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Freelance life can be wonderful, but it's not for everyone. Sure, there are plenty of pros to going it alone, and many freelancers never look back – but it's not a bed of roses, and you should always do your research first. For a start, there are plenty of tools for designers that your employer would normally pay for, and you'll need to stump up the cash for yourself. Besides creative skill, in order to be a successful freelancer, you also need the right balance of business savvy, self-discipline, confidence and more. So if you're thinking about taking the plunge yourself, read on to discover four pros (and four associated cons) of life as a freelancer... 01. Higher earning potential... You're gonna need a bigger wallet (maybe) It's no secret that freelance day rates are almost always higher than their in-house equivalents. Agencies and clients will pay more for specialist skills on-demand. They can also use you on a project-by-project basis, so can budget accordingly without the need to keep a steady flow of work to justify your salary. If you can pull in enough regular work from different source – 'if' being the caveat – then it's true, you stand to earn a lot more than you would within a studio environment. And that's definitely one of the potential perks to consider when considering freelance life. The fact that you can set your own day rates will help, of course, so long as you do your due diligence first: going in all guns blazing with an outrageously high pitch is how not to get hired as a designer. You may even be laughed out the room. Remember, there's always scope to increase your rates as you get more experience, or for particular types of work – it can certainly be easier than lobbying for a pay rise. ...but no sick/holiday pay Lie back, relax! But don't expect to get paid for it Here's the flip-side to a higher earning potential: you only earn when you're working. You sacrifice all employee rights, not least sick pay, holiday pay, redundancy package, and any kind of bonus (unless you award yourself one). There are many ways you can save money as a freelancer to help counterbalance this, although having a savings buffer in place before you leave is always wide. This will cover you in fallow work periods, as well as for sickness and holiday – it may also be worth setting up an insurance policy in case of long-term sickness. 02. Choose your own hours... Don't like mornings? Change your working hours Sick of working thankless overtime at evenings and weekends, and struggling to see friends, partner or kids? Perhaps constant delays on your sweaty, noisy commute are making you late to the studio almost daily? Or maybe you're a night owl, and just wish you didn't have to get up so early in the morning? The good news is, as a freelancer, you can do away with all of that. You can still work evenings and weekends if you really want to, or if a heavy deadline requires it. But no more lobbying for flexi-time, or time-off in lieu, or just sucking it up... you can take the next morning off at a moment's notice if you like. Sure, your holidays may not be paid – but if you're organised, you can plan projects around them so you don't come back to a stack of work to catch up on. And you can be much more flexible around other life commitments, such as childcare – especially if you work from home. ...but spend them on dull admin Everyone loves a nice pile of expense receipts Unfortunately, you'll need to fill at least some of those free and flexible hours with stuff you really don't want to do – there are no legal, marketing or accounts teams to fall back on, after all, or a resource manager to tell you how to spend your time. Being your own boss comes with boss-like responsibilities. Some of this can be absorbed by hiring third-party help, such as an accountant, or an agent – and there are plenty of productivity tools for designers that'll make your life easier. But invoices, expenses, bills and all manner of other studio admin tasks will still commandeer a chunk of your time – and not billable time, either. 03. Pick your own clients... Choose the sweetest clients (if they'll work with you) Naturally, this one depends on your own self-promotion and pitching skills. As well as studio admin, all the responsibility for winning the work is on you too, and time hunting for new business isn't billable either. All these things considered, though, the ball is in your court in terms of what projects you want to do – as well as the balance between client briefs and self-initiated work. You can choose to hone your core specialities with clients you want to work with (and turn down ones you don't), or explore a range of new opportunities – such as collaborating with others to tackle projects outside your usual comfort zone. It's genuinely exciting to be in full control of your own destiny. ...but you have to chase them for payment Some clients need more chasing than others This is the bane of most freelancers' lives. No matter how much you enjoy a project, chasing your invoice for payment afterwards is no fun for anyone involved. Some clients are prompt and cheerful with their payments – hold onto them while you can! – but every freelancer has a tale of a nightmare late-paying client. You'll need to be more business savvy to deal with it. Put a solid process in place – with a contract to protect you wherever possible – and get ahead of your finances so a stack of unpaid invoices doesn't force you onto the breadline. 04. Work where you want... Working from your favourite cafe is a definite perk As well as being flexible with hours, depending on the nature of your work, you can pick your location too. Whether it's converting a spare bedroom into a home studio, sharing workspace with fellow freelancers, roaming between coffee shops or even working while travelling, it's your call. There are various tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer, but at a minimum you'll need a lightweight laptop, a decent battery pack and mobile WiFi. ...but you may get lonely As a freelancer, you have to like your own company Whether home alone for eight hours a day, or surrounded by the hustle and bustle of strangers in a coffee shop, if you're used to a buzzing, collaborative studio environment with constant conversation, stimuli and like-minded people to bounce ideas off, you may struggle as a freelancer. Sure, you can meet friends for lunch, or collaborate with others on certain projects, but the likelihood is you'll spend a lot of time with your own thoughts. Some people thrive in that scenario and are far more productive without distractions; others go stir-crazy within a week – only you know which one best describes you. Related articles: Freelance survival guide 4 design tools you never knew you needed Design agency survival guide View the full article

Being a designer can be expensive. Once you’ve coughed up for some pricey hardware, the costs keep on coming – everything from hosting to imagery can come with a price tag. With a little investigation online, you’ll find there are plenty of deals and discounts that will help you get set up, upgrade your kit, and generally get focused on being creative without bankrupting yourself. There are tools for creatives of all kinds here, but if you're a student, jump to the bottom of the page for some deals especially for you. Hardware deals Hardware is likely to be one of your biggest upfront costs A new laptop, PC or tablet can be a major expense. However, there are plenty of ways to cut down the price of creative hardware. Here’s where to look. Apple No doubt about it, Apple kit is going to cost you. However, a smart way to save is by exploring Apple's refurbished goods. These are second-hand, but refurbished and given the stamp of approval from Apple before being resold, which means you can be confident they’ll work as expected. It’s a great way to get your hands on quality products with a significant discount. There’s also a clearance section to explore. Apple offers special discounts for students (read more on that in the student deals section). However, it's worth noting that these can also be used by anyone working in an education environment. That includes teachers, administrative staff, and so on. Online marketplaces You can often find good second-hand hardware on online marketplaces such as Gumtree and eBay. Without an official stamp of approval, you’ll need to be a little more careful to ensure you’re getting a good deal. However, occasionally you’ll hit on a gem, with someone selling a basically new item on the cheap. Creative Bloq If you're not sure what you want to buy or which device is worth your money, we have a whole host of buying guides for you. You'll find advice on all the core tools you'll need – such as the best drawing tablet or laptop for graphic design – as well as accessories such as computer mice and keyboards. We also have a dedicated tool that searches thousands of sites for the best prices on these devices, so if a retailer is having a promotion, we'll know about it and the information on the page will update to show you the cheapest available price. Creative software and tools Quality software doesn't have to cost a fortune While hardware might be your biggest upfront cost, ongoing expenses such as creative software subscriptions, fonts, and stock imagery can all add up. Luckily, there are deals to be had, as well as free options to explore if you know where to look. Adobe Adobe's creative suite of tools remains a popular choice for designers. Deals and bargains are few and far between, but here at Creative Bloq we are pleased to be able to offer some exclusive discounts – right now you can get 15% off Adobe Creative Cloud. For more savings, including those on specific applications, take a look at our guide to the best Adobe deals. Note: The student discount (see the Student Deals section) also applies to those in primary or secondary education, or even those who are being homeschooled. Free software It won't be as comprehensive as the software you'd get from the likes of Adobe or Serif, but if you're just getting started in a particular specialism, you can get a taste for it by playing around with some more basic tools. There's plenty of free graphic design software to explore while you're still learning. Stock library memberships If you’re in need of stock photography with a bit more edge, there are plenty of good membership deals out there that will get you more bang for your buck. The 99Club gives you access to four million images – including vector images – and offers 200 downloads a year for US$99. The Adobe Stock image subscription is a bit pricier, but offers more regular resetting of downloads available. Copyright-free images There are millions of copyright-free images online. If you’re not interested in paying for images to use in your work, the best free sources of copyright-free images include Unsplash and Negative Space. Vector art If you're pushed for time, existing vector artwork can be a lifesaver. There are lots of places you can find this for free online, but we've sorted out the best quality ones and put them together in one handy post: the best places to find free vector art. Fonts for designers There are a lot of fonts being offered up for free on the internet. However, quality and reliability varies wildly. Take a look at our pick of the best free fonts for designers if you don't want to end up in a pit of typographic doom. Money-saving tips If you're smart, there are lots of ways to cut down your outgoings There are always places you can find a handy discount code or two to apply to an upcoming purchase you might be considering making. Read on for some more money-saving tips. Deals sites Discount king Groupon offers deals on electronic goods – alongside holidays, experiential activities, haircuts, and pretty much anything else you could think of. It’s hit and miss what you’ll find on there, but it's worth keeping an eye on it. Other great online stores with discounted goods include Micro Center, TechBargains and Slickdeals. It’s also worth investigating Lifehacker’s Dealhacker section for updated offers. Voucher codes Money Saving Expert runs a constantly updating page full of links to discount codes for a lot of different major chains, as well as sites like VoucherCodes. You can also automate your efforts by using a browser extension like Cently or Honey, which both search automatically for any applicable coupon codes you can apply to online purchases. Cashback If you can’t find a discount code online, using cashback programmes is another option to work some of your outgoings back into your account. Quidco and Swagbucks are two popular options, as well as Shop At Home. Swagbucks and Shop At Home both offer Web, Android and iOS versions. Do note that many of these sites will have a threshold you have to hit before you can withdraw. Check these carefully, and note too that some sites will ask for annual fees, so tread carefully. Be sure to check that any cashback deal will actually save you money. If you see a product for $200 online with a $50 cash back, but you could also buy the product outright in stores for $100, it’s obviously not worth it. The same applies if you have a great coupon code or promo code – these usually can’t be applied to cashback deals. Your discount might be worth a lot more than the cashback, so investigate this option first. Design student deals If you're lucky enough to have a valid student email, read on A student status can help you get all sorts of creative products on the cheap, so make the most of it! If you’re a recent graduate and still have access to your .edu email address, you can also use that to sign up for a lot of these benefits on the sly. Here are some of the best student savings. Apple Apple offers education pricing in many of its international stores online; simply enter your educational institution’s name in order to qualify and receive the discount. These discounts vary according to the type of stock (i.e. they are not a uniform 10 per cent discount applied to all products, but vary according to the range and newness of the model). Adobe Students of all kinds can get access to Adobe tools for less. The student discount can be used by those attending university or college, but also anyone in primary or secondary school education. It’s well worth looking into this, as it will save you over 65 per cent. UniDays UniDays offers regular discount codes just for students, on all sorts of goods and services. It comes in handy app and web form so you can browse the latest deals whenever you want. Amazon Prime Student For a whole host of other kinds of discounted goods and services to get creative with, it’s worth signing up for Amazon Prime Student. Read more: How to make money on Instagram as a creative 50 free web tools 6 ways to save money as a freelancer View the full article

