Rss Bot

Could Baby Sonic be the curve ball that saves the whole Sonic movie debacle? A new trailer and poster from Paramount Pictures Japan reveals that the upcoming movie will include Sonic's origin story... which of course means we get to see our hero when he was just a hoglet. The news follows a trend for young versions of iconic characters. At the end of last year, Baby Yoda became the nipper that spawned a thousand memes. There was also Baby Thanos, but the less said about him the better. Revealing your hero as a child seems to be an easy way to win over your audience with an instant shot of cuteness (you can also explore our character design tips). Check out the trailer above – the first glimpse of Baby Sonic appears around the 20s mark. In it, we see a young Sonic speeding happily through the hills, and in another scene, offering up a flower. The ridiculously cute critter also appears on a poster for the movie – although some of his adorableness is probably due to those anime eyes. The story of the Sonic movie has been one wild ride. When a branding deck was first leaked to the public, the design of Sonic sparked such a strong backlash that Paramount went back to the drawing board and redesigned the character completely. MPC Vancouver, the 3D studio that worked on the movie, later shut down. Although Baby Sonic's look is in line with the reimagined character design, we'd have been very intrigued to have seen the original version, if such a thing existed. So far, the public is very much on board with the design of Baby Sonic (phew), but we'll leave you with a couple of ideas of what he could have looked like. Read more: 20 top graphic design trends for 2020 Cheap Apple AirPods are the January sales deal we've been waiting for 3D news 2019 roundup: We look back at the biggest stories of the year View the full article

A new decade brings new trends, and the evolution of existing ones. Last year saw exciting developments across the spectrum of visual design that will develop and evolve in the new year. Here, we look at what’s hot in design right now and how we see it developing in 2020, covering everything from web design to fun fonts to graphic design and UI. Here are seven of our biggest predictions for what we’ll see happening in design this year. You heard it here first. 01. Branded animation With GIFs now part of how we communicate, anyone designing for digital knows that people love movement. Illustration has become big for social media and web design over the last few years, but there’s now growing demand for the illustrations to move as shorter attention spans need to be satisfied. GIFs can be a powerful way to bring brands to life. In 2020, we expect to see more fully branded motion graphics, from micro-interactions to moving logos to animated GIFs celebrating milestone events on social media. Animations will also get more continuous. The safety video from Delta Airlines (above) shows the direction branded animation is going in, with one scene rolling into the next through fluid dynamic transitions that evolve and tell a story. The trend to build each scene out of the previous one takes viewers on journeys through a transforming world. And animation doesn’t only live online or on a screen. Branded animations designed by London-based Animade were an integral part of Mailchimp’s rebranding in 2019, including the monkey logo that winks when you move the cursor over it, but the animators also created this interactive wall art. Interactive illustrations will offer a chance to reinvent communication and tools and engage with illustration in real-world environments. 02. Ultra minimalism Calendly’s ultra minimalist landing page focuses attention on the call to action Minimalism seems like it will never become passee. It looks clean, sleek and for websites, it reduces loading time and scores better in search results. Services like Slack, Monday and Calendly are aware of this and have been leading the trend for minimalist landing pages that put the focus on the call to action and conversions. With no distracting background elements, their sites are easy to navigate and make it easy to sign up. The trend is to complement the white space and simple message with an illustration - Calendly uses a modern looking line drawing to add to the clean feel, Monday opts for an animated demo with pots of colour to draw the eye, while Dropbox dispenses even with the illustration, dedicating half the screen to the sign up form. Other sectors are following the trend, opting for simple and direct approach, which will stay with us in 2020. 03. Combining realism and flat design Magdiel Lopez combines realism and flat design to stunning effect Recent years have seen a huge trend for flat design, and over the last year, isometric design has been the big thing, led especially by design for cryptocurrency sites, while 3D has been getting better and better. Now we’re starting to see more of a tendency to get the best of both worlds by layering elements of flat design and realistic 3D images. This can be through combining 3D design and flat design or through collages that combine flat design and photography like the beautiful dreamy posters created by Magdiel Lopez. His work bridges the gap between the simplicity of flat design and the complexity and authenticity of realism, and communicates interaction between the real and digital worlds. The combination of 3D and flat design can also be a way to bring goods to life, such as on the urban trekking shoe company Déplacé Maison website or highlight blended learning experiences like on the Ocean School website. 04. Playing with the elements Azure The Oceanic’s site offers an engaging sense of freedom with cursor-controlled play In web design, there’s a growing tendency to play with water, air and light to create engaging effects, which follows a trend in design in general towards rejecting rigid geometric lines and shapes in favour for soft, flowing lines. It’s fun and playful, approachable, easier on the eye and still feels new. The design and text on the Beyond Beauty project’s website seem to float around the space, conveying the sense of freedom that the project embodies. Expect to see a lot more free-floating elements in 2020 as we say goodbye to gravity. The theme for flowing shapes and lines is taken up also in the use of water and lights, for example, with cursor-controlled shimmer and ripple effects like in this site from property developers Azure The Oceanic. The Barovier & Toso website also uses cursor controlled liquid ripple and shimmer effects to give a sense of mystery and luxury to its products. 05. Heavy but simple fonts CPGD’s site is on trend for 2020 with bold simple text The trend for big and heavy fonts is not going to move easily. With people spending more of their time online on small screens, big fonts are practical, but it’s a trend that extends to the world of graphic design and even packaging, since they also look great and give personality to text. When it comes to thickness, the rule for 2020 will continue to be the bigger and bolder the better, with text taking centre stage and overtaking image and video as the main element. Designers are using bold or extra bold fonts paired with simple backgrounds or much lighter text to create interesting contrast in a design. Text may even go beyond a compositions edges, and be split into multiple lines. CPGD, a list of direct to consumer brands, is on trend with a site that uses bigger Helvetica Now Display much bolder than most ecommerce sites, which can often suffer from lots of small text. Large text is not only for headlines and titles, but sites like that of Germany agency Polar Gold show a trend to beef up the size of the text in paragraphs too, and expect to see more incorporation of movement too like in the bold and playful Piano Trio Fest site. 06. Dynamic live data visualisation The Economist showed lived data visualisation based on the reaction of fans during a football match Data visualisation has been a growing trend for years. And there’s much more to come. In 2020, complex live data – like dashboard stats – will become even more immediately available, and designers will need to showcase information in a way that adapts to changes and dynamically animates. In the past year, The Economist’s Reimagine the Game offers visualisation of fans' reactions in the stadium during football matches providing a kind of timeline of the match complete with goals and yellow cards. In 2020, expect data visualisations to go dynamic live, interactive and to cover everything. 07. AR and VR finally go mainstream AR and VR offer whole new design mediums It’s been a long time coming but VR is finally coming into the mainstream and is expected to become one of the most consumed technologies of the next few years. What's exciting for design is that more than being a trend, virtual reality offers a whole new medium to design for. UI and UX within VR is huge area in which to explore not only how we touch a screen but how we move around inside it. Expect big opportunities in holographic 3D design and virtual reality e-commerce solutions, while AR will increasingly offer more demand for digital animation, with magazines like The New Yorker bringing pages to life through our phones' cameras and Apple and Google introducing their own AR development platforms, ARKit and ARCore. And whatever happens in the areas of VR and AR is also bound to have an effect on wider design. Read more: 6 incredible design secrets you need to know 12 design fails that were so bad they were actually good 7 unexpected sources of inspiration all designers should consider View the full article

