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  1. Rss Bot
    In this article we'll explore five new properties coming to CSS, take a look at what they do and how to put them to practical use in your projects. We're going to be creating a website layout for a page that includes a newsfeed and a little chat box in the corner. For more CSS tricks, take a look at our article exploring different CSS animation examples. For this tutorial you'll need Chrome 65+ or Firefox 59+. Take a look at the accompanying GitHub repo for the the step-by-step code. We'll leverage the following features to create a better experience and work around some issues. CSS Display Module (Level 3) display: contents; W3C status – Working Draft Browser support CSS Conditional Rules Module (Level 3) @support(...) {...} W3C status - Candidate Recommendation Further reading: MDN web docs CSS Overscroll Behavior Module (Level 1) overscroll-behavior: contain; W3C status – Unofficial Browser support Further reading: Take control of your scroll CSS Selectors Module (Level 4) :focus-within W3C status – Working Draft Browser support Further reading: MDN web docs :focus-within, :placeholder-shown The CSS Containment Module (Level 1) contain: paint; W3C status - Candidate Recommendation Browser support Further reading: CSS Containment in Chrome 52 01. Set up the HTML for the newsfeed First we need to set up some super simple, repeating markup for our newsfeed. Let's create a .container div with an unordered list inside. Give the <ul> the class of .feed, then create 10 list-items each containing a div with the .card class and the text Card 1, Card 2 etc. Finally create another list-item in-between 5 and 6 with a class of .nested – this will be helpful later – and add a <ul> inside with three list items using the text Card A, Card B etc. 02. Style the newsfeed Now we need to add some quick styles so that this starts to look more like a newsfeed. First we can give <body> a subtle grey background colour. Then give .container a max-width of 800px and use margin: 0 auto; to centre align it. Let's also give .card a white background, 10px of padding and margin and finally a min-height of 300px – this should give us enough to make the page scrollable. Lastly we'll sprinkle some Flexbox magic on the .feed to make the items flow nicely, with two cards per row. 03. Fix layout problems If you scroll down the list you'll notice that our cards in the nested list, Card A - C, are causing some layout problems. Ideally we'd like them to flow in with the rest of the cards but they are all stuck together in one block. The reason for this is that a flex container – which is created using display: flex – only makes its immediate children (i.e. the list items) into flex items. Now, normally the only way of fixing this is to change the markup, but let's pretend that you don't have that luxury. Perhaps the newsfeed markup is generated by a third-party script or it's legacy code that you're only trying to reskin. So how can we fix this? Meet display: contents. This little one-liner essentially makes an element behave as if it isn't there. You still see the descendants of the element but the element itself doesn't affect the layout. Because we're pretending we can't change the markup (just for this step) we can be a bit smart about this and make the .card elements the flex items and almost entirely ignore the list markup. First remove the existing .feed li class and then use display: contents for both <ul> and <li> elements: Now you should see the cards flowing in order, but we've lost the sizing. Fix that by adding the flex property to the .card instead: Ta-da! Our cards are now using the wonders of Flexbox as if their structural unordered list markup doesn't exist. As a side note you might be wondering why the flex-basis value is set to 40%. This is because the .card class has a margin, which isn't included in the width calculation as you would expect when using box-sizing: border-box. To work around this we just need to set the flex-basis high enough to trigger the wrapping at the necessary point and Flexbox will fill the remaining space automatically. 04. Explore feature queries Although display: contents does exactly what we need, it is still only at Working Draft status with W3C. And in Chrome support only arrived in version 65 released in March 2018. Incredibly Firefox has had support since April 2015! If you disable the style in DevTools you'll see that our changes have made a bit of a mess with the layout when display: contents isn't applied. So what can we do about this? Time for our next new feature – feature queries. These work just like media queries but they allow you to ask the browser – using CSS alone – if a property and value expression is supported. If they are, the styles contained inside the query will be applied. Now, let's move our display: contents styles into a feature query. 05. Use 'not' for a cleaner outcome Normally in this kind of progressive enhancement scenario we'd use the query to add the new styles, but it would also have to disable some of the original styles necessary for the fallback layout. However you might decide that because support for feature queries is pretty good (if you ignore IE) you actually want to use the feature query not operator. It works just like you'd expect, so we can re-apply our original flex property to the list-items when display: contents is not supported: Inside the not query we can add some styles so that the .nested items basically re-apply what was being inherited by using display: contents. 06. Taking it one step further You can already see the potential of feature queries, but the really cool thing is that you can combine expressions using the three available operators: and, or and not. Perhaps we could also check for display: flex support and then add a float-based fallback. We're not going to do that here, but if we were we'd first modify the two feature queries like so: As a bonus you can also test for custom properties support like this: 07. Add a chat box Now we have a beautiful newsfeed in place, let's add a little chat box that is fixed to the bottom right of the screen. We'll need a list of messages and a text field for the user to enter their message. Add this block just after the opening <body> tag: 08. Style the chat box Time to quickly add some styling so it looks half decent. 09. Scroll chaining Hopefully now you'll have a little chat box with a scrollable list of messages sitting on top of your newsfeed. Great. But have you noticed what happens when you scroll inside a nested area and you reach the end of its scrollable range? Try it. Scroll all the way to the end of the messages and you'll see the page itself will start scrolling instead. This is called scroll chaining. It's not a big deal in our example but in some cases it might be. We've had to work around this feature before when creating scrollable areas inside modals or context menus. The dirty fix is to set the <body> to overflow: hidden, but there is a nice, shiny new CSS property that fixes all of this and it's a simple one-liner. Say hello to overscroll-behavior. There are three possible values: auto – The default, which allows scroll chaining contain – Disables scroll chaining none – Disables scroll chaining and other overscroll effects (e.g. rubberbanding) We can use the shorthand overscroll-behavior or we can target a specific direction with overscroll-behavior-x (or -y). Let's add it to our .messages class: Now try the scrolling again and you'll see that it no longer affects the page's scroll when you reach the end of the content. This property is also pretty handy if you wanted to implement a pull-to-refresh feature in your PWA, say to refresh the newsfeed. Some browsers, such as Chrome for Android, automatically add their own and until now there has been no easy way to disable it without using JS to cancel events using performance-impacting non-passive handlers. Now you just need to add overscroll-behavior: contain to the viewport-containing element, probably <body> or <html>. It's worth noting that this property is not a W3C Standard, rather a proposal by the Web Incubator Community Group (WICG). Popular, stable and mature WICG proposals are considered for migration to a W3C Working Group at a later stage. 