Rss Bot

There is lots of potential to grow your business in digital marketing, and that's why all entrepreneurs should learn about it. With The Complete Digital Marketing Course, you'll discover a proven formula for taking your business up a notch, no matter what size it is. Get access to 169 lectures and 20 hours of content, practice materials, and more. Discover various marketing techniques for platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Learn all about how Google AdWords & Analytics can help your company grow, and find out the potential Quora marketing holds for your business. You can also discover tricks for growing your email subscriber count fast. Whether you're well-versed in digital marketing or are a complete beginner, this is a course worth considering. Get it now for only $19. Related articles: How to market yourself as a freelance designer: 7 top tips Promote your brand with content marketing 8 great business cards for marketing professionals View the full article

Whether your thing is graphic design, web design or 3D art , you need to protect yourself. To prevent your work from triggering legal action, artists of all types (and freelancers in particular) need to get their heads around some pretty tricky legal jargon. This can feel overwhelming, so we've broken it down into the five key terms every artist should look out for. 01. Innocent infringement Innocent Infringement is when someone copying your work can claim they did not know they were infringing. This means they had no idea that the work was copyrighted, or had no means of contacting the owner of the work (An orphan work, in legalese). You can try to avoid this by adding 'Copyright © [year of first publication of the work] [copyright owner’s name]. All rights reserved.' to your print or render. 02. Derivative work A derivative work is work based on an existing model. If you, for example, create a gun, and then modify it to look like some lumpy mess made by David Cronenberg, that’s a derivative work. If the model is not yours but you have permission or a license, only your own changes will be protected by copyright. 03. Transformative work A transformative work is something which takes an existing work, and adds value to it by giving it a new shape, purpose, or meaning. If we changed the derivative gun from the example above even more, cut the barrel in two, and put little hooks in it, it would be repurposed into key or jewellery storage, and given new meaning (irony). 04. Fair use Fair use is an exception to copyright law. It allows unauthorised use of copyrighted works for purposes of reporting, commenting on, educating about, or even parodying. One typically goes about using unauthorised work under fair use, by using an excerpt of a work, and giving proper credit while not harming the commercial value of the original work. 05. DMCA The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is an American set of copyright laws freshly created to deal with digital material. Many countries have similar laws. Broadly, the aim of DMCA is to protect the rights of both copyright owners and consumers. When someone sees their copyright infringed online, it gives web hosts and internet service providers a safe harbour from copyright infringement claims, if they implement certain notice or takedown procedures of the infringing item. Read more: Why illustrators should care about copyright How to be a great creative director Top animation tools for digital artists View the full article

InfoSec Insider Chris Eng tackles how companies can bring bridge the divide between software developers and cybersecurity teams to bring to market reliable and secure applications. View the full article

The Zero Day Initiative said that the number of bugs reported in 2018 is on track to trump its previous busiest year, 2017. View the full article

When it comes to making an impact with fonts, Star Wars knows what it's doing. Before we even see spaceships and lightsabers, we're treated to multiple fonts that set the scene and build up excitement. For devotees of the sci-fi films, the hunt for free fonts of the styles used in these opening shots has driven them to distraction. What is the Star Wars font? This question isn't a simple as you might think. Over the years, the styles have been tweaked and polished by directors, much to the indignation of fans. Every Star Wars film opens with the familiar line 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...' written in a cool blue typeface. (Or purple or turquoise – your nostalgia mileage may vary.) The lettering for this outer space 'once upon a time' was originally created by hand, so short of tracing a screenshot, you're not going to get a 100 per cent match. However, the latest Star Wars films – from The Force Awakens onwards – have used a digitised version of the font, with Franklin Demi singled out as the closest match. Once this line fades away, we're deafened by John WIlliams' epic opening fanfare and left in awe as the Star Wars logo dominates the screen before gradually drifting off into the distance. Shortly afterwards, the opening crawl appears and fills us in on the story so far. The opening crawl is a hive of font intrigue. The new Star Wars films use a version of News Gothic for the title of each film and for the crawl text itself. This flies in the face of previous films which used Univers for the title to establish a sense of importance and gravity, while using News Gothic for the crawl text. This is only scratching the surface of Star Wars fonts. The logo for the film has been adjusted plenty of times as the creators try to settle on a style. One of the latest experiments saw the Star Wars: The Last Jedi logo turn red and send the internet into meltdown as fans tried to figure out what it could mean. Thankfully, the logo remained yellow in the film itself. Speaking of the Star Wars logo, we've rounded up 5 versions of the font which you can download for free. 01. Star Jedi Star Jedi reproduces the Star Wars logo exactly You know you're in safe hands when a designer called Boba Fonts is taking care of your free Star Wars fonts. With Star Jedi, Boba Fonts has recreated the logo perfectly, with solid and hollow variants ready to meet all your needs. This tilting, capitals-only font has a lot of variations and connections. 02. Death Star That's no moon... it's a font We can't introduce this font better than its creator, sharkshock, so we'll just let them explain: "In a distant galaxy far, far away, fans of this epic series had limited options when looking for the right font to use for their projects. Patience you must have young Jedi and thank me later you will. Enter Death Star : A grotesque display font featuring all caps that resembles the classic '80s style." With tight kerning, this font is best displayed at large sizes. The regular version is available for free, with an outlined alternative available for a $15 donation. 03. Star Jedi Outline Star Jedi Outline is compatible with other Boba Fonts Good old Boba Fonts has done it again with this Star Jedi Outline font. As before, this is a tilting all-capitals font, only this time, as the name suggests, the lettering is framed with a thin outline. Font fans and Star Wars nuts can download it for free for both personal and professional use. 04. Star Jedi Logo Stack your Star Wars fonts with this typeface Following on from the Star Jedi line of fonts again, Boba Fonts has created this variation that allows for single or double lines of text that perfectly capture that Star Wars style. These decorative frames call to mind some of the aesthetic choices used in promotional material for the original Star Wars trilogy, which sometimes saw the title of a film wrapped in a thin outline. 05. Star Jedi Special Edition This typeface is from a celebration of the original trilogy With it's chunky letter shapes, this final design from Boba Fonts is based on the official Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition logo typeface. Remember when there was just one Star Wars trilogy? Aah... simpler times. "Star Jedi Special Edition is a bold font derived from the original Star Jedi," says Boba Fonts. "The lowercase are all capitals, while the capitals are serif variants of the lowercase. A few simple link-lines allow you to create complex letter groups." Related articles: How to illustrate a Star Wars-inspired environment Stunning trailer shows what Star Wars might have been Fan art floods in for Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran View the full article