Tables carry all kinds of advanced visual gimmicks intended to make them look better. Table rendering performance is more important than ever. Generating a few labels on the fly is not a problem, but doing so with complex tables containing images overloads systems. Tables intended for the web are best generated with the Tabulator framework. Just like all the best web design tools it's designed to streamline your workflow. This JavaScript framework contains an advanced implementation of the virtual document object programming paradigm. This means it only creates a few widgets, which it recycles as the user scrolls through your list. In addition, the framework also provides a wide range of convenience functions. Table sizes can be adjusted to the data which is currently being displayed. Element information can be obtained from a variety of sources including REST transfers. Developers interested in creating advanced table editing experiences can also rejoice. The product supports filtering, sorting and lets users edit table data. An optional data validation process then prevents mistakes. Given that Tabulator is completely open source, there is little reason for programming your own table rendering engine. Download the files that accompany this Tabulator tutorial here. 01. Load the files Tabulator consists of a CSS stylesheet and some JavaScript. The framework’s developers have a tight relationship with the UnPKG content delivery network. Our example code fetches resources there, and furthermore declares a tag responsible for displaying the table. 02. Generate example data Starting our demonstration with an Ajax loading process would make the code too long. Due to that, we limit ourselves to displaying static data. Create a script tag, which must be placed below the tag, and start out with an array of elements. 03. Initiate a code-behind class When the array is ready, we can proceed to kicking o the rendering process. Table widgets are represented by an instance of the Tabulator class - our first task is the creation of one. Tabulator expects both field declaration and a reference to the data at hand. 04. Analyse the results With just a few clicks, Tabulator can start sorting your data intelligently Open the program and feast your eyes on the table shown in the figure accompanying this step. The framework provides intelligence for sorting. This is shown in the second figure, which was created by clicking the header off the table a few times to trigger sorting. 05. Change colours during program execution Tabulator’s constructor offers a variety of parameters. While some of these parameters are limited to simply providing static data, we can also provide event handlers. rowFormatter gets invoked once for every row generated in the table. When run, the code will show the output shown in the figure accompanying this step. 06. Add example data Demonstrating advanced features of the framework requires additional data. This can easily be fixed: simply return to the declaration of the table data field, and add a bunch of additional entries. 07. On cell click event handlers Add event handlers on two levels: in addition to clicking handlers for the entity of the program, you can also target specific elements of the table. Both approaches have their merits: the code accompanying this step shows how global local event handlers are set up. 08. Analyse event parameters Event handlers receive two objects with further information about the trigger. Our first test involves trying to ind out more about their contents. This is best accomplished by outputting them into the browser’s command line. Now run the example code in Firefox to see how the output presents itself. 09. Target specific cells We can now motivate the user to pick a specific set. In principle, all we need to do is a string comparison. Tabulator makes this process a little bit more involved by not providing the value directly – instead, the object must be unwrapped before use. 10. Spruce up display Tabulator can create advanced display elements from data. This is done via helper classes known as formatters. These do exactly as you might expect and format a table. The development team provides a few right out of the box. 11. Deploy a formatter Widgets can display information automatically Add its declaration to the column array. The framework will automatically detect the assignment, and will use the generated widgets to display information. In the case of our example, values are transformed into a series of stars. 12. Set some options Default format settings can be worked around Our array contains values ranging from 1 to 6. By default, the formatter is limited to five stars. We can work around this problem by setting an attribute to modify rendering behaviour. 13. Add a button Demonstrating some of the advanced functions of the framework requires a button with which interaction can be triggered. Return to the mark-up part of the test harness, and add the button declaration as shown. Given that our table currently does not ill to expand the screen, the button will simply appear below the table. 14. Access the table instance Accessing the table instance requires us to store it in a public variable. Given that we are programming purely on the browser, the window object is a good place for storing the value. 15. Apply a filter Filters require three parameters Apply filters via the setFilter method. It takes three parameters - first, the ID of the column to be used. Secondarily, the comparison operator is passed in, and finally, a comparison value. In the case of our example program, click the button to make three lines disappear. 16. Use various filter operations That list of Tabulator operator functions in full Tabulator provides a total of seven operators which can be used by passing in their string. The figure accompanying this step was taken from the product documentation. It provides a description of the operator’s function. 17. Create custom lines – I Our final “big” task involves replacing the entire row with a bit of custom mark-up. For that, we must start out by setting up rowFormatter and providing it with a generator function. 18. Create custom lines - II The second part of the routine involves creating the actual DOM snippet. Our code creates a TD tag containing the information for the current line and returns it to the framework after that. 19. Modify data at runtime Tabulator is not limited to displaying static data. The code accompanying this step illustrates four ways how information can be changed during program execution. Keep in mind that changes to the actual array are not monitored — changing the values of the array does not lead to an automatic update. 20. Target framework elements When Excel first let users apply styles, clarity improved. Being based on the concept of virtual DOM, the product generates a set of display widgets. They have a set of predefined IDs which are conveniently listed here. 21. Learn more Tabulator’s documentation is structured in a slightly odd fashion. The gallery of examples found at here makes for a great first point of contact – click the Documentation links next to a header to be forwarded to a more detailed description of the API in question. This article was originally published in issue 292 of creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 292. Related articles: CSS art gets brilliantly ruined by old browsers Best pieces of user testing software Great UI designs View the full article

Whatever your discipline, calendar apps are something every creative needs. Let's face it, even if you have an amazing memory, it can still tricky to keep track of every single thing, day in day out. That all-important client meeting. Those multiple deadlines. That pub lunch with a long-time collaborator. That flight. That gig. That conference. That parcel you need to stay in for. The best calendar apps lay it all in front of you, whatever device you're using, and sends you reminders just in case you forgot to look. And that can mean the difference between a lost client and a retained one; a new job or a missed opportunity. For this reason, pretty much every device these days comes with a calendar app that covers all the basics. These include allowing you to create and edit events easily, view all your entries in day, week and month views, and set up reminders to make sure you never miss an appointment. But while these standard calendar apps are competent, some of us need a little more fine control, or something a bit more specialised, and so a number of rival third-party apps have sprung up to fill the gap. In this post, we've picked six of the best calendar apps around (be sure to check out our round up of the best iPad apps for designers too). The start of a new year is the perfect time to start forming good habits, so why not download one of these great calendar apps today, and start getting your life and work nicely organised for the next 12 months ahead? Fantastical 2 makes great use of natural language processing to speed up the creation of entries If you’re finding Apple’s inbuilt calendar a little buggy and clunky (as many do) then we’d heartily recommend splashing a little cash on Fantastical 2. It’s just so much more user-friendly, uncluttered and intuitive, whether you want to add new events to your calendar, edit existing events, or glance at what’s coming up in the next day, week, month or year. Beyond that, it uses natural language processing to figure out what you’re typing, often from just a few keystrokes. Reminders work in a logical and well-thought out fashion, and we love how it displays an inline map of an event's provided location. It integrates nicely with your iCloud and Google accounts, too, plus it has excellent voice support. Perhaps most importantly, Fantastical 2 works seamlessly across Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Note, however, that you do have to pay for and download separate apps for each of these, which can add up to a significant expense. That said, if you spend a lot of time inputting and editing calendar events, and all of your devices sit within Apple’s ecosystem, this should save you a lot of time, effort and frustration in return. Plus you can take out a 21-day free trial to find out if you like it before you commit. Customise the look and feel of your Android calendars with Business Calendar 2 The first thing we should say about Business Calendar 2 is that although it’s aimed at business use, there’s no reason you can’t use it for broader life events as well or instead. And indeed, we’d encourage you to do so if you’re an Android user because it really is very good; we’re argue it even has the edge over the very capable Google Calendar app. Why? Largely because, as well as expertly handling all the basics (providing a clear view of appointments, making it easy to manage multiple calendars, and providing support for Google, Outlook and Exchange calendars), it’s highly customisable. In other words, you can tweak the look and feel of your calendars using a variety of supplied themes and widgets that are very easy to use. While Business Calendar 2 comes at a (relatively small) fee, we’d argue that it’s worth the cost to have greater control over the presentation of your calendars to suit your own personal needs. And if you’re unsure, there’s a basic, ad-supported version that's free, so you can try before you buy. Timepage has a beautiful interface and offers a number of unique ways to view your calendar and other information If you're hunting for a calendar app with real aesthetic appeal, then check out iOS app Timepage. The brainchild of Moleskine, the Italian manufacturers of the world’s most stylish notebooks, it boasts a beautifully restrained, elegantly minimalist interface. And it's a pretty fabulous app in terms of functionality too. We especially love the flexibility of how you can view your dates. For instance, on mobile, split-screen mode allows you to simultaneously view your calendar and other apps. On desktop, you can expand the month view full-screen, enabling you to see up to six weeks at once. There are also double view options, allowing you to see things like your daily schedule and timeline, day weather and week weather, event details and timeline, side by side. Plus, you can personalise your timeline by choosing the number of days shown, and choose to shade alternate weeks, weekends or the past. As you’d expect from an iOS app, Timepage supports Siri, syncs with other calendars such as Google, Outlook, Exchange, Facebook and CalDAV, and integrates with Apple’s Today View widgets. If you schedule a lot of meetings, Woven should be your go-to calendar app Our favourite calendar app for organising meetings is relatively new on the scene. Woven was launched in 2018 by former Facebook execs Timothy Campos and Burc Arpat, who wanted to combine a calendar app with smart scheduling features, powered by AI and natural language processing. Dubbed “the calendar app for busy professionals”, Woven is completely free to download for Mac, iOS and Windows, and also works in the browser. The app integrates with Google's Gmail and G Suite accounts, while Microsoft Outlook and Office 365 integration are promised soon. Winner of the 2019 Appy Award for Productivity, this clever tool together every stage of the meeting life-cycle, from planning, scheduling and preparation, to the actual meeting and later follow-ups, in a way that makes perfect intuitive sense. For instance, it parses emails people send to you and allows you to agree to a suggestion and schedule the event in a single click. If you don’t schedule a lot of meetings, then Woven is probably not the best calendar app for you, but if you do, then it should save you a significant amount of time and energy. My Study Life is the perfect calendar app for anyone involved in education. If you’re either studying or teaching, and your main need for a calendar app is to keep on top of your academic schedule, then it makes sense to use one designed specifically for that purpose. And our favourite has to be My Study Life. Rotation schedules, assignment deadlines, revision timetables, exam dates, terms and semesters can all be difficult to track of. But this cross-platform app has all these concepts in its DNA, thus saving you from the kind of lengthy configuration you’d need to put into more vanilla calendar apps. My Study Life is available on the web or as a mobile app for Android, iOS and Windows phones. And best of all, it’s free to use. The biggest downside of My Study Life is that you can’t set reminders very far in advance, which is a much-complained about drawback we hope they fix soon. Any.Do is a combination of to-do list app and calendar app, and works across an eye-popping range of devices Finally, if your main reason for needing a calendar app is to keep on top of tasks, then we’d recommend you give Any.Do a try. This is essentially a productivity tool and calendar app in one, and does a great job of combining the two functions in a way that makes practical sense. Any.do started life as a to-do list app, then in 2016 it added a calendar, along with a personal assistant. The current version can be synced across multiple devices as well as existing calendar apps, including Google Calendar, iCloud and Outlook, enabling you to import events and organise your tasks, lists and reminders within a single app. The standout feature of Any.do is how many platforms it supports: not just Mac, Windows, iOS and Android but a range of next-gen devices, from Apple Watch to Amazon Alexa, and there’s even a Slack extension. There is a free version of Any.Do, but you need to upgrade to the premium plan, which is billed monthly, to unlock the best features. These include colour coding, so you can get the look and feel of your calendars and events just as you like it, as well as location-based reminders and unlimited attachments. Read more: The best web design tools to help you work smarter 22 best UI design tools The best iPad Pro apps to use with an Apple Pencil View the full article

