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We're all kind of aware that sitting hunched at a desk all day isn't the healthiest way to live; bad posture can lead you to all manner of aches, pains and worse later in life. Doing some regular desk exercises can help combat the effects of a long day spent editing paths, and choosing the right desk or chair for your studio can make a difference too. 10 ways to make your desk more comfortable If you're spending your days drawing or sketching, though, you might need to go a little further to prevent your precious hands mutating into gnarled claws after all those hours clutching your 2B (or stylus). To help keep your paws in tip-top shape, comic artist Kaitlin Bruder has put together this infographic detailing a number of hand and wrist stretches that she does regularly, especially when she's drawing or has been on her phone of computer for a while. Click the infographic to enlarge it Kaitlin recommends these exercises for before and after heavy or repetitive hand, wrist or arm activity; "As a baseline i usually do ‘em when I wake up and before I sleep and then as needed through the day," she explains. If you find these exercises useful and need a more permanent reminder of them, Kaitlin has put them on Redbubble for you to buy them as a poster or a t-shirt, so there's no excuse for having ruined hands. Related articles: The best keyboards for designers How your desk job is affecting your health – and how to improve it 5 mindfulness apps to save you from creative burnout View the full article

Light and shadow can bring a new level of artistry and storytelling to our charcoal drawings. My professional work as an animation artist calls for a strong understanding of light and shadow. Indeed, it’s one of the most important art techniques in my toolbox. I need to have a technical understanding of how light works so that I can give a believability to the scenes that I create. Passages of light and shadow can be designed to give special emphasis to each moment of a film. Vibrant contrasts of light can convey an exciting energy, while nuances of light can create subtle mood changes. This workshop is taken from How to Draw Portraits in Charcoal – buy your copy here Long before I began working in film, my understanding of light developed through observational drawing. The study of light on form has been key to everything I do as an artist. In this workshop we’ll explore how to draw a portrait in charcoal, using light and shadow to convey form. 01. Establish where direct light falls Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Compare the egg diagram with the generic light-and-shadow head (below). Notice how each major protuberance of the head is like a mini version of our simple diagram. For instance, take a look at the nose: it has a highlight, halftone, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow. Now analyse the chin, the lower lip, the cheek and the forehead: each has the same quality of light and shadow. Even the eye, as it protrudes out of its socket, can be treated the way a simple sphere reacts to light. When you learn to observe these simple relationships of light and shadow, rendering form becomes relatively straightforward. 02. Find the ambient light Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Common sources of ambient light are indirect window light or outdoor lighting on an overcast day. This type of lighting is potentially even simpler than direct light: forms curve away from the light source into shadow, and cast shadows are soft edged and diffuse. Because electric lighting is relatively recent, there’s a long tradition of portraits painted under ambient light sources. Standard practice was to place the portrait subject in the light of a north-facing window, which would maintain a consistent level of illumination for many hours during the day. Even today, many portrait artists prefer the soft quality of ambient lighting for a sensitive rendering of their subjects. 03. Simplify what you see Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image The next important simplification is to organise the head into clear, committed masses of light and shadow. As a drawing teacher I’ve found that new students nearly always look at individual contrasts of anatomy as they draw, rather than noticing the bigger, simpler masses of light and shadow. The results are bumpy, overwrought anatomy that starts to look more like a sack of walnuts than like a human head. So before we ever start rendering the nuances of light and shadow, I ask students to identify and commit to the simple masses of light and shadow. They also have to look for and emphasise the quality of the shadow edge. For instance, cast shadows tend to have a hard edge, and turning forms tend to have a soft, blended edge. If we emphasise this simple statement of light and shadow in our portraits before we render nuances, we’re more likely to end up with strong forms and an accurate likeness. 04. Use highlights to emphasise form Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Examine the highlights in the drawing of this plaster cast. See how they tend to fall at the crest of each form facing the light? The placement of highlights is critical to show turning forms. Pictured above is a simplified version of the face to show how the highlights describe the curving forms. The highlights tend to fall on the corners between the large planes of the head. 05. Notice where planes meet Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image The red-lined diagram shows the side plane and front plane of the cheek, with the highlight falling where they meet. It’s the same with the nose: the highlight falls along the edge where the side plane and the front plane meet. Whenever you’re struggling with creating clear form in your drawings, fall back on this simple quality of highlights. Even if you end up exaggerating what you see, you’re telling the little white lie to convey a greater truth. 06. Don't draw everything you see Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image In these two drawings, the woman on the left is primarily in shadow and the woman on the right is primarily in light. When I was drawing the woman on the left my eyes could perceive a great deal of value range. But I knew if I tried to render every subtlety, not only would it take too long but the masses of light and shadow would be broken up and confusing. I had to decide what to emphasise about my subject and what to edit. 07. Explore different types of light Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image I decided that the rim light on the left-hand face should be pushed into a narrow range of brightness so that I would have the rest of the value range to render subtleties on the shadow side of the face. The value chart below the drawing shows the break between light and shadow. The result is a clearer, more committed drawing. For the right-hand drawing, I was interested in the subtleties of character and form created by the halftone lights. This led me to make the decision to push all the shadows into a very narrow dark range, as seen in the lower part of the value graph. That choice opened up a wide range of tone to render strong form and character in the light. This article was originally published in ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Subscribe here. Read more: Get better at figure drawing How to choose the right drawing tools 9 top tips for drawing in black and white View the full article

Running a studio can be tough. There's business cards to think about, office chairs to buy and employees such as art directors to think about. Here, leading designers and illustrators revealed the biggest lessons they've learned, and how these have helped them run their winning design studios or practices. 01. Give designers space to hone ideas Lippincott worked with Bain Capital to create a number of assets "It takes a village to execute a complex, global design project, but you can't underestimate the importance of the individual in that process," says Lippincott's Heather Stern. It takes one person to have the idea, but many people to execute it. I've learned how to protect an individual's idea and craft within the demands of a global design project." It's my job to give designers the space they need to hone their ideas. We're successful when I'm able to respect that brilliance and mobilise a team to help bring it to life." 02. Making the client happy isn't enough "The biggest lesson I've learned so far is that making the client happy isn't enough," advises Sagi Haviv, partner and designer at iconic firm Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. "At the end of the day, you, the designer, must be proud of the result, and the way to achieve that is to show the client only those options that you believe in wholeheartedly. 03. Empower people Wolff Olins' work for media brand USA TODAY Ownership of the work and open communication is key, says Wolff Olins design director Dan Greene. "By making people feel valued through their contribution and giving them the platform to have input into the direction of a project, it can give team members the extra 10 per cent they need to turn a job from good to great." 04. Respect everyone "Treat people like humans and with very little hierarchy," says Snask's Fredrik Öst. "Make sure that everyone is a superstar and that everyone has a life beside their job." 05. Don't back down with tricky clients Sarah Mazzetti created this giant wood "thing" for TICTIG exhibition at Casa Testori "Be firm and clear about the fact that there's a reason why you want things to be done in a certain way," advises illustrator Sarah Mazzetti. 06. Treat every project like it'll be your best "One of the most important lessons I've learned? To treat every new project as if it'll be the best of my career," says Northern Ireland-based graphic designer and writer David Airey. "It doesn't matter who the client is, or what industry I'm designing for, I'm the one responsible for just how good, how interesting, how successful the result is." This was originally published in Computer Arts magazine, the world's best-selling design magazine. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss future issues. Related content: The designer's guide to the Golden Ratio How to start a blog How to create your own font View the full article

