes all images and modifies all of the colours and borders, leaving you with what looks like a wireframe. Next page: Free animation tools 46. KUTE.js KUTE.js is a JavaScript animation framework, built with fast code execution and memory efficiency in mind. With everything from two and three dimensional transforms to SVG manipulation KUTE.js is a strong contender for creating simple and lightweight animations. 47. Anime Anime produces seamless animations Anime is a JavaScript animation library packed full of features. The library is performant and produces beautiful, seamless animations. There’s detailed documentation on the website and a variety of demos produced by the developer Julian Garnier on his CodePen. 48. Blotter Blotter is a JavaScript API for drawing unconventional text effects. Powered by three.js and underscore.js it is capable of producing some weird and wonderful animated text effects. The library offers five different material effects all of which can be customised. 49. Animate.css Animate.css is a small library of CSS animations, which can be used to add subtle (or not so subtle in some cases) animations to elements in your page. All you need to do is include the Animate.css code and then use the classes provided to animate elements in your application. 50. three.js A 3D animation library three.js is a 3D animation library built for the web. three.js works by creating a three-dimensional scene in which objects are rendered, a camera is then placed inside this scene. Some of the best animated websites on the web utilise three.js! 51. GSAP GSAP is a powerhouse when it comes to web animation. Starting life as a Flash animation plugin, it has since evolved to be one of the best web animation libraries available, enabling complex animations and time-based functions to be easily authored. 52. Vivus A dependency-free JavaScript library that animates your SVGs, giving the appearance of drawing. The on-page demos are well worth checking out. 53. AniCollection A library of CSS animations AniCollection is a library of CSS animations. It sports an interface that enables you to easily add animations to your collection and quickly grab the necessary HTML, CSS or JavaScript code to implement them in your project. You can even submit your own. Next page: Build and testing tools 54. SVGOMG SVGOMG is an online tool for optimising SVG. Under the hood SVGOMG uses the incredibly powerful command-line tool SVGO to perform optimisations, but SVGOMG does so while visually showing you any changes the optimisation has made to an image. 55. Yarn Yarn is a package manager. It works much the same as Node Package Manager (npm). Yarn caches every package making it incredibly fast to download and install dependencies, and with all of the same packages as npm so you can easily make the switch. 56. BetterBoilerplate The BetterBoilerplate offers a scaffolding for any new project. It’s packed full with build tools, file management and a robust CSS framework. The BetterBoilerplate is development environment agnostic and can be used for any project from small brochure websites to full SAAS projects. 57. Browsersync Browsersync is a powerful tool for synchronised cross-device testing and live debugging Browsersync is like LiveReload, but on steroids. It's a powerful tool for synchronised cross-device testing that will live-reload your project for every edit and save in all browser instances. It even syncs up navigation and scrolling in the browser sessions. You can add CSS outlines for debugging, and a latency option enables you to mimic a slower internet connection. 58. Google PageSpeed Insights Google Page Speed Test is an online tool used to analyse a website and give a score based on performance. You start by entering the URL of your website and running the test, Google will then suggest ways in which the site’s performance can be improved. 59. Vue.js DevTools Vue.js has optional devtools, which enable you to inspect component states, track events and access all of the data held in the virtual DOM. This is extremely useful when working with Vue.js and is a much nicer alternative to console logging all of these things. 60. Web Developer Toolbar The Web Developer toolbar has been around for almost as long as web design has, but it’s still really useful for web development today, offering a number of really handy tools, from deleting cookies to displaying an image’s alt text. 61. Gulp Gulp takes care of repetitive tasks Gulp is a frontend build tool used to perform any number of functions from compiling Sass to building SVG sprites. Gulp will save you time and perform a lot of the repetitive tasks required, enabling you to concentrate on writing code and building applications. 62. Grunt This frontend build tool is used in the same way as Gulp, with the aim of saving you time and effort when building the frontend of any website or app. These tools have become an important part of frontend development due to their ability to perform repetitive tasks. Next page: Best of the rest 63. CodePen CodePen is the go-to code playground for most frontend developers. The UI is clean and has support for most of the popular frameworks in HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The ‘Picked Pens’ section on the homepage is a great place to find inspiration and see some of the amazing community creations. 64. Atom GitHub’s text editor can be customised to suit your needs The GitHub dev team's hackable text editor for modern development, Atom comes full-featured, with packages, themes, smart auto-completion, multiple panes and more. Best of all, it can be fully customised via HTML, CSS and JS. 65. Brackets Adobe’s contribution to the text editor race is an open source editor with focused visual tools, preprocessor support, and the ability to ease in-browser design through live preview. It also integrates well with Photoshop via the Extract for Brackets extension. 