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Get ZBrush2018 now: $895 (new) / free (upgrade) Another free update from Pixologic! There can’t be many software development companies that give their annual upgrade away for free, but Pixologic still manages to do so. This version sees a naming convention change, going from 4R8 (Version 4 Release 8) to the year number 2018. This update may not be the biggest it has had, but the new features are incredibly powerful and most definitely a great addition to the creative toolset. Free textures for 3D artists First let’s talk about the addition of Sculptris Pro. Pixologic acquired a piece of software called Sculptris a few years ago and gave it away for free ever since. It was a Voxelbased sculpting package and apart from initial tweaks and changes in the first year or so, it has remained fairly static. With this latest ZBrush iteration they have added a button into the main interface called Sculptris Pro. While not a Voxel feature inside ZBrush, what it gives you is the ability to work on your mesh and have it decimate/ tessellate (make triangles at different sizes) in the area you are working dynamically. For example, if you sculpt a nose and it needs lots of detail it gives you more polygons to play with, unlike DynaMesh which averages the polygons across the entire mesh. There is even a ‘Tessimate’ button (a new word which seems to be a combination of decimation and tessellation) to call the function without activating Sculptris Pro from the interface. In essence, it helps you to sculpt more detailed characters without really thinking about the resolution. There is no need to mask areas and subdivide locally. As you are sculpting you may come to a point where you would subdivide your mesh or DynaMesh when you need to get more details. It might be whilst you are adding clay. It might be after you have added new geometry with some of the new deformers we will mention later. Or simply when you are detailing the surface of your mesh. It works with most brushes and intelligently gives you enough triangulated polygons at the time you most need them. There are now 27 deformers available to you and the most powerful new one is the Project Primitive This version also adds to the deformers that are still very new in ZBrush, giving us access to 27 in total. The one to take note of now is the Project Primitive which in essence is a new way to add shapes to existing shapes and keep them live until you want to make the change permanent. It’s Live Boolean addition and more. These primitives can be used to build up entirely new shapes, or be used to cut away specific areas and make complex geometry in just a few clicks. It’s another unique geometry creation tool, just as ZSpheres, DynaMesh and ShadowBox were. The deformers get new coloured ‘cone’ handles that seem complex to understand at first glance but soon become second nature. One of the great things with Pixologic is that when they release new features like this, you know they have already recorded videos ready to release to the ZClassroom on their website, and learning the new stuff is simply a matter of following along from there. Another deformer worth a look is Remesh By DynaMesh. This allows the DynaMesh function to be called without needing to go and fi nd it in the menu. And if there’s a Remesh By DynaMesh, why not look at Remesh By ZRemesher and Remesh By Decimation. All the deformers serve to make things faster once you’ve understood the basic usage. Sculptris Pro is a new way to add local detail to your sculpts by dynamically giving you more tessellated polygons The PolyGroupIt plugin brings a new way to create Polygroups (coloured polygon selections on a mesh). It takes a look at the surface of your model in its current state, and with the click of a button makes a decision on how and where to group it, and it was pretty accurate in the tests we did. Polygrouping is such an essential part of the workflow in ZBrush and it’s nice to see it get an upgrade after so long. The other additions include new Snake Hook brushes for pulling shapes out of your meshes, including Snake Hook 2, Snake Sphere and Snake Cactus. Individual brushes can now remember the draw size they last used if needed, useful if you are constantly changing between a few brushes that need very different settings. As always there is a full list of the new features on the website. Overall, this new ZBrush update brings with it a great set of additions and some surprising changes that give lots of new functionality to an already huge toolset. This article originally appeared in 3D World magazine. Subscribe here. Buy now for $895 (new)/ free (upgrade) Read more: Sculpt realistic anatomy in ZBrush View the full article

Web design can be a lucrative career for the tech-savvy, artistically inclined individual. But first, you'll have to learn the tricks of the trade. Get started with this comprehensive course bundle, Pay What You Want: Learn to Web Design. The bundle is worth $1238, but you can get it right now for whatever price you name. You'll learn how to create professional looking photos with Photoshop, gain hands-on experience by building real projects with Bootstrap, and you'll use HTML and CSS to create a responsive website. You'll also practice designing interfaces with jQuery, and creating your own web and mobile apps. Once you've gained all the knowledge and gotten all the experience this bundle offers, you'll be well on your way to launching a lucrative career in web design. For whatever price you want to pay, you can get Pay What You Want: Learn to Web Design, today. Related articles: The web designer starter toolkit Beware the cutting edge of web design The future of web design is code-free View the full article