You’ve been browsing different design portfolios for ages, and you’ve finally found the perfect illustrator to collaborate on your latest project. But how do you make sure you get the very best from them? Read on for five tips from leading agencies on how to commission illustration the right way. 01. Set a clear brief Commissioning great illustration is about great communication. To make sure this happens, set a clear brief covering exactly what you want in an image and the style, as well as the timeline. Make it plain why you're commissioning that person for that job, and give them as much information as possible to let them interpret that creatively. 02. Respect your collaborators Nothing makes for a better working relationship – whether between a brand and agency, agency and illustrator, or all three – than trust, respect, and dialogue. "It's a balance between respect for who you are as a brand and flexibility to impose no limits on the creativity," says artist Dennis Osadebe. "A great client is one who can communicate effectively and understands the importance of allowing the artist to embrace their talent." 03. Think about scale When commissioning illustrations for packaging design, remember the canvas will generally be pretty small. You have to strike a balance between work that's suitably detailed as to be interesting close up, but is also bold, visible and legible enough to stand out on the shelf. 04. Consider specialising Hired Guns Creative and Thirst Craft are two branding agencies that specialise in drinks clients. According to Hired Guns Creative, specialisation was initially a scary move, but has been "a fantastic thing." Thirst Craft – the agency behind the branding scheme for Loch Lomond Brewery that appears in the opening image – echoes its sentiments. "This is our story now, and it's given us a really deep understanding of the drinks industry now and the right questions to ask people," says creative director Matt Burns. 05. Look to the future According to Canadian agency Hired Guns Creative, augmented reality technology is likely to become a big innovation in illustration across alcohol packaging, and is already being used across Australian winery's 19 Crimes wine, which uses an app to show portraits of real former criminals on the labels. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 279 or subscribe. Read more: The designer's guide to illustration 20 illustrators to follow on Instagram Our pick of the best graphics tablets in 2018 View the full article

Values are present in almost every drawing or painting we create – and often, they can make or break a piece. To create a successful image, we must navigate various light effects and quirks of perception. This can often be frustrating! However, the same challenges will always crop up regardless of your subject or medium. Whether you’re figure drawing, painting still lifes, pastel drawing or working plein air, the principles are the same when it comes to values. 9 top tips for drawing in black and white If you are looking to create believable and realistic images, there are some key ideas to get to grips with, and having some methods to hand to help solve common problems will help your work flow more smoothly. The more we practise, the more intuitive working with values becomes. For the past ten years, I’ve studied and taught drawing and painting, picking up some useful advice and tips for how to draw along the way. In this workshop I’ll share some of these tips with you. Let’s get started… 01. Separate light and shadow Making a distinction between light and shadow families is fundamental This is the foundation for all shading decisions. First make a distinction between the ‘light family’ and the ‘shadow family’ (shown above). The light family consists of all areas that are touched directly by the light source. A good way to test this is to look at your subject from the direction of the light, so you can see what the light can ‘see’. The shadow family consists of everything that is hidden from the light source. This includes all shadows and reflected light areas. 02. Use a value scale Get your head around tonal relationships with a scale A value scale is a tool that will help you understand tonal relationships. I recommend a nine-step scale because it has a middle value. You can make a value scale by marking nine swatches, as shown above. Then, using light lines, begin with swatch 1 (as dark as you can go) and 9 (leaving as just paper). Then add an estimate for tone 5 in the middle. Now, add tones 3 and 7. Add the remaining tones to complete the scale. For more details, see my tutorial. 03. Relativity of value Which square looks darker to you? Our perception of how bright something is changes depending on what surrounds it. The example above shows the same 50 per cent grey surrounded by black and white. Can you see how the grey looks much darker against the white background? This effect happens all the time when we draw from observation and it can really throw off our value judgements. 04. Light effects As light hits an object, there are many effects to be aware of. Click on the diagram below to see how light spills over an object and creates areas of light and shade. Click to see the full size diagram 05. Reflected light Drawing correct reflected lights gives a great sense of volume. To create a realistic sense of light, it’s important to understand what affects the intensity of indirect (reflected) light. The first is local value. This is the ‘actual’ brightness of an object, independent of light effects. Lighter materials reflect light more strongly than darker materials. Another factor is distance – the further reflected light has to travel, the weaker it gets. The image here shows the effect of distance on a white material with maximum reflective strength. Scroll left to right in the gallery above with the arrows to see these influences in action. 06. Three common shading mistakes Get your shading just right by avoiding these common mistakes The first common shading mistake is making reflected lights too light (1). This creates confusion between halftones and reflected lights, making it difficult for the viewer to interpret the image. The second is making light halftones too dark (2). This results in a dirty look. The third is making dark halftones too light (3), which takes away from the sense of form. 07. Make a value study Break down your subject into groups of values Get your head around confusing values by organising them into groups in a separate drawing (a value study). The goal is to summarise the image by grouping similar tones together. Four or five value groups are ideal. Define the lightest and darkest tones, then find two to three tones that are most common in the image. Do your best to combine similar values. You should now have a clear plan for establishing values. 08. Test your understanding Experiment with creating shade in new media and from memory It’s always good to conduct experiments. Work with both artificial and natural light and note the differences. Try out a variety of media in order to learn how to take advantage of each. Try and create images from imagination. Can you remember all 11 effects from tip #4? Are you successfully avoiding the three common shading mistakes? The image above shows different students’ drawings of John Asaro’s Planes of the Head, shading 100 per cent from imagination. 09. Limited range and value compression Light contrasts found in nature are hard to replicate in art A value range describes how big the spectrum is between the lightest light and darkest dark. Each medium has its own range. Nature has an enormous range: from the brightest light (the sun) to the darkest dark (complete blackness). Often it is difficult to match the range of nature in your art. The solution is to diminish contrast at both ends of the spectrum. 10. The light guide A sphere is useful for referencing light in a scene To understand the light in a scene, draw a little sphere and indicate the light direction, the brightness of the shadows, and the strength of reflected light. In a complex image, you can make a light guide for individual objects. To study nature, hold up an egg in different light scenarios and observe how these three aspects change in different environments. This article was originally published in Paint & Draw. Related articles: How to paint with acrylic washes Prepare a board for painting in 3 easy steps How to paint realistic waves in Photoshop View the full article

Want to master the art of coding? Knowing how to code in multiple different programming languages can be the key to opening up new job opportunities and career paths for yourself. With Pay What You Want: Learn to Code 2018 Bundle, you'll get your hands on a comprehensive training bundle, and you can pay whatever price you want for the entire thing. In this bundle, you'll practise building eight different Python apps, use iOS 11 and Swift 4 to create usable iPhone apps, and construct real projects to gain experience with React. You'll also gain a solid foundation in MySQL, Javascript, and Java 9. All this knowledge can be yours for whatever price you name. Related articles: The web designer's guide to Flexbox The web designer starter toolkit Beware the cutting edge of web design View the full article

