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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

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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

Sometimes you need to shake things up with your pencil drawings, and let go of the impulse to do too much. One of my favourite ways to do this is by creating transfer drawings, also known as trace monotypes. With this printmaking technique, you can transform an ordinary sketch into something almost nostalgic, with a gritty texture and bold contrast. The monotype process creates one print, with the potential for a second variation of that print, but no more. So, in many respects it is similar to a singular drawing, and could be used to make one-off prints such as vintage posters, for example. With a piece of paper placed against an inked plate, you can create a drawing, and through pencil pressure, ink is transferred as a print. I prefer to draw directly on the paper without a sketch, letting the lack of safety net focus my attention on each line and mark I make. It’s always surprising to see the results when the paper is pulled off the plate! 01. Create an even ink layer The ink has to be just the right thickness Using a brayer, roll out a small amount of oil paint or etching ink so that it evenly covers an area of a sheet of Plexiglass, or metal etching plate. It will take some experimentation to achieve the right amount of paint on the surface, as different media vary in consistency. A heavy layer will bleed when printed, overwhelming any detail or subtlety. For this print, I rolled out an amount of oil paint about the thickness of a 10p piece or US quarter, just less than 2mm. 02. Prepare the paper Moist paper ensures an even ink coverage Using a spray bottle of water, gently spray the front of the printmaking paper. Do not soak the paper, you want to create a thin mist. Blot the surface with a paper towel to remove any excess water. A damp surface will help you achieve consistent coverage, especially if you’re using thicker paper. Thinner paper such as Japanese rice paper is better printed dry. Gently place the wet side of the paper on the inked Plexiglass, being careful not to press down anywhere. 03. Start drawing Be careful not to rest your hand on the ink! Draw directly on the back of the printmaking paper. Alternatively, a premade drawing, or even a photograph, can be placed on top and traced. Everywhere that pressure is applied to the paper will transfer ink, so avoid resting your hand on the surface while working. Varying pressure will also affect the amount of tone that is transferred. Create softer edges and gradients by rubbing the surface with your fingers, moving to a fingernail or pencil for sharper edges and lines. You can use hatching or scribbling for compositional interest. Carefully lift an edge of the paper and check how the transfer is developing, adding more marks as needed. 04. Leave to dry The moment of truth... When the drawing is finished, lift the paper completely off the Plexiglass and leave it to dry flat. The leftover ink on the plate is a negative version of the drawing and can be used to create a second print. To do this, place another sheet of dampened paper on the Plexiglass, and rub the surface of the paper with a wooden spoon to transfer the remaining ink. This article was originally published in Paint & Draw magazine. Related articles: Prepare a board for painting in 3 easy steps 3 tips for crafting stunning print promotional material 15 inspiring examples of screen printing View the full article

