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Creating animations or 3D movies involving vehicles with wheels can present some complications, as the motion of the model has to be synchronised with the rotation of its wheels. Depending on the speed of the vehicle, the wheels have to spin faster or slower in order to create a convincing effect. 30 top examples of 3D art Other factors like friction and inertia have to be considered, as occasionally the wheels can drift over the terrain when the vehicle accelerates or suddenly brakes. In the first example, the wheels start spinning fast but the car's body motion is more gradual, gaining speed and inertia until it's fully synchronised with the wheel's rotation. In the second case it happens just the opposite, as the wheels stop spinning but the car keeps moving while drifting over the terrain until it gradually stops. In addition, if the models are moving over uneven terrains, then they have to follow the slopes and also react to obstacles like bumps or cliffs. For example, if the vehicle goes fast through a significant level difference then it should jump and fly over the terrain, varying the length and duration of the jump depending on the speed of the vehicle. A while back, developer Reallusion provided an iClone content pack called Physics Toolbox, which offers multiple solutions for adding forces and structures to iClone animations. In this tutorial, I will focus on a 'four-wheel base' structure, which will serve to solve all the scenarios mentioned previously in a very easy way. Watch the video and/or follow my step-by-step process below. Download the files for this tutorial. 01. Prepare the car model There are plenty of ways to get a 3D car mesh The first obvious step is to get a 3D car mesh. You can use one of the cars provided by Reallusion in its Content Store, or use free 3D models and import with Reallusion's 3DXchange tool, which can convert any model in 3DS, OBJ, SketchUp or FBX format into an iClone native iProp file. The only requirement is that its wheels need to be independent objects as they have to rotate. For this tutorial, I'm going to use the model I made in 3ds Max and exported to iClone using 3DXchange. 02. Select the four-wheel structure The Physics Toolbox provides structures for all sorts of vehicles The Physics Toolbox pack provides a lot of predefined structures with real-time controllers. For this tutorial I'm just going to need the four-wheel structure, but they also provide interesting solutions for other kinds of vehicles like caterpillars, segways and excavators. In fact, all the structures can be combined to create complex machinery that can be controlled in real time. 03. The structure objects Don't forget to activate the Dummy Object option After double-clicking the icon, the dummy objects that make up the structure will appear as well as the real-time controller. Make sure the Dummy Object option is activated in the Project tab. The structure is composed of a main body element with the four wheels and two steer controls for the front wheels attached. These elements are commanded by the floating Control Panel. 04. The driving controls Hit the red triangle for maximum speed and Auto Retract When passing the mouse over the Control Panel, it will show a slider that sets the speed of the vehicle. Pressing the little triangle in the lower-right corner will enable you to set the maximum speed available in the Speed slider, and turn ON the Auto Retract feature that causes the steering wheels to automatically return to their straight position when no 'turning' buttons are pressed. 05. Align the structure with the model The Steer structure elements need to be centred with their respective wheels The four-wheel structure has to be resized and aligned to the model. The structure wheels can be moved in order to adapt them to the model wheels. It's essential that the diameter of the structure wheels and their pivots have a perfect match with the model wheels. Also, the Steer structure elements must remain centred with their respective front structure wheels. Press ctrl+L to ensure a perfect alignment between objects, but remember to have the pivot points of the model wheels properly set in their centre first. 06. Attach the model to the structure Connect the right wheels to the right objects The car chassis must be attached to the '4 Wheels' main object while each wheel of the model needs to be attached to its corresponding wheel in the structure. The front-right model wheel will be attached to the '4Wheels_ FR' object, the back-right model wheel will be attached to '4Wheels_BR' and so on. Notice that the '4Wheels_ Steer_F' objects remain with nothing attached to them. 07. Add a terrain Use the large height map terrains to show off the physics more effectively The car needs a surface to drive over. iClone provides a prop called Infinite Plane that can be used as a flat ground, but the large height map terrains also provided in iClone allow for a better show of the physics of the structure. I selected the Canyon Terrain, reduced its height scale and smoothed it a little to facilitate the motion of the buggy over any part of the terrain. 08. Prepare iClone to start recording Select Bullet Engine before you start recording Now you can select the four-wheel base structure and place it in any part of the terrain facing the direction you want to start moving in. I also uncheck the Dummy Object box to hide the dummy objects. Before recording you must be sure that the Bullet Engine is selected in the Project label of iClone. Also, it is highly recommended to have the Soft Cloth physics deactivated and change the playing mode to By Frame, to let iClone take all the necessary time to make the physics calculations between frames. 09. Record the motion Expect slowdown while you're recording Now it's time to start driving the car over the terrain using the controller. Keep in mind that the speed shown while recording is going to look slower due to all the calculations the computer has to do. If you make a mistake, you can overwrite your previous motion by just driving again from the beginning. Remember that this is going to happen while the Bullet Engine is selected. 10. Check the recorded motion Once you've finished recording, you can view your clip in iClone's timeline If you feel satisfied with the recording, switch again from the Bullet Engine to the PhysX Engine. It will ensure that the recorded motion is not altered, even if you activate the Soft Cloth and the Rigid Body physics to create collisions between the car and other objects in the scene. Opening the timeline in iClone will enable you to see the recorded animation clip associated to the vehicle. 11. Add a second vehicle to the scene If you're using multiple vehicles, record them all separately You can drive more than one vehicle in the same scene but it's easier to record one vehicle first, and the other one after. To do that you have to deactivate the Bullet physics engine for the first car, because if not the previous recording will be overwritten. Reallusion supplies a Bullet Engine Switcher that lets you activate or deactivate the Bullet physics to the selected prop. 12. Deactivate the first vehicle simulation Select the four-wheel structure from the props list so you don't deactivate the wrong thing After clicking with the right mouse button over the Bullet Engine Switcher, a menu will appear. There the Script option will ask you whether you want to turn On or Off the Bullet simulation for one of the props in the scene. After selecting Turn Off the cursor will change for you to click over the object you want to deactivate. In order to ensure that you are selecting the four-wheel structure and not any of the objects attached to it, I strongly recommend selecting the object from the prop list instead of the scene window. 13. Record the second vehicle motion You can see your first car's movement while recording the second car Now you can repeat the process, ensuring you have the Bullet Engine selected. As the simulation in the first yellow car has been deactivated, the only controller that is going to work is the one linked to the new red car. However, the first recorded yellow car motion will be performed while you are driving the second car. This is actually very convenient, as you can now use the first car's movements as reference while you are driving the second car in the scene. 14. Add elements to the terrain With the Bullet Engine Switcher, you can add geometries to the terrain The Bullet Engine Switcher can be used to add geometries to the terrain and make them interact with the vehicles. I placed a prop simulating a ramp and I wanted the car to run over and even jump if the vehicle passes at enough speed. First I had to activate the Bullet physics in that prop. I used the Bullet Engine Switcher to turn on the Bullet physics simulation in the prop. 15. Convert the prop in terrain Click Convert to Terrain to turn your prop into part of the landscape It would be enough to simply make the object interact with the car, but I also wanted the ramp to actually be a part of the terrain, so I clicked on the prop with the right mouse button and then selected the Convert to Terrain option from the contextual menu. From now on, this prop is going to be considered as part of the terrain. 16. Run over the added prop Your car will now react to the prop in a natural way Once again, I checked that I had selected the Bullet Engine and I started driving the car straight towards the ramp, noting that it runs over the added shape. Depending on the speed applied to the vehicle the motion is going to be smooth, as it will follow the slopes of the terrain. It will also cause the car to jump and catch air as it goes over the ramp. 17. Add interacting props Bring in more props for added fun with physics Once the driving motions have been recorded using the Bullet Engine, it's possible to create further interactions with other props in the scene by using the PhysX Engine. I placed a group of oil drums with Rigid Body physics attributes, and a curtain with Soft Cloth properties. I also linked a dummy cube to the buggy structure, assigning Rigid Body properties to it as well. 18. Set physics to the props Select the right physics mode to avoid unwanted prop glitches The Rigid mode of the dummy object has to be set to Kinematic as it is linked to the car. This doesn't need to be affected by gravity. For the oil drums, it's better to set their rigid mode to Frozen in order to avoid jittering effects and unnecessary calculations before they get hit by the dummy. In collisions between Rigid Objects and Soft Cloths, it's best to use simple collision shapes like cubes; and depending on the speed, the collision margins in both objects must be increased to avoid penetration of the Rigid Object into the Soft Cloth. 19. Set the project physics You'll also need to set some physics options for the project as a whole After hiding the dummy linked to the car, select the PhysX Engine. All the calculations involving the PhysX Engine are not going to modify the Bullet recordings. Make sure to have the Rigid Body and the Soft Cloth boxes activated in the iClone Project label. I also recommend activating Bake Animation for the Soft Cloth, especially if you intend to export the motion in Alembic format. Finally, select the By Frame mode, which will allow iClone to take the necessary time to perform the physics calculations between frames. 20. Record the props interaction Hit play to rerun your animations with the new props and physics Now all that I have to do is press the Play button and the car will perform its previously recorded animations using the Bullet Engine. In the meantime iClone will calculate all the physics interactions between the objects controlled by the PhysX Engine, and will automatically generate an animation clip for each one of these objects. 21. Check the complete animation Take a look at your recorded animation and make sure it all works as intended At this point I can deactivate all the physics in iClone. The animations of all the objects have been recorded as motion clips. We can press the Play button and check how the animations look in real time because iClone doesn't need to make the calculations again. This would be the moment to put and animate the occupants of the vehicle, simulating the driving. 22. Export the animations You'll need to export your various objects in the right format The objects containing Soft Cloth physics and the vehicle structures have to be exported in Alembic format, while the objects with Rigid Body physics can be exported in Alembic or in FBX format. The objects exported in Alembic have to be selected one by one, so I exported the car and the curtain in two Alembic files, while I exported all the drums in a single FBX file. 23. Import the files in 3ds Max All your objects in 3ds Max will have to be placed in their original positions This is the aspect of the animated objects loaded in 3ds Max. The models have to be placed in their original positions. I deleted the vehicle structure as it was no longer necessary, but all the objects and animations look pretty good in the 3ds Max scene. Here the doors are the only objects animated; the characters are moving because their hand effectors are linked with the doors. 24. Final considerations The four-wheel structure is suitable for all sorts of vehicles The four-wheel structure provided by Reallusion proves to be a very useful tool to animate many different types of vehicles in an easy and very quick way. It can be applied to a wide range of vehicles as the structure wheels can be resized and accommodated to any vehicle type, despite their dimensions. Even motorbikes can be animated using this tool, simply by using the wheels of one of the sides and then attaching the handlebar to the '4 Wheel_Steer' object. This article was originally published in issue 235 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 235 here or subscribe to 3D World here. Related articles: The best 3D modelling software 2018 UV mapping for beginners Sharpen your hard-surface modelling in 3ds Max View the full article

