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Using an HTML boilerplate saves you from starting from scratch every time you build a site Though websites are all unique from a content and design perspective, the underlying foundations of the vast majority of sites are very similar. So why start each one from scratch when you can use a reliable boilerplate for the initial work? Typically, people creating sites want to deal with the quirks of individual browsers, stripping out any proprietary styling that such software might add to specific web page elements. Additionally, they may use scripts for dealing with the shortcomings of older browsers, and might also drop in basic default styles, for horizontal rules and elements that are supposed to be hidden. Doing this again and again for every project is a massive waste of time and energy. Not only will you mostly be repeating yourself, you might also make unique errors during every attempt to start afresh. Furthermore, for some people there will be the horror of a blank document that leaves them simply not sure where to start. If you're smart, you won't attempt to reinvent the wheel when others have done the work for you, and you'll use an HTML boilerplate. What is an HTML boilerplate? Boilerplates are similar to templates, but more helpful, in that they often contain text and graphics to start you off rather than just layouts for these elements. An HTML boilerplate is a set of files that you can download, which provide a foundation for any website you create. Typically, they have been built by industry professionals but freely released to the community, so you can use them as the basis for your own projects. This speeds things up and ensures that the basics of your site are sound. Note that the term 'HTML boilerplate' doesn't mean you just get an HTML document or even a bunch of them. Boilerplates may contain a range of file types, including HTML documents, but also add CSS, JavaScript, placeholder images, and documentation on how to use what you've just downloaded. Popular boilerplates HTML5 Boilerplate is a good place to start. The self-described "web's most popular front-end template", is a sleek and simple HTML5 template that's the result of the pooled knowledge of many dozens of developers. It provides the basic scaffolding or framework for building an entire website. There are alternative methods, which happen to provide more assistance. Bootstrap, Web Starter Kit and Skeleton add things like a typography base and responsive grid, giving you a further head-start when working on your design. However, they do so at the expense of additional default code, which you may find yourself having to edit or override. There are also arguments that rather too many designers in recent years have relied heavily on Bootstrap, thereby resulting in many sites looking alike. Using a simpler HTML5 Boilerplate foundation and going your own way could therefore be a better choice, depending on your level of ability, confidence and needs. Using HTML5 Boilerplate When downloaded, this free, open-source boilerplate provides you with documentation and licensing in Markdown format, some CSS, two placeholder images, two HTML files, some JavaScript, and some server config files. You can click on your favourite option for each filter! On downloading the archive, make a copy and keep it clean and untouched. It can then serve as reference for any changes you make. For your new site, you can ditch all of the .md documents. First, replace the two .png files with your logo, which will appear as your site's favicon and the icon when your site is saved to someone's iOS Home screen. An online generator can help you create new images. In the HTML, there might be some things that you're not familiar with. The majority of these additions deal with issues relating to legacy browsers. The final script element is for Google Analytics and can be removed entirely if you don't use that. Leave the other script elements that are found towards the end of the file, because they load jQuery. Add content to the body of the document after the 'Add your site or application content here' comment. You'll also need to give the page a title and fill the 'content' value in the 'description' meta tag. Note also that all links are relative in this document, and so you may need to change them to root-relative or absolute links if you start nesting web pages in folders. You can add comments if you make any major changes to the HTML, to remind yourself later. CSS edits HTML5 Boilerplate is a great way to save time when creating new websites Of the two CSS documents included with HTML5 Boilerplate, there's no need to touch normalize.css. This is the reset document that ensures all browsers start on a level playing field when it comes to your website. By contrast, main.css includes what the document terms "opinionated defaults", including some basic styles for selections, horizontal rules, images, and forms, helpers for item visibility, and @media rules for responsive web design and print. Everything here is fair game for updating, although carefully consider whether you should do so. There's an area set aside for the author's custom styles (ie, yours) or you could create an entirely separate CSS document and attach that to your HTML as well. Whatever your choice, be mindful of how you'll deal with subsequent updates to HTML5 Boilerplate itself. If you edit any of the default main.css styles, changes made in future versions of HTML5 Boilerplate (which would either be added by replacing files, or replacing parts of files) won't necessarily come across to your site, or will override your own edits. Therefore, again make use of comments for any changes, thereby making later comparisons much easier. Advanced boilerplates Based on HTLM5 Boilerplate, Initializr generates a clean customizable template for you Once you gain experience, it's worth considering a custom build using Initializr, retaining the components you need and ditching those you don't. Also, if you're creating a WordPress site, explore a WordPress-specific blank theme, such as HTML5 Blank. These downloads and services are all free, so you can check out and experiment with them at your leisure. Still, whatever you do, a little work and investigation now should save you a whole lot of time later, when you just pull out your boilerplate to get cracking on a new website. Get your ticket for Generate New York now Three-day web design event Generate New York is back. Taking place between 25-27 April 2018, headline speakers include SuperFriendly’s Dan Mall, web animation consultant Val Head, full-stack JavaScript developer Wes Bos and more. There’s also a full day of workshops and valuable networking opportunities – don’t miss it. Get your Generate ticket now. Liked this? Read these: 16 amazing HTML examples 5 of the best resources for learning HTML and CSS 16 top online coding courses View the full article

A strong, memorable, self-contained marque just isn't enough in our increasingly multi-channel world. While logo design remains important, brands also need to develop a toolkit of equally distinctive parts. Colour in branding can have a strong impact, and a truly 'ownable' palette is the holy grail. A bespoke branded typeface can also work wonders, as can a distinctive brand voice, or unique approach to art direction or illustration. With all this in mind, read on for five examples of brands whose assets make them recognisable even when the logo is removed... 01. O2: bubbles and blue gradients O2 has built such a strong brand association with bubbles on a blue gradient, that no logo is needed here Provided you're already familiar with the O2 brand, air bubbles rising through a simple vertical gradient of sky blue to royal blue will be enough to distinguish the brand from its competitors. And that's a powerful position to be in. Oxygen bubbles say 'O2' in more ways than one, and their use in the telco firm's branding has symbolic significance too: a breath of fresh air. Their size and position is variable, so they're not a brand marque in any conventional sense. The 'bubble' motif translates into any kind of circular application, such as the enormous O2 Arena in London, formerly known as the Millennium Dome. O2's long-running 'Be More Dog' campaign by VCCP added a playful, life-affirming twist to its marketing. And its more recent Follow The Rabbit ads keep that quirky, character-driven edge alive, but the bubbles and blue gradient remain constant. 02. Virgin: scarlet red and cheeky wit Cheeky and playful copywriting and scarlet red combine in Virgin's many diverse brand communications For a vast holding company like Virgin Group, whose diverse ventures span the globe and include gyms, airlines, trains, holidays, telecommunications, media, banking, retail and even space travel, brand coherence is an interesting challenge. Although the scrawled Virgin logo ties all of these organisations together, its distinctive scarlet is a powerful element that helps make the brand, in its own words, "sophisticated yet playful, glamorous yet cheeky, stylish yet flirty". That brand voice cuts through the competition wherever it appears. According to Virgin Mobile's guidelines, it's about cheeky wit, being friendly and natural, and keeping it fresh, simple and positive. "Our humour should be based on honest, insightful observations of human behaviour, not cheesy gags of randomness just for the sake of standing out," explain the guidelines. "We want to be witty, not weird." Combine that tone of voice with Virgin's distinctive red, and the logo becomes almost secondary. 03. IKEA: pure Swedish simplicity You don't need an IKEA logo to know instantly where these bookcase assembly instructions come from When your packaging and communications are as brutally simple as IKEA's, you need a distinctive brand toolkit to tie it all together. Its logo is distinctive, but the proudly Swedish blue-and-yellow palette is much more so. If you see a blue bag with yellow handles – or while in-store, a yellow bag with blue handles – it's pretty unmistakable which brand you're dealing with. Its choice of typeface alone is never going to punch through. For 50 years IKEA used Futura, before controversially switching to the even more ubiquitous Verdana in 2010. But a bold, all-caps treatment of a quirky, distinctively Swedish-sounding name – next to a simple line drawing of the product it describes, and step-by-step infographic instructions – doesn't need an IKEA logo next to it. It's a gloriously pared-back aesthetic that has been much aped, but never bettered. 04. Coca-Cola: blend of shape, colour and form Jonathan Mak's 'Coke Hands' poster unmistakably conveys the Coca-Cola brand without any need to show a logo That Spencerian script logo, which has remained relatively unchanged since the 19th century, is unmistakably Coca-Cola – and it's one of the most iconic American logos. But Coke has also laid claim to a handful of equally strong brand assets, as demonstrated by its recent CokexAdobexYou campaign, which invited the public to reinterpret those assets in new ways. They include the iconic glass bottle silhouette, the dynamic wave shape, and of course the red-and-white colour palette. Any combination of two or more of those assets screams Coca-Cola with no logo in sight. A strong demonstration of this was Ogilvy & Mather Shanghai's 2012 poster, designed by Jonathan Mak – who had previously risen to global fame for his 'Steve Jobs silhouette' Apple logo. Mak combined the red-and-white palette, bottle shape and wave form to create a strikingly simple graphic of two hands sharing a Coke. 05. Macmillan: distinctive type and intimate tone A five-word phrase stacked over three lines, Macmillan's brand identity feels like part of the conversation rather than a logo Sometimes a typeface and smart use of language can be enough to define a brand. When Wolff Olins rebranded cancer charity Macmillan, the agency embraced a much more personal approach that reversed its formerly 'institutional' vibe. Rather than a corporate stamp, the new branding – 'We are Macmillan. Cancer support' – felt like the start of a conversation. The accompanying communications, set in the irregular, handmade-looking typeface in two distinctive shades of green, continued in that vein by using the 'We...' construct to feel inclusive and friendly. The highly distinctive combination of type and colour does all the heavy lifting in terms of brand recognition, to the extent that the logo could easily be removed without any doubt of what brand is represented. Related articles: 5 times brands shook up their logo to create a powerful message These big-brand logos all pass the silhouette test 5 small-business rebrands that got big attention Empty list View the full article

Google updates its Android OS to address its own OS and component partners Qualcomm and Broadcom. View the full article