Only co-founder Matthew Tweddle Achieving a balance between work and life is something I’ve always struggled with. At every stage of my career I’ve made the next creative challenge the most important thing in my life. But was I losing something in the process? Last September, I went to the Brand New conference in Chicago and heard Tosh Hall, creative director at Jones Knowles Ritchie, speak about his relationship with design. He talked about the need to strike a balance - for the sake of his sanity and to the benefit of his creative output. The message got through and I knew it was important to make a change... but old habits die hard. Those habits were initially forged during my first professional job out of university: artworking nightclub flyers and their promotional materials. This normally involved, at the behest of clients, using bright neon lettering to communicate a not-to-be- missed ‘£1 a shot’ offer. It was by no means a dream job, but I was determined to create the most elegant cheap drinks flyer the industry had ever seen. Ever since then, I’ve continued to throw everything at my work, and remain convinced that hard work is necessary to becoming a good designer. But this is complicated by the fact that as you progress through your career, you get less and less time to actually focus on design. What's your idea of success? As the creative director and co-founder of small branding agency, Only, progression for me still means carving out time to consider new challenges that push me beyond my comfort zone. But design is increasingly fast-paced. Very often clients don’t have the luxury of time — to develop an idea, to allow it to incubate, to experiment, and fail in the way that’s necessary to create truly wonderful work. I believe now that the key is doing all you can to manage your time effectively. One tactic I have learnt is to set your own achievable targets, and ways of measuring success that are within your own control. And that can mean taking a step back and reassessing exactly what you consider ‘success’ to be. It’s not as straightforward a question as it might seem. In the creative industries, there are many ways success can be quantified. As well as the ever- increasing number of awards, there are showcase sites and blogs, plus the constant pursuit of traction across social media. Then there’s the other kind of feedback; the increasingly negative commentary from other designers surrounding the release of new work, particularly new brand identity projects. I now accept that there will always be other people who enjoy greater success, who have more D&AD Pencils on their shelves, who receive greater critical acclaim, or who just have more followers on Instagram. The nature of creativity means there’ll always be projects that aren’t as well received, and even those who are highly regarded will always be open to subjective commentary and negative opinion. Accepting this and defining your own measure of success is essential to moving forward and remaining focused on the things that matter most. Quality not quantity I’ve also learnt to rely more on those with talents and interests different to my own. When the pressure is on, I’m always tempted to take on too much responsibility, in the belief that retaining control is the only way to resolve the problem. But all too often, that tactic falls down. As the hours get longer, productivity starts to fall. The jobs list begins to grow, emails go unanswered and project plans start to slip. As a way of working it’s unsustainable, and as an agency owner, it can stifle potential for growth. As a small team, we now hire on the basis of contribution and look for people who’ll bring something beyond the existing strengths in the studio, and contribute to our collaborative process. We also spend time seeking out creative partners who can bring their own expertise to the process. It’s always important to keep perspective and make sure work doesn’t completely take over Taking the time to collaborate is essential. Working through a problem with a talented team is much more rewarding, and different perspectives always improve the solution. Crucially, it’s sustainable and enables a far healthier work-life balance. All of this gets muddied when you consider design to be synonymous with life. Away from the office, my hobbies are all closely tied to my job and my favourite people are all in similar industries. It’s important to remember that most people don’t get to do something they love every day for their job. It’s a real privilege to work as a designer with people who trust you to help steer and define the direction of their business. As with any other craft or discipline, good work comes from caring about what you do. It’s always important to keep perspective and make sure work doesn’t completely take over. But being completely enthralled by the work in front of you can itself be enormously rewarding. View the full article

What's in a name? Everything. The name Terry Bollea probably doesn't strike fear in to your heart, but Hulk Hogan sure does; Eldrick Woods doesn't sound as sporty as Tiger Woods; and Stefani Germanotta doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Lady Gaga. These aliases undoubtedly helped these celebrities become household names. The world of app design is no different. The best iPhone apps for designers Sometimes, a first impression is all you have – and that's often the case in the overcrowded App Store, especially when there are so many free apps available,. If you've figured out how to make an app you've done the complicated bit, so make sure your efforts don't go unrewarded by giving your app a great name. In this article we'll share how to name your creation so people pick it over hundreds of seemingly similar products. 01. Hint at functionality The phrase 'Tweetbot' effectively captures what this app does Your app name should provide some indication of what it does. If you go for something totally obscure, you'll be relying a lot on your app icon to convey its function, which puts certain constraints on your creativity. One convention is to pair the basic function of the app with a word that enhances it and adds originality. Think of Evernote, Wunderlist and Tweetbot as prime examples. Since clarity and recognisability are so important, make sure they take the front seat when deciding on a name. 02. Don't be a copycat Do we really need another 'Insta'? Your initial reaction may be to use a trendy convention to link your creation to other awesome apps – perhaps by adding the 'Insta' prefix or using the moniker of 'Angry' to describe your game that tosses animals at seemingly immovable objects (nobody steal that idea, by the way). However, what you gain in recognition you sacrifice in legitimacy. Who wants to buy the 75th app named Insta-something? Isn't the original one the only one worth buying? There's something to be said for breaking the trends and starting a new one, even when it comes to naming. 03. Differentiate Which 'Calculator' is the best one? The number one reason why your app's name is important has nothing to do with your app. It has to do with everyone else's. With such a proliferation of apps, it's easy for yours to get lost in the mix. For instance, let's take an iPhone calculator app. As well as the one Apple makes (aptly entitled 'Calculator'), a quick search yields thousands of other results – there's everything from 'Calculator+' to 'iCalc4me'. If your app isn't very original from a function standpoint, what you call it really needs to be. If you're really stuck for what to call your app, you might get a nudge in the right direction by using a name generator such as Nameboy or Dot-o-mator. The best way to use these is as kick-starters for new directions or ideas. 04. Use real words How will people tell their friends about this app, so they can download it too? For your app to gain momentum and popularity, people need to be able to talk about it in the real world. The trend of taking all the vowels out of a name has died out for a reason. And while 'Zombieeez' sounds cool, when it comes to telling others about it, you're going to need a pen and a good memory for spelling to get that name right. While you have complete licence to make up new words, use caution when making words that are hard to say and be aware of the impact this will have on how easy the name is to remember. It's certainly possible to have your app reach legendary status without an easy to say name, but again, why take your chances in it becoming popular in spite of that? 05. Stick to sentence case Why is 'SHOT NOTE' yelling at us? If you notice your collection of apps, most use sentence-case (e.g. Candy Crush Saga) or camel-case (e.g. WhatsApp). It may sound like a good idea to differentiate by starting your app name with a lowercase letter or opting for all-caps, in reality, this can delegitimise your app quicker. People will buy what they trust, and breaking the upper/lower convention is a quick way to make your app look sketchy. 06. Check no one else is using it The worst thing would be to spend countless hours developing an app, then submit it to the App Store and get it approved, only to then discover the name has been trademarked by someone else for their business. Even if there are no legal ramifications, you'll want to set yourself apart from what could be a widely recognised name for an entirely different reason. Get on Google and research every last permutation of your name. It may be a bummer to have to go back to the drawing board, but it will save you some headaches later on. 07. Find the right length The 'Go' suffix gives momentum to this app Keep your name short and concise. Long names are arduous to read, difficult to remember, and won't look right in someone's collection of apps. However, with really short names you may struggle to find something that hasn't already been used. Throw Twitter handles and domain names into the mix and the range of available names becomes even narrower. A smart way to differentiate your app name is by getting creative with prefixes and suffixes. An 'app' suffix makes it clear what your product does, while prefixes like 'go' or 'get' can invoke action. 08. Take your time You learn WhatsApp is an app and get an idea of what it does through the 'What's up?' pun, all from a few letters While there isn't a magic formula for coming up with an app that will pocket you millions, if it's finished and in the App Store, a great name could be the thing that sets it apart and makes the difference between a download and a scroll-past. Don't let your app's name be an afterthought – you've put time in to developing this thing, so take time in finding the right name. What you name it should shout from the mountain tops what it is and what it does, since you will most likely only have that first glance to make an impression. 09. ... but don't take too long If you get your heart set on a name but the actual development of the app isn't very far along, remember that you can't squat on a name, according to Apple. You'll have 120 days total to submit your initial binary in order to hold that name. Otherwise, you run the risk of someone else nicking it. Read more: 10 creative free iPhone apps for designers 18 of the best Android apps to download for creatives How to pick the perfect app font View the full article