10. Collapse the chat box when not in use At the moment the chat box takes up quite a bit of space, which unless we're interacting with it is a bit distracting. Fortunately we can do something about this with a little CSS magic. But first of all we need to modify our existing styles slightly. By default we want the chat box to be collapsed, so we need to reduce the max-height value in the .messages class. While we're there we can also add a transition to the max-height property: Next page: Continue exploring new CSS features in steps 11-20 11. Expand the chat box when it receives focus So our chat box is currently collapsed and unusable. How can we expand it using only CSS? Time for a new feature – the Focus Container pseudo-class :focus-within. This is just like the old faithful :focus pseudo-class selector, but it matches if any of the element's descendants have focus. This is interesting because it is the reverse of how CSS usually works, where you can only select elements based on their ancestors. It opens up some interesting potential. Adding this class will set the max-height of the .messages element to 300px, when anything inside the .chat area receives focus. Remember that an element must accept keyboard or mouse events, or other forms of input, in order to receive focus. Clicking in the <input> will do the job. 12. Take focus further This is nice, but what else can we do? How about blurring the newsfeed when the chat box has focus? Well with the help of the subsequent-sibling combinator (~) we can do this really easily because the markup for the chat box is before the newsfeed markup: That's all it takes! We can soften the effect slightly by adding a transition on the filter property to the original .container class. Now we're not suggesting this is a good idea, but we think it's pretty cool that we can do this with CSS alone. 13. Explore placeholder-shown There are a number of new pseudo-classes described in CSS Selectors Module Level 4. Another interesting one is :placeholder-shown, which matches any input that is showing placeholder text. At the moment our text field doesn't have any placeholder text, so let's add some. And then immediately after the text field add a helper message to show the user. Now add some styling for the helper message, so that by default it is collapsed. 14. Make the prompt visible At the moment the prompt is hidden, so how can we use :placeholder-shown here? Well (most) browsers will display the placeholder text until the field has a value. Just setting focus won't hide the placeholder. This is helpful because we don't want the user to send a blank message anyway, so we can hook into this behaviour to show the prompt only when the user has entered a value. Of course in the real world we'd need some validation too. We can use the negation pseudo-class :not to flip the meaning of :placeholder-shown and show the prompt when the placeholder text is not shown (i.e. the field has a value). Setting the max-height to double the 10px font-size, using 2em, will expand the block and the text becomes visible. Neat. Expect to see some clever uses for this seemingly mundane pseudo-class if it makes it through to the final spec. 15. Bring it all to life We've built the bare bones of a newsfeed with a chat feature using some of the new properties coming to CSS, but at the moment it is lifeless – you can't actually do anything with it. One particularly interesting new feature is CSS Containment, but it is difficult to demo without modifying the DOM. Let's add some super-simple JS to allow us to add messages to our chat box. First of all we need to add an ID to the <input> and the messages <ul>. We can also add a required attribute to the input too. Then create an empty JS file called script.js and add it to the page just before the closing </body> tag so we don't have to wait for DOM ready. 16. Add a sprinkle of JavaScript We need to add an event handler to the <input>, which listens for an Enter keypress, validates the field, takes the value (if valid) and adds it to the end of the messages list, clears the field and scrolls to the bottom of the messages. Something like this will do the job for our demo but don't use this in production! Now when you type in the field and press Enter you'll see your message added to the bottom of the element's list. 17. Add some additional info In order to demonstrate one of the benefits of the final new CSS property contain we need to do something a little contrived. We're going to implement a feature that displays the time a new message was sent in a box at the top of the messages list. This will appear when you hover your mouse over a message. First up we need to add this information to our new messages. We can modify the return line of the createMessage function to add the current time to an attribute. You might have noticed that new messages have an additional class message--mine. Let's add a quick class so they stand out and align to the right of the list. 18. Display the timestamp So our goal is to make the message's timestamp appear at the top of the list of messages, but we need to do it so it is always visible even when the list is scrolled. First off let's try and render the value using a pseudo-element. We only want to do this for our messages. See below. That should display the timestamp inside the message. Let's modify it slightly so it only appears on :hover, has a bit of styling and is fixed to the top of the messages area so it is visible even when scrolled. Hmm, it sort of works but it is appearing at the top of the page rather than the scrollable area. Let's add position: relative to the .messages pane to try and contain it. Ah, it doesn't work either because fixed positioning is anchored to the viewport, not its relative ancestor. Time for our final new property – contain. 19. Explore Containment CSS Containment is an exciting new proposition. It has a number of options that give you the ability to limit the browser's styling, layout and paint work to a particular element. This is of particular benefit when modifying the DOM. Some changes – even small ones – require the browser to relayout or repaint the entire page, which obviously can be an expensive operation even though browsers work hard to optimise this for us. Using CSS Containment we can essentially ring-fence parts of the page and say 'what happens in here, stays in here'. This also works the other way around and the ring-fenced element can be protected from changes made outside. There are four values for contain each with a different purpose. You can combine them as you require. layout – Containing element is totally opaque for layout purposes; nothing outside can affect its internal layout, and vice versa paint – Descendants of the containing element don't display outside its bounds style – Certain properties don't escape the containing element (sounds like the encapsulation you get with the Shadow DOM, but isn't) size – Containing element can be laid out without using the size of its descendants Alternatively you can use one of two keywords as a kind of shorthand: strict is an alias for ‘layout paint style size' content is an alias for ‘layout paint style' Each of these values are a little opaque so I would recommend reading the spec and playing around with them in DevTools to see what actually happens. The two important values are layout and paint as they offer performance optimisation opportunities when used within complex web apps that require a lot of DOM manipulation. In our rudimentary demo however we can leverage one of the consequences of using contain: paint to help us with the timestamp positioning. According to the spec, when using paint the "element acts as a containing block for absolutely positioned and fixed positioned descendants". This means we can set contain: paint on the .chat class and the fixed positioning will be based on the card rather than the viewport. You'd get the same effect by using transform: translateZ(0) but containment feels less hacky. 20. Wrap it up That concludes our whistle-stop tour of some new CSS features. Most of them are pretty straightforward, although we'd definitely recommend delving into CSS Containment in more detail. We've only really touched on a small part of it here and it is the kind of feature that sounds like it does something that it actually doesn't – the encapsulation of styling. That said it could prove very helpful, and it is already at the Candidate Recommendation stage, so it's well worth a look. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 274 or subscribe. Read more: CSS tricks to revolutionise your web layouts Explore the new frontier of CSS animation CSS Grid Layout secrets revealed View the full article
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    At some point in our lives we've all thought 'if only I knew then what I know now...'. With any luck this is because we've gained experience over the years and developed as people. For College of Art and Design at RIT professor Mitch Goldstein, looking back on life as a design student revealed shortcomings in work ethics and how to network. Now, we're not knocking design schools for a second. However we're aware that they're not necessarily suited to everyone. And even if you thrive in structured education, this doesn't mean you're on the fast lane to success as a graduate. So, to help up and coming designers get the most out of art college, Goldstein took to Twitter to hear from his followers who have already come out the other side. To get the ball rolling, Goldstein chips in with a common problem among undergraduates: not knowing when to stop talking. Goldstein's followers, which number in the tens of thousands, didn't disappoint when it came to sharing their thoughts. Touching on everything from self-esteem to portfolio advice, there was no shortage of advice to learn from. So, if you're about to head into design school, or perhaps you're already there and finding it a bit overwhelming, we've rounded up some of the top responses. Check them out below, and if you've got any wisdom of your own that you think could help undergraduates, be sure to head over to Goldstein's thread and post a reply. Related articles: Are you a true 'Twitter original'? 49 design agencies to follow on Twitter 7 must-read books for design students View the full article
