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If you're tuned into the artistic side of Twitter, chances are you might have seen Pokémon fan art inspired by bizarre mashups filling your feed. The reason for this is that a tool called Pokemon Fusion has found a new lease of life on the social media platform, and artists are celebrating by getting creative. For those who are new to the world of Pokémon, or perhaps don't spend their time trawling through Twitter, Pokémon Fusion is an online program that combines two different Pokémon into one absurd critter. Often with hilarious results. As far as tools go, Pokémon Fusion is a fun way to shake up your imagination and see familiar characters in a new light. And considering that Pokemon creatures are a great example of our character design tips in action, this is no mean feat. Not only that, but the program has spawned some truly unique Pokémon that have been immortalised as fan art. How fan art can get you paid The funny thing is that Pokémon Fusion has been around for ages. In fact web developer Alex Onsager originally launched the Pokémon Fusion site way back in 2010. So why is it back in the spotlight now? As is the case with a lot of fan art, the story leads us to Tumblr. In a recent post from a Tumblr user with the handle ijustreallylikeeevee, the reader is told: "Whatever Pokemon appears when you load Pokefusion is now your government assigned starter." The fresh spin on the old meme was all it took for Tumblr users to fire up the program again. And the whacky combinations it produced proved to be so popular that Pokémon Fusion fan art soon spilled out onto Twitter. Here are some of the creations that caught our eye. To get a look at all the Pokemon Fusion antics, just check out the Pokefusion hashtag. And if this fan art has made you want to create a masterpiece of your own, you might want to take a look at our best tablets for drawing. Related articles: Artist reimagines Pokémon as real-world creatures Insider advice from a master film character designer 5 key trends in character design View the full article

So, you've decided to try mobile app design, but you're not sure where to start. No worries, we've got you covered. In this article, we'll outline five things you need to know to help get you started in mobile app design. This guide is aimed at beginners to mobile app design. If you've already got some skills, take a look at our roundup of tutorials that will walk you through different aspects of how to make an app, in detail. What is mobile app design? To put it in very broad terms, app designers are in charge of making an app look good, while developers make it work correctly. Mobile app design encompasses both the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). Designers are responsible for the overall style of the app, including things like the colour scheme, font selection, and the types of buttons and widgets the user will use. So, where do you start? At the beginning. Which platform should I design for? Android or iOS? [Image: Pixabay] Depending on your reasons for wanting to design mobile apps, you may already know which platform you want to work with and why. But, if you're just starting out and you're not sure which is right for you, got for the one you're most familiar with. If you're using an Android phone, design for Android. If you're using an iOS device, start there. Alternatively, you could decide design for both, but it's best not to bite off more than you can chew – at least not in the beginning. What tools should I use? Photoshop, Adobe XD and Sketch are all strong contenders Once you know what platform you're designing for, the next step is to select the right web design tools to get the job done. When it comes to designing mobile apps, the good news is that regardless of the platform, you can generally use the same tools for both. Popular options for app design include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, and Sketch. There are many, many more, but these are the heavy hitters in the industry. Sign up for Adobe Creative Cloud here. You might think Photoshop is your best option for mobile app design – especially if you've used it for other types of design work – however when it comes to designing mobile apps, you're better off with Adobe XD or Sketch. That said, Sketch is considered the de facto standard here, although Adobe XD is putting in some strong competition, having recently added design systems. One of the biggest reasons for using Adobe XD or Sketch over something like Photoshop is that these two tools are built with designing and prototyping in mind. They help streamline your design workflows and are targeted at UI and UX designers, whereas Photoshop is more for image manipulation. One important note here: If you're planning on cross-platform development or support, Adobe XD is the clear winner here as Sketch is only available on macOS. OS design guidelines Before you start designing, because you first need to understand the dos and don'ts of your platform. Generally speaking, mobile app design shares some similarities between the different operating systems, such as: Goal-driven design Keep it simple (less is more) Maintain the flow Readability is key Respect the platform That last one, 'respect the platform', is more important than you may realise. When users download and install an app to their device, they expect it to behave in a way that's familiar and intuitive to them. They base their opinions on what they know, so when an app goes against 90 per cent of the OS-specific design rules, users are likely to delete it. Not only do you need to consider the different navigation patterns that iOS and Android have, but you also need to think about buttons, font selection, and placement of UI objects – all of which vary for each platform. The good news is that you don't need to guess what's acceptable. Both Apple and Android have a set of design guidelines that you can review before you get started (and while you're actively designing): iOS Human Interface Guidelines Android Design Guidelines Wireframes and app flow Use a dedicated wireframe tool, or stick to pen and paper [Image: Pixabay] Before designing an app's look and feel, it's essential to work on its flow control and structure. This is where wireframes come into play. Wireframes help you understand how users will navigate and use an app. They're generally simplified in their design so that the focus is on flow and usability. While there are many dedicated wireframe tools, it's not uncommon for designers to simply use a pen and paper. However, if you're looking for something more hi-tech and collaborative (which is especially important when you're working with a remote team), consider creating your wireframes in Sketch or Adobe XD. The benefit of using these tools for wireframing is that you can turn your low-fidelity wireframes into high-fidelity previews with relative ease. Note: With Adobe XD, you can even grab yourself some free kits to help get you started. Mockups and prototypes Time to turn your wireframes into working products [Image: Pixabay] Once you've worked through your wireframes and shared them with the development team and/or your client for discussion and approval, it's time to make some mockups and prototypes. This step is generally easier if you've used the same design tool to create both your wireframes and your mobile app design. If you haven't it might take you a little longer to populate your design tool, but once you do, you're well on your way. Many tools, including UXPin (which integrates with Sketch), include ways to annotate your wireframes with the detailed information required by devs, to remove the need for any guesswork. While you're working on the app's design is an excellent time to start building a shared library of assets. For example, standard buttons, icons, and other elements that you create here might prove useful in other apps you design, so make sure you save them. Find out more about this step in our article: 4 different ways to create website and app mockups. Handing over to development This step won't actually look like this [Image: Pixabay] Designers are also responsible for delivering these elements and visual assets to the developer. Things like icons, backgrounds, logos, and even fonts, are all things a designer might hand off to a developer. Once the developer has everything they need, it's their job to take that design – and its various parts – and make it work. Sometimes, however, a designer doesn't understand the limitations a developer faces. And when that happens, all hell breaks loose. As a mobile app designer, you could ignore the developer and the development process altogether, but it's better to understand the challenges a developer faces, whether they be with the tools they're using or the limitations of the operating system and/or devices on which your apps will run. Armed with this knowledge, you can design mobile apps more efficiently, with less push back from your developer, while at the same time fostering a more collaborative environment. Read more: How to create an app with Vue.js Get to grips with mobile app onboarding Top Sketch plugins to try View the full article