Here is the definitive guide to the best photo apps around, covering iOS (that's iPhone and iPad) and Android apps. Some you won't have heard of, others you'll be more familiar with. None are going to replace a great DSLR, mirrorless or compact camera (see our guide to the best cameras for creatives) and a couple of hours with a photo editor such as Photoshop CC, but they're all great at what they do. Get Adobe Creative Cloud Let's start off with apps to transform your current photo collection: photo editing apps. You'll also find apps for taking photos and artistic photo apps on the other pages of this article, so click through to those if that's what you're after. The 5 best laptops for photo editing 01. Photoshop Lightroom CC for mobile Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Adobe Price: Free Adobe makes a number of photo apps but if you’re serious about photo editing on your device, you only need one: Photoshop Lightroom CC for mobile. It's a free app that gives you a powerful yet simple solution for capturing, editing and sharing your photos. You can shoot raw photos (on compatible phones), or transfer from your camera onto your device, and easily organise and tweak them, then automatically upload them to the cloud so they don’t take up space on your device. It has presets to keep your edits quick and simple, but you can also go deeper and fine-tune images to perfection. Signing up to a Creative Cloud account - including the Lightroom CC plan, adds the ability to work across phone, tablet and desktop with instant synchronisation. 02. Photoshop Express Photoshop Express offers the sort of professionalism you'd expect from Adobe Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Adobe Price: Free As you would expect from Adobe, the interface and user experience of the Photoshop Express photo app for Apple and Android devices is faultless. It fulfils all the functions you need for picture editing and will probably be the one you turn to for sheer convenience. 'Straighten' and 'Flip' are two useful functions not included in many other apps. However, none of the filters really jump out, and some are surprisingly naff for an app that comes from the developer for designers. Ultimately, if you are looking for a more professional tool, look towards Lightroom CC for mobile, but the cut-down feel and familiarity of PS Express will suit some. 03. Photoshop Mix Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Adobe Price: Free Photoshop Mix is an app that caters more for those looking to make big statements than those making subtle adjustments, and it’s none the worse for it. PS Mix enables you to cut out and combine elements from different images, blend layers and make adjustments to your creations on your device, and it majors in ease-of-use. Usefully, it live-syncs with Photoshop CC, meaning that when you make a change on your phone, it’ll show up instantly on your desktop – and you can take advantage of Creative Cloud benefits with an Adobe Photography Plan, which saves a fair bit of cash over a full subscription. 04. Photoshop Fix Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Adobe Price: Free With Photoshop Fix, you can make the most common image adjustments very easily, right on your smart device, without having to transfer your photos to a desktop computer and use expensive photo editing software. At your fingertips are the tools to liquify, heal, lighten, colour and adjust your images to perfection, plus you can experiment with painting tools and vignettes, control exposure, contrast, saturation and focus. As with all Adobe mobile apps, having a Creative Cloud account opens up the ability to instantly share your work with other CC apps on desktop or mobile, but Photoshop Fix is probably best Adobe app for those just looking to make their smartphone photos better without requiring deep knowledge of editing tools. 05. Photo Editor by Aviary Aviary strikes a balance between serious and playful Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Aviary Price: Free Aviary is a pleasantly designed app that strikes the perfect balance between serious photo editing and playful photo decoration functions, without looking bland or childish. Since it was first launched, the number of tools has exploded from 20 to 1500, giving you plenty of room to play. The 'Strato' filter creates one of the most convincing vintage effects from all the apps tested. 06. Google PhotoScan Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Google Price: Free It's all very well being able edit photos on your phone or computer, but what about those old pre-digital prints you have lying around? If putting them all through a scanner's too much for you, there's an app that makes digitising your ancient snaps much easier. Google's PhotoScan enables you to scan photos with your phone in seconds, without unsightly glare and shadows; head this way for some great tips on how to get the best out of it. 07. Pixlr Pixlr has such a huge array of effects and tools that you can get lost in it for hours Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Autodesk Inc Price: Free Boasting over two million combinations of effects, overlays and filters, Pixlr contains enough tools to keep you busy for hours. You can also layer your images, add text captions, and it is also an excellent collage maker. Plus you'll also find an eraser to auto fix the colour and automatically adjust contrast. Not bad for a free app. 08. Fotor Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Everimagining Price: Free Looking for a flexible photo editing app that's easy to pick up and produces quality results? Fotor delivers all of this, and best of all you can download it for free. This versatile app enables you to edit, collage and share images, plus you can discover masterpieces snapped by other users. Fotor also offers a focus feature, enabling you to control depth of field and clarity to simulate DSLR effects. Simply select a focal point, adjust the emulator to your preference, and create a high definition finish. 09. Qwik Qwik is crammed with filters, fonts and frames Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Guillaume Babusiaux Price: Free Qwik describes itself as 'the fastest and easiest way to make pretty photos,' and with over 50 filters, plus tons of fonts and frames, it's hard to argue with it. Edit your images in seconds with straightforward hands-on tools, and share them with Qwik's online community. With new filters and features being added every week, Qwik is constantly keeping itself fresh and exciting. 10. PicLab Use the photo editor to quickly create trendy infographic images with this photo app Platform: iOS, Android Developer: MuseWorks Price: Free PicLab is a nifty app for creating those inspiring images that you get all over the internet these days. You know, the ones featuring a photo – probably with at least one retro filter applied – with a helpful aphorism layered over the top in an attractive, friendly typeface. Yeah, those – like the silly AI-generated ones we've featured, but better. PicLab HD makes them an absolute doddle to create, enabling you to either snap a photo or grab one from your photo library, then go to town on it. As well as adding typography – lots of fonts and full control over size, positioning, opacity, rotation, and colour – you can also layer illustrations, ornamentation and other design elements on top of your image. PicLab features full layer-based editing and also packs plenty of tools for making your original photo look its best, with loads of lighting and film effects to choose from as well as preset photo filters and adjustment tools for fine tuning the brightness, contrast, exposure, saturation, and the blur level of your photos. 11. Handy Photo Platform: iOS, Android Developer: ADVA Soft Price: $2.99/£2.99 (iOS), $2.99/£2.89 (Android) The selling point of photo editor Handy Photo is its interface, which uses the corners of the screen to cater for rotating menu options. It's all designed to keep the central area of the screen clear, allowing you to use swipe gestures to tone your effects up or down. It's a powerful photo editor; the UI isn't for everyone, but this is an amazing price for the effects you get. The 'Move Me' tool enables you to clip out objects and move, resize or flip them. 12. Facetune Hide your blemishes, wrinkles and more with Facetune's photo editor Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android Developer: Lightricks Price: $3.99/£3.99 (iPhone), $5.99/£5.99 (iPad), $5.99/£3.99 (Android) Embarrassed about your laughter lines? Feeling blue about those blemishes? Fear not, Facetune is here! Grab a photo from your Camera Roll and start your makeover; you can remove unwanted freckles, blemished skin or hide bags under the eyes with Smooth; reshape that wonky nose or misshapen jawline with, er, Reshape; and make subtle tweaks of colour using Tone. The results of this photo editor are truly impressive. You can share results over Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr – if you dare. 13. PhotoWonder Photo Wonder has a good collage feature with multiple layouts and photo booth effects Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Beijing Baidu Netcom Price: Free Excellent user interface makes Photo Wonder one of the speediest smartphone photo apps to use. It also has a good collage feature with multiple layouts and photo booth effects. The filter selection isn’t huge, but many are so well-designed that you’ll find them far more valuable than sheer quantity from a lesser app. The 'Vintage' filter works magic on photos of buildings or scenery. Combine with 'Sweety' for a dreamy retro effect. 14. Rakuga Cute Look beyond the cuteness and Rakuga Cute has some interesting features Platform: iOS Developer: Tatsumi Electronics Price: Free At first glance this iPhone photo app seems aimed at Japanese schoolgirls rather than discerning designers, but Rakuga Cute actually contains some unusual editing functions which makes it an interesting addition to your photo repertoire. The 'Mosaic' option lets you selectively pixelate any part of a photo, quite useful for blurring out license-plates, identities or should you feel so inclined, body parts as well. Next page: Camera apps 15. Halide Halide puts pro camera controls at your fingertips Platform: iOS Developer: Chroma Noir Price: £4.99/$4.99 If you love the convenience of mobile photography but miss the control you get with a full-on SLR, Halide is well worth snapping up. It'll work as a simple point and shoot, but with a swipe you can open up a whole load of lovely manual options, giving you tactile control over focus, ISO and shutter speed, as well as a live histogram to help you get the right exposure. You can review your photos Tinder-style, with a right swipe to add them to your favourites, and a left swipe to trash them, and Halide can even export as RAW to give you more flexibility when you edit your shots. 16. Camera MX Platform: Android Developer: Appic Labs Corp Price: Free The Android exclusive photo app Camera MX combines powerful enhancement tools with a beautifully simple user interface. Thanks to intelligent image prcoessing you can take visibly sharper snaps, as well as cutting and trimming them to perfection in the edit. In the latest version you can create dynamic photos with the 'Live Shot' feature. By saving the last seconds before you actually take the photo, this app lets users capture moving snaps that can be relived and shared. 17. Lensical Platform: iOS (iPhone) Developer: Apptly, LLC Price: Free Lensical makes creating face effects as simple as adding photo filters. Lensical is designed for larger displays and utilises one-handed gesture-based controls making it the perfect complement to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S Plus's cameras. 18. Camera+ Camera+ is adored by iPad users and has subsequently arrived on iPhone - hooray! Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: tap tap tap Price: $2.99/£2.99 (iPhone), $4.99/£4.99 (iPad) The Camera app that comes on the iPhone by default is not brilliant: yes, you can use it to take some decent shots, but it doesn't offer you much creative control. This is where Camera+ excels. The app has two parts: a camera and a photo editor, and it truly excels at the latter, with a huge range of advanced features. Camera+ doesn't just limit you to editing new pics – you can quickly import your existing photos into the Lightbox so that you can breathe new life into them. 19. Clone Camera Pro Double up your images with Clone Camera Pro Platform: iOS (iPhone) Developer: Peta Vision Price: $1.99/£1.99 A smart photo-compositing app that allows you to double up on your images. Clone Camera lets you produce a 'photo' of a scene with the same person in it multiple times. It's simply a case of taking up to four photos of the same person in a different location, and then selecting the areas you want to stitch together into the final photo. The app works best if you have a tripod, or can otherwise keep your device still. 20. Camera360 Camera360 offers a huge range of functions and no ads Platform: iOS (iPhone), Android Developer: PinGuo Price: Free Camera360 is a remarkable smartphone photo app. It's perfectly self-contained with a huge range of functions, no ads and no insistence in promoting paid content. Touching the photo after applying a filter produces a nifty quick comparison of the 'before' and 'after' versions. One drawback is that the process of importing photos is slightly tedious, with one too many clicks involved. Tip: go to Enhancement>Night for a great filter to correct slightly dark or underexposed photos. 21. LINE Camera You can add text to your pictures in over 100 fonts and 20 colours Platform: iOS (iPhone), Android Developer: Naver Japan Price: Free Sleek and easy-to-use, LINE Camera comes with a solid range of filters, borders, icons and stamps. You can also add text to your pictures in over 100 fonts and 20 colours, making this free smartphone photo app one of the best for typography. Check out Stamp>Heart Symbol>Shine for a nice selection of kitschy sparkle brushes. 22. Paper Camera Paper Camera's interface is quirky to say the least Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: JFDP Labs Price: $2.99/£2.99 (iOS), £2.39 (Android) Filter effects aren't exactly a new thing, but Paper Camera takes a different approach to the post effects found in the likes of Instagram. What does it do? Well, it displays effects in real time on your camera as you're using it. There are some neat effects on offer – including cartoon, half tone and sketch. 23. Lifecake Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android Developer: Lifecake Price: Free Save and organise pictures of your children growing up with Lifecake. In a timeline free from the adverts and noise that clutter most social media channels, you can easily look back over fond memories and share them with family and friends. Touted as 'a time machine of your child's life', you can skip to select stages and compare different dates. You decide who can see your images, and because Lifecake is now a Canon company you can order a printed album of your precious photos. 24. VSCO Cam Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android Developer: Visual Supply Company Price: Free Connect with amazing photographers from around the world, and create your own stunning photography with VSCO Cam. Create your own VSCO Journal to join in with the community and find inspiration form other users. Unlike other social platforms, your followers and clout are not displayed, giving everyone an equal creative playing field. VSCO Cam comes packed with top performance features, including high resolution imports, and before and after comparisons to show how you built up your edit. Introduce yourself to the community by downloading it for free. Next page: Artistic photo apps 25. Prisma Prisma uses AI to turn your snaps into works of art Platform: iOS/Android Developer: Prisma Labs Price: Free Better than any filter-based photo app, Prisma can transform your photos into masterpieces in the style of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Munch, Mondrian and Picasso. It uses an AI technique called style transfer to do its artistic magic, and it's no longer restricted to still images; it now works on video as well. 26. Instagram With a few simple edits, Instagram transforms photos into works of art Platform: iOS, Android Developer: Instagram, Inc Price: Free Even if you're new to the world of photo apps chances are you've heard of Instagram. Capable of turning the most everyday photo into something glamorous thanks to its range of custom-designed filters and editing tools, Instagram has won over a legion of fans and dedicated users. Put simply, there is a reason Instagram is so popular. It's powerful, versatile, and best of all it's free. Thanks in part to its ownership by Facebook, Instagram has also become a social media platform in itself. Instagram Stories let you communicate a diary of images to your followers, and offshoot apps Boomerang, Hyperlapse and Layout help you create striking video and collages. And – praise be! – Instagram has finally tweaked its feed to make newer posts more likely to appear near the top. But please just make it chronological again! 27. PixelWakker PixelWakker transforms your pics into pointillist art Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: PixelWakker Price: £2.99 If you're a fan of pointillism then this is the photo app for you. PixelWakker breaks down your images into their component pixels and that's where the fun begins. You can apply one of four great effects – pixel image, dots, line, or colour rain – to your pics and watch in wonder as dot art unfolds before your eyes. 28. Sktchy You'll either love or hate sketch-based community photo editor app Sktchy Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: Sktchy LLC Price: Free Connecting with people around the world in a new way, here you can choose from a selection of photographs, uploaded by the Sktchy community and create a portrait from that image. Sktchy co-founder Jordan Melnick comments: "Our community of artists is growing every day because Sktchy is the perfect place for them to find inspiration and share their art with the world, in part because of the neat way we layer portraits over the photos that inspired them." 29. Photochop Photochop - Chop Up and Distort Your Photos does exactly what it says on the tin Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: Big Bucket Software Price: $0.99/£0.99 We probably like this app for its name (in full: Photochop – Chop Up and Distort Your Photos) as much as for its function. It's a cheap and cheerful little photo editor tool for mucking about with pictures. Simply pick a snap from your iPhone's photo library, chop it up into a set of tiles and then go crazy. You can either work directly with the tiles, dragging them around, rotating and resizing them to create a collage effect, or there's a warp mode that works in the same way but results in a distorted image rather than a collage. Obviously it's nothing you can't easily do in any image editing app in a couple of minutes and you'll be hard pushed to find a serious application for it, but it's a fun graphical toy to have in your pocket. 30. Path On Add images to your text with Path On Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: Peta Vision Price: $1.99/£1.99 Path On lets you add funky text to photos in unique ways. You draw the path you'd like the words to take, then type in your message – the text then flows along the path. The custom options are the real killer feature here, with you being able to adjust the font, the letter space, and the alignment. Although it's a little fiddly, Path On is probably the best adding-text-to-photos tool around. 31. Geló Persevere with Geló and the results will speak for themselves Platform: iOS (iPhone) Developer: James Moore Price: Free A splash of colour can alter the look of an photo dramatically. Give your iPhone shots some extra oomph with this cool app for the iPhone. Gradients have become a lost art in iPhone photography, but Geló fills that gap in the market well. It needs a little more patience than your average photo app, but persevere and the results are excellent. Once you've taken or imported an image, you see a carousel of 'gels'. Cycle through to choose a colour, tap it, and then it’s applied to your shot. Using the sliders you can tweak how the filter affects your shot, and you can easily apply specific RGB values though, that might mimic your favourite tints in iPhoto or Photoshop, say. 32. Retromatic Retromatic can be frustrating at times but it portrays a great vintage feel Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Developer: Peta Vision Price: $1.99/£1.99 1950s-inspired photo app Retromatic enables you to import your photos, cut them out using an instant alpha tool, and then apply vintage effects to them. It's quick and easy to use, and looks great, although expect frustration if you want to do anything more than the basics. The instant alpha tool works well, but you have to hold down on the screen to make it switch between a brush and pinching to zoom. 33. Tadaa Tadaa is great for fine-tuning photos Platform: iOS (iPhone) Developer: Menschmaschine Price: Free Tadaa lets you adjust the strength of all its filters, which is ideal for people who like fine-tuning their photos with subtle effects. This iPhone photo app tries to get you to use its own social network, but you can still use all features without a login. Click on the frame icon to access a nice range of photo film borders. Unlike Instagram and Magic Hour, you're not limited to a square and can apply the film border to a photo of any size. Related articles: 40 sets of free icons The best new art apps of 2016 HelloGiggles' elegant redesign focuses on community View the full article