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    Creating digital art isn't only about picking the best drawing tablet or finding the right digital art software in which you create. It's also about finding inspiration, learning new drawing techniques, and finding ways to deal with the issues many professional artists face. In this month's tools round-up for digital artists, we take a look at a variety of tools you can use to help improve your work. 01. Tayasui Sketches Price: Free (with IAP) While there are plenty of great drawing apps for the iPad (or other tablets), fewer good apps exist for those that want to draw on smaller devices, like the iPhone. Luckily, for those of us who like to create on the go, there's Tayasui Sketches. Tayasui Sketches – available for iOS, Android and macOS – gives you everything you need to create professional sketches and drawings: unlimited layers, acrylic brushes, gradients and patterns, and even a watercolour brush. Best of all, it works great on smaller devices! Apple fans can also take a look at our roundup of more great iPhone apps for designers. 02. 01ArtSchool Price: From free In 2013, K. Michael Russell started his YouTube channel, where he offers free digital art tutorials. In May 2014, he launched his first online course. Since then, more than 3,000 students in 137 countries have taken his online courses. Russell offers full courses and tutorials on Photoshop and Procreate – find a full list of learning resources on his website, 01ArtSchool. His most recent tutorial, Comic Coloring (above), includes a complete walkthrough of how he coloured the cover for Loathsome Tales #2. For more tips on this, take a look at our guide to how to colour comics. 03. Tips for overcoming artistic burnout Aaron Rutten is a digital art instructor offering digital art courses and tutorials. In addition to video instruction, Rutten also includes information about digital art tools and tips for creative professionals. In one recent video, he offers advice on overcoming artistic burnout. 04. Procreate update Price: $9.99 Recently updated to 4.1, Procreate is quickly becoming the de facto standard for creating digital art on your iPad. This latest update – the biggest so far – makes it possible to do Live Symmetry, Warp Transforms, Automatic, Layer Select, and more. 05. Procreate Pocket Price: $4.99 If you're a fan of Procreate, and you're looking for a similar tool for your iPhone, take a look at Procreate Pocket. Procreate Pocket is the iPhone version of the widely popular Procreate, and it's just as powerful. Powered by Silica-M, the same industry-leading Metal engine that powers Procreate for iPad, Procreate Pocket comes stuffed with features such as a full layering system, over 135 brushes and haptic integration. 06. Creating Stylized Characters Buy on Amazon: US / UK Whether you're a concept artist responsible for creating fresh, new character designs for film, or a video game artist putting together your next platformer game, Creating Stylized Characters will help you out. This book, published by 3dtotal Publishing, has everything you need to help you create and draw all sorts of characters. The book covers both digital and traditional media. You'll learn about the character development process, including real-world research, and sketching gestures and poses. You'll even get to explore different genres, personalities and styles. 07. Shading Techniques Buy on Amazon: US / UK Here's another book to add to your collection: Drawing Dimension's Shading Techniques by Catherine V. Holmes. Shading is one of the easiest ways of adding depth, contrast, character and movement to your drawings. And just because you're working digitally doesn't mean you can skip learning shading techniques. The more you understand how pencil pressure and stroke work in traditional media, the better you’ll be able to master it in the digital world. This book also covers lighting and blending techniques to help enhance your work. 08. 100 Tuesday Tips Buy the book: US / UK Quite possibly the most used art technique book in my collection is this one by Griz & Norm, aka Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay and Normand Lemay. This husband and wife duo from Walt Disney Animation Studios put together a collection of art techniques for drawing, painting, animation and illustration. This book includes 100 tips that every artist needs to know about. 09. Affinity Designer for iPad Price: $13.99 (limited time) This month's list ends with something exciting: Affinity Designer for iPad. When Affinity Photo for iPad was released last year, many of us wondered when its vector-based Designer companion was coming. Thankfully, the wait is over. Affinity Designer has everything you'd expect in a professional graphics designer app: vector tools, raster tools for texturing, Artboards, symbols, constraints, stored assets, and more. So what are you waiting for? Read more: The 10 best YouTube art channels Get more from custom Photoshop brushes Get started with ArtRage View the full article
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    Earth’s great cities are hubs of growth and innovation, but many are also beset with crumbling infrastructure, environmental pollution and growing social inequality. Around the world, governments are struggling to manage the rapid pace of change, while at the same time corporations seek to play a far greater role in civic life. With two-thirds of humanity predicted to be living in urban environments by 2050, according to the UN, cities need to be able to sustain the growing demands on their infrastructure. But if governments don’t have the resources to do this, will the role of city-maker fall entirely to private corporations? And if so, will the metropolis of the future become a branded utopia or a commercial dystopia? 17 mesmerising projection mapping demos These are the questions that lie at the heart of The Future Laboratory’s new Smart Cities project, which the strategic foresight consultancy debuted at the inaugural SXSW Cities Summit earlier this year. Exploring three future scenarios of branded cities – preferable, probable and potential – it also commissioned Inferstudio to create original animations to bring the scenarios to life, from which you can see exclusive stills here. For any branded metropolitan project to work, The Future Laboratory predicts the correct balance needs to be struck between communities and corporations Smart cities will be at the core of any major branded metropolitan evolution, with networks of embedded sensors accumulating unprecedented amounts of data on the daily activities of its citizens. It’s already happening, with our digital selves existing on platforms owned by corporate giants, and our personal data being exchanged for enriched social, cultural and economic lives. But in the next phase of hyper-connectivity, integrated branded platforms will act as much more than this – they will define the very fabric of the city experience. Many urban dwellers already feel the benefits of living in such cities, even if they do not yet register the mechanisms by which they operate. The South Korean capital Seoul is one of the most networked cities in the world, using technology to streamline a city with twice the population density of New York. Its metro system handles 7m passengers daily, but few would notice the sensors that provide Seoul’s Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS) with real-time data. San Diego in California has a streetlight system that can detect parking spaces and notify the 30 per cent of downtown traffic driving around trying to find them. On the opposite coast, Miami has lights that can detect gunshots and notify the police to respond. Although citizens will notice little outward visible change from upgrading the existing urban fabric, the tacit benefits to their standard of living will be significant. But as we look to the future we must also learn from the past. History is littered with images of grandiose utopias that failed to function in the real world, of moribund company towns slowly being reclaimed by nature. And the interests of corporate entities will need to be balanced with the rights and interests of the population too. Anthony Engi-Meacock, co-founder of Turner Prize-winning design studio Assemble, believes that the built environment will be better when it follows a more heterarchical and less corporate structure: "Cities are always an outward manifestation of the economics that create them," he explains. "We need to be mindful in the future that they are run like communities rather than corporations." This article was originally published in issue 282 of Computer Arts, which is out today – buy it here. Read more from The Future Laboratory here and subscribe to Computer Arts here. Read more: 10 inspirational design cities 30 world-famous buildings to inspire you How to future-proof yourself as a designer View the full article