Working in web design means that you're constantly having to keep track of all the latest developments. New technologies and techniques are cropping up all the time, and if you want to deliver the sites that your customers demand then you need to at least be aware of up-and-coming web design tools. Beyond the technical, though, there's also the visual angle to consider. Tastes are always evolving, and what looked good a couple of years ago is likely to look less appealing today. If you want your website layout to look fresh and stand out from the crowd, it pays to be up to speed with the latest trends. So read on for eight of this year's hottest looks, some of them technical, some of them more aesthetic, and most of them essential. The future of web design 01. Strong typography Safari Riot's site is big on typography and bigger on doing amazing, attention-grabbing stuff with it Web design has always been a bit of a poor relation of graphic design, and part of the problem is that while a graphic designer has more or less complete freedom to create across the page, web designers were for a long time shackled by primitive layout options and the most basic typography. This is, thankfully, changing; CSS Grid and Flexbox give designers the opportunity to create more print-like pages, and vastly improved typography tools have meant that big, bold, and experimental typographic layouts are very much the in thing right now, making full use of oversized retro fonts in all the styles and weights, and complete with assorted effects and deformations to add extra character. 02. Progressive Web Apps The Starbucks PWA won't set your world on fire, but it'll just work, whatever They're not a one-size-fits-all solution, but if you're building a site that's predominantly targeting mobile users who don't always have the bandwidth they want, a Progressive Web App is an elegant way of doing it. PWAs are progressive and responsive, so they should work on any platform and look good too, and they deliver an app-like experience that, crucially, isn't dependent on having an internet connection, using service workers to allow offline use. And while you wouldn't want to use a PWA for your next full-blown desktop site, they're ideal for creating fast and lightweight ecommerce sites when high engagement is a must. 03. Illustration Cytora's guide to AI underwriting uses illustration to make a complex subject understandable It's hard to visit a new startup's site these days that doesn't have a smattering of flat and funky cartoon figures illustrating its business and providing some much-needed character for visitors to identify with. They're everywhere and they don't seem to be going anywhere for now, but while we're sure this particular style of illustration will fall out of favour sooner or later, illustration itself as a staple element of web design is one that seems set to stick around; it's just the style that's likely to evolve. If you're keen to incorporate modern-looking illustration into your site, be sure to read our guide to 2019's illustration trends to know about. 04. Animation and video The Stonewall Forever site mixes video and 3D animation to fabulous effect While it's not always wise to build sites that deliver a performance hit while guzzling bandwidth, if you want to make an impact then it's a lot easier these days to go full-on with all the attention-grabbing visual flair you feel you need. It's not that long since embedded full-screen video was simply unthinkable; now it's visible on an ever-increasing number of sites, and a great way to deliver instant visual interest while getting a brand story across. And for a less heavyweight visual punch, JavaScript or CSS animation used well not only looks good on the page, but can also be used to breathe life into navigation and enhance the user experience. 05. Pastel palettes We're not sure what Liebe Quark is, but its colour scheme is to die for Because web design trends are so much more closely linked to more general visual trends these days, it's not surprising that many of the must-have looks for web sites tend to mirror the sort of design decisions you can already see in print pages and advertising. An outmoded palette is the perfect way to turn people off, and if you want a site to look bang up-to-date then you need to reflect current colour trends. Right now gentle pastel tones are a strong look – see Pantone's 2019 colour of the year, 'Living Coral', for example – but what can really help bring them out is adding one or two really vibrant shades in the same way that print designers use spot colours. 06. Custom cursors Romain Avalle's portfolio site does some impressive things with your mouse input With modern websites being home to so much visual interest these days, the humble mouse cursor can sometimes feel a bit lost, which would go some way to explaining the increasing number of sites that try to do something exciting with the pointer. Merely changing the mouse cursor into something else has been possible for a very long time, but the return of custom cursors sees much more elaborate techniques coming into play, such as reactive cursors that change in response to site elements, and secondary pointers that follow the cursor around, but sweeping across the screen in a much more organic manner. They're very much the fashion right now, but we suspect this trend will run out of steam before too long. 07. Colour gradients Just look at Abella Andrade's gradients; whatever they're selling, it looks delicious Beautiful colour gradients have long been available to graphic designers, but until recently they've been difficult to bring to web designs as they have to be rendered as bitmaps that don't always scale well. Now, though, CSS gradients mean that it's easy to enliven a page with an eye-catching gradient, whether it's simply to provide a gently colourful backdrop, or as an overlay providing an attractive way of fading in photography from one side. CSS gradients are just as versatile as the ones you'll find in Illustrator or Photoshop CC, and combined with CSS blend modes there are almost unlimited ways to use them imaginatively. 08. Micro-interactions A better Montreux Jazz Festival experience through micro-interactions Sometimes the devil is in the details, and spending time on adding delightful extra touches can add a much-needed dose of personality to a site. A little animated feedback can be a great way to keep users engaged and entertained, but there's more to micro-interactions than simple visual feedback. They can be used to make navigation clearer, to reassure visitors while they're waiting for something to load, or to draw attention to useful features such as the inevitable hamburger menu. And used imaginatively, they can help your audience find the information they need without any unwanted noise; for example, check out this site for the Montreux Jazz Festival, which will put together a custom list of the acts you'll want to see, based on a handful of decisive swipes. Nice. Related articles: Colour in web design: all you need to know The 7 deadly sins of web design How to survive as a web designer beyond 2020 View the full article

Sometimes creative briefs can get a bit, well, boring. After all, there are only so many times designers can read the same buzzwords before their eyes glaze over and their creativity dries up. If this sounds familiar, this parody branding deck that pokes fun at bland guidelines is sure to make you laugh. Created by copywriter Vikki Ross in partnership with ad agency Mellor&Smith and its junior designer Grace State, the Bland Book is a parody of the decks that brands give designers to help them get a feel for a company. In particular, the Bland Book takes a swipe at companies who describe themselves with mundane and meaningless phrases like 'dedicated', 'authentic' and 'passionate'. The Bland Book is so spot on because surely a company should be all of these things anyway? Businesses that use these terms are missing the point of what makes their brand tick. For an example of creative outlines done right, check out our feature on how to make a style guide. Originally the guide was launched on April Fool's Day. However pages from the Bland Book can now be found in Ross' hilarious Twitter thread roundup (below). Chances are its witty contents will look familiar to projects you've either seen or worked on. All the main culprits (generic fonts, boring stock photos, uninspiring copywriting) are all present and correct, with each one coming in for an overdue mocking. So if you're in need of a chuckle, check out some of the pages from the Bland Book below. We particularly like the keen attention to detail in the Bland Book. For starters, the colour scheme is so generic yet so accurate, that you get the impression that Ross and the team created this project out of bitter experience. 'Always make the logo bigger' is one of the most frequent and irritating requests to bug designers. So of course, the Bland Book dedicates one of its pages to really ramming home how annoying it is. Generic stock photos of happy smiling people also get a dressing-down by the Bland Book. And rightly so. How is a brand meant to stand out if its imagery looks similar to the photos uses by plenty of other companies? To download the Bland Book, head over to Mellor & Smith's site. As Ross says herself, "thank us later". Related articles: 18 controversial moments in logo design and branding Liquid Death is 2019's stupidest branding 8 brands celebrating Pride Month View the full article