Got an eye for a bargain? If so, you'll hardly need us to tell you that Black Friday 2018 is fast approaching, and it's the perfect opportunity to stock up your studio with discounted kit, or just to save money on some early Christmas shopping. And if you're hoping to upgrade your knackered old tablet this year, it's a near-certainty that you'll be able to do it on the cheap. Read on to discover what's likely to be on offer, what you need to look for and how to get the best deals this year. The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday tablet deals: our predictions After an iPad? We have a whole other guide for you Let's start with the obvious bit: if you're thinking about Black Friday tablet deals, chances are that you're thinking about getting an iPad, right? If that's the case then you should head to our page on the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday iPad deals (LINK); be aware, though, that Apple's not known for handing out massive discounts, so stay here for the facts on bigger savings from other brands. Beyond the iPad, we're expecting some big discounts on the Microsoft Surface Pro 4; it saw some big price drops last year and with the new Surface Pro on sale we're likely to see even bigger discounts this time around. It's an ideal tablet for creatives, with its Surface Pen, optional Type Cover and a 12.3-inch 2,736 x 1,824 screen. Even with a discount it's not exactly going to be cheap, and its battery life isn’t the best, but if it's power you need than you can't go far wrong. Amazon, of course, is always a good bet for Black Friday tablet offers. If you're after something cheap and cheerful then its 2017 Fire HD 8 would be a good punt; its standard prices start at $80/£80, and we'd expect it to drop to around the $60/$60 on Black Friday. For something a bit more powerful, look out for discounts on the 2017 Fire HD 10. Apple Black Friday 2018: what to expect For Black Friday Samsung tablet deals, the Galaxy Tab S2 looks like another good bet; it's been discounted before, and with the Galaxy Tab S3 now on sale we'd be expecting retailers to be looking for a good excuse to run down their S2 stocks. It's a decent little iPad alternative that’s thin and light with a sharp Super AMOLED display that makes it ideal for creatives, and while the specs are firmly in the mid range it's easy to upgrade the storage with a microSD card. If you're serious about your tablets, though, don't forget about Wacom; last year we saw some massive price cuts on everything from top-end Cintiqs through to the Intuos Pro and Bamboo Spark, and we'd hope to see similar discounts in 2018. The best US Black Friday and Cyber Monday tablet deals in 2017 If you want an idea of the sort of offers you can expect to find this year, check out some of last year's deals. The best UK Black Friday and Cyber Monday tablet deals in 2017 It wasn't just the Americans getting all the bargains; here are some of last year's top UK Black Friday tablet discounts. How to get the best tablet deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Start looking out for bargains now; you could snag a top deal ahead of the crowd If you're serious about getting a great Black Friday tablet deal then it's best to be prepared and start seeking out the bargains well in advance. There's a lot more competition between retailers these days, and many of them will jump the gun and get their special offers on sale well in advance of the big day, so keep checking back here for the latest deals. For a wider choice and better deals, don't restrict yourself to one outlet. Obviously Amazon's the obvious place to look, but if you check out other retailers then you could easily find an Amazon-beating price for the tablet you want. If you're in the States then Walmart and Newegg are great places to look, while Argos, Currys PC World and John Lewis are likely to have some sweet deals in the UK. And be sure to check out manufacturers' own online stores, too. Have a good idea of exactly what kind of tablet you want and how much you want to pay for it. If you need a tablet for drawing or other graphics work, then you'll have to be prepared to pay a premium for it, but if all you need is something you can send emails on and maybe watch a video or listen to tunes on your commute, you can get away with something a lot cheaper. And of course, take as much care on Black Friday as you would with any other expensive purchase; look out for cashback offers that'll give you a bit more of a bargain, read the guarantee to make sure you're covered if anything goes wrong, and keep your receipt; there are any number of reasons why you might change your mind and want a refund. Tablet features creatives should look out for on Black Friday Don't compromise on the screen quality What's really going to matter to creatives when it comes to Black Friday tablet deals is the quality of the display; the last thing you want to be saddled with is a tablet with poor resolution, brightness and contrast, especially if you're planning to use it as a handy means of showing off your work to potential clients. Ideally you'll want at least a 1080P HD display; check the tablet specs for details on contrast and brightness. Battery life is another indicator to be aware of; cheaper tablets will often be lacking in the battery department, and you don't want to find yourself running out of juice by lunchtime. Of course if you're happy to have your tablet plugged in a lot of the time then this needn't be an issue, but it's something to be aware of. The easiest thing to look for, though, is a brand name you recognise. With the likes of Apple, Samsung, Wacom and Microsoft you can be fairly sure that you won't go far wrong; an inviting-looking tablet at a knockdown price from a company you've never heard of is likely to be a recipe for disaster, or at least disappointment. What specs creatives should look out for Make sure your tablet has enough power for your needs As far as specs are concerned, it comes down to three things: memory, CPU and storage. Try to get the best you can in all three departments. Tablets are less demanding than laptops, but they'll still struggle without enough memory, so don't even think about anything with under 2GB. 3GB is a good benchmark to aim for, but if you're thinking about a tablet running Windows 10 then you should look for something with at least 4GB if you want everything to run smoothly. CPU-wise, look for a quad-core chipset, and if you're after an iPad then be sure it has at least an A8 chipset running the show. And as for storage, get as much as you can; 16GB will fill up pretty quickly, and if you're likely to be stashing your tablet with high-res artwork or video then aim for 128GB or even 256GB. And remember that some tablets feature MicroSD slots so you can add to the base storage. 3 tablets for creatives to look out for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday For an all-in-one creative solution, the Samsung Galaxy S3 ticks all the boxes. It's pretty much the best Android tablet with a stylus, making it perfect for drawing and note-taking, and its 9.7mm screen, 6mm thickness and light weight make for an ideal form factor. It also boasts an HDR-enabled screen – just the thing for when you want to turn your quick sketches into something more pleasing. It only features 32GB of onboard storage, so you're likely to have to resort to cloud options if you've been working it hard, but the great news is that its S-Pen stylus is included in the price. If you're torn between a laptop and a tablet then the brilliant Microsoft Surface Pro ought to fit the bill just perfectly. Packing an Intel Core i7 Kaby Lake CPU, 512GB SSD storage and a 2,736 x 1,824 resolution PixelSense display, it's a serious workhorse that can easily cope with whatever work you need to do on it, and all on full Windows 10 apps too. The only downside is that the Surface Pen isn't included in the deal any more, so if you want to draw on your Surface Pro with 4,096 pressure levels, you'll have to spend an extra $100/£100 for the privilege. Can't run to the price of a serious creative tablet? That's okay, because as long as you're not too bothered about performance then the Huawei Mediapad M3 8 should suit you nicely. It packs quite a bit into its lightweight aluminium frame, including a top quality screen and just enough power to cope with less demanding apps, and it offers a decent battery life that shouldn't let you down. It doesn't come with a stylus, but if you're prepared to spend the extra then you'll find it's just the thing for drawing or sketching on the go, but you'll probably need to give your work a final polish on the desktop. Today's best pre-Black Friday tablet deals Can't wait for Black Friday? Don't worry, there are already plenty of great deals on offer; here are some of the best. Related articles: 10 top tips for making the most of Black Friday The best drawing tablet: our pick of the best graphics tablets in 2018 10 essential tablet accessories View the full article

Black Friday 2018 is just around the corner, and if you're a working creative in need of a spanking new laptop then you'll already know that this is the perfect opportunity to get yourself kitted out. What you'll also know, though, is that you can't risk leaping on the first Black Friday 2018 deals you find; if you need something that's going to serve you well in your design career, you're going to have to be a little more discriminating than the average punter. That's why we're giving you a helping hand in getting ready to score the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday laptop deals that are right for you. Read on to discover everything you need to know. The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday laptop deals: our predictions Don't expect to snag a MacBook Pro at a knockdown price If you're looking for the best Black Friday laptop prices then you're going to have to concentrate on the big names rather than smaller manufacturers. The likes of Dell, HP and Microsoft are constantly introducing new models into their ranges, which means that they have older stock that's usually almost as good as the new stuff, which they need to get off their books, and that's your opportunity to grab a bargain. Microsoft in particular has just announced its new Surface Pro 6, and while there's virtually no chance of getting a discount on this brand new model, it means that there's a very good likelihood of seeing some impressive price cuts on the Surface Pro 2017, and probably on the cheaper Surface Go, too. Microsoft Black Friday 2018: what to expect Dell is always reliable for savings; last year we saw some great Black Friday Dell laptop deals on its XPS 15 and XPS 13 models, and we're expecting more of the same this year. And if you're hoping for Black Friday HP laptop deals then you're almost certainly going to be in luck; HP already appears to be gearing up for Black Friday with some impressive discounts on some of its Pavilion and ENVY models, as well as its OMEN gaming laptops and high-end SPECTRE range, so keep an eye out. If you have your heart set on amazing Black Friday Apple laptop deals, though, don't get your hopes up. Apple didn't get where it is today by slashing its prices willy-nilly, and we're not expecting it to buck the trend this year. Keep an eye out and you'll probably get a nice little saving on one of last year's MacBooks, but that's about the best you can hope for. The best US Black Friday and Cyber Monday laptop deals in 2017 What sort of laptop deals can you expect this year? Here's a selection of some of last year's bargains to give you an idea. The best UK Black Friday and Cyber Monday laptop deals in 2017 In the UK? Here are some of the discounted laptops you could have got last year. How to get the best laptop deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Work out in advance what sort of laptop you need So, you're committed to finding yourself a great Black Friday laptop deal; what's the best way to go about it? For starters, don't wait until the morning of Black Friday; increasingly there's more and more competition between retailers to get your custom, so you'll find that great deals start springing up days or possibly weeks in advance. Next, have a solid idea in mind of exactly what kind of laptop you want to buy. You don't want to leap on an apparent bargain that can't cope with serious design work; similarly there's no point in dropping a fortune on a high-end machine that's totally overpowered, unless of course you were planning on using it for sneaky game of Fortnite in your lunch hour. While Amazon feels like the obvious choice for finding the best Black Friday laptop deals, you should cast your net wider for the fullest choice. If you're in the US, be sure to look at Walmart, Newegg and the Microsoft store, while in the UK you're likely to find great Black Friday discounts at John Lewis and Currys PC World. Keep an eye out for cashback offers that'll deliver an extra saving, and always check the guarantee so you know your rights if your new purchase goes wrong. And of course, make sure you keep your receipts; you never know if you might change your mind and need to return your new laptop. What laptop features creatives should look out for What should you be looking for when you hunt out a new laptop on Black Friday? Perhaps the most obvious feature is a brand name you recognise; not only are you likely to get a better deal, but you can also rely on better build quality and tech support – essential if you're going to be relying on your laptop for work. If you're working on secret projects then a model with a fingerprint scanner is a great way to keep things secure, and if you're planning on transferring large files then an actual Ethernet port is a must so that you can plug straight into a network rather than relying on Wi-Fi. A great tip is to look out for gaming laptops; if it's good enough for playing the latest games, you can be sure it'll be up to the job of running all the Creative Suite apps you'll need simultaneously. And when it comes to the actual hardware you'll need, simply read on. What specs creatives should look out for Don't think about anything with less than 8GB RAM The two key specs you'll need to keep in mind are CPU and memory. Memory's the easy one; you can just about get by with 4GB of RAM, but for design work we wouldn't recommend it. With 8GB on board, you'll be good to go with most everyday design applications, but if you're into the heavyweight business of 3D rendering, video editing or building intricate Photoshop CC or Illustrator CC imagery with hundreds of layers and complex blending options, you should probably look for a laptop with 16GB under the hood. As for the CPU it's largely a matter of picking the right Intel processor. Don't bother with Atom or Core i3 processors; they're cheap but they'll disappoint you with sluggish performance. A Core i5 will cope with most of what you can throw at it, but again if you're working with more demanding applications then you should probably be looking at the top-end Core i7. Keep an eye out for AMD processors, too; they'll offer a similar level of performance to their Intel equivalents, but often at a slightly lower price. What graphics and display to look out for When it comes to design work, the last thing you want is to skimp on the display, and fortunately it's hard to go wrong if you're looking for Black Friday laptop offers. Most mid-range laptops upwards will give you a full HD display, which should be perfectly suitable for your needs, and you'll find that the majority of laptops on offer will feature a 15.6-inch screen; comfortable for working and just about big enough for showing off work in meetings. What you'll need to pay attention to, though, is the GPU that's driving those HD graphics. Integrated graphics – often described as Intel HD Graphics or Intel Iris – are fine for basic tasks, but you should look for a laptop with a dedicated GPU. A GeForce MX150 will give you an instant display boost, but if you have the need – and the budget – look out for a GeForce GTX 1060 or better. What storage to look for in a Black Friday laptop For the best performance reliability, not to mention lightning start-up times, you should look for a laptop with an SSD (solid-state drive), but bear in mind you get a lot less storage for your buck than you would with an old-fashioned hard disk. However if you regularly work with massive files then you should expect to have to supplement your SSD with a fat external hard drive. Many budget laptops feature eMMC drives rather than SSDs; they're considerably slower, but still faster than a hard disk, so if that's the only sticking point between you and a Black Friday bargain then it might be worth giving it a chance. If you’re not too concerned with speedy start-ups, though, a traditional hard disk could still be the way to go; you'll get all the storage you need without having to worry about an external drive. Look out for faster 7200 RPM models rather than 5400 RPM. 3 laptops to look out for on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Even in its lowest spec option, Microsoft's Surface Book 2 is an incredible 2-in-1 laptop. It's fast and immensely powerful, with an Intel Core i7-8650 processor and 16GB of RAM, and it boasts an impressive battery life, plus a stunning, crisp display with superb colour accuracy. You can use it as a graphics, video or photo-editing workstation; on the go; or as a sketch book. Detach the screen and you can use it as a tablet with the Surface Pen (which sadly doesn't come included) or buy the Surface Dial ($50/£60) as an intuitive way to control your creative tools. Even better, flip the screen around, reattach it and you can use it to draw at a more natural angle. It's ultimate digital sketchbook but it comes at a price, especially if you want a top-end model. The smaller 13-inch Surface Book 2 is significantly cheaper with only slightly less impressive performance, and the original 13-inch Surface Book is still ridiculously accomplished, with a smaller price tag. But if you have the means, the Surface Book 2 is the perfect laptop for graphic designers. Read our Microsoft Surface Book 2 review. The basic Dell XPS 15 is a fantastic laptop with a near-borderless 'InfinityEdge' HD display a Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM and a 1TB HD and 32GB SSD. It's great value for money, but if you're prepared to spend more then you can really start pumping up the specs, upgrading it to a 4K touchscreen display – which you can couple with the Dell stylus to turn the XPS 15 into a portable sketchbook – and giving it more graphical power with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, which should be more than suitable for even the most intensive design apps. If you need raw power – and have the cash – the latest 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is a welcome return to form from Apple, offering a massive upgrade over previous versions and even beating the mighty Surface Book 2 on specs. Thinner than the Dell XPS 15 and lighter than the Surface Book 2, it's the most powerful MacBook ever made, with more memory, a choice of 8th-generation Intel Core processors and better graphics hardware, as well as a quieter keyboard and ridiculously fast SSDs. We'd have liked to see more ports, and a 4K screen option would be nice, but these niggles aside, this is an absolute beast of a laptop, and it looks fantastic too. Today's best pre-Black Friday laptop deals Can't wait? That's okay! Oh, so you've decided that you really need to get your hands on a shiny new laptop, but it's way too many sleeps until Black Friday? It's okay. We understand. That's why we've gathered together some of the best offers available right now; fill your boots! Related articles: 10 top tips for making the most of Black Friday Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals: what to expect in 2018 The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals 2018: what to expect this year View the full article

Affinity Designer is a popular vector editing tool. As well as Mac and Windows versions, Serif recently released Affinity Designer for iPad. Affinity Designer is split up into three different personas: Draw, Pixel and Export. In this article we'll be focusing on the Export persona, which is used for exporting your vector art projects. With it, you can create slices of your design and export artboards to multiple sizes and file types from one export. The Export persona really streamlines your workflow and makes boring, repetitive tasks much quicker. Watch the video below for an overview of what you need to know, or read on for four essential tips to get you started. Affinity Designer: how to use the Pixel persona 
01. Switch to the Export persona

 Switch to a different persona in the toolbar in the top left By default, you are in the Draw persona. To switch to the Pixel persona, select the icon on the right in the top left of the window (hovering over the icon should confirm the name). As you switch to the Export persona, you will see the toolbar options will change to export tools. 0

2. Create slices

 Use the shortcut 'S' to create a slice To create a slice, select the Slice tool or press the ‘S’ key. Then click and drag the area you wish to select. This will be added to your Slices panel, ready to be exported. Note how artboards are sliced by default for quick exporting. 03. Select file types and sizes

 Chose the range of file types and sizes you need to export at Once you have your slices selected, check the Slices panel and select your preferred slice. In the drop-down menu you can select the file type and size you want to output your slice at. Click the plus button to add additional file types or sizes.