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    Want to become a frontend developer? You'll have to master some essential skills first. And instead of throwing down tens of thousands of dollars for college tuition, you can spend just $39 on The Ultimate Front End Development Bundle. You'll learn all about how web developers code with JavaScript, and you'll get crash courses in HTML, jQuery and CSS. Even if you're a total beginner, this bundle will get you up to speed on some of the most versatile, widely used programming languages. By the end of the bundle, you'll be ready to take your first steps on a new and lucrative career path, and tackle the world of front end development. Thought the savings couldn't get any better? Get an additional 50 per cent off with the code DIGITALWEEK50 – but act fast, as the deal ends July 27th. Related articles: The future of web design How to make it in the web design industry 5 articles to improve your web design career View the full article
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    It's that time of the month again: the latest issue of Computer Arts magazine is on sale now. Inside issue 282 we celebrate new talent on the rise in the creative industries as we discover the finest design and illustration graduates across the UK. This includes recent graduate David Sum, who is also the proud winner of our cover competition. Check out his amazing work above. Buy Computer Arts issue 282 now This issue also see the launch of our new Trends feature, a new section that explores the culture, places, events and more that you need to know about. In this month's article our futurists-in-residence, The Future Laboratory, look ahead to the urban environments of tomorrow and ask: is it possible to build a branded city that works for everyone? The Future Laboratory explores whether the cities of tomorrow will be a commercial dystopia Save up to 60% on a Computer Arts subscription Elsewhere in issue 282, we look at a virtual reality project that aims to bring back memories to Alzheimer's patients, and delve into the melted plastic work of Nadine Kolodziey. This issue also finds the time to ask: where is the line between design jargon and BS, as well as hearing expert viewpoints on the new identity for the East London charity, City Gateway. Topped off with a look at designer Elizabeth Olwen's Instagram world and an essay on how brand campaigns can stay personable, this promises to be an issue you won't want to miss. Take a look at the lead features inside Computer Arts issue 282 by scrolling left to right through the gallery below with the arrow icons. Computer Arts is the world's best-selling design magazine, bursting at the seams with insights, inspiration, interviews and all the best new design projects. For all this delivered direct to your door each month, subscribe to Computer Arts. Right now you can save up to 60 per cent, and receive a free Computer Arts tote bag when you subscribe. Related articles: 30 books every graphic designer should read 10 great examples of graphic design portfolios The best laptops for graphic design in 2018 View the full article
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    Have you ever felt like you're speaking in a foreign language when dealing with non-designers? If you're trying to explain kerning on a new logo design or responsive web design and being met with a puzzled expression, this helpful infographic from Pagemodo can help. Click the image to enlarge The team from the social marketing suite sat down with professional designers to figure out where non-designers trip up when describing their ideas – and this was the outcome. While you may look at this and think it's child's play, remember that even the most basic of design terms can confuse a client who's not familiar with the ways of the creative world. So the next time someone asks, send them this infographic and save yourself some time and stress! Read more: 13 incredible tools for creating infographics What designers say vs what they really mean 70 best free fonts for designers View the full article
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    You're reading Introducing Postcards 2, Build Email Newsletter Online! ⚡, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Create and edit email templates online without any coding skills. Includes more than 70 components to help you create custom emails faster than ever before. Dozens of modules offer thousands of fully-responsive design options. View the full article
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    The most recent Spectre-class flaw targets a component in CPUs called the return stack buffer. View the full article
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    These vulnerabilities have existed for over 20 years, and we are not even close to closing the door on these significant risks. View the full article
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    Ford, Toyota, GM and Tesla among car companies impacted by leaky backup service used by third-party firm. View the full article
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    Having sat in screening rooms at ILM and Digital Domain for well over 18 years, I've heard my share of comments from big-name film directors regarding their review of shots for their films. What will Brexit mean for the British VFX and CG industry? The comment we were always hoping to hear was 'Final'. When the director said that magic word, a thunderous cheer was often heard from the men and women that had toiled for countless hours over that five or so seconds of film. But, when the team felt that the shot should be 'Finaled' and the director said 'CBB' (Could Be Better), we knew we were in for the long haul, because oftentimes the director had no idea what he or she was actually looking for. Brexit could have some very serious consequences and implications for the visual effects industry, both in the UK and the rest of the world. But before we look at some of the issues regarding Brexit and the VFX industry, let's get a clear picture of the business of VFX. What drives the industry Let's be clear, Hollywood studios are looking for the best visual effects that will be delivered on time for the lowest price. A major blockbuster movie must be released on time. There's countless hours of planning and strategy by dozens of marketing execs, having reviewed all other studios' movies and their release dates to determine their film's date and overall marketing plan. And generally speaking, they are pretty spot on with their date (except of course Titanic, which missed its July release and was finally released mid-December, catapulting its box office to dizzying heights, but that's another story). So, delivery is critical, and that is why generally speaking, the VFX studios that are of significant size and have a history of hitting outrageous schedules, get the work. Of course, the studios want the very best quality, except when that quality costs too much. For example, when I was at the helm of ILM, I had a rather heated conversation with the president of Columbia Pictures regarding Air Force One. Arguing my case that the VFX looked horrible, the Columbia Exec asked me what ILM would have charged to do the VFX, and I gave him a number. He laughed and said, "Your price is $1.5 million higher than what we paid, are you telling me that we would have seen considerably more box office if the VFX were better?" He had a point. Where Disney decides to spends its money has a huge impact on the industry So, quality is important… but price is much more important. I learned my lesson. That's why I was sure that like most manufacturing, the manufacturing of VFX would move off shore to lower-cost environments, where wages were considerably less. I'd seen it happen in animation only a decade or two before. Animation was generally produced in the US by studios like Hanna-Barbera and Disney. But as prices rose due to increased labour costs, much of the animation moved to Korea and the Far East. I assumed, incorrectly so, that much of the VFX work would wind up in China and India. But then came tax subsidies and rebates from English-speaking countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. And while the labour costs were higher than, say, India, the rebates, the ease of communication and the