After months of speculation about when Amazon's biggest retail event is happening, this morning the company finally confirmed that Prime Day 2019 will start at midnight on Monday 15 July. And in what will be the longest Prime Day ever, the event will run for 48 hours, ending at 11:59pm on Tuesday 16 July. So if you've been holding out for a creative bargain, you can now mark the dates firmly in your diary and bookmark our best Prime Day deals page, which we will be updating as and when all the best offers come in. The official dates were revealed in an email sent out to Amazon customers earlier this morning, which stated: 'This year we're celebrating Prime members with exclusive entertainment offers, brand new product launches, and more. Prime Day brings you the best of shopping and entertainment and starts at midnight on Monday 15 July with hundreds of new deals popping up every hour.' While the Prime Day bonanza is still a couple of weeks away, it looks like Amazon has started the party for its Prime members, already discounting a number of new products for a limited time. If you're not currently an Amazon Prime member, it's easy and free to sign up, and you can cancel at any time during the initial 30-day trial period with no strings attached. If last year is anything to go by, we're expecting to see some incredible creative deals this Prime Day so make sure you stay tuned. In the meantime, don't miss our tips on avoiding a Prime Day rip off and how to get the best creative Prime Day deals on the day. Read more: The best laptop for graphic design The best external hard drives for Mac and PC users The best power bank in 2019 View the full article

If you're looking to grow your brand, increase web traffic, or earn revenue, YouTube ads could be the way to go. But how do you get started with them? To help demystify how they work, sigh up to The Complete YouTube Master Class. can be your one-stop shop for learning how to grow your Youtube channel. Consider this class to be your one-stop shop for learning how to grow your YouTube channel. In it, you'll learn how ads can jumpstart your YouTube channel with the help of 62 lectures and 5 hours of content. The best cloud storage 2019 Once you sign up, you'll find out how to create professional-quality videos even if you don’t have a big budget to work with. On top of this, you'll learn how to improve your channel through analytics and monetise your channel through ads. Not only that, but you'll also discover how your channel can enhance your brand and business. Best of all, it’s yours for the low price of $11. Related articles: How to become a YouTube sensation 18 web design YouTube channels you need to watch The 10 best YouTube art channels View the full article

One of the hardest aspects of learning 3D is figuring out how to transfer a rough idea into a 3D shape. Most 3D applications depend upon the user having a working knowledge of a complex system of mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts to move around and draw in 3D space. It would be great to have a 3D application that offers an intuitive modelling environment, and can still create geometry that is able to be transferred to other 3D software when finished. Gravity Sketch fulfils goes a long way towards fulfilling this need. For awesome examples of other 3D software you could use with Gravity Sketch, we have a rundown of the best 3D modelling software for your perusal right here. Gravity Sketch on Oculus Rift review Gravity Sketch creates its modelling environment in VR which helps it along its way towards becoming the dream application. It has a transformative impact on modelling creation, and along with a deceptively simple control scheme that is manipulated by VR hand controllers, Gravity Sketch can quickly make any artist feel at one with their model. As Gravity Sketch is dependent upon hand controllers, only full PC VR systems will run it. Both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are fully supported, as are a range of Microsoft mixedreality headsets. VR sets have had massive price reductions in the past year, and Gravity Sketch itself starts at an affordable price for a full-featured creative version that's only missing out on some of the more advanced export options. This base version happily exports OBJ models, allowing a Gravity Sketch creation to work with practically any 3D application on the market. 01. Create in VR Hand controllers are essential as they contain all the tools needed to use Gravity Sketch [Image: Mike Griggs] To use Gravity Sketch, a VR-capable Windows machine is needed along with an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or certain brands of Windows mixed-reality headsets. Whatever headset is used, hand controllers are essential, as they contain all the tools needed to use Gravity Sketch. Gravity Sketch is available either through Steam or the Oculus Rift store. For this tutorial the standard version of Gravity Sketch was used. 02. Get sketching Switching on the axis makes drawing in symmetry easy [Image: Mike Griggs] After pulling in reference imagery by clicking and dragging from the intuitive interface, sketching can begin. Switching on the axis makes drawing in symmetry easy. As Gravity Sketch creates vector lines, even in the sketch phase, each sketch line can have its control points edited, deleted or moved. This makes Gravity Sketch an excellent tool for artists of any skill level, as any mistake can be quickly tweaked and refined. 03. Work with layers The layer and grouping system on Gravity Sketch is excellent [Image: Mike Griggs] Gravity Sketch has an excellent layer and grouping system. Grouping objects is controlled by the left controller, and objects can be added and groups broken with a single click. The layer palette can be pulled into the VR environment, and an object can be dropped into the correct layer by picking it up and dropping it into the blue box at the end of each layer title. Layer visibility and activation are all easily controlled using the larger buttons on the layer palette. 04. Pull out surfaces You need both hands for pulling out surfaces [Image: Mike Griggs] When creating the main surfaces, both hands are needed. Surfaces are literally pulled into shape and can snap to guide geometry such as paths. Like all elements within Gravity Sketch, these surfaces can then be modifi ed and adjusted after they have been created. Standard 3D practices such as less control points enable surfaces to work well with Gravity Sketch, as it makes the control points easier to capture. 05. Lathe tool and array drawing The methodology for creating lathe objects is unique [Image: Mike Griggs] Gravity Sketch has a unique methodology for creating lathe objects. Using the secondary hand to place the axis, lathe objects are drawn out in situ. Again, these can be edited after they have been drawn. This methodology also works with the circular array system within Gravity Sketch, which uses the same axis to allow multiple instances of the same spline to be created – a great way of creating wire looms and other detailed elements. 06. Export to a 3D application The ability to create geometry for export into 3D applications is invaluable [Image: Mike Griggs] The basic version of Gravity Sketch allows OBJ exporting, which is fine for most uses. The OBJ can be geometry-heavy, so be prepared to retopologise the model if needed for real-time or animation requirements. If colours are added during the Gravity Sketch creation process they carry across as separate materials. Gravity Sketch is capable of creating basic renders, but its ability to create geometry for export into 3D applications makes it an invaluable creation tool. This article was originally published in issue 246 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 246 or subscribe to 3D World. Read more: These 3D portraits are unbelievably realistic 24 free 3D models 20 Cinema 4D tutorials to up your 3D skills View the full article