I split my time between UX/UI design and software testing, which means I’m constantly switching my focus between different projects, teams, web design tools and skills. Context switching like this can be a real problem because it takes time to stop thinking about one task and get fully engaged in the next. Research shows that we lose up to 40 per cent of our productivity if we multitask, because we make more mistakes and take longer to get things done. Fortunately, there are some simple techniques that we can use to manage our time and attention more efficiently. I’ll share some with you here. 01. Set a schedule The Pomodoro technique breaks the day up into 25 minute chunks Instead of trying to multitask all the time, reserve blocks of time to concentrate on specific tasks: an hour to write that blog, four to finish those wireframes and so on. I’m a fan of the Pomodoro Technique, which breaks the day into 25-minute chunks, each followed by a five-minute break. After completing four of these ‘pomodoros’, you take a longer 15-20 minute break. 25 minutes is generally enough time for me to make progress on a task, and the five-minute break is just short enough not to interrupt my flow. You might prefer longer blocks of working time and fewer breaks. Experiment with the possibilities and find a rhythm that works for you. 02. Minimise browser tabs Limit the number of tabs you have open in your browser and keep only the stuff that you need in order to complete your current task. Articles to read, tools to try, cat videos to watch... there’s no way that you can process that much information simultaneously, and you’re kidding yourself if you think you’ll remember to come back to it later. I add anything I need to get done to Todoist and send articles that I want to read later to Pocket. If you need help with self discipline, try installing one of the browser extensions that close tabs for you. Start with a fresh browser session when switching contexts. For more helpful apps, take a look at these productivity tools for designers. 03. Batch your tasks Don't check your email constantly Save up all those small jobs and complete related tasks in one go. Examples include writing feedback for colleagues, checking RSS feeds, social media and email. Instead of checking and replying to email every few minutes, cast an eye over it in your next Pomodoro break. If it’s not related to your current task, simply come back to it later. You might also like to batch all of your emails or phone calls into a single session when you have a quiet period and you don’t have to think about anything else. This is similar to ‘context lists’ in the Getting Things Done (GTD) system. 04. Make detailed notes Never underestimate the importance of writing things down. I like to think my memory is generally pretty good, but I certainly struggle to remember things when switching contexts. Having notes removes the pressure of trying to remember and makes it easier to shift concentration from one task to the next. I like to have my notes in the cloud instead of on paper, so I’ve experimented with various tools like Evernote and OneNote. Whatever tool you decide to use, remember to keep your notes up to date. 05. Switch locations Find a quiet spot for focused tasks I prefer completely different working environments for different tasks. If I’m solving a difficult problem or playing with design ideas, I tend to work at home where I can control the level of noise . When I’m working through a list of small testing tasks, the noise and energy of a busy office can be just what I need. What’s more, the change of scenery and the physical act of moving between locations is an effective way to clear the mind and reset when switching contexts. If you don’t have a choice of locations, try going out for a short walk instead. 06. Find a place to pause I try to complete each task before switching my attention to something else, otherwise I find myself covering the same ground again when I come back to it later. If you know that something is likely to take longer to finish than the time you have available, consider waiting until you have a longer, uninterrupted block of time. If this isn’t possible and you can’t completely finish a piece of work, look for a natural place to pause. 07. Clear your desk Mess in your workspace is distracting Tidy desk, tidy mind. Be strict in clearing your workspace at the end of the day or when switching between tasks. As is the case with browser tabs, those notes and sketches from the previous task are just a distraction that makes it hard to concentrate on the next piece of work. It’s easier to keep things tidy if you remember to batch your tasks and minimise the number of times you have to switch context. 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: 5 sensational new websites to be inspired by Top tips for creating a productive workspace 20 cutting-edge web tools to try now View the full article

Researcher brings Apple down to earth, addressing Mac malware questions and the company’s smart moves to bolster security. View the full article

A well-executed mount is more than just another art technique to add to your tool-belt. It will add an aesthetic quality to your work and create the perfect environment for the viewer to experience your pictures. Mounts aren’t just for decorative purposes, they also serve as protection by allowing the art to expand or contract depending on temperature and moisture content of the surrounding air. The mount also prevents the delicate pigments on the page from coming into contact with the glass of the frame. This is particularly necessary if you are framing work such as a pastel drawing or oil painting, which will stick to the glass, and with prolonged contact can be difficult to remove without damaging the art. Although, it may look simple, the humble mount is more sophisticated than it first appears. Most standard mounts will have the window edges cut at 45 degrees to create a bevel and have a pleasing angled corner. Cutting through the board at an angle creates a nice finish but requires a completely straight and clean cut that meets at the corners perfectly. This workshop shows you the basic methods you need to mount your art, but the more you mount, the better you will get, and you will go on to develop your own style. Materials to mount your artwork The materials you will need for this workshop To create the mount you will need a clean, flat working area, a piece of work to mount, and a few basic tools: Mount board (see below for a run-down of the different options) A cutting mat A metal ruler A mount cutter Scalpel A pencil – see our post on the best pencils Hinging tape Double-sided tape (optional) Choosing the right mount board There are many options when it comes to mount board. Here’s a quick lowdown: Museum grade: Top-quality board that’s acid-free with a high cotton content and fade-resistant finish, these are the kind of expensive boards museums use to preserve precious pieces of art Conservation grade: A high-quality board, which is acid free and fade resistant – it’s more than good enough for most uses and is cheaper than museum-grade board Standard grade: Cheaper, easier to use and widely available from most art shops, ideal for practising mount-cutting techniques or framing projects Aside from different grades, the board can come with different colour cores, such as black, white or cream. So, regardless of the surface colour, the board that is exposed at the core of it (when the bevel is cut, for example) will reveal a different colour. Finally, most mount board come in several thicknesses, typically: Standard: 1400/1500 microns or 1.4/1.5mm thick Thick: 2000/2200 microns – 2/2.2mm thick Extra thick: 3000 microns – 3mm thick You can also buy spare mount board to use as a cutting mat to protect the surface you’re working on. Also note that you may want to practise cutting windows on scrap mount board – remember you’ll only get one chance to get it right for real. Once you've got all your materials, you're ready to start mounting. 01. Measure your artwork and board Measure the dimensions of your picture accurately, then decide how big the margin should be around your image – sometimes small images look great with large mounts, and vice versa. For your board, add double the border dimension to the width and height of the picture you are framing, then add a touch more to the height to allow for ‘lower weighting’ (see step 2). 02. Mark the aperture Make sure your working area is clean and dry, then place the mount board face down. With a sharp pencil and ruler mark out the area you will cut away to make the window. I prefer to make the border slightly larger at the bottom, this ‘lower weighting’ has a pleasing proportion (most doors have a larger bottom panel or the bottom drawer in a chest of drawers is often larger), extend your pencil lines beyond the area to be cut. 03. Prepare to cut Now you have marked your cut lines it’s time to make the actual cuts. Because we’re cutting at a 45-degree angle through the board it’s important to work methodically so all cuts are in the same direction. Align the centre marker of your cutter with the right-hand perpendicular cut line and press firmly on the cutter so the blade goes all the way through the board. Maintain this pressure and slowly slide the cutter along the straight edge until the centre marker is just past the the next vertical pencil line. 04. Check and repeat Flip your board over to check the blade has cut all the way through and left a clean incision. Now turn it back over and rotate 90 degrees. Align your ruler to the next pencil line and make another cut. Flip and check that your cut lines meet at the corner and create an accurate bevel – sometimes you need to slide a sharp scalpel blade in at 45 degrees to help release the corner without tearing the surface. 05. Book hinge the mount Now that the aperture is cut have a close look at the face of the mount and remove any blemishes and marks with the eraser – be very careful if you’re using a black mount as they mark easily. Take your backing board and place it face up on your work surface. Place some waste board at the top and align your window to the top edge of the backing board face down. Place a couple of small pieces of tape across the two boards to hold them in place while you apply a long strip of tape across the whole length of the card. Raising the front piece of board will stop the tape from stretching when the boards are folded over. 06. Align the art Place your image between the backing board and the window mount and align it centrally. Close the mount together to check it’s aligned accurately. Next lift one of the top corners and place a small length (approx 5cm) of tape face-up underneath the corner so about 5mm is underneath the picture itself, press the picture on top of the tape to form a bond. Repeat with the other corner, being careful not to move the position of the picture. A weight placed on the picture will help. 07. Finish the hinges Take a 5cm length of tape and place it across the top of the exposed tape facing upwards from underneath the picture, press this down firmly. Repeat for the other side. These two hinges will hang the image from the backing board behind the window mount, it will allow the paper to move around as it expands and contracts. Don’t be tempted to add more hinges down the side or the bottom, as these will restrict movement and the art will buckle. 08. Finish your mount Once you’re satisfied with the hinges, flip the window mount back over and check everything is lined up. Once you're happy with the mount, stick a small strip of double-sided tape on the lower portion of the backing board and then press the window mount firmly on top. This will stop the two pieces of board from moving around. Your mount is now finished and ready for display or framing. This article was originally published in Paint & Draw magazine. Read more: Prepare a board for painting in 3 easy steps How to draw: 100 tutorials for drawing animals, people and landscapes Create a simple colour chart View the full article