Every place in the world has its own style and cultural influence, which can be a great source of inspiration for a designer. Here, we showcase a selection of travel poster designs created by artists and inspired by many wonderful and diverse places on Earth – and beyond... 01. Travel posters from Mexico Rita Duczmańska documented the often overlooked parts of travelling Rita Duczmańska documented her trip to Mexico by designing a series of posters on the trip. The series includes colourful prints of parrots and flamingoes, as well as posters depicting often overlooked elements of travelling, including noisy flights, jet lag and diarrhea. Check out the full series on her Behance page. 02. Dailies This poster forms part of a set formed over 16 days for a design challenge named Dailies As part of a 16-day daily design project, Toral Bheda created a series of travel posters that use simple elements related to each country and transformed them into a poster. We particularly like the simple design and pared-back colour palette of the poster above, depicting the Maldives. See the full set here. 03. Round the world Night & Day is David Popov's abstract artistic expression of his experience in New York This Night & Day New York design was part of an illustrative travel project by Pop & Pac's David Popov. An ongoing, self-initiated project, Popov created a series of abstract posters as a visual expression of the experiences he's had on his travels around the world. He has created prints for many cities and countries, including London, Paris, Bangkok and Italy. Popov's designs have been so well received that they are now available to buy online. 04. San Francisco Simple, clever design created by graphic designer Suzanne Pfutzenreuter Graphic designer Suzanne Pfutzenreuter is the lady behind these contemporary poster designs for San Francisco's Travel Spring 2013 campaign. Every year, the company chooses a handful of 'must see' events to promote in the city, which Pfutzenreuter has illustrated here, tying the event with a San Francisco icon. Which is your favourite? 05. Orient calls Mune Satomi's choice of composition and colour in this poster sells the Orient perfectly Type the search term 'travel posters' into Google and you'll be presented with thousands of examples of vintage posters. But this 1936 Orient Calls poster by Mune Satomi caught our eye. This beautiful composition and colour palette was entirely handcrafted. 06. London Graphic artist Neil Stevens was inspired by old airline baggage tags When London-based creative illustrator, image-maker and graphic artist Neil Stevens came across some old airline baggage tags, he decided to turn them into a series of posters. Stevens created prints for various airports, all of which can be purchased online. 07. Have you ever been to... How many places on Federica Bonfanti's list have you been to? We just love this awesome travel-inspired print by designer and artist Federica Bonfanti. Similar to the well-known 1,000 Places to See Before You Die book, this poster lists 84 places around the world, each with carefully chosen typography that best suits the country it represents, accompanied by a beautifully illustrated icon. How many can you tick off the list? 08. Free Rider This print aims to promote cycling This beautiful print was created in 2011 by graphic designers Petros Afshar and Sammi Swar. Part of a series of illustrations, the artwork's aim was to promote cycling as an alternative way to travel. The duo said, "The content is a collective exhibition of text, illustrations and photographs on the fondness we have with bicycles in a global and digital era." 09. Petit Belle Johnny Kotze created this gorgeous piece to raise money for the Canadian Children's Hospital Illustrator and designer Johnny Kotze created this piece for the Canadian Children's Hospital and annual charity event The Snowflake Ball. Auctioned off to raise money, the theme was Springtime in Paris. Kotze comments, "I went for more of a winter theme with a snow globe-inspired Paris city scene. It's got landmark sights the Arc de Triomphe on the right, The Notre Dame on the left and of course the famous Eiffel Tower in the centre." 10. Switzerland This Switzerland poster is just one of many iconic designs created by American artist David Klein We couldn't curate a list of travel posters without including one of iconic designs created by American artist David Klein – the man who illustrated dozens of posters for Howard Hughes' Trans World Airlines (TWA) in the 1950s and '60s. Klein designed numerous posters advertising travel in the US and abroad, and in 1957, his New York piece became part of the permanent collection at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC. View the full collection of Klein's work here. 11. Let's Travel Somewhere Ines Gamler created a series of posters to promote Let's Travel Somewhere Let's Travel Somewhere is a collaborative project that aims to capture the essence of every country through beautiful photography and gripping stories. To promote the project, designer and illustrator Ines Gamler developed these brilliantly minimalist posters, each depicting an area of the world through a simple icon of that area's most recognisable mode of transport. 12. Istanbul This is one of three minimalist poster designs by designer Maxwell Rasche This retro-style, minimalist poster design is one of three by designer and art director Maxwell Rasche. Other designs include posters for Sydney and Amsterdam, all of which use the same colour scheme, feature illustrations of buildings synonymous with the countries, and incorporate fonts from Lost Type Co-Op. 13. San Francisco These vintage inspired posters will have you wishing for a summer holiday Graphic designer Alex Asfour has designed a whole range of vintage-inspired travel posters, including this one for Airbnb to promote Miami. It shows the Downtown view of the Miami river. You can see more of his designs in this post. And now for something a little different... 14. Travel posters for lazy people While on the hunt for travel posters, we came across this awesome series of alternative, tongue-in-cheek designs. Here, illustrator Caldwell Tanner has created some brilliant travel posters for all you lazy people. Genius. See the full series here. The internet; a refreshing way to waste the day You're never too old to eat something older than you Related articles: 10 inspiring examples of typography poster designs The top 25 movie posters of all time The designer's guide to printing a poster View the full article

This list of the best tablets in Walmart has been designed to make your life easier if you're shopping for a new device and you're not sure which option is right for you. Walmart has a great selection of brilliant tablets, from Apple iPads to tablets running Android or Windows 10 – and they regularly have good deals on them, too. The best cell phones at Walmart We've scoured the retailer's website to find the best prices on the top tablets at Walmart, and our smart price comparison tool will make sure that you get the best deal possible. (Or, if you're after a tablet and don't mind which retailer you get it from, take a look at our best tablet with stylus buying guide.) Read on for the best tablets at Walmart – and the best prices – right now... Our pick of the best tablets at Walmart right now New iPad (2018) This year's iPad tablet from Apple is our pick of the best overall tablet you can buy from Walmart. This is a tablet that does everything well, with a good screen quality, excellent camera and great performance for the price. Speaking of price, it's not that expensive compared to other Apple products, and the 2018 version also supports the Apple Pencil stylus (which you'll need to buy separately). You can choose between 32GB and 128GB capacities, and the 9.7-inch display is bright, vibrant and crisp. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is another all-round excellent tablet that can handle almost any task. It comes with a beautiful HDR (high dynamic range) 9.7-inch screen, which makes media and images really stand out. Battery life is good, it has a fantastic camera and you can expand the 32GB storage space to 400GB with a microSD memory card. This is a tablet that can be pricey, but Walmart has some excellent deals that will help you get this tablet for a competitive price. Apple's iPad Pro is the best high-end tablet Walmart offers. It expands on everything we love about the regular iPad, packing in more powerful hardware and an improved screen to make it a brilliant tablet for productivity. The new ProMotion screen is a particular highlight. It features a refresh rate of 120Hz - twice the rate of standard tablet screens – which makes games and media look amazing. It also means the iPad Pro feels fast and responsive, especially if you're drawing with the Apple Pencil stylus. If you don't mind going for a slightly older tablet, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 offers brilliant value for money, making it our pick for the best cheap tablet at Walmart. It comes with some excellent features, such as 32GB internal storage and support for microSD cards up to 128GB for even more space to keep apps and files. It also has a fantastic 2,048 x 1,536 Super AMOLED display and enough powerful innards to keep this tablet running quickly and smoothly despite its age and price. iPad mini 4 If you're looking for a smaller tablet from Walmart that's a bit easier to carry around and hold than some of the larger slates, then the iPad mini 4 is well worth your consideration. It comes in a shrunk down-design that, as you'd expect from Apple, looks fantastic, and the latest version comes with a screen upgrade and more powerful components. Walmart offers some great deals on this diminutive tablet, so if you're on the lookout for a 7-inch slate, this is the one to get. Walmart offers a great selection of Android and Apple tablets, and it also stocks some brilliant Windows tablets as well. These tablets run Windows 10 – an operating system that works very well on tablet devices – and allow you to run regular programs such as Photoshop, rather than lumbering you with apps. The Surface Pro is the best Windows tablet Walmart currently sells, and as you'd expect, it comes with some brilliantly powerful components and excellent features, and a price tag to match. Acer makes some brilliant tablets, and the best one you can buy at Walmart is the Acer Switch 5. This is another Windows tablet, and it's a great alternative to the Surface Pro above. It can be used as both a tablet and a laptop-like device, making it a great little productivity device for students and professionals. The display is good (though not quite as good as the Surface Pro's), and it's a dab hand at drawing as well if you use a stylus. This unique tablet comes with a projector built into it. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro also features a fantastic 10.1-inch screen, which makes it a large tablet that's great for media and productivity, and its sound quality is great as well. Thanks to the integrated projector, this is a fantastic tablet for presentations, and it's our pick for the best Lenovo tablet that Walmart currently offers. Related articles: The best phones at Walmart The best drawing tablet The best drawing tablets at Walmart in 2018 View the full article