Panera is in hot water after sitting on a massive data leak for eight months on its website - and then trying to downplay the amount of customers impacted by the leak. View the full article

They might be taking people's jobs and threatening to overthrow us one day, but robots aren't all bad. If there's one thing robots are good for, it's sparking the imagination of talented artists during the illustration challenge March of Robots. Created by self-taught illustrator DaCosta!, March of Robots tasks you with sketching a new robot every day during March. As with similar illustration challenges, such as MerMay and InkTober, March of Robots is all about having fun. So if you can't create a new picture every single day, that's no problem either. It's all about setting goals and sticking to them. How to draw people, animals, landscapes and mythical creatures It wouldn't be a month-long drawing challenge without a hashtag though. And thanks to #marchofrobots you can easily sift through Twitter and Instagram to find marvellous mechanical creations. We've rounded up some of our favourites, which you can explore below. 01. Jarlan Perez We thought robots couldn't feel emotions, but this one looks happy When he isn't busy working for Google and Lockheed Martin, 3D artist Jarlan Perez loves to make digital illustrations of robots. And while he hasn't quite been able to keep up with the daily grind of the challenge, Perez has managed a steady output of colourful droids and drones. We particularly like how Perez experiments with shape and form to create robots that have both a distinctive appearance and an individual personality. His illustrations showcase how robots give artists freedom to experiment with character concepts in a way that isn't always possible with organic creatures. Be sure to check out his profile for more one-of-a-kind robots. 02. Pascal Blanché Where does the human end and the robot begin? In a case of quality over quantity, senior art director at Ubisoft Montreal, Pascal Blanché, has created three images over the course of the month. Knocked up with the help of box mapping, the Bot hunter Bot – pictured above – gives you a taste of Blanché's stylistic take on robots. With a blend of slender human shapes and bulky sections usually found on your more hardy mechs, Blanché's robots are at once slightly creepy yet also elegant. What's more, you can also buy his March of Robots creations as prints. 03. L0reon Let's hope these robots are water-resistant Another artist who takes robots in a new and imaginative direction is a 16-year-old German illustrator on Twitter who goes by the username L0reon. While L0reon's Twitter and Instagram feeds have been taken over by Transformers art during March of Robots, the illustrator has also experimented with mechanical versions of marine life. Take the robotic shark and leviathan in the illustration above. We love how the imbricated metal plates give the impression of scales, it's a clever way of meeting halfway between the animal kingdom and the world of robotics. 04. Jack Viant An umbrella hat sounds like a must-have for a robot on a rainy day Plymouth-based illustrator Jack Viant brings his doodle-like art style to the March for Robots challenge. His droids have a child-like goofiness to them, with some wearing pants on the outside of their metal casings, and others appearing to have mohawks and moustaches. Despite having their own little quirks, Viant's robots all have a uniform colour scheme which leads us to wonder how they're all connected. With so many distinctive characters in this set, we'd love to see them all interact in a book or comic. 05. Alan Blackwell Blackwell's robots are sometimes inspired by the human form Freelance concept artist and illustrator Alan Blackwell has truly taken up the March of Robots challenge and run with it. For the majority of the month he's been uploading sketches and sculpts of imaginative robots. Some of Blackwell's mechs have a human shape (two arms, two legs, and some rocket launchers here and there for for good luck) while others have more bizarre forms. On days where he hasn't been able to upload a finished piece, Blackwell has been generous enough to share some work in progress images that give us a glimpse into his creative process. 06. Mihailo This rodential robot looks set for a life of scavenging This robot rat by an illustrator who goes by the name of MihailoML on Twitter is indicative of the unusual directions in which the artist has taken the sketch challenge. As well as a robotic rodent, Mihailo has also created wooden mechs and droids with a soft spot for bouquets of flowers. Despite taking the opportunity to push the boundaries of the challenge, Mihailo's robots have a realistic bulk to them. We love, for example, how there are lots of exposed wires and gears, which help to make a strange concept feel all the more believable. 07. Sylvian Boussiron That doesn't look like fish food... Just like Pascal Blanché, Sylvian Boussiron hasn't managed to upload art regularly throughout the March of Robots challenge, but the images he has had the time to complete have a certain level of sophistication about them. Made with free digital painting app Krita Painting, the image above, titled "Robot's Initiative", gives you an idea of the calibre of his work. As well as creating a distinctive character design and a beautifully lit environment, Boussiron has also managed to sneak some humour into his art as the robot feeds its eel a handful of batteries. Maybe that robot uprising isn't as close as we feared. Related articles: 10 famous robots that have changed cinema How to create a killer 3D robot Top artists pay tribute to the world's best robots View the full article

Branding, logo design and advertising have always had the potential to stir up strong reactions, both in the design community itself and the general public. And the reach of social media means that, nowadays, the news can spread across the globe in no time at all. Whether it's a rebrand that causes outrage because it undermines an already much-loved brand, an advert that offends or just a widespread dislike for the creative work itself – there are plenty of examples to choose from. Here are some of the most notable logo and branding designs that split opinion across the board. 01. Formula 1 gets in hot water W+K's rebrand of Formula 1 had its haters, but the controversy escalated when lawyers got involved You know a project is controversial once the lawyers get involved, and that's exactly what happened with Wieden+Kennedy's much-discussed rebrand of Formula 1. W+K's work split opinion from the start, with many fervent F1 fans lamenting the loss of its predecessor by Carter Wong, which cleverly nestled the '1' inside the 'F'. However, the aesthetics of the new logo soon became the least of its problems, when its similarities to a brand of compression tights sold by 3M, maker of Post-It Notes and Scotch sellotape, came to light. Thanks to the existence of F1-branded clothing, the two trademarks in seemingly unrelated sectors came head-to-head in a storm of controversy. Read our news story about it: Formula 1 logo sparks similarity backlash 02. Leeds United angers its fans Leeds United's universally hated rebrand was hastily withdrawn in the face of fan derision Ostensibly all about celebrating the fans, Leeds United's short-lived rebrand instead incurred their quite considerable, merciless wrath. Leeds' new crest was launched with the proud claim that it had six months of research behind it, and the team had apparently consulted 10,000 people. It soon became abundantly clear that they'd asked all the wrong people. Taking a gesture used by Leeds FC fans – the fist across the chest – and converting it into an almost clip-art-like vector really didn't resonate. With anyone. After a storm of controversy that went far beyond the fanbase, the new logo was canned. 03. Premier League doesn't kill its lion Much of the controversy around DesignStudio's Premier League rebrand was unfounded, as cutting the lion was never on the cards Having already courted its fair share of controversy a couple of years before, thanks to Airbnb (number 8 on this list), DesignStudio was publicly in the firing line again in 2016 with its Premier League rebrand. Premier League commands an engaged, passionate global fanbase, and they were not a bit happy when they heard – as it turned out, entirely incorrectly – that the much-loved lion was being axed from the new logo. The 'news' was spread far and wide across the media, and fans went ballistic. In one tweet, DesignStudio was even accused of "mocking the death of Cecil" the dentist-murdered lion by doing so. When the bold new rebrand launched, of course, the lion was very much front and centre – which had been the plan all along. 04. Uber drops its giant U Think you'll find that at 2am after a night on the Jägerbombs? You might as well walk Uber managed to outrage someone other than licensed taxi drivers when it ditched its big 'U' logo – which if nothing else was vital for spelling out icon obscenities on your phone's homescreen – and replaced it with a pair of app icons: one for the 'rider' app, and one for the app used by drivers, or 'partners'. CEO Travis Kalanick – who worked alongside Uber's design team to create the new logos – has described it as bringing out the company's human side. Others have been less kind, with some pointing out that it's going to be a lot harder to find this new logo on your phone when it's 2am and you're tired and emotional, and others noting its resemblance to a sperm. 05. Instagram goes flat At the height of the 'flat design' trend, Instagram's rebrand was widely mocked at first - but is now well established When Instagram changed its logo in 2016, the rebrand was something of a milestone in the shift from skeuomorphism to flat design. The carefully crafted, realistic depiction of a retro camera became a simple, graphic shape filled with a neon rainbow gradient. Simplicity and minimalism was the goal, but for many Insta fans, it went too far. Like Gap before it (example 13 on this list), it spawned an outcry of derision from 'I could have done that' critics. Some people called it garish, some said it could have been made using MS Paint in 1995. Others argued that Instagram was desperately trying to be cool, and had thrown the baby out with the bathwater to do so. Unlike Gap, however, the logo stuck. The brand stuck to its guns, and as it began to grow on people, the fury ultimately died down. 06. The Met kerns with enthusiasm Don't stare at it for too long, it'll make your eyes go funny Wolff Olins stirred up another pot of designer fury with its logo for New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. A bold – some might say brave – typographic treatment that merges flare serifs together while playing fast and loose with leading, it was described by Wolff Olins as, "a crafted mark that looks to the past and to the future, or any place in between," while Justin Davidson of Vulture thought it looked more like, "a red double-decker bus that has stopped short, shoving the passengers into each other’s backs." 07. Hillary Clinton's logo misses the mark Nobody's talking about how appallingly the red and blue clash When Hillary Clinton revealed her presidential election campaign logo in 2015, people were lining up to criticise its design. Some reckoned it looked like a hospital sign, many believed that its big red arrow symbolised a shift to the right, and many disliked the simple design on the grounds that it just looked amateurish. Meanwhile WikiLeaks claimed that it had ripped off its own logo, and others with an even slenderer grasp on reality were convinced it contained hidden messages about Hillary sliding into the White House or moving the country sideways. 08. Airbnb makes people snigger People took to the internet to poke fun at the Airbnb logo In 2014, accommodation listings website Airbnb launched an entirely new look. The 'Bêlo' logo aimed to symbolise a new era for the business but instead, it got a whole lot of fun poked at it. Consumers weren't shy in saying what they thought of the look, with some claiming it to be a copy of Automation Anywhere's logo, as well as a few interesting anatomical comparisons (you can read DesignStudio's response to the criticism here). 09. Dirty Bird lives up to its name Does this controversial logo depend on how you look at it? Dirty Bird is a catering company that attends music festivals in and around Wales. While its food is popular, its logo is anything but. The owner has stated that it's "just a clever way for the 'd' and 'b' to go together", but customers have complained about its phallic aesthetics. Designer Mark James said: "We were given the name Dirty Bird as the brief, and started working on ideas. We looked at the initials, DB. Then worked with the lowercase 'db' linking them to form the shape of a rooster. It's graphic representation of a rooster incorporating the initials. It depends on how you look at it." The company has also produced posters asking customers to 'Touch My Thigh' and 'Touch My Breast', and recently 'Get some cock in', so we're guessing it's not entirely innocent. 10. BP attempts a greenwash The BP rebranding initially caused controversy but has become a familiar sight British Petroleum’s $200m rebrand in 2000 was part of a concerted effort to bring 'green' credentials to the global oil giant. Thereafter known simply as BP, the company adopted the tagline ‘Beyond Petroleum’ and a green-tinged 'Helios' mark, but it was met with considerable public skepticism at the time, with many parodies springing up. 11. London 2012 stokes debate It seems like an age ago that this logo was causing heated debate This one went through the mill for sure. Wolff Olins' £400k logo was unveiled in June 2007 to an almost unanimous global chorus of derision – with 80 per cent of people in a BBC poll giving it the lowest score. Of course, WO stuck to its guns and in the patriotic haze of the British Olympic summer it all paid off. Learn about how the logo was originally put together in our piece Typography in Olympics logo design, and read a spirited defence of the much-maligned design in our article Celebrating the majesty of the 2012 Olympics logo. 12. Yves St Laurent goes nude Who knew a nude Sophie Dahl would cause controversy? Sporting a provocative, completely nude portrait of fashion model Sophie Dahl, Yves St Laurent's 2000 ad campaign set switchboards alight at the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), with 948 complaints. The ASA ruled that it was "sexually suggestive" and "likely to cause serious or widespread offence". 13. Gap tries to go vanilla Gap's attempt at a logo redesign was hastily withdrawn Arguably one of the most famous design-based PR disasters in recent years - and a strong listing in our piece on Classic logos that should never have been changed - Gap's woeful attempt to rethink its iconic navy blue box in 2010 sent ripples around the world. There was universal damnation of its suggested replacement, which combined vanilla Helvetica with a simple gradient. The new logo was withdrawn after a week. 14. Ashley Madison gets banned from Superbowl Designed to encourage and facilitate 'discreet' extra-marital affairs, AshleyMadison.com is a controversial proposition in its own right. So it's little surprise that its ads (including this one, in which a betrayed wife rips off her clothes and promptly joins the site to get her own back) have been banned from the coveted Superbowl slot several times. 15. Starbucks pares things back Starbucks' rebrand was more successful than Gap's, but still drew complaints January 2011 brought the coffee giant's decision to drop 'coffee' and even the word 'Starbucks' from its primary logo, bringing the iconic mermaid to the fore instead. Dubbed a "natural evolution", it also heralded the company’s move into different product ranges – but over 500 complaints were left on the company's blog. The logo is widely recognised now, and even made it onto our list of the Top 10 big-brand logos. 16. KFC encourages bad manners Nudity and sexual provocation is one thing, but this 2005 spot for Kentucky Fried Chicken attracted 1,671 complaints in total. Why? Because the call centre operatives in the ad were singing with mouths stuffed with chicken – which according to enraged parents, encouraged bad manners. 17. University of California gets flushed Another logo redesign that received universal condemnation and was withdrawn Finally, the University of California's very own 'Gap' moment came in 2012, during which its modernised logo was dubbed a 'toilet bowl' and soundly panned. Created by an in-house design team, it was designed for communications materials and never intended to replace the official seal – but the damage was done, and it was withdrawn from use. Related articles: 25 logo design tips from the experts The fascinating stories behind unusual logo designs The best laptops for graphic design 2018 View the full article

