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The explosion of AR, VR and AI has certainly opened new doors for UX and UI designers. These technological developments encourage designers to develop more lush, engaging experiences while at the same time challenging them to rethink their creative approach. However, while these innovations have given designers exciting new spaces in which to hone and showcase their craft, successful UX/UI design at its core continues to be driven by a compelling narrative. In this article, we'll consider the UI themes that dominated in 2018, and what will be key for designers to focus on as we move into the new year. 01. Colourful, effervescent design A vibrant colour palette brings this Adobe experience to life The strongest, most appealing way in which UX/UI storytelling is being rendered is through the use of bold, vibrant colour. High saturation and use of neon-like colour palettes create so much positive energy, which you can truly feel in digital efforts like Running on Experience. In this simple but striking, scrolling journey, Adobe uses video to tell a linear story about digital transformation. The whole thing is beautifully handled, but what’s really captivating is strong use of typography and the gorgeous colour spectrum on display. 02. Less flat design Orano combines 3D, parallax and subtle micro-interactions in this captivating experience Along with a focus on vibrance, flat UX/UI design is once again trending down and giving way to a renewed interest in the creation of more layered, immersive web experiences, from the use of drop-shadows to image depth of field. To promote its gamma radiation-detecting NanoPix camera, for example, the renewable energy specialists at Orano unveiled a multi-tiered experience complete with a mix of clean graphic design and 3D, parallax scrolling and subtle, intuitive micro-interactions that all seamlessly combine to create a wonderful storytelling experience. 03. Heightened hi-fidelity prototyping Tools like Cinemagraph Pro streamline the path to proof of concept The UX/UI design tools of digital storytelling are now being amplified by apps like Cinemagraph Pro, Pixaloop, VSCO and Canva, which streamline the path to proof-of-concept, compared to more complex traditional design tools such as Photoshop or After Effects. But as we head into 2019, we're exploring more tools like InVision Studio, which can be used to develop more high-fidelity prototypes to better sell a user experience to our clients. One of the main purposes of prototyping is to do with validating the proposed user experience. These tools can help designers create something high-fidelity in a similar amount of time as standard UX/UI development, and ultimately provide a more effective way to walk clients through an interactive experience. 04. Increased adaptability Shifts such as the rise of voice interfaces have transformed the role of the designer Like any other industry, be it music, film or fashion, cycles in UX/UI design happen because of oversaturation. At some point everything begins to look and sound the same. The downward trend of flat design, for instance, is just part of the cyclical nature of the field. Because of this consistent ebb and flow, UX/UI designers need to acknowledge that the key for the industry’s survival is adaptability – especially with the emergence of AR, VR and AI. The latter, in fact, has already made a noticeable impact on society, from controlling and managing our smart homes and driving our cars to making financial recommendations – not to mention the effect that the technology has had on the work of UX/UI designers. Though AI has yet to completely take over our responsibilities in UX/UI, what this tool and other innovations should teach designers is that they need to learn to adapt and adjust their skill sets as new tech emerges and design styles shift. While the fundamentals of graphic design will still apply to UX/UI, the tools will certainly advance. And as more companies develop specific tools for designers and developers, we need to be open to leveraging them appropriately – before of course, we eventually move onto something else entirely. Liked this? Try these... 7 hot web trends for 2019 How to build an AR app Build cross-platform apps with React Native View the full article

Alaska is famous for the Northern Lights, and a favoured destination for anyone looking for the aurora borealis in North America. However, Alaska is wild. It’s remote. It’s hard to get to. And it's hard to get around – especially in winter. Weather can be unpredictable, and transport too, so make sure you have travel insurance for all trips you book during the winter in Alaska. Although you can rent a car, conditions are best described as extreme, and many companies do not allow their vehicles to be driven to the far north; check the conditions before signing any rental agreement. It’s also very cold in winter (as low as -30°F/-34°C). The best astrophotography camera and equipment So should you visit Alaska to see the Northern Lights? Alaska is often visited on cruises, though unless you’re going at the end of the cruise season, around September (when Northern Lights season kicks-off), you’re probably not going to see them from the water. So wrap up well, be prepared to get up in the middle of the night, and get yourself to northern inland Alaska in September or March. That’s when the aurora can be at their strongest, but means you'll miss the extreme conditions of midwinter. You'll also get a better chance to see wildlife. Make sure you avoid full moon, too – plus a week either side. And plan to be in Alaska for a week or two, if you really want a decent chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Here’s where to go. Situated at 64° N about 180 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Northern Lights are common in Fairbanks, though less so than in Alaska’s far north. A former gold rush boomtown, Fairbanks may not be the absolute best place in Alaska to see aurora frequently, but it’s so easy to get here by plane, and there are dozens of places to stay. Good observations spots nearby include Cleary Summit, Chena Lakes Recreation Area (see below), Haystack Mountain, Ester, Wickersham and Murphy Domes. You can get to some of those places on guided tours at night operated by local companies, or rent a 4x4. How to get there Alaska Airlines fly from Anchorage, which is by far the easiest way of getting to Fairbanks. However, you can also get there by train; the Alaska Railroad operates its Aurora Winter Trains on weekends. It travels north from Anchorage for 12 hours on Saturday and returns on Sunday. It also operates during mid-week in December, January, February and March. The drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks takes about seven hours. Where to stay Out in the wilderness but spitting distance from Fairbanks, Chena Lake Recreation Area is a popular place to come looking for the Northern Lights. A common tactic is to drive round the lake to the jetty, park your car, and view the Northern Lights from the lake shore. By day you can rent ice-fishing houses and fish for Rainbow Trout, Silver Salmon, and Arctic Char through pre-drilled ice holes. There are also cross-country ski trails here. How to get there Chena Lakes is only 55 miles east of Fairbanks. It can be driven in 30 minutes, though the only accommodation option near the lake – Chena Hot Springs Resort – runs a shuttle from Fairbanks International Airport. Where to stay If you want to find somewhere beautiful to photograph the Northern Lights, consider Denali National Park. Although it's some distance south of Fairbanks, this wilderness of six million acres is northerly enough for the Northern Lights to be spotted (though it’s not a nightly occurrence). However, the lodges on the outskirts of this national park are well set up for aurora viewing, and many of them will ring an alarm or arrange a wake-up call when the aurora do appear. Most easily reached by train, Denali National Park is home to sheep, grizzly bear, caribou, moose and the tallest mountain in North America, Mt. Denali. That’s one for the backdrop to your aurora photos. This area is best visited in September, when the aurora season has started, but the extreme conditions have not set-in. How to get there You can get here by train; it’s an eight-hour journey north from Anchorage, and only four hours south of Fairbanks. It is possible to drive here, and it's easy to rent a car at Anchorage Airport, though most people do take the train (most hotels here offer shuttle services between the railway station, the visitor centre, and the hotels). You cannot drive your car very far into the national park, so again, shuttle buses take most people in and out. There is no airport at Denali National Park. Where to stay Here at almost 68° N is the beginning of a vast Arctic tundra landscape. It’s wild, so wild, that to get here and immerse yourself in the wilderness is an expensive affair. Protecting the Brooks Range, the Gates of the Arctic National Park is the northernmost national park in the US, situated entirely north of the Arctic Circle. Coldfoot is the point of entry, either by plane to its small airport, or by road up the Dalton Highway. How to get there The ex-mining camp of Coldfoot is very often reached by air as part of a luxury wilderness package that involves a stay at either Coldfoot Camp or Iniakuk Wilderness Lodge. Some packages will put you in a van to drive up the Dalton Highway to Coldfoot; it takes about six hours from Fairbanks. Coldfoot is 250 miles north of Fairbanks, and 60 miles above the Arctic Circle. Where to stay Ever wondered where the Ice Road Truckers are going? The answer is Prudhoe Bay (also called Sagavanirktok), a region on the coast of the Arctic Ocean that’s also the centre of the Alaskan oil industry. The main town, Deadhorse, is home to around 2,000 people – mostly transient oil workers – and the town is more industrial work camp than tourist destination. There are only a few (trucker accommodation) places to stay in Deadhorse – the Prudhoe Bay Hotel and The Aurora Hotel – though access is restricted to oilfield workers and tour groups with special permits. How to get there Getting to Deadhorse on the edge of Prudhoe Bay Oilfield is not easy. If you do want to come here, call one of the hotels listed below (or the Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau) and they will advise you. Some Fairbanks-based tour companies often bus tours north to Coldfoot and Deadhorse, or fly drive combination tours. Deadhorse lies at the end of Alaska's famous Dalton Highway, Alaska's most remote and challenging road and a 414-mile journey from Fairbanks. By far the easiest way to get here is by air; Alaska Airlines and Frontier Aviation offer daily services to Deadhorse from Fairbanks. However, if you just want to see the Northern Lights from somewhere beautiful, go elsewhere. Where to stay Barrow is at the extreme northern edge of Alaska, and is a much more beautiful place than Prudhoe Bay. About 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Barrow (also called Utqiagvik) is the most northerly settlement in the US; only the adventurous make it this far. However, there is a good reason for making Barrow your destination of choice when looking for the Northern Lights, and that's because of its traditional Alaskan culture. As well as being able to see the aurora over the ocean from here, you will be able to explore the local Iñupiat Eskimo culture, and visit the Inupiat Heritage Center to learn more about bowhead whale-hunting and dog-sledding. They still harvest 24 whales a year here. How to get there The only option for getting to Barrow is by plane, and it can be expensive. Alaska Airlines fly to Barrow from both Fairbanks and Anchorage, as do charter flight companies including Era Alaska or Arctic Air, though most people who visit Barrow do so via a tour company such as Tundra Tours or the Northern Alaska Tour Company, whose package prices normally include a flight. Where to stay Read more: When, where and how to photograph the Northern Lights Photography cheat sheet helps you take better photos The 6 best laptops for photo editing in 2018 View the full article

