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You might be an amazing designer, but if you want the money to roll in, unless you're extremely fortunate, talent alone isn't going to cut it. Face it, you're going to have to deal with clients, which can be a daunting prospect for many creatives who'd rather keep their heads down and get on with the work. The secrets of great client relationships For Natasha Field, account manager at Fiasco, getting on with clients is her daily business. In this short video, she explains why a small, friendly studio suits her more than a large agency – and how Fiasco's 'family' vibe translates to its client relationships. And here, Field reveals her five tips for building and maintaining great relationships with clients... 01. Build trust Fiasco's website for Pelican Books delivers "an innovative online reading experience", and won several awards – including a D&AD Pencil "I treat every client relationship like I would a friendship in terms of good communication and trust," says Natasha Field, account manager at Fiasco. "When clients trust us and we trust them, it helps move the project along." Plus if something does go wrong, it'll be easier to resolve. 02. Act human In the past, Field sometimes felt she wasn't being herself when talking to clients. "The way I spoke to them wasn't very human and seemed robotic, and I wasn't building relationships because that's not how you build relationships." She advises remembering that everyone has good days and bad days: "If they're having a bad day, you can just be there to talk." 03. Don't burn bridges For its brand overhaul of Bristol cultural hub The Tobacco Factory, Fiasco was inspired by the building's original industrial roots Fiasco was recently re-hired for a client they'd worked for five years previously, suggesting that sometimes you might have to wait to bear the fruits of your good relationships. "You don't know when a project comes in whether or not that's going to lead to more work," she says. The lesson? Every client is worth investing in. 04. Be flexible "Each client is different in the way they work, so some need a bit more explanation, whereas some just let us run with it and won't need so many face-to-face meetings," says Field. "You have to flexible in how that client wants or needs to work." 05. Immerse yourself October 2017 saw Fiasco's sister company, thread, put on Bristol's first major design festival, Something Good A good account manager should be an extension of the client, and be able to pre-empt their feedback, adds Field. "The only way to do this is immerse yourself so that you understand them – who they, what they do and their core values." This article was originally published in issue 275 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 275 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here. Related articles: How to manage a huge client 10 ways to be more business-savvy as a designer The differences between designer and client revealed View the full article

Researchers have identified what they are calling an Early Bird code injection technique used by the Iranian group APT33 to burrow the TurnedUp malware inside infected systems while evading anti-malware tools. View the full article

There are lots of ways to create a website mockup. It's true there is no 'best' approach, but depending on certain UI and UX designers' styles and preferences (and the design process), some will work better than others. In this article, we'll look at the pros and cons of four of the most popular options: end-to-end UX tools, mockup tools, graphic design tools, as well as coded designs that start to blur the lines between website mockups and prototypes. Jargonbuster: Mockups, wireframes, prototypes Don't make the mistake of thinking all mockups are the same. Simple decisions about platforms, fidelity, and coding will all produce significantly different results. Know what you want and what your goals are before you even begin the design process – if you want a tool that supports all three phases, it's best to start out using it than to switch over halfway through. Likewise, if you need a stellar, fully realistic mockup, keep in mind that you'll be using a graphic design editor at some point. 01. End-to-end UX tools At the highest tier are end-to-end tools that aim to satisfy the entire workflow: mockups, prototyping, documentation, developer handoffs, and design systems. 2017 was definitely the year of the end-to-end design tool. UXPin has been catering to this need since the early 2010s, but a number of other brands, such as Adobe and InVision, are now also trying to create the ‘one tool to rule them all’. UXPin boasts robust prototyping, mockups, documentation, and developer handoffs So how do these tools stack up just up for mockup creation? They can tackle them without any problem – and then some. With UXPin, for example, you can create mockups with multiple states and interactions. It even mimics some features of Photoshop and Sketch by including a Pen tool. On the other hand, Studio by InVision (its latest tool), allows for some pretty nifty animation editing; while Adobe XD lets you open Photoshop and Sketch files inside your XD designs, and apply colours, symbols, linear gradients and character styles. Studio is the latest tool by InVision that aims to create an end-to-end workflow Most importantly, end-to-end tools are now offering design systems to ensure consistency of mockups across projects. Design systems give everyone a single source of truth for assets and design principles across tools. If you plan on creating a lot of mockups, this feature becomes almost mandatory. When selecting an end-to-end tool for creating your website mockup, it’s worth considering the following aspects: Fidelity: How powerful is the tool for visual and interaction design? Consistency: What features ensure design consistency in your work? Accuracy: Do the elements you’re working with reflect the ‘source of truth’ in your organisation? Collaboration: Can you collaborate with stakeholders or other designers? Developer handoff: How does the tool generate specifications and assets for developers? 02. Dedicated mockup tools Less robust solutions such as Principle, Framer, Moqups or Balsamiq can still provide you with everything you need to build your mockup – you’ll just lose the additional workflow and design consistency features. These tools are designed to make the creation process as easy as possible, so you can focus more on stylistic decisions and less on how to manipulate the program. Dedicated mockup tools have clear advantages: Beginners benefit from their ease of use, while experts appreciate the designs specifically tailored to their advanced needs. On the more advanced end, tools like Framer and Principle specialise in animations and interactions for mockups. Tools like Framer specialise in animation On the lower end, Moqups and Balsamiq provide more functionality than non-design tools that are sometimes used for wireframes and mockups (such as Keynote), but they are limited to only low-fidelity designs. They can, however, be quite useful if the goal is to create low-fidelity wireframes very quickly. When it comes to mockup tools, you need to decide if a simple wireframing solution will just do or if you need more advanced screen design. No matter what mockup tool you choose, just make sure you’re willing to accept the loss in collaborative workflow and less design consistency features offered by end-to-end tools. 03. Graphic design software Some designers swear by software like Photoshop, Sketch or Illustrator, especially those particularly skilled or familiar with tools that offer control down to the pixel. Graphic design platforms work best if you're aiming for the highest level of realism and visual fidelity. And as we explain in our guide to rapid prototyping using Photoshop CC, it may be easier than you think. Photoshop gives fine-grained control, but might be overkill for simple mockups Working in graphic design software gives you access to an almost endless selection of highly defined colours, so if you're working within the restrictions of a rigid and preset colour scheme – for example, under particular branding rules – then these programs may be your best option. More than colour options, these programs offer far more visual tools, allowing you to tackle the minutiae of detail. However, the drawback of using this type of software is that it can be difficult to translate when it's time to start coding the design. What worked in Photoshop may not always work in code (elements like fonts, shadows, gradient effects, and so on), which can translate to time wasted figuring out solutions for the prototyping phase. For style-heavy pages it might help to hammer out the specific visual details during the mockup phase, in which case Photoshop or Sketch will give you the most options. Similarly, if you're dealing with a nit-picky or hard-to-please client, presenting them with a gorgeous and impressive mockup might win them over more easily. Mockups created in Photoshop or Sketch can be dragged and dropped into the free UXPin app It's also worth mentioning that mockups created in Photoshop or Sketch can be dragged and dropped into the prototyping phase with UXPin. This lets you easily animate all layers (no flattening) with a few clicks, and ensures you don't need to start from scratch when it's time to prototype. For more details of how this works, take a look at our tutorial on how to automate your handoffs. If visuals are not your only priority, you might be more efficient using a tool that allows you to do the wireframing, mockups, and prototyping all in one place. Graphic design software can be more trouble than it's worth for mockups unless you're looking for optimum visualisation – you'll definitely need to communicate regularly with your developer, since these tools aren't designed for collaboration. 04. Coded mockups For starters, if you're mainly a designer and not comfortable with coding, then this obviously isn't an option. As discussed in The Guide to Mockups, coded mockups are not the default choice. Most coding can be postponed until the prototyping stage (if you're creating an HTML/JavaScript prototype) or even later (if you use a prototyping tool). But despite the complexity and potential obstacles, there are many respectable designers who advocate introducing code into the mockup phase. Layouts are progressing, but the fact remains that some designs are much easier to design than code While improvements in tools and technology mean that more and more possibilities are opening up in layout design, not everything is easy (or even possible) to recreate in code. Starting in code lets you know right away what you can and cannot do. If you’re comfortable with code, it can also be argued that starting with this is less wasteful – the mockup is going to end up in HTML/CSS anyway. But as we mentioned before, mockups with coding are not a popular strategy, for more reasons than the difficulty of coding. Starting to code too early may limit your creativity and readiness to experiment, as it's easy to worry about the feasibility of your ideas in code rather than how exciting they could look. It's up to you when to introduce coding. Just make sure you know your design aims and keep the developers updated on how you're prioritising features. Read more: 10 top prototyping tools How to avoid prototyping pitfalls Prototype a mobile app with Adobe XD View the full article