CBA Paris’ head of strategic design Anne Henry Branding was originally about labelling and distinguishing one product from another, but today it has lost sight of this mission. Brands are now seen as instruments of a consumer society, and much of the new generation denounces this system of commercial self-interest. As designers, it’s now urgent to question and realise the purpose of a brand in order to avoid obsolescence and remain desirable to today’s consumer. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 69 per cent of the world’s consumers trust businesses to change the world, while only 47 per cent trust governments to do the same. Consumers both look for and expect brands to take a proactive role in making wider society better. As designers, it’s now urgent to question and realise the purpose of a brand Signals of this consumer shift can be seen in the rise of the sharing economy in the States with car pooling via sites such as BlaBlaCar, or Thredup, a site for buying and selling secondhand clothing. There’s also the rise in popularity of farmer’s markets; and an ever-increasing awareness of using and buying goods made from more sustainable materials. The rise in the number of creative briefs about brand purpose, or the need ‘to embody an alternative’, attests to the urgency that brands from all sectors are placing on these ideological upheavals and new consumer aspirations. Here are my tips on how to create successful and tangible brand purpose and engage today’s consumer: Create flexible designs Conceive a flexible brand design that allows you as a brand, or your consumers, to appropriate or play with the brand elements, bringing people closer to your values and purpose. For example, cult streetwear brand Supreme create limited edition T-shirts featuring new versions of their iconic red box logo to celebrate each new store opening. This allows them to constantly reinvent their brand and links back to a key characterstic of streetwear fashion: playfully appropriating other brands and parts of culture to forge a new sense of identity. Promote engagement Dare to extrapolate the design codes to take a stand and promote meaningful engagement, perhaps through semiotics. Sustainability and environmental concerns have long been a part of Ben & Jerry’s brand identity. Now, their typography alone plays the role of a destroyer of global warming by featuring on placards and signage at climate change protests. Engage in conversation Engage in an intimate conversation that speaks to individuals’ social consciousness. Despite some notable environmental and civic initiatives by big brands, such as the Nestlé ‘Engagement Plan’, the DanoneWave initiative in the United States, and the Heineken Group’s position on a borderless world, large companies still struggle to be credible in the market when compared to smaller ones, which are much better at occupying a purposeful ‘activist’ stance on global issues. Faced with this distrust, it’s necessary for big brands to use their influence to educate consumers about important issues, and in turn help improve perceptions of their own brand. Make a mark Create a unique stylistic fingerprint to communicate the brand’s purpose in line with the company’s DNA. For example, the Australian drinks brand Sparkke Change promotes social progress by printing societal aspirations such as ‘Consent can’t come after you do’ or ‘What’s planet B?’ on white packaging. Method, which sells green cleaning products, through transparency of all its brand assets and vocabulary, brings respect for the planet at the heart of its value proposition. When they get it right, these bold brands are all examples of memorable design footprints. For them, branding is the expression of a commitment that aims to transmit a new collective imagination. At the dawn of a new world, which is more conscious and experiential than ever before, we need to reconnect brands to people by using design beyond its functional or aesthetic aspect, and focus on promoting sustainable progress instead. View the full article

If you sit for long hours at a desk – perhaps you're working on an important logo design, perfecting the art of your skills using a photo editor or working on a website's landing page – it's important to make sure you have the best ergonomic office chair you can afford. Whether you're a freelancer looking for an office chair for home, or you have a whole studio to furnish, you'll find our pick of the best office chairs here in this buying guide – as well as a few things to consider before handing over your cash. The best computer for graphic design The best 4K monitors Firstly, a decent office chair should last, so it's worth investing in one that's going to give you the back support you need – even better if it actually improves your posture. You'll find our favourite ergonomic office chairs below, at a range of different price points. You'll also want an office chair that's adjustable, and as this is a long-term investment, it's worth checking that it comes with an equally long-term guarantee. (All the best office chairs do – just read the small print to make sure.) Throughout this guide, you’ll find the best office chairs available: these are the chairs that give you the most bang for your buck. You'll also find more expensive options with more features, and cheaper alternatives for tighter budgets. And we've included our pick of the best office chairs from Ikea, Staples, Amazon and all the most reputable retailers as well, to help you make the best purchase possible. Read on for the best office chairs for your home or office. No, it's not a spelling mistake. The Humanscale Diffrient Smart was designed by American industrial designer Niels Diffrient and is, in our view, the best office chair out there. It's a minimal mesh chair that embodies stunning, ergonomic design, and is available in a variety of colours and fabrics. This office chair doesn't have manual controls, but adjusts automatically to your size, shape and movements. As the armrests are attached to the back of the chair instead of the seat, they move automatically as you recline. The backrest also pivots as you lean back, adjusting to the shape of your reclined spine, all the while the tri-panel mesh backrest provides consistent lumbar support. The Humanscale Diffrient Smart is definitely an investment, but it comes with a whopping 15-year guarantee. However, bear in mind that although Humanscale claims this chair is suitable for all weights and sizes, if you're six-foot or more, you may find it too small. Buy the Humanscale Diffrient Smart office chair for $999 / £480.96 If you suffer from back pain, then the HAG Capisco Puls 8010 is worth considering. It might look a bit odd at first glance, but trust us, that's a good thing: this is one of the best ergonomic office chairs you can get. This Scandinavian chair is made of a mixture of steel and plastic, and unlike most others, is suitable for sit-standing desks. It has a moulded seat based on a horse rider's saddle with a foam infill and places your legs quite wide apart, encouraging you to place your feet flat on the floor. Meanwhile, the adjustable seat is angled to fit with the natural curve of your lower back. Hag is all about encouraging movement, so you can also sit on this ergonomic office chair back-to-front, and use the elbow rests. It's available in various colours – we like petroleum – and comes with a 10-year guarantee. While Herman Miller's Aeron chair, above, is an absolute classic – and makes an excellent option if you don't mind spending almost $1,000/£1,000 – we actually prefer its stylish cousin, the Sayl. It comes in at roughly half the price, and the British School of Osteopathy use it at their training centre, so you know it has top ergonomic credentials. This chair was inspired by San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. And although the idea of a suspension bridge-inspired chair might seem odd at first, it makes sense once you sit in it – it's all about getting more from the least materials possible. The 'suspension finish' back allows you to stretch and move while it supports you, providing more support in some areas of your back and allowing the back to maintain its natural curve. It's supremely comfortable, and comes with a 12-year guarantee – though we doubt you'll need it. These chairs are built to last a lifetime. It might not look particularly exciting, but IKEA's Markus office chair ticks a lot of boxes – and at this price it's not just one of the best office chairs at IKEA, it's one of the best full stop. You can adjust its height, there's built-in lumbar support and the mesh material enables you to air to your back, which is great when you're sitting down for long periods. There's also a brake that engages when you stand up, to help avoid that awkward moment when your chair slides out beneath you. Many office chairs – including the Humanscale Diffrient Smart, above – feature a back support that moulds into your back over time, but not everyone gets on with this system. The Markus chair's back support combats this by re-puffing when you get up. Happily, it also comes with a 10-year guarantee. The only real downside is that the armrests aren't adjustable, which might be a problem depending on your height and the height of your desk. However, they are removable so you can get rid of them if they start to annoy. Ficmax's Ergonomic High Back supremely comfortable model is one of the best ergonomic office chairs at Amazon – and for good reason. It was designed for gamers, but that doesn't mean that designers, illustrators or anyone who sits in an office chair for significant periods of time won't enjoy it too. After a long day's work – or even during a long day's work – who doesn't want a massage? Just plug it in via USB and sit back. Even without the massage function, which admittedly gets old a bit quickly, this leather office chair gets five stars for comfort. It has a retractible footrest, a headrest and can recline right back – up to 180 degrees, so you could even take a quick nap if you wanted, or else be satisfied with the excellent lumbar support as you work. In addition, the armrests are thick and adjustable, and the frame comes with a lifetime guarantee, while the parts are guaranteed for 12 months. Not everyone will love the PVC leather, which can be a little squeaky. And while this ergonomic home office chair is available in more overtly 'racing car'-inspired designs, we recommend sticking with the black, especially if you're going to invite clients over. If you're looking for a cheap office chair, the Amazon basics range is the place to look. More specifically, we recommend the Office Essentials Mesh Back Swivel Desk Chair, which does exactly what it says on the tin. It's ergonomically designed and has a cushioned seat and a mesh back providing breathability. You can also adjust its height and the tilt. Amazon admits this chair is not designed for eight-hour days, but can be sat in for up to five hours at a time. But that could be the perfect excuse to make sure you get up and away from your desk for at least an hour at lunchtime. You could also invest in a lumbar support to make it more comfortable for long periods of time. This chair is ideal for students or those on a budget, and in terms of quality price ratio, you won't get a better deal. The Staples Darcy Bonded Leather Executive Chair takes top prize for the best office chair at Staples – and the best leather office chair, too. It's a great option for people who don't like mesh chairs, and it has adjustable seat height and tilt tension, which you can lock into place. It's also very easy to put together, and you can comfortably sit on the soft-leather cushion for an eight-hour stint. Best of all, it's definitely got the executive feel that the name suggests, so you get to feel super-important when you sit at it. Naturally, it only comes in black. The Staples Darcy Bonded Leather Executive Chair is excellent value for money and comes with a three-year warranty. Note that the name is slightly misleading, though, as the back of the chair is made of PVC. Also, black leather chairs and hot environments are usually not a good combination – so if you don't have air conditioning or a decent fan for the summertime, this probably isn't the office chair for you. Related articles: The best laptops for graphic design The best Adobe deals The best drawing tablet View the full article

The code is integrated with at least three exploits that target unpatched IoT devices, including closed-circuit cameras and Netgear routers. View the full article