It makes it simple for attackers to find devices to take over and add to botnets. View the full article

As we come thundering towards 2018's denouement, it's time to reflect upon the logo designs of the past 12 months with the additional wisdom of time passed; the renewed appreciation gained from distancing knee-jerk reactions (yes, we mean on Twitter). With that in mind, we've gathered the branding projects and identity redesigns that we feel merit further cogitation as we move into a new year, with its own as-yet unknown trends, shocks and delights. Of course, we've spoken to industry big hitters to ascertain the logo trends for 2019, and it's certainly fascinating to get such adroit insight into the creative directions of the impending 12 months. But let's not forget to look back for inspiration, too. We've looked back through our archives to find the best logo designs of 2018. Click on the subheads to read our original articles, and see the old versions of each logo – plus more pictures of the new look for each brand. 01. Ogilvy "Change is our lifeblood" is Ogilvy & Mather's mantra, and this year, the global advertising agency's logo revealed an eyebrow-raising change to its logo. The June rebrand took two years to complete and was notable for the dropping of "& Mather" from the logotype, harking back to a previous handwritten logo based on founder David Ogilvy's signature. How to master colour theory "We needed to greatly simplify the organisation around what I call an integrated enterprise agenda, not a holding company of all these different piece-parts," explained the company's chief executive John Siefert to the Wall Street Journal, and the refreshed identity is designed to reflect that. Despite the simplification, Ogilvy's new logo is deceptively challenging, with many interesting typographic design elements competing to draw the eye – and as such is an excellent reflection of the agency and its ethos. 02. John Lewis/Waitrose John Lewis and Waitrose earned their stripes in 2018 This year, John Lewis Partnership relaunched its two retail brands as Waitrose & Partners and John Lewis & Partners. Each arm of the rejigged business model got a new brand identity and logo design created by Pentagram, each emphasising the connection between the two firms. 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. The same weight and thickness of lines found in this diamond symbol pattern was used to provide a link to the past in the new logos. 03. American Express Pentagram was trusted with AMEX's first logo redesign in 37 years For the first time in 37 years, AMEX has refreshed its visual identity, the design coming from Pentagram's Abbott Miller. First introduced in 1975, AMEX's little blue symbol is instantly recognisable, so the aim was to preserve – but enhance – its design. To do this, the radial gradient was removed and the letterforms that cross through the centre of the blue square were redrawn and finessed in order for it to render in a clean, concise way that functions at both a large and small scale. 04. Mailchimp Revolution not evolution for the primate-obsessed email client's logo Popular email marketing service Mailchimp launched a new brand identity and design system this year. The rebrand came courtesy of COLLINS, working alongside Mailchimp's in-house design team. Notably, it saw the company doing away with its much-loved script logo design in favour of a sans-serif wordmark, and introducing a cheerful yellow as its brand colour. The new wordmark uses a custom typeface that is equally full of character. Freddie, Mailchimp's simian mascot, also had a makeover. The hat and cheeky wink remain firmly in place, but he's now a simplified, single-colour silhouette. The shift also means Freddie can appear alongside the wordmark as part of a more unified system. 05. BBC Two Created in partnership between the BBC’s in-house agency BBC Creative and brand agency Superunion, and involving collaboration with the likes of The Mill, Mainframe, and FutureDeluxe, BBC Two received the televisual equivalent of a redesigned logo: new channel identifiers. Centred around a visual signifier whose curved shape suggests the number two, the new idents tackle the same brief in a range of creative ways, with animations including colourful blobs, furry scuttling creatures, and hypnotic swirling patterns, and elevated by audio created by award-winning British composer and sound designer Alex Baranowski. 06. Uber Embattled Uber received a new logo in 2018 On first sight, the new Uber logo looks like it's doggedly following the recent trend for wordmarks in bespoke fonts. It's the work of the ever-controversial Wolff Olins – who you'll remember for the 2012 Olympics logo and the similarly provocative Met rebrand – along with the Uber Brand Experience Team. Of course, it includes a bespoke font, Uber Move – a sans serif by MCKL Type Foundry, which was inspired by typefaces usually associated with transportation, and designed to look friendlier than the previous, more aggressive typeface, Clan Pro. 07. Burberry Burberry was not alone in receiving a sans serif logo treatment this year We're not going to go over this year's logo design controversy again here – yes, a number of brands went homogenised sans-serif in 2018. But Burberry's renewed identity is interesting for more reasons than typeface alone. The new logo was designed in collaboration with Burberry and Peter Saville, and replaces the famous Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo which in one form or another has been going strong since 1901. Revealed simultaneously, a new Burberry monogram from Italian designer Riccardo Tisci exhibited a more playful side to the brand. Tisci has taken the initials of the fashion brand's founder, Thomas Burberry, and weaved them into an interlocking and colourful design decked out in orange, white, black and beige – the colours of the iconic Burberry check. 08. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Battersea goes abstract, with help from Pentagram Battersea is a much-loved British charity that cares for cats and dogs across the UK. This year, Battersea unveiled a new identity, created by Pentagram partners Marina Willer and Naresh Ramchandani, which drops the 'Dogs & Cats Home', instead opting for a new brand line: Here for every dog and cat. The refresh includes a new logo made up of a family of hand-drawn, abstract watercolour images by Japanese illustrator Hiromi Suzuki, designed to emphasise the charity's commitment to every animal in its care. Retaining Battersea’s signature blue, the illustrations are complemented with a sharp Franklin Gothic wordmark. 09. Houses of Parliament The new UK Parliament logo (right) is optimised for digital A new identity for UK Parliament was created in collaboration between the House of Commons and the House of Lords with brand and digital design studio SomeOne, and as part of this identity, new logos were created for digital optimisation. At first glance, the new logos appear remarkably similar. The main differences seem to be a tidying up of an existing portcullis design, which includes the removal of a few dots and a uniform shape applied to the chain links. However this subtle smartening up was at the heart of the new identity for the digital age. 10. Wahaca Wahaca logo goes from shabby to classy while retaining a sense of fun For Mexican restaurant Wahaca, going from a start-up to a chain meant refining its image without turning its back on its heritage, and defining its mission statement in a new logo design. Revealed this year, the new identity created by London studio Without sees Wahaca do away with its shabby chic aesthetic, which was once ahead of its time. The new logo sees a taco raised defiantly in a fist. As well as looking polished, the design and reduced colour palette also identifies Wahaca's territory as a Mexican restaurant that offers fresh, flavoursome food. 11. FatFace The new FatFace logo caused some disquiet on launch The new FatFace logo caused some disquiet on launch but a few months on, it has been reappraised. Such a radical change – from surfer aesthetic to a sophisticated high street look – was always going to divide opinions, and now that the froth has settled it can be seen that the more mature logo design perfectly reflects FatFace's progression to a respected outdoor clothing brand. Some will mourn the end of FatFace's dreadlocked character motif, but moving to a lone wordmark is entirely consistent with 2018's trends. 12. Debenhams Debenhams' new logo is classy yet approachable UK department store Debenhams was given an identity overhaul in 2018, courtesy of Mother Design, which included a new logo design that replaced that which had been in place since 1999. Mother worked closely with Swiss Typefaces on a new logo for the retail giant – 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, which formed part of a marketing campaign tasked with injecting some of the joy back into the shopping experience. Related articles: Indie film goes viral with the true meaning of Christmas The best boozy Christmas ad campaigns 40 traffic-stopping examples of billboard advertising View the full article