You're reading What is a Design System, Why It Is Important and What to Include, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! What is a design system, why is it important and what do you include in one? Over the last few years, design systems have become a popular, hot topic among designers. If you’re just joining this awesome bandwagon, welcome! Many … View the full article

There are now plenty of prototyping tools and methods that will help you create website mockups quickly and easily. You may not realise it, but Photoshop CC is a great tool for rapid prototyping. With every revision, the software has gained more functionality for designers wanting to quickly create wireframes or prototypes to share with a client, or build a design ready for a developer. The most useful rapid prototyping features in Photoshop CC include the abilities to isolate layers, tweak corners with the live Rounded Rectangle tool, and copy CSS attributes from individual layers. And Creative Cloud setup provides useful collaborative elements, too (subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud here). In this article, we'll walk through how to create a rapid prototype in Photoshop, using the breadth of the tools available to create a developer and client-friendly page mockup. 01. Start with a grid Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image Set up a document with the dimensions of the screen you're designing for (smartphone, tablet and so on). Next, create a grid that will form the base structure – free extension GuideGuide is useful for this. Open the extension up, input your margin widths, number of columns and gutter width. Hit the GG button and you have your grid. 02. Define different areas Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image At this point it's helpful to block out key areas of your page layout. Create a folder for your header, footer, content and anything else you need. It's a good idea to define any main areas of the site design – starting with a light grey box to outline them. Here, I've used the Rectangle tool to draw the site's header area (1200 x 240px) and added the title. 03. Add some navigation Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image Now add in navigation elements. To duplicate your type, select the layer, hold the Opt/Alt key and drag. Holding Shift constrains the alignment. Align your text layers precisely by selecting all the navigation text, and hitting the Distribute Vertical Centres button in the Tool Options bar. This vertically aligns and evenly spaces your layers, making it ideal for menu items as shown. 04. Round your rectangles Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image Here we're adding in a sign-up form to the homepage layout, using the Rounded Rectangle tool. Photoshop CC has a live Rounded Rectangles feature, which enables you to tweak the corner radius of your shape. This means you can go back and change your corners at a later time if your design calls for it. This might sound like a minor feature, but it's very handy. 05. Add images Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image It's worth converting images into Smart Objects, as this makes them easier to update or replace. You can use your placeholder rectangles as vector masks to hold images. Either bring in an image as a new layer, duplicate the rectangle mask and link it to that layer, or make a selection from your rectangle and use Paste Special > Paste Into. 06. Introduce layer styles Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image Layer styles are a decent way to add effects. To apply a currently used layer style to another layer in your stack, hit Opt/Alt and drag the FX icon to your new layer. To create a Hover Over layer that can be turned on or off, simply duplicate your background rectangle, and group this layer and your text layer into a layer group. 07. Isolate your layers Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image This is another useful feature in Photoshop CC if you want to edit only some of your layers. Select the layers you wish to edit and then go to Select > Isolate Layers. This enables you to focus on the specific areas that need work, without the confusion of other layers cluttering things up. 08. Create image assets Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image Adobe Generator is a Photoshop CC feature that enables you to create image assets on the fly. Go to File > Generate > Image Assets. Now, in the Layers panel, add a file suffix such as .png or .jpeg to automatically export that layer to a specified folder. We've done it here with an icon file. 09. Copy CSS attributes Click the icon in the top right to see the full size image A great feature in Photoshop CC when creating an HTML prototype is the ability to copy a layer's CSS. To do this Ctrl+right click on the required layer, and hit Copy CSS Style to add the code to the clipboard. Open a new document in Dreamweaver, Muse or Adobe XD, and paste in your CSS code. This article originally appeared in Computer Arts, the world's leading magazine for graphic designers. Subscribe here. Related articles: Prototype a mobile app with Adobe XD How to choose the right prototyping tool 20 cutting-edge web tools to try now View the full article

