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https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/07/28/are-you-a-sysadmin-find-out-now-for-free/ … View the full article

Hackers at DEF CON last week exploited vulnerabilities in electronic pollbooks and voting machines with ease. View the full article

Microsoft patched three new Outlook vulnerabilities and re-released updates from a broken June update. View the full article

'Less is more' is a principle that today's online designers are increasingly coming to appreciate. Minimalism benefits websites in the shape of faster loading times and better compatibility between screen sizes. What's more, a simple UI design is attuned to mobile browsing, without harming the desktop experience. The minimalist philosophy centres on the idea that you must design around the content. In web terms, the designer starts with rough content, then builds just enough interface for users to identify their goal and navigate to it easily. Web design inspiration: 28 outstanding examples of CSSThe minimalist aesthetic is the visual representation of that philosophy. Minimalism uses a lot of white – or at least uniformly coloured – space. But don't confuse uncluttered with boring. You must choose your layouts with care, otherwise your restricted palette of design elements will come across as dull instead of elegant. Below, we've collected our favourite minimalist sites to inspire you to do more by doing less. 01. Why we Explore Visitors drag across the page to discover more informationCreated by Swiss interaction designer Nicolas Lanthemann, Why We Explore is a blog about space that follows an interesting format. Although the topic is vast, the information is given plenty of space to breathe; each new theme being announced as the viewer scrolls horizontally across the page. 02. Tinker The UI for this watch retail site is stripped back to basicsTinker is a watch brand with a simple concept: customers can choose the face size, strap colour and metal, in any combination. No unnecessary features or detailing. The UI for the company's site makes the concept clear; users can easily select their ideal combination from the limited options available. No fuss. 03. iPad mini 4 Apple is no stranger to minimalist designApple is no stranger to minimalism. The webpage for the iPad mini 4 uses lots of literal whitespace to draw attention to the product's sleek design. The clear top bar, also featuring an abundance of space, helps the user to navigate. 04. ETQ The products have space to shine on the ETQ siteThe lack of borders around the product pictures on footwear brand ETQ's site frees up a lot of space for a more casual visual flow. The corners are occupied with the essential interface functions, leaving the majority of the screen for the product. 05. Callens Minimalism suits luxury brandsMinimalism creates an air of elegance and sophistication that lends itself to certain industries. This makes it the preferred choice for fashion websites and those selling luxury items, such as Italian brand Callens. 06. Derwent & Tamar Chambers Here minimalism creates a feeling of authorityThe elegance of minimalism also suggests professionalism, as barrister collective Derwent & Tamar Chambers demonstrates on its website. 07. The Outpost Typography is the standout feature on this homepageBeirut-based magazine The Outpost's site features dramatic typography: an integral part of minimalism. With a limited set of elements to work with, the designer must take full advantage of each one – and since words are almost always one of those elements, attention-grabbing typography is a useful tool. 08. Leen Heyne The jeweller directs the viewer's eye on its websiteBeside its jewellery, Leen Heyne's monochrome logo and company name are the only significant visual elements on its homepage. The surrounding expanse of whitespace makes it a safe bet the user's eyes will go back and forth between the two. 09. Velvet Hammer This site is minimalist, but still full of characterMusic management firm Velvet Hammer's site demonstrates the value of composition in minimalism. The two dominating visuals are poised symmetrically, all four corners are occupied, the entire scene is framed by a thick black border, and thin lines bisect the vertical and horizontal halves. At the centre of the screen – though not the composition – is the brand name. 10. We Ain't Plastic Contrast creates interest hereContrast is another useful visual tactic for keeping minimalist designs interesting. German UX engineer Roland Lösslein's website We Ain't Plastic sets up a stark contrast in size between the central image and the text and icons above. 11. Carlo Barberis There's little more than a hero image on each page of this siteItalian jewellers Carlo Barberis take advantage of the high-end attributes of minimalism, with little more than a hero image on each screen. 12. Mikiya Kobayashi Mikiya Kobayashi's designs are intricate, but his site is notFew nations know minimalism better than the Japanese. Product designer Mikiya Kobayashi's site features only his brand name and a call to action asking the user to scroll, placing the focus on the intricacies of the products. 13. Nua Bikes Nua Bikes balances the elements on its homepageNua Bikes' site is deceptively minimalist, because there are actually a lot of elements on the screen. However, by condensing the text and maximising the whitespace, the firm is able to draw attention to its product, the bike. 14. Elite Navigation is pared back to the absolute basics hereModelling agency Elite takes minimalist navigation to its extreme, with the focus on only two main pathways, and all the others tucked away in a hamburger menu. 15. Château d'Yquem Content is compartmentalised on this winemaker's siteWinemaker Château d'Yquem combines minimalism and compartmentalisation in its site. Each compartment follows the minimalist philosophy with only a few elements revolving around a single concept. When combined, the compartments' size and location on the screen create a visual hierarchy. 16. Sendamessage.to This site has one clear purposeAmusing, if possibly inane, Sendamessage.to lets people customise messages to friends with a hand gesture. The barren black background adds power to the main image and the bold white letters of the text. 17. Maaemo Atmospheric video sets the sceneThe website for double-Michelin-starred Norwegian restaurant Maaemo uses minimalism to create a sense of class. The visual treatment is perfect for storytelling, as the site demonstrates with HD photos of dishes being created. 18. Ava Converse with AI AvaThis black-and-white colour scheme and conformity of typography of this promotional site for sci-fi thriller Ex Machina keep the focus on the text – an interactive conversation with the film's star, the AI robot Ava. 19. Symbolset A colour-changing background livens up this minimalist siteIcon font vendor Symbolset attracts attention to the interactive area in the middle of its site by minimising the competing elements and adding a brightly coloured, ever-changing background. 20. NTN All eyes are drawn to the clock face on this watch retailer's minimal websiteWatch brand NTN uses the abundant whitespace and reduced number of elements that the minimalist style is known for. All the focus is on the central clock, which makes it clear what the brand is known for. Like this? Read these! 8 minimal UI designs and why they work Web design inspiration: 28 outstanding examples of CSS Choose a website builder: top tools View the full article

Web developers are in high demand right now. You could be the perfect fit to fill a company's need for a web developer – all you need are fresh skills to get the job. Learn them all with the Interactive Web Developer Bootcamp, on sale now for 94% off the retail price! There's no better way to learn than to immerse yourself in the topic you're interested in, and the Interactive Web Developer Bootcamp allows you to dive right into the world of web development. Start building for the web with the coding languages that are essential to the platform including CSS3, HTML5, JavaScript, and more. There are over 180 training videos and a 20-page ebook to learn from. The Interactive Web Developer Bootcamp usually retails for $499. This comprehensive course that could land you a new job can be yours for just $29 (approx £22). That's 94% off a bundle that could launch your new career! View the full article

http://www.zdnet.com/article/nsa-whistleblower-snowden-vpn-ban-makes-russia-less-safe-and-less-free/ … View the full article

The time-consuming and often tedious process of filling out paper model or property releases has been streamlined thanks to the latest innovation from Adobe. With Adobe Sign, creatives can fill out their crucial legal documents digitally and start selling their work faster than ever. As part of an update to the Adobe Stock Contributor Portal, Adobe Sign lets creators fill out their releases digitally, send them to the model or property owner via email, sign them electronically and return to the Contributor Portal all without having to print them off and scan them back in. The streamlined Adobe Stock Contributor Portal in all its simple gloryThis update is sure to be music to the ears of creatives who are used to completing the bulk of their work digitally. No more will they have to go through hours of drawn out paperwork and signing off – instead, the whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes. Creating a release is simple. Simply visit the Releases tab and click the Create a Release option. From there you can choose to generate a release with Adobe sign without the hassle of creating an account. After that, all you have to do is fill out the name and contact information for your model or property, attach a reference photo of the subject, and fire it off via email. Related articles: Review: Adobe Creative Cloud 2017 20 top tools for freelancers Why you should make time for creative side projects View the full article

Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) created many self-portraits in his career – though some of them are not so obviously self-portraits. For example, Irises, painted at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the last year before his death, is a perfect example. A white flower stands alone and defiant in this very moving painting. The self-portrait can take many guises and gives the artist the opportunity to say something about who they are, what they are, and importantly, what and who they want to be. In this workshop we're going to go through the stages of developing a self-portrait from start to finish and also try to give it a hint of the great master, Vincent van Gogh. You can see some of our self-portrait techniques in action in the video below. Below are our 10 steps to create a self-portrait inspired by van Gogh's most famous self-portrait, Self-Portrait 1889. Follow these steps to paint a portrait that everyone will admire (click the four-way arrow icon one each image to see it bigger). 01. Set up your environment Make sure you can see both your mirror and your canvas without movingGet yourself comfortable and make sure you have everything close to hand. Spend time getting your mirror and easel in the correct position. You need to make sure you're facing the mirror or canvas and that you can see the other by simply moving your eyes, and not your whole head. 02. Start your charcoal sketch Sketch in the main features with charcoal [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Using a sharpened stick of willow charcoal, start to sketch the main features in. Remember to begin with the larger forms and add increasing levels of detail as you go. This is just a dress rehearsal, so don't worry about adding form shadows. However, it'll be helpful to add the extreme edges of cast shadows at this stage. 03. Fix the drawing in place Use a dark acrylic to fix the drawing in place [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Fix the drawing in place using a liquid acrylic marker. Here we've chosen a purple acrylic ink for the construction lines, but an earthy red or blue would work just as well. Just make sure the colour is dark enough to show through the tonal stage that's coming up next. 04. Build a tonal painting Build a tonal painting, not worrying about colour [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Creating a tonal stage helps break down the painting process. When you're thinking about tone – in this case using Alkyd Burnt Sienna thinned down with a little bit of turps – it's not about colour at all. Just concentrate on tone, which you'll use as a guide when you get to releasing the colour later. 05. Pre-mix your colours Time to get mixing [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Start by mixing a base tone for the skin – here we used Yellow Ochre and Scarlet Lake, along with a touch of Green Lake to knock the scarlet back. This orange-brown is then lightened for skin tones and darkened for shadows. You can also mix your own black from Alizarin Crimson, Blue Lake and Bright Yellow Lake and create greys to mix with the skin tones. 06. Block in the composition Start the painting proper by loosely blocking in areas of light and dark [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Begin to block in the main areas of light and dark. Squinting your eyes helps to keep this stage as loose as possible, to retain a feeling of spontaneity as colour goes on the panel. You'll be working more into this, but the brush marks you make now will inform the ones you make later, so start off on a good footing! 07. Add more detail There's still time to experiment in these early stages [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Once you've established the main areas of light and dark in the face, break them up into further areas of different tone and colour. At this point, start to block in the torso and look at a colour to use for the background. Allow yourself to experiment in these early stages. 08. Unify the elements Take care to ensure that all the elements of your painting work together [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]You should aim to have all of the canvas worked at this stage. Consider the painting as a whole and judge how the tone and colour of each area relates and affects the others, even if you still need to add further details to certain areas. 09. Add some van Gogh-inspired flourishes Start working in some van Gogh-style flourishes [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Now that you have your base, it's time to bring in some touches of Vincent. As we said, this painting is mainly based on a self-portrait Vincent painted in 1889, heavily influenced by the Impressionists, and Pointillists in particular. Using the blocking-in as a guide, apply Vincent-style dabs of colour, allowing the brushmarks to follow and describe the form as you go. Pay close attention to areas of dramatic shift in tone, as they enable you to create some interesting and bold marks. Look out for colours that jump out at you, and don't be afraid to exaggerate these for effect. 10. Fine-tune and finish up If you make a mistake, scrape it off and have another go [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]When adding details, knowing when to stop is an art in itself, so hold off adding highlights until the very end. Try not to work over areas too much. If there's a problem, just scrape it off and try again. You should have plenty of premixed colours left – just remember that you don't have to use them all! This article originally appeared in Paint & Draw issue 7. Buy it here! Related articles: Create a self-portrait with just 4 colours The secret to painting like Monet Make your own pop art portrait View the full article

You're reading Best Examples of Websites That Use Slides Framework, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! By now, you’ve probably heard about Slides Framework, an easy-to-use website builder that helps you get a site up and running in no time. If you haven’t tried Slides yet, this dose of visual inspiration might be just the thing for you. All of the websites below are mini-case studies that show exactly what Slides […] View the full article

In the earlier years of my illustration career I shied away from having to illustrate figures, whether realistic or simplistic. It often held me back when it came to commissioned work. So I decided to start from scratch and train myself to illustrate figures that I could fit into the scenes and landscapes I was already illustrating. 100 amazing Adobe Illustrator tutorials This tutorial will take you through the same simple steps I went through, looking at body language, physical proportions and positioning different parts of the body. 01. Start with stick figures It can be helpful to use a photo as an aid at the startLet’s get right back to basics… stick figures! When I first started out, I found it useful to use a photo. You can try this sketching technique using a digital device, drawing directly onto a print-out or using a lightbox. Here I’m going to draw straight into Adobe Illustrator. You want a photo that includes two seats, with a figure in one of them (see my starting photo here). Draw a stick figure over the real person, then using their proportions as a guide, draw another figure in the second seat. Drawing over a photo enables you to learn proportions, while also playing with graphic style. 02. Keep it basic To create graphic characters you always need to take the tidiest, cleanest optionDon’t feel that you need to aim for realistic body shapes and clothing at this point. Limbs could be one or two straight lines, a head could be a perfect circle the torso needn’t be a solid shape, but could instead be just a spine. Play around with how a super-basic skeleton might fit into the scene. If your aim is to get proportions correct, use a horizontal line for the shoulders and across the hips, which the limbs then join on to. 03. Develop your figures A really simple character can still have body language and personalityWe need to start thinking about developing the stick figures into a usable graphic art style. A first simple approach you can simply thicken up the lines (consider the style of figures on street signs). I would add curved caps and corners (using the functions in the Stroke Panel) to keep it nice and smooth. Consider different line thicknesses, arms and legs could be the same thickness, but any torso/spine might be thicker. 04. Experiment with geometric shapes Build up your characters with geometric shapesAnother approach to stylising your stick figures is to build up more forms and shapes on the body. Again, don’t aim for realistic forms, but experiment with straight lines, geometric shapes and simple curves. You could start to build up the body by adding circles for knee and elbow joints, and triangles or semi-circles for feet and hands. In order to train your brains and hand to draw graphic figure shapes naturally, I would repeat steps 01-04 a few times, developing these stick figures into simplistic but stylised figures. 05. Set the scene Your scenery should work with your figure styleMoving away from photo-study exercises and start creating scenes or locations in a graphic illustration style. Your scenery should work with your figure style – my graphic worlds are predominantly a combination of straight lines and geometric shapes. A great Illustrator tip for this is to hold down the Shift key while using the Pen tool; this will only allow you to draw lines at 45-degrees and 90-degrees, ensuring you don’t stray into more realistic/wonky line territory. 06. Add your people Edit elements such as colours to add some varietyNow it’s time to add figures to your illustrated scenes. You can either sketch them on paper before tracing in Illustrator or draw everything digitally. Remember how the proportions and body language worked on the figures you traced from photos. If you’re working in Illustrator, you could even use the same shapes from one figure to the next, noting how the proportions of body parts shift as the body moves into different positions. You can also customise or recolour parts like heads or shoes from one figure to the next to create variety. Simplicity is key in a graphic world! 07. Represent! Note how the proportions and head size vary for the childEnsure you’re drawing a broad spectrum of figures with different ages and sizes. One key trick I work with is to use the same size circle for all heads, even children. Children’s heads may actually be smaller than adults’, but I find the proportions work well, and the figures instantly look like children if the head is a little over-sized (but obviously no bigger than an adult’s). 08. Build in detail Solidify the skeletal lines and add clothing artworkThe final step is to add detail onto your line figures, building up the limb lines, adding a simple shape for a torso and then dressing them with clothing on top. When I was developing my style I started to add a simple curve shape to the calf muscles, or if the leg was clothed I widened the leg outline until it looked more like a trouser leg. Again, we are not aiming for realism, so it’s fine to leave out the neck, or have an impossibly thin joint at the wrist or ankle. 09. Find your style I’m now able to sketch graphic figures into scenes in my sketchbookI now sketch figures within scenes in a sketchbook with a ruler and circle template to hand. This allows me to not only create observational drawings, but also means I have full concepts and scenes ready to be artworked in Illustrator. By basing my figures on real people, studying real life clothing choices and hairstyles, as well as the body language and proportions of different figures, my scenes now have far more style and individuality. 10. Add some personality Props and tonal variety add interestEven a graphic figure, built from geometric shapes, can have a personality. Don’t hold back on colours, gradients or textures. Use tonal differences on skin and clothing to evoke mood lighting, and add props to tell a story and really set the scene. Related articles: How to transform a pencil sketch in Photoshop Create product icons in Illustrator Create a busy city scene in Illustrator View the full article