 04. Export your files It's worth creating a dedicated folder for exports With your file types and sizes selected, you are ready to export. Click the export button next to the checkbox on your selected slice. This will bring up a window where you can choose where you want to export your file(s). I usually make a dedicated folder for my exports as they can quickly mess up your clean desktop (who are we kidding?) and cause confusion. Read more: Work faster in Affinity apps with these keyboard shortcuts Affinity Publisher finally launches in free beta How to create a retro logo for Affinity Designer View the full article

Are you already poised to snap up some creative and design bargains during Black Friday 2018? If so, we can't blame you. With the promise of discounts on popular tools, the shopping event is the best time of the year to pick up that device you've had your eye on for the last few months. For digital artists looking to save money, the Wacom Black Friday deals are among the most hotly anticipated discounts. The premiere drawing tablets have made a name for themselves thanks to their market-leading precision and impressive screen sizes, but a premium product comes with a premium price tag. And considering that the best cheap Wacom tablet deals don't come along all that often, a Wacom tablet Black Friday discount is a valuable opportunity for budget-conscious buyers to click 'add to basket'. On this page you'll find out what we expect to see in terms of Wacom deals, where you can find the biggest savings, and which hot ticket items you need to keep an eye on. Let's dive right in! How to get the best Wacom Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals If you're on the lookout for a Wacom Black Friday deal, be sure to bookmark this page. As more concrete details about deals start to emerge, we'll be updating this page with the best offers on Wacom products. Another good place to keep an eye on is the Wacom Store itself, which is sure to promote its biggest discounts. Of course, other online retailers will also be getting in on the action with their own deals. We've made it easy to keep track of what leading retailers are up to over Black Friday with our posts for the best Amazon Black Friday and Walmart Black Friday deals. Here you'll find notable Wacom Black Friday price cuts, plus news on other leading digital art tech. It's also worth keeping in mind the likes of Target and Currys, as they're sure to knock down the cost of their Wacom stock. Remember, getting add-ons is a great way to save even more money, and refurbished models can be another way to bring the price down even further. Wacom Black Friday and Cyber Monday: the deals we expect to see Unsurprisingly, this is the question on the lips of designers looking for a Wacom Black Friday deal: which products will be cut in price? While we can't predict with 100 per cent accuracy, we can make an educated guess based on which products are currently on sale, as well as looking at what sold well last year and which models Wacom could be looking to clear in order to make room for updated devices. To find out which products are currently on sale, be sure to check out Wacom's special offers page. Currently this page is mainly filled up with accessories and styluses, but over the coming weeks we're sure to see some more exciting products. Another page worth remembering is Wacom's special offers page for refurbished products. With Wacom due to release new models in the near future, this could be a good place to snap up an superseded device for a rock bottom price, so long as you don't mind that it's been refurbished. Speaking of current deals, at the minute Wacom is offering up to $300 off selected MobileStudio Pro models as part of its 35th anniversary celebrations. We've already looked at how the MobileStudio Pro brings, portability, power and excellent build quality to the table, so could Wacom reduce its price even further? (Read our full review here.) The prospect of a Wacom Cintiq Pro Black Friday discount is another area we've got our eyes on. Just like the MobileStudio Pro, the Cintiq Pro 13 tablets are in on Wacom's birthday price-cut bonanza, with £200 slashed from the normal price. However, this family of products is set to expand soon with larger devices due to roll out. It's not unreasonable to imagine that Wacom could look to shift older stock in this line once these updated versions are ready. Last year, the Wacom Intuos Pro Black Friday discounts proved to be the most popular offer, so it makes sense for Wacom to attempt to repeat this success. Other items that flew off the digital shelves include the Bamboo Slate and the accompanying Bamboo Sketch, so be sure to keep these in mind over the shopping season. Wacom Cintiq on Black Friday There's no telling whether Wacom's Cintiq Pro anniversary discounts will be taken further when it comes to Black Friday. Last year saw the cost of the Wacom Cintiq Pro reduced to a similar amount as Wacom is currently offering, so perhaps this is as low as the cost will go. Remember though that the Cintiq family is set to expand, so fingers crossed shoppers will be able to pick up existing models for a further reduced price. If you can't wait to find out, check out today's best deals below. Wacom Intuos Black Friday discounts The Wacom Intuos family sits at the lower end of the company's price range, but that doesn't mean we can't expect to see the cost taken down even further. Acting as Wacom's perfect jumping on point for digital artists, a Wacom Intuos Black Friday discount would be a smart way for more creatives to get to grips with its products. Below are its current prices. Wacom Intuos Pro on Black Friday: what to expect The Wacom Intuos Pro Black Friday story is similar to the Cintiq Pro. Currently enjoying a reduced price to celebrate Wacom's 35th anniversary, the Intuos Pro could go either way over Black Friday. Unlike the Cintiq though, the Intuos family isn't set to expand, meaning that it would be less of a surprise if prices continued to budge. View the full article

As designers, innovators and entrepreneurs, our mission is always to make people’s lives better. Our design thinking is typically pitched the same way: 'Hey, what you’re currently doing is painful; here’s an easier way'. So when Steve Selzer, a designer manager at Airbnb, suggested at SXSW that 'making things easier' isn’t always a good idea, I thought I'd misheard. To make his point – that there are unintended consequences to removing all effort from every user experience – Selzer brought up WALL-E, a movie where all the humans are strapped to a motorised chair and eventually unable to see past a screen in front of them. In our world, our desire for everything to be instantaneously easy has caused us to shy away from facing anything tough. But challenges are how we grow. Selzer's solution is to design for confrontation; not only with our customers but our colleagues and even ourselves. Is this what happens when you remove all conflict? It was a powerful message, made even more powerful by what followed. Next up was a talk by the billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio. He too focused on the importance of confrontation and the power of thoughtful disagreement. After hearing both of these talks, I was fired up! I was ready to confront anyone! But as my adrenaline lowered, I remembered a challenging (and confrontational) audience question from Selzer’s talk: 'It’s easy for you to confront others. You’re the boss. You don’t have to worry about getting fired. What about the rest of us?' A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have. Tim Ferris And it’s true; both Selzer and Dalio are in positions of power. My doubts began to grow. Can only leaders design for confrontation? Then I started thinking about my own experiences. I realised that I’ve done this in small, less risky ways and that I could do it far more. I decided to list out what I’ve done to encourage confrontation, and what I’m still too afraid to try. Here's my advice for tackling confrontation in a constructive way. If you’re skittish, start with the low-risk ideas. If you’re feeling bullish, swing for the fences and demand your organisation define its principles and challenge your customers. While confrontation might seem like a scary stance for you to adopt, doing nothing may actually be riskier in the end. Not confronting the problems you see today can make those issues much worse in the future. And while this all might sound really difficult – that’s kind of the point. Just remember, as Tim Ferris says: “A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” Confront... yourself Low risk: Confront your known weaknesses. Maybe – like me – you spend too much time on social media. Or maybe – like me – you’re not good at writing the copy for your interfaces. Fortunately, we can design systems to confront these weaknesses. For my social media addiction, I compartmentalise my devices. I use my iPad solely for reading articles and sketching and, when I’m working, I put my phone in my backpack. To improve my copywriting skills, I force myself to use actual words in my sketches. You’d be surprised just how much the design improves when your words are more than just random squiggly lines. Medium risk: Uncover unknown weaknesses. Here, we can take a page out of Dalio’s book, Principles, and write down every mistake we make. When I started working, I created a Google Doc titled 'Never Make These Mistakes Again' and I add to it every time I mess up. This process has revealed weaknesses I didn't know I had. I've also found a trusted co-worker to point out mistakes and help me avoid them in the future. High risk: Confront your personal purpose. Research shows that the more passionate you are, the better your designs will be. The scary thing is that for most of us, our creative purpose doesn’t always match our organisation. Discerning your creative purpose is like opening Pandora's box. You might be happy where you are but if you find your organisation doesn't align with your purpose, you might want to start looking for something new. Confront... your colleagues Low risk: Create a confrontation plan. Good design processes encourage differing opinions but sometimes this leads to lingering tension. A clear process solves this. At my company, we 'pull the cord' in a methodology derived from Toyota's production process. Anyone can pull the cord to stop the project if they see a problem. Once the cord is pulled, everyone involved has to work out the issue together. Medium risk: Hold regular retrospectives. Retrospectives are team meetings to talk about what’s going well and what could be better. Involving everyone is an easy way to confront an issue without confronting an individual. High risk: Conduct what Airbnb calls 'real talk'. Every week, find time to talk to someone you've disagreed with. Doing this weekly means the event is fresh enough to remember the details but not so fresh that it's emotional. These conversations prevent conflicts from lingering and escalating. Confront... your customers Low risk: Tout best practices and good habits. Content marketing is a low-stakes way to confront your customers. My organisation does a great job of advising our customers not to use our products in ways that aren't in their best interest. This enables us to confront the issue while still giving our customers options. Medium risk: Suggest they stop. It's one thing to write an article but it’s another to change your product or service for true confrontation. The only real experience I have here is pushing back on feature requests and requirements that I think are bad for our customers. However, Selzer suggests going further. Take for example, how Nintendo confronts gamers in Wii Sports. After a few hours of play, the game pauses with an image of an open window, asking 'Why not take a break?' There is no denying that confronting your customers is scary, but if you've got their best interests at heart, they'll respect you for it. High risk: Define your purpose. The final and riskiest way to confront our customers is by clearly defining our organisation's purpose and principles. Today's world is more connected and politicised than ever before. As a result, many organisations are having to make tough choices. Dick’s Sporting Goods’ decision to stop selling assault rifles, Patagonia's decision to sue the White House and Delta’s $40 million decision to end its hardly-ever-used NRA discount are a few examples. While not all of us have to make such high-profile decisions, it's still crucial to define our organisation's principles so everyone's on the same page when these issues arise. Lead illustration by Kym Winters. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 310 or subscribe. Read more: 17 controversial moments in logo and brand design Mistakes designers make – and how to avoid them 5 counterintuitive conversion tricks View the full article

Any web design project can be made better with Visualmodo WordPress Themes: Lifetime Membership. Access a huge library of WordPress themes that are perfect for all types of projects. The responsive design of these themes will adjust to any screen resolution, meaning your site will look great on any device. You can also customise themes quickly with fast installation, and rest assured that auto-updates will fix any bugs in real time with just a click of your mouse. Best of all, with lifetime access, you'll be able to get your hands on all the current themes, plus all the themes that show up in the future. Get Visualmodo WordPress Themes: Lifetime Membership for only $39 – that's 84 per cent off the regular price. Related articles: Use WordPress as a headless CMS Top tips for building a WordPress theme 6 top tips for CRO success in WordPress View the full article