After many impassioned debates between the world-class judging panel, less than a quarter of the projects submitted to Computer Arts' Brand Impact Awards have made the shortlist. We can now reveal those 47 projects, from 30 different agencies – scroll down for the full list. Computer Arts' Brand Impact Awards reward the very best branding from around the world, and the scheme's rich heritage of past winners represents the cream of the global branding industry. This year, the Brand Impact Awards received a record number of entries – 194 projects, from 79 different agencies. The winning and highly commended projects will be revealed at the fifth-annual Brand Impact Awards ceremony at the Ham Yard Hotel, London, on Thursday 6 September. Early bird prices are valid until 22 July, so book your tickets now to join the world's top agencies and discover 2018's big winners. Book your Brand Impact Awards tickets Being shortlisted for the Brand Impact Awards is an accolade in itself. Standards are unfalteringly high, and if judges felt that none of the projects submitted in a category met the criteria, that category was cut altogether. Those criteria are: A strong, compelling concept that's appropriate for the client Beautiful and consistent execution across two or more brand touchpoints Branding that stands head and shoulders above the rest of its market sector Even being the only agency shortlisted in a category does not necessarily mean taking home a coveted BIA trophy on the night. So without further ado, in alphabetical order, here are the 29 agencies that have made the shortlist in the Brand Impact Awards 2018... &SMITH Ella Canta by &SMITH Project: Ella Canta Shortlisted: Bars & Restaurants &andstudio SMK by &andstudio Project: SMK Shortlisted: Education Alphabetical Meta typeface for Fashion Business School by Alphabetical Project: Fashion Business School 2018 Shortlisted: Education Byron Close by Alphabetical Project: Byron Close Estate Shortlisted: Not-For-Profit BrandOpus Twinings London Edition by BrandOpus Project: Twinings London Edition Shortlisted: FMCG SCRUBD by BrandOpus Project: SCRUBD Shortlisted: Pharmaceuticals & Toiletries Design Bridge Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla by Design Bridge Project: Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla Shortlisted: Wine, Beer & Spirits DesignStudio Springster by DesignStudio Project: Springster Shortlisted: Not-for-Profit FITCH adidas Predator product film Project: adidas Predator product film Shortlisted: Sports GBH.London MOB Hotel of the People by GBH Project: MOB Hotel of the People Shortlisted: Transport & Travel Hat-Trick Design Life Kitchen by hat-trick Project: Life Kitchen Shortlisted: Not-for-Profit Centre Point London by hat-trick Project: Centre Point London Shortlisted: Property Here Design Piccolo by Here Design Project: Piccolo Shortlisted: Artisan LA Brewery by Here Design Project: LA Brewery Shortlisted: Wine, Beer & Spirits interabang GREK Tea by interabang Project: GREK Tea Shortlisted: Artisan Jack Renwick Studio Wide Horizons by Jack Renwick Studio Project: Wide Horizons Shortlisted: Education Johnson Banks Historic Houses by Johnson Banks Project: Historic Houses Shortlisted: Culture Johnson Banks by Johnson Banks Project: Johnson Banks Shortlisted: Self-Branding Magpie Studio Bandido Coffee Co. by Magpie Project: Bandido Coffee Co. Shortlisted: Artisan Lovat Park Homes by Magpie Project: Lovat Park Homes Shortlisted: Property Mark Studio Manchester Literature Festival 2017 by Mark Studio Project: Manchester Literature Festival 2017 Shortlisted: Culture Music Joe Coleman website by Music Project: Joe Coleman website Shortlisted: Self-Branding Kitbag by Music Project: Kitbag Shortlisted: Sports NB Studio The Glenlivet Code by NB Studio Project: The Glenlivet Code Shortlisted: Luxury and Wine, Beer & Spirits Jambo! by NB Studio Project: Jambo! Shortlisted: Retail Onwards Someone Who by Onwards Project: Someone Who Shortlisted: Professional Services Peter & Paul Humankind by Peter & Paul Project: Humankind Shortlisted: Not-for-Profit Pinkeye NV Gatsu Gatsu by Pinkeye NV Project: Gatsu Gatsu Shortlisted: Bars & Restaurants Chez Claire by Pinkeye NV Project: Chez Claire Shortlisted: Luxury SomeOne Spyscape by SomeOne Project: Spyscape Shortlisted: Culture Studio Output RizeUp UK by Studio Output Project: RizeUp UK Shortlisted: Not-for-Profit BBC Sport by Studio Output Project: BBC Sport Shortlisted: Sports Studio Sutherl& Agatha Christie Limited by Studio Sutherl& Project: Agatha Christie Limited Shortlisted: Publishing Start-rite by Studio Sutherl& Project: Start-rite Shortlisted: Retail Superunion Shakespeare's Globe by Superunion Project: Shakespeare's Globe Shortlisted: Entertainment London Symphony Orchestra 2018/19 by Superunion Project: London Symphony Orchestra 2018/19 Shortlisted: Entertainment Thinking and Drinking by Superunion Project: Thinking and Drinking Shortlisted: Self-Branding Inside the Mind of Mark Denton by Superunion Project: Inside the Mind of Mark Denton Shortlisted: Self-Branding Elliptic by Superunion Project: Elliptic Shortlisted: Technology & Telecoms Level by Superunion Project: Level Shortlisted: Transport & Travel Plava Laguna by Superunion Project: Plava Laguna Transport & Travel Tangent Eden Mill by Tangent Project: Eden Mill Shortlisted: Wine, Beer & Spirits Taxi Studio Peace Tea by Taxi Studio Project: Peace Tea Shortlisted: FMCG The Beautiful Meme 01T by The Beautiful Meme Project: 01T Shortlisted: Technology & Telecoms Wolff Olins Lafayette Anticipations by Wolff Olins Project: Lafayette Anticipations Shortlisted: Culture WPA Pinfold Moorhouse's Brewery by WPA Pinfold Project: Moorhouse's Brewery Shortlisted: Wine, Beer & Spirits Y&R Branding UEFA Nations League by Y&R Branding Project: UEFA Nations League Shortlisted: Sports Buy your Brand Impact Awards tickets now! Tickets include drinks reception, canapés and bowl food, and of course a chance to toast your success or drown your sorrows at the BIA after-party. Buy early-bird tickets (until Sunday 22 July) Seats: £105 + VAT Standard tickets Seats: £115 + VAT A group discount of 10% per ticket is available for five or more tickets purchased at the same time. Good luck to all the shortlisted agencies! Related articles: 10 logos we never want to see change Top 10 fictional brands from film and TV Killer examples of illustrated ad campaigns View the full article

Turn your love of video games into a lucrative career with School of Game Design: Lifetime Membership. In this online school, you'll learn all about the world of game development, and you can do so at your own pace. Get access to a huge collection of video-based step-by-step training guides that cover a wide range of content, from basic animation techniques to advanced Unity strategies to computer modelling tactics. You can also practise making 2D and 3D games that could serve as the basis for the next Angry Birds or Temple Run. Check out this comprehensive school that teaches you about both sides of the game development world: coding and artistry. A lifetime membership is $59. Related articles: How neuroscience and UX impacts video game design 20 best designs in video games Level up game characters with Creative Assembly View the full article