By and large, motivational quotes have a bad name. We associate them with cheesy poster designs or mood boards featuring sunsets, lions and rainbows, and empty slogans like ‘Never give up’ or ‘Find your dream’. But the concept in itself is a good one; you just have to find the right quote to inspire you. So here we’ve gathered some of our favourite inspirational quotes on the theme of work, all beautifully illustrated by talented creatives. Of course, different creatives are motivated in different ways. So while the first six quotes on our list offer positive, upbeat vibe, we’ve included a further four that take a more direct and down-to-earth approach to motivation. (Warning: this second approach involves rather a lot of swear words.) Whatever your tastes, hopefully you'll find something in here to inspire you and help turbocharge your design career. 01. Turn procrastination into motivation Illustrated by Jessica Hische, this quote challenges you to rethink your creative career So you’ve managed to carve out a living as a creative. Congratulations! But ask yourself: are you actually doing the creative work you’re truly passionate about? All too often, we put off the tasks we dread and focus on the ones we find more fun. You might be procrastinating about the user experience of your app, for example, and instead spend all day lovingly crafting the icons instead. But rather than beating yourself up, why not consider whether you’d be happier ditching UX, and specialising on icon design full-time? If that’s what you really enjoy, then where’s the downside? This inspirational quote about work, beautifully illustrated by American type designer Jessica Hische, will help you stay the course. You can buy a print here . 02. Take one step at a time Vincent Van Gogh’s quote, illustrated by Ryan McArthur, is perfect for when you’re feeling overwhelmed Vincent Van Gogh not only painted some of the greatest and most visionary art in history, he also said some pretty smart things. And this inspirational quote for work is the perfect pick-me-up when you’re staring into the face of a huge project with deadlines bearing down and nothing but a blank piece of paper in front of you. It’s easy to be overwhelmed, but the impressionist’s words remind us to take our time, start small and build up our creations gradually, at our own pace. You’ve done it before, and you can do it again. The quote has been thoughtfully brought to life by Toronto artist Ryan McArthur, and you can buy the print here. 03. Repeat after me If you’re looking for a mantra by which to live your life then this is not a bad choice This poster was originally inspired a conversation that graphic artist, print-maker and designer Anthony Burrill overheard in a local supermarket; an elderly woman sharing the secret of a happy life to a girl at the checkout. It might be a simple piece of wisdom, but it’s a profound one, and a reminder to step back from life's surface noise and focus on what’s really important. Burrill originally created this letterpress poster as a gift for friends, and as self-promotion to attract clients. But then he started getting requests for copies from across the design community, and it became a huge hit. You can buy your own copy here. 04. Collaborate better Behance founder Scott Belsky’s mini-manifesto speaks to the joys of creative collaboration Working as a creative can often be isolating, especially if you work from home as a freelancer. So this mini-manifesto from Scott Belsky, founder of Behance, is a great reminder that when we work together in the right way, we can become far more than the sum of our parts. Unfortunately, you can’t buy a physical print of this poster, which was created by New York-based graphic designer Raewyn Brandon as a promotion for Behance. You can, however, view the project in full here. 05. Reach like Mario Be like Mario, and reach for the impossible In our social media age, the problem of ‘imposter syndrome’ is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. Everyone has to start somewhere, but it’s easy to become intimidated and feel like you don’t have the chops to stretch yourself creatively and take on new challenges. This simple but inspiring quote for work has been imaginatively illustrated by Laura Gomez, an interactive designer at Walgreens. Harnessing the spirit of the 8-bit gaming era, it reminds us that as long as we practice, practice, practice, then anything and everything is possible. You can buy a print of Gomez’s illustration here. 06. Don't conform Maya Angelou’s words should resonate with every creative No one ever went into a creative profession because they want to be the same as everyone else. Yet often employers, clients and peers can push you so much to conform that it’s easy to give in, and produce 'normal' design work that's never going to set the world on fire. This quote from Maya Angelou helps to remind you to resist following the crowd. Essentially, the American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist is saying that you can achieve incredible things if only you stop trying to be like everybody else and start being yourself. You can buy this beautiful typographic poster at Sort of Cool. Sick of all that positivity? Here are some alternatives... We know from experience that not every creative responds well to the kind of upbeat and optimistic messaging we’ve featured thus far. So if that applies to you, maybe you’ll prefer the posters in our next section, which all take a more earthy, direct (and sweary) approach to motivating you. 07. Talk less, do more Brendan Dawes’ mantra cuts to the chase Anyone who’s ever attended a talk by Northern English design legend Brendan Dawes knows that he does not ‘do’ Californian-style positivity. Dawes may be imaginative and visionary in his design work, but when it comes to words he’s direct and to the point, and here’s a perfect example. This short and snappy inspirational quote for work, inspired by a Brian Jonestown song, reminds us that creative work is fundamentally about doing and making, with the implication that we should just get on with it. Dawes' illustrated version was printed by Bracket Press, and showcased at the Future of Web Design conference. Unfortunately though, it was limited to a run of 100, so you can't buy a copy now. 08. Just get on with it Craig Ward doesn’t mince his words Another down-to-earth designer from the North of England, Craig Ward takes a similarly direct approach to motivation here. If you feel his uncompromising words might help you stop sucking your thumb and start actually working, there’s a 2400dpi scan on Ward's website that you’re free to download. “Do with it as you wish,” says Ward. “Desktop, screensaver, print, t-shirt, profile pic, whatever; it's all yours." 09. Believe in your sweary self This manifesto was seen hanging in the office of Apple's Jonathan Ive GFDA (Good Fucking Design Advice) is a company devoted to the creation of “colorful, well-designed merchandise for people who give a fuck.” And that includes the impassioned manifesto featured above. While ‘believe in yourself’ is often an empty mantra, which in itself contains no useful practical advice, GFDA’s manifesto offers a series of straightforward but sincerely felt tips about how to make it as a creative in the real world. According to New Yorker magazine this poster, designed by Brian Buirge and Jason Bacher, was seen hanging in the office of Apple’s chief design officer, Jonathan Ive, in 2015. You can find this and other explicit motivational material in the GFDA store. 10. Enjoy your sweary self Follow these words and you’ll never stop loving your work We’ll end with another curt quote about creativity courtesy of HelloTypo. No, it’s not exactly Shakespeare, but it does contain an important truth. Following a creative profession can be a joyful way to spend your working life, but only if you approach it with the right attitude. Focusing too narrowly on getting the 'right' results can lead to obsession, exhaustion and misery. Embracing your failures, learning from your mistakes and focusing on the kind of work you find fun and fulfilling will lead to a happy life, and probably lead to more successful results in the process. If you’d find it useful to be reminded of this lesson on a daily basis, you can buy this print from Etsy here. Related articles: 28 inspiring examples of vintage posters 11 of the best creative resumés 5 sure-fire ways to develop your creative career View the full article

