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If you've recently been debating whether to sign up to Adobe's Creative Cloud suite, now's the time to take the plunge. For a limited time only, you can join Creative Cloud for almost half the price, with Adobe knocking a whopping 40 per cent off the price of an annual membership until 27 August 2018. That means instead of paying the usual £49.94/¢60.49 every month, you'll pay £30.34/¢36.29 for the first year. When it comes to finding Adobe deals, discounts on Creative Cloud can be few and far between, so this is great news for designers, illustrators and artists wanting access to this professional creative software. So if you’ve been debating whether to sign up, now’s your chance to get hands-on with Adobe’s stellar suite of world-class design tools – and save some cash in the process. The offer is valid from today until 27 August 2018 and covers EMEA and individual sign ups only. Visit the Adobe website for full terms and conditions. Save 40% on Adobe Creative Cloud now What's included? Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers get full access to: The entire collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, and Adobe XD CC 100GB of cloud storage, your own portfolio website, premium fonts and social media tools Up to 10TB of cloud storage available As you’ll know, these programs are fully integrated, meaning you can work between them (and devices) seamlessly – whether you’re out and about or in the studio. Built-in templates help you jump-start your designs, while step-by-step tutorials will help you sharpen your skills and get up to speed quickly. This special deal is a limited offer, though – it expires on 27 August 2018, so don't miss out. Related articles: 60 top-class Photoshop tutorials to try The designer's guide to becoming Adobe certified Adobe adds 665 fonts to Creative Cloud View the full article

The unpatched flaw would allow a bad actor to execute information-exfiltrating malware, backdoors, ransomware or any other kind of bad code he or she chose. View the full article

The issue impacts several content management systems, including Typo3 and WordPress, as well as widely-used PDF generation library TCPDF. View the full article

Having picked apart fonts for years over here on Creative Bloq, we're pretty tuned in to the fact that lettering styles can be rather divisive. After all, one designer's fun font is another person's Comic Sans (apologies to all the Comic Sans defenders out there). We like to think that we've noticed some typography trends this year, but what we really need is some hard data to give us a glimpse into which fonts people are actually using. Luckily that's just what the team at Icons8 have gone and done with its recent study. The results of this research can be found on the study's straight-talking website, Fonts That People Actually Use. Priding itself on exposing the cool fonts vs. the best fonts, this research explores which fonts are the most popular, what font combinations are the most effective, and whether or not designers actually follow these trends and rules. Icons8's study sifted through nearly one thousand websites to find the top fonts To gather its research, Icons8 analysed more than 900 websites from top Product Hunt startups. By checking the choice of typeface and font combinations on these sites, Icons8 made interesting and occasionally unpredictable findings. As it happens, Google Fonts lead the way in terms of popularity, font names are often misspelt, and our old friend Comic Sans is nowhere to be seen (apologies again to all the Comic Sans defenders out there.) As well as finding thousands of different typefaces, Fonts That People Actually Use also narrowed down the top 50 styles and the 50 most common font pairings. The styles that proved most popular include Open Sans, Roboto, Lato, and Montserrat. With a wealth of raw data to analyse, Icons8's findings are sure to appeal to type fans and data junkies alike. Related articles: The rules of responsive web typography How to improve your digital typography The 41 best free web fonts View the full article

You know it’s a mistake to accept every job that you’re offered – but when should you say no? When you start out as a freelancer, the temptation is to say yes to every job that's offered to you. But not every job is a good career move – and some could even end up costing you more than it’s worth in terms of work-life balance, stress, or even actual money. Here, seven designers explain where they draw the line. 9 things nobody tells you about going freelance 01. When expectations are unrealistic Designer Anna Negrini has some clever ways of spotting when a client is going to be trouble. “Situations that are deal-breakers for me include when the proposal has the words ‘superstar’ or ‘ninja’ in it – you probably won’t get paid; if the client estimates the time you’re going to spend on the project; or when the expectations are entirely unrealistic – £1,500 for a website like Gucci’s… really?” she smiles. “Sometimes, though, it’s just a gut feeling: I start sweating and I feel ‘trapped’. In these circumstances, I’ve learned to trust my instincts and just say no.” 02. When it’s in the wrong location If the job is in-house, make sure you consider where the job is, and the time and money required to get there. Location is the biggest deal-breaker for digital designer John Taylor – so much so, he’ll look into this before even discussing the project and looking at the brief. “Travel time and costs aren’t usually billable, so I need to ensure the job’s financially viable before agreeing,” he explains. “Travelling can also be tiring and stressful, so to ensure I maintain a good work-life balance I factor in what time I’ll have to get up in the morning and get home in the evening.” 03. When you won’t learn anything Krisztina Toth doesn't say yes to every job – and her portfolio looks great as a result When it comes to projects, full-stack developer Krisztina Toth looks for work that will help her advance her skills. “I draw the line at copy-paste sites and ‘coming soon’ pages, because even though they’re easy money, they offer no professional or personal development,” she says. 04. When the client is dismissive You can tell a lot about a potential client by the way they speak to you when they first get in touch. “Going beyond basic politeness, I look for people committed to their goals, with a clear vision of what they want to accomplish,” says Toth. “I instantly reject the ‘I could do it myself but don’t have the time’ type.” Creative director Stephen Dawe agrees. If a client thinks design is just about knowing how to use Photoshop, that’s a big red flag. “It’s our role as industry professionals to educate new clients on exactly what it is we do. Design is about problem solving, not just aesthetics. Moving forward comes down to whether they’re open to learning that or not.” 05. When the contract causes problems Any project should start with a clear contract that outlines everyone’s expectations, costs, and an estimated timeline. If the client gets funny about signing, step back. “When you don’t have that, the project often stalls and doesn’t get completed in a timely fashion – and as a business owner, that can get costly,” says designer Shelby Sapusek. She points out that if you’ve already created a development site, you’ve done the work regardless of whether it’s live or not. “I’ve experienced project stalls that have lasted for months – that’s a lot of extra cost if you don’t have an agreement beforehand,” she adds. 06. When the client doesn’t respect copyright Graphic designer Ranjit Sihat has no tolerance for clients wanting to use images where the copyright is held by someone else. “The relationship between client and designer should be based on trust, creating a unique design and selling the identity of the individual business, not someone else’s,” she says. While often these issues can be resolved, occasionally a client will refuse to listen, and push to include the image anyway. At that point, it’s time to walk away. 07. When it’s underpaid It should go without saying that for any professional designer, pay should be a major decider in the jobs you take – even when you’re at the start of your career. “If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s to not undervalue yourself,” says designer Cliff Nowicki. “The low-paying jobs and freelance gigs I took on earlier in my career were the most soul-sucking times of my life. However great a position seems in terms of environment and benefits, I can’t accept it if it’s paying half the market value.” While you might have family or loved ones that can help you out with financial responsibilities, taking on an underpaid job for ‘exposure’ or ‘experience’ rarely pays off – and has knock-on effects for the health of the entire industry. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 308 or subscribe. Web design event Generate London returns on 19-21 September 2018, offering a packed schedule of industry-leading speakers, a full day of workshops and valuable networking opportunities – don’t miss it. Get your Generate ticket now. Read more: 8 portfolio mistakes that drive clients mad How to write the perfect brief 10 time-sucks for creatives and how to minimise them View the full article

An analysis of the world's most-visited websites shows that vulnerable software, too much active content and large amounts of code execution open visitors to a raft of potential dangers. View the full article

Are you getting tired of beating your favourite video games? Perhaps it's time to challenge yourself in a new way and design your own. With Zero to Hero Game Developer Bundle, you'll be able to enter a brand new career path in no time at all. Practice creating a 3-D multi-level game using Unity, use Magicavoxel to build Minecraft-like visual effects, and leverage Blender to design low-poly game assets. Gain hands-on experience building games in Unreal Engine, and get introduced to game development techniques you'll want to keep under your belt for the rest of your career. The Zero to Hero Game Developer Bundle is all yours for only $49. Related articles: Design a playable avatar for a video game Push start on your 3D video game career 11 best video game character designs View the full article

