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Sometimes, with the right brand and the right client, the opportunity arises for you stick your neck out and take an audacious creative risk. Get it right and the sky's the limit, get it wrong and... well, try not to get it wrong. 4 ads that tried to be cool, but failedTo help you decide when you should attempt to when to push the creative boat out, we spoke to Brand Impact Awards judges Sue Daunt and Dave Wood. Sue is executive creative director at Interbrand London, with over 20 years' experience working with global clients, while Dave is design director at BIA-winning agency GBH, where he's designed everything from postage stamps to space rockets for clients including Virgin Galactic, Puma and Royal Mail. Here's what they had to say. When and why is it important to take risks? Dave Wood: Risk taking is something we do day in, day out. We don't pick and choose when to take risks, but prefer to let the idea lead the way. Inherently we like to be over-ambitious to do the best work possible for the client, and sometimes that's in tight time frames with tight budgets – but we always find a way of doing it. There's a bit of risk involved in that, but you have to hold onto the integrity of that idea, and convince clients to believe in it too. Sue Daun: That's a great way of describing it. For us, risk is when we push a client way outside the brief, and go in with a solution that challenges and reframes their brief massively. You need to take them on a bit of that journey, so they feel confident it's not really a risk. As a bigger agency, often they'll listen to us if we tell them it'll be okay. But there's definitely a thrill when you go in with a risky solution. You go in with your heart pounding, and you're excited because you've got a great idea. Intermarché's Inglorious Fruit & Veg campaign turned the spotlight on its uglier produceHow does the size of your agency affect your ability to take risks? SD: We're lucky as we're supported by a great team that encourage us to take risks. We're not a blame culture, so that's a really healthy operation to work within. I think as a big network, with a proven track record – underpinned by measurement and analytics, as well as creativity – we're able to get clients to buy braver. Having the weight of a business like Interbrand behind us, they tend to sit back and listen, and we don't have to work that hard to push them a little bit further. It also can play negatively. Some clients come because they want a trusted, formulaic solution. We rarely give them exactly that, but sometimes we have to take them on a longer journey. DW: Because we're smaller, and independent, we can pick and choose when to take risks – but like I said before, we let the idea lead. It's the idea that determines whether we take risks or not. At GBH, we work on a wide range of projects, from small – where there's more freedom – to big campaigns for clients such as Puma and Virgin Galactic. Actually it's those bigger jobs, with more of a presence, where there's an opportunity to take bigger risks. Harvey Nichols' 'Sorry, I spent it on myself' campaign was an unexpected blast of humour from a luxury brandWhat are the best examples of creative risks that have paid off? DW: Inglorious Fruit and Veg, the [Black Pencil-winning] Intermarché campaign a few years ago. They put these ugly, misshapen fruit and veg in their aisles, and encouraged people to buy them. It could easily have had the opposite effect, but there was real confidence and belief in the idea. SD: Another good example is Harvey Nichols' 'Sorry, I spent it on myself' campaign. It tugged at your heart strings, but in a tongue-in-cheek way. For a luxury brand to treat design in such a brutal way was a fantastic two fingers up to the industry, and it drew people in who perhaps hadn't bought into the brand before. This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 270; buy it here! Related articles: When to use humour in branding 5 ways to get clients to take more risks 21 ways to unlock your creative genius View the full article

Many, if not most, big brand logos are crafted in-house, and it’s often difficult to find out who worked on the design and what it involved. But some are created by external design agencies. And if we’re lucky, their clients will have given them the freedom to talk about the process and thinking behind the new designs. In this post we celebrate our favourite big-name logos from design agencies this year, and hear from the people behind them. 01. Giraffe by Ragged Edge Giraffe’s new logo is cleaned up and more professional, yet still playful Giraffe World Kitchen is a chain of UK restaurants with a focus on bringing the best of world food to the high street at a reasonable price. In June, the London agency Ragged Edge announced a new logo and identity for the brand. The redesigned logo extends the ‘F’ in a playful way that suggests the neck of a giraffe raising its head above the trees (but without being too obvious). The lettering as a whole has been nicely cleaned up and standardised when compared to the previous, somewhat zanier version (below). The previous Giraffe logo was a little wilder It's a fantastic logo design – a real highlight from 2017. You can learn more about the rebrand on the Ragged Edge website. 02. Sydney School of Entrepreneurship by For the People This startup school’s logo changes on a daily basis The Sydney School of Entrepreneurship aims to recruiting the cream of the crop from 11 universities and one vocational college in New South Wales, Australia to come together in a new startup campus in Sydney. In order to reflect the “diversity, energy and purpose” of the new school, Sydney agency For The People built then a custom logo generator to create a unique logo on a daily basis. It sounds like a wacky idea, and it is. But there’s an underlying geometric skeleton underpinning the logos, which are based on the Px Grotesk font, that gives them all a sense of consistency and makes them easy to recognise, even though they’re ever-changing. Controversial? Perhaps. But it’s a brave experiment that makes you think, which is clearly in keeping with the ethos of the institution. You can learn more about the logo system here. 03. Eurosport Olympics by Dixon Baxi The Eurosport Olympics logo uses a podium as a design device In August, London creative agency DixonBaxi unveiled the new logo, identity and on-air look for TV channel Eurosport’s coverage of the Olympics. The new branding has been designed to run for the next eight years, starting with the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea this February. “The identity unites two iconic sporting organisations, putting Eurosport’s commitment to be the Home of the Olympics at the heart of the brand,” explains Dan Capstick, creative director at DixonBaxi. “The podium is the foundation for the brand experience on every platform. The iconic three tiers are used as a simple visual metaphor in hundreds of ways. Layers of vibrant colour – inspired by Olympic venues – and expressive typography create a flexible and distinctive graphic style that is inspired by ultimate ambition of elite athletes to be the best.” Salman Anjum, head of design at The Institute for Optimum Nutrition, is a big fan. “The designs focus on the ascent to the podium, which is what every athlete at the Olympics (and the watching public) dreams of,” he notes. “And the attention to detail is great. Some commentators have complained that the podium should have three distinct levels. However, the Olympics podium is actually at two levels, as reflected in the logo. “What I find most appealing about the design is how it combines two very different entities and philosophies, with Eurosport and Olympics, into something not only cohesive but forward thinking.” 04. Juventus by Interbrand The new Juventus logo is dramatically minimal While the current trend to simplify your logo is obvious with big consumer brands like Audi, more traditional organisations such as football clubs have been slower to get on board. So it raised a few eyebrows this January when Italian superclub Juventus released this remarkably minimalist design, created by the Milan office of Interbrand http://interbrand.com. Based on the team’s black and white stripes, Interbrand have produced a decisively flexible and distinctive identity for the club which works well across the range of environments in which it promotes itself, from digital to retail. Predictably, thousands of fans took to social media to complain about the loss of their beloved crest (above). But we think by breaking convention and transforming themselves into a more mainstream brand, Juventus are simply leading the pack, and we very much expect other clubs to follow their lead in years to come. You can learn more about the new logo here. 05. Audi by Strichpunkt and KMS Team Audi’s famous rings have gone ever-more minimal April 2017 saw a new global identity system for Audi (above), based on a flattened version of its previous logo (below). This strikingly minimalist redesign of the famous rings was the result of a collaboration between German agencies KMS Team and Strichpunkt. The previous design has been slimmed down and made monochrome “Working in partnership with Strichpunkt, we took a holistic approach and redesigned the overall brand appearance for all relevant touchpoints,” explains Andreas Zeischegg, design director for KMS Team. “The vision was to create a seamless experience throughout all media and devices; starting from automobile interfaces, online and offline applications, TVC and classical media to print design. “The flattened Audi logo is not just a formal consequence of technical requirements, but a bold statement,” he adds. “A symbol of a new brand attitude fostering creative diversity and a shift from monologue to dialogue.” Graphic designer Christopher Colouryum greatly approves. “It's a real sign of status when a logo can drop its wordmark and be globally recognised by its icon,” he points out. “Especially when it's just four circles! Audi is now joining ranks with the likes of Apple and Nike, who have proved that a strong brand icon doesn't need messy letters for people to recognise it. This is a beautifully clean and sharp rebrand and very, well... German. “All the unnecessary fluff has been stripped away and flat design has been used across both digital and print applications to give a sophisticated and luxurious yet well-engineered feel,” he adds. “The accompanying font family is instantly recognisable as Audi and the brand clearly knows that too, by choosing to not use the logo in some of its material; very bold.” 06. Science Museum by North North Design’s new logo for the Science Museum combines a colour gradient with fading font weights North Design, based in London, courted controversy in October with the release of its new logo and branding for the Science Museum. Many believed it was too soon for a rebrand, and questioned what was wrong with the previous design, before Johnson Banks responded to the redesign. Love it or loathe it, the logo certainly got people talking. Louis Mikolay, senior designer at North Design, provides some background. “The Science Museum Group is the world’s leading alliance of five science museums around the UK,” he explains. “To maximise ongoing ROI and leverage funding partnerships, the group has been aligning itself in appropriate areas. To support these strategies and to foster a sense of unity and purpose, North was briefed to create a new group visual language that helps present the sites as a cohesive family.” The previous logo won a D&AD award for Johnson Banks Freelance art director Olly Browning is a big fan of the new identity. “It seems to give the museum a sense of cohesion in a way I hadn’t really seen there before; from wayfinding to shops to those lovely gradient staff T-shirts I want to steal,” he explains. “The new colour palette and gradients seem sufficiently science-y too, and I hope they won’t tire of them too quickly.” 07. Mozilla by Johnson Banks Mozilla harnessed the power of the public to develop its new logo The open source organisation behind the Firefox browser, Mozilla has always been all about the community surrounding it. But it pushed the concept even further recently by throwing the process of designing a new logo open to the public at large. From June 2016 onwards, Mozilla worked with London agency johnson banks to develop new branding. And it involved the public by documenting the process on its blog, and then releasing a longlist of seven first-round concepts and inviting feedback on the designs. The winner, shown above, was launched this January. Is it best standalone logo we've ever seen? No. But this boldly basic design, based on custom-made font created in collaboration with Dutch type foundry Typotheque, holds together beautifully, and looks smart and sophisticated while being beautifully flexible. Is it a ground-breaking approach to apply to logo design? Without a doubt. It wouldn't be right for most logos, of course, but for this client it was perfect. And that's why we've included it here. You can learn more about the thinking behind the logo in this blog post. Related articles: 10 visual storytelling tips from top agencies The 17 best startup logos of 2017 5 new free tools for boosting your creativity View the full article