Looking for the best new monitor for your creative work? Here, we review the BenQ PD2710QC… High-quality IPS LCD panel? Check. Generous 27-inch proportions? All present and accounted for. Expansive 2560 x 1440 native resolution? Affirmative. One hundred per cent sRGB colour space support? You've got it. From the get-go, then, BenQ’s PD2710QC is an appealing LCD panel packed with features to please graphics professionals. But then there are plenty of other similarly equipped monitors to choose from. Happily, however, the PD2710QC has one or two additional tricks up its sleek, minimalist sleeves. Top-class connectivity For starters, it packs a USB Type-C dock with full support for DisplayPort alternate mode plus charging. The upshot, importantly, is that you can connect this monitor to a laptop computer via a single USB Type-C cable and both drive the screen at full native resolution and charge the laptop at the same time. You can also connect and use peripherals via the monitor’s multi-port USB hub. The display base of the BenQ PD2710QC includes a USB hub, video out and even an option for ethernet network connectivity USB Type-C is popping up on all manner of portable computers. But the PD2710QC’s capabilities will be of particular appeal to owners of Apple’s 12-inch MacBook. That laptop has a single USB Type-C port for everything: video out, charging, attaching peripherals, the works. So the PD2710QC’s solves all your MacBook connectivity problems in one fell swoop. As for anyone who isn’t planning to make use of the fancy new USB Type-C interface, the PD2710QC also sports a pair of conventional DisplayPort sockets, a Mini DisplayPort input and an HDMI port. It’s also a very simple screen to set up thanks to the full range of tilt, height, rotate and swivel adjustments, and a particularly user-friendly on-screen menu. BenQ PD2710QC: image quality It’s no slouch in the looks department, thanks to a slim-bezel minimalist design and high-quality construction. BenQ’s latest LCD monitor boasts a slick, slim-bezel design with a base unit that incorporates a range of inputs All of which just leaves the not-so-minor matter of image quality. Out of the box and without any calibration, the BenQ PD2710QC is distinctly usable, with nearly perfect contrast, little to no evidence of colour compression together with all the usual benefits of an IPS panel, which include superb viewing angles, decent response and vibrant colours. It’s even better after calibration and achieves low deltas to target values in terms of gamma, colour space and colour temperature. All of which means the PD2710QC makes for an extremely appealing overall LCD panel package. Not a truly high-end professional display The downsides are two-fold. First, this isn’t a truly high-end professional display. Its colours are eight-bit per channel, not 10-bit per channel, and it doesn’t fully support the latest super-sized colour spaces. And yet it’s a serious financial investment, even if that’s broadly in line with similar semi professional-grade monitors. Alternative monitors to the BenQ PD2710QC Should you buy the BenQ PD2710QC monitor? The 27-inch screen comes with an anti-glare, matte finish that helps to reduce distracting reflections Also read: The best 4K monitors for designers For sure, you can get more screen inches and pixels to work with for the same money if you’re willing to give up further colour accuracy. But if you’re after a production-quality display with top-notch connectivity, the new BenQ PD2710QC is well worth a look. This article was originally published in issue 157 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 157 or subscribe to ImagineFX. View the full article

Coding is an incredibly valuable skill in the modern workplace. Whether you're looking to launch a career as a programmer or just want to bolster your resume, you can pick up the skills you need with the help of the Complete 2018 Learn to Code Bundle. It's on sale now for just $34.99 (approx. £25). The Complete 2018 Learn to Code Bundle has everything you need to get started with the art of coding. No matter your starting skill level, this bundle is designed to give you the knowhow you need to become a talented developer with the skills to succeed. You'll find more than 210 hours of actionable content in these nine professionally-taught courses on the most important programming languages, from Java to Ruby on Rails and Python. The Learn to Code 2018 Bundle usually retails for $1,357, but you can get it on sale now for just $34.99 (approx. £25). That's an unbeatable saving for a must-have learning bundle, so grab this deal today. Related articles: 11 of the best creative resumés 5 essential JavaScript tools for 2018 25 top-class website templates View the full article

Whether you are new to the world of programming or an old hand, you need a great code editor to help you perform your magic. The best code editors will make you more efficient at coding and writing, assist you in examining and editing your code, and be customisable to meet your needs. They will also create a more comfortable user experience, which should not be underestimated, as you’ll be looking at your code editor for potentially hours every day. There are dozens of text editors, code editors, IDEs, and more out there for you to choose from. So how do you pick? You really only want to have to make the switch to a new editor once in a while, as you'll lose some efficiency while you’re adjusting to the different software. Read on to discover five of the best code editors for developers and designers, and find the best-in-class tool for you to use every day. At the bottom of the post, you'll also find information on what is a code editor, and how to pick the right code editor. Sublime Text is the editor that really changed the way code editors worked. It is lightweight, open and ready to edit your file almost as soon as you have managed to click the button. This responsiveness is something that sets Sublime Text apart from other editors in its class. If you want to open a file and make a quick edit, waiting for a few seconds for loading may not sound like much, but the delay can grow tedious. Another of Sublime Text’s best points is that it is also crazily extensible, with a huge and ever-growing list of plugins available to install. The package manager makes a variety of things available, including themes with which to customise the editor’s appearance, code linters (which can assist with more quickly locating any errors in your code), Git plugins, colour pickers, and all kinds of other useful things. Sublime Text is free to download and use, but will remind you fairly regularly about payment until you do so. If you decide to pay, the same license key can be used by you for any computer that you use, so you can enter the same code on all your machines to make the payment reminder popup go away. The paid license, however, is perhaps Sublime Text’s greatest negative feature, with so many competitive products that are available to developers for no cost. Visual Studio Code is a code editor developed by Microsoft, and surprisingly, as an open-source software. VS Code is perhaps the closest code editor in this list to being an IDE. It is very robust, and is also one of the slower programs when starting up. However, while using it, VS Code is quick and able to handle quite a few interesting tasks, such as quick Git commits or opening and sorting through multiple folders’ worth of content. VS Code is perhaps the most meteoric editor, popularity-wise, on this list, as it is continually growing its user base and attracting more developers away from other editors. VS Code has a built-in terminal, as well as built-in Git support, both of which are big winners for fans of this program. It also has a feature that it has dubbed ‘IntelliSense’, which helps with autocompletion of code as well as information on the parameters of functions and known variable names. Atom is open source and developed by GitHub. Its initial development made it apparent that it was heavily influenced by the new style of editor that Sublime Text made prominent, but its key differences are the free, open-source nature of this editor, as well as the easy out-of-box integration with Git and GitHub. Atom has historically had performance and stability problems, but those have diminished significantly as it has become a more mature software. It’s true that it still launches slower than some editors, but it’s just as reliable and quick to use as any of the rest after that. Brackets is Adobe’s open-source editor offering. To get started, Brackets was faster to start up than Atom, but not as fast as Sublime Text. Brackets was only introduced a few years ago, and is still maturing, but seems to be a very well rounded software. It doesn’t come with as many languages natively supported for syntax highlighting as some of the others, but it still has quite a few. Because of its focus on front-end technologies, it also supports CSS preprocessors like LESS and Sass. Brackets doesn’t come out the winner on many of the usual speed and reliability metrics, but it does have several unique features worth investigating. Brackets is easier to use to some degree because it is mostly configurable via its menus, whereas most of the other editors in this list require configuration files to be edited to do much configuration (but you can also edit the configuration file in Brackets if this makes you more comfortable). The program also has a very interesting feature for quick CSS editing. You can use a hotkey to pop out a small section on an HTML page that will let you edit any CSS rules that are currently affecting the element that you have selected, enabling you to quickly locate a styling problem and then fix it without having to embark on a lot of searching around. An interesting design decision is that Brackets doesn’t use tabs at all for showing open files. Rather, there is an open files menu in the top left, above the file tree. If you’re using the split-window view, this open tabs list also splits ‘Left’ and ‘Right’ for easier location of the file you’re looking for. VS Code uses a similar open files menu, for example, but also uses tabs. In Brackets, this enables maximum screen real estate, but could be a jarring experience if you’re used to tab navigation. Vim is perhaps the most contentious code editor in this list. Vim is a command line software, included natively with Linux operating systems and macOS, and available for download for Windows. Vim is a favourite option for many old school programmers, and keyboard enthusiasts. The program is navigated entirely with the keyboard, making it much faster and more efficient – but only if sufficient time is spent learning how to operate it. It is also extremely customisable (to the extent that a command line program can be customised). Vim gives you the ability to use many keyboard shortcuts to speed the editing of your code, and even better, enables you to create customised commands to fit your own editing processes. Vim earns the award for the steepest learning experience and perhaps one of the worst user experiences overall, due to its utter lack of UI. Learning how to navigate Vim isn’t all that challenging, given just a small amount of time, but building the muscle memory of shortcuts and figuring out how best to customise the editor takes a much more substantial amount of time, in order to truly realise the benefits of this powerful program. Vim is incredibly stable, fast, and a real joy to use for veteran command line aficionados and new, interested users alike. If you have the time to learn it, Vim can really increase your coding productivity, and it’s a nearly seamless cross-platform experience, with so little UI to consider. What is a code editor? Code editors are the bread and butter software of many developers, designers, and even writers. Complex integrated development environments (IDEs) are often too bloated and heavy for smaller tasks, such as working on a single project or file. On the other hand, basic text editors such as Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on macOS are underpowered for the tasks of editing code – too many necessary features are missing, making code editing cumbersome. The interim type of software is the code editor. They shine at just this task, editing single files or single projects, managing a folder’s worth of content. Crucially, the slowest of the editors in this list are still much faster and more responsive than dealing with a fully-fledged IDE. Code editors shine whether editing single files or managing a folder’s worth of content Code editors often used to be very different on each operating system, but the editors in this list are cross-platform and many work to ensure that the experience on different operating systems is very similar. This enables programmers to shift between work and personal computers, or even shared devices, and still get things done without having to adjust to a different environment. In addition, many of the code editors here can have their behaviour modified via configuration option files (things like setting tab lengths, line lengths and wrapping, autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and more). This ability to dictate the program’s appearance and behaviour lets the programmer maximise the usefulness of the software, while the defaults enable a casual user to have a pleasant and useful ‘out of box’ experience. How do you pick a code editor? Picking a code editor can be a challenging task. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that you know what you need. What features are most important to you? Keyboard shortcuts? Appearance? Speed? Stability? Cross-platform experience? Open source? Syntax highlighting options? Consider what you would like your editor to do for you. Do you enjoy autocompletion of function names, or automatic closing brackets or tags? Or do you find those things frustrating? Do you put a lot of stock in the ability to change the colour scheme of your UI often and easily, or are you a big fan of a simple light or dark mode? Do you wish to perform Git operations directly from your editor? The list of potential features is endless, so figure out which are most important to you The list of potential features is absolutely endless, and only you can say which are the ones that are the most important to you. Which make you more comfortable, efficient, and productive? Decide on your priorities, and then take a look around and find the editor software that ticks off all the boxes. Another important note about choosing a code editor is to allow time to invest yourself in the software. Take a moment to look through the available settings, plugins, or other extensions. Find out which things you can change or set up to ensure that the experience is the best that it can possibly be for you. Getting your editor customised to your needs and spending some time with it will give you a real taste for whether it is to your liking or not. This article was originally published in issue 303 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Subscribe now. Read more: Get more from the Atom text editor The best user testing software 10 reasons you should be using Atomic Design View the full article

