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You're reading Trendy Ways of Enhancing Website Homepages, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Images and videos are the most popular options when it comes to enhancing website homepages. But are they the only techniques that form strong first impressions and make websites stand out? No one can argue with the fact that these stylistic choices are time-tested and crowd-proven methods. Nevertheless, they are not the only options capable […] View the full article

Researchers at network security vendor ICEBRG recently discovered four malicious extensions in the official Google Chrome Web Store with a combined user count of more than 500,000, and as with past incidents, the implications are serious for both consumers and enterprises. ICEBRG notified Google and three of the extensions have since been removed from the […] View the full article

A bug in Lenovo’s Enterprise Networking Operating System could allow an attacker to launch an authentication bypass attack. View the full article

Screen printing is a welcome alternative for artists who want to take it slow and explore handmade. Whereas digital art gives creatives the opportunity to work quickly and produce perfect images, there's something about taking the time to prepare a screen print by hand that has a unique appeal. Perhaps, as designer Anthony Peters suggests in this new book from Print Club London, screen printing has awoken a "dormant need to be among tactile, real objects." Set up in 2007, the Print Club London studio was founded on a relaxed ethos where artists could experiment and make mistakes. From humble beginnings with a handful of salvaged tools, Print Club London has expanded to represent over 500 artists and runs workshops to welcome newcomers to screen printing. The studio's hard-won wisdom is presented in its recently released book, Screenprinting: The Ultimate Studio Guide. Its 288 pages are overflowing with clearly explained screen printing tutorials, which make it useful both for beginners and old hands. If you're looking to pick up a new artistic skill in 2018, you've come to the right book. Basic skills like making a screen are clearly explained From the design of the book alone you can tell that Print Club London loves what it does. Sandwiched between its covers, which have been lovingly made to look like silkscreen frames, there's a playful display of paint splatters that don't get in the way of the text but keep the whole book personable. This doesn't mean the guide is thin on the ground in terms of practical content. While the short history of screen printing section that opens the book certainly lives up to its name by managing to cover the medium's thousands year long story in a couple of pages, it's important to remember that this isn't a history book. We're here for messy artistic advice. Before diving into tutorials, we're given a run down of the tools of the trade. Screens and emulsions are covered, along with sweets and beer, to remind you that it's a good idea to have fun while you print. After a quick introduction to the materials you'll be printing on (paper and textiles), it's time to get down to the workshops. Screen printing tutorials Who hasn't wanted to print their art on a t-shirt? The main screen printing tutorials explore how to artwork a design, as well as covering the basics of how to print on paper and t-shirts. Each section guides you through carefully, assuming a basic level of artistic skill on the reader's part. Accompanying photographs help to smooth out any confusion you might encounter from reading the instructions alone. These are a welcome addition, as sometimes artistic tutorials can rattle through everything too fast and appear more complicated than they need to be. Along the way we're introduced to an array of screen printing tips and terms, but only when we need to learn them. This helps to keep the whole process understandable, and given that there's a lot to cover, it's no mean feat that the guide doesn't come across as overwhelming. The balance between precise technical advice and friendly encouragement is maintained throughout. Learn bonus screen printing skills from professional artists To build on these tutorials, the book is capped off with refreshing Artist Spotlights. These see an artist covering a screen printing technique they're known for. It's a welcome change of pace compared to profiles that just give an artist the opportunity to show off. The artists here are talented, but they're not above sharing their secrets. From these creatives we also learn how to put on a show and promote yourself online. It's a great way to round off the book. By looking forwards beyond just practical tips, you come away from this guide with a real sense that screen printing is an equally useful art to master alongside in-demand digital skills. Go grab a squeegee and get pulling. Related articles: The beginner's guide to giclee printing How to draw and paint - 100 pro tips and tutorials 30 beautiful examples of paper art View the full article

The origin of miniature painting stretches far back to the medieval age, when miniature artists painted exquisite portraits in watercolour on vellum and ivory. They used fine detail and painting techniques such as stippling and hatching to create layers of colour, in paintings measuring no larger than 6 x 4.5 inches. Many miniature artists today are still painting in the traditional way, but now miniatures can be of any subject and in a variety of mediums – oil, watercolours and acrylics, to name but a few. Vellum is still chosen as a painting surface, but now more artists are choosing to use newer products such as ivorine, polymin, smooth card or paper, or board. I’m going to show you how you can paint your own miniature using acrylics. These are versatile and rich in colour. Mistakes can be easily painted over, thus making them ideal for beginners. Painting a miniature requires a steady hand and lots of patience. It's also important that you're familiar with the consistency of the paints, so practice painting straight thin lines on the back of an old photograph before starting your work. 01. Plan your drawing Hardboard or MDF board when primed with about five coats of white watercolour acrylic gesso, and sanded to a smooth finish, make a wonderful surface to paint on. I used a board cut down to 3 x 3.75 inches, primed with Daler Rowney Simply Acrylic Gesso. Plan out your drawing onto the prepared board using tracing paper or drawing freehand. You can download my sketch here, or draw your own composition. Do not draw all the flowers in the foreground too soon, as they will be covered by paint and your drawing will be obscured. 02. Add sky, trees and hedges A good brush is essential for fine detail and I prefer to use Pro Arte Connoisseur brushes, which are a blend of sable and synthetic prolene and maintain a good point. For texture, I use an old oil bristle brush – it’s ideal for stippling. Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylic paints are wonderful for miniature painting. They have a creamy texture and do not lose their opacity when diluted for fine line detail. They dry quickly so are marvellous for glazing and dry brush techniques. Using a no. 4 round brush, take a small amount of Titanium White acrylic and add a tiny touch of Ultramarine. Use only a small amount of water and mix the required colour to a creamy consistency. Apply to the sky area. In order to achieve texture in the background trees, use a dry old bristle brush. Take a little neat Sap Green and a touch of black to the tip of the brush. Stipple the colours onto a practice sheet (the back of an old photograph is ideal) without mixing until you’ve got your desired colour and texture and apply. To highlight, with a clean, dry brush take a little Lemon Yellow, Sap Green and a touch of white on the tip of the brush and carefully stipple to shape and highlight trees and bushes. A touch of blue or Yellow Ochre can be added to the trees if you want to vary the shades. Finish the bushes with a fine no. 000 brush to define the foliage. 03. Paint the grass Use a half-inch flat brush and mix Lemon Yellow and a little Sap Green with water to make a thin wash for the lawn areas. For the tablecloth, use a no. 2 brush, a little water, and add a touch of black to Lemon Yellow to paint the folds in the tablecloth. When dry, use a no. 4 brush and glaze with a thin wash of yellow and water over the whole cloth. Use white for highlights. 04. Create underpainting Use a no.4 brush and mix Sap Green and Mars Black with a little water to block in the dark background for the flowers in front of the table. Draw in pencil the outline of the pots and flowers on to the dark green. Use a no. 000 brush with white and a little water and carefully define the shapes of the flowers, leaves and pots. The dark background will cause the white paint to look dull. Paint over the areas again that you wish to lighten, leaving the darker areas untouched. This will create more contrast. Other plants and flowers in the garden can also be painted in white. 05. Enrich the colours When the white paint is dry, use a no. 0 brush to mix washes of pure colour (adding no white) and test the consistency of colour before applying. Use Sap Green with a little water and carefully glaze colour over foliage. Add a little yellow to the green for the geranium leaves. Use a wash of Crimson for the roses, Cadmium Red for the geranium flowers and Burnt Sienna with a little Yellow Ochre for the pots. Repeat the glazes if needed to enrich colours. All the foliage in the back of the garden can also be painted this way. Shadows on the lawn can be created by using a wash of Sap Green and black using a no. 4 brush. A final glaze of yellow and green over the whole area can brighten the lawn. 06. Add details I paint the chairs using a fine no. 000 brush in white mixed with a little water to a smooth consistency; I use a touch of black to define their shape. I outline the glasses and jug in white, leaving a little white at the bottom. Add a touch of yellow and Cadmium Red for the orange juice. Outline the shape of the cat in black and for its fur, add Yellow Ochre and white mixed with black. For the patio, make a thin wash using Burnt Sienna and a little black. Dab with a tissue for a mottled look. 07. Paint the patio and hollyhocks Use a no. 000 brush with a mix of Sap Green and black to define the bricks and the grass between. Add shadows to the bricks using a no. 2 brush with a wash of Burnt Sienna and black. You can add dropped petals and little stones for more interest. Outline the hollyhocks in white using a no. 000 brush. Mix white with a little Yellow Ochre and black for shading the petals. Carefully glaze with a thin wash of Crimson or leave white and use a dab of neat yellow for the centre of the flower. Paint the leaves carefully with a mix of green and black and highlight them with white and yellow. Finish with a green glaze to the leaves. Paint the outline of the watering can in black and use varying tones of grey for blocking in. To complete the painting, carefully paint a few leaves in green in the foreground. 08. Varnish and frame it Winsor & Newton Professional Satin or gloss varnish will seal and protect your work when dry. I prefer to use a spray varnish to avoid brush marks, and I hold the can about 10 inches away from the painting, carefully spraying in short bursts about four or five times to achieve an even finish. When dry, your miniature painting is ready to frame without glass. Liked this? Read these: How to draw and paint - 100 pro tips and tutorials How to create a beautiful watercolour landscape painting 5 simple tips for painting beautiful skies View the full article

Whether you're kitting out your home office or making buying decisions for a whole studio's worth of people, it's unlikely that computer keyboards will be at the top of the priority list – but that doesn't mean they're not important. Along with a great mouse, the right keyboard can make you more productive, whether that's down to ergonomics, ease of use or built-in shortcuts. Perhaps you're suffering from carpal tunnel or RSI, the bane of many creatives' lives – the right peripheral can help with both. Or maybe it's none of the above, and you're just looking for a more stylish addition to your carefully art-directed studio space. Whatever your reasons for hunting out a new keyboard, read on for our guide to eight of the best... Logitech's pitching squarely at designers, illustrators and digital artists with this frankly excellent wireless keyboard, which if you can afford the price tag could give a tidy boost to both your creativity and your productivity. The real game-changer with this keyboard is its multi-function dial (the 'Crown') at the top-left, which enables you to control parameters in your favourite Adobe applications – including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Premiere Pro – as well as Microsoft Office packages. Zoom in and out, tap to show and fine-tune tool parameters quickly and easily, and adjust everything from scale and opacity of objects to size, leading and tracking of text. There's nothing quite like the feel of a good-quality mechanical keyboard, giving you proper crisp, tactile feedback on every keystroke by substituting the rubber domes used by cheap models for proper, functional switches – usually from the Cherry MX range. As well as lasting longer, mechanical keyboards also enable faster, more accurate typing. Step up the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum. Ostensibly a gaming keyboard, complete with RGB backlighting, it's also a great shout for designers keen to assign macro functions to the six dedicated keys – for your most-used Adobe actions, for instance. Thanks to its 8MB of onboard memory, these macros can be saved onto the keyboard itself, making it perfectly portable between machines once programmed (although the complex software makes this a little tricky). Like the Logitech Craft, this is certainly not a cheap option, but if you make full use of its capabilities, it's worth the hit. All too many designers suffer from conditions such as RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome, with awkward keyboard shortcuts and repetitive keyboard actions often the culprit. Kinesis' Advantage2 LF definitely stands out from the other great keyboards on this list for its unique aesthetics, which are designed entirely with ergonomics in mind. Concave key wells on each side of the keyboard minimise strain on your arms and fingers as you type, while the mechanical Cherry MX Red linear switches make typing as smooth and satisfying as possible. And if keyboard shortcuts are your issue, the Advantage2 LF rather puts Corsair's K95 RGB Platinum to shame with a staggering 48 programmable macros. Many of the keyboards on this list are wireless, but what makes the Penclic KB3 worthy of note is the way it combines attention to ergonomic detail with versatile device compatibility: it's neatly geared up to toggle between MacOS, iOS, Windows and Android devices. A family-run Swedish company, Penclic designs computer accessories that help to reduce RSI and other desk-related ailments, with features such as light key travel, comfortable spacing, and a subtle gradient to its aluminium body. The black version (pictured) features stylish orange and teal highlights to identify particular functions, and it also comes in pink and gold varieties for designers keen to accessorise. Compared to some of the eye-watering price tags on this list, Anker's Apple-inspired white offering is quite simply incredibly good value. It can connect via Bluetooth to the Android, iOS, Windows or MacOS device of your choice, and the low-profile, matte-finish keys make for a surprisingly satisfying typing experience for the price. Of course, the fact that its look and feel are so obviously influenced by Apple – albeit crafted from budget plastic, rather than aluminium – may make this keyboard look a little out-of-place for PC users, but that's a small price to pay considering, well, the small price you've paid. This is our pick for the best keyboard for iPad Pro users. If you've already splashed out on a top-of-the-range iPad, the price tag on this high-end keyboard case – which adds the tactile satisfaction of mechanical keys to your device – won't dissuade you. Perfect for working on the move, you'll get almost the same performance as a full-sized mechanical keyboard, all thanks to Razer's very own ultra-low-profile mechanical switches. There's also adjustable backlighting, which can make a dramatic difference to the battery life if you choose to turn it down. The stable and sturdy metal kickstand is also a nice touch. Targeting both smartphone and tablet owners, Logitech's K780 keyboard expands on its earlier iteration, the K380 – quite literally, as it's now longer, including a handy number pad. Like its predecessor, the K780 can pair with up to three devices at once using Bluetooth or wireless, so you can toggle between them as you type on the comfortable rounded keys. Slot your iPhone, iPad and/or Android device into the perfectly-placed slot in the keyboard's base – which can hold devices up to 11.3mm thick in an upright position – to make everything more comfortable. Easily the most 'fun-sized' and compact keyboard on the list, Microsoft's offering is roughly the size of a pack of cards when folded in half (at just under 15cm), making it perfectly pocket-sized and ideal for travelling. It works with Android, Windows Phone and iOS over Bluetooth, and has USB charging. While it's perfectly portable, however, you will still need a flat, stable surface to type on as you won't be able to use this on your lap very comfortably. Liked this? Read these: The best laptops for graphic design 63 best free fonts for designers 8 best external hard drives and SSDs View the full article