Executive creative director Sean Thomas. Illustrator credit: Anna Higgie My art teacher once ended our monthly life drawing session with a quick exercise. We first took sheets of paper decreasing in size from A1 to A6, and then lined up materials increasing in size, from a fine-haired brush to a solid block of paint. As the exercise progressed, we were given less and less time to capture the model’s changing poses, with the canvas reducing as each implement grew in size. It was frenzied, instinctive mark-making that made me feel increasingly uncomfortable. The culmination of the lesson saw us grab a solid block of unwieldy, wet, black paint which spawned – in five seconds – the most exciting piece of art I’ve produced. For years, I couldn’t put my finger on why I loved that lesson so much, but recently I realised it was because the outcome surprised me. I simply couldn’t believe I had produced this work. It was as if it had just appeared through a surge of nervous adrenaline or someone had possessed me. And it felt good. Evolve and adapt Regularly moving out of our comfort zone is something we have vowed to do more at Jones Knowles Ritchie. Not because it makes us money - often that first attempt at something is costly and difficult - but because it’s exciting, and because learning new things is invaluable. The best brands stay relevant and adapt to evolving times. They don’t fall by the wayside. Brands will endure for as long as they find pertinent things to say and create, and I think clients, designers and agencies are no different. In the time I’ve worked in the industry, I’ve seen design shift hugely, and it’s never been more thrilling. And in my eight years at jkr, the business has already undergone two big transformations. At one point, it was paying people to look for talent and clients, rather than attracting them through the work. So the owners shook everything up. They made decisions that could have fundamentally broken a successful agency and put their faith in the people hungry to prove themselves, under the mentorship of those who had got the company this far. The results were unorthodox but transformative. Design and strategy directors now effectively lead their own mini studios, account managers with a love of words have become copywriters, our 70-year-old typographer teaches every graduate how to create their own font, the head of workshop who displayed an interest in animation now runs a filmmaking team, our 3D packaging experts are running client workshops. Bit by bit, those same clients who told us they didn’t have any more work for us have commissioned jkr to fundamentally overhaul their brands from top to bottom. The Jones Knowles Ritchie team brings F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is The Night novel to life with this beautiful branding for London perfume house Miller Harris Learning curves It has been a brilliant, rewarding and terrifying era of my life. We were going into pitches diverting from the given brief in favour of what we believed the real issue to be. We were responding to clients with a single solution, knowing we’d lose the account if they disagreed. We were turning away projects, because they didn’t motivate us or benefit the brand. We were asking people to do things they’d never done before. And of course, we failed. Countless times. But we learned from those experiences and we also benefitted from them. All of this helped us figure out who the most proactive members of staff were, what our clients were looking for that we couldn’t yet offer, who was doing the wrong job and what sort of work we wanted to be doing as a company. If you choose to play it safe, repeating the same old tricks, you will miss an opportunity to empower the next generation of creatives This period also made me realise the importance of relinquishing control. There have been high profile rebrands I personally didn’t love aesthetically; however, the team had been so passionate, I held my tongue and slept on it. At the time, that feeling made me deeply uncomfortable – do I let something leave the building I don’t like? Or do I shatter a passionate, emerging team’s vision? As the work answered the brief, I took the call to see what happened and embrace the uncertainty. These projects have become two of jkr’s most warmly regarded. I’m no different to the majority of people working in the creative industry. I dread someone coming up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder and saying, ‘I’m onto you and we all realise you’re clueless’. Putting a bit of yourself onto a piece of paper (or a screen) and having it torn to shreds never gets any more fun. But if you don’t keep doing it and you choose to play it safe, repeating the same old tricks, you will miss an opportunity to empower the next generation of creatives to follow your lead. And remember what happens to the brands that do that? To this point, I’ve realised you create your own luck. So my advice to anyone who asks me now is this: go in the direction that looks most interesting, no matter how illogical it seems. And if you’re not inspired by the people around you, leave. View the full article

They say a bad workman blames his tools, and it's certainly the case that even having the best top-of-the-range kit won't make you a great designer. You need great ideas, and the skills to execute them. Everyone's needs are different, and you need to tailor your investment accordingly – whether it's big-budget hardware, software or office equipment, or the simplest, single-purpose tool or plugin that can make your life easier. Spending a small fortune on high-end digital hardware when all you need is a new sketchbook is a waste of your time and money. Likewise, if you're a freelancer who's constantly on the move, you want a lightweight laptop – not a heavyweight desktop machine. Whether you're re-fitting your design studio, looking for ways to become more efficient and productive, or are just keen to make freelance life easier, we've compiled a handy resource to help you make those all-important decisions. So read on for our essential guide to the very best tools for designers and illustrators, whatever your unique requirements may be. We will continue to add to this list in the coming months... 01. Essential tools for designers 02. Productivity tools for designers 03. Collaboration tools for designers 04. Creative tools for designers View the full article

Typography has always played a major part in any designer’s arsenal of tools as they select the right typeface that will enhance the message and present the right context for what is being communicated. Over the past eight years, web designers have had the ability to bring in custom typefaces such as kinetic typography to their design and have similar typographical control to those enjoyed by print designers. Take a look at many of the sites that are featured as award-winning or receiving ‘site of the day’ titles and you will soon notice that their use of typography becomes central to the design, allowing them to rise above their competition. This can range from animated letter forms, reactive movement to the user interactions, to bold use of type forms taking centre stage. 3D fonts: 9 top type tips In this tutorial, the type effect will use the shapes of the letters as a mask to some fast, free-flowing particles trails that will dynamically swirl and move through the letters. Not only will there be this beautiful animation, but as this will be rendered onto the HTML5 canvas element, this will be transformed in 3D to rotate towards the mouse as it moves around the screen. This is perfect for site headers or just when you need to grab the user’s attention for a call to action. Download the tutorial files here 01. Start the process Open the ‘start’ folder from the project files in your code IDE. The project is going to start by creating the particle object class. This will be used to create the flowing imagery within the text in the project. Open the ‘sketch.js’ file and add the following variable to start creating the base particle. The effect that is being created is helped extensively by the p5.js library that enables a number of helpers for drawing to the HTML5 canvas element 02. Update the particle In order to move the particle, an update function will be run each frame, this will work out the velocity of the particle and the acceleration to the velocity. The velocity will eventually be limited by a global variable which will be added later. The velocity is added to the position of the individual particle. By creating one particle, several thousand will be created on the screen at any one time. 03. Go with the flow To give the particles their flowing movement, a flow field generated by noise will be followed. The function created here enables the vector of flow to be passed in and it will then be followed, hence the name of this function. The force of the vector direction will be applied to the particle. 04. Follow but not too closely In order to stop all the particles bunching up together, which can easily happen with this kind of movement, the particles will have a very small amount of randomness added to their position. This will cause a slight amount of scattering to occur. The basic HTML5 layout and CSS design has been created in advance so that you can focus on the integration of the flowing lines of the text effect in JavaScript 05. Display the particle The show function here displays the particle. The first thing it does is add a one pixel stroke of a light grey colour to create the line. The line is drawn from its current position to its last position on the previous frame. The previous position is stored for next time through the loop. 06. Wrap around The edges function works out if the particle reaches the edge of the screen and, if so, wraps it around to come on the opposite side. This section deals with the x position so it is detecting if it is greater than the width of the screen then sending it to left edge and vice versa. 07. Wrapper’s delight This code is the remainder of the edge detection and it detects the particle on the y axis for the top and bottom of the screen. The brackets here wrap up the entire particle class. This means by using this class many particles can be created. 08. Make many particles Now as the particle is created it’s time to think about making many particles. To do this all of our code can go above the Particle function class. Here a number of global variables are declared to enable the system to run. They’ll be called at various times during the code, so they can then be explored. 09. Set it all up The setup function, declared here, sets how the screen will look at the start. The first detection being done is to see what the width of the screen is. If it’s relatively large, a large image is loaded, the canvas is created and this is scaled via CSS to fit within the display. Once the particle object class is created, a number of particles are added to the page. The flowing lines can be seen without the addition of the text effect 10. Other screens The rest of the if statement checks different screen resolutions and loads an image that is most appropriate for that screen size. Similarly different-sized canvas elements are created. This is mainly to stop a mobile dealing with more pixels than it has to. 11. Make a grid Once the screen size is worked out the canvas is placed inside the header div tag in the index.html page. A number of columns and rows are worked out based on the width and height; it’s a little like an invisible grid. Finally, an array is set for the flow field. 12. Make particles The number of particles is set up based on the width of the screen – if the screen is 1920 pixels wide then 2500 particles will be created and it moves downwards from there. A for loop creates the new particles. The background colour of the screen is set to almost full white. 13. Draw the screen The results of all the calculations are drawn on screen every frame in the draw function. Firstly, a light grey rectangle with a very low opacity fills the screen to fade what has been drawn previously. After this is drawn, the fill is turned off as the particles will be made up of strokes not fills. 14. Create a flow effect To get the flow effect there are two ‘for’ loops moving through the rows and columns to update the noise values. These are then changed into angles from the noise value ready to update the particles for each of the positions on the screen. 15. Update the array The array of flow is updated with the angle and the values are increased so that the offset of each position is increased each time it goes up. This might seem complicated but it really just creates random flowing motion for the particles to follow on the screen. The text is now present and it’s possible to see the flowing lines, swirling inside the text of the design 16. Update the particles Now the particles are all looped through in their array. Each individual particle is told to follow the flow field, to update, check the edges of the screen, scatter slightly and finally be drawn on the screen using the show function. Save the file and test the ‘index.html’ to see the particles moving about. 17. Add the text The text is a mask that is placed over the top. To do this, the correct image is placed over the top of the particles. Add this code before the closing brace of the draw function. Save and check the browser to see the effect working with the text now. If the design is loaded on smaller size screens, the number of particles is reduced as there is less screen 18. Detect the mouse position The mouse position is referenced and the x and y values are mapped onto degree angles that can be moved. On the y axis this will be -25 to 25 and vice versa for the x axis. The remaining code should be placed after the last code was added, before the end of the draw function. 19. Ease into place The target position is now given a little easing so that the degrees slowly reach their target. This is created using a classic easing algorithm of taking off the current position from the destination and multiplying by a low number. 20. Write the CSS The ‘t’ variable here takes the calculated values and places them into a CSS string using the transform values of rotateX and rotateY. The current position is calculated from the position the canvas is currently rotated to. The final section of code takes the mouse position and applies a CSS transform to the canvas element. This rotates the canvas towards the mouse in 3D space 21. Finish off Now the CSS is applied to the canvas element in this code. Save the page and preview this in the browser. Now the mouse fully updates the rotation of the canvas so that it turns as the mouse moves. Of course all of the particles in that space move with it on the screen. This article was originally published in creative web design magazine Web Designer. Buy issue 271 or subscribe. Related articles: 70 best free fonts for designers 6 steps to the perfect online reading experience Free online tool shows you what your fonts can do View the full article