66. Lorem Ipsum Generator Both designers and developers rely on lorem ipsum text when producing mockups and testing type. loremipsum.io has a host of plugins for text editors and programming languages. The generator’s page has some comical alternatives too. 67. Pastebin Pastebin is great when you just need to share a snippet of code, you go to the website, paste the code, copy the link and send it. You can add optional settings such as syntax highlighting and choose how long your URL will last. 68. Let's Encrypt Let's Encrypt will help you switch a project over to HTTPS If you’re looking to switch a project over to HTTPS, you’ll want to investigate this option. It's a free, open and automated certificate authority that provides you with a hassle-free way to go secure. 69. Accessible HTML5 Video Player This is a video player from the PayPal accessibility team. It has custom controls and a keyboard-accessible and screen reader-supported UI. There are no scripting dependencies and it uses HTML5 form controls for volume and progress indicators. Related articles: Top prototyping tools The 18 best wireframe tools The best colour tools for web designers View the full article

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to create a piece of 3D art featuring a realistic three-dimensional text effect. You'll also learn how to edit multiple images using adjustments and basic tools. 5 best laptops for Photoshop The first part of this tutorial takes place in Photoshop CC's 3D environment, which means you have to work with three different panels almost simultaneously. The Layers panel is where you place and create the 3D text. In the 3D panel, you access the 3D commands, while the Properties panel is where you apply the extrusion effect, distort and apply different materials to add realism. Working in a three-dimensional space is fairly easy but you have to pay close attention. The second part of the tutorial is back to familiar, 2D territory, using the Selection tools, masks, adjustment layers and other basic techniques. Don't forget to download the resources. 01. Create the background Switch to the 3D workspace and load the background image First, change the workspace. Go to Window > Workspace > 3D. Now, create a new blank canvas (cmd/ctrl+N). Name it 3D Text, setting the Width to 1500px, Height to 620 pixels, Resolution to 300ppi and then click OK. Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_117004_background.jpg', adjust the size and press return/enter. 02. Download a new font Download the font you need before going any further Go to dafont.com and download the font South Afirkas 2100 by zanatlija. Unzip the file and install on your system. Grab the Type tool (T). In Options choose the Font Type: South Afirkas, Size: 70pt and then type the word SAFARI. 03. Add texture Give your text a bit of texture Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_2068284_texture1.jpg'. Place over the text and then clip the layers, press cmd/ctrl+opt/alt+G. Hold Shift and click on the Safari layer. With both layers active, press cmd/ctrl+E to merge. Rename the layer Safari_texture. 04. Create a 3D layer Now you can extrude your text into 3D Go to 3D > New 3D Extrusion from Selected Layer. In the Properties panel, click in Mesh, choose Texture Mapping: Scale and set the Extrusion Depth to 10mm. In the 3D panel, click on the Safari_Texture Front Inflation Material, set the Roughness to 80% and Bump to 100%. 05. Add more textures Another texture improves the look of your 3D text In the 3D Layer panel, click Safari_Texture Extrusion Material. Now in the Properties panel, click the Diffuse icon and choose Replace Texture, locate the 'pix_2068284_texture2.jpg' and Open. Adjust the Roughness to 80% and Bump to 100%. 06. Edit UV properties Tweak your texture by editing its UV properties We're now going to edit the extrusion texture. In Properties, open the Diffuse icon again and select Edit UV Properties. Set the U/X Scale to 65% and the V/Y Scale to 50% and then click OK. 07. A bevel effect Edit the Safari_Texture layer to give it a bevel effect In the 3D panel, click the Safari_Texture layer. Now, in the Properties panel, click Cap. Set the Sides to Front, the Bevel Width to 35% and change the Contour to Cone_Inverted. 08. Move the 3D text Move the camera to give the text a more three-dimensional appearance Grab the Move tool (V). In the 3D workspace click on Dolly the 3D camera (it's the third icon in the bottom left). Hold the mouse button and drag up to move the text further away. Click on the Orbit and Pan the 3D camera to rotate and move the image down. 09. Adjust the light Get a more dramatic look by adjusting the light In the 3D panel, click Infinite Light. Use the on-image controller to adjust the light, placing it in front of the 3D text and moving it around 75 degrees to the top-left corner. Render the image by going to 3D>Render 3D Layer. 10. Create a layer mask Use a layer mask and the Dune Grass brush to blend in the grass In the Layers panel, press cmd/ctrl+J to duplicate the Safari_Texture layer. Go to Layer > Rasterize > 3D. (Hide the original 3D Safari_Texture layer.) Add a layer mask. Grab the Brush tool. Press F5 and choose the Dune Grass brush, tweak the Shape Dynamics and Scattering then paint over the mask, blending the grass. 11. Make adjustments Sharpen your image and tweak the tones First, let's sharpen the image a bit. Click on the Safari_Texture thumbnail. Go to Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen More. Now adjust the tones. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Set the Inputs to 0, 1.15, 215 and clip the layers. 12. Place the lion Time to add some wildlife Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_1236169_lion.jpg'. Grab the Quick Selection tool (W) and select the lion. Go to Select > Select and Mask. Change View Mode to Overlay. Set Edge Detection Radius to 15 pixels, check Smart Radius, and use the tools to enhance the selection. Output to 'New layer with layer mask'. 13. More adjustments A few adjustments will help the lion fit more naturally in the scene Grab the Dune Grass brush and paint over the mask to hide the paws and tail behind the bushes. Now, go to Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen. Then go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Set the Inputs to 0, 0.95, 245 and clip the layers. 