It is now illegal to include harmful gender stereotyping in UK advertising, as a new law from the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) comes into force. The law dictates that: [Advertisements] must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence. This applies to broadcast and non-broadcast media, including print ads, and online and social media advertising. Ad creators have had a six-month grace period to get in line with the new laws, but as of now they're being enforced in full. Any complaints will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, considering the content and context to determine if they violate the new guidelines. The best Prime Day Deals The updated rules come as a result of a review of gender stereotyping in advertising by the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency), the body that works with CAP to write the UK's Advertising Codes. “Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us," says ASA chief executive Guy Parker. "Put simply, we found that some portrayals in ads can, over time, play a part in limiting people’s potential. "It’s in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals, and we’re pleased with how the industry has already begun to respond." What gender depictions are now illegal? Prior to this change in legislation, the UK Advertising Codes dictated that adverts shouldn't cause harm or serious offence, including on the grounds of gender, but did not specifically address gender stereotypes. Further research following the original investigation found that the use of gender stereotypes isn't always harmful, and as a result has not been banned completely. The CAP gives some examples of stereotyping that could violate the new regulations. These include: An ad that depicts a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically because of their gender (e.g. a man’s inability to change nappies; a woman’s inability to park a car) An ad that depicts a man with his feet up and family members creating mess around a home while a woman is solely responsible for cleaning up the mess An ad that seeks to emphasise the contrast between a boy’s stereotypical personality (e.g. daring) with a girl’s stereotypical personality (e.g. caring) However, it states that ads showing 'a woman doing the shopping or a man doing DIY' would not be problematic, neither would the representation of one gender only in an advert for a product aimed specifically at that one gender. CAP will review the effect of the regulation change in 12 months’ time. Read more about the new rule here. While we've come a long way when it comes to gender equality in advertising and branding, recent misfires – including BrewDog's Pink IPA and NatWest's patronising apology to female customers – prove we're not quite there yet. Here's hoping the new laws mark an era of more responsible gender representation in advertising. Read more: 5 ad campaigns that changed the world IKEA takes a bite out of Apple in hilarious new ad The problem with period product branding View the full article

Are you designing a website for your business or brand? Or maybe you're creating a portfolio for your web design business? Either way, any design project can be made easier with Visualmodo WordPress Themes. Get a lifetime subscription for only $39. With this bundle you'll be able to access a huge library of responsive WordPress themes. You’ll find a massive variety to suit all different types of projects. And because they’re responsive, they adjust seamlessly to accommodate any screen resolution. The best web hosting services in 2019 Should you come across any issues, keep in mind that you can implement quick fixes with just a click of the mouse. And rest assured that all themes are super efficient to install, ensuring that your websites can go live right away. Get a lifetime subscription for only $39. Related articles: 14 wonderful WordPress websites to explore Introducing the WordPress Gutenberg editor 25 top-quality WordPress portfolio themes View the full article

Want to improve the communication between your team and stakeholders? Scrum could just be the useful framework for you. Learn all about it and get certified with the Complete Project & Quality Management Certification Bundle. If you're not already aware, Scrum is a popular hybrid of AGILE. Teams love using Scrum because it allows for adaptive problem solving, the efficient delivery of products and services, and improved communication. The framework has helped many teams develop a smoother dialogue with their stakeholders. The best VPN service 2019 In this course, you'll analyse team performance, discuss problem detection, and aim for continued and constant improvement. You'll also learn Agile principles that will help your team work better and more efficiently. Get this useful certification bundle while it's on sale for the low price of just $29. Related articles: 15 essential tools for graphic designers in 2019 21 ways to improve productivity with npm 5 top tips for creating a productive workspace View the full article

Google Go, also known as Golang, has become a favourite programming language among coders and developers. Thanks to its system-level access, Go brings simplicity and safety to the table. If you've always wanted to learn how to code using Google Go, you'll want to check out The Complete Learn to Code Master Class Bonus Bundle. And seeing as the popular bundle has dropped in price to just $25, there's no better time to snap it up. Thanks to its well crafted design, Go is user-friendly and lets programmers create multi-core programs with ease. The best antivirus software in 2019 What's more, it's specifically formulated for multi-core CPU computers invented in the past decade. This is the coding language of the 21st century, and if you're a coder, it should be in your skill set. So don't miss out, pick up this course for only $25, that's a massive price drop from its rrp of $1,783.99! Related articles: The best code editors How to code smart text effects with CSS 6 ways to get into creative coding View the full article

Ambient Design Ltd has released the latest iteration of its digital painting app, ArtRage 6. The software, which recreates the experience of using traditional paints, now boasts improved Custom Brush options, as well as other features that give digital artists more creative flexibility and control. It's available for the one-off price of $79. If you're familiar with the best painting apps for iPad, you've likely heard of ArtRage. The software is a popular tool among digital artists thanks to its true-to-life painting experience and accessible interface. We gave the previous iteration of ArtRage a five stars (read our ArtRage 5 review here), so we can't wait to get our hands on ArtRage 6. With ArtRage 6, all of the capabilities from ArtRage 5, ArtRage Lite and ArtRage Mobile are brought together, along with a whole host of new features. These include greater Custom Brush options that deliver a more lifelike painting sensation. What's more, Photoshop standard bitmap brush heads can be imported in to the Custom Brush tool. Other key updates include a wider range of realistic painting and drawing tools, plus utility tools that make it easier to fill colours, edit gradients, and select elements. Usability is streamlined even further with the Scripting engine and Actions. Operating in a similar fashion to Photoshop actions, ArtRage 6 Actions allow users to record a simple process and play it back on the current canvas with a single click. Previous issues we've had with ArtRage include lagging and usability problems, so hopefully these have been addressed in ArtRage 6. ArtRage artist Jon Hodgson creates these incredible illustrations with the software [Image: ArtRage/ Jon Hodgson] Thicker brushes, a Custom Brush designer, and customisable canvas controls complete the release. So if you're looking for an accessible digital art tool that recreates the sensation of using analogue mediums, ArtRage 6 looks set to be an excellent option. For a complete look at everything ArtRage 6 offers, head over to its full feature list. Digital platforms that recreate traditional art tools seem to be having something of a renaissance. Earlier this month Adobe shared more details about its Fresco app, which targets a similar niche to ArtRage 6. Formerly known as Project Gemini, Adobe Fresco is in pre-release testing ahead of a launch later in the year. But if you're eager to get your hands on a next-level traditional art software right now, ArtRage 6 could be a good solution. Suitable for Windows 7 or later and macOS 10.10 or later, ArtRage 6 is available now for the one-off price of $79. And if you're an existing user, you get to claim a discount when you upgrade. Has the sound of ArtRage 6 has got you excited to create digital art? Why not check out our pick of the best graphics tablets for drawing. Related articles: Get started with ArtRage How to create a digital oil painting using ArtRage Paint expressive portrait art with ArtRage 5 View the full article