2020 has arrived and the January sales have begun. This time of year offers a great opportunity to grab any creative kit you either didn't get from Santa, or have been saving for all year. Historically it's a time when retailers try to get a head start on the year and therefore drop prices staggeringly low. So if you've been holding out to get a new tablet, need a stylus for your new device or want some new creative software to kick the new year off, you've come to the right place. Here at Creative Bloq we're constantly scouring all the reputable retail sites for all the best offers across the January sales and New Year sales, and curating the best savings just for you. Read on to find out how and where to get the best deals on a range of creative kit for designers of all kinds, from illustrators to graphic designers to 3D artists. Scroll down for a detailed look at how to make the biggest savings, or if you know what you want, use the quick links below to jump to all the biggest sales happening right now! If you're on the hunt for creative kit, there are some retailers worth watching when it comes to the best January sales and New Year sales. Here are the best places to find the lowest prices on everything from creative software and hardware, office supplies and even a mattress to ensure a good night's sleep. Adobe Creative Cloud – Over 60% off Photoshop, Illustrator and more for students and teachers Amazon – Huge savings across the board Currys – Save up to 70% on laptops, monitors and more Best Buy – Holiday deals for all Walmart – Huge savings on iPads, monitors, Lego and much more John Lewis – Need some cheap Lego? This is the place to go Microsoft Store – Savings across the full Surface range Very – Unmissable deals on creative hardware AO – Huge discounts on a range of tech and electricals Argos.co.uk – top savings on monitors, electrical items and more for Christmas Simba Sleep – Huge savings on high-quality mattresses (because every creative needs a good night's sleep, right?) 01. Adobe January sale and New Year sale Adobe has offered huge savings throughout 2019 Adobe January sale – We're going out on a limb a little here as we don't actually know if Adobe has plans to get involved with the January sales. However, if the past 12 months are anything to go by, there's a high chance the creative software giant will come up with some kind of offer over the holiday period. Black Friday saw Adobe reduce it's annual Creative Cloud subscription plan by a whopping 40%, so here's hoping the company follows suit to see in the new year. As always, if it does, we'll be the first to let you know. 02. Amazon January sale and New Year sale Amazon January sale – Amazon is definitely a January sale to watch out for if you're on the hunt for some new, cheap creative kit. We're expecting big savings on everything from iPads, graphics tablets, external hard drives, art supplies, Surface Pros and much, much more. 03. Apple January sale and New Year sale Apple January sale – We used to liken finding a discounted Apple device used to stumbling across a unicorn. Impossible, basically. But the last couple of years we've been pleasantly surprised by the, frankly, impressive savings that have come up. Black Friday 2019 saw retailers place huge reductions on a plethora of Apple products, most notably the new 2019 iPad, AirPods and 16-inch MacBook Pro. We're super hopeful similar offers will surface in the January sales, so much so we've set up a dedicated Apple New Year sale post to help you find the biggest savings on your device of choice. 04. Microsoft January sale and New Year sale Microsoft January sale – Microsoft released a range of new products in October, many of which we were surprised to see included in many great Black Friday offers. The Surface Pro 7 is hugely popular among creative professionals, as is Microsoft's new and improved Surface Book 2. There's also the Surface Pro X, which has, unsurprisingly, had zero discounts applied so far this year. But being that we weren't expecting the new products to see any reductions either, maybe the tech giant is waiting for the New Year sale to release a deal on its powerful new device (although we're not holding our breath). If the recent Black Friday offers on other Microsoft devices are anything to go by, we can expect to see some huge savings in the Boxing Day sales. 05. Walmart January sale and New Year sale Walmart End-of-Year clearance – If you're in the US, you'll want to bookmark this page. Walmart has been knocking it out of the park for the last few months when it comes to price cuts, and, from the looks of it, there's much more in store. Expect some very attractive deals on iPads, MacBooks, monitors, headphones and much more. 06. John Lewis January sale and New Year sale John Lewis January sale – John Lewis' New Year sales are well underway with some great offers (you can currently save big on some of the best Lego sets for adults). When it comes to creative gear, these guys have it in abundance, selling everything from Apple and Microsoft hardware, to art supplies and office furniture (new chair, anyone?). As one of the UK's most trusted retailers, you can be safe in the knowledge that any purchase made at John Lewis comes with an excellent guarantee (on some tech it can last up to 5 years) and its 'never knowingly undersold' promise. This means if you find the same product for a lower price at a UK mainland high street competitor, you can make a price match request. Winner. 07. Best Buy January sale and New Year sale Best Buy January sale – Another one for those of you in the US, Best Buy was on fire with deals in the lead up to and all throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The most impressive discounts for creatives were undoubtedly on the Surface Pro 6 and 7, and various MacBook Pro models (including the 16-inch version). Best Buy has continued it's impressive deal momentum since then, right now offering a whole host of attractive holiday deals. And all of this bodes very well for the Boxing Day sales, which we predict will see some of Best Buy's biggest savings of the year. Can't wait until then? Save up to $500 on select Surface devices right now. Happy shopping! View the full article