14. The Pen tool Add the elephant and use the Pen tool to cut it out Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_602530_elephant.jpg'. Grab the Pen tool (P) and draw a path around the elephant. In Options, click Make: Selection and then click OK. Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. Press cmd/ctrl+T and adjust the size. 15. Add more adjustments As with the lion, you'll need to tweak the elephant so it doesn't stick out Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Set Brightness to 30, Contrast to 15, clip the layers and then click OK. Now, make a quick colour correction. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter. Choose Filter: Deep Yellow, set the Density to 30%, clip the layers and click OK. 16. Bring in the ostrich Time for a bit more wildlife Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_341989_ostrich.jpg'. Grab the Quick Selection tool (W) and select the image. In Options, click Select and Mask. Use the Refine Edge Brush tool (R) or the Brush tool (B) to enhance the mask, then click OK. Resize the image and place the ostrich next to the elephant. 17. Curves adjustment Use a Curves adjustment to knock the tones into shape Now, let's apply a Curves adjustment to correct the tones. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Place the mouse cursor in the centre and drag down a bit or set the Input to 45 and the Output to 40, clip the layers and click OK. 18. Place more images All right, let's have a monkey... Go to File > Place Embedded 'pix_1224295_monkey.jpg'. Use the Quick Selection tool to select the image and the Select and Mask command to refine the selection. Resize the image and place over the letters. Use a Curves adjustment to correct the tones. 19. Add the giraffe ...and a giraffe. What could possibly go wrong? Place the 'pix_927281_giraffe.jpg'. Select and mask the giraffe. Add a new layer on top of it and clip the layers (cmd/ctrl+opt/alt+G). Change the blending mode to Soft Light, grab the Brush tool and using a light yellow colour, paint over the body to whiten the shadows. 20. Colour correction Add a warming filter for that final tonal touch Place a new adjustment layer on top of the layer stack. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter. Choose Filter: Warming Filter (85), set the Density to 25%, and click OK. 21. Create a snapshot One last adjustment and you're good to go Press shift+cmd/ctrl+opt/alt+E to create a snapshot. Now make the final adjustment. Go to Filter > Camera Raw filter. Set the Exposure to +0.25, Highlights to -30, Clarity: +10 and Saturation: +5, then click OK. This article originally appeared in issue 152 of Photoshop Creative. Subscribe here. Related articles: Working with layers in Photoshop: Layer Styles Create a repeating pattern in Photoshop The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette View the full article

If you’re new Photoshop, knowing where to start when it comes to removing a background can be daunting. Photoshop has many different ways you can achieve this, some faster than others, some a little more time consuming and complex. There's no right or wrong way, it’s about picking the right approach for the job in hand. In this Photoshop tutorial, we'll cover some techniques you can use to remove a background, each using different tools. We'll start with two of the most basic approaches: the Magic Wand tool (this page) and Quick Selection tool (jump to page 2). Then we'll move on to the more complex method of using channels alongside the Refine Edge tool (page 3). Finally, we'll look at using removing backgrounds using the Pen tool, paths and masks (page 4). Let's get started... Use the icon in the top right of each image to enlarge it The Magic Wand tool The Magic Wand tool is perhaps the quickest and simplest way to remove a background in Photoshop, provided your image has clearly defined edges. It works best when there is a good amount of contrast between your background and foreground and when one of these elements is a solid flat colour. 01. Start with a basic selection The magic wand tool is the quickest way to remove a flat background in Photoshop Open your image and duplicate it, before hiding the background layer. This provides an easy way of referring back to the original image should you need to. With the new layer selected, select the Magic Wand Tool from your Tool panel (Shortcut W and shift+W to toggle between tools), select the flatter area of the image and delete. 02. Adjust Tolerance levels The Magic Wand can be quite limiting as a tool for removing a background, but by making adjustments to the Tolerance of an image you can select and remove a slightly trickier background providing the part you want to cut out still has clearly defined edges. You use the Tolerance settings (found in the Options bar) to adjust the range of colour values you want to select at once: increase the value and it will select a wider range of colours, decrease the value and it will select a narrower range. By decreasing the tolerance the magic wand tool will selects less colours values For images like the one above where the foreground object and background are a similar colour, you need to reduce tolerance levels so the Magic Wand tool recognises the background as a separate colour. Here, the tolerance has been reduced to seven. Then you can use the Magic Wand tool and the shift key to select different areas of background until you have the majority of it. By increasing the tolerance the magic wand tool will selects more colour values Alternatively, in an image where there are lots of different colours in the background, but a clear contrast between the colours in the foreground and background, you need to increase the tolerance levels. For example, in this image of dark mountains against an orange sunset, tolerance has been increased to 120. Again, select a small portion of the background using the Magic Wand tool, and then shift-click any other unselected areas of sky until all of it has been selected. 