What's next? It's the question on many a graduate's mind at the moment. With grad shows being disassembled as quickly as they were set up, for many the next couple of months will be a time of reflection of the last three years, and some sober planning for the future. We're here to help with this issue of Computer Arts! We explore the realities facing creative graduates in the UK right now, and speak to industry insiders about what steps to take – and why to take them. And to make the issue's cover as engaging as possible, the cover lines are all hidden! With the help of our cover treatment partners Celloglas, you can scratch the foil bars off to find out out just exactly what we've got in store this issue (or read below). Buy Computer Arts issue 294 now Discover what the next steps into the industry are Elsewhere in the mag we visit the studios of 2018's Brand Impact Awards Best in Show super-power Superunion. The team discuss their recent D&AD pencil-winning work on the BBC 2 rebranding in depth, and reveal why they aim to retain the feel, and ethos, of a boutique studio. We also chat to Emily Forgot about her design/art/illustrations, check out a new digital exhibition that calls out misogyny while pushing the case for climate change, speak to Michael Johnson about his new book on where the best ideas come from, and pick renowned design writer Stephen Heller's brains on the three concepts that have helped graphic design evolve. Save up to 70% on a subscription now! There's also loads more inside, including a look at the key objects that have inspired the lives of eight top creatives. Have a look at the gallery below, and then grab your copy today! Computer Arts is the world's best-selling design magazine, bursting at the seams with insight, inspiration, interviews and all the best new design projects. For all this delivered direct to your door each month, subscribe to Computer Arts. Subscribe today, and you can save up to 70 per cent off the cover price! Related articles: 7 survival tips for design graduates How to create the perfect design resumé The best graphic design portfolios from around the web View the full article

Facebook's new cryptocurrency, Libra, has come under fire from several angles. First of all, there's the concept itself – a bank and currency owned by Facebook. Then there's the logo for Libra, which many felt had seriously missed a trick by not featuring a pair of scales like its starsign namesake, and then, there's the logo for Libra's digital wallet, Calibra, which looks rather like the logo for the bank Current. Current, which calls itself 'the bank for modern life' posted a cutting tweet last week of its logo next to Calibra's, with the comment: "This is what happens when you only have 1 crayon left." Perhaps the designers could have benefited from reading our guide to logo design. It's hard to deny that the logos are similar. The Current logo features a tilde in a circle, and the Calibra logo features, well... a tilde in a circle. There are, of course, differences including that the Current logo's circle is a gradient, while Calibra's logo is monochrome, hence the 'one crayon left' comment. So was this an honest mistake? That's where the plot thickens. Current's logo was designed by San Francisco design firm, Character. And Stuart Sopp, CEO of Current, told CNBC that Character also created the logo for Facebook's Calibra. The co-founder of Character also posted on LinkedIn about working on a secret crypto project with Facebook – the post has since been deleted. “We put six months of hard work into this with that design firm, which they basically reused for Facebook without changing much,” Sopp told CNBC. “Facebook is a big company that should have done their due diligence on this.” According to CNBC, Current has asked a law firm, Goodwin Procter, to determine if it has a trademark or patent infringement case. Will this copyright case have much impact on the social media giant and its plans for financial domination? We can't help but doubt it. Although one Twitter user has proposed an alternative logo, just in case Facebook is looking: Read more: Facebook unveils biggest redesign in a decade What's up with the new Facebook app logo? How to nail your social media strategy View the full article

If you're after discounts on the most capable tablets around, this offer could be just what you've been waiting for. Apple's iPad Pro range is a popular digital canvas among creatives due to its balance of power and portability. And thanks to online retailer Very, you can get £100 credit back when you buy a select model on 12 months Buy Now Pay Later. This tempting offer comes ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2019. Around this time of year we typically see retailers whipping out juicy offers in a bid to beat the best Prime Day deals that are just around the corner. And while we don't know for certain if Amazon can beat this deal on Prime Day, we're betting Very is doing all they can to compete with it. The models on offer from Very include the best-selling iPad Pro 2017 25Gb, Wi-Fi, 10.5 inch in a stylish Space Grey, and the more recent iPad Pro 2018 256Gb, Wi-Fi, 12.9 inch in Space Grey. There are dozens of models on offer, so to check out the full selection, head on over to Very's iPad Pro Credit to Account page. If you're interested in this iPad Pro deal, don't hang around. You have until 27 June 2019 21.00 BST to get £100 credit back on an iPad Pro. The iPad Pro isn't the only Apple product on offer from Very. The online retailer is also offering money back on the iPhone XR, the iPhone 8, and Apple Watch Series 3, plus many more. To see the full range of eligible items, head over to Very's Credit to Account Apple page. Read more: Amazon Prime Day 2019 date leaked... again The best iPad accessories in 2019 The best cheap iPad deals in 2019 View the full article

If you want to make it as a creative in the audio and visual mediums, you're going to want to learn how to perfect a sound mix. Luckily, The Ultimate Logic Pro X Music Production Bundle contains everything you need to know about the basics of audio engineering you podcasts, YouTube videos, and more. In this course, you’ll learn to create sound mixes that work well for podcasts, audiobooks, tutorials, and plenty of other platforms. By using Logic Pro X, you’ll become skilled at the same tool used by music producers and audio engineers. The best cloud storage 2019 On top of that, you'll find out how to create the highest quality mix for your voice, and build a voiceover track from scratch. As if that wasn't exciting enough, this bundle has dropped in price from $690 all the way down to $19! Related articles: The best free graphic design software The best wireless headphones in 2019 The 15 best graphic design podcasts View the full article

Springboard's UX Career Track is a web bootcamp with a difference. It has been designed with careers in mind, so you'll come away armed with everything you need to snap up your first paid job in this in-demand sector. There's an intensive online course for you to work through at your own pace, a dedicated mentor for guidance, and an industry design project to help you apply your skills in the real world. And if you don't get a job within six months of completing the course, Springboard will give you your money back. Sign up to Springboard's UX Career Track There are plenty of design courses out there, but many are long and very expensive, and few guarantee a job at the end. Springboard’s mission is to bridge the skills gap. Its UX Career Track gives you the skills, support and experience you need to snag a top job in UX at a reasonable price, in just six months. What can I expect from the course? Springboard's courses encourage you to learn the knowledge you need at your own pace by working through its online classes, which include articles, video tutorials, coursework and hands-on projects. The programme has been shaped with input from hiring managers, so it covers the skills companies are actually looking for right now, including user research, design thinking, prototyping and design sprints. The course should take around 15-20 hours a week, but this flexibility means you can fit your study around your commitments, without feeling rushed or having to worry about missing things. The course combines articles, video tutorials and coursework You won't be on your own, either. You'll have a mentor assigned to you, who'll support and guide you through weekly calls. They will help you set, track, and meet goals, and make sure your progress stays on track. There's also a career coach to help you navigate the tricky world of recruitment and make sure you find the right job for you. It's not all theoretical: you’ll spend 40 hours working with a real client on a design problem. The aim of this industry design project is to help put your new skills and knowledge into practice. You'll use it to start building your portfolio, and come away with the real-world experience crucial for you to hit the ground running in your new career. Money-back guarantee If you don’t get a job within six months, Springboard will actually refund your tuition fees. Past Springboard graduates have snagged jobs at companies including Facebook, Google and IBM, so we're talking major roles here, too. The course is ideally suited to those with a background in graphic design, social sciences, or web development. If that sounds like you, you could be turning your existing skills into a brand new career in this exciting, in-demand sector in no time. Visit Springboard to find out more about the UX Career Track, and sign up. View the full article