We all want our business cards to stand out and be memorable. But how do you push the envelope and ensure your card becomes a valuable asset in promoting your name and reputation? In this article, we bring together some of the most eye-catching and inventive examples of business cards we’ve come across this year. Not all of these concepts may work for you, but they’ll certainly succeed in sparking your imagination to come up with ideas of your own. 01. The choose-your-own-image business card This PR company lets clients choose their own business card image Choosing an image for a business card - just one thing that represents what you’re all about - can be a tough call. But happily these days, you don’t have to. MOO’s Printfinity service allows you to print a different design on the back of each individual card, and it’s an opportunity that Hayley Smith, director of Boxed Out PR, has taken full advantage of. The company used MOO's Printfinity service to print the customised cards “Business cards have always been a huge aspect of my marketing, and I love the psychology behind them,” she says. “We make every image different and we ask people to choose one for themselves, to make it more memorable. We have various different images, and we try to change them up a few times per year.” Using individual images makes business cards more personable and memorable “We choose the images from Wix and Unsplash, my partner designs them, and we order them from MOO on 400gsm paper," she adds. 02. The recycled cotton card Business cards made of cotton… well, why not? Tim Easley has been getting innovative with materials for his business cards. The London-based illustrator and designer collaborated with MOO on designs to promote its Cotton Business Cards launch, and you can see the colourful and eye-catching results above. “I have a background in music and fashion, so designing cards that look like album covers, but are actually made out of recycled T-shirts, seemed like a great fit,” says Easley. “For this project I illustrated four different designs, then produced a range of colourways to take full advantage of MOO's printing options.” Discover how to create your own cotton business cards here. 03. The lenticular business card This lenticular card reveals four different words as you move one part along the other Abigail Fisk is a junior designer working at Butterfly London, whose lenticular business card has caused quite a splash. It comes in two parts: the main card; an acetate sheet with black lines; and a paper clip to join them together. As you move the acetate across the card, four different words are revealed: ‘hello’, ‘Abigail Fisk’, ‘tea enthusiast’, and ‘graphic designer’. It’s a simple but compelling effect, and this is one business card that no one is going to throw away. “The concept came from an earlier project in which I made a lenticular vinyl cover,” Fisk explains. “As you pulled the cover in and out of the acrylic casing, it revealed 36 different illustrations across four layers. As that had worked so well, I decided to translate it into a business card. “The process was pretty time consuming and challenging but once I understood how the layering and dividing of the images worked, it all came together in an exciting and rewarding way,” she adds. The result was well worth the time spent nose-to-screen, lining it all up perfectly.” 04. The business card that’s also a bookmark This business card is actually made of metal Col Gray is a brand and graphic designer based in Dundee, Scotland, who’s a keen heavy metal fan. Appropriately enough, his laser cut and etched business card is made from stainless steel. And it even doubles as a bookmark. “I'm a firm believer that business cards are still a relevant way of passing over contact details,” says Gray. “But I think you need to make them creative and memorable. When it came to creating mine, I remembered a card I was given, waaaaay back in 1999 from a now-defunct design studio. It was made of metal and shaped like a razor blade. The memory of it always stuck with me and I said to myself that one day, when I had the right idea, I'd get one too.” Part of Gray’s personal branding is to use the “devil horns” hand gesture at the end of his YouTube videos, and the equivalent emoji in his social media posts. “So it was obvious that my business card needed this too as the design. I wanted it to be functional as well, so I turned it into a useable bookmark that people would keep.” It doubles as a handy bookmark He asked the printing company, Plasma Design, if they could cut right through the metal, allowing him to bend up the hand/arm so that it could slip over a page in a book. “They walked me through the technicalities of laser etching and cutting and how I should set up my artwork,” Gray recalls. “It’s all very different from standard printing and you have to take into account the effect that etching has on the thickness of the steel, especially if you want the card to be etched on both sides. I had to start thinking about microns of steel rather than thickness and weight of paper.” The extra effort definitely paid off, though. “The cards turned out really well and when I attended an event and started to hand my cards out, everybody wanted one!” 05. The handmade-gift business card This card comes as a hand-made gift to be unwrapped When someone hands you a business card, your immediate impulse is to stick it in your pocket and forget about it. But if someone gives you a hand-wrapped gift; well, that’s another story. This was precisely the thinking behind the business cards for Arcane Circus, a two-person game development team based in the Netherlands. “Our business cards are hand-made by the two of us, usually a couple of weeks before an industry networking event,” explains co-founder Molly Heady-Carrol. “We print the casings, then cut them out and fold them, fastening certain parts with coloured wool, staples and pushpins. People love getting 'gifts', so these business cards are far more likely to be kept than discarded “Other parts are decorated with beads and others need to have holes punctured as well. Then the holofoil card inserts and candy are placed inside, and a paper covering is used to protect the cards while travelling.” These business cards were the brainchild of Erik van Wace, the designer and developer at Arcane Circus, she adds. “He wanted to create something that gave the receiver a feeling that they’d just been gifted a mysterious trinket. Intrigue and wonder are big parts of Arcane Circus, and we try to inject that into every aspect of the company.” 06. The wooden business card This striking business ‘card’ is actually made of wood Printing your business card on... card? Boring. Mark Leary, a Nottingham-based illustrator, graphic designer and art director, decided to do something a little different, and created these wooden business cards, which can’t help but attract attention. “I initially came up with the design in Adobe Illustrator,” explains Leary, who goes by the monicker ASYLUMseventy7 and works mainly in the alternative and music industries. “It was important to ensure there were no parts not connected to the main piece, for obvious reasons. Then I converted the design to solid work paths, and sent it off to my friend Laura Mathews. “Laura is a highly skilled and talented wooden sculptor; much more than is needed for this project,” he adds. “The cards were cut out of 3mm plywood, making them very strong and giving them a great tactile quality that people don’t just discard like a standard card. I’ve started spray painting some to make them more interesting, too.” 07. The simple-but-effective business card This concisely worded business card says it all Sometimes the best way to get people’s attention is not how you produce them, but what they actually say. We love the beautifully concise wording on this business card for Michelle Nicol, a freelance copywriter in north-east England who goes by the monicker Wordstruck. This cooly minimalist card was created by Newcastle design and branding agency Stop. 08. The handwritten business card This business owner writes each of his cards individually Zach Pousman is founder of Helpfully, an R&D firm in Atlanta, Georgia, who serves partners and clients worldwide.. And he’s taken the idea of personalised business cards to a whole new level. “I’m an innovation consultant, and I run research and product design - I do a lot,” he explains. “So I have 3.5 x 3.5 cards that are mostly blank. Then I Sharpie on them to explain what we do or what we might do together.” He takes this approach because of two major design constraints with standard business cards. “First, I was worried about putting a title on my cards. Different companies call what we do different things, and our services are broad. So not having a title on the cards meant I could describe our services using the words the person I was meeting understands. “Second, I was thinking about the business card as a concept... You might think the purpose of a business card is to efficiently transfer meta-data to another person. But that's not right. The purpose of a business card is to be memorable; the info is secondary. So then it hit me. Make the recipient something memorable, right on the fly.” The size and design came after that. “They’re regular width, but not quite double height (3.5" x 3.5"),” he says. “It's enough to be bigger than a regular card, but also not such a weird size. I find tiny cards to be too easy to lose in a bag, or get dropped from the stack. People sometimes even fold mine over and use my card to hold the other cards they collect.” 09. The origami business card This colourful card folds out into a fabulous flower It doesn’t matter how old or serious we get, everyone likes being given something fun to play with. And so incorporating origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, into your business card is a great way to create something people will love. This card for an events management and AV management company is a great example. Tying in beautifully with the ‘busy bee’ icon, it starts life as a garden windmill then opens up into a flower, with each petal offering different details. So not only is it colourful and fun, it actually provides a ton more information than your average business card. This eye-catching card was designed by Exeter studio Buddy Creative and produced by Bristol-based digital print specialists With Print. It was printed using HP Indigo Digital Print, with die cut finishing. It was then creased both sides, folded, and held together with an enamel pin badge. Want to wow potential clients and collaborators with your own business card designs? Digital print and design company moo.com can help. You’ll find a wealth of fun, affordable, easy-to-use tools for creating premium business cards, postcards and other stationery to really do your brand justice. Related articles: 10 steps to go freelance this year The pro's guide to creating memorable business cards How to project your work onto the global design stage 6 surefire ways to build your creative network Nail the art of networking 4 brilliant personal logos and why they work 3 tips for crafting stunning promotional material Create better business cards in less than five minutes 5 ways to earn more as a freelancer 5 ways to handle tricky clients as a designer View the full article

The news comes shortly after the DoD was called out for having rampant bugs in its weapons systems. View the full article

The Northern Lights – also called the aurora borealis – are a hypnotic sight. They twist, they ripple, they break and remake. Pillows, curtains and ribbons, they can explode with colour, then settle down into gentle waves lapping the night sky. However spectacular they are, the Northern Lights are also unpredictable. Sometimes you can get a clear night and see them for hours on end. Some (lucky) astronomers even refer to them as 'light pollution'. Other times, the Northern Lights stubbornly refuse to put on their spectacular show. More typical is for clouds to blot them out. Perhaps because they demand so much in terms of both travel and perseverance (the longer you're in a destination, the better), the Northern Lights are a legendary subject for landscape and nightscape photographers. However, if you're going to put them on your bucket list, you need to know when, where, and how to see and photograph the Northern Lights successfully. What are the Northern Lights? Few people understand the Northern Lights. You may well know they are caused by the solar wind coming from the Sun. You may also know that the light is caused by electrically charged particles – electrons – ejected from the Sun, which interact with the Earth's magnetic field. However, it's a bit more complicated than that. The electrons don't 'hit' the Earth's atmosphere, but instead accelerate down the field lines of Earth's magnetic field. It all depends on how well aligned the Earth's magnetic field lines are with the magnetic field of the solar wind. Complicated, eh? What you'll see What you see depends on the position of the 'auroral oval', which in turn depends on the intensity of the solar wind and the direction of its magnetic field. You can find out where the auroral oval is by visiting the Space Weather Prediction Centre. Your view will also depend on where you are standing. For instance, if you are quite some way from the display, it will appear as an arc of green often known as a 'forest fire' (pictured below). When it's closer you'll see a dynamic display, such as rippling green curtains, called 'drapery' aurora. If you're immediately underneath the display, it will all happen above your head, and you may see a 'corona' aurora. Aurora on the horizon is sometimes called a 'forest fire' The last of the three is the most rewarding as you'll see a lot of movement and pulsing as ultra-bright aurora fill the skies, but it's very tricky to photograph. The good news is that the 'forest fire' type of display – which is the most common – is great for landscape photography even if it's not very bright. However they appear, the Northern Lights are always otherworldly, and easily worth the hours of travel, days of waiting for clear skies, and more hours of standing outside in the cold. Getting around Finding clear, dark skies is much easier if you're happy to rent a car and drive around in the often snowy, icy conditions of the far north's winter. Another option is to book onto a specialised Northern Lights photography tour, whether that be a multi-day package including flights and accommodation, or an evening tour that picks you up in a city and takes you out to the wilderness. With this option you'll often also receive some instruction on how to photograph the aurora borealis. The best places to see the Northern Lights If you want to see the Northern Lights, go to the far north in winter. Ask anyone who has seen the Northern Lights where the best place to go is, and they will all give you the same answer: the exact place they saw them. The truth is, the Northern Lights can be seen between late August and early April anywhere high up in the northern hemisphere. Although they can occur as low down as the UK and northern Europe, and can occasionally be glimpsed along the US-Canada border, the Northern Lights most frequently occur between 64° and 70° North latitudes. That's roughly the location of the Arctic Circle. If they occur above your head, the Northern Lights can produce 'auroral crowns' That Arctic Circle sits across Alaska, northern Russia, Iceland, and Lapland (which covers northern Norway, northern Sweden and northern Finland). Another good place to go is the Faroe Islands, an archipelago of 18 islands between northern Scotland and Iceland. For the intrepid, a trip to Antarctica in March can yield views of the Southern Lights, an identical but little-known sister of the Northern Lights. It gets ignored largely because it's so cold down there, expensive to get to, and mostly inaccessible. Arguments about where the best places will always rage, but the Faroe Islands and Iceland do have one big advantage, and that's temperature. Since the North Atlantic jet stream brings up warm air from the Caribbean, these two locations are a lot warmer than northern Scandinavia and Lapland, Alaska and northern Canada. It's perhaps for that reason that Iceland is often said to be the best place to see the Northern Lights, if only because it's much easier to stand outside in 0°C than at -20°C below freezing, which is common everywhere else near the Arctic Circle. When's the best time to see the Northern Lights? The Northern Lights can last for minutes or hang around for hours Aiming for the Arctic Circle is one thing, but you must go at the right time of year. People who live in the auroral zone, and who see the Northern Lights at least a few times a week, will tell you that they begin in late August and last until April. That is true, but technically speaking, the Northern Lights never stop. In fact, the only reason why you can't see the Northern Lights in summer around the Arctic Circle is that there is almost no period of darkness. Seeing the Northern Lights requires darkness, which is why viewing season only begins when the days start getting shorter. Why are the Northern Lights stronger around the equinoxes? A great time to go hunting for the Northern Lights is equinox, either the autumn equinox (which next occurs on 23 September 2019) or the spring equinox (which next occurs on 20 March 2019). Equinox means 'equal night' – when there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Naturally, this means the Northern Lights viewing season can really kick off, but there's another reason to go hunting for aurora around the equinox. The equinox marks the point when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, and it happens because Earth orbits the Sun, but also because Earth rotates on a tilted axis that's perpendicular to the Sun during the equinox. According to Dr Melanie Windridge in her excellent science-travel book Aurora: In Search of the Northern Lights, the solar wind has a magnetic field of its own that faces southward relative to the Earth during the equinox. Put simply, the connection between our planet and the solar wind is never stronger than during the equinoxes, and incredible displays are often experienced at this time of year. How to increase your chances of seeing the Northern Lights However, that doesn't mean you can't go on a Northern Lights hunt during the winter between the equinoxes. If you really want to maximise the darkness, go for winter solstice on 21 December 2018 when the Arctic Circle region experiences almost 24 hours of darkness. That theoretically gives you a lot more time to look for Northern Lights – you may even see them at lunchtime – though a better time to go is in November or January when dusk is in the afternoon, and lasts until after breakfast. It's a great period for photography because sunrise and sunset are stretched out over a couple of hours, and you can go out photographing the Northern Lights before dinner. Long exposures are imperative, so you will need a tripod Some people will tell you that the Northern Lights only make one visit per night, or that they are only visible at midnight. This isn't true; it's just that these are the most likely times that people see the Northern Lights; they are as likely to occur at 4am as they are at 10pm. Always be ready, always be on the lookout, and if the skies are clear, you will have a great chance to see the Northern Lights. What camera equipment do you need? Unfortunately, most people who go hunting for the Northern Lights don't think about camera equipment, and often turn up only with a smartphone or a point-and-shoot camera. These gadgets aren't sensitive enough to capture the Northern Lights (and nor do they have enough manual controls), and what's more, their batteries often stop working in the cold temperatures. So here's what you need to photograph the Northern Lights... Manual camera and wide-angle lens Any DSLR camera can be used to photograph the Northern Lights. Entry-level cameras such as the Canon 800D and Nikon D5600 will do the job, as well more advanced full-frame DSLRs like the Canon 6D MkII and Nikon D850. Either way, you will also need a wide-angle lens, such as a 10-22mm. Mirrorless cameras can also be used, as long as they have full-frame sensors, such as the Sony A7 III. Tall and solid tripod When travelling, it's tempting to take a small tripod. That makes sense for keeping luggage to a minimum, but it's not very useful when shooting the Northern Lights. Since you'll be taught tilting your camera upwards towards the sky, and possibly straight above your head, the taller your tripod, the better. Shutter release cable Once your camera is on a tripod, don't ruin everything by physically pressing the shutter release button. That will only introduce a blur to your picture. Instead, use a shutter release cable to open your camera's shutter without touching it. Some cameras have a two second or 10-second shutter delay feature, which serves a similar purpose. 8 tips for photographing the northern lights Having a car means you can find dark places, and chase clear skies Once you've gathered all your gear, it's time to get snapping. Here are my top tips for how to photograph the Northern Lights effectively. 01. Have use of a car Having wheels dramatically increases your chances not only of finding clear skies, and therefore the Northern Lights, but also of getting to iconic locations to improve your composition. It also helps you get away from any light pollution around your hotel. However, you need to be confident of driving in snow and ice (and you'll probably want a 4x4 vehicle with studded tyres). 02. Shoot in RAW format Your images will need to be processed afterwards to tease out the brightness and colour of the Northern Lights, so shoot in the RAW format. That way, your finished images will have a lot less noise. 03. Turn down your LCD's brightness When shooting at night, the LCD on the back of your camera can be incredibly bright and distracting. Take it right down to its lowest brightness setting and you will still be able to use it without suffering from glare. 04. Scout the location in daylight Once you're settled into your hotel, take a drive around the local area and scout out a couple of locations that you could return to later. Not only will this increase your chances of finding an interesting composition, but you will know exactly where to park your car, and where you can walk safely in the dark. 06. Remove all filters Whatever lens you are using, make sure you remove any filters. These will only decrease the amount of light coming into the camera. 07. Get your settings right Switch your camera to manual mode. First, put your lens into manual mode and move the focus ring to infinity. You're going to need to let as much light as possible in, so go for a low f-number (such as f4 or f2.8), set the ISO to around 1600, and if you see any hint of green in the night sky, open the shutter for about 20 seconds. If you see significant activity, with moving green curtains or similar, try raising their ISO, perhaps to 3200, and opening the shutter for just five or 10 seconds, depending on their brightness. You will soon find that different intensities of displays require different settings. 08. Always take spare batteries Sub-zero temperatures are not only bad for your fingers, but can sap your camera's batteries. They run down much faster in the cold, so take a couple of extra batteries, and keep them in jacket pockets, and close to your body, to keep them warm. Ditto your phone, which will otherwise stop working. Read more: Photography cheat sheet helps you take better photos The 6 best laptops for photo editing in 2018 15 ways to improve your photography skills View the full article