03. Neaten things up with Layer Masks Creating a Layer Mask gives you more control over editing your image The Magic Wand tool is great for a quick cutout, but the downside is that it doesn’t leave you with the cleanest of edges. Plus if you’re doing a multiple selection, this technique can also leave you with stray pixels in the background. But there are couple tricks you can use to improve on both these things. For this example, we'll got back to the chair image. You've already selected as much of the background as possible using the Magic Wand tool, with tolerance set to seven. Once you're happy with the background selection, instead of deleting it, create a mask. First you need to invert your selection. Select Inverse (under the Select menu, or shortcut cmd+shift+I) and then select the Add Layer Mask button (see image) found at the bottom of the Layer panel. 04. Use Layers to pick up stray pixels Using a mask when editing your image means you have more control as it is non-destructive. This means pixels are not deleted, just hidden, so you can re‑edit the masks by removing or repainting in parts of the original image. To see clearly how neat your edges are, create a new layer using the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers panel. Fill this layer with a solid, bright colour and place it below your mask layer. If you zoom in, you can see the limitations of the Magic Wand tool; it can leave edges very jagged and litter your image with stray pixels. 05. Tidy things up with the Brush tool Remember, when using masks black hides, white reveals Layer Masks allow you to clean up and finesse your image. In this instance, the first thing to do is get rid of any stray background pixels that were not selected with the Magic Wand tool. Do this by alt-clicking on the Layer Mask thumbnail in your Layer panel. This will convert your artboard to the black and white Layer Mask view. Set the foreground colour to black, select a Paintbrush tool and start filling in those stray pixels and tidying up the edges of your image. Use the [ ] keys to decrease or increase the brush size to cover larger or smaller areas of your artboard. 06. Finesse your Layer Mask Experiment with the tolerance in different areas of your image to get the correct selection Click back on the background image to exit the Layer Mask view, then reselect your Layer Mask thumbnail to make it active. Take some time to use the Brush tool to tidy up your image and get rid of some of the harsh, jagged edges. In areas where you have more contrast in colour, like at the bottom of the chair, you can go back to your Magic Wand tool, up the tolerance value and make a more defined selection, then apply this to your Layer Mask. Next page: Create cutouts using the Quick Selection and Refine Edge tools Another useful tool for really speedy cutouts is the Quick Selection tool. It works in a similar way to the Magic Wand tool, but rather than just selecting similar colours, it also selects similar textures and detects the edges of objects. 01. Create a selection The Quick Selection Tool is a great way of doing a quick cutout To use this approach, open your image, duplicate and hide the background layer. Select the Quick Selection tool from the Tools panel (Shortcut W and shift+W to toggle between tools). Click on your foreground object and drag. It's that simple. This tool tends to work best if you start in the centre of the object you wish to cut out and drag outwards. If you find you've selected parts of the image you don’t want to be included in your cutout, hold down alt to remove these from your selection. Use the [ ] keys to decrease or increase the brush size to control how much is being selected by the Quick Selection tool. 02. Soften the cutout edges Adding a feather can help your image sit better in its new background Let's say we want to add a new background to the image above. You might find that when you add the background, your cutout has a slight halo (fringing) effect around the edges. However, you can easily edit this. Select the cutout by cmd+clicking on the layer mask thumbnail. While the selection is active, go to Select menu > Modify > Contract. Enter a value in the Contact Selection box to trim off the edge of your image (one pixel is a good place to start). Next add a feature via Select > Modify. Invert your selection, then making sure you still have the Layer Mask thumbnail selected, delete. Your cutout now should have a much softer edge that looks more natural on the new background. Next page: How to create cutouts using channels Channels are great for images that contain fine detail such hair, fur and foliage. Like the other techniques we've explored so far, this process works best when you're working with an image that has a solid background and clear contrast between the foreground and background elements. 01. Work with channels Channels can be really effective for cutting out finer details Open your image and navigate to the Channel panel (Windows > Channels). View each of the channels, then select and duplicate the channel with the most contrast. With the duplicate channel selected, open your levels (cmd+L) and adjust to up the contrast. 02. Clean up with the Dodge and Burn tools The Dodge and Burn tool can help refine the contrast of a channel-based cutout Use the Dodge and Burn tools to clean up any areas that aren't solid black or white. Set the exposure to 100 and use the Dodge tool to paint out any areas you want to lighten. Experiment with using the different ranges until you're happy with the results. Use the Burn tool for the opposite purpose: to darken any areas that need it. When you're happy, cmd+click your channel thumbnail to make a selection. Open your Layer panel and create a mask. Hit shift+cmd+I to invert your selection and add a Layer Mask. 03. Try the Refine Edge tool The Refine Edge tool is really effectively for cutting out hair and fur The Refine Edge tool can be really useful when cutting out images with finer details – it works really effectively with hair and fur. To use the tool, open your image and duplicate the background layer. Use any tool to do a rough cutout of the foreground image (we used the Quick Selection tool). At this stage don’t worry too much about the finer detail of the hair. With the selection active, open the Refine Edge tool in your Control panel. Increase the edge detection until some of the finer detail of the hair is visible. 