Christmas is just around the corner. No doubt you've already got dinner plans sorted – maybe sitting down with the in-laws, overcooked turkey, a side of passive aggression – but what if, what if… you were going to your dream design dinner party instead. That's not really a thing. We made it up. But it's got you thinking, right? We asked a bunch of our favourite creatives the same question and it got them thinking too. Here's the deal: Five-courses of your favourite food, the finest wines available to humanity, and the company of three other designers, dead or alive. Who would you choose, and why? Amongst their responses, there are some of the biggest names in the design world, but there are also some left-field choices. Read on for some super inspiring, highly creative, and downright bonkers dinner tables. Salvador Dalí, Freddie Mercury and Joshua Davis "First, Salvador Dalí, a great artist, but, as well, a great designer: he created the logo of Chupa Chups among others," says graphic designer of Yarza Twins Marta Yarza. "Can you imagine having a surreal dinner with Dali? Yes, us neither. Next, Freddie Mercury, as he was a graphic designer before becoming a legend! We are pretty sure that he was really fun to hang out with. Did you see that picture of him with a Rolls Royce birthday cake? F*ck yeah! "And Joshua Davis: we had the great pleasure of meeting him during OFFF Barcelona and couldn't have laughed more with him. We're sure that he will be the perfect guest to manage a drunk Mercury and a drunk Dalí with ease and grace." Beatrice Warde, Daniel Benneworth-Gray and Luke Tonge "I would certainly pick the first lady of type, Beatrice Warde – not a designer strictly but a lady of huge influence on our profession," says designer and typographer Nicole Arnett Phillips. "Of course, because you’re serving us the finest of wine we could totally unpack the crystal goblet metaphor over the starter. But I would also love to talk to her about typographic authorship, contemporary trends in layout and, selfishly, my research, and a random theory I have about Stanley Morrison's strategic intentions for Monotype during Warde’s time as marketing manager there. "With Beatrice at the head of the table I think you’d need publishing talent to fuel the conversation, so I would choose Daniel Benneworth-Gray, as his book design is outstanding, and I find his writing insightful and smart so would assume that follows to his conversation. And my friend Luke Tonge, an editorial design wizard, would be amazing company. Luke works with Monotype today, designing the Recorder, and would absolutely stoke the fires of our type in print conversation. Simon Mottram, John Lasseter and Bridget Riley "Now," says owner and co-founder SomeOne Simon Manchipp, "normally I’d pick the three partners of SomeOne, Gary, Laura and David. But I’m guessing you want more than that here. So. Simon Mottram, founder of Rapha. I want all their stuff all the time. I would love to know how he’s designed a brand that is deeply difficult to resist. Next, John Lasseter, founder at Pixar. Storytelling is the greatest asset of any brand. This guys the master designer of stories. He’s going to be a great guest. Third guest: Bridget Riley. She’s designed some of the most incredible images in contemporary culture. They always stop me in my tracks. I’d love to meet her. Charles 'Chuck' Harrison, Jan Švankmajer and Elon Musk "First, Charles “Chuck” Harrison, often titled as the most prolific African-American industrial designer," says Hjalti Karlsson, co-founder and partner at karlssonwilier. "He designed countless products for Sears and other companies, including power tools, hair driers, riding lawn mowers, and the first plastic garbage can (at the time of it's release all garbage cans were metal). "Next, the Czech artist and filmmaker Jan Švankmajer [svankmajerjan.com]. Been a big fan of his work for years. He is the “God” of stopmotion animation. I must have watched his short movie Food like 50 times. And, finally, since I am the biggest fan of Elon Musk and Tesla, I would love to meet and talk to Elon and his chief designer at Tesla, Franz von Holzhausen, who has been responsible for the overall design of all Tesla models to date." Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Alexis Taïeb and Dame Zaha Hadid "Designer one: Charles Rennie Mackintosh," says lettering artist and graphic designer Craig Black. "The Glasgow art nouveau and art deco artist and architect, is the pioneer of Scottish art and design. His unique, innovative style would change the art world forever. His beautiful, simple designs are loved by many all over the world. I would love to chat and find out more about him and his process. "Designer two: Alexis Taïeb. better known as Tyrsa, is a French hand-drawn type master. Tyrsa attacks any kind of brief with a huge amount of energy and delivers polished, highly appealing digital and handmade work ranging from murals, posters, and enormous installations to small, detailed packaging designs. I first came across Tyrsa's work in uni and that was what inspired me to become a lettering artist. "Designer three: Dame Zaha Hadid (1950-2016), an Iraqi-born British architect whose soaring structures left a mark on skylines and imaginations around the world, and in the process reshaped architecture for the modern age. Her work has continued to inspire me and actually led me down the path of design so I would love to have the chance to say thank you." Read more: The 9 most annoying things every designer does What NOT to get a graphic designer for Christmas 10 life lessons for designers View the full article

Microsoft issued an out-of-band patch for a zero day bug in its Internet Explorer browser. View the full article

Fantastic Christmas iPad deal alert: if you missed out on picking up an iPad deal on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it looks like your indecision (we can call if patience, if you like) has paid off. That's because the iPad 9.7 (2018) is on sale once again – and this time it's even cheaper than it was over the peak shopping period. Right now, you can save up to $149 when you buy the iPad 2018 through Walmart. The same deal can also be found on Amazon, with both offering devices in a range of colours from $229. Earlier in the year we saw the price of these tablets slashed by $80, so with even more money off they're sure to be snapped up fast. In the UK? There are some Christmas iPad deals to be found below, too. Choose from iPads with 32GB or 128GB of storage. If you're hoping to have these before Christmas, make sure you check Amazon's delivery policies to avoid disappointment. Check out the iPads and special deal prices below. UK: Christmas iPad deals Related articles: The best cheap iPad deals in 2018 22 best painting and drawing apps for iPad The best iPad stylus in 2018 View the full article

No one can deny that cloud storage is convenient, but chances are you're storing files with multiple apps. When all of those apps and windows become overwhelming, CloudMounter for Mac steps in. This tool helps bring all of your cloud storage solutions to your hard drive, helping streamline your workflow. A lifetime licence is currently available for 57% off the RRP of $44.95; it's now just $19. We have no doubt CloudMounter for Mac will be your new favourite cloud storage tool. Never again will you need multiple windows open for all of your different cloud storage solutions. CloudMounter allows you to mount your favourite cloud services – like Dropbox, Amazon S3, Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive – as local disks right on your computer's hard drive. Aside from making your life easier, CloudMounter also keeps things even safer. CloudMounter's advanced encryption adds an extra layer of security to your files, making sure they're even more secure. Simplify your workflow and keep your files super safe forever for this lifetime license at a one-time low price of $19. Want your products featured in Creative Bloq Shop? Learn more about how to sell your products online with StackCommerce. Related articles: 20 tools that make freelancing easier 13 great tools for pitching to clients 17 top tools in Google Analytics View the full article

In a rapidly changing IT landscape where digital business initiatives are being adopted, it is an imperative that IT domains break down silos and collaborate. When it comes to IT Security, preventing financial and reputational loss is a requirement of every employee’s job. When it comes to an IT and Software Asset Management (ITAM/SAM) discipline, it can be another attack prong to assist the Security Operations team in its mission, while simultaneously increasing the visibility of SAM. Maintaining information about the organization’s technology assets uniquely positions the ITAM program to assist with securing business assets and most importantly, data. Collaborating with an over-burdened Security team requires the SAM manager proactively reach out to the CISO or Security Operations, and provide data about potential risks that range from inefficient employee on/off-boarding to open source software embedded code to SaaS applications, procured by a department or business unit, that may not meet the organization’s security guidelines. The oft used ITAM aphorism, “you can’t manage, what you don’t know about” illustrates that applying inventory management, along with license compliance, can’t be done effectively without visibility into all the assets. This maxim also applies to securing assets, which is the primary reason that ITAM/SAM teams must view Security as part of its function, or at a very minimum, share data. Employee On/Off- Boarding Employee on and off-boarding, is a standard business function that is fundamental to every corporate business. Yet, you may be surprised at how many companies don’t have this “human resources meets IT” process standardized. Over the past couple of years, there have been numerous examples of employees who left the organization and still had network access or access to SaaS applications exposing company data. Especially as these applications may have been purchased by a business unit, aka ShadowIT, and not managed by the technology asset management team. Having a standard process for recovering corporate assets may involve several different teams depending upon the IT department’s resources, or if there is a triggering event such as a reduction in force. Typically, IT service and support management (ITSSM) handles the deployment and return of all the assets allocated to an employee. As organizational structures evolve to support digital transformation efforts, this responsibility may shift to the client support team, depending upon Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) maturity. Discontinuing access to a SaaS application or automatic renewal of one, such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack, Box or Concur, is an action that may not happen in the off-boarding process. According to Gartner, the SaaS market is experiencing rapid growth and generating $72.2 B in revenue in 2018 (https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2018-09-12-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-public-cloud-revenue-to-grow-17-percent-in-2019). So, it is easy to see why this step might be overlooked, especially if it the app isn’t accessible through single sign on (SSO) or identity and access management. ShadowIT: The Risks Are Becoming Greater Giving employees flexibility to get their job done as efficiently as possible has become a hallmark of digital transformation efforts. Access to cloud and virtual instances and SaaS apps allows employees to bypass legacy IT bottlenecks and be more efficient, but it can create new risks. If employees aren’t using the standard catalog or the apps they want aren’t included in it, they might be introducing security risks by accessing SaaS that haven’t been properly vetted or using cloud instances that haven’t been properly configured. One asset manager, who I recently spoke with at an industry event, indicated that they knew about 150 different SaaS apps that were being utilized by employees. They had at least three different ways of discovering SaaS, but were losing sleep over what they still didn’t know about. Not knowing SaaS utilization can lead to recurring overspend and poses a greater security risk. Overcoming the challenges that digital business initiatives present to technology asset management, requires that ITAM/SAM teams proactively raise awareness with synergistic IT teams, especially Security Operations, and expand collaboration so the value of the data is recognized. It may not happen right away, but hopefully it will happen before a major breach causes brand damage and lost revenue. With new attack vectors consistently making the news, it is critical to take the necessary steps to minimize as many potential risks as possible. And if technology asset management can achieve savings at the same time, they will spread the happiness. If these problems resonate within your organization and you would like to learn more about how Flexera can help, let’s get you in touch with one of our specialists today. Author Patricia Adams is a former Gartner Research Director and IT Asset Management evangelist Source View the full article