Video editing is an important skill to have in the 21st century. After all, videos are used for everything from marketing to documentaries, and Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most widely used editing tools on Earth. To learn everything there is to know about editing videos on Premiere, check out Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass: Video Editing Made Easy. This course teaches you how to edit videos quickly and effectively, guiding you through everything from adding video transitions to improving audio quality. You'll learn learn how to colour-correct your footage, and add visual effects for truly professional-looking results. For just $21, you can become a Premiere expert with Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass: Video Editing Made Easy. Related articles: The best video editing software 2018 The best computers for video editing 2018 The best video editing laptops for 2018 View the full article

Nominated for 13 Oscars and taking home four, including best production design, The Shape of Water is sure to secure a spot as one of the best 3D movies in 2018. In this gorgeous making-of The Shape of Water book, readers get to see how these stunning visuals came to be. 30 books every graphic designer should read The fairy tale film, about a mute woman falling in love with a god-like sea creature, has a wide scope to blend the historical and the fantastical. Reading about how these different elements tie into the overall themes of the film enriches your understanding of the story if you’ve already seen it. And considering that major plot details are referred to throughout, you’ll want to watch The Shape of Water before you explore this book. Opening with a foreword from the film’s writer and director Guillermo del Toro, the book tells us that The Shape of Water has been del Toro's life-long ambition ever since he watched the 1954 film Creature From The Black Lagoon as a young boy. It’s easy to see the connection between the two films. However, it’s the thoughtfulness of the story and production behind The Shape of Water that has won over viewers and critics. The Shape of Water has been a life-long ambition of the film’s writer and director Guillermo del Toro This thoughtfulness covers every aspect of design in the film, from the character’s uniforms to the materials used to weather expensive wallpaper in an artistic way. It makes sense that the book is split into three sections to cover the characters, the creature and the film’s production. The underwater creature is given the most coverage. This makes sense given that he’s the film’s main draw, and there’s plenty of fascinating design insight and problem-solving to enjoy in this chapter. Such design solutions range from how to construct a prosthetic for extensive use in water, through to how to sculpt what lead actress Sally Hawkins describes as “a beautiful man-fish with a great butt.” Numerous colour tests were conducted for the creature – even to see what it would look like in black and white Meanwhile, the character chapter takes more of a writerly approach to the casting and creation of each persona – complete with del Toro’s bios and journal sketches attached as inserts. These can also be found in the production chapter, which looks at the film's subtle VFX, as well as the set design, music, filming and more. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 160; subscribe here. Buy The Shape of Water here. Read more: 7 must-read books for design students View the full article

Click the links below to download your workshop and Q&A assets from Comic Artist Volume 6, including videos, layered files, brushes and WIPs. All of our videos are also here. Workshops Plan a superhero cover Download assets Pencil and ink a game character Download assets Create a comic page in Clip Studio Paint Download assets Download video Watch the video below Give Tintin the Fables treatment Download assets Paint Hellboy caricature art Download assets Download video Watch the video below Bring colour to Black Panther Download assets Ink and colour a comic cover Download assets Create dynamic characters Download assets Download brushes Download video Watch the video below Q&A section Use insect designs in your sci-fi art Download video Watch the video below Add movement to an image Download video Watch the video below Improve your design skills Download video Watch the video below Comic page layouts Download video Watch the video below Comic face variety Download video Watch the video below Use classic comic colours Download video Watch the video below Show a comic character's body language Download video Watch the video below View the full article