04. Restore detail Use the Erase refinement tool to increase the finer detail of your cutout To get some of the finer hair detail back into your image, check the Smart Radius checkbox and make sure you have the Refine Radius Tool selected. Then start to paint over the edges of your selection where the detail is missing. If you want to remove detail, switch over to the Erase Refinement tool. You can use the additional Adjust Edge option to fine-tune your selection. If you get too much of your original background showing through, use the Shift Edge tool to contrast your selection. When you're happy with the changes you’ve made, choose to output to Layer mask. Now you'll be able to edit your image further. Next page: Creating cutouts using the Pen tool All the tools and techniques mentioned up to this point have their places and can be very effective for removing a background in Photoshop. But if you want to really up your game and have ultimate control over your cutout, you need to master the Pen tool. Although this approach can be a lot more labour-intensive, with a bit of time and practice, using the Pen tool will become second nature. 01. Draw a path Reading up on Bézier curves can really help you understand how the Pen tool works Open your image and repeat the process of duplicating and hiding your background layer. Select the Pen tool (shortcut P) from the Tools panel. Chose a point on the edge of the foreground object, and start drawing your path. If you're new to the Pen tool, you may find you get a very angular path that doesn’t mirror the shape of what you’re trying to cut out. To create curves in your path, as you add an anchor point, hold down the mouse key, click and then drag. This creates adjustment handles either side of the anchor point. By holding and dragging these in different directions you can adjust and control the shape of the curve. If you get to a point where you have a curved edge that need to a straight point, alt+click on the anchor point to remove the handle on one side. 02. Save a Path The path you draw will automatically appear in the Path panel Once you’ve completely drawn around your foreground item, you need to close the path. Do this by clicking on your first anchor point. You will see a small circle appear next to the cursor to show you the point is selected; click and the path is closed. Your path will automatically appear in the Paths Panel found under Window > Paths. Double-click on the Work Path to name and save the path. 03. Edit a path Paths can be easily edited, so don’t need to be too precise to start with The great thing about creating paths is that they don’t need to be perfect right away – you can easily go back and edit the path by selecting the anchor points with the Direct Select tool. Once you have anchor point selected (selected points will turn black), you can make adjustments to the handles to change the shape of the curve. Add points by selecting the Pen tool and clicking on the path, remove points by clicking on the anchor point with the Pen tool, and convert a curved point into a straight point (or vice versa) by alt+clicking. 04. Convert a path to a mask Using a bright contrasting background colour can help highlight any errors in your path Now to convert the path to a Layer Mask. Do this by selecting the path in the Paths panel, and once it’s highlighted, hitting the Load Path as a Selection button at the bottom of the paths panel. Then, as before, open your Layers panel, select the duplicate background layer and hit the Add Layer Mask button. Create a new layer and add a bright, contrasting fill colour below your Layer Mask layer. Now you can check how your cutout looks. 05. Finesse your mask The size of your image will affect the amount of feathering you want to add The great thing about creating a paths is that the information is there to use again. If the edges appear to harsh and don't reflect the original image, you may want to soften your cutout. To do this, duplicate the background layer and move it to the top of your Layers panel, making sure the layer is visible. Select your path in the Paths panel and hit ctrl+right-click. Select Make Selection from the flyout menu. Here you'll see an option to add a feather (I’m added a feather of two here). With the selection still highlighted, switch over to your Layer panel and add a Layer Mask. 06. Merge techniques Merging techniques can really make the most of your cutouts The final thing we're going to do is to create a better cutout of the cat's fur around its right ear. To do this, we'll use the Refine Edge tool we covered earlier. Duplicate the background layer and create a rough cutout of ear and fur in that area. With the selection active, open the Refine Edge tool in your control panel. Increase the Edge Detection until some of the finer detail of the fur is visible. Don't go too far, as this area of the image is really soft. Increase the level of detail using the Refine Radius tool. Once you're happy, you can select your two Layer Masks (ctrl+click) to merge the layers together. Read more: The 60 best free Photoshop brushes The best laptops for graphic design in 2018 14 Photoshop adjustment tools to retouch your images View the full article