Your devices are full of important files that you would be lost without. Instead of experiencing the panic that a sudden hard drive crash or malfunction can cause, rest easy knowing your data is safe in the hands of SpiderOak. Get a full year of access to 2TB of cloud storage, on sale now for just $39.99 (approx. £30). You're creating new data every single day, every time you save a file or pull out your phone to snap a photo. Instead of running the risk of having all that data disappear without warning, keep that information safe and accessible with SpiderOak. You can get 2TB of storage to keep your data protected. Whether your hard drive's files go missing because of an error or a malicious attack, your cloud-stored files will be safe, secure, and always accessible on SpiderOak's encrypted servers. You can get a one-year subscription to 2TB of cloud storage space from SpiderOak on sale now for just $39.99 (approx. £30). That's a saving of 84% off the retail price. It's well worth it for the peace of mind that a cloud storage solution provides, so grab this offer 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: 9 security tips to protect your website from hackers Google's free cloud storage app is finally here How CodePen made itself secure View the full article

If you've not heard of the term user experience (UX), the clue's in the title. It's about creating a great experience for the users of your website. And that's less about making it look aesthetically pleasing and more about making it easy to use. The secret to a good UX is not to make users have to think about what they're doing: it should come naturally to them to find what they're looking for and interact with your site. In a web design agency, user experience may be the responsibility of the team as a whole or a specific UX designer. There are even entire firms that specialise in user experience consultancy. In this post we've grouped together the best articles, interviews and tips featured on Creative Bloq on the subject of user experience. Whatever your level of expertise, you're bound to find something to help your understanding and improve your technique. And we'll keep coming back to this post and updating it, so make sure you keep it bookmarked. Opening illustration: Neil Stevens Introduction to UX 01. 5 UX lessons you can learn in the toilet Fundamental UX advice for fundamental experiences Bear with us for a second. If you're looking to get started in UX design, you can learn some fundamental lessons by focusing on... ahem... basic functions. In this amusing but super-useful article, Chris How runs through the UX lessons you can learn from public bathrooms. 02. Essential TED talks for UX designers Do you know what TED stands for? Technology, education, design. As such, there have been plenty of talks exploring the intersection of technology and design over the years. Here we've rounded up the best – starting with Tom Wujec's 'Got a wicked problem? First, tell me how you make toast'. 03. The 5 biggest UX design trends for 2018 Voice-first interfaces are changing the game in UX Technological advances and consumer trends have had a big impact on the shape of user experience. This article explores the big themes that UX designers need to focus their efforts on in 2018, from invisible interfaces to the rise of VR. You can also take a look at what went down in UX in 2017. 04. UX tips for creating a flawless website This is a great infographic to pin or save for later If you're in a hurry and are after a quick rundown of the fundamentals of user experience, look here. This infographic lays out 10 essential UX principles in a snappy fashion. UX tips and advice 05. Unified UX In this talk from the Generate New York 2016 conference, Cameron Moll takes on the challenge presented by the increasing numbers of devices and connected objects in the digital landscape. He offers advice for how to create an experience that flows seamlessly between different devices as the user moves from one to another. 06. Tips for better mobile UX design Tailor your mobile experiences to keep your users happy It's no secret that mobile browsing is on the up. It's no good designing an experience that works perfectly on desktop but falls apart on mobile. So with that in mind, this tutorial rounds up advice for keeping your mobile users happy. 07. The UX of typography explained Good typography has a big impact on UX Getting your typography right can have a big impact on the usability of your website or app. In this short article, Sam Kapila takes a look at the principles you need to follow to ensure your type doesn't frustrate users, and presents some best practice examples. 08. Building device-agnostic UX systems Users increasingly switch between different devices to complete the same task, depending on what's convenient for them at the time. This means our UX strategy now has to transcend devices – offering a consistent experience no matter where the user is coming from. This Generate talk from Anna Dahlström will help you get started. 09. Four tenets of UX strategy In this in-depth long read, Jaime Levy breaks down four key elements you need to understand in order to develop a cohesive and effective UX strategy. The extract is taken from Levy's book UX Strategy, which focuses on advice for how to devise innovative digital products that people want. You can read more of the book on her website, where you'll also find useful links to her talks. 10. The theory of UX This long-read takes a closer look at the scientific theory behind user experience. It explores the type of data you can collect and how to find the right meaning in this data to inform the user experiences you design. 11. Designing for a crisis Nobody wants to think about the worst-case scenario, but it's in cases like these that the right design can have the most impact. In this moving talk from Generate London, Eric Meyer draws on personal experience to make a case for building extreme use cases into your UX design. You can also read the article on Medium here. 12. Conflict is the key to great UX Many people would argue that good UX is about creating smooth, snag-free experiences, but in his Generate talk, Steve Fisher presents the idea that conflict is an essential ingredient. Next page: The role of UX and case studies The role of UX 13. Why UX designers have the best job in the world The job of UX designer may seem a little woolly. This article by Yael Levy explores exactly what the role entails and what makes a great UX designer. If you're thinking of getting involved, here's a good place to see what UX is all about. 14. UX tools to try this year This UX project checklist contains essential advice As part of a general boom in design tools, we've also seen plenty of new UX tools surfacing in recent months. This post gathers together the best ones to explore, and explains what each one of them does so you can pick what suits your needs. 15. The UX designer's survival guide In this Generate talk, Media Temple's Lissa Aguilar presents a survival guide for current or prospective UI designers. It includes how to set up your compass, get a lay of the land, and the Swiss Army Knife of tools you'll need. 16. Essential tools for freelance UX designers These tools will help if you're thinking of going freelance If you're thinking of going it alone as a freelance UX designer, take a look at this list of essential tools. There are tools dedicated to analytics and user testing, but also ones to help you with your business, including accounting and proposal tools. 17. Why web design needs UX experts Many people would argue that ensuring a good user experience is everyone's responsibility. This article by Andy Budd asks if that is the case, do we really need UX experts? The answer, he argues, is a resounding yes. 18. UX portfolios done right Advice for showing off your UX skills Every type of designer needs a cracking portfolio to promote themselves... but UX design doesn't lend itself too well to traditional portfolio approaches. This article explores how to best showcase your work, and presents a selection of great UX portfolio sites to look through. Case studies 19. Discover Google's UX design secrets Rachel Inman helps shape Google's user experince UX design lead Rachel Inman works at Google. In this interview from net magazine, she explains her personal approach to UX design, and how that scales to a search giant like Google. 20. How Jaime Levy became a UX strategy guru Jaime Levy's book on UX Strategy has been published in six different languages, and is regarded as one of the definitive works on UX. In this interview, the American author, university professor, interface designer and UX strategist shares the journey to becoming one of the world's foremost UX experts. 21. How UX strategy can change the world In this talk from the Generate London conference, Jaime Levy explains how she put together a UX strategy for a futuristic international transportation system called Hyperloop. The scheme used a unified network of digital touchpoints where shared big data and app interfaces are seamlessly connected across various different transport systems (such as bikes, tuk-tuks and buses). 22. The best UX/UI Instagram accounts to follow Instragram users such as Jürgen Leckie have plenty to teach you about UX Instagram is a great social media platform to use to integrate UX inspiration and tips into your daily life. In this post we run down the best accounts to follow, to spark ideas and perhaps even some collaborations. Liked this? Read this: 12 huge web design trends for 2018 7 game-changing web design tools 38 brilliantly designed 404 error pages View the full article

As a visual creative, colour is one of the most important tools at your disposal. But how do you go about creating the perfect colour scheme for your design? These apps can all help you pick the perfect palette, to make your design sing. And the best news is, they’re all completely free. Check out our guides to colour theory and using colour in branding to help you pick a palette, then give these apps a try. 01. Color Hunter Upload an image and generate a colour scheme with this free web appColor Hunter is a browser-based tool that lets you find and make colour palettes created from images. Just upload your image and get a palette based on the colours it contains. Alternatively, enter a search term in the box at the top of the page; Color Hunter then searches Flickr.com for matching images and uses them to create a colour palette. 02. ColorExplorer Use ColorExplorer to create palettes and then export them to software like PhotoshopColorExplorer is a free online toolbox for designing and working with colour palettes. Developed for professional designers, it’s been in development since 2006 and all features are free to use. These include colour matching; browsing popular colour libraries; conversion hints between multiple colour libraries (RAL, TOYO, and more); palette export for use in software like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign; colour palette analysis and import from images and text files; and centrally stored palettes for easy access. 03. Paletton Paletton uses colour theory to present you with harmonious colour combinationsFormerly known as Color Scheme Designer, Paletton is a designer tool for creating colour combinations that work together well. You start with a base colour, and Paletton then generates similar shades that will complement it. In this way, the web app guides you through building up a colour palette for your design based on one of five styles, which it calls Mono, Complement, Triad, Tetrad and Free style. 04. COPASO COPASO lets you create a colour scheme in three waysCOPASO is an advanced colour palette creator from creative community COLOURlovers (it also provides a more basic alternative here). COPASO’s one-stop interface lets you create a colour scheme in one of three ways: choosing colours, uploading images, or entering CMYK or HEX values. You can save and publish your colour palettes, and there’s even the handy ability to add notes to them. 05. Colorzilla With ColorZilla you can get a colour reading from any point in your browserColorzilla is an extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers to assist designers with colour related tasks, both basic and advanced. With ColorZilla you can get a colour reading from any point in your browser, adjust this colour, and paste it into another program. You can also analyse the page, inspect a palette of its colours, and create advanced multi-stop CSS gradients. 06. Pictaculous Pictaculous lets you generate a colour palette from any photo or imagePictaculous is a colour palette tool from email marketing giants MailChimp that enables you to generate a colour palette from any photo or image, in PNG, JPG or GIF format. It also gives you suggestions from COLOURlovers of similar colour palettes, and lets you download an Adobe Swatch of your chosen palette. 07. Coolers.co Coolers.co generates a new palette every time you press the spacebarCoolers.co is a web app that offers a quite unusual way to find the right colour scheme. Basically, every time you press the spacebar a new palette is generated, so the idea is you keep going until you find the right inspiration. Alternatively, you can browse through the various palettes that other users have found and liked. 08. Color Hunt Color Hunt offers a curated collection of colour palettesSimilar to Coolers.co above, Color Hunt offers a “curated collection of beautiful colors, updated daily”. Add its Chrome extension to your browser, and you’ll get a new colour palette every time you refresh your browser window. Related articles: 6 fantastic editorial designs and what we can learn from them How to use images more effectively in annual reports 10 skills graphic designers need to get ahead in 2018 View the full article

When applying for a job, people often say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Well, we call BS on that. In our industry, talent and creativity are obviously paramount. But that’s a little vague, isn’t it? What are employers in the VFX business really looking for? Production studio Saddington Baynes gives us the breakdown on just what it takes to make it in CG – from preferred career paths, to building a standout portfolio, and fitting in with office culture. So! Here’s the inside track – how to work your way into a top digital artist position, brought to you by the people in the know at Saddington Baynes: ECD James Digby-Jones, creative director Andrew White and HR manager Poppy Boden. Where do I start? The majority of our artists are, generally speaking, ‘classically trained’. They’ve often got a degree or equivalent in fields ranging from: Animation and VFX Graphic Design Illustration Photography Computer Science Automotive Design Computer Games Modelling and Animation Industrial Design Software Development Engineering We're diverse from top to bottom. The key things we look for when choosing a candidate are passion in their work, strong technical knowledge, a keen eye for detail and above all a creative mind. What experience do I need? An impressive CV and portfolio is great – essential, even – but in addition to relevant experience, we're looking for passion and commitment. You need to be aware of new and emerging technologies driving creative trends and innovations. Ultimately, we work with a massive range of brands and agencies; from healthcare to FMCG, apparel to automotive. If a specific role within our portfolio needs filling, then we’ll hunt for the candidates with the most compatible and relevant skills. A good fit Top compositors and brilliant lighting specialists don’t just appear when you wish for them (unfortunately!). It also goes a long way if you have an interest in design culture, comics, films, animation and video games. It might sound like a cliche, but there’s a constant buzz in the studio about these subjects – it’s part of our culture. When we’re recruiting, we consider how well candidates might fit with the rest of the team. How do I build a perfect portfolio? We like to see good ideas executed well. Everything should come together as an aesthetically appealing whole, but it's the subtle details, the deliberate imperfections and the nuances that create authenticity and engage your audience emotionally. A good artist follows the brief. A great artist brews up a perfect storm with their intent, concept, design and creative flair linking together perfectly. You know it when you see it. The do's Strive for realism when needed Keep an eye on those details! Show your imagination/flair Tailor your examples to your audience Solve problems & come up with new ideas Think outside the box The don'ts Use effects for the sake of it Ignore the physics of light or perspective Give no context to your work Show only technical ability without imagination Do I need to know my way around a particular software? We use a wide (and growing) range of software in the studio and as part of our pipeline, but specific box tickers are experience in Maya, Houdini, Nuke and the Adobe suite. Newcomers tend to arrive with experience of some, if not all, of these software packages. But there’s always scope to improve and develop new technical skills! None of our creatives ever stop learning. Keep learning Newcomers tend to arrive with experience of some or all of the softwares described above, but there’s scope over and above that to develop further skills. Our artists never stop learning, both on the job as well as in R&D projects and via the various online tutorials and training courses available. Self-initiated learning is encouraged and expected here; our artists are very much in control of how fast and how far they grow and develop. How much time will I need to commit to the job? We start a little later to accommodate for London’s heaving transport systems – our standard hours are 9:30am to 6:00pm, Monday to Friday. But you never know what's around the corner. We get a wide variety of work, thanks in part to the diversity of our clients, which keeps us on our toes. There’s never a dull moment. Technology is ever changing and we are well on the way to developing a remote working platform, but right now we prefer our artists to work in-house. It’s not just a productivity thing, it also goes a long way towards creating our buzzing atmosphere, and makes collaboration between and within teams seamless. We love it in the studio. Where will I fit in the studio hierarchy? An open door management structure is important in any creative business. At our studio, everyone is encouraged to have a view and take on responsibility for their own projects. It’s important that team members from all levels of the business can get their heads together to successfully solve challenges. There’s no time to stand on ceremony – everyone has a voice and is encouraged to use it to get results. Sometimes this means the best ideas come from the bottom up, which is as it should be. Is it fun? We don’t ask anyone to leave their personalities at the door. Our people say it’s like joining a family…but with free croissants, fruit and beer every week. Plus, you get to play with Fidget, our handsome office dog, and enjoy our two annual staff jollies thrown in on top of our other benefits – including discounts at high street brands and restaurants. Neat. Be courageous. Take pride. Collaborate. This is the mantra that sits behind everything we do. It represents us at our best – we strive to deliver to an incredibly high standard every day and to challenge traditional means of image creation, so we can bring visual stories to life. Of course, we all work hard. You don’t create great art unless you’re prepared to sweat the small stuff and take pride in what you do. So, we work hard – but we make sure everyone’s rewarded for their efforts, and we play hard too. Saddington Baynes CEO Chris Christodoulou and senior digital artist Marc Shephard will be presenting a masterclass on 'Mass customisation of visual imagery: The challenges – and how technology can help' at Vertex, our debut event for the CG community. Don’t miss out, book your ticket now at vertexconf.com. There are still some amazing workshops we’ve yet to announce so keep an eye on our website, where you can also find out more about the other amazing speakers, workshops, recruitment fair, networking event, expo and more. Read more: Which CG discipline is right for you? How to press start on your game art career Create better character animations in Maya View the full article