careful strategic coming together of the likes of Sohonet, gave the US studios everything that they wanted… a great price due to government sponsorship, English-speaking contractors and high-quality VFX due to the enormous influx of talent from around the world. London (and Vancouver) became the nexus for VFX. Brexit: the pluses Which currency will prevail post-Brexit? Never forget, it's show business and as such, the studios and producers are always driven by price. There are two advantages that I see regarding VFX and Brexit. The pound to dollar pricing becomes quite attractive to US studios as the pound falls. While I'm no economist, there have been several folks who have predicted that the pound will continue to fall against the dollar. The other opportunity is that the UK will no longer be bound by the rules of the EU, and as such, might make the subsidies and tax rebates even more attractive. Brexit: the minuses While the studios are driven by price, they are even more concerned about delivery. They are scared to death that they will miss their release date. Having done some research, the VFX workforce in London is approaching 50 per cent that are non-UK citizens, and 40 per cent of the current workforce are comprised of EU nationals. While Brexit is not yet fully defined, it seems that it will force EU nationals to obtain the necessary work permits, which might prove very difficult, or not depending on the process – the proposed system announced recently suggests this process should be fairly straightforward. If it isn't, the result could be that London VFX studios would lose close to 50 per cent of its trained workforce. That could be disastrous. With a diminished talent base, London will not be able to handle the big shows, and as such will bring great concern to the studios regarding the London facilities' ability to deliver the work on time. The possible Will EU workers be able to stay once the UK has Brexit-ed? If the London-based VFX studios' management is able to petition the UK government to allow their EU employees to remain in the UK, or if the proposed process for EU residents to seek settled status is put in place, then all will be well. However, if that doesn't happen, well, the proverbial will hit the fan. The US studios will look for alternative ways to address their VFX needs. One possibility is that the London-based facilities open VFX operations in other countries, like France or Germany. We've seen that this is already happening. Unfortunately, opening up a new facility will take a great deal of cash, which, given the current margins in the VFX industry, means the parent company will take yet another financial hit. Additionally, all the EU employees presently working at the London facilities will have to, once again, uproot their lives and move (which will also cost the London-based facilities more money). So, as you can see, this is not a pretty picture for the facilities or the workers. There have been talks about setting up hub/spoke-based operations. That is, the hub remains in London but various tasks such as rigging, match moves, modelling and compositing take place in distant locations. While seemingly attractive, this idea creates a bunch of issues. Security, proximity, governmental tax issues and subsidies now become a problem not only for the facility, but for the client too. Remembering my time back in various VFX screening rooms, I kept my fingers crossed every time my teams would screen their shots for the director, hoping for that magic word… Final. Unfortunately, Brexit looks like a CBB at best, or maybe even a famous Jim Cameron statement when viewing a shot that he didn't think was up to snuff, an 'NFG' (No Fucking Good). This article was originally published in issue 235 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 235 here or subscribe to 3D World here. Related articles: Savage Brexit stamps are the best of British The designer's guide to Brexit How the web industry is coping in uncertain times View the full article
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    Rethinking, repositioning and redesigning brands is a staple task for many design studios. Although startup organisations will always be a blank canvas by definition, it’s fairly rare for an agency to develop a totally new identity system for a client. Of course, rebranding – and branding in general – are much more complex than many realise – neither is as simple as just coming up with the best logo possible or creating an outstanding print ad, although a whole host of armchair critics are usually ready and waiting to tear apart both. If that wasn't hard enough, rebranding poses a unique set of challenges compared to branding from scratch. This is because there is creative baggage attached – and that baggage was often the work of another agency. That challenge comes with the territory, but there are (at least) five more challenges more specific to our modern age. Read on to discover how top designers navigate these challenges... 01. The current climate Wolff Olins' fragmented identity for Lafayette Anticipations was inspired by the building itself According to Chris Moody, chief creative officer at Wolff Olins, the biggest challenge of rebranding in 2018 isn't creative: it's the wider global climate. “Politically, socially, and technologically we are in times of massive change, and as a result there is a great deal of nervousness and trepidation,” he points out. “There's also lot of noise and bluster, so to a degree the biggest challenge is managing 'volume'. There's the literal volume of people in the room – clients and numbers of agencies involved in projects has never been larger – but also dealing with the increasing volume of feedback and rounds of design iteration,” he continues. “Crafting a distinct, singular brand voice has never been more necessary, but it has also never been more tricky to pull off.” 02. Social media critics The use of black gold and silver in North's visual identity for Royal Mind evoke its premium qualities Arguably the most recent challenge to hit rebranding is the often alarming speed with which a rebrand is met with public scrutiny, often before the more nuanced aspects of the scheme – the “whole brand experience”, as Moody puts it – are revealed. Rarely is a new brand identity about looking nice. Identities are about doing a job, and they have a strategic purpose to exist. Sean Perkins, North “For some reason, everyone is now an expert and a critic, without in reality being either,” laments Sean Perkins, partner and director at North. Perkins points out that major changes to any organisation's identity system are expensive and can be risky, adding that all of North's rebrand projects stem from a legitimate strategic business need. But that public scrutiny all-too-often focuses on the logo design: “In their reveal, they can be immediately criticised or commented on for entirely the wrong reasons,” he says. “Rarely is a new brand identity about looking nice. Identities are about doing a job, and they have a strategic purpose to exist. On social media, people are quick to point a finger, like or dislike,” he continues. “Personally I don't care: most of the comments are ill-informed and naive. But their commentary causes concern for clients: no business wants controversy over a new identity, especially after spending significant amounts of money in implementation. 03. Meeting clients' expectations Here Design's rebrand of London delicatessen Panzer's brought its Austrian and Czech heritage to the fore The above social media issue means clients in general become more cautious, says Perkins, as well as wary of making changes in the future. "They become less brave. Our industry’s reputation is damaged by the vocal infighting around taste and style, and potentially smaller design agencies’ reputations would struggle to survive significant controversy.” “The biggest challenge is, as it always has been, to deliver and meet the expectations of the clients, no matter how high, or how realistic those expectations are,” agrees Kate Marlow, creative partner at Here Design. “The specific design challenges themselves haven’t necessarily changed, but in most cases the budgets are leaner and the timelines shorter.” 04. Designing across platforms For ET Brain, Wolff Olins evoked and extended Alibabe Cloud's core brand palette to explain what AI is Moody believes we're on the cusp of a third era of branding design. “The designer's palette now includes motion, haptic, texture and voice as standard,” he reels off. “At Wolff Olins, we have started to define this third wave – after corporate identity, and brand identity – as ‘intelligent identity'. “If you're a designer working in brand, it's your imperative to steal some of the perceived authority from product teams, service designers and, most of all, engineers,” he continues. “It's our responsibility to set the agenda for the whole brand experience, and to be the ones inventing and curating the definitive interactions we have with a brand.” Like Moody, Marlow is excited about the diverse multi-platform opportunities that are available to agencies in 2018. “More so now than ever, brands recognise that they need to be seen across all platforms: we call it their brand world,” she says. “That can span everything from packaging, to print, to environments, to social media and beyond,” she continues. “It’s a lively period, where our role as designers is to be constantly thinking beyond convention, and to be originators of ideas.” 