Today has seen the John Lewis Partnership relaunch its two retail brands as Waitrose & Partners and John Lewis & Partners. Each arm of the rejigged business model comes with a new brand identity and logo design created by Pentagram, both of which underline the collaboration between the two firms. As well as a new look, the launch also includes a groundbreaking ad campaign that tugs on your heartstrings like the much-anticipated John Lewis Christmas spots. Created by adam&eveDDB, the agency behind both John Lewis and Waitrose's recent seasonal adverts, Bohemian Rhapsody riffs on the classic Queen song and sees a bombastic school play drive home a message of connectivity. Touted by the John Lewis & Partners customer director Craig Inglish, as the "biggest ever marketing campaign outside of Christmas", the video is the first time that the two brands have released an ad campaign together. Check it out below. Beyond the advert, the campaign will continue to roll out across print ads, hero products and in-store films. At the heart of the campaign is the slogan "When you're part of it, you put your heart into it", which can be seen across all areas of the rebrand. “Our new identities bring the brands much closer together and both brands will benefit,” says Martin George, customer director for Waitrose & Partners. “From now on, when one of us advertises there will be a halo effect for the other brand as customers recognise that ‘& Partners’ means we’re the same company and that all 85,000 of us are owners.” As for the new logos, Pentagram looked to the original work for the John Lewis Partnership logotype designed by Hans Schleger and Peter Hatch in the early 60s, which at the time was centred around a pattern motif. Using the exact same weight and thickness of lines found in this diamond symbol pattern ensure the new identity continues the spirit of the brand. Shoppers in central London will already be able to see the new identity on key stores, as well as online and on certain material such as lorries and vans, staff uniforms, carrier bags and trolleys. Over the next few years the full identity will be incorporated across all John Lewis and Waitrose shops and products. Related articles: Bring a brand to life with illustration How to reawaken a brand's heritage How to choose the right typeface for a brand View the full article

Humans are visual creatures, and that means we respond well to images. If you have a blog or website, you should know how important it is to include images that capture your readers' attention. With Visme Standard Plan: 1-Yr Subscription, you have access to a huge library of templates that help you create images, icons, infographics, reports, and a whole lot more. Visme can even make these visuals interactive, whether you want to add links or animations to liven them up. You can also track how well your content is performing with the built-in view-tracking function. The editor is simple to use, allowing you to add video, audio, voiceovers, and more, all within the platform. For just $49, you can try out Visme Standard Plan: 1-Yr Subscription – that's 65% off the regular price. It's a limited-time offer though, so grab it while you can. Related articles: 15 great web design podcasts An essential guide to web design etiquette The best colour tools for web designers View the full article

On Creative Bloq we're always on the lookout for talented writers to join our network of contributors. If you're a great writer with a passion for all things creative (or, if you're a graphic designer, illustrator, web designer or 3D artist who wants to share their expertise), then we want to hear from you. Here's what you need to know if you're interested in joining our Creative Bloq contributor network. What are you looking for? Creative Bloq is all about making design entertaining, inspiring and accessible to as many people as possible. We're the online face of a number of different design magazines: Computer Arts, net, ImagineFX, Web Designer and 3D World. That means we cover a wide range of different types of design, and we need passionate experts to share their knowledge and expertise. We want to provide a platform for writers that share our passion to get published. Here are some types of content that we cover: Features exploring key issues or trends in the industry Tutorials that help designers solve a specific problem Tips articles to help creatives expand their skills Reviews of the hottest new kit and apps News about the freshest projects from agencies, designers and, artists How do I join this Network? If you think you have what it takes, send an email to contact@creativebloq.com. Outline where your interests and knowledge lie, and please include some examples of posts or articles you've written. It's a great idea to approach us with a few ideas (or just one, well-formed idea!) about what you want to write for us. Take a good look around the site for ideas of articles that might fit, and make sure you're not suggesting something we've already published. We look forward to hearing from you! And if you know someone else that fits the bill, please share this amongst your friends. Note that due to the volume of emails we receive we are not able to reply to all pitches. If you haven't heard back from us, then please assume that we're not interested at the moment, though feel free to suggest a different idea in the future. View the full article

The CG Awards is a celebration of recent achievements in the world of computer graphics, from art created by the lone student artist, to the biggest Soho studios and everybody inbetween. This year we are opening the vote up to the public too, so head over to the CG Awards 2019 voting form to have your say! And the nominees are... Up for best VFX in a movie are some of the summer's biggest blockbusters, including Avengers: Infinity War, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Deadpool 2, Ready Player One and Incredibles 2. Moving over to the smaller screen, best VFX in TV sees Altered Carbon, The Expanse, Stranger Things, Westworld and Star Trek: Discovery go head-to-head. Best shortform is a varied group, with some of the best of the advertising world – in the form of Samsung Ostrich - MPC, Everything on your list, Staples - Method and Vonster - The Mill – up against cinematic excellence from the likes of Beyond Good and Evil 2 - Unit Image, Overkill's The Walking Dead: Maya - Goodbye Kansas. Gamers have a tough choice to make this year, with Assassin's Creed: Origins, Far Cry 5, God of War, Star Wars Battlefront II and Call of Duty: WWII making the shortlist in the best game category. And what about the tools? Blackmagic eGPU, iMac Pro, Lenovo ThinkPad P52, Renda G3 SWC Ultra and Wacom Cintiq Pro have all made the cut for best hardware, while the likes of Houdini, Oculus Medium, V-Ray Next for 3ds Max, X-Particles and Substance Designer compete for the title of best software. Cast your vote today! Voting closes 15 November 2018, with two nominations per category given to an expert team of judges who will decide the ultimate winner. Winners will be announced at Vertex, the ultimate conference for 2D and 3D artists, on 8 March 2019 at Olympia, London. Don't delay, help your favourites take home a prestigious CG award by casting your vote. Read more: 7 tips for the perfect gaming portfolio 25 tips for Unreal Engine 4 Model a Stormtrooper in Maya and ZBrush View the full article