Ahead of its SIGGRAPH 2017 conference, leader in 3D animation MAXON has today shared details of its Cinema 4D Release 19 (R19). Headline features of the latest release include tools catered towards motion graphics, VFX, VR/AR, general design and all types of visualisation. Debuting at the week-long Los Angeles event, Release 19 promises to offer a "fast, easy, stable and streamlined workflow to meet today's challenges in the content creation markets," Maxon says. It's set to deliver powerful tools and enhancements for both individual artists as well as large studio environments. New tools and developments include MoGraph enhancements, a 360-degree camera for VR, faster rendering and improved export for production formats. "For more than two decades, MAXON has been dedicated to delivering 3D graphics solutions with rock-solid stability, outstanding ease-of-use, a fast workflow, and cross platform capability," says Harald Egel, managing partner at MAXON. "Cinema 4D Release 19 expands on those core values with outstanding new features and a first look at foundations for the future." Users can expect Cinema 4D Release 19 to ship in September 2017. The full breakdown of new tools and enhancements is as follows: Viewport improvements - This provides artists with added support for screen-space reflections and OpenGL depth-of-field in addition to the screen-space ambient occlusion and tessellation features added in R18. Results are said to be so close to final render that client previews can be output using the new native MP4 video support. MoGraph enhancements - Expands on Cinema 4D’s toolset for motion graphics with faster results and added workflow capabilities in Voronoi Fracturing. Break objects progressively, add displaced noise details for improved realism or glue multiple fracture pieces together more quickly for complex shape creation. An all-new Sound Effector - Allows artists to create audio-reactive animations based on multiple frequencies from a single sound file. New spherical camera - Allows artists to render stereoscopic 360-degree virtual reality videos and dome projections. Artists can specify a latitude and longitude range, and render in equirectangular, cubic string, cubic cross or 3x2 cubic format. The new spherical camera also includes stereo rendering with pole smoothing to minimise distortion. New polygon reduction - Works as a generator, so it’s easy to reduce entire hierarchies. The reduction is pre-calculated, so adjusting the reduction strength or desired vertex count is extremely fast. The new Polygon Reduction preserves vertex maps, selection tags and UV coordinates, ensuring textures continue to map properly and providing control over areas where polygon detail is preserved. And more: Level of Detail object - Features a new interface element that lets customers define and manage settings to maximise viewport and render speed, create new types of animations or prepare optimised assets for game workflows. Level of Detail data exports via the FBX 3D file exchange format for use in popular game engines. AMD's Radeon ProRender - This technology is now seamlessly integrated into R19, providing artists a cross-platform GPU rendering solution. Though just the first phase of integration, it provides a useful glimpse into the power ProRender will eventually provide as more features and deeper Cinema 4D integration are added in future releases. Revamped media core - Delivers Cinema 4D R19 users with a completely rewritten software core to increase speed and memory efficiency for image, video and audio formats. Native support for MP4 video without QuickTime delivers advantages to preview renders, incorporate video as textures or motion track footage for a more robust workflow. Export for production formats, such as OpenEXR and DDS, has also been improved. Robust modelling - A new modelling core with improved support for edges and N-gons can be seen in the Align and Reverse Normals commands. More modelling tools and generators will directly use this new core in future versions. BodyPaint 3D - Now uses an OpenGL painting engine, enabling artists painting colour and adding surface details in film, game design and other workflows to see a real-time display of reflections, alpha, bump or normal, and even displacement. This brings improved visual feedback and texture painting. Redevelopment efforts to improve the UV editing toolset in Cinema 4D continue with the first fruits of this work available in R19 for faster and more efficient options to convert point and polygon selections, grow and shrink UV point selects, and more. Related articles: Behind the scenes on Transformers VFX How videogame graphics and movie VFX are converging Experimental VFX videos push limits of 3D animation View the full article

Google’s top Android engineer describes how the attack surface is shrinking on the mobile operating system. View the full article

Breaking the branding mould with a bold, fresh approach can be tricky at the best of times. Throw in a conservative sector, or a market stuck in a rut filled with stereotypes and tried and tested formulae, and that challenge is multiplied. Lazy broad-brush targeting of complex demographics like ‘millennials’ under the guise of innovative design just doesn’t cut it. It takes a combination of a forward-thinking agency and a brave, risk-taking client to find a new approach, and ditch those tired trends. Read on to discover five projects that have torn up the rule book for all the right reasons, and found a new way of attracting consumers’ attention… Book your ticket to the Brand Impact Awards ceremony01. Provoke and tease the audience The Zhuck app jokily provokes users into actionAsk someone to pick a market sector known for dry, corporate stereotypes and predictable uses of colour, language and iconography, and chances are they’ll pick financial services. Banks and building societies have tried hard to shake off that image in recent years, particularly after the global credit crisis dented public trust in even the most established of institutions. Younger, fresher, more off-the-wall campaigns for the likes of First Direct are worthy of mention here. Making life a bit more fun for accountants is surely a worthy causePerhaps the most category-defying example, however, is Zhuck – a project by ELSE, Daljit Singh, Michael Wolff and NB Studio for leading Russian bank Bank24.ru, aimed at disillusioned entrepreneurs, accountants, managers and investors. The word ‘zhuck’ translates directly as 'beetle’, but its local significance is more similar to ‘shark’ – a person who can be aggressive, predatory, cunning and malicious, but also savvy, clever, entrepreneurial and driven. In short, someone you want on your side. The Zhuck app jokes, provokes and even playfully insults the user, cajoling them into action, making ‘doing nothing’ seem like the difficult option. It’s a brave, and totally original approach. 02. Celebrate the brand's past impact Dear World… Yours, Cambridge won two Brand Impact Awards in 2016Winner of Best of Show at the 2016 Brand Impact Awards, Dear World… Yours, Cambridge is a branded campaign for a university with a difference. Like banking, the education sector has plenty of ingrained tropes and techniques. In a climate where students have become consumers, recruitment campaigns often focus on pushing the individual value and desirability of the degree, quoting stats, league tables or employment prospects. Presented with a brief from the University of Cambridge, Johnson Banks took a totally different tack – exploring and celebrating the past, present and future impact that the institution’s notable graduates have had on the world at large, all framed as a series of open letters that begin ‘Dear World’ and end ‘Yours, Cambridge’. Simple but effective thinkingIt’s a wonderfully simple but totally original construct that puts the campaign head and shoulders above the rest of its sector, and establishes the 800-year-old institution as an outward-facing, thought-provoking ideas lab. For even more inspiration, take a look at the Brand Impact Awards 2017 shortlist. 03. Make even mundane products fun Making paper towels mysterious was a nice touchIn an environment driven by impulse purchasing, price wars and bulk buying, the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector is defined primarily by the need for shelf standout, and not an area famed for its innovative branding. It doesn’t get much more disposable than paper towels, but in 2016 Turner Duckworth took on a brief to rebrand much-loved American brand Brawny, with particular focus on its brand character – the Brawny man. The Brawny campaign became playful very quicklyTurner Duckworth reinvented its mascot as a strong, capable giant, tightly cropped with the top half of his head disappearing off the top of the pack to give him an air of mystery. Consumers found the urge to hold the pack in front of their faces to ‘become’ the Brawny giant irresistible, and shared the photos on social media in their droves. When was the last time you tweeted a picture of you holding up a paper towel? 04. Embrace authentic cultures Geometric letterforms reveal 'Tusk'The Partners’ 2015 rebrand for Tusk Trust of the Tusk Conservation Awards, a scheme that initiates community development and environmental programmes across Africa, is a masterclass in truly meaningful collaboration. At the core of the identity is an African-style pattern, subtly constructed from the letterforms T-U-S-K for a satisfying reveal when the word emerges from the background across a variety of touchpoints, from brochures to online. The Partners worked with the people in Enkiito, Kenya, to create bracelets with the brand's patternMany agencies attempt to appropriate the aesthetic of traditional cultures from around the world for their clients – from Mexican to Japanese and everything in between. But the authenticity is often dubious, and they run the risk of cheap pastiche. Not so The Partners, which after extensive research sought out local inspiration from the people of Enkiito, Kenya on the project. They created 50 traditional beaded wristbands in the brand’s signature pattern, which attracted 17.5 million online impressions for their photos. 05. Discard traditional genre imagery Avoiding glamorised images focused consumers on the skincare aspect of the brandA bold departure from traditional ‘beauty’ imagery of immaculate glamour models art directed within an inch of their lives, SomeOne’s rebrand of D.Thomas skincare is underpinned by a striking set of photos, created by imprinting mannequins in flour. With a particular focus on problem skin, D.Thomas specialises in improving first impressions for its customers, and SomeOne set out to represent those impressions visually. SomeOne used mannequins to make these abstract images100 bags of flour were poured into ‘impression tanks’, into which the agency pressed mannequins’ faces, hands and bodies to create brand imagery corresponding to the areas that D.Thomas caters to. With no traditional ‘spa’ images in sight, SomeOne’s rebrand is a radical departure in the beauty sector, and definitely makes an impression. Related articles: 4 vital brand strategy rules How to craft a brand voice The designer’s guide to using colour in branding View the full article