A recognised centre of excellence for the creative industries, Escape Studios specialises in turning passion into studio-ready skills – and this year the studio is celebrating its 15th birthday. To celebrate turning 15, the academy is showcasing the latest crop of incredible talent by releasing four new showreels across VFX, Games and Animation. What's more it's expanding its offering with new courses in Python, Character Design, Rigging and Producing for VFX. Since it launched in 2002, Escape has been setting up partnerships with studios and offering practical training from leading specialists, all aimed at giving budding VFX artists the best start in the industry. A key player in the VFX industry, Escape also puts on events. Escape's first VFX Festival took place in 2012 in association with MPC, Framestore and Cinesite (and there's an even bigger on the way in February 2018!) and in 2016 it ran its first Game Jam. Escape Studios alumni Over the course of the past 15 years, the studio has taught over 4000 students, producing a vibrant and successful community of Escapees that are currently making their mark on the design world. Escape alumni can be found throughout the VFX, games and animation industries. The community's awards cabinet isn't looking too shabby either, with students going on to work on hundreds of award-winning films, and thousands of award-winning commercials. The brightest sparks have even gone on to shape Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated films, including recent Oscar winner The Jungle Book. A key player in the VFX industry, Escape also puts on events. Escape's first VFX Festival took place in 2012 in association with MPC, Framestore and Cinesite (and there's an even bigger on the way in February 2018!), and in 2016 it ran its first Game Jam. To find out more about this remarkable academy, watch the new 2017 showreels and find out about the new courses available, visit Escape's 15th Birthday website. View the full article

If you've seen our Black Friday 2017 and Cyber Monday 2017 deals pages, you'll know we're working hard to bring designers, illustrators and artists the best bargains on creative tools this November. And here's another one on WordPress themes... When launching your website, there's no platform better than WordPress. All you need is a professionally-designed theme from Visualmodo to give your site style and function as soon as it goes live. Get lifetime access to these themes right now for just $39 (approx. £30)! Visualmodo's WordPress themes let you streamline every web design project by providing you with a perfect theme to fit your every need. This library of professionally designed themes are a snap to set up and immediately give you a wide variety of features that you need. These themes are customisable and flexible and made to fit just about any project but if you're having trouble making it work for you, the award-winning customer service from Visualmodo can help you out. You can get a lifetime of access to WordPress themes from Visualmodo on sale for 84% off the retail price. That makes your total just $39 (approx. £30). It's a great offer for themes that will make your site even better, so grab this deal today! Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: 14 brilliantly creative Christmas gifts for kids 22 great examples of WordPress websites 25 brilliant WordPress tutorials View the full article

Pricing your creative and design services effectively is a difficult business. After you have calculated your shop rate, you have a baseline number for all of your pricing calculations. Using this number, you can determine what it takes to complete a project. To do so, you'll use one of seven different pricing methods. Whether you're a freelancer or large agency, there is no single 'right way' to price your services. Instead, look for the 'ideal way' to price. Most companies will use two or three different methods. Exclusive offer: Save 15% on Adobe Creative Cloud now Use your past experience and estimation exercises to determine how much time and effort is required for each project. Look at two or three models to find the right one for each situation. And since your minimum profit is already covered by your shop rate, you have much greater freedom to say no to bad pricing situations. Click to see full-sized image 01. Hourly pricing Hourly pricing is one of the two most simple models. The key things you need for successful hourly pricing is discipline, documentation and communication. It requires greater scrutiny of the process, which often doesn't foster client trust. Hourly pricing only works when you have good data. You must meticulously track your time and expenses, and consistently check in with your client. This approach is ideal for freelancers who aren't directly working with the client – for example, a freelancer for an ad agency. It's also ideal for any work involving sophisticated technology such as app development, where things often go wrong. However, it isn't a long-term solution for most creatives unless you choose to remain freelance. You will only become more profitable by raising your rates, which has a ceiling. To summarise, hourly pricing is a good option if: You're working regularly with the same client, on similar work The project's deliverables are unclear Project scope changed several times when meeting with the client You're doing complex technical work 02. Project-based pricing The second of these simple models is project-based pricing, which can be used in tandem with the hourly model. Project-based or 'flat-fee' pricing is the most common model. Someone asks you how much a website costs, you tell them $4,000, and you charge them $4,000 regardless of the time or cost involved. However, with this method we often underestimate the effort required, and end up with excessive changes or unexpected problems. This means a loss in profit or an awkward request for a budget increase. Project-based pricing can be profitable, and it's a step toward value-based pricing and higher profit levels. If you do similar work for similar clients routinely (e.g. WordPress websites for restaurants), you can cut costs and increase profit with this approach. It can also work well if you're good at time estimates, but most of us aren't. You want to use this approach if: The client asks about money a lot up-front It's clear you can get the project done faster than the client's estimate What you’re pricing: Pricing packages don’t have to be for deliverables, they can also be used for things like workshops03. Retainer pricing A retainer is the closest thing to a regular paycheck; it's a pre-set and pre-billed fee for a time period or volume of work. This can be based on time – for example the client agrees to buy 100 hours per month at $100 per hour, for a total of $10,000. Alternatively, it can be based on value. In this case the client might specify the features or deliverables they need, and pay $10,000 per month for this work, regardless of exactly how long it takes. There are two types of time-based retainers: rolling and use-it-or-lose-it. In a rolling retainer, clients roll over any unused hours to the next month. In a use-it-or-lose-it retainer, any unused time is lost and the balance resets the next month. Don't offer rolling retainers; you'll end up doing meaningless work just so your client can burn through the hours. You will find a maximum hourly rate a client is willing to pay. Value-based retainers enable you to scale your skills instead of your time, which means you can increase your profit. If you can reduce the time it takes to produce a chunk of code, you are no longer penalised for the increased efficiency. You are paid the same amount regardless of how long the job takes. 04. Value-based pricing Value-based pricing calls for a less traditional client relationship. At Nine Labs we call it growth-driven design and our clients love itThe crux of value-based pricing is ensuring the client is satisfied they paid for what they received. Two clients may pay a different price for the same work. But they aren't paying you for your time; they're paying you for solutions. And those solutions are worth more to some clients than others. It's driven by customer demand and their willingness to pay. The strategy is based on three components, which we'll look at now. What your market will bear Consider the limits of both your local market (where you do business) and your horizontal market (what you do). You can get granular and define your market as 'custom logo designs for consumer brands'. You need to find out what your competition is charging for similar work with clients of similar size. So how do you do this? Ask: You'll be shocked at how many people will tell you Go where the clients are: Instead of networking with other creatives, go to client events and trade shows and ask them what they paid Get involved: Go to conferences, join trade associations, and sit in round tables and talk about pricing Monitor: Set up alerts for freelance pricing guides and pricing surveys Your track record Your past experience will affect how much you can charge. If you have extensive experience with a particular type of client, technology or style of design, then you fall into the 'expert' category. Experts can charge more for their services. Clients see that hiring you means that they're more likely to get desirable results. Perceived value Often you'll be called upon to detail how your work is 'worth more' to the client than the work of others. There are ways to quantify value, but the mentality has to change from what the client values to the client valuing you and your expertise. This means you have to demonstrate expertise, competence, and the ability to quickly understand their problems. 05. Package pricing Package pricing can get a business up and running, but it can also result in your services being viewed as a commodity. Putting your prices out front before you've analysed the client's problem puts your needs (money) above theirs (effective solutions). You've removed the ability to find pain points and address them directly because you have fit their problem into your process. If your package pricing includes discovery and analysis, that won't be as big an issue. Here are some examples of different package pricing options: Brand package: A logo, website and business cards at one fixed price Template customisation: Customised website themes for WordPress Consulting workshops and day rates: Aimed at public or private audiences Analysis or reviews: Analysis of existing projects at a fixed cost, including a report Photoshoots and videos: A certain number of shots or amount of time You can also offer price ranges (for example, 'CMS-based websites range from $5,000 to $20,000'), or consider minimum project costs. 'Projects start at $10,000' indicates you will not accept projects that are less than $10,000. 06. Performance-based pricing Value-based pricing and performance pricing aren’t the same thing, here’s the differencePerformance-based pricing means to base your fee on the performance of your work. You must affect a measurable outcome for your client, such as higher revenue or increased efficiency. It's often tied to analytics, so it's common with web or application design, and with ad agencies and SEO experts that can measure media impressions. You must have a bulletproof contract with clear metrics and clear terms – if you don't have legal support, don't use this model. It can result in powerful working relationships that closely align the buyer's goals and the seller's goals, creating the ultimate bond between you and your client. It's near-impossible to under-price yourself, as long as your metrics line up. 07. Equity pricing You may be offered a stake in a business in exchange for your work, either in lieu of any cash payment or as a mix of equity and a reduced cash payment. This approach is good for side projects or small engagements, but not if you're giving up a large number of cash bookings or clients and you need the money now. Success depends on where the company is at the time you get involved. If it hasn't received any outside funding, your ownership could be diluted once it does. If it has, you're going to be offered little equity, probably less than 5 per cent. If the company is funded but can't offer you partial cash, it's not worth it unless you plan to go and work there full-time. Summary Money can be messy, but it doesn't have to be. The key is to avoid getting emotional about pricing. No two projects or clients are the same, and there has to be a method to the madness. The sooner you get control of your pricing strategy, the sooner you'll find profitability. Related articles: The best Christmas gifts for graphic designers This graphic designer's price list is priceless The best laptops for graphic design 2017 View the full article