Whether you know them by another name (trainers, kicks, runners, daps, or in my case, 'my babies'), there's no denying that sneakers' appeal goes way beyond functional footwear. The logo design, colourway, style and even packaging design all play a part, but there is still an indefinable quality that marks out your favourites. Historically, sneakers have been a mark of our tribe, a product of our time, an outward reflection of context and culture. Countless sneakers have become indisputable design icons, up there with the design classics of any age. Whether you're an indie gal married to your lo-fi canvas Chuckie Ts; a lanky hoop-scoring 'boss' who wouldn't be seen dead in anything but hi-tech fat Air Jordans; or a modern-day casual for whom vintage Adidas Trimm Trabs are everything, you've got to admit that there are some sneaker designs that are so classic, so iconic, so damn influential that they deserve a place on any classic design list, whatever your tastes. So with all that said, agonisingly wrestled down from a long, long list of favourites, here's my take on the 20 best sneaker designs ever – and note, these are not in order! 01. Nike Air Max 1 Nike Air Max 1 The Air Max 1 wasn't the first shoe to use Nike's technologically advanced air cushioning system. That honour falls to trailblazers like the Tailwind, the almighty Air Force 1 and 1982's Air Ace. However, 1987's Air Max 1 was the first to bare its innards to all with its 'visible air' window. Despite the technology, they still manage to look ultra-cool even to this day. 02. Converse All Star Converse All Star A legendary shoe and an undeniable design classic, whatever your personal taste. Virtually unchanged since first release in 1916, Converse All Stars (or 'Chuck Ts', so named after early endorsement by basketball star Charles Taylor) are ubiquitous amongst students, skaters, indie kids, punks and primary school children. Now there's a demographic to die for! 03. Adidas Trimm Trab Adidas Trimm Trab The Trimm Trab has been a hugely popular design classic since its release in Adidas' native Germany in the mid-70s. Adopted with enthusiasm by hordes of 80s UK football 'casuals' as regulation de rigeur Saturday afternoon terrace footwear, the solid chunked-up rubber polyurethane sole remains instantly recognisable. Sadly, finding a mint vintage pair is practically impossible, as the soles on the original models famously deteriorated over time, even when unworn. 04. Nike Air Jordan 1 Nike Air Jordan 1 It's difficult to overstate the impact that Nike's first Air Jordan release had on sneaker design and fashion in general, back in 1985. In its original (now-iconic) red/black colourway, the shoe was originally banned by the NBA in the US for breaking its colour rules. History shows that banning rarely harms the banned, and these beefy Michael Jordan-endorsed hi-top bad-boys soon became enormous sellers, leading to an seemingly never-ending line of follow-ups. Interestingly, the Air Jordan 1 is the only shoe in the Jordan series to feature Nike's trademark Swoosh logo. 05. Onitsuka Tiger Corsair Onitsuka Tiger Corsair Following its inception in the late 1940s, Japan's Onitsuka Tiger quickly made huge strides in the development of sneaker technology and design. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman (later to form Nike) helped Onitsuka design the Corsair, which would be re-designed further to become the Cortez, an early Nike classic. The Corsair's striking design features the iconic curvaceous tiger 'stripes' weaving along the sides. These were actually first introduced with the also-classic Tiger 'Mexico', the stripes as much a metaphor for speed, movement and power, as a means of providing additional foot support for the wearer. 06. Puma State Puma State/Suede Puma States (or Suedes as they're known in the US) are a timeless piece of classic design with a long and illustrious history. Tommy Smith made his famous Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics sporting a pair, and they've been much-loved by basketball players (Knicks legend Clyde Frazier was a famous endorsee), hip-hop stars, skate crews and street casuals ever since. 07. Adidas Superstar Adidas Superstar The old-school classic 'Superstar' is an off-the-scale design sneaker icon. Not just because the instantly recognisable low-top shell-toe design is simply 'cool-as', but because of its massive impact across so many musical trends, cultures and tribes. Enjoying instant popularity on courts when released in 1969 as a basketball shoe, its subsequent adoption by hip-hop crews in early '80s New York (helped along just a smidge by Run DMC's My Adidas homage) led to a massive explosion in popularity for the Superstar. 08. Adidas Stan Smith Adidas Stan Smith Released in 1965 and endorsed by US tennis legend Stan Smith, these eponymous adidas sneakers are quite simply legendary. So much so that they were treated to a re-release in 2014. The epitome of classic, understated design, these beautifully simple all-leather works of art are a striking triumph in 'less is more', particularly notable for the three rows of perforations where the usual adidas three stripes would appear. 09. Etnies Fader Etnies Fader Not a shoe typically found in top 'all time' lists, and certainly not deemed 'cool' by those in the know, but nevertheless... this is my list, right? So, I have a confession: I'm a sucker for Etnies Faders. A classic, appealing aesthetic, understated contrasting colourways and solid sturdy construction add up to a modern design classic that I absolutely love to wear. And boo ya to the purists! 10. Adidas Samba Adidas Samba The biggest selling Adidas shoe of all time, this old-school (1950) classic set the blueprint for all sneakers to follow. A favourite of five-a-side footballers and '80s terrace casuals alike and still undiminished by familiarity, this simple design classic deserves a place in anyone's top 20 sneaker design list. Anyone who claims to have never owned a pair of Sambas is, quite frankly, telling a pack of porkies. Next page: the next 10 best sneakers of all time... 11. Nike Air Force 1 Nike Air Force 1 Released in 1982, the iconic and collectible Air Force 1 was the first basketball shoe to feature Nike's air cushioning system. It enjoyed huge popularity in basketball quarters at least three years before mass-adoption as a fashion item, likely because of the trailblazing (and clever marketing) of the later Air Jordan and Air Max ranges. 12. Nike Air Jordan 11 Nike Air Jordan 11 While many of the Air Jordan range are, in my opinion, utterly hideous pieces of footwear (the 12s a case in point), it's easy to see why the Air Jordan 11 was the fastest-selling shoe of all time and continues to be held in high regard by sneaker enthusiasts. Timeless yet forward-thinking styling and some rather lovely colourways see the 11s equally at home as bad-ass streetwear or when shooting hoops with friends. 13. Adidas TRX Comp Adidas TRX Comp The TRX range was a range of running shoes released by adidas in the mid-70s, soon to be adopted by clued-up fashionistas. The top-of-the-range Comp is my particular favourite: a mesh and suede upper combined with the unusual sole make these a striking piece of sneaker design. Bob Marley was often seen sporting a pair of TRXs and frankly, if they're good enough for the Tuff Gong, they're definitely good enough for me. 14. Nike Air Max 95 Nike Air Max 95 Nike had already had success with Air Max versions 1-3 (the third more commonly known as Air Max 1990), but no one expected the brash design statement that was the Air Max 95. Lovers of old-school classic simplicity thought they were an aberration. It's true to say the high-tech features, weird contours and vaguely extra-terrestrial detailing were a major leap for sneaker design that, for better or worse, we haven't looked back from since. 15. Adidas Gazelle Adidas Gazelle In the same way that the Samba became a staple of shoe wardrobes the world over, so the same can be said of the Gazelle, Adidas' classic training shoe released in 1968. Their simple timeless styling has been available in pretty much every possible colourway over the years. The Gazelle remains a much-loved design classic. 16. Nike Air Jordan III Nike Air Jordan III The 1988-released Air Jordan III holds a special place in the hearts of most Jordan enthusiasts. This iconic design classic was the first to feature the now legendary Jumpman logo and the first to feature Nike's patented air sole window units. Popular to this day, re-issues of this classic sneaker design are still sported by the likes of Jay-Z and hip-hop hopefuls everywhere. 17. Adidas Kegler Super Adidas Kegler Super Cool-as-you-like, the visually striking Keglers saw adidas pushing design boundaries, in terms of aesthetics, functionality and comfort. The beefed-up sole sported three adjustable pegs at each side, allowing the wearer to alter the feel of the sneakers. Despite shipping with a set of distinctly unsexy orthopaedic-style plastic adjustment rods, the adidas Kegler was adopted by design-conscious 80s casuals as a symbol of downright cool. 18. Nike Bruin Nike Bruin The Nike Bruin is, quite simply, a legendary sneaker. Released in 1972 as a low-top basketball shoe, its simple clean lines, solid suede upper and prominent leather Swoosh helped launch the Nike brand into the sneaker-buying public's consciousness. 19. Nike Cortez Nike Cortez The Nike Cortez is another legendary shoe with historical significance. First released in 1972, Nike's first ever sneaker was actually a re-working of the Onitsuka Tiger Cortez, which in turn had been designed by Nike's co-founders. The Cortez has never been out of production since its first classic release, in white leather, with a red swoosh and distinctive blue line on the side sole. Since released in pretty much every imaginable colourway and material, the Cortez will always be a sleek, highly desirable design classic. 20. Vans Era Checkerboard Vans Era Checkerboard Before skater-shoe technology's head-on collision with NASA, self-respecting '70s skateboarders were seen in one sneaker and one sneaker only: Vans. These unassuming California deck shoes might not have attained their design classic status had Vans not involved skaters in the design of what became the 95, popularly known as the Vans Era. This ubiquitous sneaker design (particularly the black-and-white checkerboard colourway) was so successful that it has since sailed far beyond its skater origins, via new wave punk bands and indie kids, into the wider global consciousness. So that's my list. I know, I know... the list of designs I've missed is longer than the list itself. But which of mine would you ditch, and which classic sneaker designs would you replace them with? Let me know in the comments! Related articles: 10 most hated logos (and what they teach us) 70 best free fonts for designers 14 imaginative web comics to inspire you View the full article

Hackers are embedding malicious code within compromised, uploaded images on trusted Google sites – weaponizing the website and staying under the radar. View the full article

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In this InfoSec Insider cyber insurance expert Nick Sanna discusses how to balance threat exposures and protecting assets with insurance against hacking, breaches and vulnerabilities. View the full article