Learning HTML and CSS can feel like a bit of an uphill struggle, especially because there's almost too much information out there. Where do you even start? 10 best HTML5 template designsTo help you out, we've gathered together a selection of resources that will tell you what you need to know, help you when you're stuck, and get you expanding your skills in no time. 01. HTML Cheat Sheet The HTML cheat sheet acts like an A-Z of HTMLThis incredibly helpful HTML cheat sheet includes a full list of all HTML elements, along with descriptions, code examples and live previews. You can organise the tags alphabetically or by category, and even download it as a PDF to refer to later. Read our full post about it: Nail you HTML with this cheat sheet 02. CSS Cheat Sheet Confused by all those elements? Keep track with this cheat sheetIf you're just starting out with CSS, merely remembering all the many tags and technical terms can be hugely intimidating. Don't let that put you off, though; keep this helpful cheat sheet bookmarked, or just print it out, to quickly find the elements you need. 03. CSS-Tricks CSS-Tricks is the brainchild of Chris CoyierWhen it launched in 2007, this site was all about CSS. Now it's expanded quite a bit, but there's still plenty of helpful information and tutorials about CSS and HTML for you to get stuck into. It's definitely worth a visit. 04. CSS Wizardry Learn from CSS wizard Harry RobertsCSS is easy to learn but difficult to master. Harry Roberts' CSS Wizardry has some of the best articles on the nitty-gritty of writing scalable and maintainable CSS, like the BEM methodology and refactoring (which are among the hardest parts). 05. CodePen's Yearly Top Pens This annual CodePen collection is a great way to learn from the bestOne of the best ways to learn HTML/CSS is to dissect cool demos you discover, and CodePen's yearly Top Pens are great for that. The demos range from cool to 'I didn't even know that was possible'. CodePen's integrated UI for diving into the code is also convenient. In a similar vein, you might also like to check out our 8 CodePen features you didn't know about post. 06. Web Design Weekly Keep up to date with the latest CSS and HTML developmentsHTML and CSS are both constantly evolving. To stay up to date with the latest methodologies and features, we recommend this email newsletter. It comes once a week, which is just often enough that you'll actually read it. 07. Responsive Design Weekly Useful responsive tips delivered to your inbox every weekResponsive is a vital part of the web designer's toolkit these days, and to help you keep up to date, Justin Avery spends hours every week curating the best responsive web design content and interviewing industry leaders, and sends it out as a newsletter every Friday (You might also like our post on 10 really useful responsive web design tutorials.) 08. Create non-rectangular layouts with CSS shapes Soueidan's tutorial is clear and packed with examplesSara Soueidan is known for her clear and thorough teaching style. Here she perfectly explains how to use CSS shapes as well as addressing some of the challenges that you might face. It comes with examples to look through on GitHub. A must-read! 09. Jen Simmons Lab Jen Simmons explores new layout possibilities hereIn her experimental layout lab, Jen Simmons presents the latest CSS properties and uses them in practical ways. Take a look to see what's possible if you get creative with CSS. Related articles: How to use an HTML boilerplate What CSS framework should you use? CSS tricks to revolutionise your layouts View the full article