Creating a transparent material such as glass seems easy – just increase the transparency slider to 100 and the job is done. So why doesn't the glass look right? Transparent materials are actually one of the most complex items in a 3D scene to get right, as they have a wide variety of factors that impact on their look. From the thickness of the object, to the way the material bends light and even the chemical composition of the glass, diamond, oil or water amongst many other transparent materials, there is a lot to figure out. As with many other material systems, legacy fixes, or cheats, which were determined by a lack of computing power, are now no longer relevant for transparent materials due to the speed of today's render engines. That being said, transparent materials can still be computationally intensive, so understanding the core components of how transparency works in a render engine is critically important. The best 3D modelling software Learning how to model for transparency can be of benefit, for example a solid glass ball transmits and refracts (moving light through an object) very differently from a light bulb. This is because the light bulb is a thin-walled glass sphere, which means that the light does a lot less bending, but at the same time there are two layers of transparency for light to go through, rather than the one with the solid glass ball. As with many techniques in 3D art, you should aim to get as much real-world reference as possible when working with transparent materials – ideally in similar lighting conditions that you need to create. This is particularly important as transparent materials behaving incorrectly are one of the easiest 'tells' in CGI. That being said, getting a transparent material correct is one of the most satisfying accomplishments a CG artist can master. Here's how to get started. 01. Index of Refraction Different materials have different Index of Refraction values Every transparent material has a different Index of Refraction value. This is the calculation of how light passes through a material and affects how objects behind the transparent object are seen by the eye (or camera). The great thing about learning IOR values is that they are scientifically accurate, so inputting a value of around 1.5 will get a good approximation of glass in any current render engine. With the latest generation of PBR materials, IOR and reflection properties now tend to be linked. 02. Thin vs solid glass The thickness of the material affects how much light bends when it passes through A major giveaway for transparent objects is their thickness, as the thicker a transparent surface the more it will refract and bend light. But not all transparent objects are solid – bubbles, traditional light bulbs and even camera lenses are all examples where thinness matters. These types of objects can be created by modelling a thin wall into the object, to check to see whether the render engine being used has the ability to compensate for thin-walled glass. 03. Transparency scale Make sure you model things at the right scale, as size affects how light looks around the object Transparency and especially light-refractive qualities are critically dependant on model scale (if the render engine being used is physically accurate). For example, a wine glass that is 2m tall will refract and transmit light very differently to one that is normally sized. For this reason, it is very important to ensure that you model at the correct scale. The good thing about this is that a single glass material can look different on a wide variety of objects. 04. Dispersion Some materials split light into its component wavelenghs creating a slight rainbow effect Another method of giving a transparent object life is to play with the dispersion, if it is available in the chosen render software. Dispersion, in essence, hints at the chemical makeup of the transparent material by splitting out the light wavelengths, and can be a great way of highlighting the differences between a whiskey container made out of glass and one made out of crystal. When taken to an extreme it can also be a great way of creating a soap bubble. This article originally appeared in 3D World magazine. Buy issue 240 or Subscribe here. Read more: Become a better 3D artist 50 After Effects tutorials to sharpen your motion skills Render your art in ZBrushCore View the full article

Here’s what everyone has been waiting for: Corel Painter 2019 is here. It has long been a leading option in digital art software, but a renewed focus on performance and usability helps keep Painter 2019 ahead of the pack. The expanded Brushes options includes new Pattern Pens, which produce strokes that make use of five new patterns. These can be based on an existing pattern library, but you can also create your own – essential when making original concept art. Elsewhere, the updated and enhanced version of the Real Watercolor wet brushes are able to realistically interact with your chosen paper’s texture and grain. Your colours will flow, mix and be absorbed by the paper, making your art look more natural than ever. Opener artwork by Stefano Pistonatto The new stamps brushes will certainly make an impact (artwork by Ajmal Mohammed) Another update is the Color Selection tool. The colour choices are clearer and you can pin the Temporal Color Selector wherever you need it on your in-progress artwork, and use shortcuts to take samples with the Eyedropper. This is handy, especially when creating complex illustrations. The program’s interface has also been revamped. Its darker tone makes it possible to see colours more clearly, and also helps you to focus on the canvas when painting – particularly useful when illustrating dark objects. However, if you miss the old grey interface, you can easily change it back. Previous versions of Painter had a cluttered interface. Corel must have been listening to feedback from its customers, because version 2019 now features over 650 redesigned icons that bring a welcome simplicity to the workspace. This clean and responsive environment makes Painter 2019 easier to understand for newcomers, while seasoned users will benefit from a more efficient painting experience. An updated and enhanced Pattern library offers more creative opportunities The key update of Painter 2019 is the improvement in the application’s performance. Previously, the program had a reputation for running slowly on older machines. This is certainly not the case with the new version. Corel is to be congratulated for eliminating many speed bumps while retaining the feeling of painting traditionally. For example, one of the problems with the old version was the noticeable lag that occurred when using the brushes, but now the brush engine works as smoothly as silk. There are still some little quirks – sometimes it slows up on multi-touch operations, and there are a few bugs that need to be addressed – but overall the program has come on a long way since version 2018. What a difference a year makes… We think that Painter is still the leading traditional media painting program, and the improvements make it look even more appealing. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives such as Rebelle 3 and ArtRage 5, but neither program has the painting power that Painter wields. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine. Buy issue 166 or subscribe. Read more: The best free design software. View the full article

Click to read GitHub's contributor guidelines The open source philosophy lets anyone take a project in a new direction by changing the original to create something unique. That philosophy is the reason we have projects like Firefox, a project originally forked from the Mozilla Application Suite. In Firefox’s case, the developers felt the software was too bloated, so they used the original codebase to create a more streamlined browsing experience. As a result, Firefox has become one of the most used browsers in the world. Forking a project is a sacred and important function of the open source model, which is why it’s important to know how to do it right. When it comes to proper forking etiquette, there are best practices in regards to publishing forks. Here we show you how to fork an open source project the right way. To be clear, fork privately any way you want. Experimenting with new features and code is part of the fun of programming. DO submit a feature request for minor changes Even though guiding principles of open source ensure developers have the right to publish a fork, it doesn’t mean that is always the correct choice. Forking to make a small, insignificant change or to add a single feature without properly attempting to participate in and contribute to the open source community is bad form. The original project maintainers have put their code out there because they believe in it and they know that other people may have ideas to improve on what they’ve made. The project is probably something they’re passionate about. Before bastardising their hard work and effort, one option is to submit a feature request. Open source projects typically have a system in place to accept feedback and code, so we recommend using it. If you’ve already coded the change, submit the new code in a pull request. This approach helps ensure that developers not publish a fork and just walk away. DON'T hide security updates in a fork Submitting a pull request in lieu of a fork is especially important if you’re improving the security of the code. Open Source software relies on the ‘many eyes’ approach to security, meaning the more people looking through the code base, the better. Don’t hide your security tweak in an unseen and forgotten fork. Instead push it with pride and your efforts will likely be much appreciated by the maintainers – plus you’ll be making the code more secure for all those who use it. DO become an active contributor If you’re passionate about the project and have a vision for the future, become an active contributor. This is also a great way to hone your development skills. Participating in the project gives the maintainers an opportunity to make the feature or change available to everyone who uses that project by incorporating it into the original. Not only does this please users through the thoughtful improvement of the overall user experience, the practice of joining a project can help introduce you to a world of coding opportunities. When you build relationships with fellow programmers, the resulting sense of community uplifts everyone. DO ask the owner if you're interested in an abandoned project Sometimes you will find that the project has been abandoned and is no longer actively maintained. In this case, you should reach out to the maintainer and ask to take it over, which would afford you the option of building on the project framework while taking it in a new direction. A good example of this is when Jeff Atwood, the co-founder of StackOverflow, publicly asked to take over the Markdown project from John Gruber or to have Gruber participate in a new version. Receiving no response, he created CommonMark. CommonMark was forked with the intent to create a new, better version of the original. Atwood attempted to participate in the original project and reached out to the original maintainer. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 312 or subscribe. Read more: 18 great HTML APIs – and how to use them 10 best new web design tools for December 2018 All the best stocking fillers for designers View the full article