The Cosmos Bank incident is only the latest, not the last, thanks to lagging security practices. View the full article

When it was first released, Modo quickly developed a reputation as the pre-eminent subdivision polygon modeller on the 3D art market. Now over a decade later, the latest version of the 3D modelling software steps into an increasingly rich landscape of competing applications all looking for new users. 27 free 3D models Upon opening Modo 12, it’s clear that there is a lot to like if you are an existing user. The UI has received some welcome enhancements such as quick-access buttons to the most common palettes and windows, and after the focus of Modo 11 on fixing bugs, Modo 12 feels very stable with improved UI interaction. This is evident in such intensive tasks as using the Boolean modelling paradigm MeshFusion with components being merged, subtracted, intersected and moved quickly and easily. Speaking of which, as well as the improved feel, MeshFusion has added surface strips that allow the creation of strip geometry onto the surface of a model rather than through the whole volume. This can be useful when creating interesting new modelling elements when the MeshFusion object is converted to a mesh, which would be time-consuming, if not impossible, using another method. Modo 12 features improvements to the Advanced Viewport renderer, and works well on OS X Throughout Modo 12 there are tons of even more handy improvements, from better performance in the Advanced Viewport mode, to the inclusion of the Hatchet Collection of Python scripts, which add a lot of really useful tools that can aid with polygon and topology creation. The glTF 2.0 ‘Facebook 3D’ format has been added as an export option with shader support which, alongside solid Unity and Unreal support, makes Modo 12 a great asset-creation tool for games and real-time engines. As with the previous release, expect Modo 12 to receive more tools and updates through its life cycle thanks to the three-stage release programme. This is good news, as for right now Modo 12 is a tough sell for new artists. It is a shame, for example, that the Modo VR beta was not integrated in this release, as moving around a Modo viewport with a VR headset is a really interesting and creative experience with a well thought-out toolset. The Modo 12 UI has been revised to allow quicker access to core palettes As mentioned earlier Modo 12 will be a welcome update for many artists who use Modo’s core modelling toolsets, but for potential new users or for those users who have been using Modo 12 as a full content-creation application, the updates to Modo 12 could be seen as at best a point update, not one that deserves a full new release. While Modo 12 works great on OS X, there are still some issues with AMD cards on Windows in terms of viewport performance and stability, which have been around for a couple of releases now. Once an artist gets used to Modo, it is one of the quickest modelling tools around, with an unparallelled selection toolset that is still a joy to use. But, the competition have been paying attention, and why would a new artist pay the hefty asking price for a new seat of Modo when the modelling tools in Maya, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, Houdini, ZBrush and Blender have notably improved? Arguably by ‘borrowing’ many of Modo’s modelling innovations, each of those applications now offer wider, more established toolsets and ecosystems. The best 3D modelling software It is telling that the Modo community forum, which was once an energetic and vibrant place full of interesting production-level artwork, is starting to feel bereft and is now only really updated by hobbyists. While Modo is used by facilities and design houses, it tends to be only as a modelling tool, with a lot of the other functionality being handled by the more ‘capable’ and embedded content-creation applications. Modo 12 features better and clearer access to the cloud asset library of meshes, materials and other library assets As so many of the toolsets in Modo from animation to sculpting are starting to feel deprecated, it would be great to see Foundry reposition Modo as a dedicated modelling tool with less of the animation tools for a lower price, where it can compete with as well as complement tools such as ZBrush. At the moment, however, Modo 12 feels unloved by Foundry. While there is no question that the Modo 12 developers have made leaps in improving the core Modo offering, it is only really of value for existing owners or those such as design houses who really need a great subdivision modeller, which Modo still is. As the competition catch up, improve and overtake Modo in a lot of its core competencies, it is becoming much harder to recommend it for new artists, especially at the current price. A lot of nice updates to the core modelling toolset and some stability improvements cannot mask the fact that, at that price, Modo 12 is hard to recommend to new artists looking for a complete digital content-creation tool. Try a free 30-day trial of Modo Subscribe to Modo annually for $599 or get a custom plan This article originally appeared in issue 236 of 3D World, the world's leading magazine for 3D artists. Buy issue 236 or subscribe here. Related articles: The best 3D modelling software 2018 Illuminate your 3D work with Dome lights 6 expert tips for better 3D renders View the full article

Photoshop is one of the best photo editors around, but it can take a while to get to grips with its extensive toolset. Luckily, there are plenty of Photoshop tutorials to help you navigate it, including this one, which covers working with layers in Photoshop. Sign up to Adobe Creative Cloud with our exclusive discount Arguably the software's single most important feature, layers enable non-destructive editing, where you can make changes to images without having to make them permanently. Think masking on a layer mask rather than erasing parts of your layer forever, or even just duplicating your entire document to another folder while you do something a little risky to it. Layer masks fit into this category, too. They’re quick fixes that you can apply to layers to make them stand out from the layers below them. Best of all, anything you apply to your layers – whether it’s a glow, a shadow or even a complete remodel of it via a bevel – doesn’t have to be forever. How do you create a new layer in Photoshop? There are two ways to create a new layer in Photoshop: Choose Layer > New > Layer Click the New Layer button in the Layers panel Now that you know how to create a new layer in Photoshop, we're going to look at how you can use them, focussing specifically on Layer Styles. Just like other layers, Layer styles can be stacked, and by using the Fill, you can reduce their Opacity without changing the Opacity of the layer that they’re applied to. Remember, when you’re finished, if you wish, you can use the Rasterize Layer Style option to set it permanently – destructively, if you like. Let’s dive into how you use layer styles on a simple digital illustration, which is made up of a number of layers of selections, created with the Pen tool. 01. Make the most of bevel and emboss option Click on image (top right) to enlarge You can access bevel and emboss options by clicking Layer>Layer Style>Bevel & Emboss. You can also choose other layer styles from this window. Bevel and Emboss are shaping tools for giving your objects subtle contour and volume. They apply natural-looking highlight and shade to your selections, and you can even go as far as to pick a specific style and smoothness of the effect. Depth determines how dramatic the effect you’re applying is, and creates more or less light and shade. Size will determine how big the effect looks on the object, while then the Soften slider creates a rounded finish to the bevel. The Angle option will help you to align the light from a specific direction, and Global Light will enable you to have all objects with layer styles following the same light direction. Use the Contour feature to alter the texture of the bevel itself. Highlight and Shadow Mode are two sliders for completely controlling the light and shade, from how severe it is to how it hits the object. Use Overlay for both for subtlety, and use Screen and Multiply respectively for a more severe effect, for example. 02. Multiple ways of working with overlays Click on image (top right) to enlarge There are so many ways to fill a selection with colour, but Gradient, Pattern and Color Overlay in Layer styles are three of the most reliable. These colours will fill the object whether you move it or not, and you can even change the Overlay’s Opacity and Blend mode. You can alter the direction that you wish for the gradient or pattern to follow, by using the Angle icon. The Gradient box should be used for selections of colour, in a similar way to how you might clip a layer to another layer as a clipping mask. Overlays are capable of altering the Opacity or Blend mode to react in different ways. 03. Apply a drop shadow to your art Click on image (top right) to enlarge When working with layers in Photoshop, the Drop Shadow is one of the most versatile Layer Styles that you’ll come across. It’s not only used for the obvious, fuzzy black space behind objects, but it can be used for an almost unnoticeable way to make an object stand out in a painting. Distance can help position your shadow a little further away, and the Spread slider can control the density of your shadow. The size will determine how big it appears; reduce it right down to have a completely hard edge. Blend mode and Color are what determine how your drop shadow reacts with the layers below. Choosing a dark colour and Multiply will create a shadow effect, while a light colour and Screen will introduce more of a glow effect. And just like with the Bevel & Emboss section, Contour can help you to change the actual texture of the shadow, when combined with Noise. This isn’t commonly used, but is still worth experimenting with nevertheless. 04. Alter the intensity of light with the Glow layer styles Click on image (top right) to enlarge The Inner and Outer Glow layer styles are two of the most popular available for controlling light or shine. They’re mostly used just with a bright white colour, but this doesn’t mean you can’t apply them to other colours. Pick a colour and gradient with the options available. Using a gradient can be useful if you only want the glow to appear over some of the object. Opacity and Noise can help to define exactly how bright and clear the glow itself looks. Change the Blend mode too to alter the way the glow looks against the colours behind it The Elements box will help you to set a Choke and Size. This controls the intensity of the glow to a degree; the smaller these numbers are, often the more realistic it looks. 05. Emphasise an object's appearance with a Stroke Click on image (top right) to enlarge Perhaps the simplest layer style of all, the Stroke option is just a basic outline around the inside, outside or centre of your object. Change the colour and blend mode, and use it to make some selections stand out a lot more than others. If you choose the inside option for the Position, the stroke will likely have sharper edges; if you choose Outside, the stroke will curl around pointy edges in your selection. Centre is the midpoint of these two styles. The Size slider is the most important when it comes to Stroke. Use it to determine whether you want a thick, obvious line around your selection, or a hairline stroke to just subtly highlight a selection. The Color and Fill Type options are there to choose the important details. Again, use a gradient if you only want a partial stroke around your object. This article originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine issue 161; subscribe here. Read more: The 10 commandments of Photoshop etiquette 5 best laptops for Photoshop The 60 best free Photoshop brushes View the full article