Working in Photoshop CC is such an ingrained feature of our lives that much of what we do becomes automated and subconscious. There are lots of brilliant Photoshop resources around to help us keep on top of things, including handy Photoshop tutorials. But if it's been a long time since you really considered your Photoshop workflow, there's a chance you're not being as productive as you could be. Exclusive offer: Save 15% on Adobe Creative Cloud now Here, we outline 10 of the most common mistakes designers make when using Photoshop. If you recognise any of these in your own workflow, it's time to make a change... 01. Failing to use shortcuts Don't go the long way round – use existing shortcuts or create your own Learning shortcuts is an enormously important way to save time and energy as a designer. Here you can find a list of some of the most useful Photoshop shortcuts, or here for a handy shortcut cheatsheet. It might sound like a lot of effort, and it's fiddly while you're learning them, but once you have the main shortcuts secured in your muscle memory you'll see your workflow speed up exponentially. You can also create your own shortcuts in Photoshop by selecting Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts. Or go even further and create your own Photoshop scripts. 02. Forgetting to save regularly A common mistake people make when working in any software is forgetting to save, and consequently losing all their work when there's a powercut or hardware malfunction. The lies we tell ourselves are always the most convincing; so it's easy to believe that we DO save regularly. But come on, be honest... Get in the habit of hitting cmd+S every 10 minutes or so and you'll thank yourself when the spinning rainbow wheel of death pops up. 03. Not using layers and folders Get organised – there's no excuse not to A central feature of Photoshop, layers make a project easier to edit, duplicate and more. A common mistake amongst Photoshop beginners is not to make enough layers, only to regret it later when they realise it's quicker to start again than edit what they've done. More experienced designers know not to fall into that trap – but what they still often fail to do is to organise their layers and structure them into folders properly. Again, this may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but it will help massively in keeping your project organised and save you a lots of time and hassle in the long term. Plus, if you ever have to hand over your work to another designer, they'll love you for it. 04. Making permanent adjustments You're usually better off using Layer Masks rather than the eraser toolSimilar to point 3, making permanent adjustments to the pixels within projects without building in a route back to an earlier version if you decide against your changes is a classic mistake to make. To avoid this, you're usually better off using layer masks instead of the eraser tool. Also, use smart objects rather than rasterized layers. 05. Relying too much on stock imagery There are times when using stock photography makes sense for a designer working on a project in Photoshop. At other times, it's much better to shoot or illustrate the image yourself. When you do use stock photography, make sure the images are relevant and that you use your Photoshop smarts to improve the image where necessary. 06. Defaulting to CMYK Don't assume CMYK is always the best option for print workBelieve it or not, designing in CMYK mode in Photoshop is not always the best way to go, especially when it comes to print work (for an explanation of the difference between CMYK and RGB see this article). Using CMYK during design can be limiting, as certain functions and filters do not work, and the file size will be bigger. Sometimes working in RGB mode with colour proofing on is a better way to work, and then the file can be converted to CMYK closer to the final stages. 07. Going overboard with retouching We've all seen examples where a designer has got a bit overzealous with the airbrush in Photoshop. Whether we're talking about removing 'clutter' from a landscape or smoothing a model's skin, it's important not to get too carried away with trying to make an image too 'perfect'. Paradoxically, going too far down that road will actually make it look fake and uninteresting. 08. Using Photoshop for everything Photoshop is not the only tool: other apps, such as Sketch, may do the job as well or betterPhotoshop is a very versatile tool, but isn't necessarily the perfect software for every design task. For example, if you're creating a vector-based logo, you're much better off using Illustrator CC. Many web designers argue Sketch is a better option for web design than Photoshop. Also read our roundup of the best Photoshop alternatives. 09. Using 'Desaturate' to convert black and white images Choosing the Image > Adjustments > Desaturate function in Photoshop does exactly what it suggests: it removes all the colour from an image, leaving you with a black and white version. However, this can often result in a flat, lifeless photograph. A much richer image can be produced by choosing Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer. Uncheck Monochrome and then adjust the Red, Green and Blue channel sliders until you achieve the desired result. 10. Working in 72dpi Photoshop's default resolution is 72 dpiPhotoshop's default resolution is 72dpi (dots per inch), which, for the most part, is fine for the web. But this resolution should not be used for print. At the beginning of a project, ensure that your dpi is set correctly for the type of work you're doing (print is typically 300dpi) as increasing the resolution at a later date can lead to work appearing pixelated and cause problems when printing. Related articles: The designer's guide to image editing in Photoshop 60 free Photoshop actions 5 best laptops for Photoshop View the full article

You're reading 4 Tiny Trends in Applying Animations, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! With interaction design showing up pretty much everywhere, animation is finally being perceived not only as a tool for entertaining visitors but as an instrument for improving the user experience. From tiny dynamic effects that enliven parts of the UI to huge animations that are used as means of communication, the internet is jam-packed with […] View the full article

This month, Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates tackle fixes for 53 security bugs in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Edge, ASP.NET Core, .NET Core, and its Chackra Core browser engine. View the full article

Phone maker OnePlus is being blasted for leaving a developer debugging app on its handsets allowing phones to be rooted by an attacker with physical access to the device. View the full article

Adobe released a monster update for Acrobat and Reader patching dozens of remote code execution vulnerabilities, along with a Flash Player update addressing a handful of critical flaws. View the full article

Graphic designers can be the hardest people to please at Christmas. No way will they put up with some glittery mass-produced card from W.H. Smith's, and finding the right present for them is even tougher. Never fear, though, as we've searched far and wide to come up with a selection of designer-friendly Christmas presents that'll put smiles on their faces, and to make things even easier for you we've covered all the price points, from cheap and cheerful stocking fillers to overdraft-busting big presents. Happy shopping! Best Christmas gifts for designers under £20/$25 Don't boil these up for Christmas dinner01. Chocolate sprouts Price: £10There's nothing more Christmassy than sprouts, and now even sprout-haters can get in on the action with these amazing chocolate replicas of the traditional festive treat. Handcrafted in Somerset from carefully-dyed white Belgian chocolate, this punnet of eight sprouts is just one of a range of chocolate trompe-l'oeil from Choc on Choc. These cool coasters celebrate Star Wars old and newThe only thing nearly as Christmassy as sprouts is this new tradition of Star Wars coming out just in time for Life Day. And rather than get all over-excited and splash out on the latest toy, why not opt for this set of six tasteful Star Wars-themed coasters? Not only are they way cool, they're handmade and hand-varnished to protect against spills. Ungrateful recipients can take this apart and just keep the bricksPerfect for anyone who simply can't get enough Lego, these frames are made from genuine Lego bricks and plates and come in a variety of sizes from 4"x6" up to A4. And as it's not glued together, if the luckily recipient doesn't like it they can just take it apart and play with the bricks instead. Best Christmas gifts for designers under £50/$75 Have yourself a Brutalist little Christmas04. Brutalist London print Price: £40Brutalist architecture has finally made the transition from appalling eyesore to design classic, and has even inspired a style of web design. George Finch's Lambeth Towers, completed in 1972, are considered to be his Brutalist masterpiece, and this print definitely shows them to their best advantage. It's available in a number of sizes; we'd opt for the A3 giclée print. Coffee and classic literature - what's not to love?05. Coffee and Book Club Subscription Price: £29.95No designer can resist books and decent coffee, and this thoughtful gift delivers the best of both worlds. Sign a friend up for as long as you like, and every month for as long as the subscription last they'll get a surprise vintage paperback and some delicious ground coffee sent to them. This new volume's a must for type loversAn essential gift for any typography aficionado, Paul McNeil's Visual History of Type is a beautiful and comprehensive look at the most important typefaces produced since the invention of movable type in the 15th century. Featuring over 320 typefaces, displayed in the form of their original specimens or earliest printing, it's a must-have resource for anyone with an eye for type. Best Christmas gifts for designers under £100/$125 This gift keeps on giving 07. Computer Arts magazine subscription Special Christmas offers! Print: £54.60 Digital: £45 Print & digital bundle: £66.60 (save 61%!) Computer Arts magazine offers insight and inspiration for the global design community. And it's not just for Christmas either – buy your designer friend a subscription and they'll get a new issue through their door every month. Every copy includes in-depth analysis of trends, working practices and business issues, incisive opinions from the design world’s thought leaders, an inspiring roundup of the very best new work from the global design community, profiles of influential agencies, and behind the scenes access to cutting-edge design briefs. Plus, there are some ridiculous offers on this holiday season, so now's the time to buy! Each of these unique watches is hand-carved from bamboo08. Bear Wood Watch Price: £84.95Hand-carved from finest bamboo and fitted with a distressed leather strap, the Bear Wood Watch from Tribe is a fine-looking timepiece, and just the thing for anyone who's sick of having to take out their phone to find out what time it is. It's big and it's stylish, and as it's made out of wood, no two are alike. Never be caught out by bad coffee againFreelance designers working in-house run a constant gauntlet of terrible coffee, whether it's cheap instant or a filth in a plastic cup from out of a machine. So this USB-powered gadget is a godsend – it's small enough to pop in a satchel, but it'll quickly deliver a cup of damn fine espresso. This vintage sign can be personalised with whatever wording you likeThis retro cinema sign makes a perfect desk lamp or room feature, and can be personalised with any wording of your choice. It's handmade in the UK from reclaimed or sustainable timber, distressed and then finished with French polish wax for an authentic vintage look, and its white LED lighting provides a lovely soft glow. Best Christmas gifts for designers over £100/$125 Finally, a tablet for people who insist that pen and paper's bestThe reMarkable isn't cheap, and you should order as soon as possible if you want an outside chance of it arriving in time for Christmas, but it's just the tablet for a designer who prefers working on paper. Designed just for reading, writing and sketching, it's a paper tablet with a beautiful and responsive E-ink display, and it boasts 100,000 pages of storage and days of battery time. You won't get anyone's back up with this comfy chair Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get the designer in your life to stop ruining their back on some cheap swivel chair, and set them up with a quality office chair that provides proper lumbar support for all those late nights tweaking Bézier curves. This high backed chair from Eliza Tinsley ticks all the right boxes, won't cost the earth, and its mesh design looks great too. Why buy someone a bike when you can get them to make their own?13. Build your own bike Price: £623Any idiot can buy someone a bicycle; show them you really care by getting them to build their own bicycle. At this day-long workshop run by The London Bike Kitchen in Hackney, they'll build a bike from scratch, from the frame to the fork, and get to ride it home at the end of the day. Best of all, if it goes wrong they'll only have themselves to blame - but they'll know how to fix it too. We've waited two years for Microsoft to gets its act together and release the follow-up to its first laptop... and here it is. The Surface Book 2 doesn't come cheap, but it does include some impressive specs. There are a total of seven different configurations to choose from, but all offer a notable boost in performance, most include a bigger and better screen, and improved battery life. You can preorder yours from John Lewis here. View the full article