At the end of each year, almost every inch of digital space is filled with summaries and predictions for the future. It's only natural. We all love to analyse the past and guess what the future holds. The same goes for design – we're naturally curious to know what will qualify as 'trendy' in the next 12 months. Unfortunately, too often those predictions are shallow and repetitive. It seems that every lap around the sun in the past decade was predicted to be the year of minimalism, flat design and big typography. There's nothing inherently wrong with any of these design trends. They simply describe the aesthetic choices that are highly universal – if not slightly generic – and hence stay valid for way longer than 12 months. Listing them every year doesn't carry any benefit to the reader. So instead of the classic list of repeated predictions, we've decided to take a more provocative and controversial angle. What makes these user experience trends controversial? They all point at the shortcomings of the design industry today, which should be re-addressed in the coming year. If we're right, 2019 will be an amazing year for the design industry. 01. A refusal to conform The uncertainty of global politics, with local turns towards populist radicalism, will be reflected in the design of 2019. Just as the Second World War inspired people to seek stability in the calmness and simplicity of mid-century modernism, we predict the current times will push designers towards a new form of postmodern non-conformism. For some designers this may mean direct political engagement in terms of subject matter; for others it will centre around expressing skepticism and radicalism on a stylistic level. No more pastel colour palettes, minimalist interfaces and modernist illustrations. Instead, we expect 2019 to be about high-contrast colours, new forms of interactions and radical solutions that question the status quo. The angst of today will once more push design towards innovation. Provocative imagery is already popping up online If you think this sounds unlikely, think again: the first signs of these changes were already visible in 2018. Just take a look at this provocative illustration from Medium that shows a mobile device as a projector that turns your head into a tornado of ideas. 02. Better balance between form and function Over the past five years, digital design became primarily concerned with the visual aspect. Designers kept repeating the Steve Jobs' famous words: "It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." At the same however, they spent more time than ever in vector-based design tools that limit designers' ability to plan and test complete, interactive experiences. No wonder the dominant design trend of 2018 was not a breakthrough interactive pattern that provided exceptional usability and accessibility. In fact, it was a set of illustrations meant to convey a certain brand image. From the most popular communication tool to a great customer service company, in 2018 it seemed that everyone had websites full of illustrations loosely inspired by mid-century illustration styles. We can't escape it: the tools we use shape our designs. 5 mesmerising uses of illustration in branding In 2019 this trend is going to die. Why? First of all, design reduced to aesthetics cannot survive. Deprived of lasting value in the eyes of users and businesses, design will face a critical choice – regain its focus on the user, regain the balance between form and function, or move back to the times where design was an afterthought. And designers won't allow for the latter to happen. Secondly, vector-design tools are about to face fierce competition from the next generation of tools: code-based design tools. Code-based tools such as UXPin bring advanced prototyping, accurate rendering and synchronisation with development without asking for any coding expertise. Those tools are going to start dominating the market in 2019 and will save design from being pushed towards pure aesthetics. 03. The rebirth of advanced prototyping User-centred design will once again rule the design world in 2019. With it, advanced prototyping will regain its status. In 2018, the growing popularity of vector design tools meant prototyping interfaces was reduced to linking hotspots with static artboards and animating changes between predefined states. This approach limits how expressive designers can be, as well as their ability to test realistic prototypes with users. This won't continue in 2019. Next year, designers will once again invest their time into advanced prototyping. Consideration for the human interacting with design will become more important than the struggle with aesthetic elements. 04. Accessible design We believe the new tools, disregard for the status quo and re-establishing the position of the user at the centre of the design workflow will change something. Taking care of accessibility will become a natural part of every design process in 2019. It's hard to believe, but until recently, no design tool had any accessibility features built in. Community-driven plugins were frequently broken by the lack of stability of design platforms. Nobody seemed to care enough to move those crucial features from the level of community effort to first-class feature category supported by a design tool maker. Hopefully in 2019, design will pay more attention to accessibility. 05. A union between design and engineering As designers move to code-based design tools, a new possibility presents itself: the opportunity to work in concert with engineers. Vector tools pushed designers to their own silo and enforced a sequential 'hand-off' process. Even the noble concept of design systems often ended up with one source of truth residing in static vectors and the other in dynamic code. Code-based design tools such as UXPin, Framer X and Modulz are able to seamlessly connect to a code repository and give designers access to the production code without requiring any coding expertise. With these tools, designers and engineers can have a common design system and keep their workflows in full sync. Read more: 7 hot web trends for 2019 10 best new web design tools for December 2018 The ultimate Christmas gift guide for freelancers View the full article

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

So you're in the market for a new phone and naturally you're trying to decide which flavour of iPhone X you want to go for, right? Hang on a minute, though, because Samsung is getting dangerously close to launching its new flagship Galaxy S10 phone, and this could be the perfect opportunity to take a break from Apple, and maybe check out some of the best Android apps at the same time. In the style of Apple, Samsung is keeping pretty tight-lipped about its next smart phone's exact specs, but as the the Samsung Galaxy S10 launch date approaches, there are leaks coming thick and fast, suggesting that this might be a great phone for creatives. We're likely to discover more when CES comes around on 8 January, and the likely date for for Samsung's Galaxy S10 launch event is 20 February 2019, just before MWC Barcelona. For now, though, here are some of the rumoured features you need to know about. Samsung Galaxy S10: Design and display The S10 is rumoured to be coming in three sizes. Credit: GSMArena / MobileFun Like the iPhone X, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is likely to come in three different screen sizes – a standard S10, as well as a smaller S10 Lite and the inevitable S10 Plus with the biggest screen of all. We're expecting a super-crisp display with a resolution of 1440 x 3040 and a 19:9 aspect ratio, and the screen's going to take up pretty much all of the front panel with hardly anything by way of bezel; the S10's front-facing cameras appear to be embedded within the screen, with a tiny cut-out in the top right corner of the screen for the pinhole lenses. More on them in a bit. If you're still furious at Apple for doing away with the 3.5mm headphone port – and who wouldn't be – then the good news about the Galaxy S10 is that's it's almost certain to have one, so you can listen on headphones without having to use a special dongle, which you'll almost certainly lose sooner or later. Build-wise, the frame is likely to be metal with a glass back, and the S10 could come in assorted colours; Samsung has suggested, but not confirmed, that you may be able to choose between silver, green, black, blue and pink. Samsung Galaxy S10: Camera Three lenses would make the S10 a photography must-have For many people, especially designers, the quality of the camera is a vital factor in deciding which camera phone to go for, and the Samsung Galaxy S10 looks like it won't disappoint, especially when it comes to the larger models. While the Lite model might just have a single-lens rear camera, it's been suggested that the standard model could have a dual-lens camera while the Plus version may be packing a triple lens, with a 12MP wide-angle f/1.5-f/2.4 lens, a 16MP super wide-angle f/1.9 lens and a 13MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture, which all adds up to some serious photographic chops. As for the front facing camera, expect the Lite model to be a single-lens model, while the standard and Plus versions could have a pair of cameras. There's also been talk of a 3D sensor for augmented reality content. Samsung Galaxy S10: Power Non-US users should benefit from the lightning-fast Exynos 9820 processor Is the Samsung Galaxy S10 likely to have all the power you need? In short, yes. The actual processor is likely to be depend on where you are in the world; if you're in the US then it's almost certainly going to be a Snapdragon 855 chipset, which appears to be a hefty little processor that outperforms pretty much ever other mobile chipset right now. It supports 5G, with theoretical download speeds up to 2Gbps, and it also has a chip dedicated to processing videos and photos. Outside the US, your S10 is expected to feature Samsung's eight-core Exynos 9820 chipset, which can support video recording at up to 8K at 30fps as well as offering 40% better power efficiency and improved single and multi-core performance over the previous generation. It even features a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) that makes AI-related tasks happen up to seven times faster than on the Exynos 9810. Memory-wise, expect the S10 to feature 8GB of fast RAM, and perhaps even 12GB, and as for onboard storage, there could be a lot of it, and it could be really fast. Samsung is set to start using UFS 3.0 storage in 2019, which is twice as fast as current phone storage modules and more compact, too. Its minimun size is 128GB, which would make for amazing baseline storage, and reports suggest that the S10 could store a whole terabyte. Samsung Galaxy S10: More features? The S10 may move the fingerprint scanner off the back and have it on-screen That covers most of what we know about the Samsung Galaxy S10; all that's really left to wonder about is the price, and it's safe to say that we all know it isn't going to be cheap. We'd expect the basic S10 to set you back about $719 / £739 / AU$1,199, with the price ramping up as you move through the models and storage options. Want to know more? Our colleagues over at TechRadar are keeping an eye out for the hottest Galaxy S10 leaks and rumours; head over to their page for the very latest news. Related articles: The best budget camera phones in 2018 Is iPhone XS the best camera phone for designers? Galaxy X: Samsung's foldable phone is on its way View the full article

To download the accompanying files for 3D World issue 238, simply click the link below each article and a zip file will automatically download the content to your Mac or PC. If you've missed this issue or other editions of 3D World, order a copy. If you have any problems downloading this content, please email: rob.redman@futurenet.com Tutorial: Keyshot Master your keyshot renders with our top tips This issue we bring you our top expert tips, to help you become a Keyshot master, rendering the best possible results, with the least effort, such as our stunning cover image from Pascal Blanche. Download the files here (238MB) Tutorial: Gravity Sketch Create cool sci-fi vehicles in VR In this tutorial CG veteran Mike Griggs, shows you how to create an Akira style sci-fi bike using Gravity Sketch, the hard surface VR tool. Download the files here (3.9GB) Tutorial: Hard surface VR modelling Sculpt a tank in VR Martin Nebelong, VR expert, shows you ow to use VR tools to create detailed hard surface models in a VR environment. Download the files here (132MB) Tutorial: Q and A Get the answers to your CG problems in our regular Q and A section Our regular panel is back to help you overcome any issues you are having with your animation and visual effects work. Download the files here (234MB) View the full article