The program focuses on potential abuse methods across Google's product-specific channels like Google+, Youtube, Gmail and Blogger. View the full article

If you’ve ever worked at a large company, you'll have probably encountered a situation where crucial information about how something works has gone missing – so this month we take a look at Slab, a new tool that provides a home for all your important info so it doesn’t get lost. There’s also a resource from Google engineering manager Addy Osmani, which provides great advice on improving mobile performance by doing smarter things with JavaScript, a really fun creative coding tool and much more. 01. Slab Keep track of important information about your team's working processes Slab’s purpose is to solve the problem of information-recording within organisations. In this Medium post the founder describes a scenario in which his company was acquired, and his team was tasked with integrating their product into the existing infrastructure of the parent organisation, but they struggled to find anyone who could tell them how. Eventually they tracked down the engineer who built it, who pointed them to a long-lost Google Doc that everyone had forgotten about. Without a proper home for the crucial information about how things work, this happens a lot, especially when staff move on and companies grow rapidly. Slab is designed to organise information about your company's working processes efficiently and keep everyone up-to-date, and it integrates with all your other tools such as Slack and GitHub. 02. The Cost of JavaScript JavaScript is the heaviest thing we send to phones - here's how to lighten the load This must-see resource from Google Chrome engineering manager Addy Osmani has some important data about how much JavaScript slows down your site on mobiles, as well as some techniques for reducing the bloat. He tells us that JavaScript is the most expensive resource we send to phones because it has the most potential to delay interactivity. And he says we should all be seeking to minimise its use by auditing and trimming JavaScript bundles, only loading code needed for the current page, embracing performance budgets, and looking for other ways to get the job done where possible. 03. Lighthouse Audit any live site to get an assessment of its performance and accessibility How well is your site doing in terms of performance, accessibility and best practices? This Google tool will tell you. It runs audits on any URL you feed into it and generates a report that explains why each audit is important, and what you can do to improve any aspects that are failing. As well as performance and accessibility, it can audit for SEO and Progressive Web App best practices. You can run it from Chrome DevTools, from the command line or as a Node module. 04. Pts A JavaScript library that will help you get started with creative coding If you’ve ever been tempted to try your hand at creative coding, this could be a great place to start – Pts is a JavaScript library that makes it easy to code animations, data visualisations and fun web-based toys. With a single line of code you can draw something that follows the mouse pointer around the canvas, and from there you rapidly progress to creating more complex interactions. There are plenty of guides and documentation to teach you how to use it, so you won’t be flying solo. Check out the demos at the bottom of the homepage to see what’s possible. 05. My Browser Get detailed information about users' browsers for debugging purposes Getting browser information from users for bug-fixing purposes can be slow and frustrating, so front-end developer and designer Andy Bell built this great tool to make it easy to get all the pertinent data. Instead of dealing with vague bug reports, you can send the user the URL of this tool, and a report on their system is automatically generated when they visit the site. They can then share the report URL with you so you can see their exact browser version, viewport size, operating system and other useful info. The creator has made sure that data is properly anonymised so users don’t have to worry about their privacy. You can read more about it here. 06. Dyslexie font A font that's easier for dyslexic people to read The designers of this font disregarded the principles of type design, and instead used the characteristics of dyslexia to create a font that is easier for dyslexic people to read. It's designed to minimise the effects of common reading errors – for example, letters are heavier at the bottom to help prevent them from being perceived as being upside-down; the openings of letters are enlarged so that they are more easily recognised; and capital letters and punctuation marks are bold to emphasise breaks and endings of phrases. It's received great feedback from users, so it’s a good option if you want to make your site more accessible. 07. Notist An online repository for your public speaking profile The team behind Perch CMS have created Notist, a place to create a public speaking portfolio so you can display slides, links, feedback, tweets, photos and everything connected to your talks. You can add a future schedule so that people can see where your next talk is, and have a resources section for conference organisers so they can download your headshots and other materials without needing to contact you. It’s free for casual use, and there’s a Pro account for regular speakers. It’s also a great place to browse and discover interesting talks. 08. StyleURL Try out CSS changes on any live site StyleURL generates a URL that you can use to preview CSS changes on a live site – it automatically loads your CSS changes into the existing site, so you can see what your changes look like and also share them with others. StyleURLs are saved in a Gist in GitHub so that you and others can easily update them later. 09. Flexible Typesetting by Tim Brown How to do typesetting when you don't know exactly how your text will appear Tim Brown is head of typography at Adobe and in this book, which Ethan Marcotte describes as “an absolute delight to read”, he explores how we can seek to set online type successfully, while navigating the difficulties that arise when we don't know exactly how our text will appear. Rather than choosing parameters for text, we design our websites to do that for us depending on the conditions in which our work is being consumed – this book guides you through that thorny process. 10. Moceen Create an image of your site displayed on different devices This simple app makes it easy to create an image of your app or site being displayed on a device of your choice. There's a selection of several mobile and desktop devices – pick one, and then upload the screenshot of your site to immediately create an image of it on the device that you can share with clients or use on your website. Related articles: Beware the cutting edge of web design 5 techniques to help you find your ‘flow state’ Agile development: why and how to use it in your web and app workflow View the full article

It's been 10 years since Evernote hit the scene. Throughout the last decade, the mobile note-taking app has been there to help us record ideas and remember what we're doing. To celebrate its anniversary, Evernote released a rebrand and new logo design earlier this week, after partnering with DesignStudio to bring its vision to life. This involved a long, hard exploration of what the Evernote brand meant and stood for, to create a design that signalled change – without reducing brand recognition. On Evernote's Medium post about the overhaul, it's interesting to see the team acknowledge that there's more to a rebrand than simply changing a logo. The new design (above) is a polished – yet contrasting – version of the previous iteration (below) and gives a good indication of the concept underlying the design: this is a brand that’s rooted in heritage, but has expanded into new areas. We'll never forget the old Evernote logo A purer colour palette, refined shape and more sophisticated font can all be found in the new logo. To keep the redesign focused, the teams kept a number of questions in mind at every strep of the rebrand. Namely: is it distinct? Does it embody the DNA of the brand? And is it better than what they already have? These considerations also influenced the new typography, textures and photography on the Evernote app and site. Mads the elephant logomark almost got the chop. “We asked DesignStudio to go for range, to frighten us, make us uncomfortable,” says Evernote CEO Chris O'Neill No design element went left unchallenged during the rebrand process. At one stage, even the familiar Evernote elephant mascot, Mads, almost got the chop in favour of a different logomark altogether. Our brand now reflects our broader purpose Chris O'Neill "Throughout the process of evolving our brand, we have looked to our past for inspiration for our future," explains Evernote CEO Chris O'Neill. "We started as a place to remember everything, and that will never go away." "But bringing ideas to action and helping people to work together have become equally important to our customers, and therefore equally important in the products and experiences we build. Our brand now reflects our broader purpose and is a public declaration of our excitement and optimism for Evernote’s future." The rebrand isn't over yet though. Evernote's redesign is set to change and evolve along with the company, but you can watch the first step towards the new look in the video below. Related articles: New Burberry logo is stripped of knighthood Help design the new Firefox logo The best logos of all time View the full article