Depression and burnout affect as many as one-third of workers, according to a study by charity Depression Alliance. In our culture of information overload, it’s important that you make an active effort to manage your stress levels to help prevent burnout. From eating enough leafy greens to getting more shut-eye, there are plenty of tactics you can use to keep creative burnout at bay. Mindfulness – a proven method of helping to train your mind to more effectively manage anxiety and stress – is one of several strategies you can use to make yourself more resistant to burnout. Studies have shown that as little as 10 minutes of meditation a day can help reduce anxiety and stress, meaning that whether you slot yoga into your lunch break or realign your chakras on your commute home, small bitesize chunks of meditation could help significantly reduce your stress levels. And while your smartphone might be partially to blame for your soaring cortisol to begin with, there are apps available to help you hone your brain waves and keep you cool as a cucumber, no matter what life throws your way. Keep your creative mojo on point by taking steps to manage stress and burnout with these five nifty mindfulness apps. 01. Headspace This design-centric guided meditation app could help you better manage the stresses of daily life Platform: Android/iOS Price: Some features free, subscription £9.99 a month, £74.99 annual or £399.99 lifetime This self-proclaimed ‘gym membership for the mind’ is the go-to mindfulness app for creatives and non-creatives alike. A pocket-sized personal meditation coach, Headspace’s commitment to making meditation simple has won it millions of users worldwide. Created by sports-scientist-turned-monk-turned-entrepreneur, Andy Puddicombe, this iconic app makes meditation a breeze with fun, easy-to-digest videos. Dip your toe in the water with the free version or commit for the long-haul with the subscription version. Featuring short, simple meditations in a cute, whimsical style, this iconic, UX-centric app, is a must-try if you want to integrate mindfulness into your day. 02. Calm Pairing picturesque landscapes with tranquil sounds, Calm creates exactly that Platform: Android/iOS Price: Some features free, £35.99 to unlock all (after seven-day trial) With a focus on the natural world, Calm is a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of working life. Chosen as Apple’s App of the Year in 2017, Calm’s serene soundtracks and beautiful location snapshots will help you conjure up a mental ‘safe space’. Featuring music, meditations, masterclasses and sleep-centric exercises, this app is a more nature-focused alternative to Headspace. According to a study by the Center for Humane Technology, Calm is actually the app that leaves users the happiest when rated against other popular downloads. So, take a deep breath, listen to the pitter-patter of rainfall and picture a beautiful sunset in your mind’s eye with the help of Calm. 03. Personal Zen Want to up your inner zen? There’s an app for that Platform: iOS only Price: Free Simple and quirky, Personal Zen is a gamified version of Attention Bias Modification Training (ABMT), which has been shown to help the brain disengage from negative stimuli. Supported by clinical studies, this nifty app redirects your attention towards the positive. Simply trace the path of the friendly sprite through the grass quickly and smoothly – making sure not to let the grumpy sprite divert your focus. If you’re prone to seeing the glass as half empty, this sweet, if somewhat low-fi, app is a breath of fresh air. And the best news? From a quick scan of the stunning visuals on its website, it looks like a design overhaul is in the pipeline. 04. MindFi Short and sweet, MindFi is meditation for those who struggle to sit still Platform: Android/ iOS Price: Some features free, subscription £5.49 a month, £39.99 annual, £174.99 lifetime MindFi Founder Bjorn Lee is on a mission to make us more productive. A self-confessed struggling meditator, the app is designed with fidgeters in mind. Whether you want to slot meditation in on your break, commute, or at a meal, this app, which is designed specifically for ‘busy humans’, aims to make it easy to find time for meditation in your hectic schedule. These short three to five-minute meditation exercises, covering everything from deadline blues to mindful typing, will help you find a moment to breathe. 05. Buddhify Be mindful on the go with this app, which will help you become an app-free meditator Platform: Android/iOS Price: £4.99 Whether you want to get a taste of mindfulness with Meditation 101 or can’t sleep and are looking for some exercises to help you drift off, Buddhify’s colourful meditation wheel makes it simple to pick and choose exercises to suit the situation. Championing people over profit, this husband and wife business has strong values at its heart. Avoiding the subscription model, Buddhify has a one-off cost, meaning it can work out significantly cheaper than some of its subscription-based competitors. If you think of meditation as a bike, then Buddhify is your stabilisers – and the app’s ultimate aim is to make you an app-free independent meditator. Look, no hands! Related articles: 6 ways to get out of your creative rut How to avoid creative burnout Can pro artists achieve mindfulness through art? View the full article

It's been 20 years since US readers took their first trip to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. To celebrate two decades of the fantasy phenomenon, Scholastic has unveiled a new set of black-and-white Harry Potter book covers illustrated by best-selling author and award-winning artist Brian Selznick. 9 top tips for drawing in black and white Announced on Pottermore, the new covers feature scenes and characters from the book depicted in Selznick's signature monochrome style. Fans of the book will instantly spot details such as Harry's Patronus and the Dementors buried in the intricate artwork. Each book is accompanied by jewel-toned typography, topped off with the familiar jagged lightning bolt Harry Potter logo. What makes these covers extra magical is that they make one long continuous image when placed side-by-side. Watch them in action in the video below. "I'm a huge Harry Potter fan (a proud Hufflepuff!) and to be asked to illustrate the 20th anniversary edition covers was an absolute honour", Selznick told Pottermore. "I knew this project came with so much responsibility to the stories, as well as to the readers. I revisited the books and was especially moved by the relationships between the characters in J.K. Rowling's magical world, so I wanted these covers to reflect that." "One of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the process was drawing seven independent covers that would stand on their own, while making sure that they also lined up to create one single satisfying image. It took dozens and dozens of sketches to get it right, and I am thrilled to share my great love for the books with these new illustrations." So is it time to retire your dog-eared copies of the Harry Potter books? If yours are falling apart after so much reading, you only have to wait until 26 June to pick up the new paperback editions. Related articles: Artist illustrates bot-written Harry Potter chapter New Harry potter movie logo uses typography as teasers How to paint a Harry Potter book cover View the full article