One of the defining features of branding over the last decade is the freedom that social media gives for anyone to launch an immediate personal critique. Or more accurately, often, a tirade of mouth-frothing abuse. In fact, many of the most controversial rebrands of recent years had to batten down the hatches and weather the storm of hatred well before they were actually rolled out – and in some cases, were never rolled out at all as a result. Other times, when the furore dies down and people see in the full branding scheme in context rather than just the logo in stark isolation, hate turns to love. Sometimes, those initially hated rebrands turn out to become the world's best logos. So what can these widely-reported PR disasters teach us about branding? Read on for our analysis of 10 of the most hated logos of all time... 01. London 2012 One thing's for sure, Wolff Olins' bold, mould-breaking brand for London 2012 attracted plenty of flak. Criticisms ranged from simple legibility concerns, to more outlandish claims that Lisa Simpson appeared to be engaging in fellatio. It got political when Iran's Olympic team insisted it spelled out 'Zion', and someone else spotted a swastika. Matters worsened further when the bright, flashing colours from the promo film induced epileptic fits. Once the Olympics kicked off in earnest, and the brand was seen in context across a dizzying array of applications, attention shifted to the glorious summer of sport in the UK capital. And amongst a sea of bland, identikit, safe Olympics logos, most people around the world could still pick it out of a line-up instantly. The lesson here? Breaking new ground and doing something daring with a brand will get you noticed. Not always for the right reasons, but sometimes it's better to be brave and different – and hated by some – than to fade into oblivion. That's how innovation happens. 02. Gap (briefly) Gap's utterly disastrous attempt to embrace the pared-back, minimalist, Helvetica-vanilla revolution blew up so comprehensively in its face that the whole thing was pulled after less than a week. In place of its iconic blue square with tall, condensed serif type, the US clothing giant attempted to launch something so half-hearted and limp, the internet descended into a maelstrom of mockery and snide imitation. What's to be learned from this debacle? Firstly, don't ever throw away brand heritage to try and embrace a new trend – but perhaps most importantly, know when you've got it wrong, and concede defeat. 03. USA Today Wolff Olins met with controversy once again with its 2012 rebrand of USA Today – a title that, since its launch in the 1980s, has grown into one of the widest-circulated newspapers in the States, alongside the substantially older Wall Street Journal and New York Times. The backbone of the rebrand was a simple visual system, based around a large, flat-colour blue circle – an ultra-minimalist rendition of the previous globe graphic – and stacked Futura all-caps text. Unfortunately, at first glance it was far too simple for some, attracting a tirade of abuse accusing it of being simplistic, off-brand and even insulting to readers' intelligence. The branding solution was more than met the eye, however. As well as being pared-back, clean and simple, it was also incredibly versatile – the circle acting as a container device for content, and the colour scheme signifying different sections of the paper. It works, very effectively. The lesson? When there's a more complex identity system that needs to be seen in context, ignore that initial wave of criticism and launch with confidence. 04. Tropicana (briefly) Like Gap, this is another short-lived rebrand that ultimately buckled under overwhelmingly negative attention. When juice brand Tropicana ditched its instantly recognisable 'straw stuck in an orange' motif and replaced it with a generic crop of a glass of orange juice, people simply weren't having it. Customer complaints reached sufficient volume that the brand's owner, PepsiCo, threw in the towel and reverted to the original branding within a couple of months. The lesson here is something of a no-brainer: if you have something distinctive and well-loved about your brand that gives it shelf-standout in a competitive FMCG sector, don't chuck away in a misguided attempt to look 'contemporary'. 05. BP This is the oldest example on this list, from the year 2000 – in many ways a precursor of the public furore around high-profile rebrands that would come to define this millennium so far. It was an unmitigated PR disaster. In a move widely derided at the time as an attempt to 'greenwash' its reputation, oil giant British Petroleum brought Landor on board to replace its imperialist green-and-yellow shield with a delicate geometric flower. The chunky all-caps 'BP' become lowercase, hovering above the flower, with a new slogan: 'Beyond Petroleum'. Given that the rebrand and its subsequent global rollout cost tens of millions of dollars, environmentalists were quick to point out BP had spent far more on its new logo than on investing in renewable energy sources. Subversive designers turned the logo into a meme, complete with stricken turtles and oil-drenched seabirds. The lesson here, which many companies have learned the hard way over the years, is that you can't paper over the cracks with branding and expect people to change their opinions – authenticity is everything, and an ideological rebrand such as this needs organisational change to back it up. 06. Airbnb DesignStudio's rebrand of Airbnb launched the agency into the global spotlight back in 2014, and was the first in a string of controversy-attracting projects that included Premier League and Deliveroo. The Airbnb 'Bélo' was described on launch as “an expression of what it truly means to belong anywhere”, accumulating a hug, a map and a heart. These figured fairly low on the list of things the public compared the symbol with, however. Entire Tumblrs were devoted to the Bélo's resemblance to various parts of the human anatomy (mostly genitalia). Others insisted it evoked the chin of Family Guy's Peter Griffin, amongst other things. DesignStudio calmly weathered the storm of hilarity and indignation, and the Bélo is now comfortably bedded in as a contemporary icon. If you and the client stand by the thinking behind a rebrand, don't let social media trolls get to you. Unlike Gap or Tropicana, this one definitely improves with age. 07. American Airlines When you have an effortlessly iconic logo designed by a master such as Massimo Vignelli, you'd think it would be a tough decision to ditch it. That's exactly what American Airlines did, and people got mad. Vignelli's bold, graphic cross-winged eagle symbol, neatly sandwiched between the twin 'A's, had a pleasing visual symmetry that felt both timeless and elegant. Its replacement is none of those things, watering the confident navy down to a softer blue and reducing the majestic eagle in flight to an abstract beak. The lesson? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if you have a Vignelli classic under your belt, it definitely ain't broke. 08. IHOP The International House of Pancakes, otherwise known as IHOP, is something of an American institution. But few things are more likely to put you off enjoying your fluffy, syrupy breakfast fare than the fixed gaze of a demonic clown. Perhaps in an attempt to emulate the warm 'smile' motif that Turner Duckworth achieved so effectively for Amazon, IHOP capitalises on the face-like juxtaposition of the 'o' and the 'p' in its name. But while the combination of chunky, blue rimmed, staring eyes and thin red grin exudes many things, warmth isn't among them. The lesson? If you're trying to make a logo look friendly and approachable, test it on actual humans and see if they bolt in terror. That'll be a good clue. However, IHOP did manage to create some positive PR buzz when it flipped its 'p' to a 'b' and changed its name to IHOB. 09. Instagram One of the biggest milestones in the death of skeuomorphism, and the rise of flat design, was when Instagram dropped its retro, textured camera in favour of a pared-back icon, adorned with a neon rainbow gradient. The internet freaked out. Like many of the other examples on this list, this was a rebrand that launched a thousand memes. Panned for looking like something that had crawled out of Microsoft Paint in the '90s, this radical new direction for Instagram's logo spawned plenty of rip-offs and snide 'logo generators'. Some lamented the fact that Instagram's 'retro camera' essence – the whole founding principle of the app - had been lost, while others simply hated the zingy, garish colour palette. But as flat design became the defining look and feel of iOS, the 'native' feel of the app icon has acted in its favour. Where it was once known primarily for its retro photography filters – for which the skeuomorphic camera was a neat fit - Instagram is now one of the foremost social media platforms. Sometimes, initially unpopular design decisions have broader strategic reasons at their heart. 10. Cleveland Indians Sometimes hatred for a logo goes far beyond aesthetic preference, such as in the case of the Cleveland Indians' long-controversial mascot, Chief Wahoo. It has been called offensive, outdated and even racist for using a cartoonish caricature of a Native American, in a climate where most US sport teams – with notable exceptions, such as the Washington Redskins – have stopped doing so. However, it seems the pressure has now had an effect, as Chief Wahoo will no longer feature on the Cleveland Indians' uniform from the start of the 2019 season, with the team conceding that it is "no longer appropriate" to do so. Related articles: The best logos of all time 10 logos we never want to see change 5 brands so strong they don't need a logo View the full article

The Rakhni Trojan is now giving bad actors the ability to infect victims either with a ransomware cryptor or a miner. View the full article

The July Android Security bulletin tackles 44 vulnerabilities in all, with the bulk rated high in severity. View the full article

The landing page of any site is what first grabs a user's attention. But an asset-heavy page can take a few seconds to load, and as no one likes to wait, this can have a negative impact on user experience. One option is to add a loading screen – in order to keep up the anticipation you can slowly reveal the content with smart animations. Read on to find out how... Get the project files to help follow this tutorial. 01. Initiate HTML structure The first step is to initiate the structure of the HTML document. This consists of the document container, which in turn contains the head and body sections. While the head section is used to load the external CSS and JavaScript, the body section is used to store the content created in step 2. 02. Add HTML content The webpage content is defined as normal – in this case, a h1 title and paragraph has been placed. The loading screen is inserted as the last element to guarantee it has a z-index above all page content. This element has a 'data-loading' attribute, along with a series of inner span elements to be styled for presentation purposes in later steps. 03. JavaScript confirmation Create a new file called 'code.js'. Having the HTML change to indicate the completion of the page loading is a handy way to trigger CSS presentation changes. JavaScript is used to apply an event listener to the page window for when loading has completed. This listener changes the value of the 'data-loading' container to 'completed' when the page has loaded. 04. Data loading container Create a new file called 'styles.css'. This first step of the CSS file initiates the 'data-loading' container. Fixed positioning is used to guarantee that the loading screen is always visible. For the same reason, the position and size is set to cover the full screen visibility to hide any page content. 05. First level elements The first level span elements inside the 'data-loading' container are styled to fit the full height and half width of the browser window. Absolute positioning is applied to allow these elements to be placed with pixel co-ordinates. Overflow is set to hidden so that the closing animation hides its inner content. 06. Unique positioning The left and right side of the loading screen require unique positioning for the effect to work. The first child span element inside the 'data-loading' container is set to be positioned to the top-left corner with a black background. The second span element is positioned from the bottom right with a red background. 07. Second level children The second level children of the 'data-loading' container are the span elements inside the span elements. These elements are placed for visual effect – appearing as blocks set as the reverse colours of their parent container. Absolute positioning along with the 'vh' measurement unit allow these elements to be positioned in relation to the size of the browser window. 08. Loading complete The JavaScript 'complete' value applied to the 'data-loading' attribute indicates that the page has completed loading. CSS rules are defined to trigger the required animations when this occurs. The main 'open' animation is set to play over a one second duration and uses 'forwards' play to stop on the last animation frame. 09. Animation definition The open and close animations are defined using keyframes. The open animation is merely defined as starting from the full window height, then ending at zero height; resulting in elements animating to disappear. The close animation is used to place the 'data-loading' container below the page content – avoiding it becoming an obstruction to user interaction with page content. This article originally appeared in Web Designer magazine. Subscribe here. Remember - always think of the user Generate London 2018 – The conference for web designers When introducing design elements and fancy effects to a page you always need to think of the user experience. And this is what award-winning freelance front-end UI developer Sara Soueidan will be revealing in her 'Using CSS (and SVG) for the Good of UX' talk at Generate London 2018. In her talk she is going to show a wide range of possibilities that CSS offers to improve the overall user experience of your UI, using CSS (with sprinkles of SVG and JavaScript here and there). Make sure you don't miss out. Get your ticket now. Related articles: Understanding the CSS display property 5 tips for super-fast CSS 10 great CSS animation resources View the full article