To download the accompanying files for 3D World issue 243, simply click the link below each article and a zip file will automatically download the content to your Mac or PC. If you've missed this issue or other editions of 3D World, order a copy. If you have any problems downloading this content, please email: rob.redman@futurenet.com Tutorial: Honey Create realistic honey materials This guide will take you through the process of creating realistic honey, from modelling the comb to creating believable shader networks for ultimate photorealistic renders. Download the files here (270MB) Tutorial: Houdini terrains Learn to use Houdini's new terrain toolset. This tutorial will take you, step by step, through the process of using Houdini's new terrain tools, to create detailed and realistic terrain geometry. Download the files here (204MB) Tutorial: Hard VR Texture a tank scene in VR Following on from last issue, where we showed you how to sculpt a tank, this issue we complete the scene building and show you how to use VR tools to texture your objects. Download the files here (608MB) View the full article

HTML is more capable than ever before. In this post, we run through the best HTML APIs around right now. These are the elements you should be making the most of in your website layouts. Read on for an in-depth look at the <dialog>, <details>, <picture> and <input> HTML APIs, plus your guide to Web Components. Alternatively, jump to the second page for a roundup of sectioning elements you can use to accurately define page structure and each element’s role, and a selection of inline elements to use instead of <span>. 01. <dialog> Use it to: Display a popup or modal window without the overheads Read the <dialog> web docs A common design pattern on the web is to have an extra window display to provide more information or options for a complicated interaction. Adding a confirmation as an extra step is also a good way to make a user aware their action will have consequences. These windows have been around for years through the help of libraries such as Bootstrap or jQuery UI. While they can be easy to implement, they often require heavy scripting and extra styling to match the look and feel of the site they are implemented into. One of the few elements added in HTML5.2 is <dialog>. This new, semantic element is designed to denote a supplementary, interactive component that displays out of the main flow of the document. The <dialog> element itself is designed to be as simple to use as possible. Any content within the tags will become part of the window and do not appear on the page by default. When the element has the open attribute applied, it then appears centred based on where it appears in the DOM. While dialog boxes can request a response, a user can still navigate the page without having to interact with it. A modal window is similar to a dialog, but has the aim of requiring an action from the user before proceeding. This makes it useful for potentially destructive actions, such as deleting an account. Modal windows can only be triggered using JavaScript. Once opened, the window appears completely centred within the user’s screen and dims the rest of the page. The only way to close it will be by either pressing the escape key or by calling the close method on the element. Non-native modal implementations often forget about the content behind the modal. For keyboard users, their browser can start focusing and interacting with elements underneath the modal that cannot be seen. Native modals make the rest of the content inert, making sure the focus stays within the window before being dismissed. Browser support is currently limited to Chrome, Opera and Samsung Internet browsers. As unsupported browsers treat unknown elements like a <span>, it makes it possible to add in this behaviour when needed. The Chrome team have put together a dialog-polyfill to solve the problem. 02. <details> & <Summary> Use them to: Show/hide content under a collapsible heading without using JS Read the <details> and <summary> web docs The accordion is a common user interface pattern. It serves as a way to fit potentially lengthy content in a small space, providing only some of it needs to be immediately visible. These work best for a table of contents, a set of frequently asked questions or any other accompanying information such as directions to a location. While many libraries exist to help solve this problem, it can also be achieved without any JavaScript at all. Content can be hidden inside a <details> element and therefore be toggled visible when clicked. Each <details> element denotes a single collapsible area. Any content inside that block will be hidden by default until the 'Details' heading is clicked. Adding an open attribute will expand the block. This can also be triggered through JavaScript as a way to reveal certain information to the user, such as an answer to a specific question. Adding a <summary> to the top of the block will replace the default heading to the contents of that element. That heading then becomes interactive, which makes the contents inside keyboard accessible. While it can have almost any value, adding other interactive or clickable elements such as <label> or <button> will override the collapsing behaviour and break the element. Multiple <details> elements can also be nested without issue. This could make it useful for nesting sub-links or hiding supplementary information within a block. According to the specification, <details> should be limited to additional information or controls rather than anything considered important to read. In some instances, a more semantic element such as <dl> for key-value pairs may be more suitable. Both <details> and <summary> are available in all browsers apart from Edge and IE. For these, information will display expanded by default, or a JavaScript fallback can be used. 03. <picture> Use it to: Respond to different viewports and serve specialised content Read the <picture> web docs When images need to be responsive, sometimes it isn’t enough simply to resize an image at certain breakpoints. On larger screens, the image can show as distorted and blocky but on smaller screens it could result in downloading a much larger image than is required. Where images are used for informational purposes, it may make more sense to show an image adapted especially for a certain screen size or type. For example, larger screens may benefit from a fully annotated diagram, while smaller screens can get away with using coloured labels instead. The <picture> element allows developers to define different sources for the same image. Based on the attributes passed to those sources, the browser determines which image to download and use. Each source defines a potential image to display. These can then optionally have different attributes to define when to display that image. The media attribute works much like a media query in CSS, whereas type defines the MIME type of the file. If a browser doesn’t meet the media query, or does not understand the file type, it moves on to the next <source> in the list. The block ends on a regular <img> element. This will display if none of the other images can be displayed based on the conditions, or for browsers that do not understand the <picture> element at all. The element itself acts more as a container for the elements inside. By itself it has no visual appearance and will be distorted when the fallback image is used. Be sure to style this element for this use case. The <picture> element is best used in diagrams and informational images rather than simply supplying different resolution photos based on width. For that, use a regular IMG with a srcset attribute. Using these hints, the browser can then decide which image to display. 04. Web Components Use it to: Create custom HTML tags Read the Mozilla Web Components notes The introduction of HTML5 in 2014 brought with it lots of useful elements to browsers. Special components like progress bars used to mean misusing <div> elements in order to achieve the right visuals. These features are now native to the browser and elements like <progress> can be added where needed without having to worry too much about the inner workings. Thankfully, new web standards have been in development for some time to allow developers to make their own elements as part of the platform. Web Components are a set of specifications that let developers create their own custom HTML tags and use them anywhere on a webpage. As long as they are registered using JavaScript, they are just as capable as any other element. Building a Web Component uses three different specifications in the browser to construct, configure and generate their inner workings. Let’s take a look at them. Custom elements The most important feature of web components are the use of custom elements. These allow developers to use their own tag to render something specific to the browser wherever it appears on a page. Each one is an ES2015 class that defines its behaviour, extending from an existing HTML element. These can contain any methods required for the operation of the component, but must use a constructor in order to set up any visuals or interactive elements such as event handlers. In order to behave like a native element, it is important that elements react to external changes. Every custom element can tap into callbacks, such as connectedCallback or attributeChangedCallback, to detect when an element needs to update. The customElements window property will allow an element to be registered with the browser. Until it is registered, a custom element will be treated like any other unknown tag so it is important to design its behaviour with progressive enhancement in mind. The shadow DOM The Document Object Model – or DOM – represents each page as a set of connected elements. The shadow DOM is a hidden subset of further connections within a specific element of that DOM. Nothing inside the shadow DOM can affect anything outside. For example, a page may have a <video> element in its DOM, but the shadow DOM inside <video> houses the internal controls such as the play button and volume slider. While this behaviour has been in browsers for a while, the shadow DOM API allows developers to create their own. When used together with custom elements, they allow a full range of visuals to be displayed without worrying about affecting other parts of the page. HTML templates Page structure elements are often repeated to make sure each one works the same as the last. To save time and reduce errors, developers can opt to make a function to generate HTML for an element, adjusting the contents as they go. HTML templates bring that ability natively to browsers through use of the <template> element. The contents of a template stay inert and invisible, but JavaScript can access it like regular content without issue. Extracting the contents of a template is as simple as selecting the template and getting its content property. It can then be used wherever needed and acts just like any other HTML content. All three specifications are designed to work together. A template can be used with the shadow DOM to produce the visuals for a custom element. Cross-browser support The best part about Web Components is that the support is almost there in every major browser. At the time of writing the latest versions of Chrome, Safari and Opera all support all Web Component specifications. As it stands, Firefox and Edge are both lacking full support for custom elements and shadow DOM, but polyfills are available to work in these browsers while these features are being developed. Mobile browsers have a wider level of support, with all features being available in the latest versions of Chrome for Android, Samsung Internet and iOS Safari. You'll find updates on support and any new features here. 05. <input> Use it to: Give instant feedback on form inputs Read the <input> web docs Even the simplest of forms need some kind of validation. A contact form, for example, needs to check if a name and email have been filled out. Users now expect instant feedback on what has been entered. This used to be the role of JavaScript. If a website needed a date entry JavaScript would need to check a text value looked like a date. This required the developer knowing all the different formats that could be valid and implementing that check correctly. All of that changed with HTML5. The new specification introduced a host of new input types that could be added as needed without the need for scripted validation. When given a certain type, a browser renders an appropriate interface geared towards that input. On touchscreen devices, this also meant a contextual keyboard that merited itself to the input in question. If used within a form, the validation occurs on submission. Browsers will show an inline error message for each field that is wrong, so users know what is happening. An invalid form will not submit. Colour inputs In forms where colour input is required, the color type provides either a colour picker or a hexadecimal text input to provide a value. The display of the colour picker can vary depending on the browser, which may only supply a limited subset of colours by default. A site using this input should provide an alternative method of input in this case. A default colour can be applied by supplying a value to the field, but this must be a valid hex colour and not a CSS colour name or function like linear-gradient. If an invalid colour is added, it will default to black. Number inputs When a form requires a number, it makes sense to use an input specialised for that purpose. A number field get automatic validation to be sure the value is numerical. Most modern browsers will also render stepper buttons, which allow the user to increment or decrement the value inline. On a touchscreen device, the keyboard will update to show numbers by default and may even allow users to swipe to increase and decrease the value. Extra attributes on the input can limit the value being entered. For example, an age field may have a min attribute to stop a negative value being added. When a specific value is not necessary, a range input may be more useful. In this case, browsers can render a more appropriate slider to allow the user to select a value more easily. These are useful for simple components such as volume sliders. Modes on any input While these type inputs are great for their typical use case, it can become a hindrance for others. For example, a credit card number is numeric but does not need the increment and decrement behaviour that the number type provides. Most forms would fall back to regular text input in this case and use a pattern attribute to define what is required. This requires the developer to know the right pattern for their input, which can cause a similar issue to before. An inputmode attribute is coming to browsers that aims to tackle this issue. It hints to the browser what kind of interface would help the user add data to this field. Having a value of none will ensure no virtual keyboard is displayed, allowing for a custom keyboard within the page itself. Server validation As great as these input types are, they are not without flaws. Browsers may not support a specific type or can have unexpected valid inputs, such as ‘e’ for number inputs. At the very least, a user can still edit the HTML on a page and remove validation altogether. It is important that any data submitted to a server is also validated on that side to avoid any issues. Include client-side validation to help. Next page: 13 more top HTML APIs 06. <main> This marks up the core content of the document. In contrast to any header, footer or navigation elements, its content will vary from page to page. There can only be one <main> element visible at any time. 07. <nav> This represents any area of a document that is responsible for navigation. This can be a site’s main navigation or a grouping of internal links such as a table of contents. Not all links need to be inside a <nav>. 08. <header> Use a <header> to separate any kind of introductory content from the rest of the document. It is commonly used to define page headers, but alternatively it can also be used to add headers to sub-sections. 09. <footer> In contrast to <header>, the <footer> element marks the final content of a page or section. This would typically hold extra information like author or copyright information, along with any related navigation. 10. <aside> Designate an area of a document that contains supplementary information about the main content. While this is often styled to look like a sidebar, it can also be used to define accompanying content such as a related fact. 11. <article> Use <article> when the content it will display is self-containing, for example, a blog post or even a news story. There can be multiple <article> elements on a page and there are no limits on where they can appear. 12. <section> This represents a grouping of content within a document where no other element is suitable. This provides more meaning than <div> as it is specifically defining an area as content over simply added markup for styling. 13. <H1> to <H6> Heading elements have been around for a long time, but make sure they are being used correctly inside sectioning elements. Each section can have its own heading hierarchy, meaning multiple <h1> tags can now appear on a page. 14. <time> Dates and times are formatted differently across the world and so cannot be reliably parsed by a search engine or email client. Specify what parts of a sentence are a time and allow programs to extract and use that information. 15. <mark> When wanting to highlight a few words of a sentence, it may seem best to use <strong>. While <strong> denotes importance, <mark> denotes relevance in the current situation. An example of this would be matched terms in a search result. 16. <abbr> Language is full of abbreviations that readers potentially may not be familiar with – there’s plenty in this article! The <abbr> element provides a way to define potentially unfamiliar abbreviations with an accompanying title attribute. 17. <q> When quoting a small section of text, surround it with <q>. The optional cite attribute can provide a name, reference or link to the original source. Browsers will add quote marks by default. 18. <kbd> When providing instructions that should be input by a user, <kbd> should surround that command. While typically used for keyboard inputs it can be used for any kind of text entry, including voice. This article originally appeared in Web Designer magazine. Buy issue 280, or subscribe now. Read more: A coder's guide to APIs Get started with the Web Audio API 10 new web design tools for December 2018 View the full article