A design concept is arguably more important than the design or even the ultimate product. A good design concept contains the logic, reasoning and (you hope, at least) the research behind an idea. And, more than just a good idea, a good design concept doubles as a kind of visual elevator pitch. It should tell you all you need to know about how and why something does what it does. We know there are graphic design portfolios out there simply bulging with bright ideas and in this post you’ll get to read about five design concepts we really wish had come to fruition. In fact, we’re hoping some of them still will. 01. Oceanix Floating City This floating community could house 10,000 residents It’s a floating city! What’s not to love? Obvious excitement aside, this incredible concept from bjarke ingels group (BIG) is for a floating city situated offshore from major coastal cities that can be towed to other locations in the event of a disaster. The structures are designed to withstand floods, tsunamis, and cat-5 hurricanes and the islands are made from self-repairing biorock, which has a limestone coating formed by exposing underwater minerals to an electric current, becoming stronger over time. The imagined villages boast an environmentally friendly habitat with no high emissions and an efficient recycling system. Sounds like paradise. 02. Bookmarks rack Hang up your books in style with this bookmark rack Books on hangers? It’s either genius or ludicrous. We’ve gone with genius on this occasion. Sometimes the best design ideas really are the simplest. Not only does this clever, mobile and space-saving invention by Qi Beichen keep your books tidy, it also marks where you stopped reading, perfect if you have a tendency to linger over seven books at once. This design won a Red Dot Award in 2018 and the moment this gets made, we’re buying it. 03. The New Public Convenience: Hull's Bath House and Lady Garden Ruth Pearn's project was designed to combat stigma around periods and alleviate period poverty Designed by University of Westminster graduate, Ruth Pearn, The New Public Convenience: Hull’s Bath House and Lady Garden’ is a brilliant reimagining of Hull’s public toilets to benefit us all month-long. The building would include a launderette (praise be!), salon and clothes hire, as well as public toilets, baths and showers. The public convenience would be open and accessible to everyone to break down menstruation stigma. In this dream public toilet, organic cotton tampons are recycled into compost to fertilise the plants. The composting process would also be used to heat up water for the building, with filters siphoning off wastewater for plants. These plants would be cultivated to produce essential oils for soap-making which can then be sold, with profits being reinvested into the building. Pearn’s design bagged her the AJ Student Prize in 2018 and the applause of plenty of women. We’re booking a one-way ticket to Hull with a pair of white trousers forthwith. 04. Circle Life Devised by Taiwanese designers Chia-Yu Yeh and Yi-Xiang Lin, Circle Life is a sleek, wearable device for people with diabetes. The smart wristband integrates insulin patches with micro-needles and a non-invasive blood glucose sensor, allowing patients to monitor and manage their health on the go while reducing the need for (and pain from) injections. The data gathered by the wristband is uploaded to the cloud, where it can be accessed by medical professionals or family members. Its charging stand also functions as a box to store insulin patches. The concept won the Red Dot Best of the Best award in 2016 and it’s not hard to see why. There are currently over 400 million diabetes sufferers worldwide, so we think this simple design deserves to be in on the world’s wrists pronto. 05. Campaign for Durex This Durex campaign likened carrying condoms to carrying makeup Estelle Carrington and Peter Heath, aka Estelle and Peter, responded to a 2019 D&D New Blood brief from Durex to encourage more young people to carry condoms. The pair came up with the idea of repositioning the contraceptive as part of health and beauty, not family planning – with the aim of making carrying a condom as normal as carrying makeup. As only three per cent of women carry condoms, the campaign targeted women with the slogan: 'Find us in the makeup aisle'. The result is a fun, visually engaging campaign that sees condoms in powder compacts and johnnies as easy to come by as brow enhancer. You’re definitely worth it. Read more: 5 ad campaigns that changed the world How design can change the world The best free graphic design software View the full article

A spoofing bug (CVE-2019-1105) can open the door to an email attack chain. View the full article

The Threatpost team discusses the top news of the week - from a NASA cyberincident to dating app privacy issues. View the full article