This is an extract from A Field Guide to Freelancer Finances, a free book of practical finance tips by designers, developers and FreeAgent. Download your copy here. It took me 13 years of running a business before I finally overcame my fear of finances. In fact, that fear almost prevented me from pursuing the career I wanted. For 13 years I ran an agency with two co-founders, but a few years ago I decided I wanted a better balance between work and life. I decided I wanted to strike out on my own, but 'the numbers' held me back. For years my business partner had looked after the finances. Unfortunately the rows and rows of data in his carefully-crafted spreadsheets completely overwhelmed me; the idea of having to manage all this on my own stopped me dead in my tracks. I know that it is understandable to have the fear I had. But avoiding your business finances can have some real consequences: It's harder to turn away work because you don't know if you can afford to You never feel confident that you've saved enough for upcoming tax bills You don't have a good idea of where you'll be in a few month's time In short, you are out of control, and if you are anything like me that is scary. I overcame my fear once I discovered that spreadsheets weren't the only way to manage my business finances. I now use FreeAgent, and have a completely different outlook on 'the numbers'. Every business decision I make, large or small, is now backed by an awareness of how my business is performing. I also know how much I can expect to earn in the coming months. It is such a relief and it has enabled me to live the life I wanted. Download the full book by clicking on the image When I'm looking at my business finances, I have two big priorities: I want to make confident business decisions, and I want to reduce my worry as much as possible. Here is a quick run-down of some of the key numbers I use to feel confident about my businesses direction. I've used the names of things that you should be able to find in most sets of accounts. 01. Retained profit What it is: The retained profit figure tells you how much money your company would have left if you stopped trading today, sold the company's assets, collected outstanding invoices and paid all its outstanding debts. This is also sometimes called 'retained earnings'. How I use it: For me, freelancing is just as much about saying 'no' as it is saying 'yes'. Using the retained profit figure is the key way that I help myself say no to projects that either don't appeal or are just wrong for my business. It's hard as a freelancer to turn down work if you don't know how much you can expect to come in and out over the next few months. That is why I love this figure. I think of retained profit as my "cushion". If it's at a level that I'm comfortable with, I can decline work or take a break with a lot more confidence. As soon as it starts to dip below a certain level, I know it's time to double my efforts in promoting myself and my services. If you are a director of a limited company like me, retained profit is important for another reason: it tells you how much money you can take out of the company! Your company's retained profit represents the most you could withdraw as a pidend. If the number is negative, you can't withdraw a pidend at all. Here are some of the questions that the retained profit figure can help answer: Can I afford to say 'no' to this project? How much can I take out of the company in pidends? Can I afford to buy that shiny new iPad Pro? Will the business survive if I take a few weeks off work? Things to look out for: The retained profit figure doesn't just include your cash balance, but also any assets that you have invested in. That means that if you just bought a new laptop or other large asset, this figure is assuming that you would sell it at its second-hand value. This confused me for a while as I would never consider selling any of my precious gadgets. 02. Aged debtors report What it is: The aged debtors report tells you how much money you have invoiced, but have not yet collected. The aged debtor report usually groups the amounts in 30 days, and shows the invoices that are aged 30 days past the invoice date, 30 to 60 days, 60 to 90 days, and more than 90 days. How I use it: I use this report to get a quick view of how much money I should expect to come in over the next month or so. This helps me to stop worrying about where my next meal is going to come from. Ideally, there shouldn't be any outstanding unpaid invoices that have turned red in FreeAgent. But if any are lurking around, that's an excellent sign that I should be chasing payment. Here are some of the questions that the aged debtor report can help answer: How much is due to be paid soon? Who should I be chasing for payment? Am I relying on somebody to who might not pay me? Things to look out for: If you are VAT registered, the aged debtor report will show the amount of money owed including VAT, which you'll need to pass on to HMRC, so remember you don't get to keep all that money owed. 03. Pipeline and forecast What it is: My sales pipeline is a prediction of how many new projects or clients I am expecting to have over the next few weeks or months. It is a forecast of how much money I expect these projects will be worth. This is a bit of guesswork, but it gives me an idea of what might be coming in over the following months. How I use it: I use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool called Pipedrive to help me manage my potential clients and pipeline. There are loads of different options available to help you build a pipeline and forecast, from a CRM to a basic spreadsheet. The important thing is to find something that you will stick with and use often. That is because building up a forecast of your revenue is invaluable. I look at my pipeline after I look at the aged debtor report. The aged debtor report tells me how much should be coming in over the next few months. Then I switch to the forecast for an idea of how healthy things are looking over the longer term. Being able to see a bit ahead in the business gives me confidence, and also helps me schedule upcoming work and judge what my workload is likely to be. Here are some of the questions that a sales pipeline and forecast can help answer: How many projects do I have confirmed? What are they worth? How many projects am I waiting to hear back about? How likely are they to happen? Should I spend this morning chasing up projects, or focusing on something else? Are there any cash flow problems coming up in the next few weeks or months? 04. Cash flow What it is: A cash flow report shows you the basic incoming and outgoing money from your business, usually broken down by month. How I use it: Once I feel confident about the future, I have a quick look at the past to see how my cash flow performed for the past few months. You can also forecast cash flow using apps like Float. But for my business, I'm more interested in using cash flow as a simple measure of how I did over the past few months. At a basic level, I should be bringing in more than I spend. A cash flow report is also a good way for me to benchmark how much I need to be earning in any given month. I combine this information with the aged debtor and pipeline reports. This gives me a good idea of how I've been doing and whether I need to make any changes to my plans. Here are some of the questions that a cash flow report can help answer: Am I spending nearly as much as I'm earning? How comfortable am I with the amount of incoming versus outgoing cash? Do I need to do anything to generate more income in the short term? I've got a few planned costs coming up - do I have enough cash in the bank? What is my break even point each month? On average how much do I need to earn? Things to look out for: It's easy to confuse a cash flow report with a profit and loss report, as they both report on incomings and outgoings. Here's the difference between the two. A cash flow report reports on only the money that came in and went out of your bank account(s). A profit and loss account reports on: Money that you have been paid Money that you will earn (invoices that have been issued but not yet paid) Costs that you have incurred (whether or not they have been paid yet) Other costs that may not have been paid in cash, like depreciation of an asset If you want to peer deeper into your business's overall profitability, including outstanding costs and invoices, the profit and loss report is the place to look. 05. Projected tax bill What it is: A tax projection is an up-to-date view of how much money you will owe for your next tax bill. This is a projection of Corporation Tax for limited companies, and Self Assessment income tax for sole traders. It also includes VAT for any VAT-registered businesses. How I use it: I used to hate not knowing how much I owed the tax man. I would dread the annual bill. Fortunately this is where using accounting software helps. I can just look at the tax forecast and know how much I need to pay and when it's due. The tax bill updates as my accounts change, giving me an up-to-date view of how much I need to set aside for the next bill. I'm the kind of person who likes to squirrel away extra money "just in case". Having this number gives me a lot of peace of mind about my business. Here are some of the questions that a cash flow report can help answer: How much should I be setting aside for my tax bill? Can I really afford to buy that iPad Pro when I've got my Corporation Tax bill coming up? (Hint: The answer should always be yes) Making informed decisions Before I overcame my fear of finances, striking out on my own as a freelancer felt like damning myself to a future of worry and apprehension. Now I'm able to make confident, informed decisions about running my business. I'm able to do the work I love with the balance that works for me and my life. Like this? Read these: 9 things nobody tells you about going freelance How to manage your freelance cashflow 8 tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer View the full article

Occlusion shadows help to push the three-dimensional feeling of what you're painting. Look for areas enclosed by surfaces and notice how the shadows are always darker there When doing detailed lighting work I've gotten into the habit of simplifying each step of the painting process as much as possible. Focusing my attention on one aspect at a time helps to not become overwhelmed and almost always results in a much more thorough job. One step in that process is concentrating on occlusion shadows, which occur where surfaces come together. A basic rule of thumb is that wherever areas are closed in by surfaces, shadows will occur. The inside of a mouth or an eye socket for instance will almost always be darker than the top of the nose or the forehead. They're a form of shadows best noticeable when there's no directional light present. So you can paint them on a separate layer without having to worry about the direction of the overall lighting, and then set that layer to Multiply to have it distribute the shadows on the objects below. In my example however, I do have a lighting scheme in mind with directional lights and cast shadows, but these build upon the occlusion shadows rather than replacing them. 01. Start simple  Every good painting starts with a good foundation. In this case it's a quick line drawing that looks very simple, but has all the information in it I need to finish the painting. It shows the placing of all the facial features, but also where the cast shadows will fall and how the back lighting will push the silhouette forward. 02. Use occlusion layer Built upon the previous sketch is the occlusion layer. You'll notice that it's a very bright layer with light greyish tones in it, and the reason for that is that we don't want to overdo the shadows in the image. By keeping this layer light the Multiply layer won't 'burn' my friendly-looking orc character below. 03. Build it up With the occlusion layer in Multiply I paint over the line drawing with larger strokes to erase the big lines while keeping the major volumes. The lines aren't really needed since the layout of the elements is present in the occlusion layer, too. The heavy lifting is now mostly done and all that remains is adding colour and effects. Words: Bram Sels This article originally appeared in ImagineFX issue 128. Like this? Read these! Free Photoshop brushes every creative must have How to create an orc in ZBrush How to create dynamic lighting in Photoshop View the full article

AMD notified users about new available Spectre CPU firmware and Windows 10 patches. View the full article

If you're planning a career working from home as a freelance designer, being well prepared and organised is essential. While you're studying, as well as building up a cracking creative resume, it's important to start integrating yourself into the design industry. There are a number of respected organisations that bring together the leading designers in various fields, as well as offering resources, competitions and networking opportunities to fledgling creatives. Here, we run down seven of the best. 01. AIGA Discounts, resources and plenty of opportunities arise at AIGA As the world's largest professional design association, AIGA has membership options aimed at everyone from students to design leaders. There are AIGA student groups on over 200 college campuses in the USA, each affiliated to a local AIGA chapter, and members get access to loads of resources, opportunities and discounts. 02. D&AD With a free basic membership, D&AD is a good starting point Basic membership of D&AD is free. There's also an education option with pricing aimed at universities. Education benefits include lectures, industry briefings and discounted entry to the New Blood Awards for people aged 18 to 23 – which are open to non-members too. 03. Art Directors Club Students are held up alongside professionals in the ADC awards The organisation behind the annual Young Guns competition has a student membership option for $95, and professionals in the first three years of their career can join for $150. ADC offers loads of networking opportunities both on and offline, and runs annual student awards in the same categories as its professional awards. 04. Association of Illustrators With advice about all aspects of freelancing, the AOI is essential AOI student membership costs £76/year – unless you're studying at an AOI member college, in which case you can get affiliated student membership for £55/year. The AOI provides phone and email advice about all aspects of freelancing, portfolio advice, free accountancy consultations and loads of discounts too. 05. The Type Directors Club Student members of the TDC can get discounted entry to its annual competition The Type Directors Club is dedicated to supporting excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. It runs an annual TDC competition and exhibition, as well as frequent workshops – to which members get discounted entry. The TDC also supports self-managed student groups. There are a number of different membership options (at different prices), but students can pick from a ‘lowercase’ membership for $45/year or an ‘uppercase’ membership for $75/year. 06. Typographic Circle Typographic Circle is great for your networking needs You can become a member of the Typographic Circle if you're studying full-time or graduated in the last year, for an annual fee of just £15. Benefits of joining include networking opportunities, free or reduced-price tickets to members-only events, and discounts from selected sponsors. 07. ISTD You'll need to apply if you want to become a member of the prestigious ISTD The International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) is a not-for-profit professional body run by and for typographers, graphic designers and educators. Graduating students and practicing designers can apply for to become a member by submitting their CV, plus some examples of their typographic work – but those who are accepted will be joining the likes of Wim Crouwel and Erik Spiekermann, so it’s worth the effort. The ISTD also runs an acclaimed assessment scheme in conjunction with universities around the world, with the aim of raising the profile of typography in design education. Related articles: Browse our collection of the best free fonts Get inspired with these portfolio examples The designer's guide to how to start a blog View the full article