The HP ZBook x2 packs workstation-class components into a detachable 2-in-1 laptop/tablet form factor. Aimed squarely at creatives, the portable powerhouse is one of the best options out there if you want to move away from your desktop as your primary tool. Unlike many powerful laptops – even those with a built-in touchscreen like the new HP ZBook Studio x360 – the screen fully detaches here for a tablet experience separate from the keyboard. (Don’t worry though: the keyboard remains connected via Bluetooth so you can keep your shortcuts to hand.) The best HP ZBook range deals in 2018 These 2-in-1 convertible workstations have been designed from the start to appeal to photographers, digital artists, video editors and other creative professionals. So it’ll come as no surprise to see some serious specs under that stylistic design (because not everyone wants their edges rounded off). Most standard versions come with an Intel Core i7 processor as standard paired with 8-32GB of RAM – that’s double the RAM of Microsoft’s Surface Pro. As far as storage goes, expect an SSD on all versions with 128GB-2 TB available to choose from. Standardised models also come with a Nvidia Quadro M620 2GB GDDR5 dedicated graphics card. There’s a crisp 14-inch 4K screen on all configurations with antiglare technology helping you work in a wide range of environments, or you can choose the optional 10-bit one-billion colour HP DreamColor display, which is calibrated to 100% of Adobe RGB. Digital artists will pleased to know the ZBook x2 works wonderfully with the Wacom-designed pen accessory, and there’s an adjustable kickstand for use in tablet mode. Ports include two Thunderbolt 3-supporting USB-C connectors, a power jack, USB 3.0, HDMI and an SD memory card slot. So you won’t need additional adapters here – unlike if you chose to go down the Apple route nowadays. HP ZBook x2: price Unsurprisingly, The HP Book x2 isn’t cheap. You can find the lowest specced version on Amazon for around $2,400/£1,700, while a top-tier model with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU and Nvidia Quadro graphics will set you back a whopping $5,800/£4,500. Luckily, our price comparison tool is permanently searching the world's biggest retailers for the best deals on creative hardware and software, so you can be sure that the HP ZBook x2 prices you see here are the lowest anywhere. Scroll down for the best HP ZBook x2 deals right now... Related articles: The best laptops for graphic design The best video editing laptops The best drawing tablets View the full article

When it comes honouring the lives of friends and family members who have passed away, the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) does so with exuberant and colourful traditions instead of sombreness. These vivid celebrations are at the centre of Coco, Pixar’s latest cinematic release. The 10 best 3D movies of 2018 In a brief foreword to the film’s art book, The Art of Coco, John Lasseter – who was until recently chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation – explains that the filmmaking team went to great efforts to ensure that they got the look of the film right while respecting Mexican traditions. And in this book, we see how the team’s research paid off. The bulk of the book takes us on a tour of the characters and locations in Coco. This includes concept art sketches, environment illustrations of the Land of the Dead, and even character design insight such as clay sculpts of the film’s skeletal cast. The book explores how folklore influenced the design of Coco But there’s more to enjoy here than high-quality visuals. Thanks to regular insights from story artists and production designers, you also get an understanding of Mexico’s fascinating folklore, and learn how it’s cleverly and tastefully used to inform the artistic direction of the film. Coco looks like one to remember. This article was originally published in issue 159 of ImagineFX; subscribe here. Buy The Art of Coco here. Read more: 26 top movie title sequences View the full article