Photo: Dan Taylor The Next Web kicks off next week in Amsterdam (24-25 May), and this year's event looks set to be bigger and better than any that have gone before. The core of the conference focuses on digital innovation, but this year organisers have scaled up in a big way: there are now a whopping 19 content tracks, covering everything from pure creativity to how to build for the future. Creative Bloq will be at TNW, reporting on all the action as it unfolds – keep an eye on our Twitter feed for updates. We caught up with director of events Wytze de Haan to find out more about the event, and get a taster of what ticket-holders can expect this year. There are still some tickets available to buy here, but if you can't make it there will also be live streams of all the stages. How are preparations going for this year's TNW? Building a technology festival for 15,000 attendees outside in a park is one of the most exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had. An enormous amount of detail goes into the execution and each year as the event grows, the pressure to outperform the previous edition grows with it. The production is one beast to tame, but then there are also the 264 speakers, 59 brands we partner with and roughly 750 staff members that play a part in the event. I really can’t imagine the preparations being more overwhelming than they were now, but then I say that every year. I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way, working on TNW Conference is like taking cocaine: it’s really addictive and we spend way too much money on it. What sets TNW apart from other events? The answer to that question is hard to put into words. I think one of the defining fundamentals of what makes the event great is the fact that we’re innovators building for innovators. I don’t have to stick to some bullshit corporate playbook, and not everything we decide to build or implement has to make sense commercially. Sometimes you just want to create stuff because it’s provocative, crazy and never been done before. If you’re going to spend so much of your time and energy building something, it’d better be something you’re proud of. Xander (creative producer) and I both loved the film Prometheus. The opening scene has Peter Weyland do a talk at TED2023 in a 360-degree arena. We both really wanted to rebuild that setting into the Gashouder – five months later we have a real-life version that fits 3,100 people and is equipped with eight 5x3 metre screens. You've scaled up from last year. Tell us about some of the themes you've added… We’re in a position now where we’re seeing that technology is no longer an industry, but rather the underlying driver of change and innovation for every business everywhere. We’ve added tracks like Offside to discuss how wearables and eSports are innovating the sports industry, Music Summit to talk about distributing music over the blockchain and The Future of Work to look ahead at how Internet of Things will affect the way we work and live in the near future. Overall it’s clearly evident that blockchain, artificial intelligence and internet of things are the key themes of this edition, but what’s really fascinating is to see how these three technologies are being used in niches you would have never expected. That kind of inspiration is what makes it interesting to be here for these two days. For designers attending, what talks would you recommend? One of the tracks we’re launching this year is Design Th:nkers. We have some of the leading experts in design thinking coming to share how they’ve implemented that in their business. Even though I’m usually trying to convince non-designers why they should attend sessions that will help them think like a designer, I also believe this content to be great for designers wanting to understand how their work can help drive business innovation. And then for the creative minds, come and see Jason Silva. His mind works on a completely different level and the last talk I’ve seen him do really blew me away. Read more: What the hell is blockchain? The 5 biggest UX design trends for 2018 What to learn to upgrade your web design skills View the full article

Our day-to-day existence is often far less exciting than we wish it was: always the same old street corner, the lonely bus stop, or familiar patch of sky glimpsed through the bedroom window. Instead of zooming in on the smartphone screen, maybe we can improve the bigger picture, by adding the hidden friends, absent monsters, or secret figments of our imagination we wish were there? Pictoplasma, the world’s leading festival of character design and art, has teamed up with Adobe Project 1324 to invite all global youth (aged 18-24) to augment the banality of everyday routines by giving a face to their imaginary friends and secret sidekicks. Starting with a regular photograph of a typical setting like a nearby shop, the office lift, the school gates, or the front doorstep, entrants are invited to add a character (or characters) to the scene. Any medium or style can be used to alter the original photo – from drawing and collage making to digital painting or vector illustration. Winning streak Up to five winners will be awarded with a Pictoplasma Character Design fellowship, including travel costs and attendance at the 15th Pictoplasma Berlin Conference May 2019 – and the opportunity to exhibit in an exclusive group show. One of the winners of last year’s challenge, Helena Covell from the UK, has already contributed with her Secret Sidekick reference work, entitled W8ing Room (image above). “Having spent a lot of time visiting the hospital in the last few months, I wanted to try and attach a positive feeling to a difficult place. So I reimagined the colourful spirits of the laid-up patients as characters, out of their bodies, up and about and free.” The Secret Sidekick Challenge opens to entrants on 23 May, and the deadline for submissions is 25 June 2018. Related articles: 60 amazing Adobe Illustrator tutorials How to draw: 95 tutorials for drawing animals, people, landscapes and more The best pencils: colouring, drawing and sketching View the full article