A new financial service designed especially for creatives has been unveiled. Say hello to ANNA, a refreshingly human admin assistance app which lives up to its acronym: Absolutely No Nonsense Admin. It comes complete with an appropriately personable, doodle art-based identity from the minds of Michael Wolff, NB Studio and Alice Bowsher, and promises to make it much easier for creatives to stay on top of money matters. ANNA is an entirely digital platform that addresses the unique admin needs of SMEs and professionals who build their business on creativity, including anyone in the design and architecture sectors. Tailored towards creative professionals at all levels, from sole traders to full-blown agencies, ANNA combines a business account, debit card and a human and artificial intelligence assistant into the ANNA current account. It also comes with a card that can be accessed through the app. ANNA brings together AI and human intelligence By bringing together artificial intelligence with human insights, ANNA provides a range of services designed to make the lives of creatives easier. These include sending and paying invoices, analysing how much you're owed and by whom, and the ability to outsource invoice payments and details to the app. According to the team behind the app, this range of tools is something that has been sorely missing from the lives of creatives. "As a creative business strategist, I’ve observed the struggles that small business owners go through dealing with admin," says ANNA's chief design officer, Daljit Singh. "The creative industries are worth over £90 billion to the UK economy, yet there isn’t a single service out there that is specially aimed at making running a creative business easier. ANNA changes all this; it will improve productivity with the main aim of saving people time so they are freed up to do more of the things they love." The playful illustrations by Alice Bowsher reflects ANNA's creative approach When it came to designing a look for ANNA, the new way of banking needed a new approach to aesthetics. "Traditionally, there's no place for emotion in finance; we wanted the visual identity to embody the opposite of that," explains Nick Finney of NB Studio. "As a small business owner, you're there to do something you love. The identity we created features illustrations by Alice Bowsher, whose charming, playful drawings help make Anna an approachable and relatable brand. The warmth of the terracotta orange throughout the website, digital platforms and collateral stands in sharp contrast to the traditional cold blues of banks, corporations and traditional fintech." "Meticulous care has gone into developing the brand," adds designer and creative adviser Michael Wolff. "ANNA is bold yet self-effacing. It's entertaining because what's the point of being dull? It is entertaining in an apt and restrained manner. Above everything, ANNA is practical and no nonsense. Everything about the brand identity reflects the communities ANNA serves." Send invoices, get paid, and seek help, all with ANNA ANNA is currently available to use in beta and is onboarding its first 2,000 customers. Will you be one of them? If so, you'll have free access to ANNA for three years. Related articles: Bring a brand to life with illustration How to reawaken a brand's heritage How to choose the right typeface for a brand View the full article

It can be easy to get stuck in a rut as a designer. You find a style or niche that makes the most of what you're good at, and before you know it your graphic design portfolio is starting to look a little... samey. So how do you add a new dimension to your work and break out of the mould? Here six practical and achievable ways to help you improve your graphic design skills. 01. Study design theory A proper understanding of concepts such as grid theory can transform your work Graphic design is a profession, not a trade. While there is plenty you can learn by doing, a proper understanding of the fundamentals of the discipline, including concepts like grid theory, colour theory, typography and the golden ratio, is vital. For many designers, this is where a formal design education really shows its value. There are plenty of options, from full university degrees to focused short courses to distance learning setups. Alternatively, you can do the legwork yourself – take a look at our article on how to get into design without a degree for more tips. 02. Learn how to get more from feedback As creatives, one of the most emotionally draining things we can do is deal with criticism. And yet, it’s absolutely essential if you’re to improve your skills. Positive feedback is great when it’s deserved, but you don’t really gain anything from it other than an inflated feeling of self-worth. And when it’s knee-jerk and undeserved (see: mutual backslapping on many forums), it can actually be counterproductive to your continued development. So whether you’re posting your designs on Dribbble, Behance or Facebook, or just sharing them with a few select friends or colleagues, it’s important to choose your words carefully in order to elicit the maximum (constructive) criticism. There's a fine art to getting the most from feedback For instance, rather than just saying ‘What do you think?’ (sample answer: ‘It’s great’), it’s better to ask specific questions. For example, 'This is the brief, do you think I’ve fulfilled it?' or 'Which part of the design did your eye focus on first?' That way people will be able to critique your work in a constructive way, without coming off like a boorish troll. It can also be useful for you to give your feedback on other designers’ work, helping you to empathise and improve your critical skills in ways that you can apply to your own work. Check out this article on how to get more from creative criticism. 