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Storyboarding is a creative, exciting and fulfilling career. In addition to knowing how to draw to a high standard, a storyboard artist needs an understanding of storytelling, as well as a knowledge of animation layout mechanics. The television storyboard artist creates the visual blueprint for the animated production. Put simply, if it isn't in the storyboard, it won't be on the screen. It's not unusual for the character poses from the storyboard to be traced and used as extreme poses by the animation artists. In addition to knowing how to draw the characters acting out the performance, a production board artist (The Animation Guild title for a television storyboard artist) must also have a firm grasp of filmmaking principles and how to translate those principles when designing the layout for animation camera moves. The best online animation classes The tips below examine the most important principles an animation story artist needs to understand. Storyboards aren't finished art, but rather a key component of planning the production from which the finished art is designed. The storyboard enables the movement of the characters and camera, with each scene sequentially designed in context of what came before and what will come after as the story unfolds… 01. It's all about telling the story Start by reading the script Boiled down to its essence, my job is to tell the story. I begin by reading the provided script or outline for the show. It's important to remember that the story is about the characters, so I always ask myself these questions: What is happening in the story right now? How does it affect the character? What is their state of mind? How do they feel? How should the audience feel? What is the emotional moment that I'm trying to communicate? These are the key points that, as a whole, tell the story. Every decision should be driven by the story! 02. Build on the line of action The line of action is the design foundation for your characters The line of action is a design decision related to the energy/force the character exudes and is the first line I draw. A character who has the weight of the world on their shoulders will slouch, with his/her head pulled to the ground. One exuberant with success will arc in the opposite direction, throwing his/her weight into the air and away from the pull of Earth's gravity. This line is the design foundation upon which the drawing of the character is built; communicating direction of movement, emotion, energy and so on. 03. One drawing equals one idea Each frame should represent a single step in the story Film moves quickly. The audience can only look at one thing at a time, so including multiple ideas in a drawing will just result in the audience missing some of those ideas. The storyboard artist must commit to creating a new drawing for each new idea. If an event takes more than one step to be described, then you're going to have to draw each step. For example, if a character sees something and reacts, draw the character looking, draw what they see, and then draw their reaction. 04. Draw cleanly for animation Make sure your drawings retain the energy of your initial sketches Disney animator Ollie Johnston said it was important to draw clearly, not cleanly. I begin drawing loose thumbnails to work out the flow of the storyboard and explore various solutions. When tying down the final drawings, keep the energy from those early sketches. Construct your drawings with simple shapes and volumes. Use guidelines and 'draw through' to ensure your drawings have sculptural dimension. Turn your character in space, tilt and twist the shoulders, hips and the head. 05. Find clarity in silhouettes If your character's action isn't clear in silhouette form, it'll need more work Clarity is key! The audience has a very short time to absorb information before the next idea appears. There should never be any doubt as to the action described, nor to the intent and state of mind of the character. Test the clarity of your pose by filling the drawing with solid colour. Can you still read the action of the character? Using clear silhouettes when designing poses ensures this clarity of communication. 06. Communicate the story through character poses Each character needs to have its own unique poses The poses I draw need to be clear and simple, but also unique to the character. Too many poses and the character won't stop moving, thereby losing emphasis on what matters. Too few poses and the character will be lost on the screen. Working with the dialogue track, I listen for the subtext, or the feeling beneath the words. The poses I draw capture this emotional subtext, so I change poses when the attitude changes. Pauses between lines are often more important than the dialogue itself; providing opportunity to show the character thinking and changing attitude. 07. Think like an actor Use a mirror to help you get the right expressions for your characters Storyboards plan the performance of the characters. For television productions, this character layout is detailed and very specific. Voice actors are vital in defining the character. Listen to the dialogue and then listen to it again! Don't be afraid to try acting out the words yourself – I have a mirror at my desk to help me draw convincing expressions and movements. Subtle expressions are the most challenging. Each character is unique and the performance must reflect this individuality. Character design model sheets are a handy resource story artists use to maintain a consistent character performance. 08. Use the frame as the 'eye' 16:9 is the standard aspect ratio in most countries Tied with the concept of point of view (see tip 10), the frame is the lens or window we use to tell the story. The frame can move and elements can move into and out of the frame. In the example here, the frame is defined by a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning the width of the frame is about 1.78 times that of the height of the frame. This 1,080p aspect ratio is the standard for American television. Be aware that theatrical distribution uses different standards, as do broadcasters in other countries. 09. Sketch thumbnails for a simple panel Use quick thumbnails to explore storytelling solutions Thumbnails are meant to be drawn quickly and should be small in size. I use them to begin exploring solutions for telling the story. I then select the thumbnail that best communicates the story point. In this example, I explored four possible solutions. 10. Establish the point of view with the horizon line/eye line A low horizon line is often the best choice Within your rough thumbnails, consider the horizon line. This is determined by camera placement, dictates the point of view and is the first line I draw when beginning a panel. With a high horizon line, the audience will look down, while an extreme low horizon forces the audience to look up at the scene. A variety of camera angles ought to be considered, but the decision should always be dictated by the needs of the story. Low horizon lines are often preferred because they're consistent with how we experience the world, enable clearer staging (clean silhouettes), show depth (you can see for miles) and require fewer perspective challenges, for example. 11. Use grids to help with object placement Drawing a grid will make it easier to place elements within every scene I draw a grid to show the ground, sky plane or even a wall. This helps me draw the scene in a solid, convincing way. When an element within the scene bisects the horizon line, everything in the scene will bisect the horizon line at the same relative height. Knowing this makes placement of elements within the scene easy. Be certain that your characters all fit within the world you've created. Too often, characters in the foreground would have to dig a hole to fit in the scene! Use overlap and line weight variation to communicate objects are further away. Read more about grid theory here. 12. Create rough storyboard panel Once you've found a suitable thumbnail, work it up into a rough Once you've thought about all these elements, next comes the rough panel – I blow the selected thumbnail up to the size of the finished panel. At this stage I resolve perspective, structure and refine the posing of the character. The rough panel is reviewed by the director, storyboard supervisor or executive producer. 13. Clean up the storyboard Clean up the rough and add any requested changes Any change requests from the review are sorted in the cleanup. The final line should delineate forms and idea, but also maintain the life of the character. Tone may be added. Some productions require tight 'on model' drawings; others like looser, more energetic drawings. 14. Ensure continuity Don't allow the camera to cross the line through the characters Continuity is a word used often to refer to screen direction, although its meaning extends beyond that. Maintaining continuity is ensuring the geography of the space and characters is kept clear from shot to shot. Screen direction, or the 180 Degree Rule, is an important filmmaking principle and a fundamental aspect of continuity. We're translating a 3D world into a 2D experience on the screen. Once a character is established as moving left to right or right to left, keep that direction of movement while the character is onscreen. 