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is the process of maximising conversions from existing traffic. For example, if you get 1,000 visitors per day on average, and have a 1% conversion rate, that means 10 of those visitors will convert. CRO is the process of trying to optimise your site, to improve that rate of conversion to 20 users (2%) for every 1,000 visitors on average, for example. The success of your ecommerce website depends on mastering CRO. Imagine that you’re the owner of your town’s first supermarket and you notice that your large store is selling less impulse products (think chocolate and soft drinks) per customer than your smaller corner shop competitors. This is despite your supermarket offering a much larger and higher quality selection. Why would this be the case? After examining your competitors, you realise that the majority of their impulse sales come from displaying their impulse products within eyesight of the checkout while waiting to pay. As such, you trial placing the chocolate near to the cashier and notice a major boost in sales. Following your first success, you then take your improvements one step further and trial different chocolate brands, sizes of package and flavours at each checkout. You monitor which three products sell the most so that you eventually place the most successful products across all cashiers to further increase sales. This is a real world equivalent of Conversion Rate Optimisation and supermarkets across the world are still trialling new layouts and approaches to increase sales of key products all year round to maximise profits from their existing footfall. You should get in the habit of applying the same logic and mindset to improving your website and attempt to convert more visitors into customers. CRO doesn’t just apply to ecommerce sites and product sales but also increasing user signups, newsletter signups or any other KPI that increases revenue, user experience or engagement. Illustration: Neo Pheonix 01. Select your tools There is a large selection of tools to choose from to achieve your CRO goals. Depending on your technical ability and complexity of A/B tests required, a simple visual editor to change some content, visual styles or CTA (Call To Action) elements may be all that is required. On the other hand, if you need more comprehensive A/B tests that justify an integrated service within your application, enabling you to A/B test the back-end logic or serve totally different experiences to your users, then a more advanced tool will be needed. 02. Identify your KPIs Before you get caught up in deciding which CRO tool to use you should clearly define the KPIs that you wish to improve. For an eCommerce site, these are likely to be as simple as more clicks on the Add to Cart button, fewer exits from checkout pages and more newsletter signups. For a SaaS website, the KPIs might be more signups or more upgrades to higher membership types, for example. For a blog these may be as simple as more page views per visit or more clicks on the external ads. 03. Set up analytics and identify your baseline The next step is vital to be able to quantify your results. The easiest way to do this is to set up goals and events within Google Analytics. Once you have completed this step, you will have a firm and reliable baseline to evaluate your first round of A/B tests against. Another benefit is that it is very motivating to know (and brag about) an actual percentage increase, thanks to your hard work. Now for the frustrating part. Before you start your first round of A/B tests, you need to collect enough data from analytics to be able to identify if your improvements are actually working. If you have a busy site you can have this data within a day or two but be prepared to wait a week or two if you have a new website with lower traffic levels. Try to wait until you have data from 1,000 visits before making any major changes. 04. Identify weaknesses and plan A/B tests Now that you have reliable baselines set up for your KPIs, you have much more useful data available to you within analytics and may even be able to spot major weak points in your site. Is there a specific point during the checkout that users leave? Are less than 0.2% of people viewing the product page clicking the Add to Basket button? Is a very low percentage of first-time visitors to your site failing to click the Register button in the top-right corner? Once you’ve identified your biggest and most urgent weak points, evaluate the page, try to find the cause of the poor performance and plan your A/B tests. Is the Add to Basket button the same colour as all the other buttons on the page and therefore hard to spot? Is it below the fold and users have to scroll further down to see it? Think of A/B testing like a science experiment back in school. First you need to create yourself a hypothesis and then get to work proving it wrong or right. For example: “I propose that if I make my ‘Add to Basket’ button stand out more by making it a different colour with slightly bigger text and padding, then more users will notice it and be persuaded to begin their checkout journey." 05. Experiment Now that you have your baseline performance established and a hypothesis to prove, you’re ready to create some A/B tests and put them in the wild. We introduce some CRO tools in the box on the left if you’d like a starting point for available tools. Just remember to be patient until you have enough data to make an informed decision. Around 1,000 visits should be enough to clearly see the difference in performance between them. 06. Evaluate and repeat Finally, your first A/B tests are complete! Compare your results from the 1,000 (or more) visitors to your baseline conversion rates and identify the variation with the highest conversion rate. Put that version permanently live on your website and reap the rewards of your hard work. Now go back through the process, find the next biggest problem within your website, ensure your baseline data is collected, evaluate the page to see what may be the problem, create a hypothesis that you anticipate will solve it and then experiment with options! This article was originally published in issue 301 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 301 or subscribe to net. Eager to keep upping your digital marketing game? 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: 7 ways to simplify your ecommerce site 7 essential SEO tips for developers Promote your brand with content marketing View the full article

A type of card-not-present fraud is spreading throughout the Latin American underground, uniting groups of malefactors in a communal effort to perpetrate it as widely as possible. View the full article

The use of Dome lights has been one of the greatest advancements in CGI creation over the past decade. Bathing a scene from every direction used to be computationally intensive, but with advances in both hardware and software, the Dome light has emerged as an efficient way to start lighting your 3D art. This is because a Dome light can embed an image-based light image (IBL, also known as HDRIs). This is a single image of a real environment or one created by an artist which, when mapped into a Dome light, instantly re-creates the lighting environment. These images are usually saved in a 32-bit format that captures nearly the full range of available light, and allows lighting to be created with a rolling falloff with no ugly clipping or banding. As the images have a full range of captured light they can be adjusted either with more power or less to help set the desired mood of the image. 12 tips for realistic 3D lighting While there are applications that can create IBLs, there are countless images available that re-create everything from a rocky vista to a photography studio. Dome lights are also highly computationally efficient, which means it can be a good idea to use a spherical camera in an existing scene to create a HDRI map of the background. Placing that in a scene creates no loss of light fidelity, but enables the artist to concentrate on the primary geometry with little slowdown. The biggest caveat with using Dome lights is that they solve so many problems that it can be easy to neglect other light types. This can be a mistake, as adding extra light to highlight key objects will always make a scene feel more alive than just using a Dome light. What is a Dome light? Dome lights give your 3D work a studio look A Dome light in its simplest form is a light object that surrounds the scene in a constant white light from all directions. As soon as a Dome light (Skydome or Environment are other commonly used terms) is placed it creates an instantly pleasing soft 'studio' look, which would be hard to re-create with any other type of single light object. Be warned that not all applications show the Dome light as a visible object, especially when it is for a third-party render solution. 01. Colour a Dome light Colour gradients can give you interesting visual results While Dome lights are most commonly associated as a base for image-based light sources, this doesn't mean that there aren't other ways to light a scene with them. One of the easiest and most powerful ways for a creative effect is to use a ramp or gradient texture to feed in a range of colours into the Dome light, to produce a more interesting look. As the Dome light is a physical object in the scene it can be rotated to easily adjust the look you are after. 02. Use image-based lighting Use 32-bit HDR images for best lighting results Using an image with a Dome light is a really effective way to add a much more realistic look to a scene. High Dynamic Range images which contain a full 32 bits of colour data are the best format to use with a Dome light, as they allow exposure to be adjusted without any clipping. Otherwise, the coloured areas in an image can either go to white or black as there is not enough colour data, which can in turn create some ugly, unwanted image artefacts. 03. Eliminate the background Hide the light image for better results and faster renders While many HDRIs come with additional background images, it is still a good idea to ensure that the HDRI is invisible to the alpha channel and potentially to the camera itself. This means that the Dome light is only lighting the geometry and creating interesting reflections rather than getting in the way where it is not needed, such as skies. Also, not having the background enabled can save on render speed, as the computer only needs to render the areas that are visible. This article was originally published in 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 233 here or subscribe to 3D World here. Related articles: How to create a diffuse light in a 3D scene Octane Lighting Essentials review How to achieve better lighting with V-Ray View the full article

This issue we take a look at not just some incredible projects (from Adam to Altered Carbon) but also an in-depth look at some of the tools used to create some of the environments used in them. We explore invisible visual effects to uncover some of the astounding work carried out that isn't explosions, superheroes or aliens. We bring you some of the best training, to help you build your skill set to include the creation of jointed models in Zbrush, animatable vehicles using iClone, as well as our regular Q and A section. > Buy 3D World issue #235 now Not only that but we cast our expert eye over the latest releases, to help you decide what's the best investment for your time and money. This month we take a good look at Substance and Zbrush 2018. Tutorial: Create action figures Create poseable action figures with this Zbrush training In this tutorial Brodie Perkins shows you his process for creating poseable action figures, using Zbrush. A great way to breathe new life into an old scene file and a truly useful skill to learn. Feature: Invisible effects We explore some of the unsung heroes of the visual effects world In this in-depth feature Ian Failes explores some of the shots you might not expect to be heavily effects laden. We are all used to seeing huge spaceships exploding, dinosaurs on the rampage or giant robots stampeding through cities but there is much more to vfx. This feature explores some of the unsung heroes of the visual effects world. Feature: Altered Carbon We investigate the creation of a future Earth We investigate the creation of a future earth, for Netflix' Altered Carbon. We talk to VFX supervisor Everett Burrall, to get the low down on how the team put together this astounding vfx work. Feature: The Beyond Explore the sci-fi creation of a vfx artist turned director. Visual effects artist turned director Hasraf Dulull chats to us about his sci-fi feature film; The Beyond. Tutorial: iClone vehicles Animate vehicles in iClone Tutorial: Tiny Worlds Learn to create macro cinematography In this tutorial Greg Barta shows you his workflow, tips and tricks for creating macro cinematography, using the standard tools you use for your other 3D projects. You might also like these 3D articles: 37 brilliant Blender tutorials 30 inspiring examples of 3D art How VR is revolutionising the creation of 3D art View the full article