The method could be used to deduce the age, sex, likes or the location history of a user – essentially, the attacker can play “20 questions” to profile the victim. View the full article

If you want to stay competitive in today's workforce, you'll need to constantly be educating yourself. And unlimited knowledge is exactly what you'll get with SitePoint Premium Courses: Lifetime Subscription. With this subscription, you get premium access to a massive collection of courses, e-books, tutorials, and more on all different kinds of topics. Whether your interest lies in blockchain technology, JavaScript coding, web design, or project management, you'll find training opportunities to learn important skills. Increase your employability in the workforce, and become a better employee at your existing job. Enjoy unlimited downloads, and get immediate access to new content when it becomes available – new stuff is added every month. Try SitePoint Premium Courses: Lifetime Subscription for just $39.99 (£31.47). Related articles: Customise sites with these responsive WordPress themes 28 outstanding examples of CSS Why you really do have time for creative side projects View the full article

There’s no hiding it: we’re genuinely excited about the talk Sarah Parmenter will be giving at our Generate London conference on 19-21 September. She’ll be addressing a subject that’s increasingly important in our industry, yet not often talked about. “[I’m looking] at how everything we’re learning about social media at the moment needs to be wrapped into web design,” she explains. “I believe this is as important as learning about responsive web design was back in 2012 or 2013. Nowadays, we have to understand marketing strategies and there are loads of other elements to our jobs that are growing beyond just dealing with code.” Of course, some companies think social media means they no longer need a website at all but Parmenter dismisses these as outliers. “The majority of firms still recognise the need to have a website; a base of their own online,” she says. “However, the sea-change we’re experiencing is more about the decreasing effort that people are putting into that base.” Changing client priorities Clients, in short, are moving their priorities away from website maintenance and more towards Facebook advertising. “But what they don’t realise is that the whole thing needs to work together,” she points out. “It’s not enough to just have great Facebook advertising, for example, if the call to action on your website doesn’t instil confidence in someone to buy your product. So the whole thing feels like a house of cards at the moment. If it’s not all lined up properly, the whole lot falls down.” Keeping everything working together properly is an increasingly onerous job. But it’s one that’s mainly being dumped on web designers. “The job has been growing into a beast,” she says. “Most of the people in this industry love what they do. But we’ve been bolting on all these extra facets to our jobs, and we’ve not really been putting our prices up in line with the new skill sets that we’ve had to learn.“ “For example, when responsive web design arrived, everyone was really excited about it, but it was really hard work. I remember having to sit down and relearn everything: it was like when we went from tables to CSS layouts. Yet no one’s rates really went up in line with that.“ “And nowadays, I feel like understanding marketing strategy and social media, and how we actually design for that, is another bolt-on to an ever-growing job title that doesn’t really reflect the totality of what we do any more.” In fact, she’s not even sure whether the job title ‘web designer’ is still useful. “Employers keep adding to it,” she complains. “I’ve spoken to so many web designers at conferences whose boss has told them: ‘Our social media account is on the web, you’re the web person, you’re now our social media manager as well.’ And they’re like ‘Wait? What? How has that been rolled into my job title?’” It needs the whole industry to collectively say: ‘Right, we’ve been too cheap, too long’. People need our skills, so we all need to collectively understand just how much goes into what we do these days, and collectively raise our rates. Sarah Parmenter So what’s the solution? “It needs the whole industry to collectively say: ‘Right, we’ve been too cheap, too long’”, argues Parmenter. “People need our skills, so we all need to collectively understand just how much goes into what we do these days and collectively raise our rates.“ “That’s a very difficult thing to do, of course, and I don’t have any easy solution to how to go about that. But we need to face up to it as a profession; this isn’t a problem that’s going to go away.” In the meantime, her talk at Generate London will be full of real-world advice on how to make our web designs work with social media. “It’s a practical talk,” she stresses. “It’s about how to look at audience insights, how small changes to the way you work can help you add value. Essentially, I want people to be able to go to their boss and say: ‘I’m doing all these things and I’ve identified a brand new market that we should be targeting: please can I have a pay rise?’” This article was originally published in issue 309 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 309 or subscribe to net. Want to hear more from Sarah Parmenter on making the most of social media? Sarah Parmenter is giving her talk Digital Marketing Strategies for the Busy “Web Master” at Generate London from 19-21 September 2018 If you're interested in learning more about marketing, make sure you've picked up your ticket for Generate London from 19-21 September 2018. An award-winning designer with clients including Adobe, Ellen Degeneres, Apple, Blackberry and News International, Sarah Parmenter will be delivering her keynote – Digital Marketing Strategies for the Busy “Web Master” – in which she will discuss the idea of quarterly website design reviews with a “design once use everywhere” mantra. She will also dig into the ever-changing world of Instagram algorithms, Facebook marketing and topical social media takeaways for immediate implementation. Generate London takes place from 19-21 September 2018. Get your ticket now. Related articles: 10 must-have social media tools for artists and designers 15 power tips for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram How to create a killer social media campaign View the full article

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to work at Pixar? Or see what goes on behind the scenes? Well, wonder no more, friends, as the latest issue of 3D World reveals all. Discover the secrets to the studio's success, covering some of its most popular feature films, from A Bug's Life to The Incredibles 2. And if that wasn't enough excitement for you, issue 238 also takes an in-depth look at the art of the action sequence, revealing the tools and tricks used on Solo: A Star Wars Story and Deadpool 2. If it's more practical content you're after, the 3D World team has you covered there too. This issue is packed with training, including tutorials to help you master the creation of clothes and props for iClone, and build a tracked visual effects sequence in Apple Motion. There's also the regular Q&A section to help you solve your CG problems and you'll find reviews of the latest tools, from Vue to Oculus Medium. Buy 3D World 238 now Here's more detail on what you can expect in this issue... Feature: Inside Pixar Meet the artists making the movies at Pixar It's the one you've all been waiting for. Go behind the scenes of the world's most infamous animation studio as we talk to the artists making the movies at Pixar. I Feature: Ready, set, action! Hollywood's action secrets uncovered In this action-packed feature, Trevor Hogg encounters a sarcastic mercenary and a galactic smuggler while uncovering the action-scene secrets of Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Training: Designing 3D garments Take the hassle out of clothing characters with this expert tutorial This guide will take you through the process of creating realistic apparel for your characters . Training: Create a fun character in ZBrush Swan Lake, anyone? Who says crocodiles can’t be ballerinas? Well, we’re about to make that dream come true with the power of ZBrush. Training: Create a tracker in Apple Motion 5 Get your subjects under surveillance with this handy motion tracker tutorial Discover an easy-to-use MotionTracker in Apple’s Motion 5’s graphics software. Feature: Crafting the world Image Engine, Scanline VFX, RISE FX and Rodeo FX discuss the tools and techniques they used to build the natural worlds for some of their recent projects Ian Failes explores the building of natural worlds with VFX studios behind some of the biggest recent film and television projects. Read more: How to model concept art in Cinema 4D Free textures: 40 top textures to download today 6 expert tips for better 3D renders View the full article

The tricky Cortana flaw, CVE-2018-8253, was addressed by Microsoft during Patch Tuesday. View the full article