Great artists such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio inject their artworks with a bit of drama and intensity, creating pieces reminiscent of the beauty and intensity of stage lighting. Pastels are a wonderful medium to capture this sort of intensity, particularly as you can work lights over darks, so that your subject emerges from deep shadows. Good quality pastel drawings have rich, moody colours as well as luscious, soft lights, with high contrasts. In this workshop we're using a still life with shiny objects to show how to lay down layers of dark under-colours, then gradually introduce subtle hues to create lustre, and finish with highlights to add shine and sparkle – and a touch of Eastern magic. When selecting pastel colours for a drawing like this, remember to include good quality rich darks and soft lights. For this piece we used Unison Colour Soft Pastels in BV 5, BV 18, BG 7, Dark 8, Dark 5, Grey 19, Y2, BE 18 or Grey 25, BV 4, Grey 28. We also used a Cream Conté Crayon and willow charcoal for the initial sketch; a Colourfix Pastel Primer surface; a scraper to refresh the surface between layers; a pencil eraser; and a scalpel. 01. Set up the lighting You can create drama by having a strong light source from one direction. The first image above is lit with an Anglepoise light directed at the still life to create high contrasts, warm tones, shine and sparkle. The second image above (use the arrow to scroll to see it) is lit with natural light from above on a dull day, and is far less inspiring. 02. Sketch a composition and flow Get the fundamentals right in charcoal Drawing out in charcoal and a cream Conté crayon can help you think about tonal contrasts from the outset. Lines of flow between fabrics and objects will lead the viewer’s eye around the picture, which is all part of ‘telling the story’, whatever the subject matter. 03. Build up layers Build layers for more depth You can build more layers on a textured surface, such as Canson Touch or a surface coated with Colourfix Pastel Primer, than on normal paper, so you can create more depth. Any dark colour would make a good base for the warm objects. Start sketching in the first layer of dark blues for the background. 04. Build up moody blues Build from the bottom with dark colours As we will work lights over darks, add these same dark blues as the shadow base for the objects. Add lighter turquoise blues to the foreground fabric – letting the darks show through, to show that the fabric is slightly transparent – and deep green to the background to add layers of interest. 05. Find the darkest dark Emphasise depth with heavy shadowsThis is where a dramatic piece gets its real depth. Screw up your eyes to look at your subject, find the deepest shadows, and don’t be afraid to press hard to get a good layer of pastel on. Use dark brown, not black. If you go over edges and lose shape, you can erase pastel with an eraser. 06. Smudge and add layers Mid-tones and smudged darks bring added warmthSmudge back a lot of the deep darks. Using a warm mid-brown as the base for the brass lamp, add medium-tone layers to the objects. The lamp's warm glow reflects onto the silver candlestick and pot in our reference, so show that in the drawing. By scraping off the excess pastel dust between layers, you can refresh the texture of the surface. 07. Make the metal shine First, using a soft light pastel, such as Unison Colour Brown Earth 18 or Grey 25, add light marks for highlights. Then, clockwise, touch these gently with a finger to soften them back. Next, over those softened marks, add light highlight marks and don’t touch them at all. This three-stage process creates soft highlights that glow. 08. Add tiny details Bright highlights can be achieved with sharp-edged soft pastels To add tiny fine details and bright little shine marks, break the pastels into shards, either using your fingers or cutting them with a scalpel. These sharp pieces of soft pastel are far better for bright highlights than pastel pencils, as the pigment is richer. 09. Suggest a pattern Use strokes sparingly to reduce clutter and impart movementDon’t spend hours on details, but use a few quick strokes to convey the feeling of a pattern – or in this case, the gold edge of the fabric. This helps to create a feeling of life and movement. Our brains are very adept at filling in the gaps. 10. Draw the last touches of magic Finish with a flourish of highlightsAdd brighter purples and blues to enrich the fabrics. To finish off the illusion of sparkle and shine, add more flicks of highlights, with a shard of cream pastel, the only very light pastel we’ve used. These flicks are few and far between, and carefully observed. Never smudge the last touches, or they’ll die back. This article originally appeared in issue 11 of Paint & Draw magazine, offering tips and inspiration for artists everywhere. Buy issue 11 here. Related articles: How to get harmonious colours in paintings How to draw a landscape with pastels How to draw and paint - 100 pro tips and tutorials View the full article

Later this evening, some of the brightest minds in the industry will come together for Adobe’s Creative Meet Up – and it looks set to be spectacular. Visionary photographer Nick Knight, prolific art director Kate Moross and artist and print designer Kelly Anna are among the speakers to take the stage in what will be a creative night to remember. And you can be there too as we’ll have all the action right here on Creative Bloq via our live stream from 18.30 GMT (19.30 CET). As you hear from some of the industry’s finest, have your say and follow the conversation on social media using #creativemeetup. And be sure to keep an eye on @AdobeUK for details of a competition where one lucky creative will get the chance to win a year’s subscription of Creative Cloud to try out all the latest updates from the new release. The Creative Meet Up is a great opportunity to learn more about the next generation of Creative Cloud, which includes four brand new applications: Adobe XD CC - Developed in open partnership with the design community through a public beta, Adobe XD is the go-to tool for designing and prototyping mobile apps and websites. Adobe Dimension CC - Previously Project Felix, Dimension allows graphic designers to really get to grips with the power and flexibility of 3D, with the ease of working with 2D. Adobe Character Animator CC - Launched just a couple of weeks ago, this brilliant 2D animation tool helps bring still image artwork from Photoshop or Illustrator to life. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC - The all-new cloud-centric photo service for editing, organising, storing and sharing photos from anywhere. Want to see the new Creative Cloud in action? Principal Manager of Creative Cloud Evangelism at Adobe Rufus Deuchler will spend time at the Creative Meet Up presenting demos of many of its new features. Something for everyone, it really is a night not to be missed, so make sure you’re right here at 18.30 GMT (19.30 CET) to tune into the evening’s proceedings. View the full article

With Black Friday now less than two weeks away, it’s time to take a look at where – and how – you can dig out the best deals. We’ve got you covered on the creative side. We’re already bringing you the best pre-Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday deals for designers, illustrators and creatives on hardware, software, books and more. (We've got the best Amazon Black Friday and Amazon Cyber Monday deals for creatives too.) And we’ll continue to work around the clock to make sure you get the best deals from the most reputable retailers, both on the day and right until the end of this year's deals season. But what if you’re looking for other bargains, too? What if you need expert opinion on tech, gadget deals or gaming kit? We can help. Here’s where to look… Where to find great Black Friday deals Don't forget, you can also pick up a cracking subscription deal for you or a friend on an industry-leading design, tech, music, gaming or gadget magazine over at our Magazine Store, My Favourite Magazines. Happy Black Friday deal hunting… Related articles: 14 brilliantly creative Christmas gifts for kids The best Adobe deals for November 2017 View the full article

We're working hard to bring designers, illustrators and artists the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017 deals on creative tools in just under two weeks, but in the meantime, we've got you a great daily deal on a web developer course. Web development is a rapidly growing field, and there's plenty of room for you to get involved. You just need the right skills to get your start, and now you can. Dive head first into the field with the Complete Web Developer Course 2.0. It's on sale now for just $19 (approx £14) – that's 87% off the full retail price. You won't find a better opportunity to expand your skills as a web developer than the Complete Web Development Course 2.0. This professionally-taught course will help teach you the basics of web development and provide you with a complete understanding of fundamental programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery. Then you'll move up to working on full creative website and mobile app projects that will help you put your new skills to the test. The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0 usually retails for $149, but you can save 87% off that price right now. That means you pay just $19 (approx £14) for a great course that will expand your horizons, so grab this deal today. About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: 25 top-class website templates 30 Chrome extensions for web designers and devs Learn how to code with 96% off this massive bundle View the full article