Do you feel like your work-life balance is too heavily weighted toward the former? Are you always struggling to meet deadlines? Do you feel like you're constantly running to keep still? We all have 'time sinks' in our days that we're barely conscious of. But if you really focus on what they are, and how to remove them, you can suddenly free up serious numbers of extra hours and become more creative and productive as a result. Who knows, you might even have time to complete that tattoo art you've been thinking about creating, or have time to make your own font. Want more time off, longer holidays and shorter days? Then read on, and see how many of these common time sinks apply to you. 01. Emails Overwhelmed by emails? Then you need to take action. When compared to the old days, when office workers spent hours every morning opening and replying to physical letters, email is one of the most time-saving inventions of modern times. And yet, the sheer volume of emails we receive can often feel overwhelming. If you feel like you’re drowning in emails, then you either don’t have a robust enough system for dealing with them, or no system at all. Doing something about that can make a huge difference to how much time you spend on them. There’s no catch-all solution that works for everyone; you’ll have to find that out by trial and error. But the more you work on improving your system, the better things will get. The problem is, we often tell ourselves we 'don’t have time' to do so, which is the most unproductive false economy you could ever imagine. So set aside an hour one day to think about how you could improve the way you organise your emails. Then put a new system in place, and review it on a regular basis. If you don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas you might try… Apportion a specific time period each day to respond to emails, and don’t even look at your inbox at other times. Save yourself typing repetitive responses to non-important message by using automating replies, such as Gmail’s Canned Responses (Settings > Labs > Canned Responses). Create rules to filter certain messages from your inbox to a folder automatically. For example, in my inbox any email that is addressed to my social media handles (eg, ‘Dear @journotom’ or ‘Dear @tom_may’), rather than my actual name, is automatically junked. Aim for inbox zero every day: the psychological boost can be enormous and the practice can help you to start write shorter, to-the-point emails as a habit. Take the time to unsubscribe from time-wasting services that keep sending you pointless notifications. Create a policy of not replying to certain kinds of email. For example, if my email address is marked ‘bcc’ (‘Blind Carbon Copy’ from the old analogue days) and I am not directly mentioned in the body, I feel that implies it is for my information only and I'm not obligated to reply to it. For more tips, read our indispensable guide to email management for creatives. 02. Instant Messaging Are you wasting time on endless IM chats? Then why not just phone instead? The word ‘Instant’ in Instant Messaging can be misleading. Yes, the speed at which your messages are sent may be fast. But that does not necessarily make it the least time-consuming way to have a conversation. Even if you’re super-fast at typing, an IM conversation about a work matter can end up taking an age. But it has become such a habit to most of us that we don’t even consider that picking up the phone, or having a chat of Skype, might be a lot faster. Hearing someone’s voice can remove ambiguity, conveying emotion and boost understanding in a way that can be difficult to do by text message, however cool your emoticons are. And that can make for quicker decisions and less time spent on meandering, endless discussions. Yes, you don’t have an easy record of the conversation to refer back to later, but ask yourself if that’s really vital. Even if it is, a quick email summary after your chat can solve that problem, and you’ll probably still have spent less time overall. 03. Meetings Do you dread meetings? Then do something about it. If, as we established in the last paragraph, face-to-face conversation can be a quicker way to resolve issues than instant messaging, then why do meetings suck so badly? We’ve all experienced boring, dull, endless meetings that fail to settle anything and end up being a spectacular waste of everybody’s time. To prevent this, it’s important to settle on some ground rules first, and make sure everyone agrees to them before you start. These might include the following. A clear agenda and agreed goals (the fewer the better): if you don’t know what you want the meeting to achieve, you’ll never achieve it. No deviations from core topics: if you want to chat about other things you can do it in the pub later. A strict time-limit (the shorter the better) and absolutely no late arrivals. A limit on attendees (the fewer the better). More controversially, you might also want to speed things up by leaving phones and laptops at the door (notes can be taken on notepaper, but devices offer too many distractions). You could also consider taking away the chairs: people are more likely to drone on and on if they’re comfortable, less so if they’re standing up. For more detailed advice, read our article on how to run effective meetings. 04. Gaps between meetings We often forget how much time we waste between meetings While meetings are obvious time sucks, what we often fail to account for is the amount of time we waste between them. If, for example, you’ve got another one starting in 15 minutes, it's kind of pointless to spend five minutes going back to your desk, five minutes working and then leave again. The obvious solution is to leave shorter gaps between meetings, which in turn puts extra stress on each meeting starting and finishing on time. If you can't though, then consider planning ahead and finding a 15 minute task you can realistically do in the gap, such as answering a difficult email. By scheduling it for a particular time slot, you're far more likely to do it, rather than just wasting the time on Instagram or Twitter. Talking of which... 05. Social media Switch off social media and see your productivity rocket How much time do you spend during your working day on social media? If you want an app to tell you, we’d recommend AntiSocial for Android and Pryxsee for iOS. But most of us don’t need to be told that we waste hours on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram when we should be working. And that this time probably represents at least one day a month we could be taking off from work entirely. So ask yourself: what’s wrong with the idea of turning off your phone, or at least its internet connection, completely during working hours? Social media is designed to make us think that we have to be always ‘on’, and contactable, especially as freelancers, but is that really true? Don’t all serious work enquiries still arrive by email? Even if that’s not the case, do they really need to be replied to instantly (it’s not always great to seem too keen)? We’d suggest that for most people other than freelance creatives who are just starting out, the answer’s no. So just switch it off, and start surfing on the thrilling tide of actually getting things done. For more tips, read our post how to make social media work for you. 06. Commuting Two hours-plus of commuting each day is a lot of time to waste One of the best things about freelancing for home, or remote working in a job, is that you claw back at least couple of hours a day that you would have spent commuting. But that’s not possible for everyone. So if you have to travel to work, how do you stop that being totally wasted time? There are two ways to go. Firstly, if you travel by train or bus, ask yourself if it’s possible to actually work during your commute. Sometimes it’s not worth the hassle: you don’t have a seat, the Wi-Fi or mobile internet signal is patchy or non-existent, and the noise makes it difficult to concentrate. But if you plan ahead it might be a different story. For example, you might be able to set your laptop up with creative work you can do offline. Noise-cancelling headphones plus the right soundtrack could help minimise distractions. Travelling earlier or later might boost your chances of getting a seat. Alternatively, you could give the idea of working on your commute up as a lost cause, and instead use the time in different ways. Catch up on podcasts, audio dramas, TV shows and films. Read a good book or your favourite magazine (we have some excellent creative titles to consider here). That might not be productive in a work sense, but time spent doing things you enjoy shouldn't be seen as 'wasted time', it’s time spent recharging your batteries and making you feel more creative once you do sit down to work. 07. Watching TV Of course you should watch The Santa Clarita Diet; it's ace. But you don't have to watch seasons 1 and 2 in one go. Iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has famously never had a television set; her attitude is that you either create great work or be distracted by entertainment. But while most creatives see this as less of a binary decision, it’s certainly true that most of us waste too much time watching TV. And what’s worse, we don’t always even enjoy it that much. Granted, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon have cut down on the amount of time we waste watching commercials, and help us focus more on the kind of shows we actually like, rather than staring blankly at whatever pops up on broadcast TV at the end of the evening. But watching streaming box-set series can be damagingly addictive, as you continually try to fight the lure of ‘just one more episode’. So as well as putting time limits on your children’s viewing, shouldn’t you consider setting a good example and sticking to strict limits of your own too? Also, try spacing out episodes of a show rather than binge-watching. It can actually make your viewing experience more enjoyable, as you ponder what might happen next in the show throughout the week, rather than just letting the whole story wash over you in one sitting. What’s more, the forthcoming episode will feel like more like a treat, something to look forward to, just like watching your favourite show did as a kid. It’s also vital to resist the urge to be a completist. Just because you’ve started watching a show, that doesn’t mean you have to finish it. If you’re not hooked by episode three, why not just quit it? It’ll still be there to catch up on next time you have a sick day and just want something on in the background while you snot your way through a box of tissues. Finally, that feature on streaming services that automatically plays the next episode; difficult to resist, isn’t it? So disable it. Simple. 08. Tasks you should have delegated Are you being selfish by not delegating to a colleague? A lot of time we think we’re being productive, but actually we’re not. That’s because we’re doing work that other people could be doing. Often, those people are desperate to be given extra tasks, as a way of furthering their career development or, if they’re freelancers, of paying their rent. But we deny them, telling ourselves that only we can be trusted with this important task. Get over yourself. Yes, delegation can be difficult: It’s about picking the right people for the right job, striking the right balance between guidance and interference, giving good instructions and being patient with people. But the more you learn to let go, the easier it becomes and the better you’ll get at it. Plus it's a win-win, as being able to delegate well is going to supercharge your career prospects in the long term. For more advice, read our post 10 ways to master the tricky art of delegation. 09. Interruptions People trying to get our attention can drastically disrupt our workflow Sometimes it can feel like it’s impossible to get any work done in the office at all. You’re really trying to focus on solving a difficult problem but there are so many distractions, from one colleague wanting to chat about the football to another asking you to sponsor their 10K run. The moment you start to get into a decent workflow, another interruption comes along and sets you back to square one. At times like these, when you really need to concentrate, there’s nothing wrong with making that fact clear to others. Putting on your headphones is a time-honoured way to advertise your ‘Do Not Disturb’ status. If that doesn’t work then why not just ask people politely not to interrupt you for the next hour, or tell them you’re relocating to an empty room so you can concentrate better? At other times, when you’re working on more routine work, you’ll probably be glad of background noise and the odd bit of random chat. So don’t alienate your colleagues, just use common sense and good communication to let them know when that’s welcome and when it isn’t, and respond in kind when they send the same messages to you. 10. Procrastination Our tendency to procrastinate lies at the root of all time sinks Ultimately, the problem of time sinks often boils down to one thing: procrastination. You know you really should be getting on with one particular task but you basically don’t want to. So you subconsciously seek high and low for alternative tasks, make endless cups of tea, or simply sit there staring at a piece of paper as if the answer will miraculously jump out of it. The important thing about procrastination is to (a) know when you’re doing it and (b) know why you’re doing it. The latter may be anything from fear of failure to the fact you need to eat or take a break. But only when you accept the problem can you deal with the solution. For further advice, check out our 5 fail-safe ways to beat procrastination. Read more: 9 tips for improving your time management How to manage a huge client 12 essential tools for graphic designers View the full article

Cisco also pushed out seven high-severity fixes for its SD-WAN solution for business users, and a patch for a DoS flaw in the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Fabric Switches. View the full article