Pursuing a career as an illustrator is the dream of plenty of creative freelancers. More often than not it's a chance to follow an artistic passion and to produce work that you're proud of. But what's life as an illustrator really like? To give you an idea, Ben the Illustrator has taken the industry's pulse with his Illustrator's Survey 2017. Having been self-employed in the creative sector for almost 20 years, Ben the Illustrator is in the perfect position to gauge the state of the industry. He's experienced all the ups and downs that the sector has to offer, so towards the end of 2017 he decided to get feedback from as many fellow illustrators as possible to see how their results tallied. And today he's announced that the results to the Illustrator's Survey 2017 are in. Exploring everything from how illustrators got into their line of work to how they promote themselves, the survey is a rigorous dissection of the issues surrounding creative freelancers. A majority of illustrators found that they weren't earning enough to live sustainably Beautifully brought to life by Ben the Illustrator with his signature illustration style, the results are a mixed bag of good and bad news. On the one hand, it looks like the work rate in 2017 looked healthy for the most part, however a majority of illustrators found that they weren't earning enough to live sustainably through their creative work alone. Interestingly, when you add the percentages of respondents who said they have creative and non-creative full-time jobs with an illustration sideline, you see that 44 per cent of professional illustrators are doing it in their spare time – almost as many as those working full-time. Another troubling statistic turfed up by the survey is that an overwhelming 79 per cent of illustrators feel that they have anxieties or confidence issues that affect their careers. Capping off the survey are some open questions that ask why illustrators decided to pursue their career, what they think could improve the industry as a whole, and what they think are the biggest concerns facing their business. Take a look at some of the statistics below, and be sure to head over to Ben the Illustrator's survey page to see the full set of results. Related articles: 10 hottest illustrators now How to illustrate for an event 18 illustrators to follow on Instagram View the full article

A recent Frubes animated commercial shows two characters, animated yogurts, fishing on a frozen ocean. One tries to freeze the other by sawing a hole in the ice, only to end up falling in the water and freezing himself. The 25 greatest animated music videosAardman Animations created the Try Me Frozen campaign to promote freezing the children’s yogurt to make ice lollies. It’s a self-contained story, complete with a twist, a joke and a punchline, told front to back in under 20 seconds. It’s charming. It’s funny. It’s silly. It’s everything Aardman does best. The Try Me Frozen commercial shows animated yogurts fishing on a frozen ocean and is full of Aardman’s trademark humour “The big thing Aardman is based on is really strong characters and storytelling,” says Jess McKillop, an executive producer and head of production resources. “And that can go into any kind of production that a client would be looking for. We try and bring warmth and humour to any idea that our partners may have. “The truth is: you can have a line drawing, stick figures. If the story’s right, then it doesn’t really matter what the method is.” From Morph to Chicken Run Morph first appeared on television in 1977. A new series of the Morph TV show is planned for 2018 Peter Lord and David Sproxton founded Aardman Animations in 1972. Four years later, after moving to Bristol, UK, the pair created their first professional production. Its central character – a stop-motion, shape-shifting, gibberish-speaking plasticine man called Morph – would become an icon of children’s television for generations to come. Nick Park joined in 1985. The writer, director and animator created Wallace and Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep. Over the next two decades he earned six Oscar nominations, taking home four golden statuettes. In 1993, Park and his team completed The Wrong Trousers, Aardman’s first 30-minute story, one of the most successful animated films ever. It heralded a golden period for the studio: A Close Shave (Oscar winner), Wat’s Pig (another Oscar winner), Morph’s Files (a full TV series), Stage Fright (picked up a BAFTA), Rex The Runt (the studio’s first animated series for adults), Angry Kid (its first series released exclusively on the internet), and Flushed Away (the studio’s first CG film). They used live action, animation, paper craft, puppeteering; 2D and 3D and CGI and virtual reality. They saw hit after hit, innovation after innovation. But it was Chicken Run that really took things up a level. Directed by Lord and Park, and funded by DreamWorks, the studio’s first proper feature film came out in summer 2000. Reviews glowed. The box office banked over $220m. Chicken Run became the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time – all of the studio’s stop-motion films are among the highest-grossing stop-motion films of all time. In total, Aardman films have earned almost a $1 billion worldwide. But films are just a small part of what the studio does. As well as films, TV shows and advertising campaigns, Aardman works on apps, games and websites. You can see Aardman characters in museums and exhibitions, in live shows and in theme parks around the world. Fitting all the cogs together Aardman created the Vimtoad for Vimto soft drinks, an action-packed commercial that sees the character battle with a rival toad McKillop works on projects from ideas stage to completion, overseeing all the various departments involved. “Your job,” she says, “is to make sure that every single cog in the wheels fits seamlessly together.” A big part of McKillop's role as producer is bridging the gap between what the client wants and what the director wants: “You’ve only got a set budget. But you might have a situation where the director wants three different things, and you can only afford two of them. “The director is more the creative and the producer the organiser. It’s not the producer’s job to tell the director what to do. It’s working as a partnership. And sometimes you have to say, ‘We haven’t got time for the monkey, the giraffe and the elephant.‘” McKillop works on as many as 10 projects at a time. No two jobs are completely alike. But usually the studio receives a script from a client or an agency representing the client. A director joins. The director and client work out a vision between them. McKillop helps put together a schedule, a plan and a team – often freelancers support the in-house team. They record sound first, because the team animates to dialogue. They create an animatic, a timed storyboard. Designers get to work on the characters, then rig them with a skeleton: physically in the case of puppets, digitally for everything else. Lighting and polishes in sound and overall appearance bring the project to a close. It can take between a few weeks to several months – or years in the case of feature films. The best video editing softwareFixing broken things Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the second-highest grossing stop motion animated film ever, behind Chicken Run, another Nick Park creation Ben Toogood first worked for Aardman on Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. He joined the company full-time a few years later and is now head of 3D. A large part of his job is “fixing things that’ve broken... the bits no-one else wants to do, the leftovers.” Toogood supervised the Frubes project. His team was small, six people, but it took them just four weeks to complete the commercial. Yet in contrast to commercials, Toogood says, films offer a lot more time to “get down to the nitty gritty” and make it “exactly how you and the director wants it to be.” Commercials are more about the big picture – making sure the bones are solid – and can’t always be as slick as feature films. “You can forgive a few bits and bobs here there,” he says. Project Everyone, from 2015, is a great example of how Aardman Animation manages to tie together its work in so many different fields. In The Headquarters of the United Nations, each country’s representative is a furry animal. When the speaker of the house, a llama in spectacles, announces a new initiative to end extreme poverty and to tackle climate change, a huge party ensures. It’s charming and full of warmth. We immediately care about the characters and therefore we immediately care about what they have to say. Mat Rees works as supervising senior animator. He says it’s a 50/50 split between the more recognisable Aardman productions – the stop-frame, plasticine stuff – and the CG work, such as the UN project. But even in commercial work, where clients increasingly want more for their money, with budgets smaller and deadlines tighter, Rees still manages to have fun. Moving characters about When not working on Aardman products like Wallace & Gromit, staff are encouraged to use the studio to work on personal projects “In the short films, you have a reasonably small team. So you keep everyone tight. You just have the director to deal with. When you’re making commercials you’ve got the director, and the agency above them, and above them you got the clients. So there are more levels of approval. “But even if a character’s not my thing, I still enjoy moving it around, getting something out of it that way.” Rees says the studio is also happy to try new technologies. He worked on Google’s Spotlight Stories – a series of 360-degree immersive videos for mobile and virtual reality. Aardman’s contribution, Special Delivery, is about a lonely janitor on Christmas Eve. The challenge was telling the story in a non-linear manner. Special Delivery offers a number of small stories within the larger narrative, depending on where the viewer chooses to look. “It’s only when you look at stuff in the headset,” he says, “that you realise you can do so much stuff with it... But there’s no grand plan. When something like that comes in, we just get stuck in.” Next month, Nick Park releases his next film, a “prehistoric adventure” called Early Man. There’s also a Shaun the Sheep sequel in the pipeline. But for Rees, the best thing about working at Aardman isn’t the big feature films. It’s something far simpler, something that encapsulates the studio’s whole ethos: Aardman allows staff to work on their own projects. More than that, they can use the studio to do it and other staff members are encouraged to help out. “That’s one thing people are always surprised about,” Rees says. “But it’s good for your own development, and it adds to the company, too.” This article was originally published in issue 154 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists – packed with workshops and interviews with fantasy and sci-fi artists, plus must-have kit reviews. Buy issue 154 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: 8 of the best animated shorts 5 top tips for young animators 20 top character design tips View the full article

The GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) is, as the name suggests, aptly suited to animation on the web. But it can actually do far more than that; GSAP can vary any numeric value over time. Morphing SVGs, animating CSS variables, tweening elements across the screen, changing text and PNG sprite animations are all possible. Team it up with some form of controller (such as the brilliant ScrollMagic) and you really do have a powerful base from which to create highly interactive and immersive experiences. In this tutorial, I'll run though the basics of the program, and show you how to get started creating your own timeline-based animations in JavaScript. Then we'll discuss the relative benefits of CSS keyframe animations and GSAP animations. The basics of GSAP GSAP comprises two main elements: TweenMax, which enables you to animate the properties of any object (for example the transform of a DOM element); and TimelineMax, which enables you to create sequences of tweens. Both come in Lite varieties, which contain just the bare essentials, and fewer options and plugins than what are bundled with the Max varieties. To get started we’ll need a copy of TweenMax, but by far the simplest way is to head over to CodePen where you can ‘Quick Add’ TweenMax and start creating right away. TweenMax contains TimelineMax and most of the plugins we’ll need, other than CustomBounce (used in the last step), which is a paid-for plugin. Before we delve too deep into GSAP, I thought it would be fun for us to get something moving, so we are going to create a simple bouncing-balls animation. We’ll focus on just the JavaScript/GSAP code here, so head over to the tutorial CodePen for the full code. Get something moving We have a scene consisting of the sky, the ground and three balls, so let’s get the balls falling to the ground. We achieve this using GSAP’s .to() method, which takes three arguments: the object (our ball DOM selector), the duration (two seconds) and a vars object. The balls will fall, bounce, squish and raise back up, all in a few lines of code The vars can be any property we want to alter. In our case, we wish to move each ball by 150px so that they hit the floor. Changing the y property will achieve this for us. Let’s make things a bit more realistic. When a ball hits the ground, it should bounce. TweenMax has a whole host of easing functions built in to it, most of which are customisable. We’ll select the conveniently named ‘Bounce’ ease to get the effect we want. This goes in as one of the properties of the vars object. Now that we’ve got things looking a bit more realistic, we can take advantage of TweenMax’s staggerTo() method. This takes all the same arguments as the .to() method used before, along with an additional stagger value. This creates the effect of the balls falling one after another. We have also added an infinite repeat (-1) and repeat delay so that we can watch our beautiful creation forever more. Our animation is nearly complete, but notice how at the end of each loop the balls return to the start instantly, as if by magic – that’s not what we want. GSAP allows us to add the yoyo:true property, which will make the animation reverse back to the start. However, with our bounce ease, this looks unnatural because the balls bounce back up from the ground to the start. Since v1.20.0 we now have access to the yoyoEase property, which tells our animation how it should reverse. This means that we can bounce on the way down, but have a more natural ease on the way up. In this next step, we'll be using a paid plugin (more on those in a second). CustomBounce allows us to define a bounce and squash value, giving the balls a realistic feel. First we must create the CustomBounce and specify the strength and squash values. Then we create a TimelineMax and move our repeat and delay parameters to it. We then add two separate staggerTo tweens to this timeline. The first specifies the bounce behaviour. The second specifies how it should squash, but we set it to start at the same time as the first by adding 0 (the start) as the final parameter. Using a timeline, we lose access to the handy yoyoEase we used earlier to great effect, so we add this final step of code to our timeline: GSAP plugins GSAP comes with the Tween and Timeline methods to animate and sequence animations, but there is a raft of other plugins available to extend the functionality. This list is not exhaustive, but covers the most useful (see full list). Let's start with those include in the free download: Draggable Make any DOM element draggable and spinnable ScrollTo Smooth scroll to any position on the page attr Animate any attr value on a DOM element CSS Tween any CSS value Bezier Animate any property (including position) along a curved path colorProps Tween any colour property, including hex, rgba and string Not everything in GSAP is free. Some plugins are reserved for paid members, including the CustomBounce plugin we used in the last stage of our tutorial. These are some of the best paid-for GSAP plugins: SpiltText Split text strings into words or characters – for animated titles ScrambleText Randomise strings of text – for animating between words CustomWriggle Provide ‘wriggles’ to create anticipation and playfulness CustomBounce Create natural-looking bounces – including a ‘squish’ value MorphSVG Tween any SVG object from one shape to another DrawSVG Progressively hide or reveal sections of SVG elements CSS versus GSAP You may be thinking you’ve got everything you need with CSS keyframe animations and transitions, so why would you need GSAP? Don’t get me wrong, CSS transitions still have their place, and for anything extremely simple – such as button-hover effects – they are still the option I’d choose. But as soon as you need to do any form of sequencing, CSS quickly starts to struggle. Being able to offset one part of an animation based on the end of another part of the animation, without having to calculate keyframe percentages, is enough to jump into GSAP alone. The two compared You’ll often hear people saying that CSS animations are more performant than JavaScript animations, which is actually a fallacy – this isn’t always the case, and it certainly isn’t when you get to more complex situations. It depends on the browser and machine, and what you’re trying to animate. One thing that causes confusion here is that when people say ‘JavaScript animations’, they are often referring to their experience with jQuery effects, which more often than not are pretty abysmal. In this situation GSAP (on the left) greatly outperforms CSS (on the right) transitions In fact, if we take a particle-type animation as an example and animate them to create the hyperspace type effect shown above, you would see that with CSS we get a lot of mistimed animations and banding starting to occur. With jQuery we’re getting a lot of slow down and banding, and it is clearly not up to the task. But GSAP performs admirably, even on a poorly specced machine. Sprite animation with GSAP Create sprite animations like this cheeky monkey one on Inside Asia Tours (click to see) One thing that I have often used GSAP for is to create a sprite animation. A sprite animation involves making a series of images appear and hide quickly. This is achieved by transforming a sprite image past a ‘whole’ (<div> with overflow:hidden) with a stepped ease, making the image rest, then disappear instantly at the correct frame rate. This can be done in one line of JavaScript with a few calculations. The effect can also be achieved in CSS, but is far less performant. For a comparison between the two, and the code to do this, head here. This article originally appeared in issue 299 of net, the magazine for professional web designers and developers – offering the latest new web trends, technologies and techniques. Buy issue 299 here or subscribe to net here. Read more: Supercharge SVG animations with GSAP Export After Effects animations to HTML5 How to create animations that scale for all devices View the full article