Scaling an identity to keep up with your growth is a problem that faces a lot of brands. For Mexican restaurant Wahaca, going from a start-up to a chain meant refining its image without turning its back on its heritage, and defining its mission statement in a new logo design. No mean feat, but it's done it with style. Launched this week, the new identity created by London studio Without sees Wahaca do away with its shabby chic aesthetic, which was once ahead of its time. A simple palette helps to communicate the Wahaca brand Distressed furniture was revolutionary back when Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby opened the first Wahaca restaurant in 2007, but since it started opening more branches outside of London, the Mexican eatery started to lose focus on the graphic design front. "As [the brand] expanded, I think the team needed a bit more guidance as to how to set things up in say, a shopping centre in Manchester," Without's creative director Roly Grant told Creative Review. "On a technical level, [the identity] needed to be a bit simpler and a bit more robust." The new brand can be scaled to fit menus and marketing material Through close collaboration with Miers and Selby, Without has created a straightforward aesthetic that packs a punch. Take the new logo, which sees a taco raised defiantly in a fist. As well as looking polished, the design and reduced colour palette also identifies Wahaca's territory as a Mexican restaurant that offers fresh, flavoursome food. "We also liked this idea that it was quite political," Grant adds. "This fist raised in the air was a symbol of where Wahaca started which was [telling consumers] 'forget about cheesy nachos and tequila shots – come to a place that serves real Mexican food'." The font design channels the broader identity There's more to Wahaca than just tacos, though. And part of the rebrand's mission was to position Wahaca as a place for sunny, vibrant food. This extends to the new identity's bespoke typography, which pairs bright pinks, purples and blues with distinctive slanted crossbars that channel a zig zag motif found on menus and marketing material. Now armed with a more manageable set of assets, Wahaca's internal designers will find it easier to represent the chain across its communications. Grant sums it up best by saying, "The point was reducing [Wahaca] down to some really bold elements that can be used across a variety of things." Related articles: Where design meets food How to photograph food: 10 pro tips FatFace launches new wordmark logo View the full article

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Set up in 1988 by a pair of British skiers trying to avoid work, FatFace has become a recognisable high street brand thanks to its distinctive logo design and typography. Over the years though, the clothing and accessories retailer has been edging away from its funky surfer aesthetic in pursuit of a more sophisticated look. This all came to a head recently as FatFace followed a pretty ubiquitous trend by rolling out a new wordmark logo. The stand-out feature of the new chunky sans serif wordmark is the slanted terminals on the letters 'f' and 'e'. The previous FatFace branding, which was made up of a dreadlocked head and a sloppy yet uniform typeface, had started to look dated and out of step with the company, but we're not sure if the shop has lost its essence with this new iteration. See for yourself how the two brand identities compare by clicking left to right in the gallery below. Details about the new identity are scarce, so there's no clue yet as to who is behind the rebrand. Given that it seems to be a natural progression of the type-lead shop fronts that FatFace have been sporting for a while now, we wouldn't be surprised if this was an in-house job. The old brand hasn't completely died a death though. On the FatFace website you can still find the dreadlocked icon on the home button. Over on the site you can also find the FatFace story, which explains how the company takes its name from the founder's favourite black mountain run in Val d’Isère, La Face. We can't help but think that this entrepreneurial background and scenic story could've provided a great basis for a brand, but with FatFace looking to crack America by opening more and more stores, perhaps it's decided to play it safe to lure in shoppers. Related articles: Mailchimp rebrand does away with script wordmark All hail the new Uber logo Toys R Us keeps old mascot in new rebrand View the full article

Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018 are coming, and we don't know about you, but we're excited. In anticipation of the discount retail event of the year, we're taking a look at what we're dubbing Apple Black Friday 2018 – that is, the deals on Apple products this Black Friday. From the retailer itself, Apple Black Friday discounts don't always come in the form of money off products, so you might not get a cheap Apple laptop from the Apple Store. Instead, last year, the tech giant gave away gift cards with purchases made over Black Friday. In 2017, if you bought a MacBook or an iMac, you got the maximum gift card of £120/$150, if you bought smaller Apple products, such as a Apple Watch Series 1 or iPhone SE, you got a £20/$25 gift card. The newest products, however, didn't have any gift cards attached. Still a great way to save some cash if you're an Apple fan. Apple Black Friday and Cyber Monday: the deals we expect to see While we expect the Apple Black Friday sale in 2018 to look similar to last year, with gift cards offered for some products, such as the MacBook (2017) and iPhone 8 (but not the latest ones like the iPhone XS), other retailers such as Amazon and John Lewis are extremely likely to slash their Apple prices over Black Friday. Here's more on what we expect to see... Apple Watch Black Friday deals Since the Apple Watch 4 landed we've been seeing discounts on the older Apple Watch models, and we expect to see prices drop even further this Black Friday. Keep an eye on the prices of the Watch you're interested in. If you see a price increase over the next few weeks, it's likely that price will then drop down on Black Friday. So be vigilant! And if there are going to be discounts on the new Apple Watch 4, then Black Friday is the time for them, so keep your eyes peeled. If you can't wait till then, see below for today's best deals. Apple AirPods Black Friday With rumours mounting that Apple will announce AirPods 2 at its next launch event on 30 October, we may see discounts on the original AirPods. These have been rather elusive since their launch, with AirPods even at some points selling above the RRP due to demand. These days, they are much more readily available though, and are retailing at the RRP of $159/£159. Let's hope we'll see a price drop for Black Friday. In the meantime, here's today's best deals. Apple 4K TV Black Friday If you'd like to turn your TV into a smart device with gorgeous imagery and Dolby Vision support, then the Apple 4K TV is the way to go. If you don't need all of that, but just want your TV to become 'smart', then older generation models such as the Apple TV 3rd generation may suit you better, and these are the ones most likely to be discounted over Black Friday. Here are today's deals below. Apple iPad Black Friday Those who are after an iPad are in luck. The iPad is the product that's most likely to be on sale over Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year we saw discounts on even the newest iPads, including the iPad 9.7-inch 32GB, which was down to around £300 from £339, and the iPad Pro 10.5, which had £50 off on Amazon. This year, we expect these models to have their prices slashed further, especially because a new iPad Pro is likely to be launched on October 30. Here's what prices look like at the moment. Apple MacBook Black Friday Last year, John Lewis offered between £50 and £200 off selected MacBooks and iMacs, and we're already seeing some MacBooks on offer this year. It's worth tracking the price of the model you're interested in from now on, so you'll know when you're getting an Apple Black Friday discount that's truly worth it. iPhone X Black Friday In 2017, there were discounts on the iPhone X over Black Friday even though it had only just been released, so this year, we expect big discounts on this smartphone. Seeing as the iPhone X is also being discontinued due to the arrival of the new iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS and iPhone XR, that means retailers will be wanting to shift their stock. Today's best deals are below. Where to find the best Apple Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals As we said previously, the Apple Store isn't usually the best place to grab a bargain in the Apple Black Friday sale. Keep an eye on retailers such as Currys, Amazon, Walmart and John Lewis, and don't forget to check back here, as we'll be curating the best deals as they come in. How to get the best Apple Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals To get the best deal possible, it's best to have a product and a price in mind. This will keep you from being overwhelmed by the options and becoming unable to make a decision (or making the wrong decision). Once you've decided on the product you're after, you can start tracking its price on various retailers – or even simpler, bookmark this page and keep checking it. You could also set up a Google Alert for the prices you're after. Here are some more tips here on how to make the most of Black Friday. 3 Apple products to look out for on Black Friday Not sure what to go for after looking at all of Apple's great products? Our money is on the best discounts being on the MacBook Pro 15-inch, Apple Watch 3 and the iPad Pro 12.9. It's also worth keeping an eye on what Apple releases on its event on October 30, as when new products come out, the older model is likely to be reduced to clear. Apple Store on Black Friday 2018: opening hours Will you have to queue up round the block to get the best Apple Black Friday deals? This seems unlikely, because as far as we know, most Apple Stores will operate their usual opening hours across this period. You can check your local Apple Store opening times here. As mentioned, however, the Apple Store may not be the best place to bag yourself Apple Black Friday deals, so you may be better off going to another retailer or shopping online. Don't forget that we'll be reporting on deals as they come in, so you can keep checking this page to bag yourself an Apple Black Friday bargain. Read more: Microsoft Black Friday: what to expect Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday: what to expect Adobe Black Friday: the deals we expect to see View the full article