Self-doubt can strike anyone in any industry, but creatives in particular are closely associated with images of internal conflict. Is there truth behind the stereotype of the tortured artist finally emerging from their studio clutching a work of brilliance, and if so, where does it come from? Most importantly of all, how can artists deal with self-doubt? Like most stereotypes, the idea of the troubled artist is neither nuanced nor useful. However, it does tap into a struggle that artists at every stage of their career appear to have to deal with: talent, refined art techniques won’t help you outrun confidence issues, and nor will the best pencils or drawing apps. “Once I reached a point where I was making a living with my artwork and went full time, the doubts began to set in,” says artist and illustrator Kelly McKernan, whose “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude wore off when she started to rub shoulders with artists at the top of their game. “The prevailing feeling went from inspiration to shame. I truly didn’t feel like I belonged.” To keep her mind active, McKernan listens to educational podcasts and radio plays Comic artist and illustrator Adam Hughes has worked for the biggest publishers in the business, and even he still wrestles with feelings of doubt. “It’s never changed, but I just do the work,” he reveals. “Not as quickly as if I was burning with confidence, but I get it done. That’s the only real issue: do your doubts actually stop you in your artistic tracks?” For McKernan, this proactive approach forced her to confront insecurities about the work she was creating. “I took a hard look at my work, recognised that much of it felt shallow to me, and began taking steps to create more personally fulfilling work that addresses and explores my experiences,” she says. Imposter syndrome In a cruel twist of logic, overworking is a sign that an artist could be experiencing impostor syndrome. This is the condition where a person feels like they could be exposed as a fraud at any moment. “The nature of creative work makes everyone more vulnerable to feeling inadequate and even more so if you are not classically trained,” explains author and impostor syndrome expert Dr Valerie Young. For Hughes, the biggest sign that negative thoughts have got too much is when artists stop drawing altogether “For one, your work is highly public. Not only are you defined by it, but by artistic and literary standards that are completely subjective. It’s a challenge to maintain a consistent level of confidence when you know you’re only as good as your last painting. Meanwhile, confidence can cause you to question yourself even more because the reactions of those around you can be so skewed.” To conquer these nagging feelings of fraudulence, Young advises that you normalise them and reframe the idea of failure. “If you want to stop feeling like an impostor, you have to stop thinking like an impostor.” A positive attitude is what helps entertainment industry design veteran Feng Zhu cope with the pressures of dealing with a client. “I remind myself that clients are coming to me because they liked my previous work. So, I just need to do what I do, instead of trying to become, match or out-do someone else. “Our career is not a popularity contest. Our job is to get ideas out on paper,” says Zhu “Design what you love best. You don’t need to follow trends or do concept art for the sake of popularity. Don’t worry about what others will think. If you’re doing something you love, self-doubt and negative energy quickly fades away.” For illustrator Miles Johnston, embracing failure is an inevitable part of trying to do anything worthwhile. “Failure is a necessary part of the process of growing as an artist,” he argues. “It’s also incredibly difficult to have a truly objective view of your own work. I think a lot of people slip into the false idea that when they see something good in their work, this is wishful thinking, and when they see the bad, now they’re truly being objective. Instead, keep your focus and passion on the work at hand.” Social anxiety Concentrating on your own work and accomplishments is easier said than done, especially when you add social media into the mix. With plenty of artists using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share their art, it’s all too easy to get bogged down if your own work doesn’t perform. This can lead to artists focusing on failure in the wrong way. Relaxing and exercising are how Johnston unwinds. “It can be fun to interact with artists online, but I don’t think it can replace the basics of a good life” Hughes remains forthright with his advice. “If sharing your work catastrophises anything, maybe you’re in the wrong line of work. You can be fragile as long as you keep drawing. If feedback of any kind wrecks you, then maybe reconsider sharing your talent publicly. Many artists create just for themselves.” Johnston takes the opposite approach, and encourages artists to put their work out there all the time. “I think being afraid to show your artwork ultimately comes down to a kind of ego,” he says. “If people see you improve over time, then your old work won’t be embarrassing or hold you back. Instead, it’ll make people more inspired and interested in your journey.” Thinking positive When handled well, apparently negative thoughts and observations can urge artists on to higher ground. “Imperfections (do not call them failures!) inform your future work,” says McKernan. “Successes are the results of every piece that you’ve completed before, and that’s something to be proud of because it represents personal growth.” Artist and teacher Vanessa Lemen is of the same mind, as she gets to the root of how a fear of failure can be useful. “The aspect of self-doubt that stems from being challenged and comes from the understanding that there are an infinite number of things that we don’t know – that the possibilities are endless, and that there is so much out there that we have yet to learn – can definitely play a positive role in the betterment of ourselves and our art.” Lemen puts self-doubt down to artists being inside their own heads too much Meanwhile, Hughes observes “any artist who loves their own work too much isn’t inclined to improve. I feel a little self-loathing goes a long way towards improving one’s self. Dissatisfaction is a great motivator.” Johnston agrees that dissatisfaction can push people to better work, but the secret is to develop positive habits so self-esteem will come naturally. “It’s a meaningful and fulfilling life to get to do this every day,” he says. “I love my job and don’t regret a minute spent drawing.” This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 160; subscribe here. Related articles: 10 inspirational quotes to make you more productive How to make social media work for you 5 mindfulness apps to save you from creative burnout View the full article

Michael Johnson, founder of Johnson Banks, is known for his strong opinions. So it's no wonder that he knows exactly what he's looking for in a graphic design portfolio. We sat down with him to uncover the nitty gritty of what he's looking for in a design portfolio, what impresses him, what makes him happy and what is likely to arouse his ire and dismay. Read on for his five dos and don'ts when it comes to portfolios... 01. Do avoid distractions How you should lay out your work? “For me, anything that gets in the way of the actual work is a problem,” says Johnson. “So really art-directed headers, titles, graphic edges and suchlike are a huge turn-off. The work should stand on its own and not need a frilly border. Online, if the web navigation is getting in my way or slowing the process down, that’s also very distracting.” In short, it’s all about focusing attention on the work alone. “For me, it’s the same every time. Three great projects – okay. Five great projects – interesting. Eight great projects? Hired.” 02. Don't neglect small details Design is about detail, so neglect even the tiniest thing and you’ll end up on the rejected pile. Johnson shares some of the biggest misdemeanours he’s witnessed: “Sending 56-page pdfs when 15 was the stated limit. Sending 25MB files. Sending links to Dropbox folders or WeTransfer links.” Then there are the oh-so-irritating spelling mistakes, including: “Spelling my name wrong: Michael is not spelt MICHEAL, and nor is my name Michael Banks.” Johnson’s pet hates when it comes to portfolios also include: “Sending emails to Johnson Banks that still say ‘Dear Wolff Olins’. Sending blanket ‘Dear Info’ emails to 50 design groups. And not looking at our website before sending samples. For example, Johnson Banks don’t do packaging. Yet, designers still send us packaging projects. Why?” Michael Johnson is the founder of Johnson Banks 03. Do fill it with ideas If you’re applying for a creative position, you need to demonstrate more than just technical ability. “So your portfolio needs to be full of great ideas, demonstrating a lively and engaging mind, an interest in the world, and design’s role within it,” stresses Johnson. “The best ones are just crammed with ideas; and then at second interview, they reveal personal work or more layers which make me like the work even more.” 04. Don't oversell yourself Your portfolio should sell your skills and vision as a designer, but don’t push things too far, cautions Johnson. “Being overly chippy and telling me how great you are, just in the email, is a pet peeve. Another one is putting work in your folder that you basically only did the photocopying for... then forgetting to tell me that.” 05. Do be personable When it comes to talking an employer through your portfolio in an interview, not everyone gets it right. “The vast majority of people forget they are presenting to someone else, and present to themselves, not me,” says Johnson. “Spooky, really. Oh, and you need to be able to justify design decisions. Saying ‘I’ve always liked this typeface’ is not a reason.” This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's leading magazine for graphic designers. Buy issue 278 here or subscribe here. Read more: Transform your portfolio from good to great How to curate a creative portfolio 8 portfolio mistakes that drive clients mad View the full article

Do you create a lot of different types of websites? Take them all up a notch with a lifetime membership to Visualmodo WordPress Themes, which just got a price drop – it now costs just $34. This tool offers a wide variety of themes that are perfect for building any website, whether you're building one for someone else or launching your own. Themes can be customised, and fast installation allows them to go live in no time at all. Visualmodo also features cross-browser compatibility, so you can rest assured that your site will look great across all browsers. And thanks to lifetime membership, you'll have access to all future themes that may hit the library. Get one subscription to last your whole life for only $34. Related articles: 23 great examples of WordPress websites 6 top tips for CRO success in WordPress 40 brilliant WordPress tutorials View the full article

We've already seen that Twitter is an excellent place to pick up a nifty productivity tip, especially for apps like Photoshop CC. And while we've just about got over the secret Photoshop eyedropper trick that was blowing people's minds earlier in the week, another tip has come along that's left designers on social media equally stunned. Calligrapher Ian Barnard, who we discovered this week is a dab hand with a cheap pen, discovered how effortless it is to copy and paste from an iPad straight to a Mac and shared his find on Twitter. His followers quickly registered their shock and delight, then Barnard tweeted a short video clip explaining how it's done. Minds were blown. Say goodbye to emailing files to yourself and downloading them with this simple swipe-and-tap alternative. Just make sure both devices are on the same network before you give this a go. Related articles: 19 best painting and drawing apps for iPad The 12 best iPad apps for designers 9 tips for improving your time management View the full article