03. Start a side project Conran Design Group had some fun on May 4th Doing the same thing over and over again in your nine-to-five job can lead to your skills getting stale and your enthusiasm waning. So keep up your motivation to learn new things by starting your own side project. Learning a new design skill is always far easier if you need it to create a specific thing, particularly if that’s something personal to you. So a passion project can lead you to learn new skills you’d never even thought of, without needing the kind of self-discipline associated with formal study. No clue where to begin? Read our 6 tips for better side projects, or explore some awesome agency side projects. 04. Experiment In the world of web startups, there’s a saying: Fail fast. In other words. it’s only by trying out lots of experimental design ideas and putting them into practice that you find out what works best and what you’re good at. It’s an approach graphic designers can learn from when it comes to experimenting with new media, skills and techniques. So, rather than always using the same fonts, colours, layouts or software for every design you tackle, mix things up a bit and try something new. Throw in a crazy new typeface. Try 3D rather than 2D. Pick up some new design software. Sketch with a ballpoint pen or charcoal rather than a pencil. Break a rule and see what happens. Ask yourself: how would this design have been approached in a bygone age? Use illustration not photography. Double the amount of whitespace. In short, throw convention up in the air and see what lands. Most of the time, what lands will be a hot mess. But sometimes, you’ll hit gold. And even if you don’t, the very process of experimenting will help free up your mind, to better see which of your creative skills need improving, and why. 05. Talk to other designers Behance is a great way to discover other designers in your field One of the best ways to develop as a designer is to interact with a lot of other designers. But sometimes that can be difficult. You might be the only designer in a big company, a freelancer who works from home alone, or perhaps you’re employed by a two- or three-person studio. But really, these are all just excuses. There are many easy ways to get out there and chat with other creatives. Go to meetups, events and conferences. Hit people up on social media. Check out forums. Make friends. Talk design. Discuss problems, challenges, questions. Collaborate on a project. Email a designer you admire. Ask them to be your mentor. Appear on their podcast, or start your own so you can interview your heroes. In short, force yourself to just get out there. You’ll meet some fascinating people, and learn more than you could possibly imagine. 06. Read a book Michael Bierut’s How To showcases over 35 of his projects and reveals his philosophy of graphic design Even if you have a degree, as the saying goes: ‘Education is for life’, and you never stop learning. So next time you have a long train journey, put your phone on silent and curl up with a good book on graphic design. It will certainly be a better use of your time than snarling at trolls on Twitter or looking at food pics on Instagram. There are plenty of informative and inspiring reads to explore. But if you really don’t know where to start then check out our list of the best graphic design books. Read more: 18 things they didn't teach you at design school 12 of the best places to live as a designer What time should designers get up in the morning? View the full article

UK department store Debenhams has been given an identity overhaul courtesy of Mother Design, including a new logo design that will replace the design that has been in place since 1999. The rebrand forms part of an ongoing transformation dubbed 'Debenhams Redesigned', with the aim of injecting some of the joy back into the shopping experience. It comes alongside a playful marketing campaign from Mother, which asks customers to 'do a bit of Debenhams'. "There are so few high street icons, and Debenhams is certainly one of them," says Mother's Ana Balarin. "It was a unique opportunity to revisit such a loved and established brand to reflect the modern business it has become." Mother Design worked closely with Swiss Typefaces on a new logo for the retail giant (take a look at the gallery below to compare the old and new logos). The final design uses a custom typeface based on SangBleu, creating a more approachable, modern look that still contains echoes of Debenhams' 200 year heritage. The logo is supported by a vibrant colour palette and fresh illustration style. Mother's accompanying above the line campaign is designed to provide a point of difference and help mark Debenhams out in a crowded and competitive marketplace. It features product photography with an unexpected twist, such as a pair of shoes dipped in tins of paint, or a coat being plucked out of a pile of teddy bears by a fairground claw. Each also features a humorous slogan based on the theme 'Do a bit of Debenhams'. An accompanying campaign aims to reclaim the joy of shopping “When talking about shopping, consumers told us of the real joy that they experience when exploring and trying new things in store," comments MD of Marketing and Beauty Richard Cristofoli. "Many lamented that shopping had lost its role in our culture... We wanted to present a rallying cry to consumers to celebrate the joy of shopping and reclaim it as the rich, experiential and joyous experience that brings family and friends together.” The campaign will appear in still and GIF format across social and digital channels, alongside print brochures in several national magazines. Meanwhile, the rebrand is already live on Debenhams' site, and will be rolled out stores across the country in coming months. Read more: 5 big-brand logos that pass the silhouette test How to reawaken a brand's heritage 11 steps to better logos View the full article