Having an organised digital art portfolio on a single, central website is a great way to promote your work. Many digital artists share their work online in scattershot ways: a few images on ArtStation here, a Facebook post there, a random series on Instagram or Tumblr... These may excite fans and potential clients at time of posting, but a few months down the line, it’s often impossible to find them again. Having a website with your artworks in one place will help people to keep finding you. You can still post elsewhere, but link back to this main portfolio site. And services like Squarespace or Wix make it easy to design your own professional-looking site. If you are considering creating your own portfolio website, here are eight great examples of how to do it right. And even if you’re not thinking of making your own, they’re worth checking out for the fabulous art alone! 01. Jon Foster It’s easy to find what you’re looking for on Foster’s portfolio siteBased in Providence, Rhode Island, Jon Foster is an award-winning sci-fi and fantasy artist. Best known for his covers for DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, his work has also featured in National Geographic, Teen Wolf and on a number of book jackets. In short, Foster’s website has a lot of ground to cover. So to make it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for, his art is all divided up into different section headings, including book covers, comics, sketches, concept work and digital sculpture. It’s a great example of how to present an extensive body of work in a way that doesn’t feel overwhelming. It encourages visitors to just keep clicking around and discovering more. 02. Nathalia Suellen There’s a classy, sophisticated look to Suellen’s portfolio siteNathália Suellen is an artist and illustrator based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil who combines dark art and pop-surrealism using photography, 3D and digital painting. Symbolism, retro-futurism, classical art and dystopia are all common themes in her art. She presents her unique and original work online within a classy, sophisticated-looking website, which benefits from elegant use of whitespace, refined typography and even a laid-back jazzy soundtrack (which, like her art, subtly veers off into the surreal). As well as a general gallery, pieces are listed by collection, plus there’s a useful range of information for anyone who wants to hire her or buy her prints. 03. Raphael Lacoste Lacoste’s portfolio site offers an array of visual thrillsPreviously the award-winning art director at Ubisoft on titles such as Prince of Persia, art director Raphael Lacoste stepped away from the games industry in 2007 to work as a matte painter and senior concept artist on such feature films as Terminator Salvation and Jupiter Ascending. Two years later, he came back to games, and currently works in Montreal, Quebec, as brand art director on the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Lacoste’s grid-based online gallery showcases his concept art beautifully, and we love how clicking through on individual paintings brings you not just a larger version of the image, but a few friendly words about what it is and how it was put together. There are some choice video tutorials included in the mix, too. 04. Todd Lockwood The modular design of Lockwood’s homepage helps to bring together a diverse set of offerings in a balanced and aesthetically pleasing wayWorking as a digital artist for more than 30 years, Todd Lockwood is probably best known for his artwork for the Dungeons & Dragons table-top games, and the books of R.A. Salvatore. Born and raised in Colorado, he currently lives in Washington State and works as an illustrator and author, specialising in sci-fi and fantasy. Not every artist needs their own logo, but the fact that Todd has given his name a cool typographical treatment is a nice touch, and a sign of attention to detail that emanates throughout the site. Hs extensive portfolio is neatly divided into 10 categories, shown in a dropdown menu that appears when you hover over ‘Galleries’. In general, the cleverness of this site’s layout lies in presenting a diverse range of activities and media without ever feeling cluttered. It’s not often, for example, that an artist will include a drawing video on their homepage. But a two-minute clip of Todd drawing Dragon’s Pavilion slots in effortlessly to this elegantly modular design, encouraging you to say on the site for longer than you anticipated. 05. Loish Loish’s portfolio site is itself beautifully art directedLoish, aka Lois van Baarle, is a Dutch freelance illustrator and animator with a beautifully distinctive style and a penchant for drawing breathless, wide-eyed young women. With clients including Lego, Autodesk and Guerrilla Games, she recently launched her first book, The Art of Loish, which we reviewed. It’s not often you see a digital artist’s portfolio site that’s actually art-directed: most are pretty standard, grid based offerings. But Loish’s site boasts an original and attractive design that both reflects her own style and feels light and contemporary, never overpowering the actual art. It’s great, too, to see Loish sharing not just final versions of original and commissioned work on her site but also roughs, as well as her animation showreels. And the fact she has a cool website certainly hasn’t discouraged people from following Loish on Instagram: she has 863,000 followers there, and more than a million on Facebook. 06. Kate Pfeilschiefter Pfeilschiefter’s portfolio site does a great job of showcasing her creature designsKate Pfeilschiefter is a freelance concept artist and illustrator currently living and working in Redmond, Washington State. She specialises in creature design and visual development, and clients include the likes of Paizo Publishing, Wizards of the Coast, Digital Double and Ember Lab. Other than the ‘About me’ page, her site is purely about the art, and the design is pretty simple. But that still makes it a darn sight more attractive and enjoyable to peruse than just chucking it all on DeviantArt. We like how you can view either the overall portfolio or smaller selections of work under the headings ‘3D’, ‘Painting’ and ‘Sketchbook’. It also links out to a pretty cool blog, showing behind-the-scenes stuff that gives useful extra insight into her work. 07. Noah Bradley Bradley’s portfolio site and store features 4K versions of his artworksBest known for his art for Magic: The Gathering cards, Noah Bradley is a concept artist and illustrator based in Virginia. He’s currently working on his own creation, The Sin of Man, which he describes as “a primal fantasy world, full of sombre mystery, faceless giants, and wandering nomads”. Bradley left social media in early 2015 and “never missed it”, instead using his own website to showcase his work. The top half of his homepage is a Reddit-style, text-heavy rundown of what he’s been up to, including an audio and video course entitled ‘The Art of Freelancing’. Scroll down, and you’re greeted with a gorgeous selection of concept art that will clean take your breath away. Click through to his store to see the grid-style layout pictured above. We like the fact that Bradley makes full use of the browser width to give his work the epic, panoramic framing it deserves on the homepage. And we love that you can click through to a 4K version, which you can zoom in so close on, it feels like your nose is pressed up against it. 08. Calum Alexander Watt Watt makes great use of whitespace in the presentation of his character designsCalum Alexander Watt is a freelance concept artist working for the film, TV and games industries. Based in the UK, his clients include the likes of Creative Assembly/SEGA/Fox, Framestore and Blackrock/Disney Watt does something a little different on his website homepage: he presents his character designs as cutouts on a white background. Although the idea is not exactly earth-shattering, it’s also not something you often see with artist websites. And the way it’s executed is pretty eye-catching and alluring. It’s a shame that this is, essentially, a one-page website: the links are all through to other media, and there aren’t even expanded versions of most of the artworks. But as one-page portfolios go, it’s a very nicely presented example of the genre, with a nicely curated selection of impressive work. View the full article