Have you started using the Flexible Box Layout module in your projects yet? Although the module has been around for some time, there have been two major barriers stopping front end developers from using it as a web design tool. First, until recently the spec was in flux and there wasn't great support for it. Today, all modern browsers support Flexbox. The second barrier is that it is pretty tough to grasp the concept of Flexbox. While it is super-powerful, there are a lot of moving parts and it can be difficult to learn. But the ability to arrange page elements, and have them behave in a predictable way, across multiple screen sizes, is well worth the effort. Want to get started with flexbox? Read on! In this article, I will get you up and running with the fundamental concepts behind flexbox. Understanding these core concepts will open up a whole world of extremely flexible, easy to create layouts (especially for responsive web design). Next-generation design Flexbox is a next-generation tool to help you create layouts with CSS; whether you want to lay out a section of your website or display a grid of media elements. It enables you to easily align, centre, justify, scale and reorder elements on your page, without having to resort to nasty CSS hacks or fragile JavaScript dependencies. Flexbox can replace floats, positioning tricks, inline-block layouts and even – shudder – table display layouts. If you have ever pulled your hair out wondering why some seemingly simple layouts were difficult or even impossible in CSS, you are going to love Flexbox. Flex elements The magic of Flexbox is in the relationship between the parent 'flex container' and the children 'flex items'. In order to take full control of Flexbox, you must put aside any previous ideas of floats, positioning and clearing. This is a totally new way of laying out your page. Setting display:flex; on a parent element turns it into a flex container, and all of its immediate children will be turned into flex items. Once you have your markup set up, you can use one of the many available flex properties to create a layout. Note: any of the HTML elements can be a flex container or flex item. Any :before and :after pseudo-elements you have on your flex container will be treated as children, and therefore first-class flex items. Rows and columns The default flex-direction set to row There are two axes in Flexbox that control how the flex items on the page are laid out: the main axis and the cross axis. By default, Flexbox is set up so the main axis goes from left-to-right (or the opposite, for languages that read right-to-left) and the cross axis flows top-to-bottom (shown above). Before you go memorising that, note that this can – and will – all change with the flex-direction property. The main axis flipped with flex-direction:row-reverse; By default, Flexbox is set up with flex-direction: row; which means the items flow on the main axis from left-to-right, in a row. We can switch the main axis so it flows from right-to-left by using flex-direction:row-reverse (as shown above). The main axis switched from horizontal to vertical with flex-direction:column; To switch both the main axis and the cross axis, we change the layout to flex-direction:column;. This will alter the main axis and flex item flow from left-to-right to top-to-bottom, in a column (above). We can also start from the bottom and move up by flipping the main axis with flex-direction:column-reverse. Center items One of the best things about Flexbox is that it allows you to align your content in any way you please – even vertical centring is an absolute breeze! There is often confusion surrounding Flexbox alignment, because there are three different properties that we use to modify the alignment of our flex items. One reason for this is that these properties align the items along the main and the cross axis. So instead of asking, 'how do I centre something vertically or horizontally?' you must first establish which direction your axes are pointed, and then figure out which CSS property to use to properly align and centre your flex items on them. In the next few examples, I'll be attempting to perfectly centre my items. However, you should know that each of these properties has a number of alignment options. For a full list, I recommend keeping this CSS-Tricks flexbox reference handy. The cross axis align-items:center; will centre our items along the cross axis, which in our case is top-to-bottom By default, flex items stretch across the entire flex container along the cross axis. If we want to centre items along the cross axis, we can use the align-items property on our flex container and set it to center (shown above). In addition to stretch and center, we can also use flex-start and flex-end to anchor the items at the top and bottom respectively. Finally, we have baseline, which will align the items along the bottom (or baseline) of your text. This is extremely helpful when you are trying to align items with varying font sizes. Justify along the main axis Justify-content:center; will centre our items along the main axis Now we have the centring working along the cross axis – top to bottom in our case – we need to get centring working across the main axis. For this, we use justify-content:center (shown above). Just like with align-items, we can also use flex-start or flex-end, as well as space-between and space-around, which will evenly divvy up the remaining space between the elements. This is super-useful when working with grid layouts that don't add up to 100 per cent of the margin and widths. Just remember, if we switch from the default flex-direction:row; to flex-direction:column;, the main axis can change from left-to-right to top-to-bottom. When we switch to column, align-items becomes the horizontal alignment while justify-content becomes the vertical alignment. Align multiple lines While align-items and justify-content work great when you have a single row or column of content, things get a little trickier when you're dealing with multiple lines of content as a result of using flex-wrap:wrap; on the flex container. align-content works just like justify-content, but kicks in when we have multiple lines of content. By applying align-content:center; we can ensure that the lines will anchor in the middle of the cross axis and centre their elements from there. Just like with justify-content, we can also use flex-start, flex-end, space-between and space-around. However, this time they refer to the space in-between the rows or columns of content, and not the flex items themselves. Now, with just four lines of CSS, we have a bulletproof way of vertically and horizontally centring all direct children of a flex container. Fill the space So far, everything we have learned about alignment has to do with the flex container and how it aligns its children. With align-self it is possible to override the align-items property set on the flex container by individually setting align-self to flex-start, flex-end, center, baseline or stretch. Another often misunderstood part of flexbox is how to work with grow, shrink and basis values. It's helpful to once again throw away any ideas of pixel-perfect grids and embrace that flexbox is, well, flexible. Each flex item can be assigned a flex-grow, flex-shrink and a flex-basis value. With these values we can indicate our ideal sizes, and then specify how the items should act in situations where there is extra, or not enough, space. From there, the items will just figure it out for themselves. I like to think of these properties as: flex-grow: How do I act when there is extra space available? How will the flex items divvy up the remaining space? flex-shrink: How do I act when there isn't enough room for all the flex items? Rather than overflow the container, who will give up part of themselves to make everything fit? flex-basis: Instead of setting a definite width or a height on your element, ideally what width (as a row) or height (as a column) will it be? Note that while it is possible to specify these properties individually, you will almost always be using the flex shorthand to specify the grow, shrink and basis values all at once. Check the videos at Flexbox.io for a more detailed description of the flex shorthand property. Growing and shrinking The idea is that we can set our ideal width or height with the basis value, and then when there is extra space available for the flex items, the flex-grow property will decide how much extra to take up. Similarly, when there is not enough space available, the shrink property will decide how much each element will give up (or 'shrink'). The flex-grow and flex-shrink properties are unit-less, proportional values. They describe how much – in relation to all the other flex items – the item will grow or shrink. Let's say we have two flex items: video and credits. We will set the video to flex:1 1 700px; and the credits to flex:3 3 300px;. Now the parent of both of these items is the flex container, and when it is 1000px wide things work out perfectly: the video takes up its 700px and the credits take up the other 300px. What happens when the flex container is 1500px wide? We have an extra 500px to work with, so where does that go? That is where flex-grow kicks in. The video is set to 1 while credits is set to 3. That means of all the extra room, credits will take three times (375px) the amount of space the video will get (125px). Similarity, what happens when our flex container is smaller than 1000px? Let's say it's 900px: how do the video and the credits act then? Unlike with floats, we don't just break onto a new line, or scale them down with percentages. Instead, we use the flex-shrink property. Since the credits have a flex-shrink of 3 and the video has a flex-shrink of 1, this means the credits will give up three times as much space as the video. So since we need to shave off 100px from somewhere, the credits will give up 75px, while the video container will only give up 25px. Unknown navigation size Let's look at some common use cases of flexbox. If you have ever worked with a navigation in a CMS like WordPress, you'll know that it can be hard to predict how many elements will be included in your navigation. Evenly distributing the space between all the elements requires JavaScript. For example if you have three elements, each one should be take up 33.33 per cent of the width, while with five elements each one should take up 20 per cent. Let's take a look at this commonly seen code as an example: With flexbox, we can easily create this navigation, and even make it responsive, all with just a few lines of CSS. All we need to do is to set our navigation container (usually an unordered list of items) to display:flex, and then each of the flex items to flex:1 or flex-grow:1;. This will stretch the list items horizontally and fit them perfectly into the available width. The reason this works so nicely is that we set the flex items to grow 1, which means that when there is extra space left over, it will be divvied up evenly between all the items. For more on this, and to learn how to size your navigation elements differently, make sure to watch the responsive navigation tutorial available on Flexbox.io. Equal-height columns align-items:center; will centre our items along the cross axis, which in our case is top-to-bottom Have you ever wished that CSS had a height:as-high-as-the-highest-sibling property? We have all been there – we have three columns of content, all of which are different sizes (above). The content is dynamic and the site is responsive, so setting a fixed height on each one is out of the question, and a JavaScript fix isn't ideal. Earlier we learned that the default of align-items is stretch. This means the flex items will stretch to fit the parent flex container. And how is the height of the flex container defined? Almost always by the height of the tallest content box. Let's take the following markup, for example. If we render this out with floats and percentage widths, we will see the container is sized by the middle element and the other two are only as high as they need to be. With flexbox, boxes stretch to fit the flex container and all become equal height Now, if we simply use display:flex; on the flex container, and set each element to be 33.33 per cent with the flex-basis property, immediately the flex items stretch across the entire cross axis, regardless of how much content is in them (see image above). Flexbox benefits I hope by now you see the value in learning how to use the Flexible Box module. While it won't solve every issue you have with CSS, it's an important tool every designer and developer should know, and have in their arsenal. It has been a while since we have had anything this large come to CSS, and I'd argue it's one of the tougher parts of CSS to learn. Just remember that you pushed though learning floats, so Flexbox is totally something you can master! Must-have resources What the Flexbox?! 'What the Flexbox?!' is a free 20-video training course I've created. In the first half of the course, each video introduces a new aspect of Flexbox. I've kept these nice and short, so you can reference them later when you need to brush up on a particular part. The second half of the course dives into a real-world example, detailing how we can use Flexbox to quickly and easily solve many of the common layout problems we face. A complete guide to Flexbox Once you get the hang of Flexbox, you can put the training materials aside. However, it's helpful to keep a visual reference handy. This fantastic resource from Chris Coyier breaks down each of the 13 different Flexbox properties, showing which apply to the flex container and which apply directly to the flex items. Flexbugs Flexbox is not without fault, and like anything, there are a handful of cross-browser bugs and workarounds you should know about. Flexbugs outlines a range of known Flexbox bugs as well as offering possible fixes and workarounds. Read more: Create an animated split screen loading screen 10 ways to transform your creative thinking Create and animate SVG polygons View the full article