Threatpost talks to Commvault's Matt Tyrer about the recent COSCO ransomware attack. View the full article

Just as fashions come and go, so too do logo designs. Even a design classic and wardrobe staple such as the Burberry logo (above) has to be consigned to the sale rail at some point. That's just what happened today as Burberry launched its new logo and monogram on Instagram. The new logo (below) 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. Before being put out to pasture, this chivalric design was last updated in 1999 when the brand dropped the letter 'S' from its name, switching from Burberrys to Burberry. As you can see, the new logo goes for a straightforward text-based approach. The only design element to be carried over appears to be the black colour scheme, which in the original logo represented strength and durability. Meanwhile, Italian designer Riccardo Tisci's new monogram takes the initials of the fashion brand's founder, Thomas Burberry, and weaves them into an interlocking and colourful design decked out in orange, white and beige. Accompanied by the hashtag #newera, Tisci is pinning his colours to the mast as he takes the company in a new creative direction. In a series of Instagram post published simultaneously by Tisci and Burberry, we get a unique glimpse into the creative process behind the new logo and monogram. It appears that the fashion label imposed an incredibly tight turnaround time of just four weeks for a project that usually takes at least four months. We wonder if these email transcripts have been airbrushed, "you must be crazy" sounds like a restrained way to respond to that deadline. So are the new designs trend setters or fashion victims? As we've come to expect from a rebrand, public opinion on social media has been split, with many mourning the loss of the recognisable equestrian logo. (One user commented that they should BurBURY the new look.) It is a shame to see the back of the knight and horse motif, however we're not so upset to wave goodbye to that old font. And if Burberry want to add a dash of contemporary style to their look, we'd say it's mission accomplished. As the 'prorsum' standard on the old logo used to say: 'forwards'. Related articles: 4 awesome examples of handmade type in branding 6 great logo ideas that break the mould 5 logo design trends for 2018 View the full article

The final tweaks that you make to your image can be the most crucial part in your painting process. That’s the part that you often agonise over, too. It’s easy to create art, but to perfect it is a whole other story. The adjustment tools have always been a part of Photoshop for this reason. Long before so many other tools have been deemed important – tweaking your image in the closing stages always has been. They range from tonal corrections to colour-editing sliders, but they all hold their own uses in the program. Get 15% off Creative Cloud with our exclusive offer Everyone has their favourite adjustment tools, but while some people utilise them throughout their workflow, they’re often seen as a unifier of a project at the end. The adjustments are such an integral part of Photoshop CC, that it’s worth learning what each of them do. They work best in tandem with one another, but the key – like any part of Photoshop, including using Photoshop actions – is simply to experiment with what works for you, as many of the fixes overlap. Once you’ve mastered these tools, you’ll never end a project without them again. We've divided these adjustments into four areas: tonal fixes, colour tools, creating a comic-book effect and applying filters. Tonal fixes in Photoshop 01. Add an adjustment layer Add new adjustments layers to make....adjustments There are many ways to add an adjustment layer. Either go to the top bar and click Layer > Adjustment layer, or add an adjustment panel from Windows > Adjustments. Alternatively, click the circle icon at the bottom of the layer panel. The Brightness/Contrast, Levels and Exposure tools give you control over blacks, whites, highlights and shadows in your artwork. Click on the half filled circle next to each layer to bring up the Properties menu for individual adjustment layers. This will enable you to adjust each layer. 02. Adjust brightness and contrast The Levels adjustment histogram is shown on the left box. Click on the top right corner of the image to enlarge The Levels adjustment provides you with a histogram. It can control the brightness, contrast, lights and darks in your image, as well as colour. The Brightness/Contrast tool is another way to tweak images, and relies on sliders. It’s a good second step after using Curves to correct the tone of your image. 03. Alter the whites and blacks in your image Click on the top right corner to enlarge the image In this adjustment window, you can alter the whites and blacks in your image to pick up more or less light and shade. Colour tools in Photoshop Click the top-right corner to enlarge Once you’ve set the tone in your image, it’s time to edit the colour. While Photoshop can’t do anything too drastic with colour without the work looking distorted, it can provide useful edits to your image. While there are plenty of tools in Photoshop to edit the colours in your images, there are just as many to take these effects even further. Black and White, Photo Filter and Selective Color are all tweaks that offer subtlety in your image, but can be vital for finalising the overall look. 04. Use the Hue/Saturation tool The Hue/Saturation tool The Color Balance is similar to the Curves tool, only it provides a far more colour-centric edit, rather than one based on the tone of your picture. The Hue Saturation tool can take individual shades to task with its drop-down menu, and is capable of editing the hue, saturation or lightness of any colour you choose. 05. Adjust the Vibrance in your image Use the slider to adjust the Vibrance in your image Increase the Vibrance of your image without altering the Saturation with the Vibrance adjustment. This is great as a finishing touch to your artwork, because it can make your colours pop even further. 06. Tweak the shades in your image Tweak the tones of the shades in your image using the sliders Black and White simply desaturates your image, but the adjustment comes in the form of sliders that offer you the ability to tweak the tones of each shade in your image. 07. Adjust some colours but not others The Selective Color Adjustment panel If you wish to make one particularly shade stand out from the rest, then the Selective Color adjustment is perhaps the easiest way to do that. It gives you sliders to adjust, and is simple to use. 08. Create a warming or cooling effect The Photo Filter tool is useful for making subjects stand out The Photo Filter tool creates a subtle warming or cooling effect, or a tint of a custom colour. This is useful for applying to subjects in a painting, to make them stand out from their backgrounds. Next page: Create comic book effects and apply filters Create comic-book style effects Comic-style effects are relatively easy to achieve in Photoshop The adjustments aren’t there to improve what you already have in Photoshop. In some cases, they can transform your work in the same way that filters can. Three of these adjustments – the Invert, Threshold and Posterize tools – can be combined to create comic-style effects. 09. Use Threshold adjustment The Threshold adjustment tool is particularly interesting when used at al low Opacity The Threshold adjustment consists of one balance slider. It turns colour or greyscale images into high contrast, black and white images, and produces interesting results when used at a low Opacity. 10. Get a low-fi effect with Posterize Posterize can help create a low-fi effect Posterize is similar to the Threshold tool, but offers you as many levels of colours as you wish. When used as a final flourish in an image, it provides a low-fi, comic book-style effect. 11. Invert your colours The Invert tool does as the name suggests The Invert tool inverts every pixel to the opposite colour and shade. It has no other options. When used on a low Opacity, it can provide you with a foggier, non-contrasted image. Add final touches and use filters Curves, Gradient Map or Color Lookup can change your image dramatically At the end of almost any project, you’ll use one of three adjustments: Curves, Gradient Map or Color Lookup. You may even end up using all three, for they each give you tonal and colour editing abilities to either improve or completely change your painting. 12. Use Curves to alter tone Curves can be used to change the colour channels in an image Curves works by tweaking the strands in the graph, and as well as altering tone, you can use the drop-down menu to change the colour channels, such as red, green and blue in an RGB image. 13. Add filters Everyone loves a good filter, right? The Color Lookup filter gives you a range of preset filters that can change how your photos and artworks can look, ranging from Edgy Amber to Foggy Night, and even some specific camera model effects. 14. Use the Gradient Map to repaint your image Achieve simple sophistication with Soft Light By setting a colour for each shade in your image, the Gradient Map can repaint your image. It’s best used when set to Soft Light for a simple, yet sophisticated filter. This article was originally published in issue 160 of ImagineFX, the world's leading digital art magazine. Buy issue 160 or subscribe here. Related articles: 5 best laptops for Photoshop 60 top-class tutorials to try The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette View the full article

Carrier-grade MikroTik routers are delivering potentially millions of daily cryptomining pages to a single attacker. View the full article