The arrival of social media and new digital channels have transformed branding. But when it comes to connecting a brand with customers, there are still fundamental mistakes an art director needs to steer clear of. Here, an expert team of creative directors share their thoughts on what brands should avoid at all costs. 01. Demographics not mindset "You see brands isolating groups of people based on a demographic, whereas actually a huge breadth of people now buy products based on mindset, cutting across all that," says The Future Laboratory's Kirsty Minns. 02. Overuse of 'heritage' Relying on a brand's heritage is lazy, says Minns. "It's better to find something that feels more truthful and appropriate. Being 'authentic' isn't an excuse for not having original ideas." "I wouldn’t call it a mistake exactly, but something that springs to mind is naming our company Purple and spending 25 years explaining why," says Steve Bewick, founding partner and creative director at Purple. "Back in 1993, we were just starting our own branding studio straight out of college. We only had a few clients and lots of time, so spent way too much time thinking about an identity. The idea was that we’d visually bring to life things that aren’t the colour purple – blue rinse hair, pink elephants, greyhounds, red herrings… you get the idea." "I still like the idea, but in retrospect it’s quite complex and wasn’t the most practical. In 2018, we will be embarking on our Purple Creative identity 2.0. Wish us luck!" 03. Global blinkers Studio Sutherland projects include the legendary D&AD Annual "[Despite branding being] so international these days, you always need to be aware of local sensitivities," explains Studio Sutherl&'s Jim Sutherland. "A one-size-fits-all, global look means you're not really understanding the people you're talking to in those countries." Creating a multitude of identities is fraught with its own problems though. "One mistake we made previously was giving the client too many logo options upfront (in the concept phase)," says Rob Berry, creative director at Superrb. "Doing this not only takes more design time, but it can often make things harder if the client wants to take elements from a few ideas and mash them together. Having gone through that experience, we’d now generally recommend selecting the three options you believe to be the best solution. These should vary in style so you can get a clear steer from the client on what they do and don’t like." "We’ve also found it handy to spend time presenting logos across various media, such as business cards, signage, and so on. This really showcases your work and enables clients to visualise your ideas." 04. Bland brands "There's a lot more branding going on than there was perhaps five or ten years ago, but most of it is very bland and uninspiring," says Sutherland. "When I'm judging design competitions, you do wonder why some projects have been entered." "On rare occasions, I haven’t fought hard enough with clients in order to produce brave work," says Troy Wadee, co-founder at Brown & Co. "This has led me to conclude two things. Firstly, consumer research in design is fraught with problems. This is largely because consumers, in my experience, often don’t have the vision to see what you are aiming to achieve with a brand even when you explain it to them; that’s why they’re not designers." "Secondly, to be a leader (which every brand should aim to be) means going where no one has been before and celebrating what makes you unique. Being distinctive in a relevant way is fundamental to long-term brand success and requires an unwavering belief in doing things your way." 05. Cod psychology "One of the problems with people talking about branding is that they talk about the wrong things," says Sutherland. "Like, 'we did it yellow because it reflects positivity.' No, it doesn't. It's yellow." This article was originally published in Computer Arts magazine issue 252. Related articles: 9 embarrassing branding blunders The good, the bad and the WTF of brand apologies 5 tips for achieving brand consistency View the full article

Polypaint in ZBrushCore is a fantastic tool that enables you to add colour and textures to your model when you're creating 3D art. The best thing about Polypaint is that you don't need to have a geometry with UVs to be able to paint, because you're actually painting the polygons (or vertex) of your mesh. 10 ways to improve your human anatomy modelling The best 3D modelling software Since Polypaint adds colour to the actual geometry, the resolution (density) of your mesh will play a huge part in the quality of your painted strokes. If you start painting on a model and notice that the painted colour has a jagged edge, then you need to subdivide your mesh or increase the Dynamesh resolution before continuing. The density or subdivisions of your model needs to be determined at the beginning of the Polypaint process, because subdividing a mesh after painting in a low resolution won't improve or fixed 'pixelated' lines. Choosing the SkinShade material is one of the best options when Polypainting. Other materials like GrayMatcap or RedWax are great for sculpting, but not ideal for displaying true colours when Polypainting. 01. Paint a sculpture You can select specific RGB colours using the sliders within the colour palette To start painting in ZBrushCore all you need to do is have a sculpture ready (or a sphere, for instance, if you just want to practise some painting techniques), then select the Paint brush from the bottom of the UI and begin painting. Use the colour palette to choose a colour to paint with: the square (in the Color dialog) on the right is your main colour and the one on the left is your secondary colour. You can press V to switch between them. 02. Choose your painting brushes Try other Alphas such as Color Spray with the Spray stroke to create interesting patterns In the same way we customise sculpting brushes, we can modify painting brushes. With the Paint Brush selected, change the Stroke to Color Spray from the Stroke thumbnail and select Alpha 22 from the Alpha thumbnail. Now, when you paint the brush will act as a spray can, which is ideal for creating skin textures. You can also reduce the value of RGB intensity, using the slider at the top of the UI, to add more variations. 03. Any brush can paint Press C to sample a colour from your artwork, using your mouse pointer Note that you're not limited to the paint brush – most of ZBrushCore's sculpting brushes can act as paint brushes, too. Select the ClayBuild Up, and at the top of the UI switch off Zadd and turn on RGB. This will disable sculpting and enable painting. The rest of the brush's characteristics will still be active, so you can develop a sketch effect with the square alpha, for instance. 04. Workflow advice Focal shift changes your brush’s properties, from soft edges to hard edges A good rule of thumb when painting is to start with a base colour, select a colour and then click FillObject from the Color palette. Now select your paint brush and reduce the RGB intensity to 50. Select a darker variation of your base colour and start to paint with it. Choose a different colour and repeat this process, with RGB intensity at 50 (or lower), and then use FillObject to unify all of your colours. 05. Texture details You can create complex Alphas and use the DragRect tool to apply intricate colour patterns Using masks with PolyPaint will help you to achieve interesting textures on your model. Mask a few points on your mesh and blur the mask, invert it and then paint the unmasked points. Now invert the mask again and sharpen it a couple of times, invert it again and paint the unmasked areas. This process will give you a visually complex effect in just a couple of easy steps. This article was originally published in issue 157 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 157 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: How to sculpt a character in VR The best 3D modelling software 2018 Where to find free textures for 3D projects View the full article