You're reading How to Create a Cryptocurrency Exchange Rates using Coinlayer API?, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Back in 2008, a group of people hidden behind the Satoshi Nakamoto figure, developed Bitcoin, a peer-to-peer distributed currency, based on the concept of blockchain. It’s been a wild ride since then. Everyone is in the hunt for the digital … View the full article

Apps most often blacklisted by enterprises provide messenger, VoIP and navigation services. View the full article

From the finest free ebooks for designers to how to work from home and free WordPress themes for creating your design portfolio , we've got you covered if you're thinking about going freelance. But when it comes to tips for going freelance, nothing beats advice from successful freelancers who have already taken the plunge. Here, six leading designers and illustrators share the biggest mistakes they made when going it alone – and reveal what they learned from them… 01. Not using a contract Brendan Dawes’ project The Shape of Data uses real-time happenings on Twitter "I think the biggest mistake was not bothering with contracts," says designer and artist Brendan Dawes. "I think, probably through naivety, you just want to get stuck into the work, and maybe somewhere in the back of my head I was thinking, 'It would put this new client off if I hit them with a contract,' which is crazy." "Luckily the lack of contracts in those early days didn't lead to anything bad," he continues, "but now I have a contract for every piece of work I do — a nice simple one." "I've even had clients comment on how straightforward and fair it is. Contracts are e-signed via an online signing service; make it easy for the client to sign and you get signatures very quickly." 02. Offering too much Aviary Tessellation by Stine Jones is a pattern design created in vector format "When I started freelancing, I made a mistake in thinking I had to compete with larger agencies by offering a full range of creative services," admits illustrator and graphic designer Stina Jones. "This led to me being overworked with a portfolio that didn't stand out in any particular areas. When I decided to play to my strengths by specialising in what I enjoyed most, people responded more positively and I found it easier to win work." 03. Not achieving work/life balance Freelance work by Jessica de Jesus with fashion e-commerce website, Rue La La "I fell into the same bad habits I had while working full-time – my life revolved around work. It was a big emotional struggle, but I had to stop and remind myself that I took this risk of freelance for a reason," says art director, designer and artist Jessica de Jesus. "Being in control of your own time is an incredible opportunity to realise that life should always come first, no matter how scary that may sound. When I took the time to prioritise experiences, those things became the inspiration and driving force behind the work I wanted to create." 04. Failing to focus on long-term goals NYC, 2013 is one of a series of intricate cityscapes by Dylan Gibson "Getting caught up with deadlines and focusing on the here and now," says illustrator Dylan Gibson. "That determination is great for getting those projects finished, but I get distracted from my long term goals and sideline things like promotions or professional development, and miss opportunities. "It's something I'm still getting the hang of, and a behaviour I can change with time. I'm planning out the next six months ahead with realistic goals to achieve when busy within my longer term strategies to give me more direction on professional development." 05. Saying yes to everything Becca Allen illustrated a sticker for VIDDY – a DIY medium-format 35mm pinhole camera "Recently, while working six days in the studio with no spare time, I said yes to helping the FdA course at a local college," says designer and illustrator Becca Allen. "I was booked in to meet prospective students at the course open day and realised I wouldn't be able to deliver. I was disappointed I had to let the tutors and students down, but this experience has made me more selective with new work." 06. Not going freelance sooner Three Everything posters from award-winning graphic designer, art director and artist Sarah Boris' beautiful visual identity work "It's so important to take a leap of faith, take risks, listen to yourself and your desires, and mainly make sure you're happy every morning you wake up to go to work," says creative director Sarah Boris. "As a creative, I've found a space and way of working where I feel I can fully express myself. So far, this has led to some of the the best exchanges and collaborations I've ever had because I feel free, at ease and tremendously happy." The full version of this article first appeared in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Subscribe here. Related articles: How to curate a creative portfolio The freelance survival guide The art of going freelance View the full article

Last week saw the launch of Affinity Designer for iPad, the first full-spec vector graphics app for the device. Armed with features from the Apple Design Award-winning versions previously available on Mac and PC, this iteration of Affinity Designer hopes to go toe to toe with Adobe Illustrator. Serif, the developers behind Affinity Designer, had to completely reimagine how graphic design works on a screen for its iPad release. Artists, illustrators and designers worked in close collaboration with the Affinity Designer team to fine-tune the app so that it delivers everything a creative professional could ask for while on the move. 9 iPad Pro apps that make the most of Apple Pencil Capable of slotting right into a professional workflow, Affinity Designer's export engine can manage all the major file types. This makes the app perfect for working on preliminary drawings, right the way through to developing vector art and handing off the finished design. To give you a glimpse of what to expect from Affinity Designer, which you can download for a 30% discount price of $13.99 / £13.99 / €14.99 (subject to local currency variations), watch illustrator and graphic designer Steve Simpson put the app through its paces below. One of the headline features from the launch is the pencil stabilisation for vector drawings. This feature allows users to create curves with pinpoint precision, resulting in the smoothest and most accurate lines possible with a freehand pencil and brush tool. And with roughly 100 brushes built in, Affinity Designer for iPad gives artists plenty of options to test out this feature. Covering near enough every requirement, these brushes make it straightforward to add rich media textures to designs. Another standout addition is the ability to zoom in by a hyperbolic-sounding 100 million per cent. With this level of zoom users can ensure their work is as accurate as possible. If you're after a more rough-and ready hand-drawn finish, you can of course toggle this feature off. In another workflow game-changer, Affinity Designer for iPad is capable of switching effortlessly between vector and raster work. Users can also simply drag and drop files into emails, making it quick and easy to bring projects out of Affinity Designer and share them with others. Keep your strokes in order with pencil stabilisation There are also advanced layering options. These include 22 non-destructive adjustment layers that fire up previews instantly. Capable of being edited at any time, these can be manipulated by the most advanced layer controls available in any vector-based app. The release has been seen as Serif going head-to-head with Adobe, but it also hopes to on-board people who use Sketch thanks to a Symbols panel that makes short work of providing reusable elements. Rounding off the launch of Affinity Designer came the announcement that Serif will be launching its InDesign rival, Affinity Publisher, later in the year. And if you want to get in on the ground floor with this iPad tool, you can already sign up for the beta release. Related articles: How to create a retro logo with Affinity Designer How to draw with Affinity Photo for iPad How digital is bringing down barriers in art View the full article

July's critical patch update addresses 334 security vulnerabilities (including 61 rated critical) covering a vast swathe of the Oracle enterprise portfolio. View the full article

A high-quality multi-factor authentication bypass submission can win a bounty hunter up to $100,000. View the full article