We don’t want to be morbid. But none of us really know how long we have to live. And if the end does come unexpectedly soon, will you have done all the things you really wanted to? No one wants their last moments to be drenched in regret. So in this post, we’re focusing on some things you might want to do sooner, rather than later. And then if you do end up living another 50 years after that? Well then, you’ll just have more time to become an art director or improve your design portfolio, or else binge-watch Netflix and eat pizza. Happy days. 01. Meet your design heroes Behance Portfolio Reviews offer just one way to potentially meet your design heroes Everyone dreams of meeting their heroes. But if your heroes are, say, the Dalai Lama, Will Smith or Taylor Swift, that might be a little difficult to arrange. If your heroes work in design, though, it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. Many of the leading lights in the fields of illustration, graphic design, web design, 3D and animation regularly appear in public at industry-specific conferences, such as our own Generate, and are often quite open to standing around and chatting afterwards. Some events even organise ‘meet and greets’, so you can officially book time with your heroes. Portfolio reviews such as our own upcoming one, pitching events, and design competitions are other potential routes to making contact with your idols. So why are you sitting on your hands? If you need an extra jolt of inspiration, then read this blog post by Simon Wild about how he set about meeting his heroes, the graphic design partnership of Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, and what he got out of it. 02. Read (or re-read) the classics If you haven't read Paul Rand: A Designer's Art, then you should Ever feel that you didn’t follow absolutely everything they tried to teach you at design college? That there are some fundamentals of art and design theory, from the golden ratio to grid theory, that you’ve never properly grasped? That you’ve been kind of muddling through ever since, and that maybe you’d create better design work if there weren't so many gaps in your knowledge? Don’t beat yourself up. ‘Fake it till you make it’ is not a minority pursuit, but the industry norm, and few people are truly expert in all areas of design theory. That said, once you have some practical experience under your belt, you'll probably find that if you revisit those books you struggled with at college, they suddenly make a lot more sense and can genuinely help you improve your craft. And that can be a massive boost to your self-esteem. Get started by checking out our list of 30 books every graphic designer should read. 03. Start (and finish) a passion project Jessica Hische's Daily Drop Cap project attracted plaudits far and wide There’s nothing wrong with working for others, whether they be an employer or freelance client. But following a brief is only ever going to nourish one part of your creative soul. If you truly want to stretch your design muscles, your best bet is always going to be to start your own passion project, aka personal project or side project. The beauty of a passion project is that you only have yourself to please, so at one level at least, it can’t possibly fail. As Yoda says in Star Wars: 'Do or do not, there is no try'. In other words, it’s not about the result, it’s about the process, and what it teaches you about yourself and your own creativity. Learn more about passion projects in our articles How to start a side project and Why you really do have time for creative side projects and Tips for better side projects. 04. Use your design skills for a good cause The Secret 7'' project is creating bespoke record sleeves to raise money for MIND You’ve spent years using your design skills to make profits for your employers. But the work you’re more likely to think of on your death bed will be the pro-bono work you did for the good of society. Yes, it’s nice to give money to charities and non-profits. But giving something of yourself can be both more valuable to the cause, and more personally fulfilling to yourself. In the process, it will probably also stretch you creatively; we tend to see things in a different perspective when not working for money. And it may even end up helping your career (you might be surprised how many influential people you can meet working for charities). For advice, check out our articles The designer's guide to working for nonprofits and The secrets of a creative approach to charity. 05. Take a sabbatical If this sight appeals to you, is it time you did something about it? No one ever lay on their death bed and thought: 'I regret not spending more time at the office'. So why not push the boat out, and take a proper amount of time off, to go travelling, write a book, learn a language, or whatever other dreams you’ve got buried deep in your subconscious? Many companies nowadays offer three-month unpaid sabbaticals. And even if yours doesn’t, there’s no harm suggesting the idea to your boss. A happy employee is a productive employee, after all, and taking some time out is only going to give you fresh perspective and make you a better designer. And if they turn you down? Well, you can always go freelance, and then your schedule is your own. Yes, we know, everyone needs money. But ask yourself how much money you really need to live on, and whether other things in life are more important. The answer may ultimately be no (or not right now, at least). But if you’re not honest with yourself about your hopes and dreams, however are you going to fulfil them? If you need convincing further, watch this talk by Stefan Sagmeister, who explains why his studio takes a full year off, every seven years. 06. Fail at something No one ever got good at skateboarding without falling off, and the same goes for design This might sound like an odd thing to include on a designer’s bucket list. But if you never truly fail at anything, you'll never learn anything. And in the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero: “Life without learning is death". So take risks. Break the rules. Do something outlandish. If it ends up being a disaster, you'll have learned a valuable lesson or two. But it could end up being something amazing and life-changing. You don't know if you try. Otherwise, how can you ever call yourself a "creative"? For more on this topic, read this excellent Medium post by Amalie Barras, How to Fail at Design. 07. Crowdsource an idea Ben Barrett-Forrest's typography playing cards were funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign Always loved the idea of launching a product and starting your own business, but are too financially risk-averse to risk it? Then why not ask other people to raise the money for you? Just a few decades ago, that would have been a crazy notion, but nowadays it's commonplace for creatives to use crowdsourcing platforms like Kickstarter to pursue their dreams at other peoples' expense, from Ben Barrett-Forrest's typography playing cards to Iris Compiet's illustrated book of fairies. That said, it's not a case of just asking for the money and running. Be aware that running a crowdfunding campaign can be an intense, full-time challenge. Because unless you've already got a million social media followers, you'll have to put a lot of work into publicising your campaign and persuading people to actually part with their money. Imagine the sense of achievement and fulfilment, though, once you've achieved your goal and funded your dream purely by making people believe in your creative vision. You'll find detailed advice on how to do it in our posts How to launch a successful Kickstarter and How to crowdfund your next design project. 08. Learn some code Trang Minh Nguyen has been creating daily sketches while learning p5.js and posting them on Instagram. If you're a creative who's not actually a web designer, you'll probably spend your entire career never needing to learn how to code. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take a crack at it. Learning some basic HTML and CSS, having a play, and creating your own basic website can be incredibly liberating. It will give you a greater understanding of how the digital world works, more confidence to talk to developers, and is likely spark new creative ideas in multiple directions. It's kind of like learning a language. Even if you learn just a hundreds words of, say, Spanish, it can make travelling to Spanish-speaking countries a much richer and more rewarding experience. And in the same way, writing just a few lines of code can take you creative places you'd never dreamed of. For pointers on how to get started, read our post Why designers need to learn to code. 09. Teach design Passing on your knowledge to others can be incredibly rewarding You've spent much of your lifetime honing and crafting your design skills. And passing on that knowledge and understanding to others can be an incredibly fulfilling activity. That might be in the form of a formal teaching role; as a mentor to a younger designer; through a volunteer programme like Code Club; by running your own online design courses via a platform such as Skillshare, Udemy or CreativeLive, or by speaking at design events. But however you share your skills, it will give you a whole new perspective on what you know, not to mention a sense of pride and achievement at doing something good for others. And when someone you've taught gives you great feedback, that can be the best feeling of all. In fact, on that topic... 10. Thank your mentors Thank the people who got you where you are We're all familiar with the axiom 'It is better to give that receive'. But while we relish positive feedback from others, we're not always so good at giving it back. If you've found success and fulfilment in your career as a designer, take a step back and think about the people who've helped make that possible. That teacher who really cut through. The manager who became a true mentor. The person who selflessly made the introduction that helped you get your big break. Have you ever thought of sitting down, writing them a thank-you email and updating them on where you are now in your career? Doing so is not only the right and proper thing to do, it will likely give you an enormous sense of well-being and satisfaction into the bargain. 11. Find your dream, and then follow it Your true dreams may be buried in your subconscious, so take the time to drag them out List features like this one can sometime provide pointers. But if you really want to know what to do before you die, there's no getting around it: you need to gaze deep into your soul. Everyone has heartfelt desires that they desperately wish to fulfil. But life often gets in the way and we end up repressing them, sometimes even forgetting them, in the struggle to 'just get by'. So our honest advice is to take some time off, switch off your smartphone, and allow your brain to reset. Only then are can you really know what you want to achieve, and what will make you happy. Once you do, you'll find that pursuing your dream is pretty straightforward: a case of overcoming some well-worn obstacles. Take inspiration from these creatives, in our post 8 challenges to overcome to achieve your creative dreams. Read more: View the full article

At first glance, Adobe Lightroom CC may seem complicated to use, but with a bit of practice, you'll become a master. And that's what Lightroom CC Crash Course aims to help you do. You'll learn how to organise your photos, backup your work, adjust and retouch your images, and share them with others. Best of all, you'll be learning under the tutelage of Kasia Zmokla, a digital artist, graphic designer, and photographer who has over 20 years of experience in the field. She was trained at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland, and she graduated as a Master of Fine Arts in 2003. Under her wing, you'll become a pro photo editor in no time at all. Discover how to make your images pop and stand out like never before, with Lightroom CC Crash Course – yours for just $18. Related articles: Lightroom CC 2018 review The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette 5 best laptops for Photoshop View the full article