Thanks to the internet, age or location doesn't mean much for a graphic designer anymore. In fact, most creatives don't mention their age in their design portfolio, and work with clients far from their hometown. So it's always a delight when you're blown away by someone's work and realise they're fresh out of school. As the co-founder of Semplice, a portfolio system for designers, I see creative portfolios and fresh design talent every day. Below are just a few of my favourite portfolios from exciting new designers – some are self-taught, some still working toward their degree, others a few years into their design careers. 01. Ana Realmuto Realmuto's About page hits all the right notes Ana Realmuto's portfolio features branding, web design and social media content for clients like Jameson Whiskey and Wristology Watches. But my favourite part is her About page with its hilarious baby photos – a unique and memorable personal touch. (To be clear, Ana graduated from college in 2015 and is older than these baby photos portray.) About pages can make or break a portfolio, and Realmuto's page hits all the right points. 02. Jakub Had Had has packed a lot of great work into a few short years At 20 years old, Jakub Had has more experience than a lot of designers that are many years his senior. His portfolio features print, product and UI design projects for clients like Budweiser, Charles IV app and Swissionare. I only wish it included case studies detailing his project stories, as case studies are crucial to understanding who a designer is and how they think. But it is clear from Had's portfolio that he believes simplicity is key. 03. Lucas Berghoef An unsolicited redesign for FKA Twigs shows off Berghoef's skills Lucas Berghoef's portfolio features a carefully selected range of projects, each designed like a magazine spread with artistic layouts and full-screen images. As a 2018 college graduate, it's fitting for Berghoef to share a class project or two, like his unsolicited visual identity for artist FKA Twigs. This project is polished and detailed enough to feel like client work, showing what Berghoef can do given full creative freedom. Unsolicited designs are a great way to showcase your skill as a young designer, however I recommend against including more than one or two. Berghoef's portfolio strikes the perfect balance. For more tips for brand new designers, take a look at our article on how to start building up your design portfolio. 04. Liz Wells Wells' case studies are exemplary Liz Wells graduated with a design degree in 2015. Between then and now, her work's been recognized by The Webbys, Awwwards, FWA, Communication Arts, Cannes Lions, The One Show's Young Gun awards and D&AD, to name a few. Wells' portfolio case studies are exemplary, especially given the added challenge of showcasing her conceptual user experience work. Each case study uses video, photos, notes and sketches to bring projects for clients like Google, Spotify and VICELAND to life. Read more about writing great case studies like Wells' right here. 05. Jason Yuan Yuan's custom grid helps his work shine Jason Yuan is a graphic and UX designer pursuing a BFA at RISD. He received attention across the internet for his unsolicited Apple Music redesign after the company rejected him for an internship. Interestingly enough, his portfolio now boasts a 2018 internship at Apple. A lovely custom grid showcases his personal and professional work, including a poster design page I've browsed more than once. 06. Petra Sitaru Sitaru uses her portfolio as a landing page, showing a light overview of her work Petra Sitaru uses her portfolio as a landing page of sorts, with offshoots to her Behance projects and social accounts. It's a light overview of her whimsical design and illustration work, an approach that could work well for designers on the job hunt wanting to quickly curate their work for each application. 07. Daniel Barkle Barkle's strong visuals and animations keep the visitor engaged Daniel Barkle's portfolio dazzles with so many engaging visuals and animations you don't realise how far you've scrolled down his project pages. An emoji cursor, full-screen navigation and snappy page transitions (plus an entire section entitled 'Play') do as much to reveal his personality as his personable case studies do. Barkle graduated from college in 2015 and given the work he's done so far, I can't wait to see more. 08. Katja Alissa Mueller Mueller's folio is clean and streamlined Katja Mueller's portfolio leads with a simple project grid showcasing her range of skills, from graphic design to art direction to project management. Her case study pages are equally streamlined with clean layouts and large visuals of her work. Since receiving her design degree in 2015, Katja's created work for clients like adidas, Saatchi & Saatchi and Victoria Beckham. Read more: How to curate a creative portfolio 5 quick and easy ways to fix your portfolio 7 organisations design students need to know View the full article

It’s easy for front-end developers to feel overwhelmed these days. What should you learn next? Which framework is going to take off? There are no absolute answers, of course, but if full-stack developer Wes Bos creates a course on a new technology, it’s safe to say it has matured enough for you to be able to pick it up and not waste your time on it. The latest one is CSS Grid, a free video course that more than 35,000 people signed up to in the first week alone. This new course took Wes around two and a half months of full-time work to build, requiring a lot of upfront investment so he could understand and explain it comfortably. To pay for this massive investment, Mozilla came on board as a sponsor and in exchange Wes used Firefox Devtools to demonstrate to viewers how they work and how effective they are when it comes to CSS Grid. Clearly Wes’s courses are learning by doing at its best. Yet he says he’s actually a very slow learner himself. “It might seem like I can just consume anything and understand it,” he laughs. “But the only thing I can attribute my understanding to is just pushing through those harder points and sheer time. I have a big chunk of my day dedicated to learning new skills, which is extremely lucky. That’s why it seems like I’m always a bit ahead of the curve.” Photography: Jenna Bos, Bear and Sparrow Photography That was also the thinking behind JavaScript30, a free 30-day JavaScript coding challenge, which teaches vanilla JavaScript without frameworks, libraries, compilers or boilerplates. People were always asking Wes how they could learn faster and improve their skills. “My advice is always that you need to build 1,000 things,” he suggests. “It’s going to take some time, you need to actually put in the work, but once you get through those 1,000 things, I can guarantee you’re going to be a lot better. The JavaScript30 are your first 30 of 1,000 things to get you rolling.” But Wes recognises it's not that easy to get started: even he hated JavaScript initially. “I very clearly remember being extremely frustrated with jQuery,” he sighs. “It just breaks, so there’s a possibility you waste four hours not getting anywhere. "I see that all the time. Often I get nasty emails from people, and a couple of hours later they apologise. You just get that rage blindness of how hard it is to learn. I hated it for a long time, and there was no ‘aha’ moment for me. I just kept at it and slowly but surely, over the course of three or four years, it started to get a little bit easier and I became more confident.” His style of teaching has clearly tapped into a need. Around 220,000 people have taken at least one of Wes’s courses. Often they enjoy them so much that they're willing to pay for others – such as ES6 for Everyone, React for Beginners and Learn Node. And now he regularly receives emails from people telling him he changed their lives. Photography: Jenna Bos, Bear and Sparrow Photography “It’s really weird, you don’t expect it,” he enthuses. “At the end of the day I’m just some guy recording my screen, but somebody emailed me recently saying they went through a bunch of my courses and got a C$15,000 raise from their boss [around £8,600], which is life-changing for a lot of people. "Obviously, I’m not going to attribute just my courses to it – these people are self-starters – but they said that my courses played a large role in them either getting raises or jobs. They also said that I’ve reignited their love for web development. There’s a lot of burnout in our industry, people get sick of it after a while, and need to continually update their skills. I want my courses to be fun and remind people of that little spark they experienced when they first started learning and worked things out.” At Generate New York, Wes is going to talk about new things coming to JavaScript that will make web development much easier and more enjoyable, while his workshop will be an introduction to React. “It will start you from the ground up and explain all the different React concepts,” Wes describes. “You’ll leave being able to build an application that fetches data from an API that is routed on the client side and pulls in your CSS.” An advanced React online course that will focus on GraphQL is also in the pipeline, as is a course on Visual Studio Code. In addition Wes has been trying to figure out how to teach the basics of JavaScript and CSS from scratch. “A lot of people tell me they can’t take my courses because they don’t understand the initial part of JavaScript,” he explains. “I’d like to work out how I can teach those things in a really nice way. It’s such a huge topic.” Clearly the Bos Monster may still just be at the beginning. This article was originally published in issue 305 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 305 or subscribe to net. Want to pick up more JavaScript tips courtesy of Wes Bos? Wes Bos is giving his talk What’s New In JavaScript? at Generate New York from 25 - 27 April 2018 Wes Bos is a full-stack JavaScript developer, speaker and teacher from Canada. He works as an independent web developer and is a lead instructor at HackerYou and Ladies Learning Code. Wes is the author of Sublime Text Power User, and the creator of React For Beginners, Flexbox.io, Command Line Power User and hundreds of YouTube tutorials. In his talk at Generate New York from 25-27 April 2018, Wes will cover some of the best things that are brand new to JavaScript as well as things that we can look forward to in the coming months and years. Strap yourself in for a fast-pace talk full of hot tips as we rocket ourselves into the future of JavaScript. Generate New York takes place from 25-27 April 2018. Get your ticket now. Related articles: 5 essential JavaScript tools for 2018 12 common JavaScript questions answered 21 top examples of JavaScript View the full article