05. Challenger brands Design Bridge has reimagined packaging ranges for Fortnum & Mason Chloe Templeman, creative director at Design Bridge, identifies that an influx of new, challenger brands – in the food and drink sector in particular – are now posing an additional challenge when it comes to rebranding more established clients. “Branding for these start-ups tends to focus on design individuality, with ‘uniqueness’ and ‘newness’ as design cues,” she explains. “So many claim to be small-batch, natural and sustainable, or fit within the ‘clean eating’ trend. There’s a lot more choice for consumers than in the past.” Templeman points out that more-established brands often feel like they’re falling behind their newer, younger counterparts. “However, their strength lies in the fact that they’re trusted and stable, which is important in this economic climate,” she continues. “This is where using design to celebrate the brand’s story and journey can be very powerful, reminding people of the connection they already have with them.” Sometimes, of course, a rebrand is necessary to help reverse ill fortune for a brand. “I love working on a brand that has lost its way a bit,” enthuses Templeman. “You can go back in time, understand its sometimes forgotten past, and then bring it back to life again, in a way that resonates today.” This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 279 or subscribe. Related articles: 5 small-client rebrands that attracted big attention Ogilvy rebrands (and drops the 'Mather') Define a brand with handmade type View the full article
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    Adobe has teamed up with the Pantone Colour Institute to reveal which colours are trending this summer. Compiling its findings into the Pantone Colour Me Social gallery, Adobe suggests bold, saturated tones are big at the moment. And while this won't change colour theory, colour trends do affect the decisions of designers and brands. The colours in question include Lime Green, Hawaiian Ocean, Flame Orange, Fuchsia Purple, Cherry Tomato, Blazing Yellow and Dazzling Blue. According to Laurie Pressman, the Institute's vice president, these tones mark a sea change in colour trends. "Following years of essentialist and pared-down aesthetics, the thirst for vivid, rich colour is taking centre stage as people want to spark a new kind of joy and create playful paradises," she explains. Get 15% off Adobe Creative Cloud with our exclusive deal One of the key drivers behind this change is social media. Pressman reasons that these online platforms give users the freedom to experiment with colours and intense experiences, which in turn leads to people gravitating towards richer hues. Given that social media is a relentlessly noisy world, it makes sense that brighter, bolder images have been on the rise as users attempt to stand out from the crowd. With colour seen as a form of self-expression on social media, vibrant colours lead to more interaction. You can explore these vibrant colours below; use the left and right arrows to click through the gallery. Despite this trend having its roots in social media, saturated colours have spilled over into the worlds of retail and fashion. This is an interesting inversion of traditional design, which usually saw fashion industries shaping the colour trends for everyone else to follow. "While all of the shades highlighted are being seen on the street and the catwalk," says Pressman, "we are seeing these colours show up in other areas as well, from travel to food. Some of the newest sources for colour inspiration are home furnishings, lifestyle and beauty." Brands, museums and exhibitions can all take advantage from these trending colours to connect with audiences. Pressman goes on to add that even if saturated colours don't immediately appear suitable for your brand or company, "even a small accent or a bright shade in the background could do the trick." And with the Institute predicting the current colour trend to continue right the way through until the summer of 2020, there's plenty of time to get on board with this eye-popping palette. Related articles: Pantone launches super-sized colour chips If celebrities were Pantone colours Prince gets his own Pantone colour - what could it be? View the full article
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    You're reading Everything You Need to Know About Dark Patterns, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! They are everywhere. Little tricks on webpages, in apps and with popups and forms that “trick” you into completing an action online. These so-called dark patterns have a negative impact on user experience, frustrate website visitors and should be avoided. … View the full article
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    Back in the ‘olden days’ (before 2010), most web design involved the creation of two separate websites: one for desktop, one for mobile. Then Apple introduced the iPad, and everything changed. Before long, the number of different devices hitting the market was increasing exponentially, and it was becoming impossible to design a bespoke website for every single one. To meet this challenge, a new discipline emerged, which its creator Ethan Marcotte dubbed responsive web design (or RWD for short). The basic principle of responsive web design is that, rather than create a separate website for every device, you write one lot of code that will seamlessly adapt your site to whichever device it’s being consumed on. This explains why any quality website created in 2018 will have a totally different look when viewed on a widescreen laptop than when viewed on smaller smartphone screen. Indeed, even if you just resize your browser window on the former, you’ll doubtless see the layout morph and adapt to it in a delightful, ‘automagic’ fashion. The responsive site for the Heritage Futures research programme focused on content and experience to deliver a consistent experience across devices But responsive web design is not just about making a site look different; increasingly it’s about making it act differently too. “Essentially, responsive web design is about creating the right experience, exactly when and where the user needs it,” explains Bill Kingston, partner at London design consultancy Elixirr Creative. “The information users seek varies depending on the device – so we need to take this into account when designing. Having insight into user behaviour and context is key.” Joel Maynard, digital designer at Hampshire agency Superrb, provides a practical example. “How you handle navigations on some sites, for instance, needs to be carefully thought through,” he explains. “Things like rollovers and hover effects were really fashionable at one point – but if you’re relying on the use of a cursor to unlock these features, that isn’t practical for touch devices, so you need to think about things like that upfront. Especially because, as well as smartphones and tablets, touch desktops are becoming more popular now too.” Subtle tweaks The main point is that a user’s needs, and often the kind of information they’re looking for, may change based on device. These differences may often be only slight, notes Chris Robinson, a design lead at digital studio ustwo London, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. “For example, attention spans may differ. A change in navigation hierarchy might be required. You may want to prioritise certain features or make subtle changes to the interaction principles.” Thankfully, new technologies are making it ever-easier to bake these complex needs into responsive web design. “Previously, certain layouts may have been difficult or hacky to make responsive,” says Robinson. “But new tools such as CSS Grid and Flexbox are starting to allow for more intricate layouts. Interaction on the web is vastly improving and we’ll see a range of complex apps now being built into the browser.” ustwo Sydney developed a responsive web portal to suit the different needs of business and leisure travellers Luckily for most designers, you don’t have to be a coder to get on board with all of this. “Graphic design tools are finally starting to adapt to digital workflows, with features that help designers test responsive layouts,” says Robinson. “Sketch’s smart resizing and pinning tools, for example, allow you to create responsive rules on a component level. Framer helps you go a little further, enabling you