Apple's iPhone 11 – or iPhone XI, iPhone X2, depending on how it's named – could be hitting the shelves as soon as September. That's if the company's history of product launches is anything to go by. Apple is well-known for holding smartphone-focused keynotes in early September. And given that both the Product Red iPhone 8 and iOS 11.4 have been out for a while, it seems increasingly likely that the next generation of devices is just around the corner. Predictably, then, the new iPhone XI model has been generating a lot of buzz as the month draws near. So when can we expect it to launch? What new features will it have? Will it become one of the best smartphones for creatives? And how much will it cost? We take a look at everything we know about Apple's iPhone XI so far, and reveal what we'd like to see. iPhone XI release date As mentioned, Apple tends to launch new phones during September, or October at the latest. When you take into account that Apple has to keep up with the iPhone upgrade program, it looks more and more likely that an early autumn release is on the cards. Keep in mind that mid-September is when iPhones are typically announced, with the products physically arriving in Apple stores within a couple of weeks. To put it simply: people will be queuing up to buy an iPhone in late September. Probably. However this doesn't mean a delay won't occur, which is exactly what happened with the iPhone X. Apple is rumoured to have been trialling production earlier in the year, though, so it looks like the company is taking every step to ensure the launch goes off without a hitch. iPhone XI price Ok, so what's the damage? While we don't know officially, it's likely to be a fair amount. This is Apple we're talking about, after all. If the Apple iPhone XI is priced the same as the previous iPhone X, we could be looking at $999 / £999 / AU$1,579 at least. Better get saving. We'd like to see a range of iPhone XI sizes That said, the iPhone X hasn’t sold as well as Apple hoped – potentially due to its eye-watering price tag. This might explain some of the latest reports, which claim that a less-expensive LCD screen iPhone will debut this year. And there's always the chance that rumoured reduced manufacturing costs could be passed on to buyers, but we're not holding our breath. iPhone XI design Changes to the iPhone design were some of the biggest talking points of Apple's last release. We waved goodbye to the Touch ID home button and said hello to a notch at the top of the display, which housed the new FaceID technology. Given that Tim Cook said the iPhone X laid the foundations for the next 10 years of iPhone design, it's fair to assume that the Apple iPhone XI will feature these updates. That said, the top notch caused a lot of controversy, so perhaps Apple will listen and refine the look. As for the overall look and feel of the iPhone XI, it will probably be similar to the iPhone X. Apple isn't in the habit of redesigning its phones every year, although the XI might have a smarter front-facing camera than its predecessor. An Apple patent suggests that we could be treated to a single-lens camera system that can sense depth as well as a dual-lens one – which could be a potential boon for creatives. Will this arrive in time for the iPhone XI? We'll have to wait and see. iPhone XI rumours Perhaps the biggest rumour surrounding the Apple iPhone XI is the idea that two OLED-based devices will debut this year alongside a less expensive LCD screen iPhone. While the latter should appeal to shoppers with tighter budgets, it's sure to sting users who value the apparent crispness of OLED screens – are they worth the extra pennies? Is this what the Apple iPhone XI will look like? Analyst Ming-Chi Kup has raised the possibility that the iPhone XI will come with stainless steel frames and that Apple probably won't put a version of the TrueDepth camera on the back of the phone. (Sorry, Face ID and Animoji users.) And judging by an exclusive first look video leak, he could be on the right track. He also said that the iPhone XI might support faster mobile download speeds and come equipped with a dual-SIM card slot. Only time will tell. iPhone XI what we want to see Nothing's ever perfect, so while we're excited about the iPhone XI, there are a couple of things we'd like to see fixed in this new version. 01. Lower price First up, let's be honest, a lower price is always going to be welcome. And considering that the iPhone X didn't perform quite as expected in terms of profit, it seems that we're not the only ones who were hesitant to part with their cash. Reality check though: this is Apple, it's going to be pricey. But hopefully worth it. 02. No notch at the top of the iPhone Speaking of unpopular, the notch at the top of the iPhone X screen divided opinion enough for us to hope that Apple ditches it for the iPhone XI. This might be a technical impossibility if it needs to house the TrueDepth camera, but if Apple can find a way around it, we'd be happy customers. 03. Better positioned camera While we're on the camera, it would be great if the shutter on the back could be flush with the rest of the handset. As well as making it more easy to hold and place, it would just look nice. 04. Dual front-facing speakers Finally, we'd love to see dual front-facing speakers. Sure, the iPhone X has stereo speakers, but with one of them firing downwards we can't help spot some room for improvement. High quality speakers that face forward to bring the sound towards you would make for a much better listening experience and would be perfect for designers wanting to show off their animations or videos on the go. Related articles: Classic Apple designs become iPhone X cases The 28 best iPhone apps for designers 10 creative free iPhone apps for designers View the full article

Life without the internet is hard to imagine, especially if you can't remember it. The world wide web has made everything from ordering pizzas to arranging underwhelming dates so much easier, and thanks to the rise of the internet of things, it looks set to become even more pervasive. But where did this life-changing tool come from? Did Tim Berners-Lee just have a really good brainstorming session one day? Not quite. The internet was reportedly envisioned as a piece of technology that would connect mainframe computers used by the US army. It took a few years before we all started to use it to exchange cat memes and viral images. The 62 best infographics If there's one thing the internet is good for, it's researching trivia and niche subjects conveniently. Pair that with a world of plugged-in graphic designers and a wealth of infographic tools and you get infographics that turn data into eye-catching and informative images, such as this one from SSL2BUY which charts the history of the internet. Tracking the development of the first email service to the birth of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, The History of the Internet infographic is a fascinating look into how the internet evolved and how it's used around the world today. Check it out below. Click the symbol in the top right corner to see the full size infographic Related articles: Pro tips for creating interactive infographics How to create amazing infographics Infographic: How the world of work is changing View the full article