Freelance life can be hugely rewarding. Get it right, and you can balance greater freedom with a healthier work-life balance and a better day rate. What's not to like? Well, as any freelancer will tell you, the lifestyle can also bring its fair share of worries. Not only are you responsible for bringing every piece of work in, and juggling your own time and resources to get it all done – but you also have to worry about financial hurdles such as taxes, out-of-pocket expenses and that all-too-common bugbear, late-paying clients. Work can come in peaks and troughs. And even if you've been solidly busy for weeks you can end up short of cash while those unpaid invoices are being processed. A common piece of advice is to bank three months' salary before taking the plunge: that buffer can be invaluable in the first year. But even established freelancers can be hit by fallow periods, and you might end up eating through your savings pot quicker than you'd like. Sound familiar? Read on for six handy ways to solve your freelance cashflow woes... 01. Set up a zero-sum budget Household budgets are flexible by necessity. Unexpected expenses can crop up at any time, and no one wants to have their lifestyle dictated by a spreadsheet. But at least when you're employed, a pay cheque comes in like clockwork. When you're a sole trader, business and personal finances tend to merge, whether you like it or not. Even if you have separate bank accounts, if a client doesn't pay on time then you might have to cancel that holiday. One way of maximising your money during peak periods is to adopt a 'zero-sum' budget. This effectively means all the money in the bank is accounted for, and you return to zero at the start of the next month – on paper, at least – rather than having extra money sitting in the account ready to be spent. The first step is to track all your expenses, as accurately as you can, for three months. While fixed expenses such as rent/mortgage, utilities and so on are easy to predict, it's the flexible expenses that are more unpredictable – and more easily cut. Once you've found an average of your monthly expenses, measure that figure against your average revenue – then you can set a budget. In addition to all your normal day-to-day expenses, allocate a fixed amount for longer-term savings, and another fixed amount for short-term savings than can also contribute towards unexpected small costs. 02. Watch your flexible spending Tracking your flexible costs is a useful exercise in more ways than one: if the security of a regular monthly income meant you didn't worry too much about non-essentials and luxuries, you may actually be surprised how much you spent on certain things. You might also be surprised how easily you can cut them back if you really need to, with a little self-discipline. If you work from home, it's easier to cut back on things like lunches out, drinks after work and expensive morning coffees, not to mention commuting costs. Grocery shopping is a lot more efficient if you plan in advance and buy in bulk with a week or so's worth of meals in mind. And get in the habit of comparison shopping and negotiating wherever you can for things like phone, broadband and TV. There are always ways to shave money off your monthly outgoings. 03. Know what's tax deductible As a freelancer, a surprising amount of things can be offset against tax – almost anything you require to do your job, in fact. This can include advertising, travel, mileage, furniture, hardware, software, insurance and much more. Even if something is partly for personal use, you can divide it appropriately and deduct the business portion. If you run a home office, for instance, monthly payments such as mortgage interest, rent and utilities are partially tax-deductible. However, if cashflow is tight, then beware of using an item's 'tax deductible' status as an excuse for purchasing it when it's not entirely necessary. Before making the purchase, make an impartial assessment of whether you need it for your business right now, or if it can wait until your finances are healthier. 04. Get your taxes in order Filing the annual tax return is a major headache for any self-employed professional, but putting it off until the last minute will not only stress you out – it could also cost you more than you should be paying. Missing the tax return deadline entirely will incur penalties, but even if you make it, hurriedly pulling your expenses together from a stack of loose receipts means you're likely to miss something. Once the tax year is over, there's no reason not to file your tax return right away so you know exactly how much you owe, and can budget for it. It also gives you plenty of time to check and double-check your expenses. Freelancer-focused accounting software such as FreeAgent or Solo can help you stay on top of things, but it's good advice to put aside the necessary percentage of every invoice that's paid, and treat it as untouchable unless you absolutely have to. Don't be left with an insurmountable tax bill down the line. 05. Have a longer-term goal in mind This may seem academic in a month when you're hand-to-mouth, but having a long-term plan for your surplus income during the year – whether it's paying off debt more quickly, your kids' college fund, topping up your pension, or a nice family holiday – will help you ring-fence surplus cash. A useful rule of thumb is to aim to live on 50 per cent of your income. That's the fixed, bare-minimum cost of living if all non-necessities are stripped away. If another 30 per cent covers flexible expenses, that leaves 20 per cent for long-term savings. Ultimately, it's about getting out of a feast-and-famine mindset. Figuring a specific target into a zero-sum budget is one way of ring-fencing extra money each month, and if you pay it straight into a separate account before you figure in the flexible expenses, it's easier to adjust them. While any money you can allocate for these types of goals is less essential to replenish than your tax fund, if and when you do need to dip into your savings, there's more incentive to top them back up if they serve a greater purpose. 06. Increase your freelance rates No matter how disciplined you are with your savings, if you're simply not earning enough to hit those ideal 50-30-20 margins over the year then there's only so much you can do to trim back your flexible costs. If you don't have enough work coming in, you may need to take a hit upfront and spend money to make money – on things like carefully targeted self-promotion and marketing. But if you're not short of work and still can't make ends meet, it may be time to take a look at your rates. Are you charging enough for what you offer, and are underselling yourself compared to standard industry rates? Look out for salary surveys in the design press, or just be upfront with freelance peers and ask for advice about day rates. If you've been working with a client for a while with an impeccable track record, there's no harm in trying negotiate a better rate if you approach it in the right way. Don't beg, or be overly demanding – be clear, confident and upfront about why your experience is worth more. Even a relatively small change to a day rate can make a big difference over the year. Related articles: 8 simple productivity tools for designers 6 biggest design movements of the millennium so far 8 tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer View the full article

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Watch a film and you're an observer. But play a game and you're a participant. For Raphael Lacoste, art director of Ubisoft's hugely popular Assassin's Creed franchise, this is an important distinction. Growing up in the 80s, Raphael played games like Pitfall, Another World and Rick Dangerous, a platformer inspired by Indiana Jones. But even then, Raphael looked past point-scoring, beating the boss and completing the levels. He was interested in the story. 20 best designs in video games "It's funny to remember that visual quality at this time wasn't a big issue," the Frenchman says, "because our imagination was taking over. The rendering was really abstract, but the experience was still immersive." Later on, Tomb Raider – the boss level in particular – scared him. Playing Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Abe's Oddysee changed something in the young man. Again, he felt "immersed in the game experience." Franchise art director Raphael Lacoste shows the entrance to the city of Thebes Raphael says: "If you watch a movie then you're moved and transported by the characters and their story – you enter their world – but for the most part you receive information. You're just a spectator. In contrast, playing games makes you more proactive and gives you that feeling that you're playing your own story. "If you're putting yourself in danger, you can feel this stress. You escape, hide and find your own strategy. What I love the most is to be able to freely explore an immersive world, through the vector of the hero that you occupy. Video games can literally take you into another dimension." Why recreate reality? Alexandria's bloody history is reimagined here by senior concept artist Gilles Beloeil At school, Raphael was never much of a student. "Instructions were never, and still aren't, part of my priorities." He preferred to stare out of the window, wander about outside, or draw. Yet even then, he wasn't interested in copying the world around him. Instead, he wanted to create brand new worlds. "Why recreate reality? It surrounds us. It's sometimes beautiful, sometimes disturbing. Reality can drive us to feel complex emotions and have deep thoughts. But I love to reconstruct reality in order to create new environments that push us to wonder, and allow us to escape. "I like to blend cultures and landscapes, often exotic ones, to create something new, something different. What could an Icelandic landscape combined with the architecture of the ancient city of Petra look like? Or imaginary castles that defy gravity on a background of exaggerated Norwegian mountain peaks? My objective is to create fantastic worlds of what could have been." Creative upbringing No game set in ancient Egypt would be complete without the Great Pyramids, seen here in silhouette in Raphael Lacoste's artwork Raphael studied at Bordeaux's School of Fine Arts and Decorative Arts, and worked as a photographer and set designer at a theatre company. He enjoyed the work, but it didn't pay much. In 1997, his dad – who also played games with Raphael and taught him photography – bought him a computer. He learned 3ds Max, created his first demo piece, and built up a portfolio. He received a diploma from what's now called the ENJMIN Institute of Game Design, then secured a job as an environment designer at Kalisto Entertainment,. Kalisto went bankrupt in 2002, but then Ubisoft called and Raphael took the company up on its offer. He moved to Montreal, Canada and became an art director at the games publisher. Raphael now works as the brand art director on the Assassin's Creed franchise. In October 2017 Ubisoft released the tenth instalment of the game, Assassin's Creed Origins. Senior art designer Vincent Gaigneux worked on lead character Bayek, a member of the Medjay Raphael's job changes as a game goes through its many development stages. At first, he and the team focus on research, doing their "homework": lots of concept art, sketching, drawing and painting. "It's the most creative time, artistically," says Raphael, "and also a quiet period." The team explores specific time periods and locations. They try to find "an interesting pivotal moment of history." It has to be something exciting, with a bit of mystery to it, an "inspirational playground" for both player and developer. Once that's in place, they define some set pieces, work up illustrations to "sell" the chosen world and characters, and then start thinking about a hero. These first month are full of creative freedom. Anything could happen. The game could go anywhere. Raphael finds the blank page both stressful and thrilling. He's happy to try things, let them fail, then begin again. But at some point, the game must become something real. They need have a setting, artwork and gameplay prototype in place to sell the idea to headquarters. Martin Deschambault works up a storyboard, as the team attempts to transform a good idea into a great game The team throws in the overall game and level design with story and art to make the first playable version of the game. "This is where fights can happen," Raphael says. "It's both a challenging and crucial period. I spend more time in meetings than working with the illustrators." Now Raphael goes from team to team and makes sure that the "original benchmarks and visual standard" are followed throughout. To join his team, you need a good mix of skills: "They need to have interest in the game and have excellent skills in environment design and composition, but also storytelling. Our levels are complex to create as they blend historical context, fantasy, gameplay interactivity, and need to be epic and memorable." Departing – and returning Martin Deschambault's Bayek strikes an iconic pose In February 2007, Raphael finished work on the first Assassin's Creed and decided to leave the game's industry. "I felt that I needed new challenges," he says, "I wanted to learn new things." He went to work at visual effects firm Rodeo FX, a small company at that time, creating matte paintings and concept art for Death Race, Terminator Salvation, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. "The film industry is older than the video game industry," says Raphael. "I learned a lot at Rodeo, like mastering image composition, rendering, technical skills in Photoshop and even working in 3D software. I still use what I learned there now. But I felt that my job as a matte painter for film was a little too technical, less creative." You watch a movie, but you play a game: "So I decided to come back." This article was originally published in issue 157 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 157 or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: How to create stylised game artwork 10 best video game character designs How to create a video game character in ZBrush View the full article