The U.S. Department of Defense is the latest government entity to double down on vulnerabilities, on Monday announcing a new bug bounty program. View the full article

Hackers have stolen the credit card information of millions of shoppers who have frequented Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor stores. View the full article

I've been a big fan of Houdini for the past few years. It has very much changed my life and how I approach my 3D art, all the way down to final production and dealing with changes. It’s quickly becoming known as one of the best 3D modelling softwares in the VFX industry, increasingly popular in both games and motion graphics. I've been working almost exclusively with Houdini for the past three years or so. What made me transition over to Houdini was how much more flexible my workflow became. Houdini is a node-based program, meaning that each action you do is represented with a node. These nodes are functions or tools that can be stringed together to form node trees that will perform various actions. Examples can be extruding surfaces, bevelling corners or deforming geometry – but really it can be anything. Of course, Houdini still isn’t for everyone and the learning curve is quite steep. Thankfully SideFX has a free Apprentice version available for learning purposes, so you don’t have to pay rental of $199 per year or buy Houdini FX for $4,495 and then decide that it’s not for you. This tunnel was modelled exclusively using Houdini 16’s new boolean operator. This was a frame from the Logitech Powerplay film and was one of the shots I worked on Houdini works in similar ways to other 3D programs. In the end the same principles apply regardless of what tool you use, but what makes Houdini stand out from the crowd is how non-destructive (aka procedural) it is. If you are a Nuke or Fusion user you already know what I’m talking about. I like to compare the Houdini workflow to time travel; every action you do is represented in the node tree and you can at any time go back in ‘time’ and change the parameters of anything done previously, or you can branch the tree and create an alternative version of any given design you’re working on. You can then access data from other branches and create highly complex and sophisticated systems. In Cinema 4D for example you would take an object, extrude a couple of polygons, add bevels, add UVs and so on. But if you wanted to change the object, it would in many cases require that you go back to step one and redo the process in a linear fashion. In Houdini on the other hand you build pipelines for a set of actions and each operation is represented by nodes. You can go back at any point in time and change the parameters of anything in the history of the event, including the source object. This is the core principle of Houdini and why it has had such success in the VFX industry. This also makes Houdini great for dealing with feedback from clients, as you very rarely have to start over from scratch when changes get thrown your way. Also, it’s great because once you have built a function or tool that you like, you can package it up into an asset so that you can use it again in other projects or be distributed to other people on your team. These can also be used together with the Houdini Engine inside of other 3D programs as well, basically letting you run your Houdini asset as a plugin inside of your current 3D program, such as Cinema 4D, Maya, Unreal, Unity and so on. Very powerful stuff. Flyknit superstructure. This was an early concept for the Nike Flyknit X; this structure was entirely made in Houdini using VEX to create a recursive subdivision surface and then treated as lines to create this fractal This being said, this flexibility comes at a price. There are so many ways of achieving what you want in Houdini that it can be very easy to get lost in the system and lose track of what’s truly important to the design of what you’re building. Also, it generally takes a lot more time to build stuff, because many of the tools are much more granular – so in some cases it’s just easier to use a more traditional 3D package. So, would I recommend Houdini? Yes and no, it depends. It’s a big time commitment making the switch over to Houdini. For me, the way I used Cinema 4D in the past was not really the way the tool was intended to be used. Cinema has a lot of high-level tools that gives you a result quickly, but it’s lacking the flexibility I required. I found myself working against the program very often, building small Python scripts and stuff to work around some of the limitations there. So for me, coming to Houdini was like a dream. Information can be stored anywhere onto polygons’ points or vertices and used to drive anything that you like. It’s like playing God, and it’s really inspiring to think of new ways of manipulating data to make interesting creations. Creating controlled scenes, even with huge amounts of seemingly chaotic elements, is Houdini’s strength I know a lot of incredible designers that use Cinema 4D (or other programs for that matter) and their current tools do exactly what they need. If this is you, then stick with your current tool. It depends on how you approach problems. When faced with a task, ask yourself where you mind goes. Do you start by thinking of the end visual, and you can’t wait to get it done quickly by whatever means necessary? Or, do you have a more technical approach to design where you want to automate parts of the process, even if that means it might take a longer time upfront, but leaves you with reusable assets and a workflow that can adapt to changes? Or maybe you’re an FX artist, in which case this is not even worth discussing: you have to use Houdini. Consider this a love letter from me to the team at SideFX for offering one of the most capable and versatile tools on the market. This article was originally published in issue 231 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists – packed with expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. Buy issue 231 here or subscribe to 3D World here. View the full article

This workshop will introduce you to the basics of Corel Painter, and I'll be using Painter 2017. I'll also guide you through my painting techniques and process. The workshop is intended for all skill levels. The brushes I use are default brushes that I've tweaked slightly, and I also makes use of custom brushes from other artists such as Dan Milligan, Craig Mullins and Jaime Jones. These are Photoshop brushes that I've brought into Painter using its import feature. Let's get going! 01. Adjust the settings Get things in order before you start One of the most important things you should do before painting is to adjust some of Painter's settings: click 'Edit > Preferences > General'. On the General tab I check Create Backup on Save. This will create an additional backup file in case you experience a crash or decide to revert to an older version of your work. On the Interface tab you can configure the Cursor Type; I set it to Enhanced brush ghost. I establish a darker interface via the Color Theme option, and adjust Default View Mode to Single Document View, which removes the additional scroll bar at the bottom. On the Performance tab, I set the number of processor cores used by Painter. I'd advise leaving the Undo levels at their default setting, though. 02. Set a colour profile Using a colour profile will make your images more portable The default Color Profile I use for my work is RGB IEC61966-2.1. I have my screens calibrated using third-party hardware, but I always save my work in this default profile. This means my files can be opened in different programs without noticeable changes in the original colour values. This is important, especially if you send your files to your clients or export them for the web across various devices. 03. Customise your workspace Get your workspace set up how you like it Painter enables you to save your interface layout, settings, brushes and paper textures library as a Workspace. It can be accessed from 'Window > Workspace', where you can Create New, Delete, Import or Export your Workspace and share it between devices or with other artists. You can also save your layouts and switch when necessary. Windows and toolbars can be moved and repositioned; I prefer to remove the bars and menus I don't use often, but which you can open using shortcuts. My core tools are the Color wheel, Color Set Libraries, Layers and Channels and Reference Image window, with my brushes and settings on top, leaving a large area to work on. 04. Set up the canvas A simple white canvas provides a good base For this workshop I've decided to do a portrait, so I'm going to use A3 size and 300ppi resolution. If you prefer to work on a smaller-sized canvas, you can always go A4 or A5, and lower the resolution to 72ppi. The smaller file size will suit posting online. In the File menu you can also select the colour of the canvas and the paper texture. I'll start in greyscale, which I'll turn into colour later using a glazing-like technique. For this, it's best to start with a simple white canvas, without any gradients or shade of colours. I find it's easier to build light and shadows using greys. 05. Produce rough sketches The Real 6B Soft Pencil Grainy gives the lines a natural look I've found that the easiest way to throw my raw ideas down on to paper is by creating quick sketches or thumbnails. Whether you do concept work, illustrations or storyboarding, the approach is the same. I always start with simple sketches, and prefer working with line – just creating hints of what I have in mind. I don't go into details because they belong in the painting process, which follows. Imagine these sketches as small copies of what you'll have in your final painting. The Painter brush I use is called Real 6B Soft Pencil Grainy – it interacts with the paper texture to give the lines a more natural look. I also activate the Tilt function so it's easier for me to switch between thin and wide lines, just like a traditional pencil would do. 06. Go big Place the thumbnail in the reference window Once I settle on a character that I want to push further I take the thumbnail and place it in the Reference window. This is a great tool, which can be used either for references or picking colours. The purpose of this step is to paint the portrait as close as possible to the original idea and composition, although changes are possible further down the road, of course. Working fast and rough at this point enables me to maintain the freshness and dynamism of the painting. I'm using a big brush and a grainy paper texture for blocking the first shapes of what is going to be a portrait of a pirate with a very fine beard. 07. Start in greyscale A good greyscale painting gives you the flexibility to make changes I'm not all that confident when combining colours in a specific palette. On the other hand I love greyscale, black and white: it's enough to create a good range of contrast and express my ideas. I believe that a good greyscale painting gives you the flexibility to make changes – and if you work in the game or film industry then changes are inevitable! This approach enables me to experiment with colours as much an I want once the final design is fixed. 08. Apply paper texture and brushes Use brushes based on the Pastel brushes category In Corel Painter, the texture of brush strokes comes from the brush interacting with the texture of the canvas. I can easily switch between the default and any custom-made textures using the Paper libraries or Paper Menu (ctrl+9). The brushes I use in this workshop are based on the Pastel brushes category. They're customised to suit my painting style, but also have two important features: they reveal the texture based on the pen pressure; and they blend colours perfectly. Next page: Learn how to add colour and refine your portrait 09. Build up the figure Create a new layer every time you are happy with something I block the basic shapes of the face and outfit with very wide strokes, adding spots here and there, and defining the pirate's facial features. I also set the mood and lighting, letting the texture and brush strokes help with those little happy accidents. At this point I'm trying to stay in the middle of the grey spectrum; I never use 100 per cent white or black. It does look a bit flat, but this is just the first step: it's the foundation on which I'm building on. I create new layers whenever I'm happy with the result – this enables me to make changes if subsequent work doesn't quite go to plan. 10. Keep on rendering… but don't overdo it I use the Undo function a lot, looking for that perfect stroke This is still the sketching phase, so I continue working loose and experimenting. I use the Undo function a lot, looking for that perfect stroke. I add a bit more detail to parts of the portrait that are focal points – the face and beard – and leave the rest up to the imagination of the viewer (his hat and coat). I always imagine a vertical line going through the focal point and place all the detailing there, while I leave the edges rough and unfinished. Remember, the painting is finished when you decide it's finished. 11. Explore digital glazing The whole work is done in greyscale with attention to values Let me explain a bit about the digital glazing technique. The whole work is done in greyscale with attention to values. Afterwards I use layers and different blending modes – Multiply, Overlay, Color, Soft Light and so on – to add colour on top. In other words, I'm colouring the image. First, I flatten all the layers. Then, using the Correct colors tool (select 'Effects > Tonal Control > Correct colors') I choose the red channel and adjust the curve until I achieve some reddish/brown values. 12. Experiment with colours Your pastel brush will pick up and blend some of the colours from the underpainting I create a Multiply layer and lay down some colours. And here's why I get rid of the greys: when starting to add colours, your pastel brush will pick up and blend some of the colours from the underpainting. And you don't want to mix grey and get muddy colours. I use a very desaturated subtle green colour as the base, which mixes with the red, creating some interesting effects. Some parts of the face – like the nose, cheeks and ears – need additional colour to make the face pop out of the canvas. 13. Refine the image Try to keep some of the original strokes while refining the image Once I have the basic colours down and I'm happy with the result, I create a default layer on top and start painting. I use the same Oil Pastel brush for some hard edges and My Chunky Pastel brush for smoothing and blending. I'm trying to keep some of the original strokes that I like while refining the image, adding contrast and details. I try not to pick the colours from the painting, but rather from the colour wheel, otherwise things gets muddy. I also experiment with different paper textures at this point and different brushes: a smoother texture for some parts of the face, bristle brushes for the hair, and so on. 14. Make some final touches Turn layers on and off to make sure you're not overworking the image I keep on rendering until I'm happy, turning layers on and off to check that I'm on the right path and not overworking the image. I reserve the final top layer for blending some parts of the painting and detailing others. Once I think I'm done, I usually resize the image – in this case it's 18 per cent of its original size – then sharpen it so that the details and textures will pop out, and do some colour and contrast corrections. The tools can be found by selecting 'Effects > Tonal Control > Brightness/Contrast' (ctrl+shift+B) or 'Effects > Focus > Sharpen'. One final tip: always keep the original file in case you decide to print it. This article was originally featured in ImagineFX magazine issue 143; buy it here! Related articles: Corel Painter 2017 review 10 tools for traditional artists this March Digital painting with Photoshop CC for beginners View the full article