The Surface Pro 7 was released in October this year, much to the delight of Microsoft and Windows users. However if you'd told us then the shiny new device would play a major part in the January sales just a few months later, well, we'd have thought it wildly optimistic. But news just in sees an incredible offer on the Surface Pro 7 and Type Cover, which knocks a staggering £440 off the regular retail price. That means those of you in the UK can now get both for just £829! And if you're in the US, you can get the impressive bundle deal for just $799. The Surface Pro device has become hugely popular among the creative community in recent years. Able to run the full-fat version of Windows, the new Surface Pro is one of the best on-the-go laptops, offering the ability to run creative software without issue, all on a stunning PixelSense Display supporting the Surface Pen and touch. So if you've had your eye on the Surface Pro, there's never been a better time to invest. There's also more deals to be had on the rest of the Surface range, details of which can be found on our dedicated January sales article. If you're in the US, Best Buy also has an equally impressive Surface Pro 7 and Type Cover January sales deal running... Not in the UK or US? You can still take advantage of some great Surface Pro 7 deals. Here are the best prices in your area: View the full article

Use the seven points listed above to create an effective and efficient operational workflow and, importantly, happier analysts who aren't buried at the bottom of a pile of mostly irrelevant data. View the full article

Mobile becomes a prime phishing attack vector, hackers will increasingly employ machine learning in attacks and cloud will increasingly be seen as fertile ground for compromise. View the full article

The most popular design software is full of tricks and shortcuts that can speed up processes or provide new creative possibilities. The way these features work can be far from intuitive, leading to them to go unnoticed by designers. Sometimes you may find that you have been using a piece of software for years with your own defined processes that work only for someone to reveal a neat little productivity-boosting feature that you never knew about. Here, we round up six of our all-time favourite design tricks that users have discovered in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and beyond, many of which have been around for years and will seem basic for those in the know. However, they still continue to stun designers who discover them for the first time. If you want to learn more tips, see our Photoshop tutorials. 01. Learn the tilde trick in Illustrator Illustrator users continue to be bowled over when they discover this trick. The tilde key is the ~ symbol that often seems to serve little purpose other than to write a Spanish ñ. But in Illustrator, if you hold it down while using a shape tool from the tool palette, you can drag to create new instances of the shape that follow your cursor. This works with any of the shape tools in Illustrator, including the line tool, plus you can combine pressing the tilde key with Alt/Option, Shift/Command or Space to create interesting variations on the effect. Add to this the ability to alter the stroke weight and colour afterwards, and a whole host of possibilities opens up for creating incredible designs from repeated shapes. Some designers have got so excited when they’ve discovered this functionality that they’ve set about creating whole galleries of creative experiments using it. This function depends on the layout of your keyboard. If you find the tilde doesn’t work on your keyboard, try the @ key. 02. Get a bird's eye view in Photoshop Press H and drag for a quick bird’s eye view in Photoshop If you're working close in on an image at a high zoom level in Photoshop to carry out minute edge refinement or cloning, moving around the document can become a real pain, and it’s also easy to lose sight of the bigger picture developing. The bird's eye view feature is your answer. When zoomed in close, simultaneously press and hold the H on your keyboard, while you quickly left click and drag and the you’ll temporarily zoom out so you can see how the full image is looking. A rectangular box will also appear, which you can then move around the image. Let go of the left mouse button and you'll zoom back in to the level you were working at before wherever you place the box. This provides an easy way to check how things are looking and to jump around different parts of the image for detailed corrections. 03. Sample any colour with the eyedropper Hold down and drag out of the window to pick any colour on your screen We all know you can use the eyedropper tool to pick a colour within the application in which you’re working, but many people still find it a revelation when they discover that in many of the most popular Adobe products, you can use it to pick a colour from any image showing on your screen. This allows you to sample colours from a website or from any file that you have open. In Photoshop, Illustrator and Lightroom, reduce the size of the application window so you can see the colour that you want to sample. Then select the eyedropper tool, hold down the left button and drag. You’ll see that a circle appears showing your current stroke and fill colour selections. Keep dragging the cursor right out of the application window and the eyedropper tool will allow you to pick any colour on your screen. The trick also works in After Effects if you press the return or enter key instead of clicking the mouse button to make the selection. The trick can save a great deal of time and hassle for those who regularly take screenshots to sample colours that catch their eye on a website or elsewhere. 04. Easily identify fonts Identify fonts with the hover of the cursor with this Chrome Extension So you’ve stumbled across an awe-inspiring landing page with a great attention-grabbing headline in a killer font that can’t quite place. Well, there’s no need to the source and find the CSS because there’s an extension for that. WhatFont is a simple Google Chrome extension that can quickly identify fonts on the page before you so that you can find them to use in your own designs. Just install the Chrome extension and an icon will appear in your browser to the right of the address bar. Give it a click when you see a font that you like the look of and you’ll then be able to hover the cursor over the font to identify its name quicker than you can say 'Lato'. 05. Generate multiple assets in Photoshop Quickly generate multiple assets in Photoshop Sometimes a project requires a range of assets in different sizes and formats. Wouldn’t it be great to have a hassle-free way to create them instantly without having to interrupt your process? In Photoshop go to File > Generate > Image Assets, and Photoshop will automatically create an assets folder within the folder where your initial image is located. By changing the suffixes in the names of each layer within the project you’re working on, you can then automatically save layers in different formats. Add the .jpg suffix, and a JPG file of that layer will automatically be saved in the assets folder. Add a comma followed by a percentage to automatically save a version in a different size, for example to create a thumbnail. You can create control layers, different file types including GIF and PNG, and put layers together in groups to create combinations. Everything updates live as you edit the image. It’s a huge timesaver if you’re designing something like a website that requires images in multiple sizes. 06. Perfectly align type in InDesign Perfectly align type with a couple of clicks in InDesign A huge number of aesthetic considerations go into creating great looking type, including hung punctuation. By slightly extending lines of text that begin or end with punctuation over the margin, you can improve alignment and avoid creating an uneven-looking column. Adobe InDesign can do this quickly and effortlessly with Optical Margin Alignment, a powerful but lesser-known feature that lives burrowed away in the curiously named Story palette. Select your text, go to Window > Type & Tables > Story and check Optical Margin Alignment. Adjust the point size as needed and presto! A beautifully aligned margin. Punctuation plus serifs and the protruding edges of some characters have been pulled into the margin to make it look more even. You can set Optical Margin Alignment as a default for new documents if you check the box before you create a document. Read more: Photoshop 2020 review How to Photoshop someone into a picture The 5 best InDesign alternatives View the full article