When you're painting rippling water with something in it, you’re taking on the task of painting a disrupted reflection. This can be tricky to imagine, so I often like to make my own reference before I start. For this painting, I'm going to use oils, so I'll draw upon some oil painting techniques. Don't miss our general painting techniques post for more tips and tricks on the subject. 01. Make some reference My homemade reference used a toy, some water and a palette I use a mirror, my palette and a toy and I stir the water to get the ripples and then take a photograph to work from. You can also leave your reference next to you if you can, in order to experiment with different water effects. Once your reference is made, you're ready to go... 02. Start with the dark colours I start with the darks of the water as my base. When you're working in oils, you usually work from dark to light anyway, so this is a natural approach. You can work thin and with your more transparent hues. Your transparent colours will be Indian Yellow, Oxides (red, orange, yellow, and brown are a few I use), Viridian, Alizarin Crimson, Phthalo Blue and Ultramarine, to name a few. A reflection will tend to be darker than the object being reflected. The shadows from objects will similarly have some reflection but will usually make what’s below the water visible, and the values are usually darker as well. You can have fun with this stage and get all those dark and saturated colours mixed around. Let this dry (if you’re working en plein air, you should work thin). 03. Add the light colours In this oil painting of Tristan and Isolde, Aaron Miller captured rippled water with a limited palette, locking in his value ranges When you start on the lighter colour, the reflection of the sky, it’s best to premix the gradient. It makes the decision about which colours to pick easier! In areas where there is contrasting detail, choose one to focus on and consider painting back into the sky reflection with the shadow colours. To create the ripples in the painting, it’s much easier to paint the gradient of the reflected sky over most of the area and paint the darks back in again. This article originally appeared in Paint and Draw magazine. Read more: How to mount your artwork How to draw: 103 tutorials How to draw a rose: beginner and advanced tips View the full article

Even the best logos need to be updated to fit in with the modern age, which is why on the 50th anniversary of the International Symbol of Access (ISA) – aka the symbol of a wheelchair user – Visibility93 is calling for a redesign of the logo most of us associate with disability. In order to start the conversation, Visibility93 has launched a new icon font, with each letter representing a different type of disability, including ADHD, anxiety, lupus and dyslexia. The idea is to inspire the design community to make a new logo that represents lots of different types of disability – both visible and invisible – and to spark conversation and debate about the symbols that should be used to depict disability. The symbol for Crohn’s and Colitus Visibility93 was set up by designers from McCann London, many of whom have relatives or loved ones that have invisible disabilities. Wheelchair users are estimated to make up 5-7 per cent of the disabled population, meaning that at least 93 per cent of the disabled population have invisible or less visible disabilities (hence the name Visibility93). This also means that the current symbol doesn't represent most disabled people. The new icon font in full (click on the top-right corner to enlarge) Dan Howarth, head of art at McCann London, said: "Our ambition is that different communities – whether design, charity, people with disabilities and the public – come together to create a new ISA that is inclusive of all people with disabilities." The campaign coincides with the UK government announcement that it plans to overhaul the Blue Badge system, enabling people who have invisible disabilities as well as visible ones to have Blue Badges, and therefore access to accessible parking. The Blue Badge scheme is just one potential use for a new symbol depicting disability. A new logo also could help those with invisible disabilities feel more comfortable using accessible spaces. The symbol for depression What do you think of the new symbols? We think the attempt to reimagine disability is welcome, but the way it's been done is potentially contentious. Some people may find the symbol used to depict the disability they have as offensive – how many of those who have depression, for example, will feel represented by the symbol above? Others may feel left out if their disability is not included. The use of traditional symbols for men and women – which are arguably fast becoming out of date (if they're not already) – also feels like it could do with a rethink. But as the team behind these logos say, these symbols are: "in no way a finished set – far from it." And this opening up of conversation and inviting others to become part of a change in the way that we represent disability – and potentially therefore think or talk about – is definitely a step forward. "We urge our peers in the design community to get involved, add to them and help evolve the language we use to depict disability," says Howarth. So go ahead, get involved. You can start by downloading the font at the Visibility93 website and following the conversation on Instagram. Read more: Help design the new Firefox logo Accessibility in web design Amazing art from mental health awareness week View the full article

To create products that look beautiful and are comfortable to use, you'll need to know the design strategies behind effective user interface. With UI & UX Design Bootcamp, you'll learn all the skills a UX strategist needs to know. You'll learn how to develop projects successfully, including how to interview users and lead a UX team to the finish line. You'll gain hands-on experience by creating a stock market app on your own, and you'll learn how to develop a loyal customer base by creating habit-forming products. Learn all this and more with UI & UX Design Bootcamp – it's yours for just $39, 96% down from the list price. Related articles: How to design a bitcoin UX 6 trends that are changing the face of UX The theory of UX View the full article

What's it like moving from an agency to a start-up? Creative developer Steven Roberts joined Asemblr, a start-up in the corporate events space, in February after working at an agency. In his new role, he's focusing more on the user as head of user experience. We catch up with him to discuss the difference between startup and agency culture and preview his Generate London workshop, which will look at building a web-based music player. How’s your new role going and how does working at a start-up differ from an agency? It’s going great. We’re currently designing the next generation of the platform, which will be launching in the summer. While my previous roles were primarily advertising-based, now I’m designing software as a service (SAAS). The platform has a lot of moving parts, which have been a challenge to design. There’s been a huge difference in the transparency of the company in terms of involvement. I know what I’m going to be doing for the next few months, whereas in an agency setting it could be day to day. Working within a SAAS company, there’s one single focus instead of a number of projects flying around, which has been a change of pace for me. I’m also getting to be more of an advocate for the user in my new role, primarily because I’ve had far more time to learn and discover who the user is. Have you discovered any cool tools along the way? I’ve not had a lot of time to use many new tools but the standout for me at the moment is Spirit. It gives designers and developers the ability to create animations in the browser using a timeline, similar to Flash. The animations are running on GSAP in the backend, so the animations are really smooth and cross-browser compatible. Although currently in beta, the developer is hopeful for a full release soon. I’ve created a quick example of what you can do with it in just five minutes over on CodePen. What’s the web-design scene like right now in the North-East of England? It’s exciting. There are a number of companies in the Middlesbrough Boho Zone producing some wonderful work and working with high-profile clients. Hopefully this will attract and keep new and upcoming talent from leaving the area. There are also a number of great companies in Newcastle and a couple of conferences. Frontend NE, which is a local meetup, successfully put on its first conference this year. Design It; Build It (DIBI) runs events in Newcastle too. How important is music in your life and why do you think so many web designers are in bands? Music plays a huge part in my life. I’ve played guitar since I was 14 and have been in a number of bands. I find listening to music while I’m working to be productive, although sometimes I find podcasts to be good for concentration too. I think many of us are in bands because it’s another outlet for creativity. Being in a band also promotes teamwork, discipline, leadership and ownership, all of which are part of our jobs, so it’s easy to adapt to the band environment. Tell us about the workshop you’ll be giving at Generate London. I’m really looking forward to it; it should be a fun day. We’re going to be building a web-based music player interface inspired by the likes of Spotify and Google Music. I’ll be teaching the new CSS layout properties – CSS Grid and Flexbox – as well as utilising SVG as an icon system and, to top it all off, we’ll style the interface using custom properties in order to provide themes. We’ll be using very little JavaScript and concentrating on CSS and HTML to build a responsive interface for modern browsers. This article was originally published in issue 309 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 309 or subscribe to net. Want to hear more from Steven Roberts on harnessing the power of the grid? Steven Roberts is giving his workshop How to Build a Music Player Interface at Generate London from 19-21 September 2018 If you're interested in learning about how you can become a Flexbox aficionado or CSS Grid sensation, make sure you've picked up your ticket for Generate London. A frontend designer and developer currently working as creative developer for Asemblr.com, Steven Roberts will be delivering his workshop – How to Build a Music Player Interface – in which he will show you how to build a Spotify-style music player that will scale to any screen size, as well as giving you a firm grounding in Flexbox, CSS Grid and SVG sprites. Generate London takes place from 19-21 September 2018. Get your ticket now. Related articles: The web designer's guide to Flexbox Fashion flexible layouts with CSS Grid Create a responsive layout with CSS Grid View the full article