What are the best wireless headphones out there right now? With so many products available, choosing the right earbuds can become tricky – so we've done the hard work for you (if you call trying out headphones hard work, that is) to bring you a list of the best wireless headphones available right now, for a range of different budgets. Whether you're looking for in-ear, on-ear, over-ear or noise-cancelling cans, we've got the perfect option for you here – and the best prices, too. Which are the best wireless headphones? If you’re looking for a great all-rounder that will suit most scenarios, we think the Optoma NuForce BE Sport4 are the best wireless headphones you can get right now. Coming in at under $100/£100, these earphones provide the perfect balance between cost and quality – and they're great for sport, too. If you've got a bigger budget, we'd recommend the Sony WH-1000XM2 wireless headphones, at number three on this list. But the right wireless headphones for you will depend on what you want to use them for, and how much you have to spend – which is why we've curated a wide range of options below. How do you choose the best wireless headphones? Before buying a new pair of wireless headphones, first think about what sort of situations you want them for. If you’re looking for the best headphones for running, sport or working out, for example, you'll want them to be waterproof and have a decent battery life. You'll also need a secure but comfortable fit, and you might want the ability to let ambient sound through – to keep you safe from traffic or muggers. If you’re searching for the best wireless headphones for gaming, meanwhile, you’ll be more concerned about latency, and what happens if power cuts out mid-session. Above all else, you’ll need to know the cost – and whether they will actually work with your hardware. To help you make the right decision, we've highlighted the best wireless headphones across a range of different categories. Read on to pick the right ones for you... The best wireless headphones right now When it comes to the all-round best wireless headphones, Optoma's NuForce BE Sport4 earbuds are our top pick. These are a rare find that do it all, at an affordable price – and they boast a stylish design, too. They were actually crafted specifically with exercise in mind (so they're technically our best wireless headphones for sport, too) but that doesn't stop them from being a brilliant set of everyday wireless headphones. In fact, it only makes them better as they come fully equipped with extras you wouldn't usually find in other non-exercise specific models, without the extra cost. For example, these bad boys are fully waterproof, so you don't have to worry about the weather. They also have a decent 10-hour battery life, and will give you two hours of use with just a 15-minute charge, which is handy if you're about to head out. If you prefer the sound quality of the BE Sport4 without any of the cords, try Optoma’s new true wireless form factor: BE Free8 and BE Free5 in-ears. But for the best balance of build, audio quality and price, Optoma's brilliant Sport4 wireless headphones are our winners. The best in-ear wireless headphones If you're looking specifically for in-ear wireless headphones, you might choose the Optoma NuForce BE Sport4 earbuds (at number one in this list) – but if you've got a little more cash to spend, try the excellent Sennheiser Momentum Free Wireless Bluetooth earphones. These headphones are amazing value, offer durability, can connect to two devices simultaneously, and provide some of the best audio of any headphones we’ve tried, at any price. And with high frequency up to 22,000 Hz, you get a great balance between bass, mid and high ranges. Competition for the best in-ear wireless headphones is tough, of course. Prices range from what you might spend on a latte, right up to what you’ll pay for a tricked out MacBook – so we've keep things under two hundred bucks here. Alternatives include the excellent sounding RHA T20i; 1MORE’s flagship Quad Driver in-ear headphones; the more expensive Optoma NuForce HEM6 wireless headphones; and for truly wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 65t True Wireless headphones. The best over-ear wireless headphones When it comes to over-ear wireless headphones, Bose and Sennheiser both have horses in the race – but it’s Sony that comes out tops, with the company's superb WH-1000XM2 headphones. For just under $300/£300, you get hi-res audio that will make your ears sing, fantastic noise-cancellation, 30 hours of battery life and Sony’s Smart Listening tech, which adjusts audio based on ambient sound, should you still wish to hear what’s going on around you – when you're talking to colleagues, for example. They also boast cutting-edge gesture controls (which take a little getting used to). Of course, this all comes at a price, but if you're after great-sounding audio and loads of brilliant features, the Sony WH-1000XM2 cans are the best over-ear wireless headphones you can get right now. The best budget wireless headphones Our pick for the best budget wireless headphones are the TaoTronics TT-BH07 IPX6 Waterproof Wireless headphones, which deliver the best overall package, at an exceptionally affordable price. For less than $20/£20, you get a great looking, good-fitting set of headphones, with an IPX6 rating, which means they'll cope with the very worst the elements can throw at you (and they also sport magnetic ear buds that connect handily together when not in use). These headphones feature technology that you see in headphones well over £100, and decent Bluetooth connectivity. The sound isn’t as good as more expensive options, but at this ultra-low price you’re getting a bargain. (Want an alternative? Try the RHA S500u headphones, which have a narrow soundstage but sound ridiculously good for the price.) The best wireless headphones for gamers The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless headphones are a little pricier than gaming options such as the Corsair VOID Pro – which do a great job for under $100 / £100 – but they're well worth the extra spend. They don’t try and shout their way to the top with garish neon and flashing lights, and have a more stylish and minimalist aesthetic than most gaming headphones – which should appeal to designers as well as gamers. But it’s the sound that will ultimately blow you away: the Arctis Pro Wireless headphones provide hi-fidelity audio that's unsurpassed in this price range, improving your overall gaming experience, and enabling you to steal a march on your competition. One major downside, though, is the fact they only support PS4 and PC (leaving Xbox One owners out of luck). The best wireless headphones for sport While the NuForce BeSport4 earbuds (number one in this list) get our vote for the best wireless headphones for sport, a better value option is their little brother, the Optoma NuForce BeSport 3. These headphones give you nearly all the benefits of the newer model, but at a lower price. The only real difference between the two is the BeSport 3 headphones offer slightly less range. However sound quality is unsurpassed at this price point, they're water-resistant up to IPX5 and boast a 10-hour battery life (again, with a 15-minute quick-charge providing two hours of playback). Bear in mind that high-impact sports require a really secure fit to keep the buds in your ears. The angled nozzles on the BE Sport3 let you insert the earbuds deeper for a better fit. You also get a range of eartips, so you should find a fit you'll like – and there are even wing tips to keep the earbuds stable during exercise. The best wireless headphones for iPhone With its AirPods, Apple has created another game-changing product, packing a huge amount of tech into two, standalone earbuds – or pods. Both pods contain a microphone, providing crystal-clear audio when dictating or making a call. And this is important, as AirPods have to work seamlessly with Siri, because with no buttons, you have to rely solely on your voice to control them. For this reason, we wouldn’t recommend them for any products outside of the iOS/OSX ecosystems, even if they can connect to them. No other headphone has this amount of integration with Apple’s OS, and – as is usually the case with Apple – a huge amount of thought has gone into how people actually use them. On top of this you get five hours of listen/talk time (increased to 24 hours using the charge case), a quick charge time of 15 minutes for every three hours, and great sound. There’s no noise cancellation, though, and it’s a one-size-fits-all approach (which won’t suit people with particularly small or large auricula). However, with its AirPods, Apple has managed to make ear buds a desirable object, which is no small feat. Read more: The best laptop for graphic designers 20 tools that make freelancing easier The best iPad stylus in 2018 View the full article