The Bauhaus was a state-funded school set up by by architect Walter Gropius in 1919. His mission, which became clearer when the school began writing manifestoes about its purpose, was to use the visual arts to bring about a better society. He thought the way to do this was to break down the hierarchies of the creative world, which would mirror German society at the time. The Bauhaus would smash through the divisions between fine and applied arts, and develop a new aesthetic: made for the people. In real terms, this meant that crafts such as ceramics, print-making, textiles and metalworking would be afforded the same status as painting and sculpture. Later on, photography and graphics would be added to the mix, with a new focus placed on function and, ultimately, design. This has led to the design world we now know, and many of the best graphic design portfolios are influenced by the movement, whether their creators realise it or not. Over the years, The Bauhaus existed in three different German cities: Weimar (1919-1925), Dessau (1925-1932) and Berlin (1932-1933). The Bauhaus was unique at the time because it asked how the 'modernisation process could be mastered by means of design'. This year marks 100 years since the school's opening. Here, we take a quick look at the design movement, including some of the trends and philosophies connected to the school, as well as the Bauhaus logo, and ultimately the closure of the school. Bauhaus design: Mass production Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich Gropius realised machines offered a great opportunity to mass-produce appealing and practical products. The Bauhaus vision was to embrace the new technological developments unifying art, craft, and technology. It was primarily focused on clean geometric forms and balanced visual compositions. The results were both both beautiful and simplistic, from the modern Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich to abstracted line-form paintings by Wassily Kandinsky. Each practice was examined, explored and experimented further by both the students and encouraging tutors. For objects you can buy today in the style of the Bauhaus, see our post on objects to bring Bauhaus style to your studio . Bauhaus design: Futuristic trends Strong black and red typography treatment by Moholy-Nagy Futuristic designs for the real world were being considered with various mediums including wood, metal and glass. Graphic designers such as Moholy-Nagy, avid user of red and experimental layouts, set strong design trends. He was not shy to augment the typography by standing it vertically or diagonally on the page – as designers, we know this is a difficult technique to implement. Maholy-Nagy's work influenced, and was influenced by Jan Tschichold, who championed a new movement in typography and wrote many of the rules of graphic design that are still there for us to break to this day. He looked at posters, pages and double-page spreads structurally, considered the benefits or disadvantages of symmetry and asymmetry, and introduced the concept of balancing headlines and body of text along with images as forms on the layout. Bauhaus design: Typography Another key designer in the Bauhaus movement was Herbert Bayer, known for developing the typeface Universal. This 'universal' alphabet was commissioned by Walter Gropius in 1925 for exclusive Bauhaus use, unfortunately it was never cut as a typeface. The characters are formed from perfect circles, and there’s zero contrast and no embellishment whatsoever. It was meant to be clear, direct and efficient in its communication – an ideological statement of intent. Although its forms lacked balance and failed to achieve the legibility Bayer hoped for, elements of it were drawn into Joe Taylor’s typeface Bauhaus 93 in 1969. Below is a re-issue of Bayer's typeface named called Architype Bayer; It was drawn from Bauhaus Archiv sketches, based on his single-alphabet student thesis, and is now available from The Foundry. Architype Bayer designed by Herbery Bayer, Re-issued for digital by Foundry Sometimes Bauhaus typefaces are described as Art Deco, but the word ‘mechanistic’ seems more accurate. Beautifully engineered lettering for an age of mass production was part of the aim. Even today when designers wish to express a sense of purity, often the answer is to reduce characters to pure, geometric forms. Bauhaus design: the Bauhaus logo The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation – its lettering is perhaps the closest thing the movement has to a logo Although the Bauhaus aimed to develop a visual language for the future, the school never had a logo. Arguably, the work spoke for itself and the Bauhaus identity was there to be seen in the beautiful objects created. Of course, there’s also the distinctive Dessau school building itself, designed by Walter Gropius. Perhaps the closest the school came to an emblem was the side-on face created by Oskar Schlemmer. It became the motif of the movement. The machine aesthetic is there to be seen in what is essentially a composition constructed using rectangles, constrained in a perfect circle. In it, there’s the sense that the Bauhaus would reshape the world, and perhaps there is even a hint of Mona Lisa-like contentment in the expression. Joost Schmidt's Bauhaus poster The form was incorporated into a poster promoting a 1923 Bauhaus exhibition while the school was still in Weimar. With its asymmetric tilted oval form, dashes of geometry and hairline serif type, it feels like a half-way house between the school’s Expressionist beginnings and new functionalist philosophy. Many a design student has mimicked this design in their coursework – and why not? The image was directly lifted and used as a logo by a 1980s British gothic rock band fronted by Peter Murphy, which called itself Bauhaus and was influenced by German Expressionism. Bauhaus design: Closure of The Bauhaus Political pressure and constant scrutiny by the Nazi movement (which strongly opposed modernism in favour of classicism) continued to cast a shadow over the school. In 1928 Gropius resigned and was then succeeded by Hannes Meyer. The school carried on with practice as usual. In the 1930s the Bauhaus received criticism from the Nazi writers Wilhelm Frick and Alfred Rosenberg, labelling the Bauhaus 'un-German' and disagreeing with the modernistic styles the school was predominately based on. The writers characterised the Bauhaus as a front for Communists, Russians, and social liberals. Further pressure from the Nazi régime forced the Bauhaus to close on April 11, 1933. With many design movements, the outcomes look out-dated over the years. In contrast, the Bauhaus philosophy has had a constant influence on all forms of design. Most major cities incorporate design elements from this theory of 'form follows function' – such as white walls, clean lines and glass, which is even more impressive when you consider that the school that only existed for fourteen years. Parts of this article were originally published in Computer Arts magazine; subscribe here. Read more: The impact of the Bauhaus on modern culture Mid-century modern graphic design: a designer's guide The best office chair for home working View the full article

The most powerful laptops today are capable of handling incredible workloads. In the past, for tasks like video editing or graphic design that required a lot of high-performance hardware, no laptop would have been able to come close to the capabilities of a desktop. In some way, you would have had to make a compromise: the most powerful laptops were often so big and heavy as to be barely portable, and many would sacrifice battery life completely, lasting no longer than an hour away from a plug socket. That’s no longer true. The latest generation of processors with six or eight CPU cores means the most powerful laptops can perform every bit as well as desktops. Graphics cards are better – you can now get full-fat desktop cards in some laptops, not the anaemic mobile versions that were once the only option. If you want to compare, take a look at our guide to the best computers for graphic design. Screens are getting better too. Laptops now come with high-DPI colour accurate displays that look simply amazing, such as Apple’s DCI-P3 Retina displays and the 4K screens on some Windows laptops. Explore some other options in our guide to the best laptop for video editing And what’s more, this beastly portable performance won’t break your back. The lower power requirements and more intelligent resource management of modern laptop hardware means manufacturers can opt for more compact cooling systems and physically smaller batteries, resulting in reduced laptop weight and thickness. It’s very impressive how so much computing performance can be squeezed out of such a small space. We’ve listed some of the most powerful laptops on the market today, and found some great deals so high performance portable computing doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Dell describes its Precision 5530 as its thinnest, lightest and smallest 15-inch mobile workstation ever, and we’d agree. Available in 'bright onyx' or 'platinum silver', it’s a lovely machine with a brilliant specification. The two-piece silver and black chassis looks great, and inside there’s a choice of Core i5, i7 or i9 Intel processors with four or six cores. Up to 2TB of fast NVMe storage is available and unlike many other slim and light laptops, you can add a second hard disk to give you both a fast system drive with additional internal storage for media. Topping off the specification is an Nvidia Quadro 1000 or 2000 graphics card and an optional 4K touch-sensitive display to offer a premium computing experience. Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful laptop the company has ever made by a wide margin. Earlier this year, Apple began offering a new model with an eight-core 9th generation Intel processor, which is guaranteed to fly through any computing task there is. Whether it’s video editing, 3D design or photo editing, the top-end MacBook Pro will chew through it effortlessly, no matter if you choose the six or eight-core model. Bump up the graphics card to an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, add more storage and boost the memory to 32GB and the MacBook Pro admittedly becomes a seriously pricey proposition. But alongside the fantastic display, excellent trackpad and fantastic battery life, the MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops on the market. The futuristic looking angled edges on the lid and case of HP’s professional-grade ZBook Studio laptop befit an equally forward-thinking internal specification that features four or six-core Intel processors, up to 4TB of SSD storage (across dual SSDs) and Nvidia Quadro graphics. While other high-end mobile workstations have fantastic screens, the 15.6-inch 4K HP DreamColor display on the ZBook studio is possibly the best on any laptop. It offers 100% AdobeRGB coverage and 10-bit colour accuracy, which means visibly better colours, in addition to particularly high brightness levels with up to 600nits. Configurable with up to 64GB of memory, should you need it, this may not be the thinnest or lightest laptop on the market, but it’s certainly one of the most high-end. The ThinkPad P1 is the real star of Lenovo's ThinkPad laptop range. It has plenty of CPU power, with up to 6-core Intel Xeon or Core i7 processor, and is considerably thinner, lighter (1.7kg) and more portable that any of the other ThinkPads. Delve into the optional extras, and you’ll find the killer feature of the ThinkPad P1, a colour-accurate 4K display that looks particularly bright and vibrant, and doesn’t add too much to the price over the standard FullHD display, making it an upgrade we’d recommend. Lenovo has more than one ultra-powerful laptop in its ThinkPad range. It's also worth considering the P72, which is one of the most powerful laptops around. This 17-inch 4K mega workstation comes with up to 128GB of memory, 6TB of storage and a mega powerful Nvidia Quadro P5200 graphics card. Sporting a lovely royal blue chassis, the slim and portable 14-inch Zenbook Pro stands out as both attractive and highly capable, with processor and graphics performance in spades. And it has an interesting second display, a 5.5-inch screen built into the touchpad that can run special Asus-designed apps. Weighing just 1.6kg, it comes with a quad-core processor and discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics that will give it a leg up in both creative software and gaming, with up to 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. Good specifications for the price that will certainly power any software you might run on it. The 13.3-inch MSI Prestige P65 is a slightly different class of mobile workstation to the high-end laptops listed above. It’s definitely a powerhouse, with Nvidia GeForce graphics and optional six-core processor. But rather than ultimate colour accuracy, MSI has bestowed the display with a 144Hz refresh rate which is indeed a lovely feature, but is particularly better for gaming on. The design is great too. The design is one of the most lightweight in a laptop, and the chamfered edges complete an overall premium look and feel that does MSI proud indeed. View the full article