Being a creative professional is all about standing on the shoulders of giants. When you come to study the greats of the 20th century, it’s instantly obvious how much influence they have over today’s design output. (If you didn’t go to art college, check out our guide to the biggest art and design movements, and you’ll soon get what we’re talking about). But if the influence of movements such as Bauhaus and the Swiss School are obvious in the designs of today, there are also many approaches that seem to have fallen out of favour. It’s always good to freshen things up once in a while, though. So if you’re ever feeling that your illustration or design portfolio is starting to look like everyone else’s, it might be time to check out these past art and design trends, and see if they can inspire you towards a new way forward. 01. Trompe L’Oeil Trompe l’oeil painting in Lüftlmalerei, Germany A French phrase literally meaning "deceive the eye", trompe l’oeil uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that objects exist in three dimensions. A technique dating back to Roman times, it was incorporated into European painting from the early Renaissance onwards, and became an influence on interior design and architecture, theatre set design and traditional matte painting for movies, as a way to suggest greater space than actually exists. Queztalcotal, a 3D art mural in Mexico City by John Pugh Nowadays, it’s mainly seen in eye-catching wall murals, such as those featured above. But surely we’re wasting trompe l’oeil by restricting it to just a handful of tourist attractions? With the flat design movement on the wane, and CG-generated 3D imagery often seeming overly geometric and soulless, perhaps it’s time for designers and illustrators to revisit this technique and find new ways to incorporate it into contemporary design too. No one’s saying that’s an easy thing to pull off, but to the victors, the spoils... 02. Kitsch Michael Jackson and Bubbles, a porcelain sculpture created in 1988 by Jeff Koons Originating in the 19th century, the word kitsch literally translates in German as ‘trash’. But nowadays it’s used to refer to art or design that some see as vulgar, garish and sentimental; yet which can nonetheless be appreciated in an 'ironic' way. This may apply to mass-market consumer products, such as Barbie dolls, Hello Kitty merchandise and Disneyland theme parks. But it can equally refer to work that’s knowingly created as kitsch. Kitsch is one of those things that’s difficult to define, but easy to identify when you see it. Check out, for example, Jeff Koons’ statue of Michael Jackson and Bubbles above, and it's obvious you’re looking at kitsch. Rosebud Cottage (2011) by Thomas Kinkade While kitsch is ever-present in our consumer society, its value as a design element seems to have ebbed amongst the the elites in recent years. That said, we’re starting to see interesting approaches blending the ‘kitsch’ with the ‘tasteful’ (in, for example, the hugely successful Funko range of vinyl toys). So if you ever feel your design work is becoming too serious, dry and boring, why not take inspiration from the kitsch creations of artists like Jeff Koons, Vladimir Tretchikoff, John Currin and Thomas Kinkade, not to mention related movements like Pop Art and neo-geometric conceptualism … and see where the mood takes you? 03. Psychedelia Work for Underground Comix by Spanish-American artist Victor Moscoso in 1971 Across Europe and America, the 1960s were one of the most culturally exciting times in history. But for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. So the 1970s saw the flower child generation’s utopian dreams turn to dust amid the Vietnam war, oil crisis and Watergate. The new punk movement declared year zero on everything ‘hippy’. Charles Manson pretty much ruined the idea of communes. And the idea that LSD could unlock humanity’s untapped potential proved in practice a dangerous, often fatal illusion. For all these reasons and more, the phenomenon of psychedelic art went out of favour, and has been largely limited to a small but persistent subculture to this day. But while contemporary examples, appearing on T-shirts, gig posters and the like, are largely reductive, a brief glance at some of the leading practitioners of the 1960s shows that there’s far more to psychedelic design than you might think. Bonnie McLean’s poster for a concert by The Yardbirds and The Doors, at the Fillmore Auditorium in 1967 Characterised by (but not restricted to) such elements as bright, contrasting colours; extreme depth of detail; imaginative, curvilinear typography; warping and transposition of positive and negative spaces; morphing of objects and creative uses of phosphenes, spirals, concentric circles and diffraction patterns, the work of designers like Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, Bonnie MacLean and Wes Wilson still stands up well today. These psychedelic styles developed internationally in the following decade, via the work of such artists as Bridget Riley, Mati Klarwein and Hipgnosis, creators of some of the best 1970s album covers. But the inventiveness and possibilities of those times quickly faded, and psychedelia quickly degenerated into an object of caricature and parody in films like Austin Powers. In a 21st century dominated by flat, functionalist design, though, we’d love to see a renaissance in the vision, optimism and free thinking of the original psychedelic designers. 04. Neo-Expressionism Dustheads by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1982), which sold at auction in 2013 for $48.8 million The neo-expressionist style of painting and sculpture emerged in the late 1970s as a reaction against the over-intellectualised trend for abstract art. The group that called itself the Neue Wilden ('The new wild ones”) were all about conveying violent, raw emotions through vibrant colours, distorted forms and an instinct-based approach to mark-making. The movement was a huge critical and commercial success, dominating the art market until the mid-1980s; today, its most famous exponent is probably the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. But then it faded as quickly as it had flared. In January 1986, The Times declared: “An artistic moment has passed…. it is unlikely that they will receive the same kind of attention again.” Nanny, Small Bears and Bogeyman (1982) by Paula Rego While the work of artists such as Julian Schnabel, David Salle, Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz continues to command high prices at auction, the spirit behind the neo-expressionist movement never really influenced the broader creative industries in a major way. And we feel that’s a pity. Because the idea at its heart (making an emotional connection with the audience) lies at the heart of all art and design. And so while it does indeed come across as pretty ‘wild’, the work of these angry pioneers is well worth revisiting today. We’d love to see the revolutionary energy of the Neo-Expressionists, if not necessarily the actual style itself, reflected in modern art and design. 05. Analogue photography Maui-based photographer Wendy Laurel uses film to capture light in a way digital never could Technology brings countless improvements to our lives, but sometimes we get lost in the scramble to adopt the new. And so, just as true music fans have moved back to vinyl, there’s a lot than can be done with film-based cameras that just can’t be matched by digital ones. A couple of years back, we brought you 23 beautiful photos that prove film is not dead, and a small but significant shift back to the delights of analogue has continued to this day, particularly from fine art photographers and landscape photographers. Sometimes film is used to create a purposely retro look, but more often it’s simply a recognition that an analogue approach can capture scenes in a way that a coldly calculating digital camera just can’t, even with all the photo editing tools in the world. Serbian photographer Irena Fabri takes a cinematic approach to her film photography Veteran photographers who still shoot film include Greg Miller, Geoffrey Crewdson, Paolo Pellegrin, Max Pinckers and Clyde Butcher, while newer names opting for analogue include the likes of Jill Schweber, Lewis Khan, Rosie Matheson, Lily Brown, Emma Picq and Alan Knox. But it’s not, of course, about choosing sides; it’s about choosing the right tool for the job, and being open to new ideas. And isn’t that, essentially, what being a creative professional is all about? Read more: The best cameras for creatives in 2018 6 biggest design movements of this millennium so far 10 incredible online art schools View the full article

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The Black Friday period is fast approaching, and nobody wants to grab a bargain on creative tools and hardware more than us, here at Creative Bloq. But we're not selfish – there are enough heavily discounted Black Friday goodies to go round, so we're going to share our best tips for scooping up a great saving during this shopper's Shangri-la. Before we even start to impart the intelligence, here's our best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals 2018 page, where we explain exactly what the period's all about, and we'll also be adding any conspicuous bargains on products that are of specific use to web and graphic designers, as well as digital, traditional and VFX artists. But stick with us here to read our top bargain-hunting recommendations. 01. Save the date Be aware that this year's Thanksgiving is a week earlier than you might expect (especially for Thanksgiving naïfs like those in the UK) – it is not the final Thursday in the month, meaning that Black Friday falls on 23 November and Cyber Monday on 26 November. On top of that bombshell, Amazon Black Friday kicks off earlier and earlier every year, and for 2018 we expect virtually every day in the month of November to have a Black Friday flavour in the Amazon world. 02. Use Google Alerts These are particularly useful if you're after a specific item. Simply head to Google Alerts, enter your alert queries separated by a comma (eg Black Friday, MacBook Pro), click 'show options', choose 'As-it-happens' from the 'How often' drop-down, and click Create alert. Now you'll get an email every time your selected target appears in a new article. 03. Do your research Which Wacom to buy? Research your options in advance It's a bad idea to sit back and twiddle your thumbs before pouncing into action on Black Friday. So you've decided you want a new graphics tablet, how will you know whether the one that has 70 per cent off in a flash sale is any good? HURRY – LIMITED STOCK LEFT!! Don't panic – just make sure you've done your research in advance so that you can tell your Ugees from your Huions, and your XP-Pens from your Wacoms. Read reviews from reputable sources, like 3D World and ImagineFX, and ask colleagues and friends for their advice. 04. Don't just stick to Amazon For many, the eye of the Black Friday storm is Amazon. Some will head to the online shopping behemoth during November and set up camp there, only moving to click refresh. But Amazon is not necessarily the best place to find offers on high-quality, niche items specific to the design discipline of your choice, so try manufacturers' websites like Wacom, Dell and Lenovo, and electronics specialists like Currys, Ebuyer and Overclockers. 05. Be sure it's a bargain Don't just frantically enter your card details and hit BUY when you spot the item you want with a BLACK FRIDAY banner above it. Is it actually a great deal? Is it even reduced? Do a quick price comparison on Google or comparison websites before you buy. Often, if you add your item to basket, it'll be reserved for a short time allowing you the chance to verify the price – but ensure that's the case before leaving the checkout procedure. 06. To bundle or not Cameras are often offered in bundle deals with masses of accessories – decide if this is right for you The way to make the biggest savings on electronics is to buy a bundle – but do you need all those accessories or software? If it's something you'll never use, you may not be getting the bargain you expect. And don't assume you'll be able to make money back on unwanted accessories by selling them on eBay, either – many other deal-hunters will have that idea too, driving down resale prices or making it impossible to find a buyer. 07. Decide what you want and stick to it It is all too easy to get distracted when shopping – it's no secret to say that confusion is a deliberate tool utilised to great effect in retail – but the best way to snare a bargain is to decide what you want (or, even better, need) and stay on target until you find that exact item at exactly the price you're willing to pay, then buy it and shut down your laptop. Easier said than done… 08. Learn to love previous-gen tech A year-old laptop could be an upgrade on your existing computer, if the price is right Having the latest gear is very, very cool – but if the previous-generation Wacom Cintiq or Surface Pro is an upgrade from your existing tech, it could be worth foregoing the very newest model in exchange for a recently supplanted version – at a discount. In the case of upgradeable items, such as MacBooks, aim for the fastest processor and biggest SSD and RAM options on the older model and you could end up with a better spec than the new model at a lower price. Win! 09. Think outside the box Consumer electronics is what made Black Friday a global phenomenon, but you'll find plenty more special offers in other areas too. Keep an eye on creative software companies' websites, such as Adobe deals, Ucraft, Corel, Boris FX and Reallusion; all of whom have offered Black Friday discounts in recent years. And remember to check third-party sellers, too. 10. Look into learning Creative software is not the only area to monitor – e-learning platforms may also slash prices around the Black Friday period. Check the likes of Gnomon Workshop, EnvatoTuts+, Lynda, Pluralsight and Udemy for deals (see our round up of the best online art schools). Two years ago the wonderful Miss Led also discounted one of her fantastic video courses, so ensure you're scanning social media for #BlackFriday to find out about this kind of offer. Read more: Microsoft Black Friday 2018: What to expect The best laptops for graphic design 2018 The best monitors for photo editing in 2018 View the full article