Design agency Graphical House demonstrates how a simple set of carefully-placed elements can be engaging and elegant As a student of design, I didn’t have much time for grid theory. I perceived grids as being restrictive and counter to the aspirations of an emerging designer. As a practising designer, however, I quickly learned the benefits they offer and the hidden beauty they can contain. Let's have a look at how to get more from the grid than you'd imagined. We'll particularly look at using the grid for typographical design, but the principles work for designs with images, too. Christmas offer: Save up to 49% on a subscription to Computer Arts Since the 14th century, the basis of the grid has changed little. Early religious texts contain text set in vertical columns, punctuated by images and embellished with drop capitals and marginalia (additional text annotations) – much like modern-day publications and magazines. A grid can be used on a single design, for example a poster design, or over a series of pages such as in a book or brochure design. The grid structure The grid consists of vertical and horizontal guides (A and B), additional hanging lines (C), gutters (D) and modules (E) In simple terms, a grid is a structure for the arrangement of text and image on a page or screen. Much like scaffolding on a building, this grid is formed primarily of vertical and horizontal guides that create columns for text and images. These are marked as A and B in the image above. Additional ‘hanging lines’ (C) set key positioning points for text and images to align to, much like the alignment of paintings in a gallery setting. Inter-column space, or gutters (D), dictate the amount of breathing, or white space, around text and images. The use of both vertical and horizontal lines creates patterns or fields, often called modules (E), that can be populated by text and images. There are two main structures for a basic grid layout: the symmetrical approach (image 1 in the gallery above), where each page is a mirror copy of the opposite page, and the asymmetrical approach (image 2) favoured by modernist designers. The latter is arguably more active, with the basic grid structure implying horizontal movement and pace. Additionally, text and images can be placed on angles, at either 45 degrees (as in image 3) or at a combination of 60 and 30 degrees (see image 4). Finally, to effectively work with a grid type, images need to have a relationship to a baseline grid, which effectively anchors items. With type design, text can be cross-aligned, with varying type sizes occupying some or all of the lines of the baseline grid. For example, if you have a 12pt baseline grid, the default type size and leading configurations of 10pt on 12pt leading, 20pt on 24pt leading and 40pt on 48pt leading will all fit to the same grid, cross-aligning and bringing a sense of structure to a design as the human eye looks for order and pattern. Embracing the grid The grid should be used to aid the placement, order, hierarchy and structure of design elements, whether the design is for the printed page, online or even for environmental applications. Many designers have actively embraced the grid as part of their practice; not only as a tool to inform where to place an item of text or image, but also as a mechanism for design thinking about why to place an item in a particular place. The grid should be seen as part of the process of how we design, and not simply as a tool for desktop publishing. For example, International Typographic Style (often called Swiss Style) – which originated in the 1920s in Germany, Russia and the Netherlands and rose to fame during the 1950s in Switzerland – saw proponents such as Josef Müller-Brockmann consolidate theories into a manifesto indicating that the grid is a tool for thought, and should be used to systemise, to clarify and to reduce content to its essentials. Breaking the rules In his classic reference book, Graphic Design as a Second Language, Bob Gill asks: ‘Have you ever seen autumn leaves, after they have fallen to the ground, arrange themselves in a boring composition? I haven’t. What about pigeons stopping in a pavement square?’ Gill’s observation is correct: the world is an incredibly interesting and diverse place, and the potential danger with a grid or system is that it can mediate spontaneous creativity and indeed the element of chance. Therefore a grid should be seen as a guide, not an absolute rule. The grid is a structure: a vessel to hold content. Having the courage to break that restriction can result in more dynamic and creative work. Using measurement Designbolaget’s work in the cultural and arts sector celebrates typographic honesty through the use of simple controlled grids and the confident use of typography Arguably the most confusing element of designing a grid is understanding that you are often dealing with two sets of measurements that don’t naturally belong together. Point size and leading are generally set in points, as is the baseline grid. However, most publications, and indeed printing presses, predominantly use millimetres. For this reason, programs such as InDesign have seemingly odd default settings. For example, margins by default are set at 12.7mm with a gutter measurement of 4.233mm. If you convert these to the points system, you get a much more logical set of values: 30pt margins with 12pt gutter. For this reason, when initially designing a grid, it is worth giving extra consideration to how you make the two systems compatible. One approach is to create a grid that has a border to compensate for the irregular measurement, leaving you with a text block in the centre that has a rational points measurement. Alternatively, a page size built around a logical division of points can be used. Grids in practice In practice, grids offer designers an underpinning structure to their work, essentially taking the guesswork out of design. If carefully considered, these grids can have the spontaneity of the falling autumn leaves or pigeons, while implying a satisfying sense of order and hierarchy. Arguably, the best design work occurs when there is a certain amount of tension between control and freedom. When a designer has a sound understanding of grids and editorial structure, and also incorporates a sense of artistic, more intuitive flair into their work, truly great things are created. This article was originally published in issue 259 of Computer Arts, the global design magazine – helping you solve daily design challenges with insights, advice and inspiration. Special Christmas offer: Save up to 49% on a subscription to Computer Arts for you or a friend for Christmas. It's a limited offer, so move quickly... Related articles: The designer's guide to grid theory The designer's guide to Gestalt Theory The best free fonts for designers View the full article

The success of any project – whether in web design or other disciplines – hinges on the maturity of the delivery processes and practices at play within the organisation. So what are the fundamentals of a good delivery and how can you go about achieving them? Here are 10 project delivery tips to help your team to impress clients with well-researched products that deliver on the brief – and then some. 01. Win the right projects The sales and delivery team need to work together to win the right shaped projects and clients, and involve the delivery team as much as possible in proposal writing, pitches and estimates. Before you get started on a new project, run a one-day workshop to check it’s feasible from a technical, financial and design perspective. There, challenge assumptions and talk openly about any risks that arise for that project. 02. Know your client Before the workshop, send a project approach questionnaire to the product owner asking them to honestly ‘Agree’ or ‘Disagree’ with a list of statements that you believe will help the project be a success, such as: “You’re able to take full proactive ownership of the project.” Discuss areas where you’re concerned they won’t be able to fulfil the role and ensure a mitigation plan is in place before continuing with the project. 03. Start with a research phase Gain a thorough understanding of the topics in order to develop the right plan of actionOnce you’re happy that you’re a good match, start with a discovery phase to explore the goals and business objectives of the project. Talk to stakeholders and users, and follow up with further research where required. Nothing contributes to project success more than providing a team with a clear set of goals and insights based on real user needs. 04. Establish clear roles Define project roles and responsibilities early. This shouldn’t be a box-ticking exercise and should include the internal team as well as the client. Explore what team members expect from each other and write them into a team charter so that everyone knows what they’re accountable for on the project. 05. Use a transparent process When projects lack structure, they lack direction and control. A process isn’t one-size-fits-all, but consistency helps. Be clear on what elements of your process are non-negotiable and make sure you hold teams accountable to them. 06. Trust your teams Show some faith and let each team perform their taskYou employ experts for a reason, so make sure you build a structure that supports self-organising teams. Define the problems, constraints and project objectives well, then trust the team to deliver a solution that works within these parameters. If at all possible, maintain a consistent team throughout the project. 07. Engage your team If the people doing the work aren’t engaged, you’ll have a hard time making good practices stick. Delivery is human work, so build fun into the process. Engagement is a byproduct of teams being able to take ownership of the issues they see on the project and of fixing them. 08. Regularly review the health of your projects One way to do this is to have a bi-weekly call with your client asking them four simple questions: What’s going well on the project for you? What worries you? What do we need to do differently? On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident are you that the project will succeed and deliver your goals? By having honest conversations about the project on a regular basis, you can nip problems in the bud. 09. Listen, learn and iterate At Deeson, where I'm delivery lead, we have three agile coaches within the agency who perform regular team assessments. These are written in acceptance criteria format. For example, “Do the team know they’re on track to deliver everything in a sprint?” Discussions around these criteria help identify areas where the team could benefit from further support and coaching. Common pitfalls are captured on a company-wide Trello board and goals are set to address the root causes. 10. Celebrate Enjoy your success and share it as a teamNancy Lyons once said project management is like oxygen: you only notice it when it isn’t there. As a result, it’s often under-valued, so take the time to celebrate project achievements, happy clients and advancements in your company’s process. This article was originally published in issue 296 of net magazine, the magazine for professional web designers and developers – offering the latest new web trends, technologies and techniques. Buy issue 296 here or subscribe to net here. Related articles: Best project management software 30 Chrome extensions for web designers and devs Top tips for nailing project management View the full article

http://www.zdnet.com/article/firefox-add-on-armageddon-arrives-how-to-see-if-you-are-going-to-be-hit/ … View the full article

Move over YouTube... with the <video> element and a little JavaScript, you can start to create your own video site. The video element is fairly straightforward to use, but the real power comes when you combine it with JavaScript, which gives you a high level of control over the player’s behaviour. In this tutorial, we cover the basic setup of a video, selecting files to play back, and generating thumbnails. 01. Create a basic page Let’s start with an HTML page outline. We’ll need a simple div structure, some CSS for styling and, most critically, a script file. You’ll notice that the video tag is empty right now, so will do nothing when you load the page. However, we give it an id so we can control it with JavaScript. 02. Style the page Next, we’ll start adding styling to the page. Before we try to do anything too clever, let’s start by adding basic styling to a couple of our div elements so things look a little more respectable. 03. Add more styling Things become a little more interesting when we come to style the thumbnail-container div. We’re going to fill this with img elements, which will be thumbnails generated from our videos. Therefore, we want it to display a horizontal scrollbar if we have more thumbnails than it can show at once. We can do this using the overflow-x property. 04. Size the video player appropriately There’s one more bit of styling we need to do. As it is, when we start playing videos, they’ll display at whatever their native resolution is. This isn’t going to look good on the page. Let’s style the video element to determine how big it should be. If we set its width and height to 100%, it’ll just fill its containing div. 05. Set up the script It’s time to get down to the JavaScript. Let’s prepare a list of video files in an array for it to work with (we’ll hard-code for now, but you could try configuring it to retrieve via JSON from an HTTP service). We’ll also define a couple of variables which we’ll use later on: ‘player’ will be the video element; ‘playerSource’ will be a newly created source element that will become a child of the player object later on, and point to source files. We’ll also plan to hook into a DOMContentLoaded event to make sure the script waits for the page to load before kicking into action. Note that video playback in the browser relies on the presence of a codec that can read the video format you’re using. To ensure your video works cross-browser, the safest bet is MP4 files using the H.264 codec. 06. Generate a thumbnail Next let’s create a function that will generate an image thumbnail from a video file. We want this to take in a video object and return an image object. Internally, the way we will achieve this is using HTML canvas. 07. Automatically generate thumbnails as videos are loaded Now we can take the generateThumbnail function and use it on each of the video files in our list. Let’s do this by implementing the initialise() function. This function will add the playerSource object as a child of the video element, then iterate through every file in the list, load it into a temporary video object, and once loaded, generate a thumbnail and add it to the thumbnail container. 08. Add links to the thumbnails There’s something missing, though. Our thumbnails show up in the container, but none of them are clickable. We need to wrap the images in an <a> element, which needs to execute some JavaScript when clicked. Let’s adjust the function hooked to the loadeddata event to create the links as well, instead of just img elements. 09. Play a video Now we are generating thumbnails with clickable links, which are set up to invoke play(thumbSource.src), where thumbSource.src points to the filename of the relevant video file. All that remains is to implement the play function to set playerSource (which you’ll recall we linked to the video player element) to point to the correct file and kick off playback. This article originally appeared in issue 266 of Web Designer, the creative web design magazine – offering expert tutorials, cutting-edge trends and free resources. Buy issue 266 here or subscribe to Web Designer here. Related articles: How to power up your menus with CSS animation 16 amazing HTML examples 9 of the best resources for learning HTML and CSS View the full article