to change the visibility of components at various dimensions.” Maynard uses Sketch for the majority of his web design projects. “It comes with templates for device sizes, so you can dive straight into designing responsively,” he explains. “I’d also recommend keeping your eye on InVision Studio, as it really does look like a game-changer for prototyping, animation and design, all in one app. Another tool I tend to use is Skala Preview in order to help check all my designs are in line when browsing on smaller devices.” Look around you But even if you steer clear of creating websites or prototypes yourself, understanding the core elements of responsive design can still help your career as a designer. And that can be as simple as paying attention to what’s going on around you. “When working on websites day in day out, you naturally start picking up how a website operates,” Maynard points out. “To delve more deeply, sites like Awwwards and siteInspire are great for finding cool sites that have been pushed to the max in terms of cutting-edge design. You can also use sites like Tympanus and CodePen to find nice interactive elements that work well across multiple devices and various screen sizes. RWD is in constant evolution. There is no wrong or right way, experiment! Bill Kingston “More broadly, practice makes perfect when it comes designing responsively,” he adds. “Something I once did to practise was to find a website that I thought could be improved upon, and then put together a responsive concept.” Kingston takes a similar view. “Keep your eyes on the web, look at sites on different devices, analyse them,” he recommends. “Keep a list of pain points as well as an inspiration folder of successful experiences when you come across them. Stay alert, RWD is in constant evolution. There is no wrong or right way, experiment!” This article was originally published in issue 279 of Computer Arts, the world's leading magazine for graphic designers. Buy issue 279 or subscribe here. Related articles: How responsive web design changed the world 15 really useful responsive web design tutorials 7 great tools for testing your responsive web designs View the full article
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    There are lots of ways to store your files, but computers can crash, external hard drives can be misplaced, and USBs disappear all too easily. That's what makes cloud storage such a great solution. For only $74.95, you can try out Zoolz Cloud Storage: Lifetime of 1.5TB Instant Vault and 1.5TB of Cold Storage. With this combination of Instant Vault and Cold Storage, you have a convenient way to store both files that you regularly access and also files that you rarely revisit. The files in Instant Vault are immediately accessible at all times, while the files in Cold Storage can be retrieved in just three to five hours. With this deal, you can enjoy features like bandwidth throttling and icon overlay, which help ensure a smooth user experience. Trying to remember what you've already stored? Feel free to preview stored data via the mobile app that you download on your smartphone. Get this deal for $74.95. Related articles: 9 security tips to protect your website from hackers Google's free cloud storage app is finally here How CodePen made itself secure View the full article
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    Certain tools for designers are likely to make the default shopping list for any agency or freelancer. These include essential hardware, creative software, project management tools and more. There are also some great tools for working remotely as a freelancer, as well as some innovative gadgets for a smarter studio. Read on to discover four new tools for 2018 that you never knew you needed, but could make you rethink how you work... 01. Stitch Stitch is a brand-new tool to help agencies manage their network of third-party collaborators Freelance collaborators are becoming increasing essential to supplement in-house staff on projects, but there are very few tools to help agencies manage that shift in working processes. Step up Stitch, a new tool from the makers of Easle. Stitch is designed to help agencies and production companies manage their creative networks. If, like most agencies, you currently rely on an unwieldy spreadsheet, Stitch will convert it into a living 'little black book' that automatically pulls in up-to-date examples of work from your contacts' portfolio sites and social channels. The result is a visual database of all your contacts, which you can search by keyword, status, location and price range to make collaboration a breeze. It's also possible to create easily shareable shortlists of potential talent for the team, the client, or other collaborators, as well as attaching internal notes, NDAs or contracts. It'll even help keep you on the right side of GDPR regulations. Stitch is definitely a tool you never knew you needed, but could have a real impact on many agencies' workflows. It's a new launch so will take time to build a critical mass, but you can sign up for a free trial to test it out. 02. ColorSpark ColorSpark is an incredibly simple way to discover new colours From an ambitious tool that streamlines your entire workflow, to an incredibly basic one that relies, rather quirkily, on randomness and serendipity. Created by Luke Johnson, a digital information design student at Winthrop University, ColorSpark is a simple but effective way of finding a unique colour or gradient to use in your next design or illustration project. Just hit the 'generate' button for a new Hex code, displayed in the swatch above. Ok, so it's a bit of fun, and a stretch to say you need this tool as such – but when you're struggling for colour-based inspiration, ColorSpark could surprise you by striking you with a beautiful hue out of nowhere. 03. Wild Cards Launching in August, The Clearing's Wild Cards microsite could help you rethink your creative process The Clearing's ongoing Wild Cards project challenges how brands, and agencies, think about themselves – and as such, is a fascinating and innovative way to get the core of the creative process in a sharply focused, honest way. Working with The School of Life, the London-based branding consultancy developed 100 provocative questions, designed to help explore a brand from new perspectives. Packaged in a stylish collectable box, the Wild Cards are a genuinely useful tool to help galvanise the creative process. The agency has since gone on to organise a series of panel-based events with big-name brands, structured around some of the questions, to get to the heart of how they tick – at which boxes of the cards are given to attendees. Also launching in August 2018 is a mobile-optimised microsite, through which you can submit your own answer to one of the probing questions, and read others' submissions. The best answer each month will win a box of the cards. 04. Vectary Vectary brings simple 3D modelling capabilities to anyone, without the cost or time investment of other software Most 3D design tools are prohibitively expensive, time-consuming to learn, or both. Online collaborative design tool Vectary was created to make 3D as accessible, intuitive and fun as possible. Pitched as 'like Google Docs for 3D design', Vectary 2.0 launched in June 2018 with a view to changing how design teams create 3D content for web, AR or VR. Now, remote teams can create and collaborate seamlessly in a shared online space: each 3D scene can be edited, or commented on, by multiple users in real time. Vectary comes with a 3D toolset with built-in HD rendering, incorporating sliders and modelling tools within the browser, as well as a library of 3D objects for beginners to drag and drop into place. The results are saved to the cloud for easy sharing. Paid plans start at $19 a month, although many tools are available on the Free plan. Related articles: The design agency survival guide 12 essential tools for graphic designers The ultimate guide to design trends View the full article
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    You're reading Everything You Need to Know About YOOtheme, a WordPress Theme and Page Builder, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Looking for a great page builder to help jumpstart your website design projects? YOOtheme Pro is a powerful theme and page builder for WordPress. It has everything a designer needs to create a neat design and is packed with premium … View the full article
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    Dasan and D-Link routers running GPON firmware are being targeted by hackers in an attempt to create a botnet. View the full article
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    Criminals have found a mischievous way to mine cryptocurrency. Security researcher Troy Mursch sounds off on why this tricky trend isn't going away anytime soon. View the full article