Thinking about a career in design? Then there's some stuff you should probably know before you make that choice. You know, the things they don't teach you at design school. To get the lowdown on what life's really like in the creative world, we spoke to 10 designers, all at different stages of their careers – each of whom shared something they wish someone had told them before they entered the industry. The best laptops for graphic design in 2018 The advice ranges from the practical (about experimentation and failure) to the forthright (about being a knobhead and not getting laid much), as well as the things people never say about colour theory, the hard truth about not liking what you do, and the fine art of shutting up. Yes, these are 10 things you should definitely know before you become a designer... Lead image: Med Badr Chemmaoui 01. Read the books, then ignore them "Read all the design books," advises SomeOne founder Simon Manchipp SomeOne founder Simon Manchipp says it's important to know design isn't just a job. It's a vocation. You should never stop thinking about it. You also need to not chase the money: chase opportunity. Learn how stuff is done "the right way." But know how to do it your way. "Read all the graphic design books," Manchipp says. "Then ignore all the design books." But perhaps the most important thing is this: "The best design comes from not thinking about design but about people." 02. You’re learning a craft, not just a lifestyle. Peter Saluk is manager at New York studio Karlssonwilker – which recently gave its website a smart redesign. Saluk stresses that design is a craft, something you learn and hone throughout your career, not just a lifestyle. But this doesn't mean you should put the blinkers on. "All your outside interests will inform your practice," Saluk says. "Keep your outside interests." All this ties in with one thing they should definitely tell you before you become a designer: "If done right, you’ll be wrong a lot of times." 03. Do it like Picasso Marta Yarza is creative director at London studio Yarza Twins. She says it's important not to feel frustrated if your early work isn't very 'ooh'. Nobody became a designer in a day. It's a process that takes years. Which is why Yarza is particularly fond of Pablo Picasso's famous quote: "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." "My advice is, before you become a designer, do design yourself, experiment, try new things and don't be scared of it," Yarza adds. "Try to mix disciplines. Try to bring something new into the industry, and always try to add a value to our society through your work." 04. Create your own opportunities Not waiting around for opportunities has led Ana Abreu to exciting projects, like this one for the government of Schiedam Ana Abreu – aka Humana Studio – is a Portuguese designer working in Rotterdam. She says travel is important for designers: "By experiencing new cultures, your design will evolve in a way you never expected." This leads onto the one thing she wishes somebody had told her. "Don’t wait for someone to give you an opportunity. Create your own opportunities." Once you have a chance, it's important not to let it slide. Never stop working hard, Abreau says. "Be different and stay creative." 05. It's the best of jobs, and the worst of jobs NotOnSunday director Trev Townsend says it's important to know you're not the only designer in the world. In fact, there are millions of designers, all keen to get ahead. "Therefore it's super competitive," he says. "It’s the best job in the world when you work with great people and it’s the worst when you work with dickheads." The key thing every new designer should be told is to put the work in – and keep putting the work in. "For me, it’s just about enjoying what we do, as we spend a lot of time doing it. Oh, and always do self-initiated work. It’s so valuable in all stages of your design career." 06. Everybody thinks they can do it "You're entering one of the few industries," Mark Richardson says, "where everyone thinks they could do your job." Richardson – aka Superfried – says you have to stand your ground and remember the client hired you to solve design problems, not to make whatever picture they already have in their head. "Always question the brief," he says "Don't assume that the client has actually ascertained the source of the problem and knows what they require to solve it – that's your job and the reason you've been hired." 07. Know when to speak up and when to shut up Daniel Greene is creative director Wolff Olins. He says: "Learn about empathy. Grow a thick skin. Have the courage to speak up and the good sense to listen." This is about getting the balance right; knowing the difference between being assertive and being pushy. "Confidence is infectious," Greene says. "Over confidence is not. Take comfort from the fact anxiety strikes everyone. Enjoy the victories and learn from the defeats. Aim for progress, not perfection." Last but not least, he says: "Always be kind." 08. You don't have to like it Craig Oldham had to learn the hard way about being a designer – which is fully documented in his brilliant book Craig Oldham's new book OH SH*T WHAT NOW?! is full of things they should tell you before you get into design. But the Manchester designer says one thing immediately comes to mind. And it's something that took him a while to figure out: "What I had to learn the hard way – and I'd put serious money on other folk too – was that, as a graphic designer, you don’t have to like the work for it to actually work. And that’s the most important thing: that it works. Tough, but true." 09. Don't be a knobhead Chris Myers, senior creative director at LOVE in Manchester, says there are a few things you need to know: Firstly, the work doesn't always explain itself. "You need to be able to tell the story of your work. Be articulate and clear, and make sure you bring your energy into the room." Secondly, it's important you don't look at design in isolation. "If your passion is design, and you spend every waking minute only consuming design magazines and blogs – like a lot of creatives – you’ll only see things through a design lens. In other words, your work runs the risk of going unnoticed." And, lastly: "Don't be a knobhead. Design is important, but it’s not life and death. Try and retain a sense of humour and don’t take yourself too seriously." 10. You won't get laid much There's a ton of stuff Fredrik Öst wishes somebody had told him before he got into the industry. Öst is founder and creative director of Snask in Stockholm. "You're getting involved in an industry full of people who bullshit," he says. "Make sure you're not one of them." When you're starting out, it's easy to become overly defensive about your work, but try to relax. "You won't really be able to defend your design in a rational and sober way until you're experienced enough to not give a fuck about how you come across." And there's one more thing. Maybe it's down to the deadlines, the late nights, the weekends, or maybe it's not as glamorous an industry as people think it is, but Öst wishes somebody told him what he learned: "You won't get laid much." Read more: The best free graphic design software 10 great examples of graphic design portfolios Why graphic designers need to master UX View the full article