Welcome to Creative Bloq's guide to the Apple New Year sale. If you held out over the pre-Christmas shopping events in the hopes of snapping up an even bigger discount in the New Year sales, now's the time to get shopping. In this article you'll find all the best offers from the Apple January sale. Digging out the best deals can be a daunting prospect – and let's face it, you're probably not functioning at your peak right now. We've split the deals into products, to make it much easier to navigate the Apple New Year sale as you struggle through your carb coma / eggnog hangover / Quality Street stupor. After all, there's nothing worse than making a mistake and ordering the wrong thing, or checking out before finding the same thing cheaper elsewhere. Use the jump links to go straight to the Apple device you're looking for. The Apple Store isn't likely to be the best place to shop the Apple January sale. You'll probably find bigger discounts at other retailers or – if you're not yet ready to leave you living room – online. Below is a list of the retailers that offered the biggest discounts over the pre-Christmas shopping events (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), so it's worth doing a quick check to see they're getting involved in the Apple New Year sale too. Use the quick links below to take a look yourself, or scroll down for sales guide, broken down into products. Amazon (US and UK) Best Buy Walmart Very Currys PC World AO Laptops Direct Apple January sale: iPad deals In the pre-Christmas sales, we saw plenty of excellent iPad discounts across a whole range of models – including the all-new 10.2‑inch iPad. Check out the best prices in your region – including any Apple January sale offers – using the widget below. Figuring out which is the best offer, taking into account the different models, storage options and features, can be difficult. Make sure you pay attention to the specs you're getting before you hit 'Add to cart'. Apple January sale: MacBook deals MacBooks are pretty much always in demand – mainly because, as designers will well know, this kind of top-quality kit doesn't come cheap. Luckily they're also often the target of big discounts, if you're on the ball and looking in the right places. Whether you're after a classic MacBook, a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, chances are you'll be able to pick up a discounted model right now. The price widgets below will display the best prices available right now, so you can see who's getting involved in the Apple January sale. Apple has recently released a new MacBook Pro (read our MacBook Pro 16-inch review). While we might see deals on that model, based on what we saw in the Black Friday sales, we'd expect the best discounts in the Apple January sale to be on slightly older models. If you're happy not having the latest, greatest MacBook then that's a good way to pick up a bargain. Another hot tip is to keep an eye out for refurbished models – there can be some hidden gems on pre-owned models. We saw some okay (but not amazing) discounts on Apple Pencils in the run-up to Christmas. Will Apple's January sale yield any better price cuts? Check out the widget below for the best prices right now. Not sure which version you need? Explore our Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2 comparison. Apple January sale: AirPods deals These are the headphones of the moment, and we saw a fair few good AirPod discounts in the run-up to Christmas, on both the original AirPods and the AirPods Pro. These true wireless earbuds aren't quite as new and exciting now (and there's a fair bit of competition hitting the market from people like Amazon and Microsoft). For the best prices in your area right now, including any gems from the Apple January sale, check out the price widget below. Alternatively, explore our dedicated Apple AirPod deals guide. There were plenty of Apple Watch offers in the run-up to the holidays, with the newly released Series 5 meaning retailers were happy to drop their prices to shift older stock. Check out the best prices right now – on the Series 5 as well as previous models – below. Apple January sale: iMac and Mac deals How to make the most of the Apple January sale To get the best deal possible, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Do your research and decide what product, model and specs will suit your needs. It's also best to have a price in mind that you're happy to spend. You don't want to end up being overwhelmed by the different Apple January sale options and making the wrong decision, or overpaying. Once you've decided on the product you're after, you can start tracking its price on various retailers – or even simpler, bookmark this page and keep checking it. Read more: Adobe deals: Where to get a Creative Cloud discount View the full article

Given that the average time to weaponizing a new bug is seven days, you effectively have 72 hours to harden your systems before you will see new exploits. View the full article

Cybercrime increasingly went mobile in 2019, with everything from Apple iPhone jailbreaks and rogue Android apps to 5G and mobile-first phishing dominating the news coverage. Here are Threatpost's Top 10 mobile security stories of 2019. View the full article

Anyone with a smartphone can be a photographer now, it seems. Yet just as being able to play three chords on a guitar doesn’t make you Keith Richards, so owning one of the best camera phones doesn’t make you a capable image-maker. Alongside skills in things such as typography, layout and strategic thinking, today’s brand designers need to harness the value of great photography, and know how, why and where to use it. When it comes to self-promotional photography across social media posts, such imagery should align with your values and personality as a studio or creative. Are you and your work, for instance, generally playful, modern, understated? Just as you’d include photography style in the brand guidelines you’d create for a client, your own photography style is a key part of your brand. Here we list five key things to consider when using photography on social media. For more advice, explore our ultimate guide to social media, or if you're inspired to get snapping, check out the best camera for creatives. And don't forget to follow Computer Arts on Instagram. 01. Consider context Consider the channels that your imagery will appear on. An image that works in a deck won’t always be one that flies on Instagram, or keeps people on your site long enough for them to want to hire you. 02. Embrace your playful side Consistency as a studio or creative is vital, but you have to carefully consider aspects including crops, use of colour and tone of voice. Platforms like Instagram allow for more playfulness than a straightforward portfolio site, for instance, and let you “speak” directly with your audience in a different way that’s more direct and lively – particularly with more ephemeral posts such as stories. 03. Remember, quality is key Quality is still key in showing off the very best of your work as dynamically as possible – especially since the vast majority of people will only see a maximum of around the first nine images on your feed. 04. Introduce some variety Consider how one project looks alongside another. Retain your own distinctive style, but remember to keep it exciting, too. Variety within limitations is key. Those limitations might be thematic use of colour palettes for instance, but don’t just keep posting the same sort of documentation and use a variety of angles for projects. 05. Go behind the scenes Pop in a few (well-shot) behind-the-scenes or process shots when you feel that they’re exciting enough. If you’re using interesting archive imagery for instance, or processes such as letterpress or screen printing, the build-up of a final image can be incredibly insightful for people and connect them with you as a studio. “There’s a realness, vibrancy and energy to the best work you see on Instagram,” says Superunion executive creative director Stuart Radford. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 297 or subscribe. Read more: Street photography: pro tips Smartphone photography advice Photoshop 2020 review View the full article

Apple AirPods are an accessory that many Apple lovers would love to get their hands on, but they're not exactly cheap. Today, however, Laptops Direct has started the January sales early with this incredible deal, which sees the second generation AirPods with standard charging case reduced to just £125 – that's the lowest price we've ever seen. If you're after the wireless charging case version, Laptops Direct has shaved a whopping £40 off the retail price, meaning you can now get them for less than £160! In the US, Walmart is offering standard AirPods with charging case for just $139, knocking $20 off the original price. AirPods with the wireless charging case offer an even bigger saving, reduced from $199 to $169. We probably don't need to tell you discounts on Apple AirPods are rare, so if you want to get hold of these top Apple accessories, you need to snap these deals up now. And if you're looking for more tech to compliment your new Apple headphones, be sure to check out our best Apple January sales post too. Not in the UK or US? Here are the best Apple AirPods prices in your area: Read more: The best Apple Pencil deals in 2020 Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2: which should you buy? The best cheap Apple laptop deals in 2019 View the full article