Whether you’re designing a newspaper, newsletter, magazine or digital publication, the principles of good editorial design and layout are universal. But whether it's print design or online, each project comes with unique challenges – and it can be useful to see how other designers have tackled these in their own work. So here we bring you six stunning examples of editorial design from leading creatives, find out how they created them, and share some lessons that can be applied to all your editorial projects, large and small. 01. Otl Aicher's Isny by dn&co Otl Aicher's Isny: a limited edition book to accompany a major exhibition Over 10 years, the iconic German designer Otl Aicher created a poster series based on the small town of Isny im Allgäu. It was groundbreaking in eschewing the typical “colourful postcard” style in favour of a stark, reductive and monochrome approach. In a limited edition book, released this September to accompany a London exhibition of the work, dn&co delves into this groundbreaking project across 116 pages. "When it came to the layout of the book, the team felt a real sense of responsibility,” says creative director Patrick Eley. “We kept asking ourselves ‘What would Otl do?’ – shorthand for how we could bring rationale and order to the project. "It was a matter of ensuring the design was consistent with Aicher’s recognisable aesthetic, without being a copycat of it.” The layout needed to be consistent with the subject’s aesthetic The dn&co team opted for Univers, a typeface that was used as part of Isny’s branding, as well as for the Munich Olympics, the project Aicher is best known for. “It’s a simple but effective structure – the editorial frames the work, which is printed on an uncoated paper to reflect the material that the Isny posters were originally printed on,” says Eley. “The surrounding narrative is reproduced on a coated stock so the photos of the town pop out.” The pictograms only exist as physical prints, not vector artwork, so they had to photograph everything in high resolution to enable us to reproduce it as accurately as possible. And that led to some interesting dilemmas. “We wanted to reflect Aicher’s strongly gridded approach to his work for Isny,” says Eley, “but the closer we worked with it, the more we noticed the inconsistencies. For example, nothing is actually square as it originally appears and that caused a few headaches with our own grid.” Aicher’s pictograms had to be digitised in high resolution Eley’s main tip for anyone embarking on a similar project? “Good filing is vital,” he says. “Knowing where everything is, who took what photo and whether you’ve got something at a high enough resolution to print it is absolutely key.” Ultimately, he adds, you have to become really familiar with the book’s content. “Get close to the narrative, and remember that design and typography is a fundamental part of delivering any story. “In this case, we were very conscious that we didn’t want to ‘out art the art’. The design of this book needed to be recessive to the content, which was the real hero. So it had to be quiet and unopinionated, while acting to frame another designer’s work and give it context. Ultimately it was a question of respect.” 02. This Is Me, Full Stop by Here Design This Is Me, Full Stop explores punctuation marks in a fun way This Is Me, Full Stop: The Art, Pleasures, and Playfulness of Punctuation is a book created by London design agency Here Design that harnesses beautiful design to explore “the secret life of punctuation marks”. It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to explore a niche topic, and makes great use of simplicity and whitespace to tie everything together; a trick that might look easy but is much harder to achieve in practice. “When it came to layout,” says Here Design’s Caz Hildebrand, “our biggest decision was to make the text the formal consistent element throughout and allow the illustration and design to spread out and play as much as it wanted to, so that it could support and enhance the text’s meaning. It is always a joy to work with whitespace, though of course it is a challenge to have so much freedom.” Text provided consistency, allowing illustration and design free reign “The book’s text font was chosen to be reasonably friendly and approachable with the authority and strength of character to appeal to a broad audience range,” he continues. “It’s also worth noting that we created all the illustrations and designs using real-life typefaces – over 50 of them from Apple Chancery to Wedding Text; there’s a full list at the back. Championing typefaces both known and unsung was always part of the ambition.” High production values were also central. “To find the simplest way of expressing our book’s main idea, we used white foil lettering on black substrate, creating a striking contrast between matte and gloss that helps the book stand out,” he says. “For solidity, we had the book trimmed flush (we love seeing it in bookshops; it stacks up really nicely). And inside we used black end papers and chapter dividers to bring the reader back to the centrality of the cover.” All the illustrations and designs were created using real-life typefaces Hildebrand offers the following advice for a designer coming fresh to editorial design: “Think about the experience of the reader." He continues: “Not all consciously designed things are necessarily friendly to read. So be the designer, but also be the reader – what would you expect to see? What would surprise you in a delightful way? In other words, it’s not just how it looks, it’s how it reads. “Help the text, don’t hide it. Typography can really endorse the words you are saying. And always remember that books evolve over many pages, so they need to retain an inherent formal structure while being able to break free.” Buy This Is Me, Full Stop03. Circular 19 by Pentagram Each issue of the one-and-a-half-yearly magazine has a unique design Circular 19, the 12th edition of The Typographic Circle’s magazine, was designed by Pentagram and marks the 40th anniversary of the volunteer-run and not-for-profit organisation, which aims to bring designers with an interest in type and typography together. “Circular, which comes out every 18 months, is an unusual publication as it does not carry any advertising and therefore is far more independent and we can do as we wish,” says designer Domenic Lippa. “It’s also important it appeals to its core audience of type enthusiasts.” The design of the publication is most noticeable for its use of big type. “We use this to create impact and to challenge preconceptions around what type is used for,” says Lippa. “For us, it's as important as imagery and is not used purely for information.” Big and bold typography is used to create impact and challenge perceptions When it comes to the design in general, each issue is a standalone piece, he adds. “We often decide upon an approach before we start designing and this includes the typefaces, the general look and feel and the colour palette. The colours help create a thread for the whole magazine.” Even within each issue, they aim for variety, he adds. “We want to keep challenging ourselves and stretch ourselves and not get bored, so each spread has a sense of individuality about it – we're not design fascists!” The designers use various layout approach even within each issue “For me, relationships of scale between various pieces of text is the most important element of editorial design; you should not be afraid to use type confidently,” he says. “I do believe that as designers we need to keep questioning the status quo; why are we doing it this way? Never stop learning and never stop trying things, otherwise you just dry up as a designer and as a thinker.” 04. Charm, Belligerence & Perversity by GBH Crazy cover, crazy guys Charm, Belligerence & Perversity: The Incomplete Works of GBH is a monograph written by Jason Gregory, Mark Bonner and Peter Hale, founders of GBH London. And the first thing you notice about it is its striking cover. “We wanted to make something that supported the idea that we’d only just begun and that we weren’t finished yet,” explains Mark Bonner. “We’re fascinated by our evolution and we loved the twist on the old idea that 100 monkeys in a room, given time, could create the complete works of GBH. We only have 25 at GBH, but give us a chance.” The book aims at a wider dialogue with the design community The team wanted the book to do two things, he says. “We needed to explain what went into the design of each project, and we wanted to have a wider dialogue with our readers about the insecurities and bravery that entwine in us all while we are making them. “We felt no-one had ever spoken about these uncomfortable truths. So many books on design are self-aggrandising, but we wanted to be honest and share the fact that we go through a lot of emotions in making new things.” Immersing yourself in the text is key to good editorial design, says Bonner In any editorial design project, Bonner believes it’s important to “read the text, feel it, know it intimately before you even think about trying to lay it all out.” And with this book especially, the typography needed to be accessible, and feel easy to read, he adds. “So we worked hard to find a typographic system that allowed the 'show and tell’ of the project stories and the psuedo-sycology to co-exist.” Buy Charm, Belligerence & Perversity: The Incomplete Works of GBH05. Mr B & Friends ‘Comfriendium’ 10 Year book A statement piece that Mr B & Friends sent to its clients To celebrate 10 years of creative collaborations, Bristol design studio Mr B & Friends produced Comfriendium, a statement piece to send to their clients. It’s an impressive publication with punchy colours and a high quality finish, including a gloss black and white foiling on the cover that adds subtlety and impact. Each page aims for maximum visual impact “Editorial permeates everything we do,” says executive creative director Steve Richardson. “From digital magazines and websites to annual reports and books, the content drives the message. "Gone are the days when an idea could be rolled out to a template; now the reader can click-off, turn the page and move to the next thing, so our goal is to guide the eye with storytelling merging words, graphics and imagery.” Playful use of imagery and strong colours keep things interesting He offers the following tips for anyone working in editorial design: “Invest in the best copywriting you can afford. If the words are brilliant, the design falls out onto the printed or digital page. Work closely with the author to get into their head so you understand the nuances. “Use wit,” he adds. Be playful with your use of highlights, illustrations, icons and imagery. Choose typefaces that work well online and in print. Good pairings that give light and shade to all communications, so you can tailor the editorial message to the medium.” And final tip is to add pace. “Each page and screen view should take the eye on a journey, sometimes punchy and energised, and sometimes subtle and soothing. Choose illustration and imagery to help reflect this.” 06. Photo District News website by James Johnson The multi-device world makes editorial design on the web a challenge All the examples we’ve included so far are print products, but as Steve Richardson mentions above, editorial design is just as important online; in many ways more so. A good example of editorial design on the web is Photo District News, a photography magazine that was redesigned in 2018 under the art direction of Brooklyn-based designer James Johnson. There’s an awful lot of information to be uncovered here, but the flexible, responsive layout of the site is designed with generous use of whitespace and elegant proportions that avoid ever feeling cluttered, whichever device you use it on. “Unlike print, on the web an article is usually designed as a whole, with all of its body copy on one page, and often the designer will not have control over how it's presented,” says Johnson. “It could be a phone, it could be printed out, or something else altogether. So it's important to make the articles flexible and resilient to changing conditions. “Keep layouts simple and embrace responsive design techniques,” he continues. “Try to get the main ideas across in each format and don't sweat the small differences between them. This is in contrast to the two-page spread of the magazine, where a designer decides exactly how the content will appear and when. Generous use of whitespace and elegant proportions make the site an easy read on all devices “Aside from that, keeping a page clean, with lots of whitespace and clear, readable typography, is even more important on the web than in print. Reading is hard on a screen so it's best not to distract the readers with a cluttered page.” The biggest mistakes Johnson sees online often stem from poor typography. “Line widths that are too wide is probably the biggest issue there,” he says. “I also see a lot of sites that try to use a print typeface for body copy.” Getting it right is partly about effective collaboration, he adds. “The designer's role is to provide a tangible form for the underlying concepts provided by the editor. This can't happen without a good relationship between the designer and editor. "So I can't stress this enough; work with your editors and really get to know their content and editorial philosophy before attempting to design anything. This will go a long way in ensuring that people want to read the article.” All the articles are easy to read and navigate on a smartphone screen In terms of design, you have to catch the reader’s attention right away and get them interested in the article, he adds. “The title and deck are key to this. Readers should be able to glance at the page and instantly know what the article is about. Write a great title and design it to really stand out. Adding a great photo or illustration that works with the title, conceptually and visually, will really bring it home. “Once you have their attention, great content backed by solid design will keep it. Pick a good web typeface and set the body copy large enough to be read easily. Break the article into sections and write headlines for each and use strategically placed images, pull quotes and other design elements to encourage readers to scroll.” You might also like: How to use images more effectively in annual reports 10 skills graphic designers need to get ahead in 2018 5 photography trends influencing designers in 2018 View the full article