While there certainly remains a global hierarchy when it comes to cyber capabilities, smaller state and non-state actors are increasingly exploiting the asymmetric nature of cyberspace to achieve a broad range of objectives. View the full article

Typography on the web has come a long way. About a decade ago it was still woefully underused and done very poorly – damaging user experience. Text wasn’t very readable online and the same typefaces were used over and over again. People were throwing their hands in the air, claiming you couldn’t do typography on the web well. But there’s one man that has been trying to convince people otherwise and that's Richard Rutter, co-founder of influential UX consultancy Clearleft. Now there’s a real surge of excitement about web fonts and typography and he’s at the centre of it. Richard Rutter – web typography expert One of the biggest game changers right now is the advent of variable fonts, a technology that enables a single font file to behave like multiple fonts. “It’s really interesting how quickly this has come out of nowhere,” Rutter explains. “Adobe, Microsoft, Apple and Google have all thrown their collective weight behind variable fonts and they all have their slightly different reasons. Google’s in particular will be one of performance because you can save an awful lot of space. You can radically cut down the file size because you can have a regular and a bold wrapped up together Richard Rutter "If you deal with Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages in particular, font files will be a few megabytes in size as opposed to Latin-based font files, which are much smaller," Rutter continues. "You can radically cut down the size of these files because you can have a regular and a bold wrapped up together. You’ve just got one font file for an infinite number of variations. It’s also going to be really interesting to see how type designers will provide stylistic variations in their fonts that are really unusual and that we wouldn’t have seen before.” Variable fonts can be used in real projects now. Browser support has reached over 65 per cent. Both Safari and Chrome already support variable fonts and Firefox and Edge will follow shortly. The latest versions of Photoshop and Illustrator also support them and they’re included in the latest Windows and Mac operating systems as well – Apple’s system font San Francisco uses font variations extensively. Ampersand's website uses variable fonts Clearleft has used a variable font on the website for Ampersand, the web typography conference. It’s one of the first commercial sites ever to do such a thing, something that Rutter explores in his article, how to use variable fonts in the real world. “We set the word ‘Ampersand’ in six different weights,” Rutter enthuses. “Each individual letter is set at a slightly different weight to give it a slightly more hand-drawn feel. There’s no way you would have done that in the past! You would have served it up as an SVG but now it’s real text, and we can do that with a variable font, which is tiny in size because it’s got a very small character set. It’s got the full alphabet and very little else but that’s all we needed for one word.” Rutter initially studied chemical engineering and, long before founding Clearleft with Andy Budd and Jeremy Keith in 2005, began his career designing bits of oil rigs. He first discovered his love for typography in the mid-1990s. The web came along and anyone could build a web page if they could type some simple HTML. Rutter found it very rewarding, so he got into design and with that came typography. Richard Rutter found this book about typography something of a revelation “In my first proper job as a designer at an agency in London, I was introduced to Robert Bringhurst’s book The Elements of Typographic Style,” Rutter remembers. “It was a revelation. I was fascinated by the way he was typesetting pages and the thought processes behind it. I realised – and fell in love with – the fine detail that he was putting into his work. It really resonated with me. There’s a wonderful geekiness to it. "There are a lot of tiny, seemingly meaningless, details that sometimes only you or other typographers can see. It’s your own special code in a way but if you get enough of them right, then the whole thing comes together to be something beautiful and enjoyable. They all improve the reading experience.” There are a lot of tiny, seemingly meaningless, details that sometimes only you or other typographers can see Richard Rutter The discovery of Bringhurst’s book prompted Rutter to start writing about typography on the web. He wanted to show people how to apply Bringhurst’s guidelines using techniques available in HTML and CSS and became a self-appointed web typography evangelist. Ultimately, it led to Rutter’s own book, Web Typography, a handbook for designing beautiful and effective responsive typography. Originally it was meant to be co-written by Mark Boulton and fellow typographer Jon Tan, who Rutter co-founded pioneering web font service Fontdeck with (now closed down). It was also going to be published through Boulton’s Five Simple Steps, which shut down when his agency was acquired by Monotype. Despite the setbacks Rutter was committed to the project and decided to go ahead on his own, without a publisher and with the help of Kickstarter; his campaign reached its target in less than 48 hours. Web Typography is aimed at both designers and developers and blends together typographic theory with the practical and technical. Rutter tried to include everything he could possibly think of that would be relevant to web typography. One of the theories he covers is how you can’t have a good user experience without good typography. “Looking at words is the vast majority of what we do on the web,” he points out. “Millions of people do it every day and the type is the experience much of the time, which is why it’s so important to get right. A few years ago a study done by Microsoft in collaboration with MIT tried to compare the difference between what was deemed to be good and bad typography. There was no significant difference in terms of the speed of reading, retention of information or even comprehension. The core thing they found was that with good typography the speed of reading felt faster and there was an overall sense of relaxation and enjoyment. With bad typography, people were frowning more, so essentially they found that good typography puts you in a good mood. If that’s not the ultimate user experience, I don’t know what is!” This article was originally published in issue 308 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 308 or subscribe to net. Want to learn more about making the most of typography online? Richard Rutter is giving his workshop Responsive Web Typography at Generate London Richard Rutter has a love and fascination for typography and co-founded Fontdeck, a pioneering web font service. As a self-appointed web typography evangelist, Richard is chief organiser of Clearleft’s Ampersand web typography conferences. At Generate London 2018, his workshop will help you create websites with engaging, appropriate, distinctive, expressive and readable web typography, which adapts for screens of all shapes and sizes. You will learn how to combine centuries-old craft with cutting-edge technology – including variable fonts – in order to design and develop the best experiences for your readers. Generate London takes place from 19-21 September 2018. Get your ticket now. Related articles: 5 web typography trends to look out for The rules of responsive web typography Better web typography in 13 simple steps View the full article

Email. It started as as something wonderful; a magical way to communicate with others instantly, no matter where they were in the world. It would revolutionise the way we do business. Well, it did do that. However, it also opened a new whole world of pain and stress that no one really saw coming. Having an email management strategy has become as vital to professional success as having an awesome design portfolio or knowing how to network. Read on for designers’ strategies for managing the ceaseless stream of email pouring into your inbox. You never know, Inbox Zero could be within reach. 01. Automate the process “I try to use tools and technology effectively,” says Pivot Design’s Brock Haldeman. “I use filters to help prioritise and organise incoming mail. I use spam filtering, unsubscribing and black-listing to minimise junk. Any remaining mail that comes through are the ones that are generally most important and since there aren’t nearly as many, they’re much easier to stay on top of.” 02. Prioritise Not all emails are as important as others. “At work, I prioritise responding to urgent matters and those emails that have the potential to become blockers for others,” says Alberta Soranzo, a service designer at LBG Digital. Bukwild’s Jeff Toll checks his emails first thing in the morning, but doesn’t reply to anything that’s not an emergency. “I simply flag and organise response priority,” he says. “Once I get into work and have had a moment to think about my responses, I can knock them all out.” Then, throughout the day, Toll will flag any important emails that don’t require instant responses, and make sure he returns to them before the end of the day. 03. Use ‘Unread’ for messages that require action What do you do with the emails you’ve seen but haven’t had time to deal with? Some sort them into action folders (‘To reply’, and so on), but that approach doesn’t work for Dahlström. “I ended up with a graveyard of forgotten emails,” she smiles. “Now I tend to mark them Unread.” 04. Filter newsletters into a separate folder Want to keep on top of what’s going on in the wider industry? Newsletters are a great way to stay up to date with the latest articles and discussions… but there’s no doubting they can clog up your inbox if you’re too busy to read them when they come in. UX designer Anna Dahlström suggests filtering out newsletters into separate folders. “I use additional +<something> combined with folders for my Gmail account, turning off notifications for that one but having them on for my business account,” she says. 05. Don’t keep your email on all the time Inbox zero is great, but you can’t deal with every message the second it comes in or you’ll never get anything done. Digital art director Clara Ilena turns off her email whenever she wants to be productive. “Apps such as Slack, Todoist and Monday also help me to stay on top of things and keep unnecessary communication to a minimum,” she adds. 06. Use labels and folders to stay organised Your inbox can very easily become a mess of different conversations and topics. If you can, sorting them into different subject folders can make things more manageable. “Whenever an email has been attended to, I file it away in a folder: project-related, team-related or committee/working group,” says Soranzo. “At home, I rely heavily on Gmail’s Archive function and labels. I have labels for everything, which makes it easier to retrieve communications on a specific topic, even when I don’t actually remember who wrote to me.” 07. Treat your inbox like a to-do list As well as using filtering to make sure only the important stuff gets through to his inbox, Digital director Michael Salafia has a novel approach to keeping his emails organised. “I treat my inbox like a to-do list,” he explains. “I pin items that I need to follow up on the same day and set snooze reminders for anything requiring future action. Attachments are immediately organised into Google Drive from Inbox. I create a new contact for each project’s Trello board so I can forward the emails and automatically create cards. I also have a bunch of custom Zapier Zaps to automate tedious actions, which are triggered by applying labels to emails.” 08. Give up and set an OOO “I read with surprise but amusement someone’s recent OOO strategy: ‘I won’t read your email. Please email me again when I’m back if it’s still important’,” recalls digital director Kate Tarling. This slightly controversial approach seems to be gaining popularity. While not all messages are as blunt as this one, it’s not rare for creatives to set an OOO message at busy times, explaining that they’re not checking their emails and the sender is unlikely to receive a response. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 307 or subscribe. Read more: How to multitask like a pro Nail the art of networking: how to get more from events 50 inspiring examples of letterpress business cards View the full article