Since 2001, the Mental Health Foundation has run Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK with the aim of raising awareness of mental health issues and promoting the message of good mental health for all. The creative industries have their fair share of mental health problems, and this year – as in many others – artists have taken to Twitter and Instagram to share artwork that captures their experiences of mental illness or acts as a support to others suffering. We spoke to five of the artists who have used their artwork to capture their experience of mental health issues. Click the icon in the top-right corner of each image to see the full-size version. 01. Cat Finnie Finnie's image explores the idea that depression can feel like being under your own personal raincloud Cat Finnie is an illustrator based in London, UK. She likes to create concept-driven digital art, often bringing in elements of the surreal. Finnie created the above illustration especially for Mental Health Awareness Week. "This image is based on the idea of opening up about mental health," she explains. "I wanted to capture the idea that depression can feel like being under your own personal cloud. I hope people can relate to my image and know that they're not alone." 02. Shawn Coss Coss' work explores themes of mental illness and depression Shawn Coss is an artist from Akron, Ohio, who creates work with a focus on mental Illness. The drawing above – entitled The Glass – was created on a flight to a comic convention last year. "I had been toying with the idea for a few months but wasn’t sure how to execute it. Apparently the turbulence and humming of a jet engine was enough to start pumping my creative energy, and I went to work," explains Coss. "That year was a wonderful year in terms of self-discovery. Learning to embrace my own battles with depression was liberating but terrifying. The overwhelming response, though, has made it easier to open up. In the end, we’re all humans, and we’re all looking to connect with one another." 03. Holly Chisolm Chisolm uses comics as a form of journalling Holly Chisolm is a designer and illustrator who started making comics as a form of journaling after she was diagnosed with depression in December 2016. For this year's Mental Health Awareness Week she decided to post a new comic each day. "Weirdly enough, this was a tough week for me emotionally, and I found myself grateful that I had decided to do daily comics, because they keep me grounded and help me process through things," she says. Chisolm notes that many people don't realise that mental illness can actually affect your physical health, rather than being a purely emotional issue. "My happiest moments are when people message me asking questions, because there is a lot of fear and confusion about mental illness," she continues. "I hope my comics can help people question their assumptions about what it means to be depressed, and perhaps even spur those who need help to get it." 04. Sanda Sanda works under the alias Broken Isn't Bad Sanda is an artist based in Croatia who shares her work under the artist name Broken Isn't Bad. Her black-and-white, line-based, minimalist drawings. "My art has always been a salvation for me personally," she explains. "Through it I want to inspire and encourage others to pursue their dreams and live their life passionately, to find that invincible power which connects them with their inner self, to accept all their beautiful imperfections and create a positive relationship with themselves." 05. Toby Allen Allen's Real Monsters put a face to invisible or misrepresented illnesses Toby Allen is a freelance illustrator working on games and children's books. His Real Monsters project aims to spread awareness about lesser-known or misrepresented mental illnesses, and help reduce the stigma surrounding them. "The Anxiety monster is based on my own experiences with the illness," he says. "It helps to put a face to something very invisible to the outside world." 06. Stefanie This sketch explores the idea of confronting your demons Stefanie is a designer and illustrator based in Graz, Austria. Sharing her drawings on Instagram has helped connect her with others struggling with their own mental health issues around the world. This sketch represents the depths you have to delve to in order to confront your demons and improve your mental health, perhaps in a therapy setting. "Putting up a fight with your own monsters is incredibly hard, but it is so worth it," she comments. "That is why people struggling with mental health issues might be among the toughest you'll ever meet." Read more: How to cope with burnout 20 illustrators to follow on Instagram How art can be a healing technique View the full article

So you've got a perfect design portfolio, you've mastered all the nuances of responsive web design and your user experience skills are tip top, but there's something holding you back from progressing in your career. Sometimes, to get better at your day job, you need to look a little outside your particular specialism. You could take on a side project, try a new creative hobby, or simply pick a cutting-edge new area to skill up in. We asked seven top web professionals what they were planning on doing to add some new strings to their bow. 01. Game development Tools like Unity have made game development more accessible “I love playing video games (at the moment I’m currently hooked on Stardew Valley), and there are some really great ones coming out from indie developers that I follow on Twitter,” says frontend developer Anna Debenham. “Watching them share their progress of crafting walking (as well as dancing) bears, and teaching cubes to chase a banana using machine learning, is something that has really inspired me.” Game development software is becoming more and more accessible for beginners, and platforms such as VR are opening up possibilities for more confident web pros. Debenham plans to try her hand at building a 3D game using Unity. Get started: Build your own WebGL physics game 02. iPad design Learning to design on an iPad takes a little dedication There are plenty of great painting apps to help you create artwork on the go, but it takes time and effort to make the most of them. Web designer and frontend developer Katherine Cory finally invested in an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil last year, with the aim of using Procreate to create amazing digital paintings, but is still getting to grips with the new workflow. “I naively thought I’d start creating work as great as the time-lapses I see on Instagram, but after a few hours of playing and only creating scribbles, I’ve realised it’s a skill I need to learn,” she smiles. “I’ve signed up to an Udemy course and have joined Skillshare. Hopefully, by the end of the year I’ll be creating designs like a pro (pun intended).” Get started: Paint a classic fairy tale scene with Procreate 03. Artificial intelligence AI raises ethical questions for developers Digital transformation consultant Sally Lait started playing with neural networks last year, and she’s keen to expand her skills. While AI isn’t something she aims to offer directly to her clients, Lait thinks it’s an important area for web professional to be aware of. “With AI being a growing corner of tech where there’s a lot of hype and even greater amounts of ethical concerns, I’d like more hands-on, practical experience to better inform my knowledge of these important issues,” she explains. “I see it as my responsibility to experience and understand the impact that different technologies can have.” Get started: How the intelligent web will change our interactions 04. Podcasting Podcasts are a great way to immerse yourself in the web industry “2018 is the year to get back to combining technology with stories from real people, therefore I’m relearning a skill from years ago: podcasting!” announces frontend developer and consultant Jenn Lukas. Lukas used to co-host the Ladies in Tech podcast, and will be reprising her skills with a new show No, You Go alongside CEO Katel LeDû and Sara Wachter-Boettcher. To get the podcast launched smoothly she’ll be learning the new WordPress updates, refreshing her audio editing, and brushing up on interviewing skills. Get started: 18 great web design podcasts 05. Soft skills Brushing up on skills like communication can really pay off Don’t forget ‘soft’ skills such as communication and persuasion. Improving these can have a massive effect on your career. Over the coming months, Make Us Proud’s Inayaili de León Persson aims to focus on design leadership and research, to suit where her career is currently headed. “I’ve been reading a lot of books and articles, and watching talks around these subjects, and I’m planning to attend some conferences too – and, of course, learning on the job,” she shares. Get started: How to network successfully 06. AR and VR VR is a completely different ball game An area that’s getting a lot of attention at the moment is virtual reality and augmented reality. In order to understand the possibilities and the limitations in this medium, creative director Shane Mielke plans to spend some time getting to grips with the new tools that are making VR and AR more accessible, including Unity and ARKit. “By understanding the tools and process, I can more confidently solve design and navigation problems in a world that doesn’t follow the standards of the web-only projects that I have most of my experience in,” he explains. Get started: The VR web is here 07. A rounded approach Don't panic over every hot new tool or technique While all these new tools and techniques are exciting, if you try and learn every new thing that comes along, you’ll find yourself running to stand still. So if reading this list is putting you into a panic, worry not. “If you can think algorithmically, share your skills, work with a team and empathise with users, there will always be work,” councils Web Standards specialist Bruce Lawson. “Being rounded is the skill I want to develop.” This article was originally published in net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 304 or subscribe. Read more: The complete guide to SVG 5 web typography trends to look out for The dos and don'ts of perfect portfolios View the full article

Games are very much part of our daily routine now, whether you're playing a game on your PC or tapping away on your phone. If you've ever thought of creating your own, now you can go from playing games to building them with the 30-Minute Unity Bootcamp Bundle, on sale for just $19.99 (approx. £15). The 30-Minute Unity Bootcamp Bundle is your chance to turn your game obsession into something more productive. All you need is half an hour a day to work through these crash course style lessons. This bundle is packed with the knowledge you need to go from exploring virtual worlds to building them. From physics to controls, and everything in between, the 30-Minute Unity Bootcamp Bundle has all of the courses that you need to get your start as a game developer. You can get the 30-Minute Unity Bootcamp Bundle on sale for just $19.99 (approx. £15)! That’s a savings of 95% off the retail price for a bundle that is sure to please any aspiring game developer, so grab this deal today! View the full article