Christmas is over and the New Year sales have already begun. The January sales offer a great opportunity to grab any creative kit you either didn't get from Santa, or have been saving for all year. Historically it's a time when retailers try to get a head start on the year and therefore drop prices staggeringly low. So if you've been holding out to get a new tablet, need a stylus for your new device or want some new creative software to kick the new year off, you've come to the right place. Here at Creative Bloq we're constantly scouring all the reputable retail sites for all the best offers across the January sales and New Year sales, and curating the best savings just for you. Read on to find out how and where to get the best deals on a range of creative kit for designers of all kinds, from illustrators to graphic designers to 3D artists. Scroll down for a detailed look at how to make the biggest savings, or if you know what you want, use the quick links below to jump to all the biggest sales happening right now! If you're on the hunt for creative kit, there are some retailers worth watching when it comes to the best January sales and New Year sales. Here are the best places to find the lowest prices on everything from creative software and hardware, office supplies and even a mattress to ensure a good night's sleep. Adobe Creative Cloud – Over 60% off Photoshop, Illustrator and more for students and teachers Amazon – Huge savings across the board Currys – Save up to 70% on laptops, monitors and more Best Buy – Holiday deals for all Walmart – Huge savings on iPads, monitors, Lego and much more John Lewis – Need some cheap Lego? This is the place to go Microsoft Store – Savings across the full Surface range Very – Unmissable deals on creative hardware AO – Huge discounts on a range of tech and electricals Argos.co.uk – top savings on monitors, electrical items and more for Christmas Simba Sleep – Huge savings on high-quality mattresses (because every creative needs a good night's sleep, right?) 01. Adobe January sale and New Year sale Adobe has offered huge savings throughout 2019 Adobe January sale – We're going out on a limb a little here as we don't actually know if Adobe has plans to get involved with the January sales. However, if the past 12 months are anything to go by, there's a high chance the creative software giant will come up with some kind of offer over the holiday period. Black Friday saw Adobe reduce it's annual Creative Cloud subscription plan by a whopping 40%, so here's hoping the company follows suit to see in the new year. As always, if it does, we'll be the first to let you know. 02. Amazon January sale and New Year sale Amazon January sale – Amazon is definitely a January sale to watch out for if you're on the hunt for some new, cheap creative kit. We're expecting big savings on everything from iPads, graphics tablets, external hard drives, art supplies, Surface Pros and much, much more. 03. Apple January sale and New Year sale Apple January sale – We used to liken finding a discounted Apple device used to stumbling across a unicorn. Impossible, basically. But the last couple of years we've been pleasantly surprised by the, frankly, impressive savings that have come up. Black Friday 2019 saw retailers place huge reductions on a plethora of Apple products, most notably the new 2019 iPad, AirPods and 16-inch MacBook Pro. We're super hopeful similar offers will surface in the January sales, so much so we've set up a dedicated Apple New Year sale post to help you find the biggest savings on your device of choice. 04. Microsoft January sale and New Year sale Microsoft January sale – Microsoft released a range of new products in October, many of which we were surprised to see included in many great Black Friday offers. The Surface Pro 7 is hugely popular among creative professionals, as is Microsoft's new and improved Surface Book 2. There's also the Surface Pro X, which has, unsurprisingly, had zero discounts applied so far this year. But being that we weren't expecting the new products to see any reductions either, maybe the tech giant is waiting for the New Year sale to release a deal on its powerful new device (although we're not holding our breath). If the recent Black Friday offers on other Microsoft devices are anything to go by, we can expect to see some huge savings in the Boxing Day sales. 05. Walmart January sale and New Year sale Walmart End-of-Year clearance – If you're in the US, you'll want to bookmark this page. Walmart has been knocking it out of the park for the last few months when it comes to price cuts, and, from the looks of it, there's much more in store. Expect some very attractive deals on iPads, MacBooks, monitors, headphones and much more. 06. John Lewis January sale and New Year sale John Lewis January sale – John Lewis' New Year sales are well underway with some great offers (you can currently save big on some of the best Lego sets for adults). When it comes to creative gear, these guys have it in abundance, selling everything from Apple and Microsoft hardware, to art supplies and office furniture (new chair, anyone?). As one of the UK's most trusted retailers, you can be safe in the knowledge that any purchase made at John Lewis comes with an excellent guarantee (on some tech it can last up to 5 years) and its 'never knowingly undersold' promise. This means if you find the same product for a lower price at a UK mainland high street competitor, you can make a price match request. Winner. 07. Best Buy January sale and New Year sale Best Buy January sale – Another one for those of you in the US, Best Buy was on fire with deals in the lead up to and all throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The most impressive discounts for creatives were undoubtedly on the Surface Pro 6 and 7, and various MacBook Pro models (including the 16-inch version). Best Buy has continued it's impressive deal momentum since then, right now offering a whole host of attractive holiday deals. And all of this bodes very well for the Boxing Day sales, which we predict will see some of Best Buy's biggest savings of the year. Can't wait until then? Save up to $500 on select Surface devices right now. Happy shopping! View the full article

Researchers warn that five vulnerabilities that stem from SQLite could enable remote code execution. View the full article

The flaw resides in the Citrix Application Delivery Controller and Gateway. View the full article

The Lego Boxing Day deals are in full swing, so if you're on the hunt for a new set, there's never been a better time to buy. Lego is arguably the world's most creative tool, whether you use it for prototyping or simply as a way to switch off, the humble little brick's possibilities are endless. The tactile nature of Lego combined with intricately detailed sets has made Lego hugely popular among adults (check our best Lego sets for adults round up) and children alike in recent years. One of the most popular set themes is Lego Technic, with many fans placing the epic Bugatti Chiron set at the top of their wishlists. However, the set is far from cheap, which is why we were super-excited to see it as part of the Amazon Boxing Day sales. There are plenty more amazing Lego Boxing Day deals around if the Bugatti doesn't take your fancy. Check these: Read more: Introducing Lego, as you've never seen it before The Knight Bus Lego review Stranger Things Lego set available now – and it's EPIC! View the full article

The Surface Pro 7 was released in October this year, much to the delight of Microsoft and Windows users. However if you'd told us then the shiny new device would play a major part in the Boxing Day sales just a couple of months later, well, we'd have thought it wildly optimistic. But news just in sees an incredible offer on the Surface Pro, which knocks a staggering £440 off the regular retail price. That means you can now get one of these powerful new devices for just 829! The Surface Pro device has become hugely popular among the creative community in recent years. Able to run the full-fat version of Windows, the new Surface Pro is one of the best on-the-go laptops, offering the ability to run creative software without issue, all on a stunning PixelSense Display supporting the Surface Pen and touch. So if you've had your eye on the Surface Pro, there's never been a better time to invest. There's also more deals to be had on the rest of the Surface range, details of which can be found on our dedicated Boxing Day sales article. Need some software to go with your new Surface Pro 7? We've got you covered... Not in the UK? You can still take advantage of some great Surface Pro 7 deals. Here are the best prices in your area: View the full article

Apple's latest iPad Pro is, without doubt, the best tablet a creative person can own. Fantastic apps such as Procreate, Affinity Designer, and Adobe Lightroom and now with native support for Photoshop, means the iPad Pro can pretty much do everything a high-specced laptop can do, but with the added bonus of having a class-leading stylus as well. The great news for anyone looking to upgrade - or to simply to get on board with the iPad Pro - is that Best Buy is having an Apple Shopping Event over the holiday season with up to $200 off the latest models. There are some fantastic offers on all models of the iPad Pro, as well as a great discount on the Apple Pencil, an almost essential buy if you're going to get the most out of the iPad Pro. And, if you're looking for something more traditional in the shape of a laptop, there are some great offers on recent MacBook Pro models too. In order to get the full discounts advertised here, you'll need to sign up for a Best Buy account, which only takes a few seconds if you login with your Google account. Below, we've picked our favourites from the sale. Oh, and be sure to take a look at our pick of the best cheap Apple products deals for iPads, Pencils, iMac and MacBook Pros currently available online in your region. Searching for UK deals on the iPad Pro? Take a look at these... View the full article

The Boxing Day sales kicked off today, and they're off to an impressive start. This MacBook Pro deal from Amazon may be for an older product, but it's hard to pass up such a great saving on what is still a brilliant Apple laptop, which should satisfy the needs of all but the most power-intensive apps. Amazon has the Apple MacBook Pro (2018) 15-inch with either 256 GB or 512 GB SSD storage for £1,899 or £2,179 - that's a saving of £450 and £520 respectively. Very decent, we think you'll agree. Released just over a year ago, the 2018 MacBook Pro is still one of the best laptops you can buy, only superseded by the more recent MacBook Pro refresh, which is significantly more expensive. This 2018 model comes with a 6-core, 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, Apple's brilliant Retina display featuring True Tone technology, the customisable Touch Bar and Touch ID, 4GB of video memory and four USB-C ports. So there's enough power, connections, a great screen, and functionality for any aspiring creative professional. Be sure to take a look at our pick of the best cheap Apple products deals for iPads, Pencils, iMac and MacBook Pros currently available. Looking for deals on the 2019 Apple MacBook Pro? Try these on for size... View the full article