Is Edel Rodriguez Donald Trump's most hated artist? That was a question asked by Hollywood Reporter back in February 2017 – and the answer is most likely yes. Trump supporters to vote on Space Force logo The Cuban-born illustrator has unleashed a devastating visual commentary on US politics since Trump was elected president. He's imagined Trump melting, as a baby surrounded by nuclear warheads and burning American flags. But it's his provocative covers for German magazine Der Spiegel – Trump dressed in a KKK hood; Trump decapitating the Statue of Liberty – that have ignited public outrage. Illustrator Edel Rodriguez in his studio Rodriguez arrived in the US as a political refugee at the age of nine. He didn't speak English, so drawing became a universal language. And over two decades later his ability to transcend language and background through bold, simple graphics remains a hallmark of his work. At Cape Town conference Design Indaba, where we caught up with Rodriguez, he was described by Pentagram partner Michael Bierut as "an artist who reacts in real time to events we see on the news and translates them into indelible moments of social commentary". Here, we find out how a small and personal campaign of online graphics spread to the covers of magazines before ending up at protests around the world – and how Rodriguez became part of the story. You're the most prominent illustrator of the Trump era. What is it about your work that's caught the world's attention? Following the Charlottesville tragedy, Rodriguez depicted Donald Trump wearing a KKK hood for Der Spiegel magazine Edel Rodriguez: I don't think the world had ever seen a president quite like Trump, so they didn't know what to do, what to say, how to confront it. There was a lot of shock about what was going on. When people are in shock, they sometimes freeze, trying to figure out how to react. Trump's actions were a barrage, a constant, daily attack on everything democracies were accustomed to. When my visuals started to appear, confronting this man, I think there was a release of emotion and outrage. It gave people something to hold up, to throw back at the cause of their angst. People had had enough, and these images gave them the weapons they needed to fight back. The fact that major magazines like TIME and Der Spiegel were publishing the images raised it to another level. Some people were probably wondering if they were alone, but the magazines confirmed their outrage was rightly placed. What drives you to create such politically charged images? What is it that you hope to achieve through your work? Edel Rodriguez for Time magazine: Total Meltdown I have very immediate, guttural reactions to abusive behaviour. If I'm walking down the street and see someone being taken advantage of, I'll most likely do something about it. I've chased down purse snatchers, thieves, things like that. My father is the same way. I spent a lot of my youth on a tow truck with him, and he taught me a lot about right and wrong. He would talk back to shady characters, drug dealers, etc, if he didn't like what was going on. I've witnessed a lot of wrong things in the United States over the last two years: the mocking of a veteran, John McCain, and of a handicapped journalist, insults aimed at the parents of a dead soldier, disgusting language about women, and I'm just reacting to it in the same way. My main goals are to inform people who might not follow the news as keenly as others, encourage those who want to fight against what's going on, and to stop this president's behaviour from becoming normalised. In your view, which of your illustrations has been the most powerful or provocative? America First grew from Rodriguez' outrage at Trump's Muslim ban The America First cover for Der Spiegel, which shows Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty. When the Muslim ban was announced I was outraged. Banning people from entering the country based on their religion, while they were travelling – as the planes were in the air – is the behaviour of a dictator, of a tyrant. It's not what America should ever do, especially with the country's long history of welcoming people who have been persecuted because of their religion. I had a prior image that I'd done of a terrorist with a knife, beheading himself, a comment on ISIS's level of violence. As a reaction to the Muslim ban, I took the existing terrorist image and pasted Trump's head on it, along with the beheaded statue on one hand, and the preexisting knife on the other. I was comparing him to an extremist, who had killed the American Dream. I posted it online and it received a lot of attention. A few days later, Der Spiegel called to give me a cover assignment on the Muslim ban. I did a number of sketches but none were quite there. They saw the beheading image I'd posted and said they wanted to run it on their cover. I made some minor revisions and they went ahead and published it. Before the magazine was on the newsstands, people began downloading it from their Twitter feed and printing giant posters of the image. It appeared at airport protests that night and the next morning, and led to a lot of newspaper articles and television coverage. The biggest challenge was dealing with film crews, radio stations and journalist requests, all of that. Plus dealing with all the angry messages and hatred from people that disagreed with the cover. How much of your work is driven by a desire to show that the US is still a place where people can speak their minds? An illustration for a New York Times article on gun control and gun violence in the US Most of my political work about the country is driven by this motivation. I believe in the ideals of this country, and I'm thankful for all the freedoms here. I want the world to see what is possible here: the idea that one person can directly confront the president, can comment freely on what's happening, and isn't imprisoned for it. This isn't possible in many countries around the world. At a craft level, how do you make images that all people – no matter their education, background or language – can understand and relate to? Rodriguez’ Newsweek cover on sexism in Silicon Valley had people tweeting in shock I don't have a specific process; it varies according to the topic and the assignment. Sometimes the idea arrives out of thin air, fully formed; other times I end up doing numerous pencil sketches until I find the right direction. I do want my images to communicate to everyone, regardless of their visual education level. Sometimes I feel that designers are making things to be seen or appreciated by other designers. The visual language becomes very abstract, or multi-layered, and the point – or the communication – is often lost. For me, communication is key, communicating to everyone directly. The art is in the service of the idea. This is why the images are so graphically simple, why some elements repeat from one image to another. I've now created a familiarity within the visual language, and want to get to the idea as directly as possible. Tell us about your alternative cover for Fire and Fury… Edel Rodriguez’s alternative Fire and Fury cover When the book came out, the cover visuals were very flat. I started getting messages from people saying I should have been asked to do it, or wondering what I would have done with the cover. I don't like to have questions hanging out there – I wondered what I would have done with it myself. So I made a book cover design from an idea I had after the neo-Nazi torch march in Charlottesville. The original sketch had a large Trump fire coming from the tiki torches, which I removed and replaced with a landscape of Washington DC. I posted it on my Twitter account, expecting a small reaction. Instead it's the most shared image I've made – more than the magazine covers. Many people downloaded the image and pasted it on their books because [they] didn't want to look at the existing one. Fire is a recurring theme in your Trump illustrations. What does it symbolise for you? Edel Rodriguez for Time magazine: Year One He's like a wildfire: unpredictable, jumping from one place to another, dangerous to the country. I've used fire in a lot of my work going back many years. I grew up in Miami around race cars, pin striped flames, paint and body shops, and so on. My family was in the used car and junkyard business, and I loved hot rod races. I think that has something to do with the visual. How does working in such a politically and socially charged environment affect your mental health or outlook? Hate In America, for TIME, captures the aftermath of the Charlottesville tragedy I have a fairly even keeled and content personality. Not much affects me or brings me down. I have an ability to stay calm throughout all of this; it's my nature, I guess. I also value free speech greatly and respect another person's right to have an opinion, even when it's full of vulgarities or insults. I've never been involved in an ongoing project where I felt [like] I was on the right side of history more than I do now. I have no doubt about it. This is about what is right and just. When you have justice on your side, nothing affects you. You just move forward. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into creative activism and has real passion to encourage change, but doesn't know where to start? Edel Rodriguez for Der Spiegel magazine: The age of fire and fury If you feel a calling to speak up about topics that move you, then just go for it. Don't ask for permission; don't wait. Put it out there and see what happens. Have empathy for others and speak for those who can't. Make work at the service of others. You may be surprised at how many people will connect with it. This article was originally published in issue 280 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 280 here or subscribe to Computer Arts. Related articles: How to design the perfect political poster New straight-talking designs come up trumps Can Melania Trump be best at logo design? View the full article

One of the biggest challenges in business is finding time to get everything done. Following through on strategic goals requires time, and time can often seem in short supply. There are plenty of productivity tools that profess to help you work more efficiently. And some of them do help, but there are also things you can do to without turning to tools. 22 ways to boost your productivity Managing distractions is critical if you’re to get everything done that you need to. Unfortunately we live in a world filled with interruptions. Smartphones might be very empowering but they can also be incredibly distracting. One of the unfortunate by-products of having a computer in your pocket or on your wrist is it can feel as if your mind is being pulled in a thousand directions at once. Getting into a ‘flow state’, where you become so absorbed in a task that time seems to evaporate, improves your productivity hugely. The secret to maintaining this state is to put a stop to interruptions so that you can keep the flow going. Carving out time for flow helps hugely. Identifying potential interruptions and then establishing strategies for managing them is key. Here’s how to get started finding your flow state. 01. Switch off your notifications Develop a strategy to help compartmentalise notifications. You can begin to build a barrier around your productivity by managing alerts, wherever they occur. A good place to start is switching off vibrations, silencing audible alerts and removing those ever-present little red badges that annoy you with their ‘something’s urgent’ calls to action. 02. Don’t start the day with email With your notifications tamed, it’s time to turn your attention to email, messaging applications and social tools, all of which are equally drawing your focus. Of course, these communication tools are vital to keep everything flowing smoothly, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t compartmentalise their usage. If at all possible, try not to start the day with email. Dealing with email first thing in the morning has the potential to derail your day, destroying your productivity. Checking email – even if you don’t reply right away – can play on your mind, overtaking your subconscious, rendering it very difficult to get anything worthwhile done. 03. Don’t check email all the time Setting aside ‘do not disturb’ time for email – not just for evenings but during the day too – can help you focus on core goals without your mind being interrupted. Checking email mid-morning and mid-afternoon gives you uninterrupted periods you can use to get things done. 04. Take care of critical tasks first Set aside timeboxes for critical tasks at the start of the day. This gives you the mental space to focus on important goals, before distractions creep in. If you can hit a milestone early on, so much the better: this will give you a welcome morale boost. 05. Try ‘timeboxing’ Timeboxing is a time management strategy that compartmentalises activities, ensuring you make the most of the time you have available and maximising your chances of achieving flow. This technique can help you build a schedule that defragments your day, giving you space to focus. By timeboxing activities you can manage time more effectively and maximise your productivity. This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 308 or subscribe. Web design event Generate London returns on 19-21 September 2018, offering a packed schedule of industry-leading speakers, a full day of workshops and valuable networking opportunities – don’t miss it. Get your Generate ticket now. Read more: 8 simple productivity tools for designers 9 ways to smash UX on a small budget 10 time-sucks for creatives and how to minimise them View the full article

Volunteering for your community is a noble aim, but how many of us actually follow through and take part? In an effort to get more people involved, an amazing new piece of London street art encourages you to 'Do It For Others' – and it's pretty compelling. Created by mural artists Graffiti Life, in collaboration with papercut artist Poppy Chancellor, this five-metre-tall mural in Ebor Street, Shoreditch is the largest ever piece of papercut art to grace the walls of the capital. The massive mural displays two pairs of piggy-backing women, illustrated in Chancellor's distinctive fun-loving and energetic style. It's an empowering image that perfectly sums up the playful attitude of the project. Poppy Chancellor and Kayleigh Dyer strike a pose with the finished mural Supported by volunteering champions NCVO, the mural also contains a call to action to help prospective volunteers turn their ambitions into reality. "A lot of people might feel that they don’t have the time to volunteer, however even if you give your time once a month or once in six months that’s still a huge help to an organisation," explains Graffiti Life project manager Kayleigh Dyer. "I think if everyone volunteered even a little part of their time it would really improve society as a whole. That’s why I’m so passionate about it.” This positive approach meant that Chancellor's papercut art was perfectly suited to the project. "I really love her work and wanted the mural to show that volunteering can be fun and empowering, rather than something you just do for your CV," Dyer adds. "I’ve been a really big fan of Poppy’s work for a couple of years now after finding her on Instagram, so it was a dream to have her on board." If you're out and about in London, you can find the mural on Ebor Street in Shoreditch, just opposite Shoreditch House, until Sunday 19 August. Alternatively, you can see how the giant papercut was made by watching the video below. Related articles: Adidas mural celebrates young football legend 22 incredibly cool design office murals Banksy murals remember an American art legend View the full article