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    Airport TSA agents don’t check terminals for insecure WiFi networks, so stay on your toes when using hotspots at these airports. View the full article
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    Starbucks and McDonald's are high street competitors as far as selling coffee on the go is concerned, but they've put their differences aside to address a major packaging design problem that's been plaguing retailers and consumers alike. Earlier this week it was announced that this pair of mega-brands have joined forces to build a fully recyclable, compostable cup within the next three years as part of The NextGen Cup Consortium. With shoppers become increasingly eco-aware, this sure to be a welcome move. Recent initiatives have seen shoppers demand an end to single-use plastic straws, so it makes sense that Starbucks and McDonald's are wracking their brains to come up with a cup design that includes a lid and a straw. Add the fact that Chipotle, Subway and Burger King have started charging for straws into the mix and the idea for a more sustainable, economic solution is a business no-brainer. Photo by Joshua Austin on Unsplash A new cup design isn't the first step Starbucks has made towards creating better packaging. Recently the coffee chain announced a 2020 initiative to ban straws altogether and replace them with lids. Even though both companies' cups are technically recyclable, in reality they're not always disposed of correctly. Speaking of the partnership, Colleen Chapman, vice president of Starbucks’ global social impact overseeing sustainability, said, “We’ve been at this for a while [alone], but we were getting tired of incrementality.” The NextGen Cup Challenge, the initiative behind the replacement cup design, invites entrepreneurs to develop more sustainable designs. Grants are available to help develop good ideas, as well as to help startups combine them into market-ready solutions. Starbucks set it up earlier this year, with McDonald's joining recently. With the weight of their combined brands behind the project, the pair hope to effect real change and shake-up how the fast-food industry tackles its ecological footprint. "In food safety, there's no competitive advantage," says Marion Gross, the McDonald’s chief supply chain officer for the United States. "We all have to come with solutions and make sure we’re watching out for the public’s interest." "It's a societal issue, and there's a way that we can come together, not as competitors, but as problem solvers. We can use our collective scale to make a difference." [Via Fast Company] [Photo by Charles Koh on Unsplash] Related articles The most shared logo on social media revealed 8 iconic American logos that changed branding forever 10 iconic logos hilariously drawn from memory View the full article
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    The right web design tools can help ensure a fast, efficient and smooth path to the final live design. A great starting point is getting any prototypes right and then selecting the right build tool for the job. Check out this selection to help you achieve design glory. If you can't find what you're looking for, take a look at our roundup of 10 top prototyping tools. 01. InVision InVision offers a way to string together individual static designs in order to create user flows. The tools are simple and easy to use, and allow syncing directly from Photoshop and Sketch before linking designs together. With powerful collaboration and comment features it’s clear to see why so many designers use it. 02. Figma Figma touts some impressive features, but the browser-based editor and cloud saving is the difference between most other design and prototyping tools. Figma 2.0 introduced new prototyping tools, bringing the abilities of multiple Adobe apps into one desktop and browser-based tool. 03. Marvel Wireframe, prototype, design online and create design specs in one place with Marvel Marvel, much like Figma, provides an all-in-one experience for design, prototyping and collaboration. The design UI is simple and beautiful, while offering all the tools you need. Marvel’s prototyping tools enable both high and low fidelity prototypes to be created easily. 04. Axure Axure is a wireframing and prototyping tool primarily aimed at software development. Axure isn’t trying to offer everything. Instead, it offers really powerful tools for rapid prototyping, diagramming and documentation and it does them well. 05. Gulp A toolkit for automating painful or time-consuming tasks in your development workflow Gulp is a frontend build tool used to perform any number of functions from compiling SASS to building SVG sprites. Gulp will save you time and perform a lot of the repetitive tasks required, enabling you to concentrate on writing code and building applications. 06. Grunt Another frontend build tool that’s used in the same way as Gulp with the aim of saving you time and effort when building the frontend of any website or app. These tools have become an important part of frontend development due to their ability to perform repetitive tasks. 07. Yarn Get fast, reliable, and secure dependency management with Yarn Yarn is a package manager. It works much the same as Node Package Manager (npm). Yarn caches every package making it incredibly fast to download and install dependencies, and with all of the same packages as npm so you can easily make the switch. 08. Webpack Webpack is a JavaScript module bundler that enables you to keep your JavaScript files small and focused. In its simplest form Webpack will then bundle them all into one minified JS file which can be included in your website or application. Discover more at Generate London 2018 Learn more from leading experts. Get your ticket today Related articles A guide to rapid prototyping with Photoshop CC Perfect prototypes and hand-off designs with Marvel How to avoid prototyping pitfalls View the full article
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    Even with the best of ideas, and even if you're the art director, sometimes convincing your client that your idea is the way to go is the most difficult part of the design process. But Canadian design studio Bruce Mau Design is adept at doing just that. We spoke to CEO Hunter Tura to find out how the studio wins over clients from all over the world, including ASICS, Sonos and The V&A. Read on to discover his top three tips for winning over clients... 1. Make it about them, not you Bruce Mau Design helped to re-envision Metrolinx’s “higher purpose” as one of creating connections between people, places and transport hubs When I pitch business to a client, I spend very little time talking about us, and a lot of time talking about them. They’re generally aware of the work: they’ve seen the Sonos project; they’ve seen our work with Unilever. They don’t have to spend the next hour hearing about that all over again. It’s like going out on a date and all you hear about is the girl’s six last boyfriends. The client doesn’t want to hear about our last six boyfriends. They want to talk about what we could be doing together. 02. Make the client a collaborator Bruce Mau Design worked with China Merchants Shekou Holdings and the V&A on branding Design Society Ola Bowman is the director of the Design Society museum we collaborated with in China. But he’s an incredibly sophisticated thinker about design in his own right. So I said: why don’t we co-creative direct this project together, rather than me being the designer and you being the client? And it worked brilliantly. Knowing the people that were paying me also had a role in the creation of this thing – and that I was leveraging the intelligence of one of the world’s leading design thinkers – certainly made my job a lot easier. Essentially, I don’t care how I’m credited; I care that our work really helping drive organisations forward. You can call me the dishwasher if you want. 03. Manage client expectations Bruce Mau Design developed a global brand identity for ASICS Tiger Imagine going to a bakery and asking for the person there to bake you a cake. Imagine the guy tells you he’ll bake it at 350 degrees and it will take an hour. But you say: ‘That’s no good – bake it at 575 degrees because I need the cake in 15 minutes.’ The baker’s going to tell you: ‘Well, I could do that, but I’m telling you, baking it at 350 is how the cake is going to taste the best.’ It’s a similar thing with clients. When they ask, ‘Can you complete our project in two months’ less time?’, we say that we can – but that this runs the risk of it not turning out quite right. It’s a pretty simple concept to grasp if you explain it in the right way. This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's leading magazine for graphic designers. Buy issue 279 or subscribe here. Read more: How to turn clients into friends How to manage a huge client 5 things clients really want (but probably won't tell you) View the full article
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