We've seen many new APIs added to the web over the last few years that have really enabled web content to have the same kind of functionality as many apps have had for some time. A relatively new API is the Speech Recognition API, which as you can probably guess, lets you use your text as an input onto the page. It requires a click to start the service and again to stop. A great case for this might be in allowing accessibility among your users, giving voice input as an alternative to clicking. If your analytics show that you have a lot of mobile browsing, then think how much easier it would be to speak into your phone than using the keyboard. There have been predictions that screen-based interfaces might start to disappear within ten years. At first this might sound like science fiction, but as users get more and more comfortable with speech as input through the likes of Alexa and Siri then it stands to reason that this will become pervasive as an input method. The tutorial here will get you up to speed on speech input and then use that to leave product reviews on an ecommerce site. Download the files for this tutorial. 8 tips for designing voice interfaces 01. Start the project Don't worry about CSS as that's already written [Image: Web Designer] From the project files folder, open the 'start' folder in your code IDE and open the 'speech.html' file to edit. All the CSS for the project is written as that isn't the focus of the speech API, so add the link shown here to get the Noto Serif typeface and link up the CSS file. 02. Add the content The first elements of this will be to have a wrapper in which to hold all of our on-screen content. The first element in here will be a hidden message that tells the user if the Speech API is supported in the browser. This will only be seen if it isn't. Then a heading tells the user that the form elements that follow will be used for their message. 03. Choose the results When using the Speech API there are two ways to display the content. In one, text displays when the user has stopped speaking and the 'listening' button is clicked off. The other shows words on screen as spoken. This first radio button allows for the final speech result to be shown. 04. Radio two The second radio button is added here and this one allows the user to select the text to be displayed as they speak. These radio buttons will be picked up by the JavaScript later and used to control the speech input, but for now this allows the user to have an interface to control that. 05. Display the text The user's speech will end up in the 'transcription' text-area [Image: Web Designer] The text that the user speaks into the page will need to be displayed on the screen. Here the text-area is added that has the id of 'transcription' — this will be targeted so that the user's speech ends up here. There's also a clear button to remove the text. 06. The last interface Clicking the speech button starts and stops speech detection [Image: Web Designer] The final interface elements are added to the screen now. The speech button enables and disables the speech, so it must be clicked before speaking. Clicking again stops it. As this is a relatively new interaction, the log underneath will tell the users what to do. 07. Add Javascript Now add the script tags before the closing body tag. This is where all of the JavaScript will go. The first two lines grab the page elements with the matching ID and store them in a variable. The transcription is the text result of the speech. The log will update the user with how to use it. 08. Variable results Using the next few variables, more interface elements are cached into them. The speech button will become a toggle, letting users switch speech on and off., monitored by a Boolean, true/false variable. The clear-all button will delete unsatisfactory speech results. 09. Is it supported? The first thing our code will do is find out if this speech feature is supported by the user's browser. If this result comes back as null then the if statement throws up the hidden message, while simultaneously taking the start button away from the interface to stop the speech input. 10. Start the recognition The speech recognition is started as the 'else' for the speech recognition being available. The continuous input is started as that is the default on the radio buttons. The 'onresult' function will handle the results of the speech input. This will be added into the transcription's text field. 11. Final or interim? The if statement now checks to see if the user wants to display the text as they are talking (interim) or only after they finish speaking (final). You will notice that if it's interim, each word gets added to the text with the '+=', while the final just dumps the whole text in there. 12. Handling errors As with most JavaScript APIs there is an error handler that will allow you to decide what to do with any issues that might arise. These are thrown into the 'log' div to give feedback to the user, as it is essential that they are aware of what might be going on with the interface. 13. Start speaking! The event listener here is started when the user clicks the button to start speaking. If the user is not speaking, then the button changes colour to show speaking has started, the variable for speaking is set to true and the 'interim' radio button is checked to see if this is the user's choice for input. 14. Take the input The 'try and catch' statement now starts the speech recognition and tells the user that they should start speaking and that when they are done, 'click again to stop'. The catch will pick up the error and throw that into the 'log' div so that the user can understand what might be wrong. 15. Click to stop Now when the user clicks to stop talking, the speech recognition is stopped. The button is changed back to green from red while talking. The user interface is updated so that the user is informed that the service has stopped. The speaking variable is set to false, ready to let the user speak again. 16. Clear the text The clear button removes wrongly-interpreted speech [Image: Web Designer] The final code for this section is just a clear button to remove the speech input text in case it is wrongly interpreted. Save the file and test this in your browser. You will be able to click the button to speak into the computer and see the results. 17. Add purpose Now as you have a working example, there needs to be some purpose to the interface, so let's make this so that users can input reviews. Save the page and then choose Save As, with the new name of 'reviews.html'. Add the following HTML elements just after the <div id="wrapper"> line. 18. Total submission The submit button submits inputted speech [Image: Web Designer] The previous code will hold the reviews. The user will need to submit their speech input, so add the submit button right after the 'clear text' button, which will be around line 28 in your code. Then you can move down to the JavaScript for the next step. 19. New interface elements At the top of your Javascript add the new variables to hold the references to the new interface elements that have just been added. These will provide you with a way to submit and display the results on the screen within the 'reviews' section of the page. 20. Submit the entry Now the code here will handle when the user clicks the submit button, place this right before the 'clear' button code, which should be around line 88 in your code. First, a paragraph tag is created and the speech input is subsequently added into this. This will then be added into the 'review' section. 21. Final submission If you want to store submitted speech you'll have to use a database [Image: Web Designer] The date is added so that the review is timestamped into the document. Finally a horizontal rule is added to show where each review ends, then the text is cleared ready for new input. Save the page and test this. You will see that you can now submit your speech into the page as reviews. For persistence you would need to use a database to store these results. This article was originally published in issue 286 of creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 286 here or subscribe to Web Designer here. Related articles: 14 of the best JavaScript APIs Build an AI-powered chatbot 5 emerging UX trends in 2019 View the full article