Being stuck in a creative rut is incredibly frustrating. The good news is that it doesn't matter your discipline – be it 3D art, web comics or something else entirely – the means of escaping that rut are the same. Tried and tested ways to jumpstart your creativity include going for a walk, searching the web for inspiration or listening to music. But if what if you need something more radical, to really shake up your design thinking and send it in new and exciting directions? Here are some ways you might do that, which you may not have thought of... 01. Find an unlikely collaborator Run DMC + Aerosmith made no sense on paper in 1986, but the collaboration went on to change pop music forever When looking for a partner to collaborate on a creative project, it’s natural to look for someone similar to yourself, in terms of experience, work style, background and attitude. Yet that’s unlikely ever to lead to anything other than a safe, reliable and ultimately boring result. What if, instead, you teamed up with someone who seems entirely unsuited to the type of project you’re pursuing? For instance if you’re a 3D artist working on a series of animations for a high-end fashion brand, ask yourself whether a 2D illustrator for children’s books could bring something new to the table? Or if you’re designing the UX for an online banking app, what about teaming up with a photographer with no online skills whatsoever? Such wacky combinations may ultimately end up a failure, but where’s the harm in going for a drink together and tossing some ideas around? At worst you’ll end up with a fun night out, at best you might spark something truly mind-blowing and original. 02. Start a daily project Nicola Gastaldi created 100 animated GIFs in 100 days. What could you do? Creativity is like a muscle; it needs constant work, effort and, yes, pain to grow into something powerful and transformational. And one great way of doing this is to embark on a daily or weekly design project. Rather than sitting at your desk for hours musing the different directions your creativity can take, forcing yourself into a regular routine means you have to make quick and imaginative decisions. They might not all work, but that’s the beauty of a daily or weekly project. There’s no time to sit around moping, you just have to keep going, and do better next time. Nicola Gastaldi, a London based motion graphics designer currently working at Google Creative Lab, did just that in 2017 when he challenged himself to create 100 animated GIFs in 100 days. You can see some of the amazing results, and learn how the project progressed here . 03. Do something from your childhood Re-engaging in childhood activities can help reignite dormant areas of your brain. Creative commons photo courtesy of Ellen Munroe Remember having a wild imagination as a child? Growing up and conforming to society’s norms tends to knock a lot of that creativity out of our heads, but there are ways to get some of it back. One simple method is to once more do something you did as a child but never do as an adult. Depending on the decade you grew up in, that might be playing swingball, making a drink with a SodaStream, bouncing around on a space hopper, or even just writing someone a handwritten letter (be honest: when was the last time you did that?). The deep-rooted associations that kind of nostalgia trip unearths in your brain can be strikingly successful in getting your brain to work in more creative ways. Try it! 04. Watch a black-and-white movie Anne Bancroft and Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950) Whenever you get bogged down in a project, it’s tempting to take a break and recharge your batteries by going for a walk or watching a film. But most modern-day films, with their pixel-perfect VFX, fast-cut editing and busy plots, aren’t exactly great at letting your brain unwind. If you really want to get into a different head space, why not watch a classic black-and-white movie? As more and more of these films become copyright-free with the passage of time, you’ll find a surprising number of them on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, as well as YouTube or Vimeo as well as broadcast TV channels. According to the New York Post, less than a quarter of all millennials have watched a pre-1960s film from start to finish, and that’s a real shame. Because while it admittedly takes a while to adapt your brain to what was a very different style of film-making, we defy anyone to make it through to the end of a film like Rebel Without a Cause, Brief Encounter or All About Eve without experiencing the kind of genuine emotional tug that’s woefully absent from today’s multiplex fare. 05. Describe your project to a non-specialist Talking through a project with others can really help marshal your thoughts. Creative Commons photo courtesy of Kelcey Perry It happens, at one time or another, to every creative. You’ve got so bogged down in the small but important details of a creative project, you’re no longer able to see the wood for the trees. You need to take a step back and get a fresh perspective, and one great way to do that can be to talk to people about it, preferably people who are not creative professionals themselves. That will force you to break down the essence of the project and its problems into language that non-specialists will understand. In doing so, you’ll often end up seeing what the real problems are much more clearly, not to mention their solutions. 06. Pick up a print magazine Two pages from the latest issue of ImagineFX; more details here Yes, we know there are a billions of blogs on the internet, full of advice and inspiration (with Creative Bloq of course at the top of the list). But when was the last time you browsed a traditional magazine, printed on paper? It really is a superior, highly curated experience that engages your senses and imagination in an very different way than the kind of mechanical web browsing we’ve all become used to. And the good news is that the good people behind this site also produce printed publications on a range of creative disciplines. These include titles about web design, graphic design and illustration, digital art and 3D. If you’ve not read a creative magazine in a while, give it a go and you’re sure to be surprised how quickly it gets your creative neurons firing. 07. Dim the lights It sounds counterproductive, but poor lighting can lead to great creative ideas Okay, this one might sound odd, but bear with us. A number of studies have shown that working in dim light can actually boost your creativity, including a recent report in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. According to the article by Anna Steidle and Lioba Werth, “darkness elicits a feeling of being free from constraints and triggers a risky, explorative processing style”. So when you’re looking for a creativity boost, start dimming those lights… just be careful not to ruin your eyesight in the process. 08. Take improv classes Improv classes such as those offered by The Free Association are an unusual, but very effective way to boost your creative powers It could be argued that the very question of ‘How do I make myself more creative?’ is redundant. We’re all infinitely creative. What prevents our most creative ideas from actually reaching our subconscious, let alone sharing them, is an in-built off-switch that shuts down the fear that they might make us look stupid, or worse, in front of others. Creativity, when framed in this way, becomes a question of confidence. In the words of jazz legend Miles Davis: “Do not fear mistakes; there are none”. But how do you go about achieving that in practice? One route that’s slightly left-field, but people who do it swear by, is taking improvisational comedy classes, such as those offered by The Free Association. Although this might sound scary, working in an improvisational comedy group is actually a very warm and nurturing environment, because the golden rule is that no one is criticised and everyone is allowed to fail. Improv is also great at heightening your listening skills and ability to make associations, which in many ways is the bedrock of creativity. 09. Break the rules Denise Bosler’s book Creative Anarchy encourages you to break the rules of design We all know the phrase “You’ve got to know the rules to break them”. But how often do we actually put that into practice? The problem is that we spent so much time internalising the rules, we forget they exist. So every now and again, it’s worth making a conscious effort to do something wrong on purpose. Break grid theory in a design and see what happens. Use the ‘wrong’ software, or draw with the wrong hand. Use a colour combination that no one in their right mind would like. Give your character design the wrong number of limbs. Mix serifs with sans-serifs in the same text block. In short, do something stupid and see what happens. Most of the time it will be a total mess, but one or two times out of 100, you might just stumble on something incredible. Denise Bosler’s book Creative Anarchy offers more suggestions on how to go about it. 10. Become a digital nomad The Nomad List website offers advice to digital nomads Nothing gives you a fresh perspective like spending time in a totally different country, with a totally different culture. But you don’t necessarily have to save up tons of money to do so. With more and more of our creative work taking place online, there’s no reason why most freelancers need to be in the same place as their clients. If you fancy the idea of living and working abroad as a digital nomad, check out the Nomad List website, which is full of practical advice and tips to get you started. Read more: 5 simple ways to avoid creative burnout 8 creative hobbies to pursue in 2018 Why it pays to be creatively restless View the full article