Whether you're a busy art director or an illustrator working from home, every creative needs some downtime. And there's no better way to both relax and be inspired than jetting off somewhere you've never been before. Whenever we travel to far-flung places, we're attracted to the famous buildings. Much like a photograph, architectural designs record details of specific moments in time. But unlike an photograph, physical structures go on to have a life of their own, becoming a central and functional part of countless people's lives for hundreds, if not thousands, of years after they were built. Here we have picked 27 of the most famous building designs from around the world to inspire you. 01. Lotus Temple The temple welcomes worshippers of all faithsThe Lotus Temple is a Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi consisting of 27 structures resembling petals of the lotus flower that open onto a central hall around 40m high. It has nine sides, nine doors, and can accommodate 2,500 people. It's surface is made of white marble from Mount Pentelicus in Greece, the same marble used to build the Parthenon. Since its completion in 1986 it has become one of the most visited buildings in the world, attracting over 100 million people. 02. Cologne Cathedral Germany's most-visited landmarkCologne Cathedral is a High Gothic five-aisled basilica, the construction of which began in 1248 and stopped in 1473, before the building was complete. Work did not resume until the 1800s, and it was finally finished in 1880. Later work follows the original medieval plan faithfully. It is renowned as a Gothic masterpiece and houses many works of art as well as the tombs of 12 archbishops. 27 glorious geometric patterns in design03. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem The Dome of the Rock is a masterpiece of Islamic architectureA masterpiece of Islamic architecture, the Dome of the Rock is a 7th century building, located in Jerusalem. Built by Caliph Abd al-Malik between 687 and 691, the octagonal plan and the rotunda dome of wood are of Byzantine design. The Persian tiles on the exterior and the marble slabs that decorate the interior were added by Suleiman I in 1561. The oldest extant Islamic monument, the Dome of the Rock has served as a model for architecture and other artistic endeavors for over a millennium. 04. La Pedrera, Barcelona Gaudi's La Pedrera is one of the most imaginative houses in the history of architectureNested among the urban streets of Barcelona are some unusual and beautiful buildings by infamous architect Antoni Gaudi. His unique approach to the Art Nouveau movement generated some of the most creative buildings the world have ever seen. And La Pedrera is no exception. One of the most imaginative houses in the history of architecture, this is more sculpture than building. The façade is a varied and harmonious mass of undulating stone that, along with its forged iron balconies, explores the irregularities of the natural world. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognised this building as World Heritage in 1984. 05. One World Trade Center, New York The One World Trade Center is the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. Image © One World Trade CenterThe latest addition to New York's skyline, the One World Trade Center, is the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. Construction began in April 2006 and the final component of the building's spire installed five years later in 2013, making it the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world. The One World Trade Center's design is no coincidence, standing at a symbolic height of 1,776 feet (541m) in a direct nod to the year of the US Declaration of Independence. Designed by David M Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 104-story glass tower raises from a cube base before transforming from the 20th floor into eight sleek isoceles triangles. Stood adjacent to the city's beautiful 9/11 memorial, the One World Trade Center is a shining beacon for the city. 06. St Paul's Cathedral, London British architect Sir Christopher Wren took 10 years to finalise his designs for St Paul'sLondon's most iconic building, St Paul's Cathedral, was designed by English architect Sir Christopher Wren. Sitting at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, its famous dome is one of the world's largest, measuring nearly 112 metres high. The original church on the site was founded in the year 604AD. Work on the present English Baroque church began in the 17th Century by Christopher Wren as part of a major rebuilding program after the Great Fire of London. Wren started working on St Paul's in 1668, his designs for the cathedral taking a decade to complete and the actual construction taking a further 40 years. St Paul's has played an integral part of London life ever since – as a domineering element in the city's skyline, as a centre for tourism and religious worship, and most recently as a focal point for anticapitalist protests. 07. Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur The Petronas Towers are an iconic landmark in Malaysia's capital city Kuala LumpurStanding at 170 metres above ground, the Petronas Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The buildings, which held the titled of tallest in the world between 1998-2004, are an iconic landmark of the capital city. The distinctive postmodern style was created by architects Cesar Pelli and Achmad Murdijat, engineer Deejay Cerico and designer Dominic Saibo under the consultancy of JC Guinto. 08. The White House, Washington The White House, designed by Irish architect James Hoban, took eight years to construct. Image © Matt WadeIrish architect James Hoban was the man behind the design of the White House. In 1792 Hoban submitted a plan for the presidential mansion and subsequently got the commission to build the White House. Constructed began in 1793 through to completion in 1801. The mansion, which has been home to every US leader since the country's second president John Adams, is made from white-painted Aquia sandstone. 09. Leaning Tower of Pisa Due to restoration work carried out in 2001, the tower currently leans at just under 4 degrees. It is estimated that it will collapse in the next 75-100 years. Image © Alkarex Malin ägerThe Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most remarkable architectural structures in Europe. Most famous for its tilt, the tower began to lean during construction after soft ground on one side was unable to properly support the structure's weight. Building work on the tower began in 1173 and went on for over a whopping 300 years. There has been much controversy surrounding the true identity of the architect behind the tower – the design originally attributed to artist Bonnano Pisano but studies have also implicated architect Diotisalvi. 10. The Kaaba, Mecca The Kabba is a most sacred space in IslamThe Kaaba, meaning cube in Arabic, is a square building located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A most sacred place in Islam, the Kabba is elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil. Every year millions of Muslims travel to the Kabba for the hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The small square building is about 60 feet high and it's walls a metre wide, with it's total size occupying roughly 627 square feet. 11. The Shard, London The Shard is an 87-storey skyscraper, which sits in the heart of LondonAlso referred to as the shard of glass, The Shard is an 87-storey skyscraper, which sits in the heart of London. Construction began in 2009 and was completed three years later in 2012, making it Western Europe's tallest building. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Shard is the second tallest free standing structure in the UK. It's exterior boasts 11,000 glass panels – that's equivalent in area to eight football pitches or two-and-a-half Trafalgar Squares. The building was developed to have multiple uses, described on the website as a 'vertical city where people can live, work and relax'. This motto was clearly taken on board by a fox, nicknamed Romeo, that was found on the 72nd floor towards the end of construction. 12. St Basil's Cathedral, Moscow The unique St Basil's Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow was designed by architect Postnik YakolevNo, we haven't included a piece of Disneyland architecture on our list. This garish, candy coloured cathedral is in fact Moscow's most visited tourist attraction. The famous landmark, shaped to resemble the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, is located just outside the Kremlin gates and marks the geometric centre of the city. Built between 1554 and 1560, the cathedral was erected during the reign of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible). Little is known about the building's architect Postnik Yakovlev, but he was clearly a fan of onion domes, sharp spikes and polygonal towers. 13. Empire State Building, NYC Construction of the world-famous Empire State building was completed in just one year and 45 daysWe couldn't put together a list of world-famous buildings without including this grand Art Deco skyscraper. Once the tallest building in the world, construction began on the Empire State building on St Patrick's Day 1930 and was completed just 410 days later. The building was designed by William F Lamb of architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. It was declared by the American Society of Civil Engineers to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and is known around the world as an icon of New York City. 14. Lloyds Building, London The award-winning Lloyds building was designed by Italian-born architect Richard Rogers. Image © Aurelien GuichardThis futuristic building looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie rather than Lime Street in London. The award-winning Lloyds building (also known as the Inside-Out building) is an iconic architectural landmark and one of the most recognisable constructions on the London skyline. Architect Richard Rogers was the brains behind the innovative design, which has its services – including water pipes and staircases – on the outside. Built between 1978 and 1986, the building also features 12 exterior lifts, which were the first of their kind in the UK. 15. Colosseum, Rome The Colosseum is the largest Roman amphitheatre ever built. Image © David IliffThis elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of Rome is considered as one of the greatest architectural feats achieved by the Ancient Romans. The stadium was capable of seating 50,000 spectators and used mainly for gladiatorial games. Built from concrete and stone, construction began on the Colosseum began around 72AD and finished in 80AD. The design and shape of the Colosseum has been the inspiration for many modern day stadiums. Today it is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, attracting thousands of visitors each year. 16. Taj Mahal, India The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. Image © Muhammad Mahdi KarimRecognised as 'the jewel of Muslim art in India', the Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Often mistaken as a palace, this famous landmark was actually built as a tomb for the Emperor's wife after she died giving birth to their 14th child. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture – an amalgamation of Persian, Turkish and Indian styles. Construction on the mausoleum began in 1632 and was completed in 1648. The surrounding buildings and gardens took a further five years to finish. 17. Chrysler Building, NYC The Chrysler building attained the title of world's tallest in building in 1930 for just one year when the Empire State was erected. Image Joris Van RoodenIn the early part of the 20th Century, people everywhere were in a race to build the tallest building. At the time, this gorgeous Art Deco skyscraper was almost outdone by the Bank of Manhattan but its spire (which was constructed in secret) enabled it to take the title of 'tallest building in the world' in 1930. It didn't last long though. Just a year later the Empire State Building was erected. Designed by architect William Van Alen, the skyscraper was commissioned by car manufacturer Walter P Chrysler, hence its name. 18. Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House is the most famous Australian architectural iconSydney Opera House is widely regarded as one of the greatest architectural works of the 20th century. The innovative design came from architect Jørn Utzon, who was relatively unknown until January 29, 1957 when his entry to the 'International competition for a national opera house at Bennelong Point, Sydney' was announced the winner. The beautiful building comprises of three groups of interlocking shells, which roof two main performance halls and a restaurant. A masterpiece of modern architecture, the opera house has become an iconic symbol of both Sydney and the Australian nation. 19. Space Needle, Seattle 40 years after its construction, the Space Needle remains Seattle's best visitor destination. Image © Jordon KalilichThe futuristic Space Needle in Seattle, Washington was built for the 1962 World's fair. The famous landmark stands at 184m high and 42m wide at its widest point. The design was a collaborative effort between architects Edward E Carlson and John Graham. Not only is the architecture a marvel to look at but the building's impressive design can survive wind velocities of 200mph and can escape serious structural damage during earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitudes. 20. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Now a museum, Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul, TurkeyOnce a church, later a mosque, and now a museum, Hagia Sophia is a architectural masterpiece. A perfect example of Byzantine architecture, Hagia Sophia is located in Instanbul, Turkey. The building was built for the first time by the emperor Constantine the Great (306-337). However, due to many factors, including being burned down in riots and earthquakes, the ancient cathedral has been rebuilt many times since. Despite this, Hagia Sophia is widely recognised as one of the great buildings of the world. And if that wasn't cool enough, the building also features in the opening scenes of the Bond film, Skyfall. 21. Buckingham Palace, London Buckingham Palace is one of London's most popular tourist attractions. Image © David IliffOriginally known as Buckingham House, George III bought the property in 1735 when the mansion was little more than a red brick house. Since then, various architects have worked on the building to make it what it is today, including John Nash, Edmund Blore and Sir Aston Webb. The palace also had to undergo extensive work after being bombed no less than nine times during World War II. However, still very much in operation, it's one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. 22. Fallingwater Frank Lloyd Wright created this unique design for the Kauffman family in 1934. Image © SxenkoDesigned by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1934, Fallingwater is quite possibly the most famous private residence in the world. But why? Well, the unique design makes it look like the house stretches out over a 30ft waterfall, with no solid ground beneath it. This isn't the case, obviously, but the innovative design captured everyone's attention when it was finalised in 1939. It became famous instantly and is now a natural historic landmark. It's so cool you can even get a Lego version of the architectural masterpiece! 23. Pantheon, Rome Built approximately 2000 years ago, the Pantheon continues to inspire architects all over the worldRome is home to many amazing buildings, and the Pantheon is no exception. And, like the city itself, it was not built in a day. Destroyed twice and rebuilt each time, the building started as a rectangular structure, which, over time, evolved into the gorgeous dome building seen today. An inspiration to architects all over the world over the last 2,000 years, the Pantheon roof remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. There is much debate between historians over which emperor and architects were responsible for the Pantheon's design although it is known that this 'Temple of the Gods' was built around 126AD. 24. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao Architect Frank Gehry developed the unique concept for the museum after winning an architectural competition to design the buildingThe Guggenheim museum Bilbao is one of the most admired works of contemporary architecture. California-based Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry created the unique concept after winning an architectural competition to design the building. Since the museum doors opened in 1997, it has been hailed one of the most important buildings of the 20th century. Now with over a decade of success, the museum has homed over a hundred exhibitions and has welcomed more than 10 million visitors. 25. Flatiron building, New York Chicago architect Daniel Burnham designed the distinctive Flatiron building, which is instantly recognisable in New York's skylineThe eye-catching Flatiron building in Manhattan was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and built in 1902. The distinctive triangular shape allowed the building to fill the space located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. Another of New York's skyscrapers, it was never the tallest but remains one of the most memorable and has been a source of inspiration for artists and architects for over a century now. 26. Villa Savoye, France Villa Savoye was originally built as a country retreat for the Savoye family in 1928Designed by Swiss architects Le Corbusier and his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, Villa Savoye is an early and classic example of the International style – a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and '30s. The property was built in 1928 and, after surviving several demolition plans, was designated as an official French historical monument in 1965. 27. Burj Khalifa, Dubai Don't look down! The world's tallest building in Dubai over 800 metres high. Image © Nicolas LannuzelLast on our list – but by no means the least – is the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa. The mammoth skyscraper and magnificent centerpiece of Downtown Dubai stands at a whopping 828.9 metres high. Construction began on the 160-floor building in 2004 with its doors opening six years later in 2010. The task of creating the world's tallest manmade structure was awarded to the Chicago office of American architectural and engineering firm Skidmore, Owings and Merril LLP. Related articles: The designer's guide to the Golden Ratio Why VR could be a game-changer in the architecture industry 25 logo design tips from the experts View the full article