Known as the most tedious task in 3D, especially for beginners, UV mapping is also the glue that binds models, bakes and textures together. It's a crucial task, too, as a bad set of UVs and their resulting output can make a great model look awful. Whether you love or hate UVs, there's no escaping them – they are essential to understand. Christmas offer: Save up to 49% on a subscription to 3D World Some of the most common problems that novices run into when starting out with UV mapping is finding the whole process an incomprehensible soup of terms and concepts, as well as never quite knowing where to begin, especially when working on hard-edged models. However, if you get into the habit of doing a little prep and find a UV mapping tool you click with, it's not quite the tedium it used to be. UV space fundamentals Try using a UV grid rather than a checker map – a UV grid will show a lot more issues, such as flipped polys The reason why a UV map is the glue between model and textures is that it's not only the flattened and mapped topology of your model, it's also the basis for your map bakes. This means you need to take your mapping into consideration as you model – bad UVs give bad bakes. You can always tweak bad curvature, height or occlusion maps in Photoshop in a pinch, but bad normal or similar map output can be a real pain to fix if you don't keep them in mind from the get-go. This means the first thing you need to know about UV mapping is what UV space is. Based on a 0 to 1 grid, with 0.5 as the middle coordinates, a UV map consists of your 3D model's XYZ coordinates flattened into 2D UVW space – or tile, as it's called. Depending on your modeller and mapper, 3D's horizontal X-axis equals U in 2D space, vertical Y equals V, and the depth coordinate Z equals W. There is no madness to the letters, only method: 2D's UVW is used solely to avoid confusion with 3D's X, Y and Z. This equalling of coordinates is – to put it simply – how 3D space translates into flattened 2D space. Make sure your mapped UV groups have sufficient gutters. Look for the Spacing settings in your UV mapperYou may be wondering why 2D space also has a depth coordinate. This is to make sure that no matter how you choose to map, flip or stack your UV'd bits and pieces – called islands or shells – the depth coordinate will ensure they show correctly in 3D no matter their mapping. It's also vital that all your model's flattened polys need to be inside the UV tile in order to provide your baker and renderer with accurate texture information. Some renderers and texturing applications take this a step further by also providing support for something called UDIM – U-Dimension. In simple terms, UDIM makes UV mapping and texturing easier by enabling you to create multiple UV grids for the same model by allowing you to have 10 tiles on the U-axis, and an (almost) infinite amount on the V-axis. As with a normal UV tile, you can't have polys outside of the UDIM tiles' boundaries either, but we'll get to that later. Pre-modelling considerations Be careful not to go overboard with your groups and textures. As well as heavy game engine load, they'll also slow performance in, for example, Substance PainterNow you know what UV space is, we can move on to the few fundamental concepts that apply to UV mapping no matter your model, UV mapper, or whether you're using a single-tile UV map or UDIM. First and foremost, a UV map needs to be as distortion-free as possible. This means that a texture won't look stretched or pinched when applied onto the model. It also needs to maintain scale. Textures applied onto a model should not show disproportionately to each other. For example, the head of your mech shouldn't have a much smaller scale and details than its torso, and even worse if the arms have even larger details. You can of course work around this by using triplanar mapping when working in apps such as Substance, for example, but the best thing is to get it right straight out of the gate. As well as no distortion, a good UV map also has borders and padding. Avoid seam trouble on the tile's edges by adding a three- to four-pixel border, and get into the habit of creating enough space between your UV islands to handle edge padding and gutters to head off trouble at the pass. Even two to three pixels is often enough to avoid texture bleed and normal mapping artefacts when baking, and almost all UV mappers have functionality for this. Use it. It also pays to keep your layout tidy and economical, with similar items arranged together, or stacked on top of each other where possible to save space. This will allow more room for the items needing finer detailing or with higher visibility; the larger the item on a UV map, the larger the texel density, meaning the more space it gets for painting and detailing. UDIM is a much easier way to UV map, as it lets you visually separate your UV groups or materials over several tiles When you start modelling, make sure you build proper geometry, and keep in mind your intended end result can impact your UV map and its layout. If you're creating a game model, for example, you'll need to be very aware not only of your high-res mesh's detailing so the lower-poly mesh can hold it, but also how you cut your UV seams, as every cut means a doubled vertice count in-engine. Neither Unreal or Unity support UDIMs natively at the time of writing, which means your map needs to fit on a single tile. And it's never too late to start thinking about normals and smoothing groups. A lot of artists seem to think of a normal map as a glorified bump map. This is not entirely correct, as it has a few more uses than height or depth maps. In a nutshell, normals are the directional pointers for a polygon (face) or group of polygons. You can avoid some normal and potential flipping issues by using the binormal tangent export option when exporting .fbx files from your modellerThe direction they face defines the direction of smoothing, and the side or direction your materials display on. For example, if you're creating a scene inside a box, it would be natural to have the texture on the box's inner walls face inward, not outward, so you can see it. You define this by setting the direction of your normals. Most modellers have a function that enables you to see the direction they're facing in – usually that little pointer in the middle of a polygon pointing in or outwards. It's easy to forget that normals are more than a normal map basis – they also control the direction of a surface and smoothing groupsIn addition to the above, and as they are items you can hand paint details on, normals also control smoothing groups. A smoothing group's function is to make your model appear smoother without adding polys to the mesh. It's a sort of pseudo-subdivision surface where if two or more polygons share an edge and are members of the same smoothing group, they will render as a smooth surface. If not, a hard edge is created. This will render as a corner or an edge, and this edge will need to be separated when UV mapping to avoid baking artefacts. This means that even a simple thing like tidying your mesh as you go can yield baking, time saving and UV mapping benefits, as it'll steer you clear of tasks such as leftover poly clean up, too many deleted poly fixes, and tidying unclean edges, which often only become visible (and a potential clean up time sink) when you start the process of UV mapping or baking. If you're UV mapping a hard-edged model, be a bit wary of flipping islands and stacking them, especially if you're mapping on a single UV tile rather than UDIM. Even though it can really speed up your workflow and save you UV mapping time to only map half of your figure before copying, flipping, welding or stacking your shells, you run the risk of ending up with weird lighting and lighting seams. Smoothing groups need hard edges. In the gun's case, the body has two smoothing groups, meaning it needs a hard edge where the mesh hard edges intersectA workaround for this is to use an .fbx export with tangents and binormals checked, but it also helps to use multiple, non-flipped UV maps or sets, at the cost of load and the convenience of having everything in one map. Hard-edged UV maps Now you know your space and are aware of some of the basic workflow considerations, it's time to start mapping for real. Bring a UV grid, elbow grease, and patience. The UV grid should have letters and shapes on it – the plain black, checkered map is not good for spotting errors like flipped polys and smaller distortions, even if your UV mapper shows stretch (blue) or pinch (red) in the model view. The patience is because UV mapping can be time-consuming. Despite the wonders of the various auto unwrap buttons littering the UV mapping landscape, keep an eye on the auto unwrap results, as an auto unwrap function by itself has no concept of what the important and non-important areas of your texture will be. Unless you want a whole lot of islands to clean up, UV map as you model, and create groups and/or materials before auto unwrappingIf you're absolutely stumped as to where to begin unwrapping, look at your model, and, if you haven't already, divide it into groups or material groups. Then go for the largest, or most complex items first. These areas are often the most visible and time-consuming parts of your UV map and texturing, and it's here you'll have the least leeway when it comes to time and errors. This brings us to cutting and seams, which is where the main difference between UV mapping organic and hard-edged models lies. The reason for this is that because a mech has more edges than, say, a fantasy archer, they tend to need more seams in order to reduce distortion. But also because of normals, baking and error prevention. In addition to high-poly details and smoothing, normals also facilitate better shading. In order to make use of this on a hard-edged model, you'll need to take some precautions when cutting your UV seams. As mentioned, if you have a smoothing group or polygon ending and another one starting, a hard edge is created, and that edge is going to need to be cut and get some padding (never less than two pixels). This gives room for error reducing tangent twisting and avoids issues such as gradients, black lines or LOD issues down the normal baking line. Some programs don't respect welds, so check your export settings before unwrapping externally to save yourself an ocean of poly islandsTake care with where you put your seams and how many you cut. A cut on a hard edge can't be avoided, but as far as the rest are concerned, try cutting your mesh in places that aren't so obvious or visible. You can also try cutting these maps approximating the way they'd be separated in real life for a good result and ease of texturing. Staying on track Once you've started getting into your UV mapping groove, keep an eye on your straight lines. Be careful when using the Relax function. It's a godsend for many organic maps, but can really skew your lines on a mechanical mesh if you don't use your UV mapper's pinning or constraint function properly. Test it thoroughly. Make sure to keep your lines as straight as you can, as hard-edged models often show distortion more, and are more subject to being textured with decals and straight-lined items, which will look skewed if the UV map is skewed. Once you're getting near the finish line, run a final check with a different UV grid and a set of generic textures, just to check everything is mapped. Once you're done, it's ready, set, bake! This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 220. 3D World is the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists, boasting expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. As a special offer in the run-up to Christmas, you can save up to 49% off a subscription for yourself or a friend. Subscribe here to never miss an issue. Related articles: 30 inspiring examples of 3D art 30 free 3D models 8 best 3D tools of 2017 so far View the full article