I'm going to share the fastest painting technique I use for 'gessoing' a panel and getting a smooth finish. This art technique can be used to prep a panel that you want to paint on, making it suitable for painting in oils or acrylics. You may want to prepare more than one panel at a time, so that you can be ready to paint whenever inspiration strikes. To prep your panel, all it takes is a few tools from the DIY store and a little finesse. Overall the process is much like icing a cake – we’re just icing a panel with gesso! Once your materials are ready, the whole process takes just a few minutes. Let the panel dry for an hour or so – as long as it’s no longer cool to the touch, it should be dry enough and ready to be sanded smooth and put into service. If you're just getting started in oils, then don't miss our 10 essential oil painting tips and techniques post. 01. Smooth the surface A sanding block roughs up the board First I prepare my panel for the gesso. I use an extra-fine sanding block to rough up the surface, then wipe with a damp sponge to clean off the residue. My panel is smooth one-eighth-inch hardboard, which is smooth on both sides. I have my panels pre-cut to standard frame sizes. 02. Spread the gesso Use either a toothed or flat spreader I use a grooved adhesive spreader to apply the gesso (I prefer the toothed kind but a flat one will work just as well). I make sure the whole panel is covered as this really helps with the next step. I use professional-grade gesso because it’s thicker, so I use less of it overall. It’s perfect for this technique. 03. Smooth the gesso After a few passes, you're done! I now use a taping knife to smooth the gesso, pulling it first in one direction across the panel, then the opposite direction. A few passes will do the trick. Apply just enough pressure to smooth the grooved surface – too much and you’ll scrape off all the gesso. If there are bare patches because you haven't spread the gesso across the whole panel in the previous step, you can tap the gesso with a taping knife to fill any voids (usually near the edges). If an edge appears from the blade on panels larger than the taping knife, a lighter pass in the opposite direction will usually smooth it all out. To finish, scrape any excess from the sides. This article was originally published in Paint & Draw magazine. Related articles: How to paint with acrylic washes 5 things you need for oil painting How to make and use a mahlstick for painting View the full article

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