When you're creating an online advertising campaign you need to consider your target market, your brand image and where you should advertise. The final point is almost the most important: if your advertising appears in the wrong place, your whole campaign and even your brand is likely to suffer. Facebook had to reconsider where it placed its paid adverts back in 2013 following BSkyB and Marks and Spencer suspending massive contracts. As the marketing channels reflected badly on the brand, Facebook was in a position where it could have lost a lot of revenue. For a print campaign, you have all these considerations, plus a factor unique to print: paper. Paper choice is an important part of successful brochure printingWhen placing an order with a brochure printing company they will need to know details about the desired paper quality before they can produce your product. The paper you chose for your brochure can subliminally impact your brand image as much as a poorly thought out campaign, so it's important to make the right decisions. There are two main things to consider before looking further into brochure printing, both which will affect how your brand comes across. 01. Paper density Paper density refers to the thickness of the paper and is measured in GSM (grams per square metre). A higher GSM equates to a thicker paper which may give a more professional look to your campaigns, but it won't be suitable for every task. There are no hard and fast rules for paper density, but some types will be more obviously suitable than others. 35-55 GSM is typically used for newspapers. The paper is thin and so effective for lots of pages which are low cost and don't need to last long. 90 GSM is a typical paper for inner magazine pages. 130-170 GSM is a standard weight for a good quality poster you would expect to last for a while. 170-300 GSM would be suitable for most corporate brochure printing. You might need to compromise GSM slightly if you have a large number of pages to ensure the brochure lays flat and is not excessively bulky 350-400 GSM is thin card, so probably what your business cards are made from. If you chose too low a GSM for your business cards they will be flimsy and may give the wrong impression of your business. 02. Finishes After you've chosen a paper thickness you can consider which finish would be most appropriate for your brochure. Coated paper is treated to give it a glossy or matte finish. A product on coated paper (whether it's matte or glossy) will end up looking more expensive. Posters and photographs can be printed on paper which is only coated on one side. Untreated paper has an unreflective surface suitable for everyday printing. There are several types, each with unique qualities which may make it more or less appropriate for specific tasks. Matt paper can look as expensive and interesting as glossy pages when done properlyIf you're a charity it would be inappropriate to produce brochures which explain your campaigns and call for donations to be coated 250 GSM paper because it will give the wrong impression. Equally a company which is attempting to give a luxurious feel to their marketing might benefit from coated paper brochures. While glossy coated paper tends to look best for brochures, it is more important that the appearance of your product fits with your brand image. What's next? After you've decided on paper weight and finish for your brochure printing, there are other considerations to be made about the design of the brochure itself. Follow our handy guide to brochure design to make sure you get all design considerations just right. Related articles: Brochure design: 11 inspiring examples Illustrator tutorials: amazing ideas to try today! The ultimate guide to designing the best logos View the full article

Adding custom CSS rules to a rendered web page is a great way to test new selectors before committing them to a codebase – and the best way to test selectors in the browser is with a set of Chrome extensions. Testing selectors in the browser is advantageous because it offers you an immediate look into whether or not your new selector has adequate specificity, how it will affect other elements in the document flow, and how it looks in the live context of the page. But most of all, testing CSS in the browser is a fast way to prototype and share new design ideas. 10 really useful responsive web design tutorialsTogether, the three free Chrome plugins below give us a fast and tangible workflow for making quick preview screenshots of CSS changes to a page. We can test and preview colour changes, new typefaces, and adjust line and paragraph spacing before we actually modify the website. 01. User CSS Inject new CSS into a page that’s already rendered [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]UserCSS gives us a window for adding new CSS rules to a page that has already been rendered by the browser. The chief advantage to User CSS over the default DevTools is that our CSS can be stored in a style sheet and is persistent between refreshes. Additionally, the plugin has a toggle button, making A/B screenshots a breeze. 02. Window Resizer Set your browser window to a precise width and height [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Window Resizer gives us presets that precisely set the browser window dimensions. It's helpful for making screenshots for slideshows and product screens, and for maintaining consistent sizes across many screenshots. It's also incredibly invaluable if you want to make screenshots of responsive designs. 03. Full Page Screen Capture Capture CSS changes and save as an image [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Full Page Screen Capture makes a full-page PNG screen capture of a webpage, from header to footer. It’s very simple to use: click the capture button and the plugin will generate a PNG image and open it in a new window. While you're here, check out these related articles: An introduction to frontend testing – When and how to use different frontend code testing options 10 best pieces of user testing software 10 steps to making an engaging user experience View the full article

Hold on to your popcorn buckets, it looks like going to the movies could be taking a turn for the dystopian. That's because the team at Disney Research has been working on a neural network designed to study audiences as they watch a movie. Capable of tracking and responding to facial reactions like smiles and laughter, this powerful tool is intended to analyse whether or not a film is working as intended. In fact, the network has already been used across 150 screenings of recent Disney releases such as The Jungle Book and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Test audiences have of course been a longstanding part of the filmmaking process to help refine story details before mass release. But we feel uneasy about the the uncanny telescreen (the omnipresent TV/security cameras in Orwell's 1984) nature of this network. Just who is the audience in this scenario? Fool our robot overlords by keeping a passive face at all timesOn top of reading the faces of the audience and generating millions of points of data, this network can also predict how people are going to react once it's monitored them for just a few minutes. It remains to be seen if this tool will be used on general audiences, but Disney isn't the only one taking a look at the big data audiences can provide. Other companies such as Snapchat have been monitoring performances to shape the way they produce content. And we dread to think how this could be picked up by Google Glass-style devices, should they ever take off. Related articles: This AI's inspirational posters are hilarious Should designers be worried about AI? Fix your photos with ease with new AI-powered app View the full article

Do-nothing days sound great to us (click the icon in the top-right to enlarge this image)There's a commonly held belief among imaginative types that creativity is like a muscle: to build up its strength, you need to exercise your creativity regularly. But, similarly, you need to go easy and let it recover from time to time. The balancing act between creative action and recovery is best thought of as a cycle, according to illustrator and comic artist Emily Cheeseman. To get the message across, Cheeseman drew the different phases of creative momentum in the chart above. With 'action' including output and high energy production, and 'recovery' covering research, rest and idea generation, this cycle is a valuable reminder that creativity isn't a constant state of work and results. "Let your brain rest! Obviously creators don't always have the luxury of waiting for inspiration before working, but if you learn to recognize when your brain is in Production Mode you can take advantage while it lasts," Cheeseman wrote on Twitter. Click the expand icon on the image of the cycle above to see it full size, and remember to keep the two states in balance to avoid creative burnout. Related articles: 20 tools to make your team more productive 22 ways to boost your productivity 5 top tips for creating a productive workspace View the full article

Think you’ve been paying attention to the design world over the last seven days? Then have a crack at our weekly news quiz… Related articles:Quiz: What typeface are you? IBM reveals new design division logo Thor Ragnarok poster shows designers how it's done View the full article