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Today sees the launch of one of the biggest CorelDRAW updates. Meet CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018, the latest version of Corel's industry-leading graphic design software. Building on feedback from the CorelDRAW community, the release is geared towards workflow enhancements to help creatives realise their visions faster. Packed with new design and photo-editing capabilities, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018 promises to make it easier for users to create large format prints, online graphics and everything in between. Photoshop CC 2018 review “No matter your industry or background, everyone working with graphics has the same essential wish list. How can I design without boundaries, deliver a final product that will make an impact, and of course, do it all on deadline?” says John Falsetto, senior director of products, CorelDRAW and Productivity. “For our 2018 version, we worked closely with the CorelDRAW community to find this ideal balance of possibility and practicality. The new Symmetry mode brings a sense of fun and wonder, enabling you to experiment and draw spectacular images in minutes; while a simpler and smarter approach to design fundamentals, like working with nodes and images, ensures every project is completed on time and on budget." "The end result is a powerful suite that supports your workflow from inspiration to flawless output.” As you can see from the video above, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018 is all about empowering creativity. In terms of tools and features, this means that users can now create images and assets that may have previously felt challenging to achieve. Take the new drawing tools for starters. With Symmetry Drawing mode, users can turn simple drawings into an array of symmetrical designs in real time. Complex, kaleidoscopic graphics can be automated with this tool, giving creatives time to get back to more engaging work. On top of this, the new perspective effect quickly creates the illusion of depth for bitmaps and vector objects. This is backed up by an upgraded Impact tool that can add movement or focus to an element in a drawing. Other drawing upgrades include an enhancement of Corel's revolutionary LiveSketch tool. With improved precision, users can now draw as naturally on a computer as with pen on paper. Pen and stylus device support means that users can also use pressure to vary the size of an eraser nib; link the tilt and bearing to flatness and rotation; and flip the stylus or pen to activate the Eraser tool. What's more, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018 supports the Microsoft Surface Dial. Turn simple drawings into beautiful patterns with symmetry drawing mode It's not just good news for digital illustrators, though. A host of photography tools make it easy to edit captured images. Rotations tools and perspective correction tools allow users to quickly correct their snaps, while the new AfterShot 3 HDR tool gives creatives the chance to make professional-grade, non-destructive corrections to RAW or JPEG photos. The 5 best laptops for photo editing Meanwhile the new publish to WordPress tool enables users to send work directly to a WordPress media library. And thanks to the project timer you get to organise bills and deadlines in a non-intrusive way. Completing the release is a raft of images, including 10,000 clipart and digital images; 2,000 high-resolution digital photos; over 1,000 fonts; 350 professionally designed templates; 2,000 vehicle templates; over 500 interactive frames and photo frames; and over 600 fountain, vector and bitmap fills. If you're thinking of checking out CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018, the good news is there are two ways to buy it. You can either sign up for an annual subscription of $198 / £199.99, or upgrade your existing program for $99/ £109.99 a year. Alternatively, you can buy the full version for $499 / £599, or upgrade for $199 / £299.99 (excludes NFR, OEM, and Academic versions). For a full list of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2018's tools and features, and details of how to buy it, head over to the CorelDRAW site. Related articles: The best laptops for graphic design 2018 Create portrait art in Corel Painter This intelligent drawing tool will change the way designers work View the full article

A new episode of The Simpsons has addressed claims that its Indian character Apu is a racial stereotype. Convenience store owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has been part of the animation series since 1990, and is voiced by a white actor (Hank Azaria) who puts on an Indian accent. During the episode, which aired on 9 April, Lisa and Marge address the accusations – but some viewers have found the response insufficient. In 'No Good Read Goes Unpunished’, Marge and Lisa indirectly discuss the controversy around the characterisation. During the episode, Marge reads Lisa her "favourite book ever” but is aghast to find that it’s full of racial commentary and stereotypes. She changes the story to make it politically correct, but Lisa objects. “Well, what am I supposed to do?” Marge asks. Lisa turns and talks directly to the camera: "It's hard to say. Something that started a long time ago decades ago, that was applauded and was inoffensive, is now politically incorrect. What can you do?" The camera then pans to a photograph of Apu on Lias’s bedside table, which is signed: "Don't have a cow - Apu". Marge response, saying: ”Some things will be dealt with at a later date.” "If at all," adds Lisa, with the pair staring directly at the camera. The Problem with Apu Last year, comedian Hari Kondabolu criticised the character for propagating stereotypes of South Asians stereotypes in a feature-length comedic cultural exposé, The Problem with Apu. In an interview with the BBC, Kondabolu explained that the character was problematic because he’s defined by his job and how many children he has in his arranged marriage. Kondabolu was among the first to respond to Sunday’s episode, labelling the scene “sad”. He continued: “I used Apu & The Simpsons as an entry point into a larger conversation about the representation of marginalized groups & why this is important. The Simpsons response tonight is not a jab at me, but at what many of us consider progress.” Other people have highlighted the irony of Lisa delivering the lines. However, others have pointed out that most of the characters in The Simpsons are parodies and based on stereotypes. The debate raises questions about representation for character designers, and opens a larger conversation about the characterisation of marginalised groups. The makers have not commented publicly. Related articles: 20 top character design tips View the full article

Every gamer has dreamed of making their very own game. If. you're ready to turn that dream into a reality, then you need to enrol at the School of Game Design. You can get lifetime access to this incredible resource for aspiring game designers on sale now for 99 per cent off the retail price. The School of Game Design is a great resource for gamers of any and all skill levels. Whether you're just learning how to translate your love of games to your own designs or you're a programmer looking to get into gaming, this resource is for you. It's packed with more than 120 hours of step-by-step instruction that will teach you the skills you need to make your game ideas come to life. These courses will teach you the coding languages and frameworks you need to know, animation and modeling techniques, and much more. This bundle is valued at $5,999, but you can get it for just $59 (approx. £42). That’s 99 per cent off the retail price for access to lessons that could set you on a new career course, so grab it today. Related articles: How neuroscience and UX impacts video game design 20 best designs in video games Level up game characters with Creative Assembly View the full article