If Apple only put its standard stylus – the Apple Pencil – in the box with all its iPads, we probably wouldn't need to write this 'best iPad stylus' buying guide. But the tech giant's own pointer costs a packet to buy separately, and it doesn't even work with all iPads. Luckily there's a thriving market of iPad styluses (or stylii, if you prefer) with options available from both established brands and innovative crowd-funded firms. Whether you need an iPad stylus for drawing or furiously scribbling notes, there's an ideal option for you here. In the following guide, we'll tell you about the best iPad styluses with integrated buttons so you can customise to different functions, and we'll help you decide whether am iPad stylus with a hard nib or soft nib is likely to be better for your requirements. Read on to find out exactly what stylus for your iPad you should buy – and where to buy it for the best price. The Apple Pencil is, of course, the natural choice of stylus for iPad – but only if you own one of the only two iPads that are compatible with it: an iPad Pro or sixth-generation iPad (2018). If you do, there isn't a better stylus to write and draw with on the market. Not only is it exceptional comfortable to use, Apple has eliminated many of the issues that can dog other styluses – such as inadequate palm rejection and clear lag that instantly makes you feel disconnected to what you're producing on the screen. The astonishing pressure levels mean that the Apple Pencil reproduces your movements perfectly, at even the most acute angles, and it enhances all your favourite creative iOS apps. The bottom line is that if you've forked out the cash for an iPad Pro, you'd be daft not to swallow the extra expense and go straight for an Apple Pencil. Also read: Apple Pencil review Wacom boasts an industry-leading reputation thanks to its fabulous range of dedicated drawing tablets. So it's only natural that the company produces an attractive line of styluses as well. As well as being our favourite iPad stylus for artists, the Wacom Bamboo Sketch also takes the plaudits for general use on the iPad Air and iPad Mini series thanks to its all-round compatibility on iOS devices. Rather than trying to exactly mimic a traditional rounded pen, the Bamboo Sketch favours an ergonomic triangular design for better grip. It's an excellent all-rounder, but its fine tip and pressure-sensitive nibs make it just about as close an experience to sketching on paper as you can get. With an epic battery life (recharged via USB) it uses Bluetooth to connect to your iPad, which brings the integrated shortcut buttons into play, too, enabling you to set up handy shortcuts within your chosen iOS apps. If you're an artist or designer who's become completely reliant on your iPad but you do more than just sketching, then the Sensu Artist Brush could be what you're looking for. It looks, acts and feels like a real paint brush, complete with capacitive bristles. There's no battery required here, so the Sensu Artist Brush is super light and svelte. Combine it with your chosen iPad apps, and your digital art workflow should speed up. And if you're worried that this all sounds a bit niche, fear not: the Sensu Artist Brush is a 2-in-1 product. Pop on the rubber cap, and you can use it like a traditional stylus for navigating around your iPad (or any other touchscreen device) with speed and accuracy. If you've not heard of Adonit, it's because the 2010 Kickstarter firm doesn't have any where near the clout of the likes of Apple and Wacom. But Adonit specialises in styluses, and the company is pretty good at what it does. The Adonit Pro range has now hit its third incarnation, and with its textured grip and precision disc tip, it's the ideal tool for note-taking on your iPad. It's designed to feel akin to using a regular ballpoint pen, can be used on all iPad touchscreens and is relatively inexpensive. Unlike the two styluses above, this is a non-connected option. That means no frustration when you realise the battery's empty and also that you can use it on pretty much any touchscreen device – not just Apple iPads. If you're not sold on the idea of spending upwards of $20/£20 on a simple pointing device, and don't need the specialised functioning of the iPad styluses above, then Adonit's budget option – the Adonit Mark – is worth considering. Despite its cheap price tag, this stylus has been designed to feel as comfortable as possible in your hand, with its triangular anti-roll design. It retains the precision you'd expect from the sole-purpose stylus manufacturer, largely thanks to its smudge-free mesh tip. The Adonit Mark won't win any innovation awards, but if you just want a stylus for navigating around your iPad, you won't find a better cheaper iPad stylus than this. Related articles: The best tablets with styluses 10 top new best tools for traditional artists Best cheap Wacom tablets you can buy View the full article

Wacom has dropped the prices of its groundbreaking pen computer, the MobileStudio Pro, so you can get your hands on some state-of-the-art creative kit for a significant discount – up to $300 / £300 off. US: Save $300 on the Wacom Studio Pro UK: Save £300 on the Wacom Studio Pro If you're after a portable, all-in-one design solution for the new school year – or just to help you get some vector art or logo design done while you're out and about – this is a cracking Wacom deal for you. Combining the portability of an iPad Pro with the power of a full-fat Windows PC, the MobileStudio Pro enables you to use all your professional desktop software, without being tethered to a studio – so you can work whenever and wherever you want. The MobileStudio Pro comes in 13- and 16-inch flavours Discounts are available across the MobileStudio range, so if you're on a budget you can get money off the entry-level 13-inch model with a Core i5 processor and 64GB SSD. But if you're feeling a bit more flush you can save on a massive 16-inch model with all the power and SSD space you're likely to need. When we reviewed the MobileStudio Pro last year we were really impressed by its power, portability and build quality, as well as useful features such as customisable ExpressKeys and a pen with 60 degrees of tilt and over 8,000 levels of sensitivity. So if you think you need a MobileStudio Pro in your life, especially at a sweet discount, head over to Wacom US or Wacom UK and take a look. Related articles: Wacom Pro Pen 3D review The best drawing tablet: our pick of the best graphics tablets in 2018 Wacom launches new Wacom Cintiq Pro graphics tablets View the full article

You're reading Design Trends for Fixed Navigation Menus in Web Design, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Designing a navigation takes some careful planning. You need to think about what your users might look for and what type of nav would fit best in your layout. Some designers prefer smaller navigation bars while others like huge mega-menu designs. … View the full article

Your comfort zone might be lovely and comfortable, but it's not the place to do your best design work – the world's best logos and packaging design were certainly not created by playing it safe. if you want to take things to the next level, you're going to have to shake things up a bit. 10 ways to transform your creative thinking The team at Taxi Studio have their own mantra – Fearless Creativity – that they've used this as the basis for an educational short film, produced with D&AD New Blood, in which leading creatives give their take on how they've been fearlessly creative in their careers. "Fearless Creativity is a our mantra but moreover it's our mindset, a commitment to kick mediocrity to the kerb and produce stunning communications that break the mould." says Taxi co-founder Spencer Buck, who also co-directed the short. "Sadly roughly 90 per cent of all creative work produced is shit. Students need to get themselves into the 10 per cent if they want to have a truly fulfilling and distinguished creative career." Jack Renwick appears as a candy-striped asterisk So following on from a series of lunchtime talks at Taxi Studio, where top industry names would come to share their wisdom and supply their thoughts on the idea of fearless creativity, the team had the idea of turning it into an animated film. Pentgram's Marina Miller becomes a fig leaf as she explains how she overcame fears of being exposed Two years later the result is Creative Discomforts, in which a collection of design legends including Laura Jordan-Bambach, Jim Sutherland and Jack Renwick, are recreated as adorable animated characters to illustrate their own tales of fearless creativity. The whole five-minute film is available now; Taxi will also be producing a series of bite-sized clips to distribute in September, just in time for when the latest crop of design students are arriving at university. Buck hopes that students gets something out of the film and that it'll help instil a bit of creative courage in the next generation of designers; but what's been his big moment of fearless creativity? Poor old Jim Sutherland "Well, it takes some balls to invite legends of our industry to take part in an educational film – and then treat them so badly," he says. "But I'm not ashamed to say that we took great delight in breaking James Hilton's bones; stripping Marina Willer bare and chopping Jim Sutherland's leg off." Related articles: 11 of the best creative resumes 8 up-and-coming designers to watch from D&AD New Blood Why designers should face a fear every day View the full article