Becoming a better designer is not just about having the right graphic design tools or mastering grid theory. You need to open your eyes to the designs that play a part in your everyday life. Ask yourself: what’s good about them, why do they work so well? Or alternatively: what could be improved about them, how could they work better? Sometimes, however, the results can be a little unexpected. When you stop and think about it, so many of the things we use every day just plain suck. Here we list 10 of the biggest offenders. [Warning, this subject gets people pretty riled up, so some images and videos contain expletives]. 01. Airline boarding passes The layout of this boarding pass is the antithesis of user-friendliness. Image courtesy of Tyler Thomson Maybe we’re biased, but as journalists we put a painstaking amount of effort into presenting information in a clear and accessible way, making it quick and easy for readers to digest. The makers of airline boarding passes seem to spend an equal amount of effort into sowing confusion and chaos in the minds of passengers. Examples such as this one, posted by Stripe designer Tyler Thompson, would be difficult to decipher at the best of times. When you’re suffering heinous jet lag, after 10 hours of zero sleep punctuated by vomit-inducing turbulence and screaming babies, you can only assume that its creator is sitting watching you on CCTV, laughing the laugh of the truly demonic. If you’re any doubt that this is a problem that could be easily fixed, check out the simple to follow alternative designs sketched out by Thompson. 02. Aeroplane seating Three seats, six arms, four armrests... you do the maths. Creative Commons image courtesy of Superjet International Even when you finally manage to board a passenger flight, the design madness doesn’t stop. Count the number of armrests on a typical aircraft seating plan. Then count the number of seats, or the number of arms of the passengers in them. Notice how this makes no sense at all? As comedian Eugene Kelly points out below, three seats with only four armrests just doesn’t go. And it doesn’t stop there. There’s also the recline function: great news for anyone wishing to spend 12 hours inside in a small, triangular sweatbox with a stranger’s scalp millimetres from your face. As Hugh Morris of The Telegraph puts it, reclining a plane seat is rude and anyone who does it is selfish. So why make it integral to the design of a service? 03. America’s identical currency notes US currency is a game of spot the difference for the rest of the world. Creative commons image courtesy of Antonin Disclaimer: if you were born in the United States, then you should probably sit one this out. Because you have spent a lifetime subconsciously perfecting the minute mental calculations that allow you to distinguish between currency denominations that are the exact same size and the exact same colour. Yes, we know this was originally an anti-counterfeiting move, and probably has cost-saving benefits. But those of us from nations where it’s nigh on impossible to mix up a one and a fifty are just plain baffled by it. (US citizens: next time you’re short of cash, ask a foreigner to lend you a dollar. You never know your luck.) 04. Computer keyboards The Windows key is here. Why? Just why? Creative Commons image courtesy of LouisCYUL From laptops to desktop PCs, phones to tablets, there are many different variations of the computer keyboard. So why is it that they all suck? Any serious PC gamer knows that your biggest foe will be never Necrogiant, Iustitia or Deathwing. No, the most heinous enemy you will ever face will be the Windows key inexplicably located between the Ctrl and Alt keys, which shuts the game down and returns you to the home screen at the slightest accidental brush. Apple users fare no better. Although the company is famed for claiming its products ‘just work’, iOS11 arrived riddled with bugs, such as the glitch that meant pressing the letter ‘l’ might at times produce an ‘A’ plus a strange character. As Adam Clarke Estes wrote for Gizmodo: “The new operating system has turned my phone into a bug-infested carcass of its former self, and the frustration of trying to use it sometimes makes me want to die.” As on mobile, so on the desktop. Last week Apple itself fessed up to multiple problems on MacBook keyboards including in its own words: “letters or characters that repeat unexpectedly or don’t appear when pressed or keys that feel ‘sticky’ or aren’t responding in a consistent manner”. The more sophisticated our devices get, it seems, the more flawed they become. Comedian Orny Adams presents his own [less sophisticated and more expletive-laden] issues with computer keyboard design below. 05. USB slots It’s not just about the number of USB slots, it’s about having enough space to actually use them. Creative Commons image courtesy of RoundedResistance While we’re on the subject of computer design, we can’t let this one go either. Yes, manufacturers, we’d like as many USB slots as possible so we can connect the maximum number of devices to our computers. But no, we don’t want them all so close together that we can’t actually fit the leads for said devices into the space provided. It’s like increasing the number of spaces in a car park by making each the width of a child’s bicycle. Not helpful. Think it through. 06. Public toilets Hand flushing is one of many design flaws in public toilets. Creative Commons image courtesy of Sharada Prasad Almost everything about the design of public toilets is wrong. Let’s start with the fact that almost all of them have hand flushes. What’s the most effective way to spread an infectious disease? How about installing something that’s going to be touched by thousands of people a day, all after doing their business and all before washing their hands? A problem that, say, a foot-operated or automatic flush would entirely avoid. Then there’s the toilet paper dispenser. This constantly challenges you to a game of nerves as you struggle to tease out a sliver of dangling tissue with enough gentle persuasion that it will bring forth a whole sheet. Normally, though, it will rip entirely and leave you with the choice of trying to dismantle the entire metal cabinet or pleading with the occupant of the next cubicle to part with some of their precious stash. Even washing your hands is a modern-day nightmare. As you approach an unfamiliar device that reveals nothing about how to operate it, you wave your hands like a lunatic, this way and that, or push, pull, press and prod everything and anything in the hope that it will somehow produce water. As comedian Michael McIntyre points out: what exactly was wrong with turning a tap on and off in the first place? 07. Stickers on fruit This probably seemed like a good idea to one person, once. Creative Commons image courtesy of Selbst Fotografiert/Sven Teschke This one we just don’t get at all. Barcode stickers on individual pieces of fruit, or sometimes just stickers informing you of the type of apple you're about to eat. Presumably the idea with the barcodes was to save you a few seconds inside the supermarket weighing your fruit. Unfortunately, you then waste several minutes at home trying in vain to prise the highly adhesive sticker off, before eventually giving up and either slicing out the offending part of the flesh, or just swallowing the remaining fragments of paper and gum whole because you’re so hungry (just us?). You may be encouraged to do the latter by internet reports that fruit stickers are actually edible and FDA-approved. Please don’t. This is fake news, as documented in this Snopes article. 08. Hotel room lighting Dark and dingy means luxury, apparently. Who knew? Creative Commons photo courtesy of Nicola If you’ve stayed in more than a couple of hotel rooms, particularly in North America, then you’re sure to have endured this: levels of low-light that seem specifically designed to make you feel weak and disoriented, Guantanamo Bay-style. You walk into a darkened room and turn on all the heavily lampshaded, energy-saving lamps only to find yourself… still in a darkened room. There must be a central light you’re missing, you think, and spend the next feverish hour trying to locate something, anything, that will give off greater luminosity than the dying embers of a discarded cigarette. What’s worse, this is not a mistake: it’s been done on purpose and is called ‘mood lighting’. Never mind, at least they made your towel into a swan sculpture. Which you can just about make out by the light of your smartphone torch. Occasionally, of course, hotels suffer from the opposite problem, providing you with just one horribly fluorescent overhead bulb, and not even a bedside lamp to read by. But perhaps that's just the hotels we've stayed in lately... Of course, these are not the only design mistakes hotels make. Comedian Erik Griffin has a few more, expletive-filled complaints of his own… 09. Cereal boxes The results of seemingly intelligent staff at a Portland radio station attempting to open cereal boxes Cereal boxes, on the face of it, seem pretty easy to open. But we just can’t seem to avoid making a hash of it. Maybe it’s the time of the morning, when most of us are not at our best selves. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re overly excited to get to all that (sugary) goodness. Or maybe it’s that the amount of glue used to seal the top of the box and interior bag varies so wildly that the amount of pressure you need to exert is utterly unpredictable. Consequently, everyone has at least once endured an explosion of corn flakes, rice crispies or cocoa pops all over the kitchen floor. And the tattered evidence is left for all to see, as Lori Voornas of Portland’s number one pop radio station Q97.9 highlights in this short video: This is all something that an alternative cereal box design, such as a zip-lock bag, would help to avoid. But hey, where would be the fun in that? 10. Revolving doors Why can't it just be a normal door? Creative Commons image courtesy of Marcel Oosterwijk When you think about it, the door is a pretty incredible invention. And it’s not something that really needed redesigning. Not unless you were looking for something that would unnecessary raise people’s stress levels, potentially cause injuries, and just fundamentally baffle people. Especially when they're carrying luggage. The answer to that question, a little boringly, is that revolving doors are more energy efficient, as they prevent drafts (via acting as an airlock), thus preventing increases in the heating or cooling required for the building. They’re also apparently very efficient at letting large numbers of people in and out. And of course, they’re a gift to comedy screenwriters and stand-up comics everywhere. We’ll leave you with the thoughts of comedian Michael McIntryre once more... Read more: The best free graphic design software The essential guide to tools for designers 30 books every graphic designer should read View the full article