It's surprising how much difference a good keyboard can make. Having a rewarding feeling with each keystroke can keep you hard at work for longer. Ditch the flimsy keyboards that barely give you any feedback and start typing with the Lofree Four Seasons Wireless Keyboard. It's on sale now for 28% off the retail price. The Lofree Four Seasons Wireless Keyboard is quickly becoming a favourite accessory of the tech world - and for good reason! It's a perfect meshing of old school feel with it's classic typewriter design and modern convenience with its wireless connectivity that can connect to any device. The mechanical build will give you the feeling you crave when you type, providing you with perfect responsiveness for every keystroke. You can get the Lofree Four Seasons Wireless Keyboard on sale right now for 28% off the retail price. That means you pay just $99.99 (approx. £71) for this incredible mashup of old and new. It's the perfect keyboard for any occasion, so grab this deal today! Related articles: The best MacBook and MacBook Pro deals for Easter The expert guide to working from home The 5 best desks in 2018 for your home office or studio View the full article

Mythical Beasts: An Artist’s Field Guide to Designing Fantasy Creatures offers an unusual case of teaching by example. But it works brilliantly – so if you're wanting to learn how to draw these animals, look no further. Thirty professional artists, including Sean Andrew Murray, Bobby Rebholz and Kiri Østergaard Leonard, have each been given a different mythical beast to investigate, dissect and design. These range from the well-known, such as the yeti, phoenix, unicorn and kraken, to the more obscure, including the leshy, a Slavic woodland spirit; the Jörmungandr, a Norse serpent monster; and the nue, a Japanese creature with the face of a monkey, the body of a racoon dog and the tail of a snake. Mythical Beasts investigates and dissects a wide variety of mythical creatures But this isn’t just a collection of finished work. Crucially, each artist gets eight pages to show and explain their research, concepts and initial sketches, with the final two pages devoted to the completed design, which is coloured. So the effect of perusing this large, hardback, matte-printed book is less like visiting a gallery and more like looking over a number of artists’ shoulders from start to finish. The best pencils for designers and artists The reason this works so well is that the entries are structured in a rigorous way, making them easy to follow, and compare and contrast with what others have done. So each artist begins with Field Notes, which describe the real-world animals, plants, patterns, textures and anatomy that have informed their mythical designs. Next comes Design Process, where they explain the evolution of their concept, from thumbnails to working on different poses. That’s followed by a Subspecies section, which demonstrates how their basic design can be adjusted and expanded up to develop something related but new. Finally, we see the completed design, accompanied by a black-and-white line drawing that shows how it was constructed. Artists dive deep into their design process There’s absolutely no ego on show here: everything that’s been included is geared towards helping fellow artists develop their skills. So as you leaf through these well-crafted pages, you shouldn’t fail to find useful tips and inspiration to create mythical creature designs of your own. This article was originally published in issue 157 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 157 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. View the full article

Starting, and growing, a design studio is no mean feat. It requires a huge investment of time, effort and creative energy, as well as the inevitable financial outlay of getting a business off the ground. You need to choose the right design tools for the job, including hardware, software and other equipment. If you spend a lot of time out of the office, there are tools to help you work remotely as a designer too. There are plenty of digital project management and collaboration tools, as well as productivity tools to help you stay focused. But running a happy, creative design agency is about more than just putting your head down and staring at a computer screen to get the job done. It's also important to create the right environment to keep your team happy and motivated, and sometimes, that involves getting off the computer and being a bit more hands-on. Read on to discover seven inspiring ways to do exactly that... Provide shared refreshments The Gaggia Naviglio is T3.com's number-one coffee machine for 2018 For many design agencies, having a shared kitchen - maybe even a bar - can be invaluable. Cooking, eating and drinking together is a great way for teams to bond outside of the demands of the latest project. Smaller studios may well not have the space or money to install a full-blown kitchen, of course. But investing in a decent-quality shared coffee machine for the team, for instance, can go a long way - and it makes a change from a water-cooler in terms of encouraging casual encounters and conversations. Google has a rule whereby no employee can be more than 150 feet from a source of food - whether it's a restaurant, a cafeteria, or a micro-kitchen. But whatever shared refreshment area you can afford, keep it as informal and relaxing as possible. Introduce flexible seating Encouraging designers to move around the studio can help stop things becoming stagnant Creativity doesn't tend to flourish in fixed cubicles, and there are lots of ways to encourage your team to mix more freely, and collaborate in new ways to get fresh perspectives on a project. That could be as simple as encouraging employees to move around the studio rather than allocating them a workspace, and some people respond to this really well - it stop things becoming stagnant, and builds more links within the team. Putting desks and other furniture on wheels can make the whole studio space even more dynamic and flexible, so you can adjust the setup quickly and easily depending on who's working on what. Create an inspiration wall Fill your studio's shelves with creative inspiration of all shapes and sizes to keep the team motivated Any designer worth their salt knows that inspiration can come from anywhere, and part of creating an inspiring working environment in your design studio is to provide as many potential sources of it as you can. Crisp, clean white walls and minimalist desks can be soothing for some, but you could also consider a beautiful bespoke mural, framed prints, or just a collection of cool objects and artefacts to help inject some personality into the studio. Make this collaborative, too: get everyone involved in shaping the space. Try creating a shared inspiration wall, or install some floor-to-ceiling shelving, and encourage your team to contribute their own suggestions to the studio's pool of inspiration. Show everyone's work in progress Fix work-in-progress to the walls using corkboards with pins, or metal boards with magnets Many design agencies advocate throwing ideas up on the wall. Not just for presentations and creative review meetings, but to invite ongoing constructive feedback from everyone in the studio - not just those working on the project. There are multiple ways to do this: at its most basic, fixing printouts to the wall with tape or sticky tack can work, although it'll take its toll on the studio's paint job, and you may need to increase your redecorating budget. Alternatively, invest in some dedicated work-in-progress spaces. Depending on the look and feel of your studio, options could include a giant cork board with push pins, a metal board with magnets, or something more unusual like a fabric and Velcro combo, or even strings with miniature pegs. Whatever suits you. Strive for the most natural light possible Not every studio is lucky enough to be bathed in natural light from all sides Not everyone can afford a bright, airy, spacious studio with inspiring views, flooded with natural light through giant windows and skylights. If your office is short of these things, fluorescent strip-lights can get depressing and sap creativity. If artificial lighting is the only option, invest a bit more to get conditions as natural as possible. If you can afford them, full-spectrum lights are the closest you can get, ideal for design-based tasks where perfect colour rendition is needed. There are two variables to check: first, the colour temperature, which is measured in Kelvin. A classic yellow-orange tungsten bulb would be around 2700K, rising to 6500K for a cold, blue full-spectrum light. Secondly, the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) measures a light source’s ability to render colours faithfully, shown as a percentage. The best possible CRI, which a full-spectrum light will deliver, is around 96 per cent. Install a giant communal table Mother London's giant concrete desk is 250 feet long, and seats 200 employees Another great way to encourage a collaborative, open vibe in your design agency is to introduce large communal desks, rather than separate workstations. If you have a large-enough studio space, a giant table in the centre can help facilitate discussion and sharing of ideas. If you can afford it, a custom-made table could be a real centrepiece, as well as guaranteeing a perfect fit in your studio space. If the room isn't square, for instance, consider taking the work surface around corners, and into different spaces. A particularly extreme example is Mother London's famous giant concrete desk, which swoops all around the agency in a 250-foot loop, and accommodates approximately 200 employees, each of whom swap around every few weeks to keep things fresh. Create pop-up breakout spaces Breakout pods like this can be a good way to encourage regular informal meetings in the studio Flexibility can aid creativity, and the ability to customise your studio space with different breakout and collaboration areas can be hugely rewarding. Movable walls and pods, filled with comfortable, easily arranged seating such as bean bags or stools keeps things relaxed and chilled, so groups of different sizes can talk through ideas in somewhere less formal than a meeting room, as well as luring them away from the computer screen. Read more: 5 unusually effective ways design studios show work 8 tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer 8 iconic American logos that changed branding forever View the full article