Welcome to Creative Bloq's guide to the Apple boxing Day sale. If you held out over the pre-Christmas shopping events in the hopes of snapping up an even bigger discount in January, now's the time to get shopping. In this article you'll find all the best offers from the Apple Boxing Day sale. Digging out the best deals can be a daunting prospect – and let's face it, you're probably not functioning at your peak right now. We've split the deals into products, to make it much easier to navigate the Apple Boxing Day sale as you struggle through your carb coma / eggnog hangover / Quality Street stupor. After all, there's nothing worse than making a mistake and ordering the wrong thing, or checking out before finding the same thing cheaper elsewhere. Use the jump links to go straight to the Apple device you're looking for. The Apple Store isn't likely to be the best place to shop the Apple Boxing Day sale. You'll probably find bigger discounts at other retailers or – if you're not yet ready to leave you living room – online. Below is a list of the retailers that offered the biggest discounts over the pre-Christmas shopping events (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), so it's worth doing a quick check to see they're getting involved in the Apple Boxing Day sale too. Use the quick links below to take a look yourself, or scroll down for sales guide, broken down into products. Amazon (US and UK) Best Buy Walmart Very Currys PC World AO Laptops Direct Apple Boxing Day sale: iPad deals In the pre-Christmas sales, we saw plenty of excellent iPad discounts across a whole range of models – including the all-new 10.2‑inch iPad. Check out the best prices in your region – including any Apple Boxing Day sale offers – using the widget below. Figuring out which is the best offer, taking into account the different models, storage options and features, can be difficult. Make sure you pay attention to the specs you're getting before you hit 'Add to cart'. Apple Boxing Day sale: MacBook deals MacBooks are pretty much always in demand – mainly because, as designers will well know, this kind of top-quality kit doesn't come cheap. Luckily they're also often the target of big discounts, if you're on the ball and looking in the right places. Whether you're after a classic MacBook, a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, chances are you'll be able to pick up a discounted model right now. The price widgets below will display the best prices available right now, so you can see who's getting involved in the Apple Boxing Day sale. Apple has recently released a new MacBook Pro (read our MacBook Pro 16-inch review). While we might see deals on that model, based on what we saw in the Black Friday sales, we'd expect the best discounts in the Apple Boxing Day sale to be on slightly older models. If you're happy not having the latest, greatest MacBook then that's a good way to pick up a bargain. Another hot tip is to keep an eye out for refurbished models – there can be some hidden gems on pre-owned models. We saw some okay (but not amazing) discounts on Apple Pencils in the run-up to Christmas. Will Apple's Boxing Day sale yield any better price cuts? Check out the widget below for the best prices right now. Not sure which version you need? Explore our Apple Pencil vs Apple Pencil 2 comparison. Apple Boxing Day sale: AirPods deals These are the headphones of the moment, and we saw a fair few good AirPod discounts in the run-up to Christmas, on both the original AirPods and the AirPods Pro. These true wireless earbuds aren't quite as new and exciting now (and there's a fair bit of competition hitting the market from people like Amazon and Microsoft). For the best prices in your area right now, including any gems from the Apple Boxing Day sale, check out the price widget below. Alternatively, explore our dedicated Apple AirPod deals guide. There were plenty of Apple Watch offers in the run-up to the holidays, with the newly released Series 5 meaning retailers were happy to drop their prices to shift older stock. Check out the best prices right now – on the Series 5 as well as previous models – below. Apple Boxing Day sale: iMac and Mac deals How to make the most of the Apple Boxing Day sale To get the best deal possible, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Do your research and decide what product, model and specs will suit your needs. It's also best to have a price in mind that you're happy to spend. You don't want to end up being overwhelmed by the different Apple Boxing Day sale options and making the wrong decision, or overpaying. Once you've decided on the product you're after, you can start tracking its price on various retailers – or even simpler, bookmark this page and keep checking it. Read more: Adobe deals: Where to get a Creative Cloud discount View the full article

The Boxing Day sales are here - hurrah! Now, we don't know about you, but after a few days of indulging in rich food and lots of wine (or is that just us?) a comfy seat on the sofa and bit of retail therapy is just what we need to fend off those post-Christmas blues. The after Christmas sales offer a great opportunity to grab any creative kit you either didn't get from Santa, or have been saving for all year. Historically it's a time when retailers try to rid their shelves of 2019 stock and therefore drop prices staggeringly low. So if you've been holding out to get a new tablet, need a stylus for your new device or want some new creative software to kick the new year off, you've come to the right place. Here at Creative Bloq we're constantly scouring all the reputable retail sites for all the best offers across the Boxing Day and after Christmas sales, and curating the best savings just for you. Read on to find out how and where to get the best deals on a range of creative kit for designers of all kinds, from illustrators to graphic designers to 3D artists. Scroll down for a detailed look at how to make the biggest savings, or if you know what you want, use the quick links below to jump to all the biggest sales happening right now! If you're on the hunt for creative kit, there are some retailers worth watching when it comes to the best Boxing Day sales and after Christmas sales. Here are the best places to find the lowest prices on everything from creative software and hardware, office supplies and even a mattress to ensure a good night's sleep. Adobe Creative Cloud – Over 60% off Photoshop, Illustrator and more for students and teachers Amazon – Huge savings across the board in Amazon's last minute Christmas deals Currys – Save up to 70% on laptops, monitors and more Best Buy – Holiday deals for all, plus don't miss its 12 Days of Deals offer Walmart – Huge savings on iPads, monitors, Lego and much more John Lewis – Need some cheap Lego? This is the place to go Microsoft Store – Savings across the full Surface range Very – Unmissable deals on creative hardware AO – Huge discounts on a range of tech and electricals Argos.co.uk – top savings on monitors, electrical items and more for Christmas Simba Sleep – Huge savings on high-quality mattresses (because every creative needs a good night's sleep, right?) 01. Adobe Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Adobe has offered huge savings throughout 2019 Adobe Boxing Day sale – We're going out on a limb a little here as we don't actually know if Adobe has plans to get involved with the Boxing Day sales. However, if the past 12 months are anything to go by, there's a high chance the creative software giant will come up with some kind of offer over the holiday period. Black Friday saw Adobe reduce it's annual Creative Cloud subscription plan by a whopping 40%, so here's hoping the company follows suit to see in the new year. As always, if it does, we'll be the first to let you know. 02. Amazon Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Amazon Boxing Day sale – Amazon is definitely a Boxing Day sale to watch out for if you're on the hunt for some new, cheap creative kit. We're expecting big savings on everything from iPads, graphics tablets, external hard drives, art supplies, Surface Pros and much, much more. 03. Apple Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Apple Boxing Day sale – We used to liken finding a discounted Apple device used to stumbling across a unicorn. Impossible, basically. But the last couple of years we've been pleasantly surprised by the, frankly, impressive savings that have come up. Black Friday 2019 saw retailers place huge reductions on a plethora of Apple products, most notably the new 2019 iPad, AirPods and 16-inch MacBook Pro. We're super hopeful similar offers will surface in the Boxing Day sales, so much so we've set up a dedicated Apple Boxing Day sale post to help you find the biggest savings on your device of choice. 04. Microsoft Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Microsoft Boxing Day sale – Microsoft released a range of new products in October, many of which we were surprised to see included in many great Black Friday offers. The Surface Pro 7 is hugely popular among creative professionals, as is Microsoft's new and improved Surface Book 2. There's also the Surface Pro X, which has, unsurprisingly, had zero discounts applied so far this year. But being that we weren't expecting the new products to see any reductions either, maybe the tech giant is waiting for the after Christmas sales to release a deal on its powerful new device (although we're not holding our breath). If the recent Black Friday offers on other Microsoft devices are anything to go by, we can expect to see some huge savings in the Boxing Day sales. 05. Walmart Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Walmart Boxing Day sale – If you're in the US, you'll want to bookmark this page. Walmart has been knocking it out of the park for the last few months when it comes to price cuts, and, from the looks of it, there's much more in store. The main after Christmas sale – or week, as Walmart is calling it – begins on the 26th, and you'll find lots of great deals right. Expect some very attractive deals on iPads, MacBooks, monitors, headphones and much more. 06. John Lewis Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale John Lewis Boxing Day sale – John Lewis' Boxing Day sales are well underway with some great offers (you can currently save big on some of the best Lego sets for adults). When it comes to creative gear, these guys have it in abundance, selling everything from Apple and Microsoft hardware, to art supplies and office furniture (new chair, anyone?). As one of the UK's most trusted retailers, you can be safe in the knowledge that any purchase made at John Lewis comes with an excellent guarantee (on some tech it can last up to 5 years) and its 'never knowingly undersold' promise. This means if you find the same product for a lower price at a UK mainland high street competitor, you can make a price match request. Winner. 07. Best Buy Boxing Day sale and After Christmas sale Best Buy Boxing Day sale – Another one for those of you in the US, Best Buy was on fire with deals in the lead up to and all throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The most impressive discounts for creatives were undoubtedly on the Surface Pro 6 and 7, and various MacBook Pro models (including the 16-inch version). Best Buy has continued it's impressive deal momentum since then, right now offering a whole host of attractive holiday deals. And all of this bodes very well for the Boxing Day sales, which we predict will see some of Best Buy's biggest savings of the year. Can't wait until then? Check out Best Buy's 12 Deals of Christmas offers, plus save up to $500 on select Surface devices right now. The Boxing Day sales have evolved a bit in the last few years, and while the name refers to one specific day, the sales actually last much longer than just 24 hours. This year we're already seeing some retailers kick off their Boxing Day sales and we're still a week away from Christmas. The sales will almost certainly last up to the end of the year, when the New Year sales will come in to play. The short answer is that anytime between now and the beginning of January, you stand a good chance of making a great saving. However, make sure to research the items you want to buy first and check that whatever discount is being offered is actually a good deal. Boxing Day sales has never been a recognised retail event in the US. However, the 26 December usually marks the start of many US retailers 'after Christmas sales', which is basically the same thing. US-based retail giants like Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy are already offering some excellent last-minute Christmas deals, and we fully expect such offers to continue throughout the holiday period. Happy shopping! View the full article