Designers and creatives are increasingly using the ephemeral Instagram Stories – which disappear after 24 hours – to promote their brand, show off another side of their design portfolio, expand their reach and sell their products. There are now 300 million daily Story users, suggesting that around 60 per cent of Instagram's total users are using Stories, and people are spending more time than ever on the platform. As one in five organic Stories from businesses lead to a direct message, it's no wonder that brands are starting to focus more time and money on this area of Instagram. But using Stories well isn't just a case of taking the odd selfie, and the interface can be tricky to get to grips with at first. How do make the most of Stories' rich features and ensure you're adding value to your feed and your brand without annoying your followers? Read on to find out... 01. Consider sponsored vs free Stefan Kunz has attracted thousands of clicks from paid-for Instagram Stories, but you could always start with free Stories to hone your skills first Companies such as Samsung, Lego and D. Franklin all report success from sponsored Stories. And creatives like Stefan Kunz – a lettering artist with over 217,000 followers – are using paid campaigns to promote themselves and others. Kunz found that one campaign resulted in 1,000 clicks to his website, while promoting a fellow Instagrammer won his friend an additional 2,000 followers. But you don't necessarily need to create a paid campaign to reap the benefits of Stories. Marylou Faure – a French freelance illustrator based in London, who has over 37,000 followers – may be new to using Stories, but she's already noticed their impact. "Usually my Stories do better than my normal posts when it comes to products I'm trying to sell," she says. "It might be that my followers are a bit more open to seeing my self-promotion in my Stories than in my posts." 02. Experiment with videos and photos Instagram frequently adds new features to Stories, making exploration key. By using a mixture of the following features, you can add personality to your Stories and increase engagement. To create a new Story from your main newsfeed, swipe right or tap the camera icon in the top left corner. You can also click on your profile picture. Use saved photos by clicking on them, or scroll to choose from the following options: Live: Create a live video broadcast for up to 60 minutes Normal: Tap to take a photo, hold the button to make a video Boomerang: Take a burst of photos that create a looping video Superzoom: Make a video that zooms in on one object with a dramatic sound (tap to select an area to zoom in on, then hold to record) Rewind: Create a video that plays in reverse (hold to take a video, tap once to record hands-free) Hands-Free: Take a video by tapping just once Stop-motion: Make a video from a series of photos (tap to take individual photos) With all of these options, you can use the flip icon to switch to the front or rear camera, and the face icon to add fun face filters. Swipe left to choose a filter. Use the Stop Motion option to link together a series of stills Most creatives quickly find some features suit them and their work more than others: "Stop-motion is my latest favourite feature," says Kunz. "It's perfect for an unpacking or for a short story. It will look great because it has that flip-book effect but is not so smooth." Mat Roff, an illustrator with 2,000 followers, has recently been experimenting with Instagram Live. "I love doing a weekly Live Stream from Instagram, where I ink a sci-fi character live in my sketchbook and talk to my followers," he explains. Roff also found Stories a "helpful test run" for his eventual move to Twitch. 03. Use Stickers to add interest Once you've taken your video or photo, add to it using the icons on the top right. The first is Stickers – here you can include hashtags and your location to increase the likelihood of others finding your Story, or choose from a range of other Stickers, such as emojis, a selfie or days of the week. When you've chosen your Sticker, drag it to adjust its position and use two fingers to rotate and resize. Tap and hold your Sticker and then tap Pin to stick it to a fixed place in a video. The UK's Met Office uses Stories for urgent news, such as weather warnings The Met Office has found that the poll Sticker is popular with its 24,000 followers: "We get great interaction with polls," says Ross Middleham, content lead of the Met Office's in-house design team. "We often tie them in with similar polls on Facebook or Twitter. Who doesn't love a quick poll?" Middleham also loves the ability to add a link to your Story by swiping up – a feature available on verified accounts only. "Swipe up is a great way to drive people to other content. It's often absolutely crucial if we want people to stay up-to-date with weather warnings, for example. It's a direct call-to-action," he says. Faure agrees. "I like the swipe-up option as it's a quick and easy way to share a link I want my followers to visit," she explains. 04. Annotate your Story To draw on your Story, click the pen and then experiment with pen sizes, effects and colours. By holding down a colour, you get access to the entire colour wheel; tap the Dropper icon or hover over your image to use a colour from within your Story. To fill the screen with one colour, click on a colour and then tap and hold on your Story. Use the eraser to reveal the layer below your fill colour. Press the 'Aa' icon to write on your Story. You can add tappable hashtags as well as links to other accounts using the @ symbol, such as @computerartsmag. Move the slider on the left to adjust text size; select text colour and move your text as you did for Stickers. Write or draw on top of your story to add information As well as experimenting with different tools, Verònica Fuerte, founder of Barcelona-Based design studio Hey, says that you need to consider the style of your work when choosing Story features. "We use Instagram features that reflect the style of our work," she explains. "We love standard pictures and videos. Boomerangs are a fantastic way to do both at the same time: you get the simplicity of an image with the impact that movement adds." Mistakes are the best ways to achieve something interesting that reflects who you are Verònica Fuerte, Hey Fuerte also mentions another of her current favourites – the rainbow feature. This is where you make your text appear in rainbow colours by selecting it, choosing a colour and then swiping left with one finger on the text and one on the colour spectrum. "Everyone loves rainbows!" she enthuses. "My advice would be to just be yourself!" Fuerte sums up. "Experiment, have fun and don't be afraid to make mistakes because those are the best ways to achieve something interesting that reflects who you are." However, if you do make a mistake you'd rather forget, use the Undo button, or delete an element from your Story by dragging it down the screen and dropping it into the trash can. When you're satisfied, click Your Story, or Send to – where you have the option of sharing with everyone or with individuals or groups of followers. To add more than one image or video to your Story, simply post each one to Your Story, then go back into Stories to add more. 05. Don't treat Stories like your feed Stories may be part of Instagram, but they are a different beast to the main feed, and therefore require a different approach. Middleham believes that you should consider Stories and your feed as separate, but also think about how they link together. "It's a big challenge to tie up the content on your feed with Stories," he says. "We try to be quite defined with the sort of thing you'll find on each. Beautiful, amazing, unusual photos on the main feed, and supporting explainers, did-you-knows, general interest stuff on Stories." Roff also thinks that Stories have a unique role: "I use Stories to clearly separate my everyday updates from my more important work updates. Fans can get more behind-the-scenes footage if they wish, as well as general updates on my day-to-day life as an illustrator," he says. Hey studio uses Stories to give followers a look behind the scenes You can use that separation between feed and Stories to your advantage, says Kunz. "Your feed is kind of your portfolio. Everything is more meticulously planned and created," he explains. But in Stories, you can share behind the scenes or mention a new post. There's a lot you can do." Fuerte agrees. "For me Stories is more about your everyday life, it's not your shop window where you display what you have done," she says. "Instead it is more like stepping inside the studio itself and getting to know us more as people. You can show more of your personality." Fuerte uses Stories to create a connection with the studio's 201,000 followers. "When people get to know you better and understand you more, then there is more of a connection and that is always positive," she explains. "Nowadays your brand isn't just your graphics, it's you as well." 06. Consider the length of your Instagram Stories To find out how your followers are engaging with your Stories, switch to a business account, where you can see your posts' reach, number of views, taps and crucially, swipes away. Many find that the length of their posts has an impact on these figures. "I'm really happy with 15 seconds," says Kunz. "I feel people should learn to be more concise and say more with less." He also admits that he tends to swipe away from long Stories, or those he feels don't bring him any value. "It's important to respect people's time," he insists. However, he still thinks it's worth playing around with the length of your Stories. "Try new things, see if they work," he advises. "If people respond... that's how you learn." The ideal Story length depends on what you are trying to achieve Middleham is also put off by long Stories, and agrees that considered experimentation is key. "Thinking about your story before creating it is really important," he explains. "A bit of storyboarding, especially if you mix types of content into one story, goes a long way." One way to ensure your Stories reach your followers is by continually adding to them. "We are starting to add to stories so that they become 'rolling'," says Middleham. "By adding stuff throughout the day, it brings the story back to the front in people's feeds." Roff, meanwhile, is a fan of longer content, but stresses you need to use the time wisely. "I tend to use the full 16 seconds," he says. "I'll even do a few posts if I'm talking about a subject directly to camera, or showing a technique. I think when you do this you just need to keep it to no more than two or three videos – because people will start to trail off. Nothing turns me off more than seeing loads of little bars of content at the top." Faure agrees that the ideal Story length depends on what you are trying to achieve. "If it's just to show a visual or a new illustration, just two to three seconds is enough. However if you're at an event or an exhibition or are showing some work in progress, it can be a bit longer," she explains. Fuerte agrees: "I think it shouldn't be about length but about content and how you are using it to explain something. Obviously, you are competing for attention with a lot of other things, so a shorter story is better, but if it isn't saying what you want to say, then it doesn't really matter how long or short it is." 07. Vary your Stories The fleeting nature of Stories and the frequent addition of new features means they are perfect for trying out new things. "Mix it up bit," advises Roff. "Don't just do photos, videos, or selfies – do a bit of everything. Use Stories to promote yourself, but also other people as well. You can build a good community that way too." Kunz also thinks Stories provide opportunities for experimentation: "Make it something that people will look forward to seeing every day. It could be a promotional code that you have to find, clues you are sharing for a game, or like another great Instagrammer @jessedriftwood, a daily vlog. Stories are amazing, there are so many possibilities!" Stefan Kunz used Stories to help organise a promotional tour But with all these possibilities, achieving the right balance can be tricky, as Middleham attests: "In our eyes, stories need to have the right balance between polished and rough around the edges, and we're constantly trying new things to achieve this," he says. Some things should remain off-limits, however: "Nasty colours, too much tilt on your text and/or busy Stories are Story killers," explains Middleham. "You can very easily make a Story look bad if you don't give it a bit of hierarchy and visual consistency." 08. Use Story Highlights Choose your best Stories as highlights At the end of 2017, Instagram announced a new feature that enables users to automatically save their Stories to a private Stories Archive and immortalise their favourites on their profile as Stories Highlights. Named collections of Highlights appear in a horizontal bar at the top of the user's profile. As they are a relatively new feature, creatives are still discovering the best way to use them. Kunz, for one, is just starting to "figure out" the feature, and says it will be perfect for things that last for more than a few hours. "I am planning a trip to the US, and looking for opportunities to speak and/or do workshops. If I have a tab for Travelling, than people can easily reach out. Or one tab for my iPad brushes, or shop items, where by swiping up you'd get a direct link. I can also see myself doing a welcome video, like many do on a YouTube landing page." Faure also sees the benefit in longevity: "Highlights are useful if there's something happening with my work for a long period of time, because then I can just have a main Story that covers the topic and I don't need to push it as much with a new Story every day," she says. Others see an opportunity to promote content without a sell-by date. "We're beginning to use them as holding spots for timeless or evergreen content," says Middleham. "We are also planning on repurposing content from our Learn About Weather YouTube channel to make it work for Stories." Some, like Fuerte, haven't started using Story Highlights yet, but plan to do so in the future: "In the end, Stories are only 24 hours and there are always special things that you want to keep for longer for different reasons," she reasons. "I haven't thought too much how it will be used but I guess, like everything else on Instagram, how it is used will just evolve naturally over time." Read more: 7 ways to craft a killer self-promo campaign 10 social media tricks you didn't know about 5 golden rules for social media strategy View the full article

Creativity is an obvious quality to showcase in your portfolio, resume and applications and interviews for dream jobs; the cornerstone of every good graphic designer. But how do you showcase it when you’re just starting out your career journey? And with a lack of experience under your designer tool belt, what other skills or attributes can you highlight and – more importantly – what other qualities are companies looking for when they hire? Here we've got the inside scoop on what modern companies wants to see when they send out that elusive call for candidates. 01. Do some quality training You may begin thinking about a career in graphic design before you’ve even chosen a course of further study. Or for some people, it's an industry they move into from another field, having found a love for creativity and design in another role. So do you need a degree in the subject, or another qualification altogether? Or can you be self-taught? You may be glad to hear that there is no set path that will guarantee entry and each company will be looking for a particular set of skills and qualities in a candidate. It depends on the individual, but as a general rule, an educational setting can add a lot of benefits. Experiences such as taking constructive criticism on board, working in a team environment, or mentoring for example. Once you have gained some level of training or experience then, the key is to keep your skills and knowledge up-to-date. Everyone is different, because their areas of expertise differ but generally, magazines like Computer Arts are good at covering a lot of areas, and there are plenty of free online graphic design courses to get you started. Across the board, inspiration websites such as Pinterest, The Dieline (for packaging) and Behance (for design portfolios) are popular. Blogs like howdesign.com are also a great source of inspiration and industry news and analysis. When it comes to books, we would recommend Branding in 5 and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson, Know Your Onions by Drew de Soto and Why Fonts Matter by Sarah Hyndman. Check our list of 26 books every graphic designer should read for more ideas. 4 first-class ways to make your design education count02. Craft a standout portfolio Be productive. A library of work is one of the key indicators of a natural designer; someone with genuine flair and passion for what they do, regardless of whether there’s a pay packet or deadline attached to it. That’s why so many young graphic designers are running their own portfolios online like industry blogs. The sooner you get your name out there, the better. Growing a personal brand publicly in this way will also give you a deeper understanding of the challenges and current social climate experienced by the clients and companies you eventually aspire to with for. Read our articles on How to craft a standout portfolio and How to craft the perfect portfolio in a day for tips. If you don’t feel confident building your own digital shopfront just yet, you can begin by contributing to a friend’s or seeking out industry blogs and asking to contribute a piece. How will you know when to charge for your services? Use your intuition. You’ll get a feel for when people are taking advantage, and you need to make sure it doesn’t steal your focus from your training course or study. Don’t discard the journey for the finished product on any of these initial projects. Showing your workings, whether it be in concepts of sketches, gives a great insight into how you think and therefore how you might work together with an existing design team. This is something a company will be taking into consideration alongside your existing talent or potential for growth. 03. Show your skills in your CV/resume When it comes to CVs/resumés in the graphic design world, the tendency can be to assume that ‘bigger is better.’ However, this assumption is too simplistic. Do some research into the employer. Perhaps they strike you as looking for something off the wall that will stand out, but generally you will want to keep it simple and factual, showing some artistic flair. Use of typography in this way is important. Industry employers aren’t recruiting based on buzz words – the skills are too obvious to rely on convoluted sales pitches in a cover letter or email. But there are some key elements that graphic design teams across the board will be looking out for, and therefore you will want to find a way to showcase these in your application. Enthusiasm is key, as is innate creativity, but a creativity that is matched with a decent level of technical ability. Relevant experience is obviously something you should highlight if you possess it, as is flexibility. Too often, flexibility is viewed in literal terms, such as flexibility of working hours. But if you can, show a flexible attitude to your work, such as a willingness to evolve and grow into a role or new areas, or to be prepared to try new things. These would all be positive selling points in your application. Read our examples of 30 brilliantly creative resumés, our article on How to create the perfect design resumé and check out these 15 free resume templates to get started. 04. Dazzle with networking skills Developing your soft skills and gaining confidence is essential in any job. And graphic design is no different to many modern industries in its reliance on good personal relationship and communication skills, regardless of the latest technological advancements. Without an existing role, or as a student or graduate on the periphery of the industry world, it can seem daunting to know how to begin with networking, but – as our article How to network successfully: 19 pro tips says – social media groups and pages are a good place to dip your toe in, comfortably from your chair, to start to get a feel for your local industry. There are some great events too, such as Offset, which takes place in Dublin every year. The workshops there are a great place to meet other creatives and start to build your own networks. Entering contests such as D&AD's New Blood Awards can also be a great way to meet other new designers and to get noticed. 05. Stand out from the crowd in your application With all that said, graphic design remains a competitive industry, brimming with eager, creative young talent. So it’s safe to assume that your application for your first graphic design gig will be one among many. That’s why it's so important in the modern working world to find those points of difference, to find what sets you apart and give yourself that slight advantage that could be enough to get you hired. If you’re still studying or about to embark on a course, do seek out opportunities to do an internship – it is important to get as much studio and wider industry experience as possible. Some agencies will also take on interns over the holidays, so approach them all to ask about their policies on that. Read our article How to transform a design internship into a job for top tips to make the most of the time. Treat every application individually – keeping your resume up to date is obviously important but similarly, take the time to tailor it where you can for each role you apply for, checking that you’re addressing everything they’ve asked for. They have taken time to make that list, so take the time to cover it. Start building your brand early – it’s about more than a published portfolio. Your online footprint, your networking, your professional standing in the industry is a journey and it's one you should start as soon as possible, not waiting until you graduate. Sign up to LinkedIn first and get your name out there. Begin the habit of perpetual learning – it's one you will take with you into your career, and it will impress potential employers. Keep up to date with what’s happening in your local industry but also, more regionally and then globally. Look at trends, laws, opinion pieces and awards. Online tutorials are a great place to brush up on your technical skills regularly. They are just as important as creative flair. Related articles: 20 tips for design interview success 5 tips to give you the edge when job hunting 5 golden rules for getting your first design job View the full article