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The digital world is so vast, that sometimes it feels hard to make your voice heard amongst all the noise. To take a look at the next wave of innovation in digital creativity, and examine how designers can create products and experiences that stand out, we hosted an afternoon of talks at Bath Digital Festival, and invited top designers from the South West to speak. All of the studios represented in the lineup had developed a reputation for crafting engaging projects that stand out from the noise. Here are 6 pieces of advice that will help you do the same... 01. Understand your brand purpose When brands forget that they are all about emotion, they're in trouble, said Nick Ellis from Halo "Brands are entirely emotional," said Nick Ellis of Bristol's Halo, talking about that time in the '80s when Coke relied too heavily on market research, launching a 'new Coke' it was forced to pull just a few months later, despite having hard-earned and expensively gathered data that said it was going to do well. "Coke forgot who owns its brand," he said. It forgot about the role it plays in people's lives, and it forgot its purpose. "Hear your audience, listen to your instinct," Ellis advised. "Sometimes you have to frame that market research for yourself, and think about the context in which you did the testing." As a brand, you are trying to get a response from an audience, he continued, we often want to get people to buy stuff. "And to understand that, you need to know what your purpose is in their life." 02. Create the right content Halo works with Live Nation on "all things digital", including persuading the team they didn't need so much content The thing about the digital world is there's an awful lot of noise, or, as Ellis put it: "Blogs are bollocks on the whole, and we have to accept that." When you're working in content creation, you need to once again consider the role you play in your audience's lives. "The key here is good content, and more importantly, relevant content," he said, giving the example of Live Nation, which used to put out huge amounts of music-related content, even though its core purpose was to sell gig tickets. "Instinct tells us that the brand should shut up and sell me some tickets," said Ellis. That's precisely what Halo suggested Live Nation do, and it worked. 03. Say yes to lots of different things Saying yes has led Supple Studio to work for clients such as 4 Creative Supple Studio's Jamie Ellul also likes to follow his instincts. And those instincts tell him to say yes, a lot. This led him to co-founding Magpie Studio with two friends back in 2008. "We were completely green," he recalled. "We said yes to lots of things. The ones that we said yes to where we didn't know what we were doing were the best projects we’ve ever done." Since founding Bath's Supple Studio, Ellul's continued to say yes, and this has led him to work with an array of different businesses. "Ideas are the way you blag things," he said. "And that's why I keep saying yes." It's also vital to get the right team, he added. "I employ people who are better at something than me. I let them do their thing, and that’s where the magic happens." 04. Invest in passion projects Fiasco Design's illustrated map of Rio for the 2016 Olympics Back in 2014, Ben Steers of Fiasco Design and his team were watching the news stories coming out of the Sochi Winter Olympics with interest, and they wanted to take these stories and turn them into some sort of "information discovery". "We started researching Sochi, and illustrating the different characters. We gave ourselves a month," he said. The illustrated, interactive map ended up being picked up by The Guardian, and the Fiasco Design team was buoyed up to create a bigger and better map for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. "Since then, we’ve had a lot of enquiries about illustrated maps," said Steers. "But a lot of people don't actually want to pay for them." However, one enquiry did pay off. The team received an email asking them to create an interactive map of a luxury resort in Mexico. It didn't seem real, but Steers decided to go on a research trip anyway. And this illustrated interactive map is due to go live tomorrow (keep an eye on Fiasco Design's site for details). "Follow your passion and the paper will follow," said Steers. "We started off with a passion project and five years later we're sipping mezcal in Mexico with a new client. Get your work out there, push yourself and you might find there’s a little bit of paper at the end of the rainbow." 05. Get to the heart of the brand Ed Robin explained how Mytton Williams rebranded three different law firms in completely different ways by getting to the heart of their propositions In today's world, "it's become a bit rarer, that you get something that gets to your heart a little bit more," said Ed Robin of Bath's Mytton Williams. In order to find that heart, you can use digital tools, as long as it "comes from the heart of the idea and its creativity", he added. "If you get that heart right, then as the work goes out, it all comes from the same place." This makes it easier to apply a brand in different ways. Robin also emphasised the power of working with the right people, especially when you are ultimately handing the brand over to them. "The brand guidelines don’t have to be a straitjacket," he said. "They can be a more flexible thing that people can take and do their own thing with, and do it better." 06. Put the craft back into digital Mr B & Friends used tactile methods to create a digital marque for GB Basketball The last speaker of the afternoon addressed a question that the other speakers had all touched on in some form: how do we bring craft and creativity back into the digital world? "It's not a given," said Kate Gorringe of Bath's Mr B & Friends. She said that with the advent of computers and graphic design software, "pretty much anyone who could get their hands as a computer could set themselves up as a designer". This means that sometimes the creative gets forgotten as people focus on the digital and reproduce the same types of sites, for example, over and over again. How can we address this? By engaging in real experiences – using a ball to splatter paint on a wall, like the agency did for its GB Basketball identity, for example (see image above). By blending the real and virtual worlds and acknowledging that people live in both, like Pedigree did with its Selfie Stix campaign. And by thinking about what digital allows us to do that we couldn't do before. Like Ellis, Gorringe emphasised the importance of brand purpose. "Let digital support, not fight, your brand. There's a lot you can do with digital, but if it doesn’t support your brand, don’t do it," she said. "Don’t pigeonhole yourself," she concluded. "And don’t just be a digital designer, be a creative." Read more: Top brands of 2018 revealed Bring a brand to life with illustration How to reawaken a brand's heritage View the full article

There’s no denying that smartphones and tablets can capture good-quality photos but, when you want to get creative, there’s no beating a ‘proper’ camera. They’re tools that are literally designed for the job. The bigger decision is what sort of camera you should go for. The best camera for creatives in 2018 For simplicity and portability, there’s a lot to be said for a small point-and-shoot camera that you can slip into your daily bag or even a spare pocket. Most models have a respectable zoom range and a built-in flash, while some add a viewfinder that helps when composing shots under bright sunlight. To add versatility, you’re better off with a ‘system’ camera. These have a separate body and interchangeable lenses, so you can mount the optic that’s best suited to the shooting scenario at hand. They start small, with mirrorless compact system cameras, whereas DSLRs tend to be more of a handful. That can be a good thing, as they often feel more comfortable and natural in the hand, and the reflex mirror gives you an unadulterated ‘through the lens’ image of what you’re shooting, via an optical viewfinder. Whatever type of camera you go for, it needn’t be complicated. Let’s take a closer look at the best beginners’ options on the market right now. It’s particularly easy to get up and running with the Nikon D3500. As well as an ‘intelligent’ fully automatic mode, there are wide-ranging scene modes and effects to choose from. More uniquely, there’s a Guide shooting mode, which serves as a kind of interactive photography course. There’s no shortage of quality either, with a high-performance 24.2MP image sensor and processor, a generous ISO (sensitivity) range, speedy 5fps maximum burst rate and a high-resolution LCD screen. However, it’s not a touch-sensitive screen and lacks a tilt or pivot facility. Another drawback is that autofocus is relatively slow in live view and movie capture modes but, overall, the D3500 is currently the most appealing beginners’ camera on the market. Despite being remarkably inexpensive for a DSLR kit that comes complete with camera body and zoom lens, the 4000D is capable of delivering lovely image quality. Full auto mode incorporates real-time ‘intelligent’ scene analysis, and there are plenty of scene modes and creative filters to choose from. There’s a built-in feature guide and a Creative Auto shooting mode that helps to bridge the gap between basic and more advanced modes. For extra guidance, Canon also offers a Photo Companion app that you can download for Android or iOS. Overall, the 4000D is good value for money but the kit lens doesn’t feature optical stabiliaation, the continuous shooting speed is rather pedestrian, and the rear screen is relatively small and low in resolution. Typical of Canon DSLRs, the 800D is easy to get to grips with. It has a very logical and highly intuitive interface, with an excellent Quick menu for accessing important settings via its fully articulated touchscreen. Like the 4000D, it also features a full auto shooting mode with intelligent scene analysis, a Creative Auto mode, and a Guided option for the menu system. The menu system itself is rather more complex, and adds a number of custom settings, for tailoring the camera to your specific shooting requirements. The autofocus systems are particularly impressive, with a 45-point AF module for shooting stills through the viewfinder, and a Dual Pixel AF image sensor that makes autofocus impressively fast and responsive for live view and movie capture, at least for a DSLR. The kit lens is far superior to that of the cheaper 4000D, with silent STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus and the addition of image stabilisation. Immaculately turned out in a choice of black, dark silver or champagne gold, the Fujifilm X-T100 is is one of Fujifilm’s latest compact system cameras. The impressive feature set includes high-resolution thrills all round, from the 24.2MP APS-C image sensor, to the 1,040k 3-way tilting touchscreen and the 2,360k electronic viewfinder. There’s also 4k UHD movie capture on the menu, although it’s limited to a disappointingly slow 15fps frame rate. Further highlights include intelligent scene analysis and intelligent hybrid AF, which combines phase-detection and contrast-detection for fast yet consistently accurate performance. The 15-45mm kit lens is also a delight, delivering very good image quality while adding optical image stabilisation and power-zoom for smooth focal length transitions when shooting movies. Typical of bridge cameras, the Sony DSCHX400 has a fixed rather than interchangeable lens, but with a body shape that more closely resembles a DSLR than a compact camera. It makes sense really, because the massive 25-500mm effective zoom range would be hard to handle without a comfortable and natural grip on the camera, especially when you’re trying to keep things steady at the telephoto end. The Sony is no slouch when it comes to shooting speed, with a maximum burst rate of 10fps. Although the 1/2.3-type image sensor is physically small, it boasts 20.4 megapixels and the 3.0-inch tilting screen has a high resolution of 922k. However, it’s not a touchscreen and the resolution of the electronic viewfinder is comparatively disappointing, at just 201k pixels. For such a small camera, the Panasonic TZ100 packs in some seriously big specifications and features. It has a 20.1MP 1.0-type sensor that’s physically large for a compact camera, and retains relatively noise-free image quality even at high ISO settings. It also crams in an electronic viewfinder and a high-res, 3.0inch rear screen, plus a 10x zoom lens with an effective range of 25-250mm. To keep things steady, there’s optical image stabilisation for stills and 5-axis hybrid stabilisation for video capture. You can also shoot at 4k UHD for both stills and video, with a frame rate of up to 30fps. For full-resolution stills, the burst rate is still speedy at 10fps. Clever tricks include ‘post-focus’, which enables you to capture a burst of stills with automatically transitioning focus distances, and select the frame with the ideal focus point afterwards. Panasonic makes an enviable range of Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses. This one – the Panasonic DC-GX800KEBK – is particularly beginner-friendly, nice and compact, and the least expensive. The interface is clear and simple, based around a touchscreen that features a 180-degree tilt facility, ideal for selfies. The so-called Light Speed AF is fast and accurate, and 4k UHD is available both for video and a rapid burst of stills. One drawback of the slimline design is that there’s no viewfinder. You therefore need to compose shots on the LCD, which can be a struggle under bright sunlight. The 16MP stills resolution is also a bit on the low side but it’s a particularly good camera for shooting video. One of the upsides of Micro Four Thirds mirrorless system cameras is that they tend to be fairly small and lightweight. That’s certainly true of the Olympus E-M10, which is now in its third generation. Although small, it’s impeccably well built and beautifully turned out with classic retro styling. The 14-42mm EZ kit lens is similarly small, with a retractable design that enables compact stowage. Even so, it features a built-in motor that enables smooth zooming during video capture. The maximum burst rate for stills is a speedy 8.6fps, although autofocus can be a little slower than in many competing cameras, making it tricky to follow fast-moving action. 4k UHD movie capture is a bonus. Great for following the action in sports and wildlife photography, the Nikon D5600 has an advanced 39-point autofocus system that boasts auto-area, dynamic-area and 3D-tracking modes. The optional 18-140mm VR kit lens is also particularly suitable for these types of photography, with its 27-210mm ‘effective’ zoom range and competent Vibration Reduction (optical image stabilisation) system. And for when you need to trek into the countryside for shooting wildlife, or stand for long periods at a sporting event, the D5600 won’t weigh you down as it’s one of the lightest and most compact DSLRs on the market. The fully articulated touchscreen is an extra bonus, although for live view and video capture, the sensor-based contrast-detection autofocus facility can be painfully slow. Like other ‘tough’ compact cameras on the market, this Olympus Tough TG-5 is designed to take the knocks. It can withstand being submerged in water to a depth of 15 metres, dropped from a height of 2.1 metres and frozen to -10 degrees Celsius. If you’re feeling particularly mean, you can even try crushing it with a 100kg weight, and it’ll still keep on working. All in all, it’s a great camera for everything from skiing down mountains to snorkelling in the sea. The maximum burst rate is a similarly action-packed 20fps, and you can also capture 4k UHD movies. The 4x optical zoom lens adds versatility, as do the built-in macro and microscopic modes. To take things even further, a range of optional accessories includes fisheye and telephoto lens converters. Read more: The best full-frame cameras in 2018 15 ways to improve your photography skills The best monitors for photo editing in 2018 View the full article