Adobe has set the standard for photo editing and so much more with Photoshop. You can take your work to the next level by learning to use this powerful tool from Adobe by learning from professionals with the Complete Photoshop Mastery Bundle. You can get this collection of expert-taught lessons on sale now for $29 (approx. £21)! Photoshop is a powerful app that can be overwhelming when you're first learning it. This bundle will take away your fears by teaching you every detail of the app that you need to know so that you can master every aspect of it. You'll get access to eight courses packed with 214 lessons, each offering you actionable information that will teach you how to master lighting effects, create cinematic gradients, colour black and white photos and much, much more. The Adobe Photoshop and Editing Mastery Bundle is valued at $1,210. You can get it on sale right now for 97% off the retail price. That means you pay just $29 (approx. £21), an amazing amount of saving on a course every photographer and designer will love, so grab it today! Related articles: The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette 5 best laptops for Photoshop Colourise greyscale work in Photoshop View the full article

Buy now for $149 (new) / $75 (upgrade) Allegorithmic has spent the past few releases making Substance Painter probably the most famous texture-painting application on the market. It has an expanding user base in the game development community, as well as gaining popularity within ‘traditional’ 3D art creation. Free textures for 3D artists The uptake of Substance Painter can be attributed to many factors, including the huge array of genuinely useful content that ships with the application, and which can be augmented from a wide range of sources (both first and third party). There’s also integration with the rest of the Substance toolset, including Substance Designer, and an excellent variety of export options catering for a large variety of application uses. So what does the latest release of Painter offer? To be honest, in terms of features, there are not as many new ones as you would expect from a major version release. However, the biggest feature of Substance Painter is not in what a user will see, but what they will not. Allegorithmic freely admits this a foundation release, which allows the application to stop and take a chance to review its success and set its stall for future versions The team at Allegorithmic freely admits that this version of Substance Painter is a foundation release, which allows the application to stop and take a chance to review its success and set its stall for future versions. This means a lot of under-the-hood improvements to painting speed and overall performance, especially in scene loading, saving and general asset handling, as well as a variety of bug fixes. Substance Painter is now much more aware of pen input, with larger hit areas on buttons. With the aforementioned speed improvements to painting, I was able to use Astropad Studio on an iPad Pro wirelessly connected to a MacBook Pro, to paint meshes silently from the comfort of the sofa, easily and quickly, which was a joy. A new look The easiest way to see how this stock-take has affected Substance Painter is to look at the UI. The developers have simplified the previous UI, which could be unwieldy and unresponsive, and given it a fresh look. It’s now more in-keeping with the other applications in the Substance Suite, and allows for a lot more flexibility. Palettes can now be collapsed into the dock, as well as dragged around from horizontal to vertical positions wherever on the screen they’re needed. A handy context-aware tool palette is always available at the top of screen, making it easy to collapse the UI down to a single full-screen painting view, with easy access to a wide range of tools. Click on the icon in the top right to take a closer look at the new UI All of this means users can create a bespoke texturing environment for their specific workflow, backed up by Substance Painter’s outstanding toolset and resources. In my opinion, there is still no quicker way to create a convincing texture set for a model, especially using tools such as the smart materials and their masks, which have long been a key part of the Substance Painter workflow. The only downside to this is the fact that if you are new to Substance Painter or are still in the process of learning, the new UI has rendered much of the training available obsolete. There are new training sets available for Substance Painter 2018, make sure any tutorials you use are for this latest version. The whole package In terms of new features, this release offers new 3D noises, which are a great way to add irregularity to paint or bump textures, and will scale really well across an entire model. A new 3D linear gradient mask can now use the position of the mesh rather than the mesh object, which means a gradient can be applied across a complete model rather than its individual parts, leading to more artistic opportunities. New 3D noises can scale around a whole model Substance Painter does depend on the imported model having UV maps, but not all UV maps are created equal and this version recognises that most 3D artists hate tidying up UVs, so painting across misaligned or scaled UV islands is much improved. While some of the 3D painting tools still need work, Substance Painter 2018 is by far the easiest and most complete 3D texture-creation application on the market, especially when used as part of the Substance Suite. Overall, this is a great new release of Substance Painter, and it really does set it above its competition. While some of its competitors may have better integration with Photoshop or be able to handle larger datasets, Substance Painter is a much more ‘complete’ and friendly package, especially with its new UI. It is is hard to recommend any other applications unless there is a specific case use. This article originally appeared in 3D World magazine. Subscribe here. Buy Substance Painter 2018: here for $149 (new) / $75 (upgrade) Read more: 8 super tips for Substance Painter View the full article

The HP ZBook Studio x360 G5 is the most powerful convertible PC laptop ever made, according to HP. The specs are certainly impressive: designed with creatives in mind, the laptop boasts 8th-gen Intel Core and Xeon chips, Nvidea Quadro P1000 graphics, and up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of PCIe NVMe storage. The best HP ZBook range deals in 2018 Thanks to its 360-degree hinge – which lets the laptop backflip all the way around to become a tablet or used in tent orientation – it’s incredibly flexible. And HP says the 15.6-inch 4K screen is the brightest out there too, claiming its 20 per cent brighter than a MacBook Pro and 50 per cent brighter than the Dell XPS models. Working in sunlight outdoors or near the office window is also no problem with smooth anti-glare technology. The HP ZBook Studio x360 G5’s connectivity options include two USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB-C and one HDMI; while battery life is pegged at a seriously impressive 16 hours. We’d take that with a pinch or two of salt, but we’re loving that a mere 30 minutes of charging will have you back up to 50 per cent battery. HP has gone all-out to appeal to designers, artists, video and photo editors, and architects with this backflipping convertible PC. (If you’re using the mobile workstation for design, illustration or editing work, make sure you to choose the option with the excellent Wacom AES pen.) Scroll down for the best HP ZBook Studio x360 prices... Also read: The best laptops for graphic design The best video editing laptops The best drawing tablets View the full article

The Dell Precision 7530 is one of the world's most powerful 15-inch workstations. A new addition to Dell’s Precision family – a pro-grade line of machines aimed at creatives – the VR-ready 7530 is a smaller, lighter and thinner model that delivers workstation-class power. And it’s truly impressive. With up to a whopping 128GB of RAM and options for i5, i7 and the new i9 8th generation Intel core processors under the hood, the Dell Precision 7530 is ready to handle all manner of heavy-lifting tasks from designers, video editors, architects and artists alike – it’s especially well-suited to CAD users. The Precision 7530 also offers the option to arrive with up to three 2TB PCIe SSDs, for a potential 6TB of smooth Solid State Drive storage. Graphics specs are impressive too, with support for up to a Nvidia Quadro P3200 or AMD Radeon Pro WX 4150 graphics card. Meanwhile, the most expensive display option is an Ultra-HD IPS display (3,840 x 2,160) that claims to cover 100% of the Adobe RGB-colorspace. This powerful workstation is ready for VR and AR design work, in a way that many other creative laptops simply can’t compete with. Ports of note include a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C 3.1 ports, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort 1.4 and an SD card reader. All in all, this Dell laptop has a lot of options to take advantage of, both in the office – with extra displays to create a powerful workstation suite – or on the move. If the 15-inch workstation laptop isn’t quite big enough for you, consider the 17-inch Dell Precision 7730, which, in addition to having a bigger screen, can hold up to 8TB of SSD storage. If the much more portable 15-inch version is for you though, we’ve found the best Dell Precision 7530 prices below. Also read: The best laptops for graphic design The best video editing laptops The best drawing tablets View the full article

Broadband gear made by Advanced Digital Broadcast is being patched to fix three vulnerabilities rated critical. View the full article

A look at the underground cybercrime landscape in 2018 shows a dynamic and quick-reacting community in the face of a successful crackdowns by law enforcement. View the full article