Ulrike Rausch is a type designer and letterer, and the founder of her own type foundry, LiebeFonts. Her studio is dedicated to crafting handwriting fonts with love, with the likes of KFC using her lettering to give its branding a personal touch. In her talk at TYPO Berlin 2018 (tune in to the livestream here), Rausch shattered some of the romantic illusions surrounding font design and pointed out that handwritten fonts can go from unique to boring very quickly if they’re used unimaginatively. So how do typographers keep their work fresh? In her talk, 'Brush, Ink and Code - The Making of a Font', Rausch revealed some advice for combining digital know-how with traditional methods in order to create a handwritten font with a sense of individuality. Here are some of the key tips from the talk, which Rausch says help “preserve the liveliness of irregularities.” 01. Create handwritten alternatives LiebeDoris was used for a KFC campaign Repetition of letter shapes can kill the charm of a handwritten font dead in the water. After all, even the neatest human handwriting contains subtle idiosyncrasies between one use of a letter and the next. Why should handwriting fonts have an uncanny sense of uniformity about them? One way around this is to create handwritten alternatives. This is what Rausch did for her KFC lettering, with the project taking around a year and a half to complete thanks to this extra level of effort with the type design. By creating different variations of each letter by hand, the branding team had the flexibility to shake-up the lettering in its marketing and stop the font from becoming stale. 02. Use OpenType features LiebeLotte offers a variety of ligatures and alternates via OpenType features If there was one message Rausch was keen for typographers to take away from her talk, it was to use OpenType features. If you’re unfamiliar with OpenType features, don’t worry. According to Rausch, design software tries its hardest to hide these features from its users. So what are they? Put simply, they’re a series of tools that make fonts look and behave differently, which is perfect for changing characters in handwritten fonts. When used with a batch of handwritten alternatives, OpenType features, in particular the contextual alternate feature, are a way of jumbling up the occurrence of a letterform. There’s a lot of scope for flexibility with OpenType features. For example, they can be programmed to sniff out repetitions of a letter shape that appears twice in a row, or multiple times in the same sentence. Perfect for keeping handwritten fonts lively. 03. Make sure the client uses the features Rausch's work for KFC didn't live up to its potential... because the client didn't turn on the OpenType features If OpenType features are hard for designers to find and use, just think how difficult it is for clients with no typography skills. For Rausch, her KFC lettering was sure to be the pride of her portfolio, with the alternate lettering set to spice up the fast food chain’s marketing. This wasn’t quite the case. When she saw it in reality, the lettering had that handwritten yet uniform look she dreaded. The reason? KFC had not turned on the OpenType alternate features option when it came to writing out its branding messages. 04. Beware the glyph palette LiebeGerda comes alive with OpenType magic – most characters three variations that are automatically shuffled and inserted as you type Even if you’ve been extra careful and alerted the client to the OpenType alternate features, this doesn’t mean you’re home and dry yet. That’s because each piece of design software, as well as making OpenType features hard to find, apparently doesn’t make them straightforward to use, either. One particular glitch Rausch pointed out could be found in the glyph palette. If this is opened up while working with a set of alternate fonts it has the annoying habit of turning off the contextual alternate feature. Definitely one to point out to your client before you see your hard work become another repetitive handwritten font out out in the wild. Related articles: 8 elegant script fonts 23 great places to download fonts for free 19 top free brush fonts View the full article

Professional artists share how 3D software can take your digital art to the next level in ImagineFX 162 - on sale now! Acting as a medium in itself or as a framework for other tools, 3D software have a range of creative possibilities. With concept and games artists possibly best suited to benefiting from 3D software, we talk to 5518 Studios to hear how they incorporated the tools into their workflow. Meanwhile in our in depth workshop we learn from Adam Dewhirst how to quickly work up a 3D concpet using ZBrush and Photoshop. Buy issue 162 of ImagineFX here Elsewhere in issue 162 we hear from Ara Kermanikian how to model a sci-fi composition model ready to be painted over. It's not all 3D fun though, as there are plenty of traditional art workshops to enjoy, including Nicolas Delort's pen tutorial which explores how to draw an iconic fantasy encounter. Topped off with all the latest news, reviews and reader art in our FXPose, you won't want to miss ImagineFX issue 162. Check out what's in store by taking a look over the lead features, below. Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here Add a new dimension Learn why you need to add 3D to your skill set Is 3D software the shortcut to a creative career? Or does it depend on which route you decide to take your art? We talk to artists who use 3D software in a variety of ways to find out how artists can benefit by adding technical wizardry to their artistic tool belt. Artist portfolio: Pablo Carpio Pablo Carpio went from having no job to working for Disney When it comes to carving out a career as an artist, there can be moments when you have to take a leap into the unknown. That's just what happened to Pablo Carpio as he found himself with no job, no leads, but a lot of ambition. We talk to the artist to hear how he made it and ended up working on AAA games. Find your motivation Get out of your creative slump with these tips An artistic funk can strike anyone at any level of their career. To help you out of your creative doldrums, Mel Milton is on hand to share his tried and tested motivational tips. Tackling everything from goals and challenges to dreaming big, this advice is sure to give your creativity a kick start. VR sculpting workshop Technology has finally caught up with VR Artists with their finger on the pulse will be all too aware that the industry seems to be going through something of a VR renaissance. Thanks to easier access to powerful computers, more and more artists now have the chance to harness the possibilities of the VR medium. Glen Southern shows you how to sculpt a character for VR with this workshop. Master watercolour basics Tame the tricky medium with these tips Thanks to its habit of running away with itself, watercolours have a bit of a reputation with artists. Kelly McKernan argues that this protean nature is something to be celebrated as she walks us through the basics of watercolour in this new core skills series. ImagineFX is the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists – packed with workshops and interviews with fantasy and sci-fi artists, plus must-have kit reviews. Related articles: 30 top examples of 3D art New Illustrator plugin lets 2D designers easily work in 3D Bring 3D tools into your 2D art View the full article

The company urges customers to patch three vulnerabilities that received the highest severity rating of 10. View the full article

Threatpost talked to several security researchers about what's changed in the past year. View the full article

Following hot on the heels of this year’s successful Generate New York, tickets for Generate London 2018 are now officially on sale. And if you’re quick off the mark you can gain all the expert web design insight and advice on offer at an even better price: we're offering 50 early-bird tickets to the country’s premier web-design event. You can pick up a two-day or three-day pass for £100 off the usual price! > Buy your Early Bird ticket for £100 off Taking place once again at London’s Royal Institution, the home of the Christmas Lectures, from 19-21 September, Generate London is a three-day event packed full of inspiration, education and networking opportunities. Generate kicks off with a day of workshops, it transitions into two single-track conference days offering talks from world-class web designers. Here’s just a taste of what you can expect: Sarah Parmenter Having cut her teeth working for clients such as Adobe, Ellen Degeneres, Apple, and News International, and picked up Designer of the Year at the 2011 net awards, few people know the world of high-profile web design like Sarah Parmenter. Her keynote at Generate will dive into the subject of quarterly website design reviews with a “design once use everywhere” mantra, plus digging into the ever changing world of Instagram algorithms, Facebook marketing, and topical social media takeaways. Sara Soueidan Sara is an award-winning freelance front-end UI developer and author from Lebanon with clients including Netflix, The Royal Schiphol Group and Smashing Magazine. Her Generate keynote will serve up a wide range of possibilities for improving the overall user experience of your UI using CSS (with sprinkles of SVG and JavaScript here and there). Bruce Lawson 'Shokunin' is a Japanese word often translated as 'artisan’. But the woodwork master craftsman Tasio Odate writes, "such a literal description does not fully express the deeper meaning. The Japanese apprentice is taught that shokunin means not only having technical skills, but also implies an attitude and social consciousness … The shokunin has a social obligation to work his/her best for the general welfare of the people." Following this lead in his keynote, Bruce Lawson, the web standards consultant to Wix and former deputy CTO at Opera, will look at the web standards and the mindset required to be a Shokunin of the web. Marpi Marcinowski Marpi Marcinowski is a Polish-born San-Francisco-based digital artist who currently works with Obscura as director of web and experiential design. His artworks are interactive, scalable, and multiplatform, giving anyone ability to shape them, and create their own. His talk will take you on a journey through all interactive media and technologies and how anyone can create their own generative worlds and interact with one another. Richard Rutter In Douglas Adams’ novels, Dirk Gently is a "holistic detective" who makes use of "the fundamental interconnectedness of all things" to solve crime. Through a series of stories, Richard Rutter, the co-founder of Clearleft and Fontdeck, will use his talk to show you how to be like Dirk and work out which of a service’s pieces need to fit together, determine how well they meet user needs and rebuild them from the ground up so that they do. Steven Roberts Sure we all know about the power of CSS transitions, we use them day in and day out to animate the state of a button or link; but CSS is capable of so much more, especially when paired with SVG and it’s about time we started utilising it. Learn the best tools for the job with front-end designer and developer Steven Roberts in his talk recreating some of the best animations the web has to offer, while discovering the possibilities and limitations of animating with just CSS. With so many great speakers on offer and many more still to be announced, it’s safe to say that the 50 early-bird tickets will sell out fast. So make sure you grab your ticket while they last. Related articles: 10 new web design tools for April 2018 10 reasons to attend Generate NYC 2018 10 fantastic new web design tools for March 2018 View the full article