Photoshop is the not-so-secret tool for photographers looking to make their photos truly shine. This powerful app is the ideal program to enhance your photos to make them social media ready – and the StudioMagic Photoshop Plug-In Bundle can add even more tricks to your toolbox. Get this must-have bundle on sale now for 88% off the retail price. For the photographer in need of an upgrade to their current workflow, the StudioMagic Photoshop Plug-In Bundle has everything they could need. These plugins make tweaking and improving photos a breeze. You'll be able to adjust backgrounds and shadows, cut out subjects quickly, use composite presets to give your photos a new look, and complete composites in a single click with StudioMagic's powerful tools. Add reflections, change seasons, add birds, snow, lightning, clouds, create stunning sunsets, light rays and dozens of other effects. The StudioMagic Photoshop Plug-In Bundle is valued at over $446, but you can save 88% off that price. That means you pay just $49.99 (approx. £37) for a package of tools that will make your photos sparkle. Don’t pass this up, grab the StudioMagic Photoshop Plug-In Bundle 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: The 5 best laptops for photo editing 95 top Photoshop tutorials 15 ways to improve your photography skills View the full article

Today sees the launch of The Guardian's redesign across print and digital formats. The newspaper's new look sees both The Guardian and The Observer switching from a Berliner to a tabloid size in print, complete with a redesigned typographic masthead that will also appear on the titles' updated digital platforms. 100 brilliant print advertsCreated by a team led by The Guardian's creative director Alex Breuer and senior editors and designers, the paper hopes that the redesigned look will appeal to its global readership online and generate millions in savings by switching to tabloid printing. The Guardian's editor-in-chief Katharine Viner said that the guiding principles behind the redesign have been the "hopeful themes of clarity and imagination". These principles are summed up in the newspaper's new typographic masthead, which introduces the new font called Guardian Headline. Guardian Headline was created in collaboration with Commercial Type, the design experts behind the paper's former blue and white masthead and the accompanying font, Guardian Egyptian. The new font is designed to be easier to read, while also appearing confident and impactful. The new monochrome wordmark doesn't mean that the newspaper is waving goodbye to its vibrant character, though. "We’re using a range of energetic colours, and the much-loved Guardian visual wit and style remain at the heart of the look," explains Viner. Speaking on The Guardian's site, Alex Breuer adds that: “With a more flexible page layout in print and online and enhanced use of photographic journalism and graphics, our new design is simple, confident and stylish – providing readers with the best possible experience across all our platforms.” The Guardian's new website as it looks today With The Guardian's focus on arts and culture, it's no surprise that it's a favourite with creatives. Earlier this year the paper even featured in the works of Turner Prize 2017 winner Lubaina Himid. So how has the redesign been received by designers? Jack Davey, creative director at Studio Bolt, thinks that the change of paper format is a reflection of the times we live in. "It entirely makes sense to ditch the more expensive (though admittedly a bit special) format, when the majority of its readership accesses the paper online," he says. "I’ll be fascinated to see how the new look, particularly the new typeface (and an apparent restrictive use of colour) roll out across the Guardian’s other publications and formats," Davey adds. "The old look and feel – built around the Guardian Egyptian typeface, really sings with the bold punchy colours used across the Guardian’s supplements, and colour really helps drive navigation on the site – so I can’t imagine it will be going too monotone." It entirely makes sense to ditch the more expensive format, when the majority of its readership accesses the paper online Jack Davey, Studio Bolt Responding to the redesign's teaser video (above), Davey was amused to spot its similarity to Droga5's ad for the Pixel phone from a couple of years ago. However he's not concerned that this is a sign of a decline in originality. "I, like a lot of the Guardian's readership, usually access the paper’s content through the app or a browser, so the change in physical printed format ultimately shouldn’t directly impact me, unless the paper’s journalism evolves to match its new tabloid format – which thankfully seems unlikely! "Like a lot of people in the creative industries, I have a soft spot for the Guardian and its understanding and embracing of design culture, so I'm excited to see where this new direction takes the paper." The new tabloid format and digital platforms are available to read and explore now. Related articles: How to prepare a file for print How Erik Spiekermann is reinventing printing How to colour-match your print projects View the full article

Whether you’re designing a newspaper, newsletter, magazine or digital publication, the principles of good editorial design and layout are universal. But whether print design or online, each project comes with unique challenges, and it’s useful to see what how designers have met them in practice. So here we bring you six stunning examples of editorial design from leading creatives, find out how they created them, and share some lessons that can be applied to all your editorial projects, large and small. 01. Otl Aicher's Isny by dn&co Otl Aicher's Isny: a limited edition book to accompany a major exhibition Over 10 years, the iconic German designer Otl Aicher created a poster series based on the small town of Isny im Allgäu. It was groundbreaking in eschewing the typical “colourful postcard” style in favour of a stark, reductive and monochrome approach. In a limited edition book, released this September to accompany a London exhibition of the work, dn&co delves into this groundbreaking project across 116 pages. "When it came to the layout of the book, the team felt a real sense of responsibility,” says creative director Patrick Eley. “We kept asking ourselves ‘What would Otl do?’ – shorthand for how we could bring rationale and order to the project. "It was a matter of ensuring the design was consistent with Aicher’s recognisable aesthetic, without being a copycat of it.” The layout needed to be consistent with the subject’s aesthetic The dn&co team opted for Univers, a typeface that was used as part of Isny’s branding, as well as for the Munich Olympics, the project Aicher is best known for. “It’s a simple but effective structure – the editorial frames the work, which is printed on an uncoated paper to reflect the material that the Isny posters were originally printed on,” says Eley. “The surrounding narrative is reproduced on a coated stock so the photos of the town pop out.” The pictograms only exist as physical prints, not vector artwork, so they had to photograph everything in high resolution to enable us to reproduce it as accurately as possible. And that led to some interesting dilemmas. “We wanted to reflect Aicher’s strongly gridded approach to his work for Isny,” says Eley, “but the closer we worked with it, the more we noticed the inconsistencies. For example, nothing is actually square as it originally appears and that caused a few headaches with our own grid.” Aicher’s pictograms had to be digitised in high resolution Eley’s main tip for anyone embarking on a similar project? “Good filing is vital,” he says. “Knowing where everything is, who took what photo and whether you’ve got something at a high enough resolution to print it is absolutely key.” Ultimately, he adds, you have to become really familiar with the book’s content. “Get close to the narrative, and remember that design and typography is a fundamental part of delivering any story. “In this case, we were very conscious that we didn’t want to ‘out art the art’. The design of this book needed to be recessive to the content, which was the real hero. So it had to be quiet and unopinionated, while acting to frame another designer’s work and give it context. Ultimately it was a question of respect.” 02. This Is Me, Full Stop by Here Design This Is Me, Full Stop explores punctuation marks in a fun way This Is Me, Full Stop: The Art, Pleasures, and Playfulness of Punctuation is a book created by London design agency Here Design that harnesses beautiful design to explore “the secret life of punctuation marks”. It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to explore a niche topic, and makes great use of simplicity and whitespace to tie everything together; a trick that might look easy but is much harder to achieve in practice. “When it came to layout,” says Here Design’s Philip Cowell, “our biggest decision was to make the text the formal consistent element throughout and allow the illustration and design to spread out and play as much as it wanted to, so that it could support and enhance the text’s meaning. It is always a joy to work with whitespace, though of course it is a challenge to have so much freedom.” Text provided consistency, allowing illustration and design free reign “The book’s text font was chosen to be reasonably friendly and approachable with the authority and strength of character to appeal to a broad audience range,” he continues. “It’s also worth noting that we created all the illustrations and designs using real-life typefaces – over 50 of them from Apple Chancery to Wedding Text; there’s a full list at the back. Championing typefaces both known and unsung was always part of the ambition.” High production values were also central. “To find the simplest way of expressing our book’s main idea, we used white foil lettering on black substrate, creating a striking contrast between matte and gloss that helps the book stand out,” he says. “For solidity, we had the book trimmed flush (we love seeing it in bookshops; it stacks up really nicely). And inside we used black end papers and chapter dividers to bring the reader back to the centrality of the cover.” All the illustrations and designs were created using real-life typefaces Cowell offers the following advice for a designer coming fresh to editorial design: “Think about the experience of the reader." He continues: “Not all consciously designed things are necessarily friendly to read. So be the designer, but also be the reader – what would you expect to see? What would surprise you in a delightful way? In other words, it’s not just how it looks, it’s how it reads. “Help the text, don’t hide it. Typography can really endorse the words you are saying. And always remember that books evolve over many pages, so they need to retain an inherent formal structure while being able to break free.” Buy This Is Me, Full Stop03. Circular 19 by Pentagram Each issue of the one-and-a-half-yearly magazine has a unique design Circular 19, the 12th edition of The Typographic Circle’s magazine, was designed by Pentagram and marks the 40th anniversary of the volunteer-run and not-for-profit organisation, which aims to bring designers with an interest in type and typography together. “Circular, which comes out every 18 months, is an unusual publication as it does not carry any advertising and therefore is far more independent and we can do as we wish,” says designer Domenic Lippa. “It’s also important it appeals to its core audience of type enthusiasts.” The design of the publication is most noticeable for its use of big type. “We use this to create impact and to challenge preconceptions around what type is used for,” says Lippa. “For us, it's as important as imagery and is not used purely for information.” Big and bold typography is used to create impact and challenge perceptions When it comes to the design in general, each issue is a standalone piece, he adds. “We often decide upon an approach before we start designing and this includes the typefaces, the general look and feel and the colour palette. The colours help create a thread for the whole magazine.” Even within each issue, they aim for variety, he adds. “We want to keep challenging ourselves and stretch ourselves and not get bored, so each spread has a sense of individuality about it – we're not design fascists!” The designers use various layout approach even within each issue “For me, relationships of scale between various pieces of text is the most important element of editorial design; you should not be afraid to use type confidently,” he says. “I do believe that as designers we need to keep questioning the status quo; why are we doing it this way? Never stop learning and never stop trying things, otherwise you just dry up as a designer and as a thinker.” 04. Charm, Belligerence & Perversity by GBH Crazy cover, crazy guys Charm, Belligerence & Perversity: The Incomplete Works of GBH is a monograph written by Jason Gregory, Mark Bonner and Peter Hale, founders of GBH London. And the first thing you notice about it is its striking cover. “We wanted to make something that supported the idea that we’d only just begun and that we weren’t finished yet,” explains Mark Bonner. “We’re fascinated by our evolution and we loved the twist on the old idea that 100 monkeys in a room, given time, could create the complete works of GBH. We only have 25 at GBH, but give us a chance.” The book aims at a wider dialogue with the design community The team wanted the book to do two things, he says. “We needed to explain what went into the design of each project, and we wanted to have a wider dialogue with our readers about the insecurities and bravery that entwine in us all while we are making them. “We felt no-one had ever spoken about these uncomfortable truths. So many books on design are self-aggrandising, but we wanted to be honest and share the fact that we go through a lot of emotions in making new things.” Immersing yourself in the text is key to good editorial design, says Bonner In any editorial design project, Bonner believes it’s important to “read the text, feel it, know it intimately before you even think about trying to lay it all out.” And with this book especially, the typography needed to be accessible, and feel easy to read, he adds. “So we worked hard to find a typographic system that allowed the 'show and tell’ of the project stories and the psuedo-sycology to co-exist.” Buy Charm, Belligerence & Perversity: The Incomplete Works of GBH05. Mr B & Friends ‘Comfriendium’ 10 Year book A statement piece that Mr B & Friends sent to its clients To celebrate 10 years of creative collaborations, Bristol design studio Mr B & Friends produced Comfriendium, a statement piece to send to their clients. It’s an impressive publication with punchy colours and a high quality finish, including a gloss black and white foiling on the cover that adds subtlety and impact. Each page aims for maximum visual impact “Editorial permeates everything we do,” says executive creative director Steve Richardson. “From digital magazines and websites to annual reports and books, the content drives the message. "Gone are the days when an idea could be rolled out to a template; now the reader can click-off, turn the page and move to the next thing, so our goal is to guide the eye with storytelling merging words, graphics and imagery.” Playful use of imagery and strong colours keep things interesting He offers the following tips for anyone working in editorial design: “Invest in the best copywriting you can afford. If the words are brilliant, the design falls out onto the printed or digital page. Work closely with the author to get into their head so you understand the nuances. “Use wit,” he adds. Be playful with your use of highlights, illustrations, icons and imagery. Choose typefaces that work well online and in print. Good pairings that give light and shade to all communications, so you can tailor the editorial message to the medium.” And final tip is to add pace. “Each page and screen view should take the eye on a journey, sometimes punchy and energised, and sometimes subtle and soothing. Choose illustration and imagery to help reflect this.” 06. Photo District News website by James Johnson The multi-device world makes editorial design on the web a challenge All the examples we’ve included so far are print products, but as Steve Richardson mentions above, editorial design is just as important online; in many ways more so. A good example of editorial design on the web is Photo District News, a photography magazine that was redesigned in 2018 under the art direction of Brooklyn-based designer James Johnson. There’s an awful lot of information to be uncovered here, but the flexible, responsive layout of the site is designed with generous use of whitespace and elegant proportions that avoid ever feeling cluttered, whichever device you use it on. “Unlike print, on the web an article is usually designed as a whole, with all of its body copy on one page, and often the designer will not have control over how it's presented,” says Johnson. “It could be a phone, it could be printed out, or something else altogether. So it's important to make the articles flexible and resilient to changing conditions. “Keep layouts simple and embrace responsive design techniques,” he continues. “Try to get the main ideas across in each format and don't sweat the small differences between them. This is in contrast to the two-page spread of the magazine, where a designer decides exactly how the content will appear and when. Generous use of whitespace and elegant proportions make the site an easy read on all devices “Aside from that, keeping a page clean, with lots of whitespace and clear, readable typography, is even more important on the web than in print. Reading is hard on a screen so it's best not to distract the readers with a cluttered page.” The biggest mistakes Johnson sees online often stem from poor typography. “Line widths that are too wide is probably the biggest issue there,” he says. “I also see a lot of sites that try to use a print typeface for body copy.” Getting it right is partly about effective collaboration, he adds. “The designer's role is to provide a tangible form for the underlying concepts provided by the editor. This can't happen without a good relationship between the designer and editor. "So I can't stress this enough; work with your editors and really get to know their content and editorial philosophy before attempting to design anything. This will go a long way in ensuring that people want to read the article.” All the articles are easy to read and navigate on a smartphone screen In terms of design, you have to catch the reader’s attention right away and get them interested in the article, he adds. “The title and deck are key to this. Readers should be able to glance at the page and instantly know what the article is about. Write a great title and design it to really stand out. Adding a great photo or illustration that works with the title, conceptually and visually, will really bring it home. “Once you have their attention, great content backed by solid design will keep it. Pick a good web typeface and set the body copy large enough to be read easily. Break the article into sections and write headlines for each and use strategically placed images, pull quotes and other design elements to encourage readers to scroll.” You might also like: How to use images more effectively in annual reports 10 skills graphic designers need to get ahead in 2018 5 photography trends influencing designers in 2018 View the full article