We know that good design doesn't happen by chance. Design is about communication and just like a writer or a speaker needs to choose the correct words to carry a message, designers needs to carefully select the right visual elements to convey their intended message. Through oversight or lack of feedback, sometimes the wrong choices are made, leading to confusion or unintended interpretations. Sometimes the mistakes can be so big that anyone outside the process wonders how the work got signed off. But one designer's blunder is another designer's lesson on what not to do. From logo design to packaging and UI, here, we round up seven humongous fails that offer us all something to learn from. 7 fantastic design fails – and what we can learn from them 01. The OGC logo The Office of Government Commerce takes a firm grip The UK Office of Government Commerce existed from 2000 to 2011 with the objective of improving efficiency in public spending. In 2007 it commissioned FHD to design a new logo that would show the body's bold commitment to driving up standards. The problem was that the logo devised was printed on pens, mouse mats, and all manner of other stationery items that would lead to it being viewed from different orientations, meaning that it took the government department's employees mere seconds to notice something that the logo's designers hadn't. Rotated 90 degrees the logo looks rather rude. Incredibly, the OGC decided to stick with the new logo. A spokesperson even quipped: "It is not inappropriate to an organisation that's looking to have a firm grip on Government spend." 02. Flickering Lights Here's another packaging fail, this one related to text. Choosing the right font is only the start. A little kerning to add space between the 'L' and the 'I' would have been a good idea to prevent misreadings of the product name. Always run your design by several people and ask them what they see. Chances are they might have a very different interpretation from those who know what the message is intended to be. And tread very carefully when the word you're designing has any similarity at all to a word you want to avoid. 03. Lisa Jackson Deserves to Die This cover designer made a rather harsh assessment of the novel "As he watches, her body drifts below the water's surface, forever altered. Before he disposes of each victim, he takes a trophy. It's a sign of his power, and a warning…" We're not sure that this novel sounds like the best read out there, but we would never go so far as to demand this fate for the author. There are many ways to establish text hierarchy – through font, weight, colour, location of text – and sometimes tweaking more than one of these is necessary. In this case, switching from all caps to title case was not enough to prevent an unintended reading of this design, with title placed directly under the author's name. Remember that as a designer, you're not only responsible for how things look but also for their context and how they'll be read. 04. Tesco buttermilk Tesco buttermilk went viral after this mistake Perhaps one of the most notorious packaging blunders in history came from this own-brand buttermilk sold by Tesco in Ireland. This shot with crease in the right place went viral and was even picked up by several newspapers after it was taken at a supermarket in Dublin. Shopper Andy Burdens wrote on Reddit at the time: "They really made a cock and balls of this branding." Tesco changed the design after the media coverage of the blunder. The lesson here? No design is too small or routine to merit making a mockup – designer Oisín Hurst told Creative Bloq he designed the piece on a flat keyline and didn't mock it up, thinking, "it was buttermilk – what could go wrong?" 05. Mama's Baking Mama's in flames Logos often combine ideas taken from a brand's name or function. It makes sense then that this bakery in Greece would consider combining a representation of the eponymous 'mama' and the oven in which she presumably bakes her exquisite cakes and breads. The problem is that the position of the flame in the oven makes it look like something else. It's hard to imagine the designers weren't aware of how it looked and the design may have paid off, the bakery and cafe still proudly using the logo that has taken it to international internet fame. Another example of the need to be careful using simplified human figures In general, designers need to be careful with employing the human figure in logos as so many decisions can be misinterpreted, as is demonstrated very well by this 1970s logo for the Catholic Church Archdiocesan Youth Commission. We can perhaps ascribe it to more naive times. And after all, designers can't be expected to predict all future associations that will emerge related to their clients. 06. Thomson Reuters' values This one was a bit of a clanger for the media conglomerate Thomson Reuters. The idea was presumably to suggest that the concepts on the left are the group's core values, but the image looks like a Venn diagram, a type of diagram used to show logical relations between different sets through overlapping curves. Read this way, the graphic appears to show that there is very little overlap between the values on the left and the comparably minute values of Thomson Reuters. The Washington Post even picked up on the slip and praised the company for its honesty in the ironic headline, "In refreshing change of pace, company admits it's not innovative." The lesson here is to always step back and consider whether design elements you have chosen for purely aesthetic purposes may resemble any other visual language in common use. 07. Where Milan This Italian magazine thinks little of its cover model's reputation Well-heeled travellers will have been a little taken aback when they saw this edition of Where Milan, which is published by Proedi and distributed at many of the city's most exclusive hotels. Placement of the photo cutout layered over the title makes it seem that the publishers are calling into question the reputation of their own cover model. It's an Italian publication, so the designers could perhaps be forgiven for overlooking an error when working in a foreign language, but if you're aiming at a foreign language market, you need to be able to spot a howler like this. 08. CVS chewable hair, skin and nails For the cannibal in you Another packaging delight, this nutritional supplement from CVS appears to be marketed for Hannibal Lecter. The problem here stems from making assumptions about what the customer knows and following the format of other items in a range of products rather than adapting the design. For other supplements in this range at US pharmacy chain there's no confusion. The text can read Chewable Vitamin C and no unintentionally comic meaning arises, but with this product it may have been better to clarify in an appropriately sized type that the products inside are tablets avoid skin-crawling misinterpretations. 09. Graduate photography The future's bright for new graduates these days This is apparently an advert for a graduation day photography service. Getting on the career track maybe? The light at the end of the tract representing a new dawn? Whatever the original intention, there's no getting over the fact that this graduate does not come across as overjoyed about her prospects on the modern job market. In fact, it looks like she's about to end it all by walking straight into an oncoming train. The colour tones and even the choice of font seem to only back up the impression that the intended message is more about bereavement than celebrating graduation, with the light of the oncoming train perhaps also representing some hope that there may be some better world in the next life. Always consider the mood you want to convey and ensure colours, imagery and type are on message. 10. The magic selfie stick That's not how it works Graphic designers producing promotional material and visuals for technical instructions can benefit from having a clear understanding themselves of how the product they're depicting actually works. When it comes to technology, if the visual material produced for the product doesn't get it right, what chance do the digital immigrants among the customer base have? Just as an aside, we love how retro this design for selfie stick packaging already looks. 11. Outon breathable shorts Windy shorts These cycling shorts let you fart while riding a bike. It's a neat feature, right? But really who decided it was a good idea to communicate the breathability of these padded shorts by overlaying some gas emerging from the padded rear end? Sometimes designers have to accept that no designing is needed at all and that conveying a message can be better accomplished by the accompanying text, with no need for added visual clarification. 12. Date format A little UI blooper to finish with. We're not sure why different parts of the world adopted different standard formats for expressing something as straightforward as the date and it is a phenomenon that causes problems for designers everywhere working on UI forms, but this is something that the designer should have foreseen. When you're working with dates or with any other variable content think through all of the possible scenarios that could arise. Related articles: 3 times big brands tried to be woke and failed miserably 10 painful UI fails 5 logo design fails View the full article

2019 was another banner year for bots, trojans, RATS and ransomware. Let’s take a look back. View the full article