There's a myth about working from home and freelance life that it largely comprises lounging around in your pants watching endless box sets. But working for yourself demands the stamina and discipline of a marathon runner. What's more, while your PAYE counterparts can sit back knowing that a payslip will magically appear in their bank account every month, you've not only got to hustle for the work and then do the work, but you even have to fight to get paid for it too. 9 things nobody tells you about going freelance It's exhausting just thinking about it – and yet (unsurprisingly) taking a holiday as a freelancer remains a daunting prospect. But ignoring your design portfolio for a few days isn't going hurt. Without a rest you risk burnout, and that's the quickest way to lose your clients. Taking time out as a freelancer is essential. Here are five ways to take holiday as a freelancer without feeling guilty... 01. Turn off out of office If you're able to check your work email once a day, consider leaving your out-of-office off. Sometimes clients are put off by a ping-back, and will immediately commission someone else rather than risk you turning it down. With no out-of-office, it gives you the opportunity to agree with the caveat of a later start date. 02. Redirect to agent If you have an agent and they agree, redirect your emails via them, and ask them to text you if there is a major commission. That way you know you won't miss anything big but won't have to constantly check your mail. 03. Take some work away Unpaid time-off is hard to do financially, especially if you're just starting your career. Unless it's going to cause massive issues with your nearest and dearest, take a small amount of work on holiday with you, and limit yourself to two hours in the morning and two at night. Check any work before you send it if sangria has been involved. 04. Get creative on holiday Going somewhere unusual – or just breaking your daily cycle – can provide plenty of ideas for self-initiated projects and an excellent opportunity to gather reference material. If you see your holiday as part of the creative process, it's easier to be guilt-free. Let your clients or art directors know, so that they can alter their schedules so you have time to work on amends before you leave. 05. Manage your online time The camps are split between turning everything off (emails and social media) and staying online full-time; in the end, of course, it's totally up to you what will better help you relax. One thing's for sure: you should only ever deal with things that are absolutely necessary, and leave all other minor things for when you return back from holiday. The full version of this article first appeared inside Computer Arts issue 246, subscribe here. Illustration: Jamie Coe Related articles: 12 killer tips for freelance success 8 simple productivity tools for designers The art of going freelance View the full article

Microsoft released an out-of-band security update that corrected a faulty patch that left Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 open to attack. View the full article

As well as being a delicious chocolate treat, an Easter egg is also a term used to describe a secret feature, reference or in-joke in a piece of media. Originally used to describe the hunt for a hidden feature in the Atari video game Adventure, the term easter egg has now become a broad way to label covert meanings found in everything from DVD menus to logo designs. For logo designers, Easter eggs are used to add an extra element of meaning to their work. These Easter eggs usually tie into the message of the associated brand, and are there to be discovered and passed around by fans and followers. This is a satisfying way for viewers to interact with logos and helps to spread a brand by word of mouth. Because they're not immediately obvious, there's a chance that you've missed some Easter eggs in familiar logos. To help you on your hunt, we've found five logo Easter eggs that show you how to cleverly smuggle a message into a piece of graphic design. 01. Museum of London The Big Smoke's never looked so colourful Taken at face value, the logo for the Museum of London might look like nothing more than a psychedelic fried egg, but there's more going on here than meets the eye. The bright logo, designed by Coley Porter Bell, is certainly an attention grabber. However, it would be a disservice to put the success of this design down to vibrant colours alone. That's because this logo, with its overlapping series of bold blobs, represents how the geographical area of London has evolved over time. What could be more perfect for a logo that represents the UK capital? Not only does the design dodge using cliche landmarks, it also attracts viewers who are unaware of the secret meaning. No mean feat. This identity replaced a more straight laced logo design that wasn't engaging with the public. But after the introduction of this dynamic logo, the Museum of London saw visitor numbers shoot up by 79 per cent. 02. Ready Player One Easter eggs are at the heart of the plot in Ready Player One The recently released blockbuster Ready Player One was the perfect film to get the Easter egg treatment in its logo. Based on a book by Ernest Cline, the story follows Wade Watts as he hunts for hidden digital clues in a virtual reality game that lead to a promised fortune. As well as bumping into an array of pop-culture icons along the way, Watts' quest for Easter eggs means that the film's creative team had the perfect excuse to sneak secret images into the promotional branding. Take the logo, designed by Pentagram's own Emily Oberman, which turns the typography into a miniature maze. Unveiled at San Diego Comic Con, this clever piece of typography interspersed with subtle gaps captured the attention of fans eager for the film's release. And what's that at the end of the maze, inside the letter 'o'? That's right, an actual Easter egg... egg. 03. Wizarding World How many wands do you recognise? It's been a busy couple of decades for J.K. Rowling. As well as writing some of the best-selling books in history, she's also responsible for getting a whole generation of children into reading. And somehow she also found the time to oversee spin-offs such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. All of this means that Harry Potter is more than just a series of books, it's a bonafide brand. Bringing all of these assets together is the British-American fantasy media branding umbrella The Wizarding World (originally known as J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World). To sum up this sprawling property, the Wizarding World logo (another Emily Oberman creation) cleverly references different facets of the series with a symbol that looks like an open book with its pages fanned out. However the pages are in the shape of unique wands, each referencing a different character from the Harry Potter books and beyond. Given that the series has dedicated fans, this set of subtle references is the perfect way to engage their attention. The lightning bolt design in the letter 'w' references the lead character from the books and sets the whole logo off nicely. 04. Toblerone Can you see the mountain creature? When it isn't making the headlines due to its diminished size, Toblerone is better known for being a tasty triangular chocolate hailing from Bern, Switzerland. This alone gave the company plenty of options to work with when it comes to designing a logo, yet it still found the time to incorporate a hidden motif. Given that Bern is the home of the Matterhorn mountain, it makes sense that the famously near-symmetrical pyramidal peak takes centre stage in the logo - especially seeing as it inspired the shape of the delicious nougat-y chocolate. However Bern is also known as the 'City of Bears'. And, not ones to leave any cultural signifiers behind, Toblerone included a bear in the negative space left by the snow on the craggy mountain face. Toblerone's logo contains one of the more better known design Easter eggs, but that's partly because it's so well done. Have you found the bear yet? 05. Tour de France On yer bike! We've already looked at how the story of the Tour de France logo and how it has evolved over the years, but can you spot the batch of hidden meanings in this clever design? The brainchild of French designer Joel Guenoun, this playful brush script logo made its debut back in 2002. A pair of dots, one inside the 'o' and one next to the bowl of the 'r' are the giveaway here, as they build up an image of a cyclist pedalling away furiously on their bike. Meanwhile the circle which forms the front wheel of the abstract bicycle is yellow for a few reasons. Thanks to its colour it doesn't get lost among the typography, and the yellow reflects the jersey's awarded to the winner of each stage. Its radiant hue also represents the stages of the race which only take place in the daytime. Related articles: 11 steps to better logos 10 of the best logos ever 5 big-brand logos that pass the silhouette test View the full article

Product user interfaces have changed dramatically over the years, to the point where interaction with our various devices is completely unrecognisable from that of even 20 years ago. We have moved from the first iterations of the classic WIMP interface, on to increasingly advanced GUI solutions, right through to the paradigm-shifting touchscreen interface popularised a decade ago by the first ever iPhone. As our technology continues to become more advanced, new user interfaces seem to be appearing absolutely everywhere. From our vehicles, to our thermostats, to even our fridges, we're reaching the point where everything in our lives can be controlled at the touch of a button or the swipe of a finger. The ultimate guide to user experience However, no matter how advanced these interfaces get, they still represent a barrier between us and our technology – a barrier which is swiftly beginning to look ever more obsolete in our inter-connected world. Celebrated design guru Donald Norman put it best in 1990 when he said: "The real problem with the interface is that it is an interface. Interfaces get in the way. I don't want to focus my energies on an interface. I want to focus on the job… I don't want to think of myself as using a computer, I want to think of myself as doing my job." That's the key. We are moving towards a future without any traditional interface, where we move away from the touchscreen – or any screen at all, in fact. As our world fills with more and more interconnected devices, so too will our day-to-day lives. Because of this, the interfaces we use will naturally need to develop along with this – interfaces which are not fragmented and distracting, but rather those that are designed to be effective, seamless and most importantly of all… invisible. Designing beyond the screen The question is how do we make interfaces invisible and also begin to move beyond the screen? There is no doubt that the smartphone is a wondrous invention, which has revolutionised the way we socialise, work, and live. However, we can also agree that this 24/7 tether to the outside world can also occasionally be a distraction at best, and downright intrusive at worst. The perennial beeps, buzzes, red dots and blue ticks serve as – ironically – a constant barrier between the world around us, taking us away from the tasks we're trying to accomplish. This is why the natural next phase in user experience design will be about moving beyond the screen and interfacing with the devices around us in more natural ways, such as computer vision, artificial intelligence (AI), and also voice control. The concept behind these invisible interfaces – also known as Zero UI – is essentially designing for where all of these disparate elements converge, in order to provide a more intuitive experience for the end user. The screen's days may be numbered as we see invisible interfaces take off Zero UI introduces us to a new world where our natural gestures, voice, glances and even our thoughts can be used to communicate with our devices in a seamless, non-intrusive way – leading us towards a user experience that makes us feel like we're communicating not with a machine, but rather with another person. The aim of invisible interfaces is to help facilitate a world wherein our devices find the balance between presence and discretion; always being peripherally present and ready to accept user input, while never distracting or demanding our attention. The key change to designing for this will be in anticipatory design, the process in which a designer - with the help of artificial intelligence – anticipates the needs and tasks of the user by making pre-emptive decisions on their behalf, in order to simplify the user journey and reduce cognitive load. Here, we'll take a look at the main areas that invisible interfaces are poised to revolutionise the way we interact with our devices, as well as where the transition to invisible interfaces could take the field of UX design in future. Designing for voice The most popular invisible interface by far is that of voice, with recent investment in this area from tech titans Apple, Amazon and Google having thrust this technology firmly into the mainstream. This burgeoning market for voice interfaces creates an intriguing new challenge for UX designers everywhere. In fact, some are already hailing the sector as the natural next step forward in UX design. The reason so many have adopted voice as the de facto standard for invisible design is simple. As we've moved through the different ways of interacting with our devices, the common goal has been to increase speed and usability while reducing user friction. We started with complicated strings of keystroke commands, then moved on to incorporate the mouse, and more recently the rise of the smartphone has led to touchscreens taking over. As natural as the touchscreen is, though, it's still a screen, so the obvious next step is something that continues to evolve the user journey, being quicker and easier to use while further reducing friction. And what could be quicker or easier than voice? In terms of how we implement voice in a mainstream capacity, we should first cast our minds back. In the 90s, what drove people to embrace online? The availability of internet access on our home computers; unified devices we could all get behind. An example of how we might have used voice assistants up until now A decade ago, what drove us to embrace touchscreen UI? The iPhone; another unified device we could all get behind. So, what invention is going to be the driving force for the mainstream adoption of talking to your devices? If you were caught talking to your computer even a few years ago, you'd likely attract more than a few funny looks. Now, the explosion in popularity of voice-controlled devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, suggests a future wherein this becomes the normal process, and menus, screens, pointers and commands are replaced by simple spoken language. Controlling our devices with nothing but the spoken word might seem far-fetched – a pipe dream reserved for fanciful sci-fi films. However, this may be a reality far sooner than you think. The reason this has been a pipe dream up until now is because the computing power required to process, break down and interpret human speech is huge, requiring more resources than were previously available in a mainstream capacity. However, numerous breakthroughs were made in this field in 2016, and we are now at the point where there's enough computational power available to us to make speech recognition and interaction a viable alternative to visual interfaces. On top of this, we're lucky enough to be living in a time when around one in three people carries a smartphone – essentially a mini computer with a microphone attached – around in their pockets; a figure that will continue to rise in the years to come. Designing from a technical standpoint In terms of how we go about designing for this, the most fundamental element to consider is that because voice-controlled interfaces are invisible, users will not have the benefit of images, buttons or clickable links to guide them. Because of this, developers and designers must ensure the voice assistant is providing users with constant feedback and support so they are not left in the dark. Simplified, brief interactions need to be weighed up against people feeling lost or not in control. In a traditional screen interaction, visual cues such as buttons, tick boxes, links, or error messages provide a virtual breadcrumb trail for users, letting them know exactly where they are in a given process. Voice-controlled personal assistants could become a staple moving forward Similar to screen-based design patterns, it's important to consider that users will need voice patterns they are familiar with every time they operate a new app or program, in order to acclimatise them to the new software. Above all, this process must be simple and intuitive, using universal conversation patterns as a method for executing commands. It is also important to bear in mind that users have to use their short-term memory to remember key phrases to interact with the device. Therefore conversational exchanges need to be kept short and sweet to lessen the cognitive load and avoid confusing users. Overall, while voice UIs may be simpler on the surface, they require reassurance and pacing to be built into the interaction if they are to provide the best possible user experience, particularly for those with cognitive impairments or lower levels of confidence. Designing for language Considering the range of functions that voice devices will need to be able to accomplish in order to effectively take over from the tech we currently use, as well as the fact that the end user will be working entirely without visual cues, language is crucially important. Natural language, tone of voice, accent and tone are all vital. Currently, home assistants feel a little pre-programmed and artificial (it's still obvious you're speaking to a robot), so to alleviate that we need to look at the language people feel comfortable with. Overly assertive, imperative language can be off-putting, particularly to less tech-savvy users. Colloquial terms can be more reassuring, however, overly quirky communication can be seen as condescending. Therefore, there is still considerable user research and usability testing required in this area. Another critical design point to consider is avoiding bias. In traditional UI, and when you come to think of it, any software design, there can often be a disconnect where the designers are not necessarily representative of who will use the software. This is especially important in voice UIs because people tend to be sensitive to language. For example, the language of a white male, graduate software developer could be quite different to the conversational tone between young girls or older adults. Of course, that's not intended as a generalisation about developers, but a reminder that as with any software, we aren't always the users of our products. Bringing a whole new meaning to 'tone of voice'. This technology can also be leveraged in a positive way, and there is actually a fantastic opportunity here for forward-thinking designers to build specifically for greater personalisation and also customer engagement. We hear the phrase 'tone of voice' - in relation to both a brand's personality and how they communicate with their audience and clients – a lot when we're talking about a brand's communications strategy, and this is another area that is set to be completely turned on its head with the mainstream adoption of invisible interfaces. Whereas previously a brand's tone of voice may have largely been restricted to written communications, conversational interfaces provide an entirely new way to communicate and shape the overall experience a customer has with a brand. This, of course, presents a brand new set of considerations for UX designers – namely the literal tone of voice brands choose to employ in these devices, including gender, dialect, and expression - but also a wealth of new opportunities. Imagine a world where each of the companies with which you communicate daily (perhaps the businesses you shop with, or those that deliver your news), had their own distinct personality and voice – perhaps even one which you, the user, could control? Such a thing would be truly a tone of voice for the digital age we live in. Which areas of business will be most affected? The early success that Amazon, Apple and Google have enjoyed in this area has helped to raise consumer awareness of just how useful these devices could be in everyday life. It looks as though this technology could be set to explode in popularity in 2018, with a host of innovative new software and hardware products coming to the market. This technology can also be incredibly useful from an accessibility standpoint. By negating our current reliance on screens and creating the ability to control devices with nothing but your voice, users with visual or physical impairments will be able to access and use devices completely independently, with no need for external assistance – some for the first time ever. In terms of where we'll see the tech take-off, a sector that could benefit hugely is digital health products, particularly fitness trackers and related health monitoring devices. Our health sector is currently feeling the pressure from rising numbers of patients, in addition to an ageing population presenting more complex cases. Because of this, a greater focus has naturally been put on convincing people to take a more proactive stance in managing their own health. Invisible interfaces could also revolutionise the way we track our health Invisible interface devices such as personal fitness wristbands could be key to this, providing people with an unobtrusive way to measure their vitals, as well as other health related statistics such as steps, calorie intake and their heart rate. Another sector that could be transformed by invisible interface devices such as the Amazon Echo is retail. Voice search in particular could be a game-changer; indeed, we're already beginning to see significant pickup in this area. A recent study from Google revealed that more than half of teens (55%) now use voice search on a daily basis – a strong statistic that goes some way to showcase the current penetration of invisible interfaces in everyday life. This tech looks set to really take off in retail as more brands make the leap and begin proactively making use of it to engage customers in new and exciting ways. A great example here is Ocado, who recently made the headlines by becoming one of the first retailers to offer a dedicated app enabling customers to shop using voice commands. While this is a tremendously exciting time for UX design, we as designers must adapt accordingly. Voice interaction represents an exhilarating new challenge to UX designers, one that we must acknowledge and learn quickly from if – as a community – we are to take full advantage of the opportunities this new, seamless technology presents. This article was originally published in issue 301 of net, the world's best-selling magazine for web designers and developers. Buy issue 301 here or subscribe here. Related articles: The future of adaptive user interfaces is inclusive How to build a chatbot interface Choose the right words for your interfaces View the full article