The best manga art is colourful and expressive, so here I'll explain how I work with colour and form to make my manga art characters shine. I'll also go through the basic rendering techniques I use in my manga illustrations. In this tutorial I used two custom Photoshop brushes: a square brush (which I use to sharpen the edges of solid forms) and a render brush (which helps me draw and render without having to switch brushes). You can download them for free here. 01. Start off by being messy Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Here’s the preliminary gesture for the final image. At this stage you can be as gestural as you want – go ahead and be messy, use construction lines and energetic lines until you find the pose that you’re looking for. Sometimes you’ll find new and interesting ways of constructing a scene through these unplanned lines. 02. Include anatomical details Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image I always draw plenty of anatomical details during the initial sketch stage. Even though they’ll probably fade away during the rendering stages, such subtle details will still leave an impression. For example, most of the lines in the character’s back in my initial sketch are rendered out in the final design, but the impression of underlying musculature remains. Accurate, low-key anatomy will set your manga art apart from the crowd. 03. Summon the Photoshop gods! Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image I want the background to pop and feel real, even though it’ll eventually have a two-dimensional, stylised look. So I begin messing with Photoshop’s blending options, filters and inverted controls. While doing this, I never know where it’s going to end up. Experiment with different layer effects until something magical happens. 04. Explore videogame influences Click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image With all the colours laid out, it's time to start transforming my manga art character's features and adding details. This character needed to have a Jet Set Radio-like underlying theme. So I render out the face with similarities from the game’s unique style while trying to maintain a manga likeness at the same time. 05. Add highlights Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image For my final highlights pass, I use a separate Overlay or Color Dodge layer and draw out a thick highlight with Transparency turned on. Then I use an eraser to create the highlight shape. This is similar to masking but a little more intuitive, and because it’s on a separate layer you can adjust the colour with the Hue slider. 06. Colour your highlights Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image It’s important to separate lights by colour. Here, the red circles are the primary warm highlights – notice how these highlights are almost purely white. The blue circles are areas that take on the yellow light from the background. This helps the viewer easily distinguish between the different lights being used (essentially, it’s directional light versus rim light). I use a Darken layer for this process. 07. Use colour gradients Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image For my background I've used a smooth transition of colour, despite there being contrasting elements, such as the buildings against the clouds. In everything you paint, you should be looking for ways to implement colour gradients. Think of the whole image as one big abstraction of colour, and then find ways to bring certain areas of colour together. 08. Make it glow Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Of course, with every splash of colour you need an element of glow. Using an Exclusion layer, I remove the green channel so I can have a green knockout glow effect behind the character. This helps lift the main character off the background and make her pop off the page. 09. Check your tones Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image At this point I need to check the tones within the composition to make sure that I haven’t pushed the contrast too far. I strongly believe you should be constantly toggling between colour and greyscale views throughout the entire painting process. To do this, select 'View > Proof Setup > Custom…' and apply the settings that are shown above. Now every time you press Y you can see your work-in-progress as a greyscale image. 10. Refine details Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image Although I’m keeping this illustration pretty simple, it never hurts to carry on detailing (at least, up to a point). I prefer to detail using highlights. 11. Correct uneven tones Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image To connect the character to the background’s overall palette, I change her shirt to a deep orange. Even though it’s tonally correct, her shirt was blending with the background clouds too much. It’s never too late to make these kinds of adjustments. Don’t settle for what you’ve painted until your eyes agree with the overall image! 12. Show your reasoning Click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image I realise I need to justify why there’s rim light on the character. Art doesn’t always need to make sense, but in this case the colourful environment means I definitely need to show the cause behind the effect. What better way to do this than by painting, a giant stylised sun to match the rest of the background? This article originally featured in Imagine FX issue 149. Buy it here! Read more: Draw a bad-ass geisha Draw a figure in under five minutes How to draw a face View the full article

You’ve been eyeing up the iPad Pro since the day it was first introduced. Today could be your lucky day, as we’re giving away an iPad Pro to one lucky reader. Enter our iPad Pro Giveaway to get yourself in the running to win! The iPad Pro is one of Apple's finest feats of technology and engineering. The thin and lightweight tablet is easy to take anywhere, but Apple has still managed to pack the device with unmatched power. With its 64-bit desktop-class architecture and 10X Fusion chip, it’s ready for the future of computing with the processing speed of most desktop computers. It's the perfect tool for any creative on the go. The iPad Pro 10.5-inch retails for $649/£619, but you can enter for your chance to win one for free! All you have to do is enter the iPad Pro Giveaway by signing up and clicking the “Enter Now” button. It’s as easy as that! View the full article

MedSec CEO Justine Bone said shorting companies to profit off discovered vulnerabilities is a viable business model for the security community. View the full article

We've selected our top free tools and apps for making infographics, with some of the options here even suitable for non-designers, as templates and other features make them easy to use. The best infographics transform complex information and data into graphics that are both easy to grasp and visually appealing. The only problem is, infographics that look like they were simple to make are often anything but. Creating beautiful and instantly understandable infographics in Photoshop is often beyond the limits that time allows, which is why it's occasionally useful to use a quick and easy infographics or data visualisation app to speed up the process. Give these free tools a try and let us know which ones you get on best with on Facebook or Twitter. The 100 best infographics01. Canva Infographic Maker Canva's drag-and-drop interface is perfect for making infographicsCanva's a powerful and easy-to-use online tool that's suitable for all manner of design tasks, from brochures to presentations and much more besides, with a vast library of images, icons, fonts and features to choose from. And it features a dedicated infographic maker that you can use for free, with hundreds of free design elements and fonts at your fingertips, and many more premium elements that you can buy for up to $1. You can either use it in the browser or download the Canva iPad app to design on the move. 02. Vizualize This generator could be the start of how ‪résumé‬s will be portrayed in the futureAfter the success of our post on an infographic ‪resume‬, it was only a matter of time before this infographic ‪resume generator turned up. You can visualise your resume in one click and also take a look at previous examples. Enabling people to express their professional accomplishments in a simple yet compelling personal visualisation, we think this is the start of something big. 03. Google Charts Display real live data with Google ChartsGoogle's chart tools are powerful, simple to use, and free. You can choose from a variety of charts and configure an extensive set of options to perfectly match the look and feel of your website. By connecting your data in real time, Google Charts is the perfect infographic generator for your website. 04. Easel.ly Easel.ly offers a dozen free templates to start you offThis free web-based infographic tool offers you a dozen free templates to start you off, which are easily customisable. You get access to a library of things like arrows, shapes and connector lines, and you can customise the text with a range of fonts, colours, text styles and sizes. The tool also lets you upload your own graphics and position them with one touch. 05. Piktochart Piktochart is an infographic and presentation tool enabling you to turn boring data into engaging infographics with just a few clicks. Piktochart's custom editor lets you do things like modify colour schemes and fonts, insert pre-loaded graphics and upload basic shapes and images. Its grid-lined templates also make it easy to align graphical elements and resize images proportionally. There's a free version offering three basic themes, a lite pricing plan for $15 per month or a pro account that costs $29 per month. 06. Infogr.am Customising the data that makes up the infographic takes place in an Excel-style spreadsheetInfogr.am is a great free tool with a wide variety of graphs, charts and maps as well as the ability to upload pictures and videos to create cool infographics. Customising the data that makes up the infographic takes place in an Excel-style spreadsheet and can easily be edited, watching the software automatically change the look of the infographic to perfectly represent your data. When you're happy with your infographic you can publish it to the Infogram website for all to enjoy and even embed it in to your own website or share it via social media. 07. Photo Infographic Gen Lite Build infographics based on your photo-taking habitsThis one's a bit niche, but if you take a lot of photos with your Android phone it's worth checking out. Photo Infographic Gen Lite takes the EXIF data attached to your photos and builds nice-looking infographics from it. It's got a great interface, and the paid-for version (which comes without ads) only costs $0.99/£0.64. 08. Venngage Looking for an easy-to-use tool? Venngage is your best bet!Venngage is a great tool for creating and publishing infographics because it's so simple and easy to use. You can choose from templates, themes, and hundreds of charts and icons as well as uploading your own images and backgrounds, or adapt a theme to suit your brand. You can animate them too! Related articles: Pro tips for creating interactive infographics The 100 best infographics 15 free resume templates View the full article