15. Consider film time and editing Learn the language of film and use it to tell the story Scenes/shots are designed to work in sequence. We extend, compress and reorder time to best suit our story. Shot size and design should be varied as we transition from one shot to another. Film has a language. We learn to 'hear' this language, but often don't know how to use it to tell a story. Study great films. Thumbnail out the scene cuts and then assess what the filmmaker was doing when making choices, such as camera placement, character movement within the scene, sequencing of shots, time allocated to scenes and so on. 16. Compose for movement Keep the Rule of Thirds in mind when composing your frames A scene/shot, comprising a series of panels, describes only seconds of time. Every idea must be clearly and simply presented. The focus of interest should be the only object of that size, shape and value within the scene. The Rule of Thirds can be useful in composing – avoid corners and edges of the frame. But remember that the world extends beyond the frame and the frame itself can move. And be sure to leave room for the characters to move around. They shouldn't feel 'squeezed' into a panel. 17. Think about animation layout You can plan camera moves more easily with Toon Boom Storyboard Pro's Camera tool Animation layout refers to the mechanics of how an animation camera works. The illusion of a dimensional, moving camera is created by designing artwork that will slide past the camera. Layers of art are designed and synchronised to create an illusion of depth. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro has an excellent Camera tool that makes it easy to plan out camera moves. This article was originally published in issue 165 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe to ImagineFX here. 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As the year draws to a close, we've been looking back at the trends that shaped digital design in 2018 and considering how they might develop in 2019. Put aside your Christmas designs for a moment, and read on to discover the stylistic movements that have prevailed this year within the main pillars of digital design. Here you'll find six key trends we're excited to see developing in 2018... and three more we'd be more than happy to see the back of. We're talking about digital design here, but if you're after a look front end development and shifts in the web industry as a whole, take a look at our post on the big web trends for 2019. 6 trends we loved in 2018... 01. Bolder use of colour Gradients are showing no signs of going anywhere The vast digital spectrum enables designers to explore a wealth of intense, complex and bright colour combinations. Without the limitations of print there is more freedom to experiment, so we’re seeing a richer and greater variety of colour across digital platforms. This is now being recognised and integrated into companies' identities, with brands often using bold, vibrant colour as a core part of their visual identity. Gradients are still one of the key current trends, appearing in logo design, illustrations and backgrounds. Inspired by nature and as a progression from flat colour, gradients bring depth and dimension within a modern realistic aesthetic. They can add layers of mood and emotion to a design, bringing visuals to life whilst also feeling new and fresh. 02. Abstract figures Quirky figures are being used to help demonstrate brand values Abstract human shapes with big hair has been a popular illustrative style trend seen throughout 2018 and is showing no sign of going anywhere. These quirky characters help bring a human element into a digital space, often supporting the brand purpose and demonstrating functionality with bespoke personality. 3D settings bring depth to digital scenes Icon-driven isometric illustrations are becoming more detailed, brought to life with gradients and monotone opacity layers, and being placed in a 3D space. This brings depth and realism to digital imagery, helping online spaces become more recognisable and relatable. Read more: The biggest illustration trends for 2019 03. Experimental typography With design and technology working together, we’re set so see some exciting and fresh typographic approaches in 2019. Interaction, animation and transitions provide a new playground in which designers can push the boundaries of experimental type across digital platforms. This new creative layer can be used to further communicate brand purpose and personality. Creative typography is increasingly becoming a core part of an online brand presence, with aesthetic as well as functional benefits. The capabilities of digital typography have progressed significantly. The advent of online font libraries and improved browser support for features enabling brand fonts to be used as real text means typography can now be scaled much more easily. Whereas previously, a simple update would have required several steps and input from different specialists, there are now tools that make it much easier to realise the initial visual concept. This gives designers the freedom to be more imaginative with their solutions, in the knowledge that type can be easily refreshed and updated. It would be great to see more brands embracing the possibilities of digital design next year, exploring creative typographic approaches and moving away from static designs. Read more: Typography trends for 2019 04. Intelligent animation Animation is nothing new, but we're using it in increasingly intelligent ways. Animation now uses accurate movement with consideration of physics and a focus on detail. This increasingly realistic movement resonates much more with the audience as it helps make content more relatable and relevant, bridging the gap between digital and real world. Animation appears in many forms, from vector iconography through to cinemagraphs and bespoke website transitions. Integrated animation is now used to enhance engagement, encourage interaction and convey substantial information succinctly. Whilst an all-singing, all-dancing animation will undeniably demand customer attention, it’s often the more subtle and smart use of movement that creates a lasting impact. As digital designers we’re in a privileged position to be able to really make the most of animation – and it can be extremely helpful. When screen size is limited, animation allows us to cleverly hide and guide customers through a ton of content, drawing attention to important points. 05. Authentic photography Photography is moving from cheesy to more natural Gone are the days of over-polished, cheesy stock photography. We’re now seeing brands adopting authentic and genuine-feeling imagery that resonates more with their customers. Lifestyle images capture relatable scenarios that integrate a brand or product seamlessly into everyday life. The overly polished look is out A rise in popularity of free stock libraries, such as Unsplash, are mutually beneficial, giving talented amateur photographers a platform for their work and a more diverse selection for creatives to find suitable images. 06. Digital reality A trend that’s become evident through all areas of design, and looks set to continue into 2019, is the shift towards developing an online presence that’s reflective of real life. As more and more aspects of our everyday lives exist in a digital space (calendar, shopping lists, social life), it increasingly needs to feel like an extension of reality. Design elements are representative of how things work in the real work, meaning they feel more relatable and relevant. People respond to what they recognise, so these subtle design techniques are helping shape customer behaviour. ...and 3 digital trends we're happy to leave in 2018 01. Following the herd In short, we're talking about unconsidered content. Everything should feel relevant and have a purpose. It’s about implementing the trends, techniques or approaches that are right for your brand, not just using them because they’re popular. For example, animation should only be used when the purpose has been carefully considered. Is the aim to enhance a brand message, convey a sense of movement or draw attention to something specific? And importantly, does it align with the brand tone of voice? 02. Natural textures A trend seen in recent years has been the use of natural textures. Present in imagery and used for surfaces and backgrounds, this can bring tangibility and a real-life familiarity to a digital space. However, if it doesn’t doesn’t relate to the product or offering, it can look completely out of place and have the opposite effect in terms of believability. 03. Bland brands Logos have been losing their individuality this year 2018 was a big year for brands simplifying their identity. Sans-serif wordmarks have replaced busier logos, with the intention of having a clean sophistication that translates across multiple platforms. And whilst we're fans of uncluttered design, it would be a shame if this trend continued to the point where we start to lose the quirky individuality of a brand. Liked this? Read these: 6 huge logo trends for 2019 Pantone announces its Color of the Year The biggest graphic design trends for 2019 View the full article

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You're reading Best Free Tools for Adding Dynamic Animations to UI, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! In case you haven’t heard, everyone does animation these days. It can be a small, barely perceptible hover effect attached to a button with the help of Bttn.css or Hover Buttons or an eye-catching dynamic gradient-style background that can be … View the full article

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