Digital publishing platform Adobe InDesign has a ton of features that make it essential for everything from brochure design to creating magazine layouts, to eye-catching poster design. Get your 15% discount on Adobe Creative Cloud hereHere we've rounded up the best InDesign tutorials on the web, which walk you through a variety of design projects. You're sure to find something here to stretch your skills. You can jump directly to a section using the dropdown menu above, or browse them all. InDesign tutorials for beginners 01. See what you can create with InDesign This short video explains how InDesign is used and by whomIf you're a newcomer to InDesign, spend a couple of minutes watching this short tutorial that explains exactly what the software is, its purpose and who uses it. It's a really clear explanation that shows off many of the time-saving tools and features of InDesign CC that you'll probably end up using all the time. 02. Get started with InDesign This series of videos from Adobe will help you get started This series of short tutorials, created by Adobe, is designed to teach you everything you need to know to start working in InDesign. There's a mini video showing you how to make and save a document and a tour of the InDesign workspace. As you continue through, you'll learn how to add and format text, then move on to working with graphics. 03. Explore InDesign basics This 5-minute tutorial walks through the tools you need to know There are many tools to get your head around in InDesign and it's easy to feel intimidated by them all. In this five-minute tutorial, Matthew Pizzi introduces you to the primary tools in InDesign CC and explains what does what, so you won't feel quite so lost. 04. A quick guide to master pages The basic idea behind master pages is that whatever you place on the master page will all be applied to any other pages that have the master applied to them. They are extremely useful for ensuring consistency within your designs, and once you've got the hang of them they're ideal for streamlining your workflow. Here a basic guide to how to use them. 05. Working with graphics Master the basics of working with graphics In just under seven minutes, this tutorial teaches you about placing, which is how you import photos or text into your InDesign page. It covers all the popular image formats: PSD, AI, TIFF and JPEG, as well as explaining how to scale, centre and crop photos. 06. 5 tips for working with images In this tutorial, Adobe evangelist Terry White picks out five key tips for working with images in Indesign CC. It's a recording of a live session, so there's a bit of faffing about at the start – you can skip the first couple of minutes if you want to get straight to the tips. 07. Pro tips for working with type Advice for working with type in InDesignIn this tutorial, magazine designer Jo Gulliver shows you some of the most valuable typographic tools in InDesign. In it, you'll learn how to quickly highlight text, control copy flow, align text and insert ligatures. It'll show you how to polish your text so it works perfectly within your design. 08. 5 amazing things you can do in Adobe InDesign In this video tutorial, Terry White is back, alongside British graphic designer Dave Clayton. The two of them share cool InDesign-made projects they've discovered, as well as tricks and tips they've picked up from Adobe events and their own experience using the design tool. Next page: Tips for using InDesign tools 09. Create vertical text in InDesign Vertical text is an easy way to add interest to designsVertical text can instantly add interest to your designs, and is ideal for use on posters or for headlines within editorial layouts. This step-by-step InDesign tutorial from InDesignSkills shows you how to create and format vertical text within your documents. 10. Three new text features in InDesign CC In this video tutorial, Adobe evangelist Terry White talks though three new text features from the 2018 release of InDesign CC, all of which are set to delight typography fans. The first feature is additional filters, which enable you to better organise your font list, so you can find what you want much quicker – for example, you can narrow down your list by serif or sans-serif fonts, or set it only to show decorative or script fonts. The second new feature enables you to search for fonts that are similar to one you have selected. The third feature enables you to place text in your CC library. 11. Wrap text around an object Add flair by wrapping text around an object You can wrap text around any object, including text frames, imported images, and objects you draw in InDesign CC. It's ideal for adding character and flair to your layouts. In this video tutorial Chad Chelius demonstrates the ins and outs of using the Text Wrap tool. 12. Set a print bleed Set up print bleed so you avoid white marginsIf your print design extends all the way to the edge of the page, it's essential to include a print bleed so you avoid an ugly white margin. This InDesign tutorial shows you how to set this up, including adding crop marks for the bindery. 13. Control multiple page sizes Learn how to control different page sizes in a single document In this InDesign tutorial, you'll discover an easy way to control multiple page sizes within a single document. Using a fake magazine layout as an example, the tutorial walks you through manipulating page size, creating gatefolds and adding a spine. 14. Quickly duplicate content Discover a simple way to duplicate contentCopy and pasting is a useful technique, but it has some shortcomings - which is where InDesign CS6's Content Collector tool comes in. In this five minute video tutorial, Adobe expert trainer Tony Harmer reveals the benefits of this tool. 15. Create a neon text effect Create this cool text effect quicklyLight-up neon type is an ideal way to add a little 80s glamour to your designs. This tutorial shows you how to nail the effect in under five minutes – and the skills you'll learn are easy to apply to other designs, too. Time well spent. Next page: Build complex documents and layouts 16. Design a book in InDesign How to design a book in InDesignThere's more to laying out the pages of a book than you might think – and one mistake can lead to a hefty fix-up job. Make sure you get everything right the first time round with this step-by-step InDesign tutorial. Our comprehensive guide includes everything you need to know. 17. Design a book cover in InDesign Learn how to design the perfect book coverOnce you've designed your book, you'll need an eye-catching cover. In this tutorial, designer Laura Hawk walks though how to design and create the perfect book cover in InDesign. She covers everything from setting up the bleed and arranging the cover panels to flowing in the blurb copy and putting together the back cover. 18. Design a fashion magazine cover Use layered images and text to create a dynamic fashion cover In this tutorial you'll learn how to create your own glamorous cover for a fictional fashion magazine, using layered images and text to create a dynamic, three-dimensional design, selecting and applying typography effectively and appropriately, and accounting for practical issues such as pricing and binding. The tutorial is focused in InDesign, but also hops over to Photoshop for a bit of image editing, so your Creative Cloud subscription will come in handy. 19. Design a promo for an imaginary brand Consistency is key when you're designing for a brandWhen you're designing for a brand, consistency across all touchpoints is key, so any design relating to the brand is instantly recognisable. In this Creative Bloq tutorial, Luke O'Neill walks you through how to create a simple A5 promo for a contemporary brand, detailing how to create and then archive graphic elements in an InDesign library. 20. Design a custom, print-ready pocket folder Pocket folders are great for promotionA pocket folder can be a powerful promotional tool. In this step-by-step InDesign tutorial, you'll learn how to create one, from setting up a dieline and creating your design through to preparing your file for delivery to your printing company. 21. Bind a book: a 10-step guide Everything you need to know about binding your own bookA handmade self-promotional book can make a cost-effective, personal and unique alternative to help you stand out. In our tutorial, Karen Lewis explains how to bind a book in a few easy steps, from setting up page spreads and cover templates in InDesign to the essential tools and techniques you need to bind your own books. 22. Indesign layout shortcuts Explore the Gap tool and Live Corner EffectsLearn how to scale and resize different gaps between objects and the best ways to use Live Corner Effects. This InDesign tutorial will teach you to how to quickly edit layouts without leaving the spread. 23. Create a calendar Create a calendar in InDesignPlan your time out and get organised with your own calendar. Plus, designing it yourself means you can set it up exactly how you want it! In this InDesign tutorial, magazine designer Jo Gulliver walks through how to design and edit a calendar using Scott Selberg’s Calendar Wizard script. 24. Create a 3D calendar Cube calendars can be made in just 11 steps Once you've mastered a 2D calendar, it's time to add an extra dimension. In this tutorial, Jo Gulliver reveals how you can create a 3D calendar by creating and manipulating cube nets in InDesign. 25. Design a glamorous Art Deco menu This retro menu is all done with typography, shapes and bordersThis easy-to-create Art Deco menu card recalls the geometric glamour of the Jazz Age, and it's the perfect way to add a touch of class to any dinner gathering. Best of all, it doesn't require any images; you can do everything using typography, shapes and borders alone. 26. Create reflective typography Creating a reflection is easy; making it convincing is another matterIt's not difficult to create a basic reflection, but making it look convincing is just a little more complex. Here Luke O'Neill explains how to quickly create an environment for your type to sit in that follows the basic rules of directional light, and how to place type in it to create a convincing reflection. 27. Create glossy graphics Here's how to make shiny things, if you really have toShiny and glossy graphics may not be to everyone's taste, but they certainly have their place and are often employed in sports branding and design. Luke O'Neill demonstrates how to achieve this look using InDesign, although the tips could also be applied to Illustrator. Next page: InDesign tutorials for pros 28. How white space can transform your layouts Don't be tempted to overfill your layoutsLess is more when it comes to layouts; by incorporating white space into your work you'll transform your designs from crowded and fussy to streamlined and polished. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a simple two-sided flyer in Adobe InDesign, being sparing with placing your elements to create a contemporary, calming design. 29. Create special print finishes Special finishes can transform a print designIf you're after something really unique, special finishes can transform a print design. In this guide, magazine designer Jo Gulliver talks through the processes for setting up artwork in InDesign for special finishes such as varnishes, foil blocking, embossing and die cutting. Each finish has some best practice guides you should follow, but once you get your head around creating one you should be able to easily apply this knowledge to the other processes. 30. Add interactivity to EPUBS Add rich, interactive features to your fixed layouts It is possible to use InDesign to create dynamic and engaging EPUB documents by adding rich interactive features. This tutorial shows you how to include slideshows, add buttons to trigger animation, add hyperlinks to your document, and more. It also explains how the EPUB Interactivity Preview panel can simplify your production process by giving you immediate feedback on how an animation might look when it's exported and viewed on a device. 31. Fix muddy gradients Learn how to stop your gradients looking murkyA muddy gradient – usually caused by using the default black – can ruin the look of your work. Here you'll learn a few ways to correct it in both CMYK and spot colour gradients. 32. Use a column grid to design a poster Master aligned typography with this grid poster design In this tutorial Mark Bloom, aka Mash Creative, walks through how to create perfectly aligned typography using a column grid system for guidance. 33. Manage your assets properly Organisation is keyIf you're combining a lot of assets in your design, it's essential to organise them properly of you'll end up in a pickle. In this InDesign tutorial, Luke O'Neill runs through how to create a poster for an imaginary exhibition called Sirens. This InDesign tutorial covers the creation of a simple logotype and grid, use of typography, image editing and pattern creation. Related articles: 30 amazing vector art tutorials 5 things every creative needs to know about print design The best Adobe Illustrator plugins View the full article

Creating a beautiful website is one of the most important things a designer can do. After all, a slick and powerful online portfolio is a fantastic way for professionals to showcase their skills to potential clients and land work. And thanks to a website builder like Wix, designers from all walks of life have limitless options when it comes to crafting their online home. With a range of advanced features that are built to look beautiful and work intuitively, graphic designers, photographers, artists and web designers can stay true to their vision easily when making their portfolios with Wix. Even if you’ve got some web design know-how you’ll still be impressed with what you can achieve. The web is your playground Flexibility is at the heart of what designers find so appealing when they build websites with Wix. When you’re ready to start, Wix presents you with a blank slate that you can customise buy moving around any element with drag and drop tools. Not only that, but you can design in any layout you want - columns, strips, full-width or anything else you can imagine. And to make sure your portfolio is truly unique, each single element can be fully customised. For example, you can upload and use any font set to ensure your typography fits your style. There are no limits to what you can make. With the help of advanced features and top-notch technology, the possibilities are endless when it comes to creating a complete portfolio. These features include retina-ready image quality that will make your work look as sharp as possible, plus a revolutionary video player, Wix Video, to showcase your demo reels or motion graphics projects in the best resolution. Hassle-free coding If you want to get involved with the coding side of things, Wix is on hand with its advanced capability, the freshly released Wix Code, to make the whole web design process hassle-free and to help you deliver a robust platform. The great thing is that everything you create through Wix Code is SEO compatible. Note that the most desirable design effects, such as parallax scrolling, cinemagraphs and other animations, are already included in the Wix Editor, so you don’t have to write a single line of code to insert them in your portfolio. Get seen on the go Wix sophisticated design effects also look stunning on a mobile display, meaning that fans and clients can enjoy browsing your work anywhere and at any time. Your site will also get seen by the very people you want to attract with the help of Wix industry-leading SEO functionalities. Last but not least, to keep your all-important design work safe and sound, Wix also runs with fully-secure cloud hosting powered by their own servers. Designed with Wix. Made with pride Some of the world’s top designers, photographers and artists already chose Wix’s amazing capabilities to create their portfolios. Have a look at this short selection to see what kind of design you can achieve. It’s your turn to experience creativity without limits. Start designing your website with Wix now! View the full article