Do you use Wordpress to power your website? If so, you'll be able to get a lot of use out of Visualmodo WordPress Themes Mega Bundle. This bundle features 31 different and versatile themes in a wide variety of categories, giving you plenty of options for your site. Even if you don't have much experience building websites, it'll be a breeze to use Visualmodo, thanks to the auto-updating and cross-browser compatibility. Download new themes quickly, and customise them in no time at all – so they can go live in a jiffy. Streamline the process of building your brand new website with Visualmodo WordPress Themes Mega Bundle for only $29.99 / £24. Related articles: Top tips for building a WordPress theme 23 great examples of WordPress websites 40 brilliant WordPress tutorials View the full article

Concept artists play an important role in the development of video games. They’re the bridge between the art director's vision of the game and the artists who produce the in-game assets. They're responsible for making sure that the concept art tasks follow the designated production schedule; showcase the established design pillars that have been established early on; and track down relevant production information from other departments if this is missing. Just what is concept art? As a lead concept artist, my team and I face exciting and fun challenges every day. Not only do we need to embrace the technology changes within the digital painting process and learn new software, we're also expected to continuously grow as artists by practising traditional drawing and painting techniques. Here, I want to discuss in detail the role of a concept artist within a video game production, and the significant impact this role has on the game's finished look. Hopefully it'll inspire you to channel your efforts into breaking into the games industry, or if you're already a busy concept artist, help you to up your game! 01. Know all the art pillars Concept artists need to know all the visual benchmarks Concept artists are the link between the art directors and the 3D artists. We have the crucial role of reinforcing the established art pillars through our work and having daily conversations with the 3D artists. This is the bread and the butter of our job. You should know the check list of the visual benchmarks like the back of your hand. 02. Explain your thought process to the art director Always talk your processes through with your art director Your art director should be an integral part of the concept art process. Don't submit the final piece of artwork without going through your design process with them first. Talk about how you'll be approaching a shot, and then continue with composition sketches and colour palette proposals, and then show the final artworks. Not only will the art director give you valuable insights, but you'll also be able to explain and justify the thought process behind your aesthetic choices, which may lead to further discussions. 03. Always back up your concepts with photo reference Plenty of references will make life easier for the 3D artists Photo references are the foundation that will generate realism in all your works. Even sci-fi video games will feature a significant amount of real-world designs. References increase the soundness of your artistic choices and show that you've done your visual research properly. They also serve as great visual support when your deadline is tight and you have to do something loose. Provide the reference materials along with your speed painting: this will make the 3D artists' lives much easier. 04. Provide sketches whenever possible Sketches can gelp generate ideas and get the visual ball rolling Before the level artists start a big map, they need some visual prompts to get things rolling. It can be looking through photos together, navigating in the game engine, or providing sketches to give a general direction of how the silhouette of the map should be approached. A sketch can generate ideas and iterations can be done quickly. Many level artists like this type of interaction, because they're directly involved in the design phase of their assigned map. 05. Stay in touch with the lighting department Don't overlook the power of lighting Lighting has a strong influence on how your concept art will be interpreted in the game. Make sure you sync with the lighting crew and seek their feedback. If your shot is dependent on the time of day or specific lighting fixtures, the shadow shape or how the light diffuses can affect your composition. Lighting artists can let you know how much artistic freedom you would have based on engine constraints and how you can use that freedom more efficiently. 06. Consider the level artists Level artists need plenty of guidance to help turn your concepts into in-game reality Highly rendered concept art, with lots of mood, ambiance and VFX, doesn't always help the level artists. They usually need clarification on modelling and texturing. Listen to their requirements before deciding on what kind of concept art you'll be generating. A piece of line art or a material chart can be more efficient for delivering design clarity. 07. Don't ignore 3D tools when creating concepts 3D tools can be a godsend, so make sure you use them when necessary A production has a limited budget and timeline, so you need to use all the available tools to be productive and efficient. If a 3D screenshot can help you to nail the perspective faster and more clearly, go for it. If render passes can speed up the process of polishing high-level concept art, don't hesitate. If you need in-game assets to be part of your concepts, ask a level artist to export those objects. You need to be a fast thinker and a pro-active team player. 08. Always respect the deadline A single missed deadline can have a massive knock-on effect, so don't let things slip Deadlines are crucial within the production process, especially when a lot is dependent on concept art being created at the beginning of the pipeline. Missing the deadline can affect all the departments that have scheduled their tasks based on the date of completion of the concept pieces. It's important to let others know as soon as possible that you might miss the deadline, so that alternative approaches can be discussed, such as a looser rendering level with supporting references, or start the task with the available in-game assets instead of painting from scratch. 09. If in doubt, ask Not sure about something? Ask for more details! Some shots might have size or navigation constraints. If in doubt, ask. Level designers are always there to answers such questions. If the purpose of a task isn't clear, ask which department will benefit from the artwork. This will enable you to gather information about their needs. If the deadline isn't specified, ask for details so that you can plan your painting process accordingly. 10. Share art with the VFX team The VFX team can help you get the ambiance and mood right in your concepts Concept art can trigger fresh ideas for the VFX team, so keep them in the loop. While we provide level artists modelling, texturing and layout information through concept art, we also need the VFX team's support on the realisation of the ambiance and the mood portrayed in the concept art. What kind of smoke, fire or steam effects will suit certain maps? Effects artists are the experts, and can provide you the most accurate answers. 11. Share digital assets with your fellow concept artists Don't keep everything to yourself; share and enjoy! I believe that a culture of sharing is the key to ensuring that a concept artist progresses artistically and technically within the production. It can be custom-made brushes, 3D components, cool plugins, nice cut-out shapes or relevant photo packs. Sharing those tools can make our work more consistent in terms of quality and it can avoid repetitious art tasks. If one artist cut out 10 types of vegetation from references, it doesn't make any sense that another concept artist should spend time cutting out the same elements. Sharing tools and resources can give you more time to concentrate on the areas that need your design talents, instead of tackling run-of-the-mill art tasks. 12. Seek feedback from your peers Your fellow concept artists can be a great source of feedback and ideas Your colleagues are your best advisers, because they know the production requirements and you see them on a daily basis. They can also provide you with bonus information or materials that you wouldn't expect if they happen to be are working on some shots that are relevant to yours. Furthermore, the fact that all the concept artist share a similar vocabulary, in terms of composition, value, colour and lighting, will make the feedback sessions smooth and efficient. 13. Don't be a perfectionist Never forget: done is almost always better than perfect Any video game production is expensive and complex, and the concept art aspect is only one of the many important cogs in this machine. Your concept art is a tool to deliver the final game product, rather than being a finished product in its own right. Yes, there's a quality bar to reach, but your concepts aren't fine art masterpieces that you can spend hours polishing to perfection. You need to learn when to stop. Being an idealist in this environment can have a negative impact, both on your work productivity and on the project's schedule. 14. Understand the production value of a piece of concept art Always remember that concept art is a vital part of the production process All artists have a gut instinct to make their work as visually appealing as possible. However, it can help to shift this point of view when it comes to evaluating the worth of concept art pieces. A concept artist may deliver a piece of line work that has a significant impact on the level artist's task. You could then say that the line work has a high production value, because it makes a strong contribution to the overall production efficiency across different departments. This article originally appeared in issue 134 of ImagineFX; buy it here! 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