Some of the best web apps are powered by Ruby on Rails. It's a powerful framework that can be used to create all kinds of incredible apps. You can learn to build your own apps and services using Ruby on Rails with a one-year, all-access pass to Codeplace, on sale now for just $29 (approx. £21)! You can become a Ruby on Rails rock star with the help of Codeplace. Get a full year of complete access to over 140 professionally-taught courses that will show you how to make use of the powerful framework. If you still have questions, you can tap Codeplace's community of over 30,000 developers to learn even more. You’ll go hands-on and learn by building four real apps, then you can let your imagination run while and create your very own from scratch. A one-year subscription to Codeplace usually retails for $348, but you can save 91 per cent off that price right now. That means you pay just $29 (approx. £21), a fantastic deal for full year of training! Related articles: How to build a Progressive Web App How to make responsive web apps with container queries 14 top web app resources View the full article

Mac professionals and graphics power users are so tired of waiting for the new Mac Pro 2018, they’ve started making and buying ‘Hackintosh’ Mac Pro models - using six-year-old hardware. That’s according to our sister site TechRadar, which reports that third-party Mac hardware resellers have been capitalising on hunger for Apple’s long-promised new Mac Pro by offering upgrades and new capabilities to Apple’s 2012 Mac Pro 5.1. Apple’s redesigned 2013 ’trash can’ Mac Pro – with its single CPU socket and poor internal storage – of course failed to address the needs of many of its users back in 2013. So the appeal of an improved classic Mac Pro tower quickly becomes clear. Sure, the 2012 Mac Pro is limited by which logic board and processor it can accept: but its multiple drive bays and the ability to use modern graphics cards in SLI (Nvidia) or CrossFire (AMD) configurations trump the 2012 Mac Pro. Hackintosh Mac Pro limitations Danish reseller Big Little Frank is selling Mac machines built around the 2012 Mac Pro. However, before you reach for your wallet, there are some drawbacks to this solution: namely, that the 2012 Mac Pro platform is, indeed, still limited. TechRadar explains: “…The absolute fastest processor setup that’s compatible with a 2012 Mac Pro’s logic board is a pair of Intel Xeon X5690 CPUs, a six-core chip with a 3.46GHz base and 3.73GHz turbo clock speed. Considering that modern workstations include chips with 12-cores on a single die that can then be configured in tandem from there, you’re missing out on a lot of speed.” “Not to mention that this logic board doesn’t support modern features that the work world now thrives on, like Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1. Resellers can add these features through third-party parts, which you’d surely pay extra for.” So what are your options? Well, you could consider another fantastic computer for graphic design or video editing instead; you could switch from macOS; or you could wait for Apple to deliver on its promise for a new Mac Pro this year. It’s been almost 12 months since Apple teased a refresh to its desktop computer, saying it was working on an ‘upgradeable’ and ‘modular’ Mac Pro 2018 model with an in-house built display. And in December 2017, a press release reminded us that an overhaul to the Mac Pro was still in development. The earliest estimates for a release date have the new Mac Pro set to drop in June 2018 – so the choice is yours... Related articles: Mac Pro 2018 release date, specs and rumours Apple launches iPad with Pencil support The best laptops for graphic design 2018 View the full article

You're reading Best Free Fonts You Should Try in 2018, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! A picture is worth a thousand words. We all know that an image can be very descriptive, but, like it or not, we can’t design without text. Only with words, can we be sure that readers get the exact message. It does not mean that we are stuck with plain text; modern typefaces let you […] View the full article

App icons play a crucial role in helping a new app stand out: not just in the App Store, but on someone's screen amongst a sea of other similar app icons. Once installed, it still needs to be found easily, and stay front-of-mind for the user. Just as with logo design, app icon design involves conveying meaning in the most simple, eye-catching way possible. But while logos have a multiple of brand touch-points to come alive and build awareness and recognition, app icons need to stand out in a grid of equal-sized icons, while making it immediately obvious what they do. Two types of icon There are two main approaches when it comes to icon design: symbolic and iconic. The latter are much more literal and representative; the former are more abstract and must acquire meaning by association. Once such semiotic 'rules' are established, it can save a lot of time for all involved to follow them, giving you a visual shorthand for your app icon. Sometimes it does pay to do something strikingly different - but you need to know what you're railing against. So read on to explore five major app design trends that have become visual shorthand for a whole generation of app users... 01. Envelopes for email This small selection of email-based apps in the App Store demonstrates the near ubiquity of the envelope icon. Click here to see image in full This is one of the longest-established visual shorthands in the app icon game, since email was one of the very first applications to be developed after the birth of the internet. Although electronic mail bears no practical similarities to its postal counterpart, besides the fact that information is transferred from a sender to a recipient, the familiar association between a paper envelope and an email seems to be here to stay. Whether your provider of choice is Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail or Yahoo Mail, you'll find an envelope figuring prominently as part of the app icon. This makes it all the more interesting when this trend is bucked. Spark , for instance, chose a paper aeroplane, giving it standout while making the visual shorthand of transmitting paper from one place to another a bit more playful and fun. 02. Triangular arrows for media Triangle-shaped arrows have a longstanding association with media apps of all shapes and sizes. Click here to for larger image Theoretically, there's nothing to link a triangular arrow shape with the concept of 'playing' a piece of media content, besides decades of positive reinforcement of the association, through buttons on hardware as well as software. As such, this is a symbolic icon design, compared to the iconic approach of the envelope. It's a symbol that has been all-but universally embraced by the entertainment industry as a visual shorthand for music and film-based media-playing apps. While more iconic designs such as clapperboards and musical notes are a regular feature too, triangular arrows are everywhere - whether from large organisations such as YouTube or the BBC's iPlayer, or a broad selection of smaller dedicated media-playing apps. Again, apps that swim against the current may stand out - but the universal significance of that simple triangular symbol means it features in the vast majority of music and video player icons in some capacity. 03. Ticks for productivity It's a sea of ticks in the Productivity category, but some apps do choose to do things differently. Click here for larger image. It's perhaps unsurprising that almost every app that bears some resemblance to a to-do list features a tick in its icon: it's all about accomplishment, and the satisfaction of checking the box that signifies a task is completed. The tick has become synonymous with the Productivity category on the App Store, and it's used by many leading tools, including Clear, Things, Todo and OmniFocus. Such a strong association is hard to shake off, and besides some crucial variations in shape, colour and pattern, many of the apps above do look strikingly similar when viewed alongside each other. That's not to say that some productivity apps haven't found a new direction, however: Wunderlist, for instance, plays on the association of a starred bookmark to signify its approach to to-do lists, whereas Doo is more characterful, with a flag planted at the top of a mountain. 04. Locks and keys for security Padlocks, keys and safes are the order of the day for security app icons, ranging from simple flat graphics to full-rendered skeuomorphic designs. Click here for larger image. What images spring to mind when you think of security apps? Chances are, whether it's a virus scanner, a password manager or an encryption tool, there'll be a padlock, a key, or a safe of some description. Just as with the above examples, there's a sound reason for this association. It's about making people feel reassured - a visual shorthand that implies that cybercriminals, hackers, viruses and other unmentionables can't get to you, because you're locked up tight. As with the email envelope, of course, this association is relatively arbitrary: all the security in question is digital, with no physical locks or keys in sight, but the association remains strong - if a little cliched. 05. Pencils or paintbrushes for creativity Pens, pencils, paintbrushes and rulers are just some of the tools used to represent creativity on the App Store. But does it have to be so literal? Click here for larger image. It doesn't take a genius to draw a line between the tools of a particular trade, craft or discipline and the icon to represent it. A stethoscope to represent a medical app, a hammer for a building app, a camera to symbolise photography - it all makes practical sense. When it comes to sketching, painting and other creative apps, therefore, it's no surprise that pencils, paintbrushes and palettes tend to feature heavily amongst the app icons. These are all familiar visual references for the creative process, after all. But just as security apps don't actually padlock your laptop, productivity tools don't need to physically tick a checkbox, digital media players aren't slaves to their 'play' button, and emails aren't actually stuffed in an envelope, there are ways to think outside the box. Remember when Photoshop was represented by a feathered quill? Adobe has since moved on to represent its suite of software as an interconnected 'periodical table' of creative tools, with not a pencil or paintbrush in sight. Perhaps it's time for more app icon designers to stop taking things quite so literally. Read more: 8 simple productivity tools for designers 5 unusually effective ways design studios show work 8 tools to help you work remotely as a freelancer View the full article