We're gearing up to bring you the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2017 discounts on creative tools in just two weeks, but in the meantime, we've got you a great daily deal on a web coding course bundle. Knowing how to code is an invaluable skill that can open up new career paths you might have never imagined. You can master the art of web code and supplement your existing design skills with the help of the Complete Learn to Code Bonus Bundle. Get this Doorbuster Deal on sale for just $54 (approx £41) – that's 96% off the full price. Whether you want to learn web design to craft your own creations or boost your skills to qualify for a bigger pay check, the Complete Learn to Code Bonus Bundle will give you the knowhow you need to become a talented web developer with the skills to succeed. With more than 16.5 hours of actionable content from 12 courses, you’ll learn the ins and outs of today's top coding languages including Python, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and more. Plus, you'll learn how to build incredible apps and websites along the way. The Complete Learn to Code Bonus Bundle is valued at $1,473. Luckily, you won't have to pay nearly that much as right now, you can get this deal on sale for just $54 (approx £41). The 12 courses included in this bundle are: The Complete Ruby on Rails Developer Course Learn Web Development by Creating a Social Network Learn By Example: The Foundations of HTML, CSS & JavaScript Python Tutorial: Learn by Coding PHP OOP & PDO with Projects for Beginners Total Web Development Course An Introduction to MySQL Database Development Learn Cloud Computing From Scratch AngularJS for the Real World Build Professional Websites with HTML5 & CSS3 Build Web Apps with ReactJS and Flux Git Complete: The Definitive, Step-By-Step Guide About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: Improve your photos with this Photoshop course bundle 25 top-class website templates 30 Chrome extensions for web designers and devs View the full article

You could transform stock imagery by making a creative composite image like this (Image by Vladimir Sazonov; click to see it on Shutterstock) Whether you’re a web designer, graphic designer, 3D artist, illustrator or traditional artist, you’ll need beautiful images in order to do your job. Sometimes you might have the time, budget and skills to create or commission your own, but sometimes one of those magic ingredients might be missing. Stock libraries such as Shutterstock are brimming with high-quality photography, illustrations, vectors and even video footage to make your life easier on these occasions. Shutterstock has also worked hard to make searching for these assets much easier, adding intuitive filters, collections and more to help you find the image that’s right for your creative project. You could use stock images for all manner of reasons – from reference images to inspire your artworks, to injecting interest into prototypes, to polishing a printed design. Here are 6 tips to help you find the perfect image right now. 01. Plan what you’ll use your image for This vibrant image combines colour, eye contact and humour – perfect for a shopping site’s hero image (Photo by Dean Drobot; click to see it on Shutterstock) Whether your image will be used as a website header, a background image or turned into a creative composite like the image above will have a huge effect on what sort of image you need. It sounds obvious, but thinking about the purpose of the image will save you a lot of half-hearted searching. If you are creating a magazine or website homepage layout then a colourful image will grab more attention and hold its own better than a dull one. Photos with people in, especially where those people are making eye contact, are proven to draw the eye the most. Try browsing Shutterstock’s People image collection as a starting point. A flat background will make it far easier to cut out your subjects (Image by Eric Isselee; click to see it on Shutterstock) On the other hand, if you need stock images to work with creatively, those with white backgrounds will be easiest to cut out in order to transform them with masks, colour inversions and so on. Adding ‘white background’ to the subject of your search is a simple way to get the most relevant results. Typing ‘birds white background’ found us a huge variety of photos we could work with. 02. Search by image Got a low res image that you like? Find a similar one with image searchArtists and designers are, obviously, visual people. And sometimes it’s just easier to show what you want than it is to describe what you want in words. With that in mind, Shutterstock has the option to search for images with another image. Ever found an image when looking around the web for inspiration, or been sent a photo by a client that has a good subject but is unusable as it is? Then use image search. Simply hit the camera icon in the search bar to bring up the option to search by image. Then, drag and drop or upload the image that you want to search for to see similar results. Image search results are impressiveIn the screenshots above, we uploaded a tiny low res image of a leaf that we liked the shape of, and were given 100 high res images with varying colours, backgrounds, interesting details and shapes. 03. Refine your search using filters Tie the colours of your images into the rest of your designColour is a powerful tool that evokes different emotional responses in people, so colour in branding and design is understandably important. With that in mind, why not narrow down your search results by looking at those that just contain hues of a key colour for your design? Simply type in a search term then, when the results page comes up, click on the dropdown menus to filter the results. As well as colour, these intuitive filters include options to filter your image search results by type, orientation, people (number, gender, age and ethnicity) and category. These filters make finding the right image for your project easier than ever. 04. Use curated collections This photo from the Storytellers collection invites audiences to wonder (Photo by Tatiana Bobkova; click to get it on Shutterstock) If you fancy a change from thinking of search terms and browsing pages of search results, Shutterstock’s carefully curated collections group together the best images around a theme. These collections are packed with inspiration and high quality imagery waiting to be stumbled upon. The Storytellers collection, for example, contains images that will surprise and intrigue audiences. This photo from the Changing seasons collection lends designs timeliness (Photo by Leonid Ikan; click to get it on Shutterstock) The Changing seasons collection, meanwhile, offers a huge range of images that have been chosen for being seasonal without being cheesy. Find the curated collections through the buttons on Shutterstock’s home page, along with other helpful design tips. By clicking on one of the images in the collection (or, indeed, any image you find on the Shutterstock site), you’ll also see suggested similar images and images by the same photographer underneath, offering yet more inspiration. 05. Consider illustrations, vectors or even video Illustrations cover all sorts of subjects and colour palettes (Illustration by miniwide; click to get it on Shutterstock) Shutterstock is known for its diverse range of professional photography, but its library of illustrations, vectors and videos could also be striking options for your next project. After all, in a modern world full of photography, there’s something refreshing about a lovingly-drawn illustration. Subjects large and small appear in its illustration library, drawn in a range of styles from intricate, hand-drawn studies, to black and white sketches, to bold, geometric digital art. Shutterstock even has paper art images (Image by TAW4; click to get it on Shutterstock) You can browse the illustration library at www.shutterstock.com/search/illustrations or search for a particular subject and select ‘illustrations’ from the dropdown menu, rather than ‘all images’. This vector would lend a high-end feel to a header or background (Image by RODINA OLENA; click to get it on Shutterstock) Similarly, Shutterstock’s library of vectors also boasts a range of styles, colours and subjects, with featured collections spanning wedding invitations, pop art, doodles and sketches, winter patterns and more. Draw attention by looping video clips like this mesmerising footage of the aurora borealis (Still from a video by Jamen Percy; click to see it on Shutterstock) Finally, could your web project, social media campaign or presentation actually benefit from some moving photography? Homepages featuring video are a growing trend, with the right footage able to communicate your values and aspirations as articulately as a well crafted paragraph of text. With over 8.5 million video clips priced from £19, check out Shutterstock’s video library now, or select ‘footage’ from the search bar dropdown. 06. Don’t forget the free photos Just put your details in and click ‘create account’ in this area of Shutterstock’s homepage, and you’ll get two free images every week Our final tip will save you money and time. Sign up for a free account with Shutterstock today and you’ll be given access to a free photo and a free vector each week. Even if you don’t need them for your current project, downloading them and saving them in your own personal library will mean you’ll gradually build up a collection of high-quality images ready to use as soon as they are useful. Easy. View the full article

US technology company IBM is responsible for creating three of the most recognisable letters in the world. Well, that's according to Mike Abbink, IBM's executive creative director of brand experience and design – and the man behind the company's bespoke new free font, IBM Plex. Designed by Paul Rand in 1956, the IBM logo – which sees the company's initials broken into eight distinct bars – remains one of the world’s most distinctive pieces of branding today. Earlier this month, the firm added another milestone to its design heritage by launching its first-ever “bespoke” font in beta. IBM Plex will be used across everything from the company’s software, websites and signage to PowerPoint presentations and marketing initiatives. It’ll be available in 110 languages, in both serif and sans serif versions, and boasts eight weights. Interestingly, it's also available for anyone to download and use for free. "When I came to IBM, it was a big discussion: Why does IBM not have a bespoke typeface? Why are we still clinging to Helvetica?" says Abbink. To better reflect who it is and how it communicates, IBM briefed Abbink to create a relevant font that taps into the story of the company. Money matters IBM is big on good design, of course. Last year it partnered with AIGA to put 100,000 members of staff through design training. But there’s another side to the story, as Quartz reports. Until recently, IBM was paying Monotype over a million dollars each year to license Neue Helvetica. That cost didn’t stretch far enough to provide each of IBM’s 380,000-plus employees with access to Neue Helvetica, so the firm needed a custom font that it could distribute as it wished. New Helvetica? Abbink and his team worked on the project for two years. Looking back to the IBM of the '50s and '60s, Abbink was captured by how the company tapped into the zeitgeist of modernism with a theme of man meeting machine. This collision of worlds was carried over into IBM Plex, a highly engineered font that’s loaded with idiosyncratic human touches. Watch the team behind IBM Plex explain its development in the video below. One of our favourite touches is how the font is designed to include eight weights in a nice callback to the IBM logo. On the video, the team says it hopes IBM Plex will become the 'new Helvetica'. It’s a bold ambition, but with the font free to download for everyone from individuals to businesses, if Abbink hits a design home run on a par with the famous IBM logo, perhaps we'll be seeing a lot more of IBM Plex in the future. Related articles: 20 fonts every graphic designer should own 20 perfect font pairings The secrets of custom font development View the full article