The thought of standing on stage and talking to a packed auditorium might make you want to dry-heave in the corner. But public speaking can be one of the most effective tools for self-promotion in a designer's armoury, instantly giving you credibility as an expert and supercharging word-of-mouth about your services. However, the skills involved in public speaking are just as valuable off-stage. Being able to talk confidently about your work in any situation – while pitching, during an interview, over a beer – is a fundamental design skill that differentiates the good from the exceptional. It's a key part of how to network as a creative. So what are the golden rules of presenting your work? How can you blow the minds of your audience – or at least keep them interested for 45 minutes? And what if it all goes wrong? Read on to find out how some of the industry's finest creatives have tackled nerves and technology meltdowns to shine as speakers, both on and off the stage. 01. Have a story and an opinion Illustration: "There's no replacement for having a great story to tell – and telling it well," says Tony Brook, co-founder of top design studio Spin. A portfolio walkthrough, alone, simply doesn't cut it. Audiences increasingly expect a reward, or a trade-off – something 'extra' – for their time. "The 'I did this' followed by 'then I did this' portfolio review, even for the best designers, is dull," adds Brook. "People want to be entertained and inspired. They want insights and to feel they've learned something. They want to know what your opinion is and why; what you're about – things that people can relate to and connect with." 02. Share the lows as well as the highs "The worst talks I've seen are the ones that are just self-promotion," agrees New York City-based artist Jon Burgerman. He's been invited to speak at events around the world and has chalked up many hours as an attendee as well. "If we, the audience, wanted to just see your portfolio we'd go on your website. I don't want to be marketed to. I want to learn what I don't already know about your work, life, process." "Tell me about the failures, mistakes, and ups and downs. I guess the big rule is: don't be boring." 03. Put the audience first This is perhaps the most basic golden rule – but it's often the easiest to forget. Who are your audience? What are their expectations? Are you delivering on these? "There are differences in talking to graphic design students and seasoned professionals from a broader creative background," says Jan Wilker of progressive design studio Karlssonwilker. Make sure you talk is pitched at the right level for your listeners. 04. Put your talk into a cultural context Jan Wilker plays a quick round of cross-Atlantic Mr and Mr with studio co-fouder Hjalti Karlsson, pictured on screen at AGI Open London Remember also that humour can be tough to translate. "The biggest difference for me is the culture that I'll encounter in a specific part of the world. A lot of our work plays with culturally learned expectations, visually and logically, so there are certain projects I wouldn't present," says Wilker. "When there are translators at the venue, I always check the references I want to make and the context I want to present a project in. Word-plays are often a no-no." 05. Identify the beginning and the end "Something [Pentagram partner] Michael Bierut told me once is: if you know where you're starting and where you're ending, you can draw the through line," Pentagram partner Emily Oberman explains. "I design a talk like that, and then thread stories in-between them." 06. Don't have more than five key points Two animated New Yorker covers by illustrator Christophe Niemann Berlin-based illustrator and author Christoph Niemann suggests breaking down the storytelling element even further. "This comes from me suffering through a lot of design conferences," he laughs. "Eventually I realised that even if it's the greatest, most insightful talk ever, I could remember a maximum of five images and three points. I was watching people I really admire and realised they're essentially delivering those points." The rest is down to storytelling – leading the audience to and from those points to keep them engaged. 07. Be brutal with your edits Niemann advises fighting the urge to mention every single detail of every project you've been involved in. "You tend to think, 'Oh, I also did the letterhead and also the business card'." "Of course it all matters to you as a designer, but for the attending audience it just drowns out everything you really want to say," he explains. "Once you know you have these three or four images, it makes it a lot easier to edit your presentation." 08. Never teach designers to design "The best proposals are the ones where the speaker is going to show work, demonstrate or teach something. Proposals that say the session is going to talk about how to be a better designer but then show hardly any work – or bland slides – often fall flat," adds Niemann. "Why? An attendee has paid to go to an event. I've seen the audience turn off when told how they should design. It's as if they're saying: 'What qualifies you, the speaker, to tell me I should do it a certain way?' But if the speaker has an impressive body of work, it immediately qualifies them." 09. Work on your delivery Illustration: Tomas Fryscak Great content aside, the real power of a presentation – whether you're speaking to a 3,000-strong theatre crowd or a client across the table – lies in your delivery of the material. Sincerity and authenticity are crucial if you want to make a genuine connection with your audience. "Does the speaker engage with the audience? Do they feel relaxed? Do they know what they're talking about and appear passionate? These are the things whizzing around my head whenever I'm watching presentations," says John Davey, founder of design and technology conference Reasons to be Creative. Next page: 9 more pro tips for being a better speaker 10. Avoid reading a script word-for-word Of course, engaging an audience is far easier said than done. There's debate as to the best way to deliver a presentation. Some design slides to outline the parameters and then speak off-the-cuff; others memorise a speech, practising until it flows naturally. Most agree that reading a script word-for-word usually sounds stilted and awkward. To help work in a bit of spontaneity without losing the structure of your talk, Tony Brook recommends using keywords as prompts, while Niemann tends to remember which points he wants to deliver with which image. 11. Don't rush it Rod Hunt's Multix Personal Utility Vehicle advertising campaign For award-winning illustrator and regular lecturer Rod Hunt, the key is not to rush the delivery: "Face the audience, speak up and project yourself. Also, try to take natural pauses," he advises. Also, fight the urge to hide behind the lectern. "I prefer to use a radio mic and progress the visuals with a remote so I can walk the stage," he adds. Niemann agrees: "People have a tendency to talk too much when they're nervous. Public speaking helps you learn to say less, which makes for a stronger delivery." 12. Connect with your audience Whatever your method, the ultimate aim is to connect with your audience – and this, in particular, is where all designers can learn from the best public speakers. "When I do a presentation, I grossly over-prepare," says Niemann, who was first invited to talk by AGI after emigrating to New York from his native Germany, and was nervous about his English. "Being comfortable with an audience, on stage, is really important in terms of speaking to a client," adds Oberman. "You have to understand and care about the content, be able to answer questions effectively, think about something differently and respond to what you're getting from your audience, whether they're sitting in the dark in a lecture theatre or on the other end of a table in a pitch situation or client meeting." 13. Overcome nerves with practice Sagmeister & Walsh's animated identity for cloud software brand Fugue Nerves and anxiety are two of the fastest ways to undermine any presentation – or destroy an interview – so what's the best way to overcome them? Again, there's simply no substitute for solid preparation and practice. "Practice is everything," admits Jessica Walsh, partner at New York design firm Sagmeister & Walsh. "I started out speaking to smaller audiences before going to larger conferences and speaking in front of thousands of people. This helped me test out what people responded to and also helped me gain confidence." 14. Invest in the right tech On the technical side, Niemann recommends the Presenter Display in Apple's Keynote software. This enables you to see your current slide as well as the next one, plus your notes and a timer. "I've never needed my notes, but knowing they're there is really fantastic," he says. "Handwritten notes only work if you change them as you talk – but I'm focusing on what I say. And all it breaks down if you've forgotten to shuffle your cards. Then everything's lost." 15. Have mulitple backups The Story of my App: Christophe Niemann's visual essay for the New Yorker, describing the challenges of making interactive app, Petting Zoo The best advice is to prepare for any situation that might go wrong. Always have at least one backup of your presentation; email your talk to the organisers in advance; do a practice run to test for potential projector or lighting problems; and double-check the quality of your images and videos. If something isn't working, give yourself time to change it. "I bring everything," Niemann laughs. "Even if the people at the venue tell me they have every adaptor, I bring it nonetheless." 16. Approach it like a design problem Finally, if it all goes wrong on the day, just stay calm. After all, the biggest secret – says Niemann – is that nobody was born talented at speaking. "It's just a lot of practice," he smiles. "That, and seeing your presentation as a piece of design. Once you tackle it as a design problem, it's actually not that hard. It just takes time." This advice first appeared in Computer Arts magazine. Subscribe here. Liked this? 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American Express is one of the most instantly recognisable logo designs in the world. Yes, the fact that it has the company's name in big bold letters on it helps, but that iconic little blue box has become a symbol synonymous with AMEX. In fact, it's done its job so well since its inception in 1975 that it's remained the same ever since. Until now. For the first time in 37 years, AMEX has refreshed its visual identity, the design coming from Pentagram's Abbott Miller. But why now? AMEX has refreshed its visual identity for the first time in 37 years The refresh comes as part of the company's new global marketing campaign called 'Powerful Backing: Don’t Do Business / Don’t Live Life Without It', which focuses on how deeply intertwined personal and work life can be, and the role that AMEX can play in supporting that. The little blue box Now serving hundreds of millions of customers across the globe, one of the main goals of the campaign was to reinvigorate the identity and optimise it across various platforms. To achieve this, the design team paid close attention to the iconic blue box logo. First introduced in 1975, AMEX's little blue symbol is instantly recognisable, so the aim was to preserve but enhance its design. To do this, the letterforms that cross through the centre of the blue square were redrawn and finessed in order for it to render in a clean, concise way that functions at both a large and small scale. 5 brands so strong they don't need a logo The classic outline of the lettering was also redrawn with a non-outlined version that operates outside of the box, a task undertaken by type designer Jeremy Mickel, who made sure to stay true to the original design. The identity update also sees the introduction of an alternate mark for small-space digital use, such as Twitter and Instagram icons. This version of the blue box logo crops the larger wordmark to capture simply the 'AM EX'. The project sought to retool AMEX's iconic blue box logo A number of other AMEX brand elements, including its distinctive Centurion and World Service pattern, have also been maintained and enhanced as part of the identity refresh. The Pentagram website states: 'The new visual identity brings strength, simplicity, and rigour to the brand, extending a cohesive look and voice to American Express products, services and experiences.' AMEX's distinctive Centurion has undergone a bit of a facelift The overall campaign was a collaborative effort between mcgarrybowen, Pentagram, Ogilvy, Mindshare and Digitas. The advertising was directed by renowned director Lance Accord, and the photography by award-winning photographer Matthieu Young. For more details on the AMEX project, head over to the Pentagram website. Related articles: View the full article