In this article you'll find everything you need to know about what to expect from Microsoft Black Friday 2018 and Cyber Monday. We'll be covering all the hottest offers (including any great Black Friday Microsoft Surface deals) as soon as any information is announced. But for now, we've rounded up what we know so far, plus some predictions for what to look out for based on past Black Friday events. Microsoft has upped its game over recent years. Ranges such as Surface are providing serious alternatives to Apple products, and making Microsoft a much stronger option for designers looking for the best creative kit. But like any great tech, it doesn't come particularly cheap, which is why it's worth making the most of any Black Friday Microsoft deals that do become available. This year's Black Friday will take place on 23 November, with Cyber Monday following on 26 November. If you don't have time to wait until then, scroll to the bottom, where you'll find all the best prices on Microsoft products right now. For offers outside of Microsoft products, take a look at our roundup of the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in 2018. How to get the best Microsoft Black Friday deals To start with, bookmark this page. We'll be updating this article with all the best Microsoft Black Friday 2018 deals as soon as we hear about them, so make sure you check back. As well as the Microsoft Store itself, other major retailers will certainly be getting in on the action with some strong offers of their own. Take a look at our posts for the best Amazon Black Friday and Walmart Black Friday deals, and keep an eye on other tech retailers such as Target and Currys. To make the most of the offers, it's worth checking for add-ons or gift cards that will make your deal even better. Black Friday Microsoft Surface deals: What to expect The products everyone's interested in right now is Microsoft's Surface range. Last year, Microsoft itself offered a couple of great Black Friday Surface deals, offering a saving of over £250 on the Surface Pro Core m3 and the Surface Pro i5. Amazon slashed prices on Microsoft Surfaces as part of its bank holiday (UK) and Prime Day sales, which suggests that there may be more deals on the way from Amazon this Black Friday. Microsoft's big news is the launch of two impressive new Surface laptop models: the Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2. Although at time of writing they'd only just hit the market, both have already gained rave reviews. We'd hope to see some strong Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2 Black Friday deals. Our sister site TechRadar called the Surface Pro 6 "the best Windows tablet money can buy", with longer battery life and improved performance over the Surface Pro 2017 (read the full review here). The Surface Laptop 2 has also impressed reviewers. TechRadar awarded it a nearly-perfect four and a half stars, saying "it ultimately achieves the most pure Windows 10 experience on a laptop" (read the review). The arrival of these supercharged devices might also mean the older and alternative models, such as the Surface Studio, will be going into the Black Friday sale as retailers seek to shift stock. These are definitely worth a look – we were particularly impressed by the original Surface Book. Not sure which Surface is for you? Take a look at our reviews for an idea of what each one offers: Surface Book review (5*) Surface Book 2 review (4.5*) Microsoft Surface review (3.5*) Surface Pro review (4*) Microsoft Office Black Friday: What to expect Microsoft Office has never been cheap, but 2017 saw a number of Microsoft Black Friday deals taking the sting out of shelling out for Word, Excel and the like. Shoppers could get up to £30 off O365 Home – a Microsoft Office bundle that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, which is all the essentials covered. Microsoft Black Friday Xbox deals Shoppers are also hungry for a Black Friday Xbox deal. No news yet as to if there's anything planned for this year, but in 2017 Microsoft offered some good bundle and accessory deals, including an Xbox One S Minecraft bundle for just shy of £200 (saving around £120). Meanwhile, these are the best Xbox deals currently available. The best Microsoft deals right now We'll be announcing any great Microsoft Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals as soon as they're announced. For now, here are the very best prices for Microsoft's flagship products. Our tool checks over 130 million products every day, so you can be sure you're getting the best price around. View the full article

You're reading Best Tools for Code Collaboration, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! According to Forbes, 50 percent of Americans will work as independent contractors by 2027. Many tend to downplay freelancing as pertaining to only small-scale or personal projects and dismiss the implication and economic sustainability of freelancing. Independent contractors are not … View the full article

Many of us bemoan the fact that we waste too much time watching TV. But what that usually means is that we waste too much time watching dross: mindless reality TV, dumb game shows and the like. Great television, however, can be enriching, inspiring, even life-changing. And after a long hard day, it can be just the ticket to recharge your batteries, provide new perspectives and inspire you creatively. The good news is that we're living in a golden age for TV viewing, with the big streaming services pumping huge sums of money into high quality programming, and the traditional broadcasters upping their game to match. The only problem is, there are now so many shows on so many different services, it can be hard to find the real gems. So in this article, we list the cream of the crop, and explain why these are shows that every designer should watch. 01. Mars Mars dramatises a future colonisation of the Red Planet UK: Watch it on Amazon Prime Watch it on Sky TV US: Watch it on Amazon Prime As creatives, we’re constantly seeking visual inspiration, and what more inspiring sight could there be than the wonders of the wider universe? Having said that, straight documentaries can sometimes be a little samey, while fictions set in space are often over-the-top and play hard and loose with the scientific facts. Mars, however, combines the best of both approaches, and comes up with something quite unique in the process. Blending real-life interviews with a fictional story of a group of astronauts as they land on the red planet, it dramatises an imagined first attempt to colonise the Red planet in 2033 in a way that's utterly compelling. “Mars by National Geographic offers a glimpse into our species’ greatest achievements, and what’s to come,” enthuses Kasper Christensen, founder and product lead at Nomad Rental. “There’s no better way to stay motivated and inspired while this show is running in the background, along with stunning eye candy for anyone into design.” 02. The Americans The Americans puts an intriguing twist on the Soviet spy genre UK: Watch it on Amazon Prime US: Watch it on Amazon Prime The Americans is an Emmy-winning spy drama set in the 1980s during the Cold War. So far, so unremarkable... but the twist is that the ‘Americans’ of the title are actually Soviet KGB officers, posing as an native married couple in the suburbs of Washington DC. With compelling characters and dramatic twists propelling the show through six thrilling seasons, it’s also a treat for the eyes, with its first-class costumes, set designs and attention to period detail. "The Americans is a really entertaining series,” says Peter Sayn-Wittgenstein, executive creative director at global digital agency Mirum. “It features some great throwback set design that expertly captures the Cold War era… and if you're into wigs, you cannot do better than this." 03. The Wire The Wire is widely considered the best TV show of all time UK: Watch it on Sky Watch it on Now TV US: Watch it on HBO Running from 2002 to 2008, the Wire was one of the first shows to really turn the public on to the idea of streaming TV, and if you still haven’t seen it, there’s no time like the present. Chronicling the war on drugs in Baltimore, Maryland, it’s one of the few shows to honestly portray both the realities of urban life and the machinations of politics and law enforcement. Plus it’s constantly gripping, emotionally engaging and regarded by many critics as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Mustafa Kurtuldu, a design advocate at Google in London, is among its army of fans, and describes it as “a well researched and brilliantly written series that tackled different aspects of the city, from the police department to the life of the kids in a broken town; I loved it!” 04. The Walking Dead The Walking Dead goes far beyond horror cliches UK: Watch it on Amazon Prime Watch it on Sky TV Watch it on Now TV US: Watch it on Netflix You’ve spent years hearing your colleagues rave about The Walking Dead. So why not just grasp the nettle and watch it already? Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, this gritty drama portrays life in the months and years that follow a zombie apocalypse. But it’s not just for fans of low-budget horror. This is actually a grown-up, movie-quality drama with well formed characters and emotionally resonant storylines, that just happens to be about zombies. As Robby Designs, a freelance web designer based in Plymouth, puts it : “It's a great show for designers. After all, if you've been up all night designing, you feel like a zombie anyway…" 05. The Man in the High Castle The Man in the High Castle is set in a world where America lost the Second World War UK: Watch it on Amazon Prime US: Watch it on Amazon Prime Based on a novel by Philip K Dick, The Man in the High Castle imagines an alternative 1960s in which the Nazis won the Second World War. They now occupy the Eastern half of the USA, in an uneasy alliance with the Japanese, who control the Western states. "The show immediately sparked my interest," says Pittsburgh-based visual designer Christopher Watson , "probably for the same reason I'm obsessed with Back to the Future or even the Dennis Quaid film Frequency, both of which pose the synopsis of an alternate reality. I think it's baked into our human nature to inquire the possibility of a different outcome reflecting on past events and decisions; to what degree would probably stem from the level of our self-loathing." And it's a concept he feels has been executed perfectly in the show, now on its third season. "The pace of the series is undoubtedly a factor that's kept me engaged," he reports. "The mix of longer and shorter sequences provides a great flow for me; maintaining the immersive feel of a full-length drama, but never feeling too drawn out." Watson is especially struck by the opening sequence. "As of late, I've been drawing a lot of inspiration from motion graphics to integrate into web and interaction design, so intros are always a point of interest for me," he explains. "And the thoughtfulness and detail that Patrick Clair and his team at Elastic have put into the show's title sequence unveils a plethora of poetic nuances. "One stand-out example would be the descending paratroopers in front of Mount Rushmore, reminiscent of tears running down Washington's face. I also think the projector treatments do a fantastic job of touching on plot points, capturing the essence of original propaganda footage, and depicting the 'projection' of what could have been our reality. "Last but not least, the title track Edelweiss, written by Jewish-American songwriters Rodgers and Hammerstein, demonstrates a carefully crafted concept engaging multiple senses." 06. Doctor Who Doctor Who continuously regenerates its hero, and introduces new characters to accompany him or her UK: Watch Seasons 1-11 on BBC iPlayer US: Watch seasons 1-10 on Amazon Prime Download season 11 episodes via Amazon Video Since 1963, Doctor Who has been a sci-fi show like no other. Centred around a charismatic yet eccentric hero, The Doctor, who can travel anywhere in space and time, the concept offers a near-infinite range of dramatic possibilities. Not least because The Doctor can regenerate, allowing a succession of actors to take the lead; the latest is Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to inhabit the role. For these reasons, despite a quite staggering 843 episodes being aired at time of writing, it never fails to feel fresh. That said, anyone who saw Doctor Who during the 1960s-1980s eras may remember its low-end production values, which compared poorly to the blockbuster US sci-fi movies of the time. But when the show returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the lead (resetting to 'Season 1'), it finally got a decent sized budget. And since then its alien worlds, monsters, robots and battle scenes have all looked pretty darned good. It's still produced on a relatively small amount of money, but Jason Pickthall, a freelance concept artist who's worked for the likes of Rare, Activision Blizzard and Angry Birds, feels that's actually a positive. "In an age where VFX is thrown at shows, I like the fact Doctor Who has a tight budget," he notes. "I love the thinking and rationale behind the design of the creature of the week, plus it makes it more relatable and grounded in the world of the day-to-day; so it's a win-win." 07. The Handmaid’s Tale The Handmaid's Tale is as compelling as it is harrowing UK: Watch on Amazon Prime Watch on Sky TV Watch on Now TV US: Watch on Hulu Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale envisions a dystopian future in which America is ruled by a Taliban-style cabal of Christian fundamentalists, and fertile women are forced into child-bearing slavery. If that all sounds a bit far-fetched, then be prepared for a shock, because the way these events come about is frighteningly realistic and quite believable. And Atwood based the novel on real events that had already happened around the world. A superbly written and acted drama, beautifully directed and shot, every moment will leave you on the edge of your seat, and make you think twice about how fragile society really is. Pickthall loves the way the show crosses multiple genres so effortlessly. "Handmaid's Tale is on the surface a sci-fi cautionary tale," he points out, "but visually it reads as a period piece, and the use of colour is so well thought out; these are no accidents." 08. Electric Dreams Executive producer Bryan Cranston appears in the episode 'Human Is' UK: Watch on All4 US: Watch on Amazon Prime Electric Dreams, produced by Sony Pictures Television for Channel Four and Amazon, takes 10 of the classic short stories of sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick and cleverly updates them for a contemporary audience. Featuring an all-star cast including Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi and Anna Paquin, each episode is feature-film epic in scale, but with a touch of Black Mirror-style wit making everything feel up-to-the-minute modern. Some stories take place at the far reaches of the universe, some closer to home, and each can be enjoyed on its own. But despite this, they add up to more than the sum of their parts, believes Pickthall. "Even though Electric Dreams was an anthology series, with individual parts that were very disparate, it was great seeing a common tone throughout the run," he says. 09. Black Mirror Black Mirror is the sci-fi show that everyone is talking about Watch on Netflix Black Mirror is a bit like a modern version of the Twilight Zone, only funnier. Essentially, it’s a dark satire on new digital technologies, which highlights the disastrous results they might lead to if we’re not careful. “If you ask someone why they like the show, more likely than not, they'll tell you it’s because it feels highly plausible,” says Joshua Jenkins, a freelance designer based in New Mexico, and writer of the web series The Hand Unseen. “If you ask a designer, though, they'll probably tell you it's the design within the show, from composition to type to set design. The exciting part is that they're saying the same thing. “Almost every episode features some piece of tech that has sent our modern world into chaos. That tech comes with typography, logo, packaging, and implementation that feels wholly grounded in our reality, which sells the show. If I wouldn't buy the product the characters in a show are buying, why would I buy the premise?” Dale Harper, UX designer at London digital agency SharpEnd, couldn’t agree more. “The attention to detail in the design of Black Mirror is excellent,” he stresses. “While the dystopian themes encourage reflection and caution in your own work, they also provide a great deal of inspiration both in aesthetics and function.” 10. Abstract: The Art of Design The best documentary series on design we've seen to date Watch it on Netflix There aren’t many TV documentary series about design, but there is one very good one. Abstract: The Art of Design was created by former Wired editor-in-chief Scott Dadich. Each of the 45-minute episodes takes you behind the scenes of leading creatives in a variety of disciplines, and it’s all fascinating and insightful stuff. Freelance art director and designer Kirsten Murray is a big fan. “If you’ve ever wanted to know how Pentagram design icon Paula Scher comes up with ideas, or what it was like for renowned photographer Platon to shoot Vladimir Putin for the cover of Time Magazine, then this is the series for you,” she enthuses. “It’s so much more than a documentary of the creative process," she adds, "it delves into the personal lives of some of the world’s most influential designers. What was their childhood like? What drives them to create? How did they get where they are today? "Nuggets of wisdom in the series will stay with you long after you’ve watched it. I’ll leave you with this one from Paula Scher: ‘The design of the logo is never the hard part of the job. It’s persuading a million people to use it’.” View the full article