Want to make it big in Hollywood? First, you'll have to learn what makes a great filmmaker. For only $19, you can get your hands on The Film Director Essentials Bundle, and save yourself years of expensive film school tuition. You'll learn the steps you'll have to take if you want to become a commercial director. You'll find out what it takes to be a great cinematographer, framing and capturing the perfect shots. You'll also discover whether you have the potential to be a casting director scouting out actors, or perhaps a grip behind the scenes. Pursue your dreams of being a Hollywood filmmaker with The Film Director Essentials Bundle -- it's just $19, 93 per cent off the regular price. Related articles: The best cheap GoPro deals for filmmakers and creatives The best computers for video editing in 2018 The best video editing laptops for 2018 View the full article

Next time you’re in a city, examine the way that modern buildings are constructed. What do you see? Repetition, and lots of it. A huge part of the built environment is constructed using repeated modular components. This makes modern architecture an ideal candidate for 3D modelling. Whole buildings can be created with just a few objects, and when combined with procedural modelling techniques, you can very quickly populate entire scenes in your 3D art, which are easy to update and fast to iterate. 40 free textures to download today The RailClone plugin for 3ds Max is ideal for this kind of task. It enables you to define simple construction rules to generate one-dimensional and two-dimensional arrays using a node-based interface. Because RailClone automatically instances geometry and render time, the source meshes can contain a tremendous amount of detail with little impact on render times and memory consumption, even if the scene contains millions or even billions of polygons. In the video tutorial below, we’ll use a scene by Bertrand Benoit to explain how RailClone can be used to model architecture inspired by Ludwig Erhard Haus, better known locally as Gürteltier (Armadillo) or Berlin’s Chamber of Commerce. We’ll examine techniques to make an almost entirely procedural modular atrium by creating glass facades, a detailed elevator shaft, plus a skylight and tiled floor. Even though modular design exists all around us, an issue when reproducing it in CG is that repetition can start to make scenes look unrealistically perfect. To make the environment appear a little lived-in, we’ll finish up by examining how to randomise open windows and blinds in the windows as well as adding texture variations to the marble floor. The written version of this tutorial appears in 3D World magazine issue 235. Buy it here or subscribe now. Read more: Substance Painter 2018 review Master large-scale environments in 3ds Max Big VFX on a budget View the full article

When you're desperate to land that dream agency job, or clamouring to win that portfolio-crowning client, it can make you do funny things. Counterproductive, self-sabotaging things. And we're here to help you stop. No more scratching your head in bemusement when you fall at the last hurdle of a pitch, crash and burn in interview, or fail to turn that internship into a steady job. Because all of these things apply regardless of the level you're at. Read on for six of the worst offences you can commit when trying to win work as a designer, and how to avoid them... 01. You're overconfident (or under-confident) Puffing up your chest and shouting your own praises won't win people over Everyone, from a fresh-faced graduate to a well-seasoned creative director, can be guilty of this one – but of course it manifests itself in different ways. And that fine, dotted line between pitching yourself confidently and enthusiastically, and looking arrogant and entitled, also moves depending on who you're dealing with. Design is about relationship building. It's about collaboration – both with your team, and with your client – and whether it's an interview for a job or a pitch for a project, if you come across like you think you're God's gift and won't compromise for anyone, that's likely to be an issue, regardless of the quality of your work. At the other end of the scale, sometimes a little humility and gentle, self-deprecating humour can be endearing – but you'll shoot yourself in the foot if you take it too far. If you're not confident about your work, and the process behind it, why should anyone else be? 02. You forget that other skills matter too Employers are looking for a full package of skills, not just a list of software proficiencies We've all seen those entry-level CVs that list very specific design skills or software proficiency. They're sometimes presented as a little bar-chart, with fairly arbitrary percentages applied: you are 90 per cent of the way towards being an artworking superstar, but your UX skills need work, so you're only at 60 per cent. Word of advice: no one thinks in these terms when hiring, and if anything it'll only draw attention to the weak points. Rather than attempting to rate yourself quantitatively like this, demonstrate your creative skills, and your critical thinking, through your work. Straightforward design skills and software proficiency aren't enough. Design agencies are multi-disciplinary environments where you need to pitch in at various stages of the process, contribute ideas and solve problems. In other words, you need to show the potential for being more than just a Mac monkey. 03. You drown people in your entire portfolio Don't overwhelm people with everything you've ever done – leave them wanting more Again, this is a common mistake that can be made at different ends of the experience spectrum. Whether you're making a creds pitch to a potential client, or showing your first portfolio to a recruiting agency, curation is crucial. Choosing what to put in your design portfolio can be challenging. As a fresh graduate, it's unlikely that they'll be many live client briefs to choose from – as you get more established, you may have the opposite problem. Know your audience, and tailor things accordingly. If you're going for your first job, people want to know you understand the principles of design, and can put them into action – but they also want to know that you're passionate, and can develop interesting ideas. With this in mind, balance out college briefs with personal projects where possible – but be selective. It's much better to talk through three fascinating highlights in detail than to scroll through everything and watch your audience glaze over. Likewise, a creds presentation doesn't have to turn into a blow-by-blow, chronological documentary. A few killer projects that show you have the right attitude, and demonstrate what you can bring to this particular sector or project is more likely to win people over. 04. You burn bridges in front of them If you badmouth previous relationships in an interview or pitch, you might burn more than one bridge The design industry is a surprisingly small place. Some creatives stay put for years and move up the ranks internally, others seek career development elsewhere. Whether from events, or pitches, or previous jobs, many creative directors know each other. So bridges should be left intact. No one will be impressed if you badmouth others, even lightheartedly – after all, what's to say you won't do the same to them? Be diplomatic and professional. Focus on the positives. People want to hire upbeat, motivated staff who can make the best of every situation. They may be able to read between the lines, especially if they have first-hand experience of the nightmare agency or client you're discussing, but that'll make you appear all the more impressive for being able to manage the situation. 05. You reek of desperation You need them to want you as much as you want them: don't just profess your undying (unrequited) love Gushing platitudes and fawning sycophancy will get you everywhere, right? Er, no. Sure, any agency will love to hear how passionate you are about their work and studio culture, and that you'd love to be part of the team. Clients want to know you respect their brand, and want to collaborate with them to take it to the next level. But remember to have some self-respect. In similar way to point one, there's a fine dotted line. You need to play it cool enough to look desirable, but not so cool you look disinterested. Ultimately, it's a two-sided process with mutual benefit at heart. They should want you as much as you want them. If it looks like it's a massive favour to hire you, why would they? Profess your undying love for everything a company does, and not only will it probably make them uncomfortable and awkward, but it also makes it look like they don't need you. Give thoughtful, considered answers that demonstrate what you can bring to the table, and why you'd be an asset that'll make them even better. 06. Your expectations are unrealistic Ker-ching! Going into an interview with a comically overinflated sense of your own value isn't going to do you any favours. Likewise, if a game-changing potential client asks you to quote for a job, don't just see dollar signs. Of course, confidence is everything and you don't get if you don't ask, but there are limits. If a salary bracket is advertised, you have a guideline at least – although that's not to say a company won't be flexible for the right candidate. Pitch a little higher than you're expecting and there's scope for negotiation; pitch outrageously high and you're wasting everyone's time. If no salary is given, ask around and do some research into the going rate at similar agencies in the area. When it comes to clients, the simple reality is that not all of them are used to budgeting for design – and may need the process, and the costs incurred at different stages of it, explained to them. Not only will this help justify your quote, but it'll also help foster a more open, collaborative relationship in the future that makes them feel like an active participant in the process. Related articles: How to attract top talent to your agency 8 portfolio mistakes that drive clients mad The design agency survival guide View the full article