You're reading Postcards: The Second Sneak-Peek, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! After announcing the first Sneak-Peek of Postcards we received useful feedback and very positive reactions. Postcards is close to being released, but we want to share new images of this tool with you now. (We’re still open for feedback though!) View the full article

The best rigs are the ones that are intuitive and simple to use. When building them you must remember that it’s possible it will be used by a whole team of animators, all of which will have their preferred approach to bringing things to life. Overload a rig with too many controls and you’re not only making it more complicated to use, but you’re adding to the amount of time it takes an animator to create the simplest of sequences. How could it be fixed? One element of rigging that can help is to build in the ability to pick-walk through the hierarchy. This allows the animator to quickly navigate the rig by using the arrow keys, rather than selecting controls or digging through the Outliner. As an example, if you have the hand control selected you can quickly move up the chain to the elbow control, and then the shoulder control and so on. Whereas on a normal rig, pressing an arrow key likely selects a constraint node or some other area of the rig that shouldn’t be touched. The problem is there hasn’t been a good solution to this inside Maya, not without the help of external scripts or tools. Personally, when building rigs for clients I don’t like to add external plugins. It can cause problems down the line when a whole studio then needs to make sure they have the same plugins installed, updated and working just so they can animate. Luckily this all changed with Maya 2017 (and Maya 2018). How do we create custom rig controls in Maya? With last year’s release came new controller options giving you the ability to indicate which elements in the scene are controls. With them tagged you can then dictate the pick-walk parent or child regardless of where they lie in the hierarchy. That’s not all these controller tags do. Once specified that they are part of a rig, Maya will take advantage of any extra CPU or GPU power you have through parallel evaluation, dramatically improving the performance of the scene as it plays back or is interacted with, something you can test for yourself with the Profiler tool. What’s more, the controller tags are very simple to set up. Define your controllers To get started all you need to do is tag your icons as actual Controllers, so Maya knows what they are. To do this simply go to the Control menu under the Rigging menu set. Here you will find two options at the top, Tag As Controller and Parent Controller. Start by selecting all your controls and clicking Tag As Controller. The controller node What this will do is add a new 'tag' node to the controller. This is where all the information is stored and it offers a few extra options for you when it comes to dictating how your pick-walking works. You will also notice that there currently isn’t a parent defined for each node, so nothing will happen yet. Dictate the hierarchy With the controllers defined you can now dictate the hierarchy so Maya knows where to go when you use the arrow keys. If we use an arm as an example, first select the hand control and then the elbow and click Parent Controller. Now select the elbow control and then the shoulder and click it again. You can now use the up and down arrow keys to quickly navigate the arm controls. Automatically adjust visibility If you’re lucky enough to have Maya 2018 you will also have the ability to change a control's visibility based on the location of the mouse pointer. This can seem strange to begin with as when loaded, the character will appear to have no controls. To activate this feature simply go to the tag node and select Show On Mouse Proximity from the Visibility drop-down box. More from Ant Ward at Vertex Ant Ward will be at Vertex answering your questions, as part of our 'Ask an Artist' section. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity to get one to one with a veteran artist, who can help you overcome a roadblock in your work, or to talk through a problem area. Ant is an artist with huge experience in many areas of CG. He has been a regular on the pages of 3D World for many years and has written numerous tutorials, as well as being a part of our expert Q and A team. To book a ticket for Vertex 2018 head over to the Vertex site, where you will find information on all the day's activities, from keynote talks to the panel discussion and recruitment fair. Related articles: Scott Ross to talk at Vertex The ethics of digital humans 12 mighty Maya tutorials to try today View the full article

Sometimes an illustration or piece of artwork just demands to be rendered and turned into 3D art, and that was the spark that ignited Media Molecule's Emilie Stabell to spend a year adding an extra dimension to a beloved 2D image. Stabell is fan of illustrator Sam Bosma, and in particular his concept Stability. "When I showed his illustration to a friend, I joked: "Imagine if I made this in 3D. It would be absolutely insane." Not long after that, I began modelling the first asset," says Stabell. "The sheer scale of the project was quite overwhelming, though, so on the first day I started by creating a cube in Maya, and that was it: a small beginning." Stabell says her 3D workflow was very simple: Maya was used for modelling, Photoshop for texturing and ZBrush was used to project from the concept. Once her 3D model was complete she rendered using Maya Hardware 2.0, and also used After Effects and Photoshop to add the finishing touches to the animated scene. 01. Start simple, using silhouettes "I make sure that my model doesn't cover up the outline on the concept," explains Stabell. "I'm going to need that little bit of extra space for when I add my own 'toon' outlines later" Stabell began by blocking out the assets in Maya, using an image plane of the concept and setting her camera to front view. Using simple primitives, she was particularly careful to make sure the silhouettes matched the illustration. "Since the geometry is flat-shaded and wouldn't be deforming, it gave me a lot of freedom in how many pieces each asset can consist of," says Stabell. "As long as I was satisfied with the look of my silhouette from all angles, I knew I was on the right track. "In a sense, this project was devoid of many of the usual technical, and tedious, aspects that go into creating successful 3D, which is most likely the reason why it kept being fun to work on the entire way through." How the lighting hit the geometry also became irrelevant. "As long as the silhouette looks good, you're on the right track," says Stabell, explaining how focusing on the front view to match her geometry with the illustration is very forgiving for objects on the Z-axis: "As long as they're overlapping in the right order… It's really a rather flexible, different and fun way to do 3D." 02. Bring parts together Stabell loved seeing all of the disparate parts come together to bring the image to life. "I have never created anything of this scale, and proving to myself that I had the persistence and motivation to do so was a wonderful experience," says Stabell. "From a technical point of view, painting the textures gave me a lot of joy. Each asset was treated as a separate miniature project, so I never really managed to get tired of a specific part of the pipeline, and painting remained fresh and fun." A selection of the main assets that Stabell created throughout her lengthy process – over 200 in total That painting process began in earnest once the silhouettes were finished, Stabell then created the UVs and exported the mesh as an .obj into ZBrush. "I projected the texture from the concept to use as a guide for the hand-painted textures I made in Photoshop. I imported the .obj file, divided the geometry a few times to get a good amount of resolution for the Polypaint and then positioned and scaled the model so it was ready for projection." 03. Project the concept onto the mesh The next step involved using Spotlight to import and project the concept onto the mesh. Stabell checked her projection worked and then exported by going to Zplugin>Multi Map Exporter, and choosing Texture From Polypaint. With her texture exported from ZBrush and opened in Photoshop, Stabell moved into Maya and took a UV snapshot of the assets' UVs to set as a layer on top of the ZBrush texture. She then created a mask for all of her UV shells and grouped them into appropriate subgroups, in this case: bird, wing, thighs and legs. "This approach allowed me to create clipping masks for each group so I needn't worry about 'colouring within the lines'," explains Stabell. "Another important thing to note is to always make sure your masks are a couple of pixels wider than the actual UV shell, otherwise you might run into issues with Maya displaying black edges around the seams." 04. Paint roughly at first The steps to add the 'toon' outline in Maya When it came to the painting, Stabell began by applying a flat base colour to everything using the Paint Bucket Tool and her own brushes: "Then I quickly painted some rough gradients and colour vibration using my Awesome Paint 1 brush. At this stage, I didn't worry about precision at all, as it was simply about applying some nice gradients and bold colours." Once she had something decent to work with, it was time to switch to the Smudge Tool using her Smudge Blender brush: "This brush is optimised for the tool, so I didn't get any of the lag you'd normally experience when using Smudge. Furthermore, it left behind a bit of texture, creating that nice, painterly effect. From here on, it was a process of going back and forth between painting and smudging until I was satisfied. Lastly, I drew the inner line art, as I planned to apply an outline as my final step." 05. Keep going This is how the scene looks through the main camera in Maya As you can see from her workflow, Stabell's task to texture and paint every asset by hand was a mammoth effort that involved creating over 200 assets. "The hardest part was keeping at it and not giving up on it halfway through," she says, adding: "When I had done roughly a third of the work, I had a short period of time where I really had to push myself to keep going. The sheer amount I knew I had left to do made it seem like I would never finish." This is when the plan to treat each asset as a separate project came into its own: "Without this type of workflow, I am almost certain that I would have canned the project long ago. Hence, I want to stress the importance of planning, folder structure and consistency. They are your best friends when doing something of a larger scale." 06. Set up the scene The view from above of the final scene in Maya But the end was in sight, the assets had been modelled, textured and positioned, and Stabell just had to build her surrounding scene as depicted in the concept. "I started by setting up a camera with a simple 180 rotation around the model and built the environment from there. This is also the point in time where I started to think about how the environment is supporting the narrative and is helping enhance the original concept," she says. As the story concerns a group of explorers hunting for pirate treasure in a vast dried-up ocean, some of the scene's elements – such as a pirate flag, a sunken ship and a chunky, rusty metal piece emerging from the sand – were designed and modelled to support the narrative. "I wanted to hint at the story. This may not be noticed by the audience, but it helps me as a creator to inject a sense of meaning and history into the scene in the hopes that it will resonate." 07. Render and apply effects The final 3D concept from different angles Rendering, says Stabell, was "a simple task" because all the information was stored in the textures. Stabell explains: "All of my materials were surface shaders and there were no lights in the scene whatsoever. I split the scene into the appropriate render layers and rendered everything using Maya Hardware 2.0. Furthermore, I had a limited amount of render layers and only a few elements to tweak in compositing, so I quickly assembled everything in After Effects." Once in After Effects, Stabell applied the scene's more subtle effects, including the flags blowing in the wind and the dust in front of the turtle. She then rendered out to Premiere and for the still images, she used Photoshop to put the finishing touches to the final images. In the end, all of Stabell's hard work meant that she had much more than a single product to showcase: "The amount of work I put into each and every one of the assets, means that I am left with a substantial library of cool 3D characters and props. Furthermore, I decided to create the back of the piece as well, which means that the whole thing can now be used both for still images, turntables, videos and even in real time." This article originally appeared in issue 215 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists – packed with expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. Subscribe to 3D World here Related articles: Mighty Maya tutorials to try today 30 free 3D models How to colour your manga art like a pro View the full article

You may have captured the most beautiful, unique or thought-provoking footage of a lifetime, but taking it home or to your studio with inadequate hardware can lead to enormous frustration. So choosing one of our picks of the best computers for video editing will ensure that you have the ideal tool to make your footage sing. Assuming you've got a permanent base for your editing, going for a desktop computer instead of one of our best laptops for video editing means that you get the benefit of better specifications for less money. And being able to work on a broader display allows you to pick out minute detail better and see what your film will look like on a bigger screen. As well as our overall top choices of the very best Windows PC and Mac hardware on the shelves, we've also got you sorted if you're on a budget. And if you aren't sure which program to use once the computer's sorted, then you can check out our favourite video editing software, too. Sometimes, if you want the best results, you just have to save up your pennies and go for the best tools. We know it's expensive (really, really expensive), but Apple's brand new iMac Pro is the new daddy of computers for designers. So what do you get for the eye-watering price tag? For a start there's the included 27-inch 5K resolution, which is 43 per cent brighter than standard Apple Retina monitors and delivers up to an astonishing one billion colours. There aren't too many screens around that will flatter your footage more. Starting with an 8-core Intel Xeon processor, the least expensive option is already immensely powerful, with an outrageous 18-core option for those who can afford it. From 1TB to 4TB of SSD internal storage means that you'll be able to store tonnes of 4K footage before you need to think about additional external drives. And it's not short on ports, either, with four Thunderbolt 3.0 ports and a 10GB ethernet port. Plus, of course you get the benefit of the platform's formidable Final Cut Pro X editing software as well. Read more about the new iMac Pro Don't let the name fool you, the HP Z2 Mini G3 may look diminutive on the outside, but this Windows PC's specifications make it an absolute behemoth on the inside. Thanks to its available Quadro GPU and Xeon CPU, the G3 can power up to four 4K monitors via its DisplayPorts. This enables you to drive 8K worth of pixels – head to our pick of the best 4K monitors to pick one/some out. And it still manages to squeeze in 1TB of onboard storage. Remarkable, considering the machine's dimensions. Because the Mini G3 is such a pint-sized PC, it will fit seemlessly into your home office or studio. Whether stood up or lying flat, it offers a compact alternative to those traditionally massive workstations. Read our sister site TechRadar's hands on HP Z2 Mini G3 review We know that this is another PC that will stretch the budget, but hear us out. This astonishing all-in-one from Dell comes with a mighty 27-inch 4K Ultra HD touchscreen display and an ear-busting set of six speakers. That makes for the ideal platform from which to view – and hear – what you've shot and get the best from it in post-production. The Dell XPS 27 performs admirably against industry-standard graphics-based benchmarks, no doubt thanks to the pacey 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-6700 processor under the casing. And this premium machine also gets premium peripheries in the form of a sleek and stylish wireless mouse and keyboard. Read TechRadar's full XPS 27 review Once you go Mac, it's hard to go back. If you're used to cutting and chopping on an Apple machine and want an all-in-one setup for your desktop then the iMac with 4K Retina display is an absolute beaut – and it's a fraction of the price of the iMac Pro. In fact, the price is pretty spectacular when you consider that a stunning 21.5-inch 4K retina screen is included. It features a wider range of colours than some competitors' monitors thanks to its DCI P3 colour space. Put simply, images can appear more life-like with accurate colours and a greater vibrancy. The kind of little touch that can really add value to your project. Read TechRadar's full Apple iMac with 4K Retina display review Complete with monitor, mouse and keyboard, it's not easy to find exceptional quality computing for under a grand. But this Lenovo PC is an adequate option if you're on a tight budget. It comes with a 23-inch Full HD monitor and packs in up to a 2TB hard drive and 7th-generation Intel processor. If you're somebody requiring a heavyweight machine for professional video editing all day everyday, this machine probably isn't going to quite cut the mustard. But for keen amateurs and dabblers, the sub £1,000/$1,000 spend on this Lenovo all-in-one should be just fine. It's worth noting that you can buy an even cheaper AMD-based version, but it will be less powerful and you get a smaller monitor. Related articles: The best 4K monitors available right now Our favourite laptops for video editing Best video editing software in 2018 View the full article