If you're looking to buy a phone from Walmart, we can help. The retailer is an excellent place to buy a new cell phone, but there's a lot of choice – so we've curated a list of the best cell phones at Walmart right now to help you make the right decision. Whether you're looking for a prepaid Walmart phone with Straight Talk, an unlocked handset, or you're not sure which cell phone you should buy, this article will take you through the very best phones at Walmart, and explain the pros and cons of each. The best drawing tablets at Walmart Prepaid or unlocked cell phones can be used with any mobile network, while Walmart's Straight Talk pre-paid network is an excellent choice if you want a bit of flexibility with your service. You can sign up for Straight Talk for a number of different time periods, such as 30 days, for example. When deciding which is the best cell phone at Walmart for you, there are a few things to consider. The size and design is important – you'll want something that's comfortable to hold. You'll also want to keep an eye on RAM and processors, as these determine how fast the cell phone is. If you're a heavy user who will install lots of games and apps, then go with something that has plenty of RAM and a modern multi-core processor. Most importantly, you need something that suits your budget. There's nothing worse than being locked into a pay-monthly contract that you struggle to afford, while paying for features and extras that you do not need. This is where pre-paid cell phone deals are worth considering. Read on for our pick of the best phones at Walmart right now. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is our top choice for the best phone at Walmart. It boasts a stunning 6.2-inch Super AMOLED screen, which delivers stunning picture quality, and its dual-aperture camera is one of the best we've ever seen in a smartphone. While the large screen size won't be to everyone's tastes, it makes the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus a brilliant cell phone for working on, and even doodling a few digital drawings as well. Plus, it's not that expensive, either. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus from Walmart now If you're looking for a high-end, premium cell phone and have the budget, then the iPhone X is the best phone at Walmart right now. Apple announced the iPhone X (pronounced 'ten') last year, and this radically redesigned iPhone has seriously impressed everyone who got it in their hands. The 5.8-inch OLED screen is the best display ever to grace an iPhone, battery life is very good and the camera is superb. Apple has crammed some very impressive hardware into the iPhone X, making it an excellent performer, and it's added some great new features such as Face ID, which lets you unlock the cell phone by just looking into the camera. Buy the iPhone X at Walmart now If you're looking for a mid-range cell phone at Walmart, one that doesn't cost the Earth thanks to over the top specs and bells and whistles – yet still does the job well, while looking (and feeling) great – then the Huawei Mate 10 Pro is worth considering. Huawei is a name to look out for, as its cell phones (and laptops) are increasingly competing with more established – and more expensive – rivals. Its full HD screen doesn't have the 'wow' factor of the screens found on the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, but it absolutely blows those two phones out of the water when it comes to battery life. It has a huge 4,000mAh battery, which can lead to almost two days' worth of use before you need to charge. The dual-camera setup of the Mate 10 Pro is also excellent. Buy the Huawei mate 10 Pro at Walmart now The Moto E4 Plus is our choice of the best cheap cell phone at Walmart. This is a handset that proves that the best budget cell phones don't need to sacrifice too much to keep their prices low. So, you get a nicely designed phone with a fingerprint scanner, plus a huge 5,000mAh battery that allows the Moto E4 Plus to run for two entire days between charges. Sure, it's a little underpowered, and the camera isn't the best – but for the price, the Moto E4 Plus is brilliant value for money from Walmart. Buy the Moto E4 Plus from Walmart now The iPhone 8 remains Apple's best-selling iPhone for a reason, and that's why it's our pick for the best Walmart phone with Straight Talk. The 4.7-inch screen size will please anyone who has felt that smartphones are getting too big and unwieldy, and it's far more affordable than the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. However, it still boasts some of the best features that come with those more expensive iPhones – such as wireless charging, a brilliant camera and the powerful A11 Bionic chipset that keeps the handset feeling speedy and responsive. A brilliant phone at Walmart. Buy the iPhone 8 at Walmart now The Motorola Moto E4 is the best prepaid phone at Walmart, delivering exceptional value for money. It comes loaded with a recent version of Android, has a quad-core processor that enables it to perform well, and includes support for microSD cards – so you can expand the storage capacity up to 128GB. While this is far from the most powerful cell phone at Walmart, it does an excellent job of providing some of the latest features we've come to expect from modern cells for an excellent price – especially if you buy it with a prepaid offer from Walmart. Buy the Motorola Moto E4 from Walmart now The Samsung Galaxy S9 isn't quite as brilliant as the larger Galaxy S9 Plus – in the number one slot in our best Walmart phones guide – but it's still a very impressive cell phone, and you can buy it unlocked from Walmart. That means you can use it with any network you want without being tied to a contract. It comes with a lovely QHD 5.8-inch screen with Super AMOLED technology, making images look stunning. The camera is incredible, especially in low light conditions, and it's impressively powerful. While this is a pricey cell, you get some excellent premium features for your money, such as Swift biometric security, dual speakers Or – if you'd like most of these features at a much lower price, try the Samsung Galaxy S8. The camera isn't quite as good (but it's still amazing) and you'll need some finger gymnastics to get to the fingerprint scanner on the back. But if that doesn't bother you (and it doesn't bother us), the Galaxy S8 is a very impressive cell – and incredible value for money now. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 from Walmart now Buy the Samsung Galaxy S8 from Walmart now Related articles: The best drawing tablets at Walmart The 6 best smartphones for designers The 28 best iPhone apps for designers View the full article

Making a good logo great is about taking the brief that one step further. Nicely crafted, fit-for-purpose designs that meet, rather than confound, expectations risk blending into the background. It takes that extra spark for a logo to really stick in the mind – and a killer idea is everything. The very best logos use intelligence, wit and unconventional thinking to find that hidden gem that makes them special. Sometimes the solution seems so perfect, it should be obvious – the trick, of course, is making sure you thought of it first. Read on for six examples of logos that eschewed the obvious, took a sideways glance at a design brief and definitely stick in the mind as a result... 01. London Symphony Orchestra The sweeping curve that spells out the LSO acronym doubles as a conductor in mid flow Designed by The Partners (now part of Superunion) in 2001 – and brought to life with multi-award-winning campaign imagery in 2017, to celebrate Simon Rattle joining the orchestra – this inspired logo takes advantage of typographical serendipity, but it's the kind of charming association that many agencies would miss. Defined by a single flowing line, the initials L, S and O trace the shape of an orchestra's conductor in full passionate flow, baton in mid-air – an elegant, simple solution that conveys the joy of live classic music. 02. The Guild of Food Writers Simple but effective use of negative space, like this nib and spoon combo, never fails to raise a smile Smart use of negative space can certainly take a logo from good to great – FedEx's arrow being a case in point – but it's hard to get right. As a rule, it works most effectively when it's simple and elegant, and doesn't labour the point too much. Widely regarded as a standout example of negative space done right, this logo for The Guild of Food Writers by 300 Million achieves just the right balance of graphic restraint and creative wit, with its inspired combination of pen nib and spoon. 03. Agatha Christie Ltd An inspired combination of Agatha Christie's initials with a question mark forms the basis of this identity No list of smart, witty logos would be complete without an inclusion from Studio Sutherl&: Jim Sutherland is a true master of finding a deceptively simple solution right underneath all our noses, and executing it so effectively that you can't believe no one else thought of it. Studio Sutherl&'s recent rebrand of Agatha Christie Ltd starts with the realisation that a monogram of the much-loved author's initials can also incorporate a question mark – the universal symbol of mystery – and expands into a versatile branding system that defines Christie's most iconic characters using only punctuation marks. 04. Spartan Golf Club Golfer taking a powerful swing, or Spartan soldier in plumed helmet – why can't we just have both? When negative space gets more complicated and multi-layered, it takes some careful refinement and true design craft to carry the logo through, and avoid it becoming messy and confusing. Spartan Golf Club nails it. It's fair to say that not many design briefs require a seamless blend between an Ancient Greek soldier and a golfer in mid-swing. Designer Richard Fonteneau must have been through his fair share of iterations before finding the perfect solution, with the golfer's body forming the profile of a Spartan soldier, and the arc of his swing defining the plume of his helmet. 05. VAIO Subtly hinting at both the analogue and digital worlds, the VAIO logo is one of the smartest in its sector With a few notable exceptions – Apple, anyone? – technology firms aren't famed for thinking outside of the box when it comes to their logo design. But when faced with a brief to design a logo for its 'Video Audio Integrated Operation' (later changed to 'Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer', but much better known simply as 'VAIO'), Sony chose a different tack. The logo nods to both analogue and digital technology in a stylish, subtle way – the smooth curve that defines the 'V' and 'A' represents an analogue wave; the 'I' and 'O' become the binary '1' and '0' that are the foundation of all things digital. It could have been a simple typesetting job: instead, it's a logo that keeps on giving. 06. Horror Films Sometimes graphic restraint pays off, for example with this simple but smart depiction of a film reel as a screaming face You'd think a genre as evocative as horror would be a gift for logo designers. That's the danger: going all out for dripping gore and distressed, fragmented type – maybe some slashes, bites and claw marks for good measure – would feel tired, predictable and overworked. It's partly the admirable restraint that makes Siah Design's Horror Films logo stand out in the sector. A simple idea – that a simplified silhouette of a film reel looks remarkably like a screaming face – carries it. Sometimes, that's all it takes. Related articles: The best logos of all time 5 logos that pass the silhouette test Most hated logos and what they teach us View the full article

A criminal posing as a legitimate website publisher on the AdsTerra online advertising network is using maliciously gathered traffic to deliver victims to exploit kits. View the full article

When it comes to Firefox, most people think of the colour critter-cum-web browser that brightens up their desktop. For Firefox though, this isn't quite enough. According to Tim Murray, the creative director at the company's nonprofit owner, Mozilla, there's more to the web browser than is reflected in the current logo design (see below). The previous Firefox logo has been in use since 2017 To help correct this injustice, Firefox revealed in a blog post earlier this week that it wants the public to get involved with helping to evolve its brand. It follows in the footsteps of Mozilla, which open-sourced the process of selecting its new design and brand identity in 2017. The decision to move the Firefox brand forwards through a redesign comes as users find new ways to use internet, with methods that are not truly reflected in the flaming fox design. "As an icon, that fast fox with a flaming tail doesn’t offer enough design tools to represent this entire product family," says Murray. "Recoloring that logo or dissecting the fox could only take us so far. We needed to start from a new place." To create a brand system that truly communicates what Firefox is all about, a team of product and brand designers at Mozilla have reworked its design system. The two systems can be explored below in the gallery by clicking left to right with the arrows. What do you think? If we're being honest, and slightly contrarian, we like the fox icons in system 2, but prefer the geometric icon designs in system 1. Go figure. Crucially though, this isn't a decision by public vote. Firefox is looking for constructive feedback to be left in the comments section of the blog post. And it's important to keep in mind that these icon designs aren't final. You could help shape their look! So if you've got something useful to say, head over to the blog, leave a comment, and help shape a piece of sure to be ubiquitous design. Related articles: 11 places to find logo design inspiration Quiz: guess the logo, can you identify these brands? How to price logo design services View the full article