There's been a lot of talk about filter bubbles and echo chambers lately, but these don't just apply to politics and online: anybody can become stuck in an echo chamber – and that includes artists. If you were surprised by Brexit, or the US presidential elections, then you'll know first-hand the limiting effects of being surrounded by those who share the same views as you. "It's a problem that impacts artists with different severity," says concept artist and illustrator Carmen Sinek. "Some people know what they like and are happy doing just that. Others lock themselves into a certain style early, for the sake of pursuing a career with a certain company or genre." The more personalised our online experiences become, the more segregated and siloed our views It usually happens, Sinek says, when artists start focusing on the product instead of the process. "They set out with a goal in mind – working for this company, or emulating that artist – and slowly begin to build their art education around it. "If an artist wants to work for Magic: The Gathering, they might follow Magic artists online. The tutorials they see and resources they pick up, such as digital brushes, will likely be used by those who work within Magic's semi-realistic style range. They build a social media echo chamber around a very small part of the art community, and it becomes more difficult to move outside of it." The risks of living in a bubble Monarch, by Carmen Sinek. "Experiment" is her advice for steering clear of art bubbles. At an industry level, one of the most immediate consequences of this is artistic homogenisation. For a while, many big video games and films had very similar aesthetics, points out Sinek. "Year after year, waves of students came out of the top art schools with extremely similar styles and design tastes," she says. At an artist level, the consequences can be more harmful. Restricting your creative range can lead to dissatisfaction and depression – and limiting your views can be even more destructive. "I've seen too many artists clinging to harmful views on sexism and diversity," says art director Paul Canavan, "ignoring valid criticism from the affected parties and making the industry less appealing for many people. "On a strictly artistic level, there are also a number of artists, mostly students or those relatively new to the industry, who decry the use of photos, 3D or any other 'non-traditional' techniques in illustration or concept art work, and take it upon themselves to spread this weird message around social media forums. I think subscribing to that elitist mentality is pretty harmful, and it's a place that I will try to engage in discussion." Breaking the bubble Paul Canavan designed this game artwork, Moving Hazard, to encourage "mini narratives": smaller areas that work as standalone images. So why are filter bubbles so tough to pop? The reasons are three-fold: first, you might not realise you've fallen into a bubble. Second, social media is built upon the idea of 'following' people whose work or perspective you like. And third, when you're doing a lot online, algorithmic filtering serves to reinforce your preferences on the basis of past choices of online content. The more personalised our online experiences become, the more segregated and siloed our views. "The result is an automated population of news feeds, search results and so on, with content automatically selected if deemed as in keeping with those previously recorded choices," explains media and communications expert Dr Dan Mercea, who's a senior lecturer in sociology at City University London. However, as Mercea points out, it's not all bad: the more diverse those choices, the greater the variety of filtered content. "The algorithm will adjust itself as it tracks our surfing histories, so the filtering becomes more intricate as we make more information available about our preferences. So if we expose ourselves to diversity, the algorithm will reflect this choice – at least temporarily." And it's the same in real life. Beating a bubble can be as simple as watching a video or reading a blog from someone with a different opinion, says illustrator Jason Rainville. "There's a difference between living in a bubble and being confident of your point of view, though. And you don't want to be so open-minded that your brain falls out," Rainville says. Do something different This Star Trek character collage was created by Jason Rainville for Disruptor Beam's mobile game Star Trek: Timelines. Sinek agrees that doing something outside your comfort zone is a good way to pop a creative bubble. "Dig out your art history book and start going through it, or enroll in an art history class somewhere. Find a place to learn where you will be exposed to a wide variety of artistic movements and styles, not just the ones you pick to research on your own." "Be open to different opinions and encourage dialogue," adds Canavan. "There are a ton of controversial, oft-debated topics around the art community. Getting involved, sharing your opinion and trying to take something away from every encounter is super healthy." And that's the point: there's a difference between being part of a community and being stuck in a bubble. Debate, discussion and the exchange of ideas can propel your practice to new levels. "There's something to be said for surrounding yourself with like-minded people who can push the sort of content you enjoy into your eyeballs every day and a sense of community into your life," reasons Canavan. "In an industry where many of us work remotely, that can really help." This article was originally published in issue 154 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists – packed with workshops and interviews with fantasy and sci-fi artists, plus must-have kit reviews. Buy issue 154 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: How to encourage diversity in the design industry 20 digital artists to follow on Behance How fan art can get you paid View the full article

Is it really 2018 already? It seems like only yesterday we were looking forwards to all of the opportunities and design trends that 2017 had to offer. In a year that will be remembered in terms of design for its retro fonts and advances in VR, there were also plenty of rebrands and new logos to enjoy. One person who knows all about branding is Armin Vit, the design doyen over at Brand New. Popular for his coverage of all the latest brand identity work, Vit recently compiled a retrospective of the best and worst branding efforts of 2017. We've rounded up five of the best and five of the worst entries from his review below, but for the full list be sure to head over to his site. Because we're kind folk here, we'll kick off with a look at the best pieces of branding from 2017 (if you're not as saintly, you can skip to the worst here). The best brand identities of 2017 01. SŽDC This clever rebrand ties together the company name and its service Chances are you haven't heard of the Czech administration SŽDC, and even less likely are the odds that you'll be able to pronounce its name – Správa železniční dopravní cesty – correctly. In English it translates as Railway Structure Administration, and simplifying the name and message of the organisation was the aim of this rebrand. Amazingly, this clear logo accomplishes both of these aims with ease. Designed by Prague-based studio Marvil, the orange logo plays on the similarity between the letter Ž and three parallel railway tracks linked by a railroad switch. Meanwhile, the letter Ž acts as a tidy abbreviation for Železnice, which means Railway in Czech. "Using the diacritic over the “Z” in the company’s name to create an overhead view of a railway switch is very clever. And that livery… swoon," writes Vit. The monogram is both distinctive and authoritative, plus it looks set to work across posters, uniforms, documents and online platforms with ease. What more could you want from a rebrand? 02. Misfit Misfit's new identity celebrates oddballs Did you know that over 20 billion lbs of fruits and vegetables go unharvested or unsold every year in the US? Neither did we. But one company that did is Misfit. Established in 2014, Misfit used fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste to create its range of cold-pressed juices. For its rebrand, Misfit turned to NY-based studio Gander. Whereas Misfit's old logo was a fairly straight laced affair of uninspiring, blocky typography, the new version has a goofy sense of humour without becoming overbearing, which echoes the misshapen ingredients. "Ugly never looked so good," writes Vit. "We created an identity that challenges beauty standards and glorifies the oddballs," Gander told Brand New. "Through illustration, photography and web design, we were able to tell Misfit’s story and educate consumers in a way that was fun and approachable." 03. Mozilla Mozilla shared every step of its rebrand online Global nonprofit organisation Mozilla has been dedicated to making the web better since 1998 thanks to its open source products and open standards. So when it came to a rebrand, it made sense that Mozilla would team up with the equally altruistic Johnson Banks. Not only were Mozilla and Johnson Banks a good match in terms of ethics, they're both a little madcap. To tie into Mozilla's open source services, Johnson Banks followed suit and decided to do its rebranding work in public by sharing every step of the process. It's just as well that the design was strong enough to hold up to the scrutiny. Complete with typography that nods to URL language and a diverse range of colourful alternatives to help it stand out, Mozilla's makeover has truly earned its place as one of 2017's best logos and brand identities. 04. Ugly Drinks Ugly Drinks provide a healthy alternative to sugary fizzy drinks "Healthy doesn't have to be boring," that's how independent design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie approached this rebrand for Ugly Drinks. Set up in 2016, Ugly Drinks aims to provide a healthy alternative to the familiar sugary soft drinks that currently dominate UK shops. Whereas the company's previous look focussed on the ugly angle – complete with a deliberately clunky typeface – this new design packs more of an attitude. With the letter "U" shaped like a slurping tongue, Ugly Drinks now has a stylish wordmark to help it stand out from the crowd. "The overall design of this is fantastic and, what’s better, it’s fueled by a great sense of humour," says Vit. The flexible piece of type design looks great either on its own or paired with a range of fruit icons to create cheeky characters. Ugly Drinks co-founder Hugh Thomas hopes that this identity will help define the brand and turn it into something people will be happy to be seen with. 05. Chobani Chobani's new logo evokes a luxurious taste sensation Greek yoghurt company Chobani has come a long way since it was launched in 2007. In 2012 it was the official sponsor of the US Olympic Team, and in 2017, Chobani decided a brand refresh was in order. Designed in-house and led by chief creative officer Leland Maschmeyer, the new typographic logo does a much better job than the previous design when it comes to communicating a rich, sensuous sensation, which makes the rebrand a much better fit for the product. Vit himself is a huge fan of the design. "I think it is literally and absolutely perfect not just in execution but in representing the product," he explains. "The green colour is unexpected but it looks stunning on the typography and more so in the packaging." Now that we've covered the best brands of 2017, it's time for the dishonourable mentions as we look at the worst identities the year had to offer. The worst brand identities of 2017 01. General Mills General Mills' heart logo isn't getting a lot of love This update to the branding of global food company General Mills is all about "telling the General Mills story thoughtfully, proactively and consistently," according to a blog post in the wake of its new logo launch. It went on to add: "With our newest logo, the familiar “Big G” continues to exemplify strength, longevity and trust – and now love." Pass us the sick bag... It's this schmaltzy lovey-dovey message from a corporate super-entity that left Vit cold when it came to this rebrand. And even though he admits that graphically it's not the worst design in the world, the heart just comes across as insincere and lazy. We're definitely getting shades of 'Big Brother loves you' here. Very dystopian. 02. Skype Designers got pretty hung up on Skype's new logo You know what Skype is. Established in 2003, the instant messaging app became the go-to way for millions of people to communicate online thanks to its text message and video chat services. Its new logo, though, was less well received. So where did the Skype rebrand go wrong? For starters, the previous wordmarks-in-bubbles logo at least had originality and was recognisable. This new version looks dangerously generic. Vit puts this at the feet of a merger with Microsoft that was completed in 2011. This might help the tech giant to tie in Skype's look with the rest of its software, but it's a move that does nothing to improve or build on Skype's image. As Vit writes, "it's aligned with the Microsoft brand architecture, which no logo asked for ever." 03. City of Vancouver Is there enough going on here to qualify this as a logo? This logo for the City of Vancouver Government Administration is very much a case of "you get what you pay for". The mystery firm behind this brand design was chosen for its low low prices... and it shows. When it came to judging this rebrand, Vit is at least firm but fair when he points out that this design isn't meant to be an all-singing, all-dancing piece of typography to attract tourists. This is a governmental logo. But does that mean it can get away with being this boring? Vit admits that at least the typographer seems to know what they're doing, as all the alignment sits correctly. However there's no getting away from just how inconsequential this rebrand looks, or as Vit puts it, "this is insanely bland. It makes Scranton, PA, sound exciting." Quite. 04. AXIS Dance Company Is this logo too heavy handed? We find ourselves disagreeing with Vit when it comes to this logo for integrated contemporary dance company, AXIS. Or, if not disagreeing, not finding ourselves as offended by this rebrand. Created to celebrate the company's 30-year anniversary, AXIS' colourful new wordmark is inspired by fluid dance moves. It's a sound enough concept, so where does it go wrong? "The new logo is a conceptual and formal abomination," says Vit. He goes on to lay into the wordmark's lack of motion, elegance and energy. As far as he's concerned, the gradients only serve to add insult to injury and highlight how cheap and vacuous the logo is. Ok, Vit, tell us what you really think... In his defence though, Vit only has an issue with the logo, not the company itself. "The main reason I’m coming down so hard on this is because this organisation and its dancers deserve something so much better that properly reflects what they do, the challenges they are able to overcome, and the beauty of movement they are able to create," he explains. 05. Redbox Bad kerning, distressing colours... yuck! In an age of Netflix binge watching, it's good to see Redbox is still flying the flag for good old DVD and video game rentals. What's less good to see is its new logo. On the surface you might be put off by the purple period, but look close and this logo gets even worse. First of all there are clumsy slabs, then there's the wonky 'e', and finally the kerning is so tight that the pairing of "d" and "b" look a little too phallic for their own good. As Vit says, it's "painfully amateurish and unappealing". Vit notes that many of his Twitter followers read it as 'Redbax' due to the too-tight spacing. "I saw this as a sign that they don’t treat their brand seriously enough," he says of Redbox. Topping off the rebrand is the smug tagline "so smarter". Smarter than what, exactly? Streaming films and games online? We're not convinced. Related articles: When to use humour in branding The problem with period product branding The top 10 big-brand logos View the full article