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Clip Studio Paint is a digital painting app specifically aimed at people creating comics or manga art – although it's great for any kind of digital art. We wonder if more people aren't using it because they don't know about it, or because they're not sure how to use it. Either way, that's about to change. In this round-up, we'll share some of the best Clip Studio Paint tutorials, and where you can find them. We'll kick off the list with some general, all-around Clip Studio Paint tutorials to help get you up to speed (numbers 01-05), then once you have a solid foundation, we'll move on to some more specific tutorials that will help you out (06-11). Hopefully we'll see a lot more tutorials as people realise how powerful this software really is, and what can be done with it. 01. Reuben Lara Reuben Lara is a freelance artist and illustrator, offering mainly Clip Studio Paint tutorials. He offers both paid and free tutorials for beginner-to-advanced artists and Clip Studio Paint users. Lara speaks clearly, his tutorials are easy to follow, and they're jam-packed with lots of useful information. You can find out more about Lara on his website, and you can watch more of his free videos on his YouTube channel. 02. Flyland Designs We've chosen Brian Allen at Flyland Designs for this list because he offers some of the most fantastic tutorials – and not just because he loves zombies. Allen's tutorials take you through the process of sketching, inking, and colouring in Clip Studio Paint. He also shares his tips and techniques along the way, as well as his Clip Studio Resources, like brushes, tools, and templates. Want to learn more about Allen? Check out his interview on Roundabout: Creative Chaos. 03. Kendrys Draws Kendrys Diaz, the voice behind Kendrys Draws, offers laser-focused Clip Studio tutorials covering a broad range of topics. Many of his videos show you how to use the 3D tools available in Clip Studio; he also has a heavy focus on manga art. Diaz's presentation style is a bit gruffer and more abrupt than other tutorials on this list, but don't let that put you off – the content is spot on. Note: Diaz has recently published a Character design sketchbook that might be worth a look. 04. David Arroyo David Arroyo is the creator of the webcomic IMMERSION. He's created a series of Clip Studio Paint tutorials, hosted by Astropad, in which he takes you through how to use the tool start to finish. That's right! The whole process. Arroyo's calm speaking voice and clear instructions make his tutorials bookmark-worthy. 05. LearnCSP.com LearnCSP.com is an independent site, owned and operated by Augie De Blieck Jr, who launched the site back in 2016. Ever since, De Blieck has been steadily adding Clip Studio Paint tutorials to this site, with the aim of creating content he wishes had existed when he first started. The website is focused on new Clip Studio Paint users, but it's useful for intermediate and advanced users too. 06. How to ink in Clip Studio Paint Pro In this inking tutorial, Chris Martinez covers the inking tools available to you in Clip Studio Paint, and how he uses them when he's inking his drawings. Although Martinez talks about pens he hasn't used, he's honest about it and encourages people to try new things. Inspirational? Absolutely! The only thing we're not wild about is the background music. If you can get past that, this tutorial is one to watch. 07. How to ink in Clip Studio using the GPEN Another great inking tutorial comes from Tim Michael at Draw2Much. In this Clip Studio Paint tutorial, Michael shows you the ins and outs of using the G-pen. Although Michael's walkthrough style isn't the typical one you might expect, this video gives you an insight into how he inks his drawings, and is worthy of a watch. 08. Digital Painting Tutorial OK World of Warcraft fans, this one's for you! In this tutorial, Robert Marzullo teaches you how to digitally paint Orgrim Doomhammer using Clip Studio Paint. If you like this tutorial, Marzullo has a new tutorial, available on Udemy, where he teaches how to work in perspective in Clip Studio Paint. 09. Reference Layers For Coloring More of a quick tip than a long-form tutorial, Matt Chee takes you through the process of using reference layers for colouring. But don't stop with that one. Chee has a large collection of tips and tricks to help you work smarter in Clip Studio Paint. Check 'em out. 10. Creating and Using Custom Brushes Custom brushes are a handy feature in Clip Studio Full disclaimer: I'm an official Smith Micro Influencer, and this is one of my own Clip Studio Paint tutorials. In this written tutorial, I show you how to create and use your own custom brushes in Clip Studio Paint. If video is more your style, this tutorial is also available at DayOfTheIndie.com in video format. 11. Smith Micro Graphics Of course, no Clip Studio Tutorial List would be complete without a mention of the Smith Micro Graphics tutorials. It has a lot of great resources, but if you're looking for something specific, check out the ones from Doug Hills, like the video above. You won't be disappointed. Read more: The ultimate Christmas gift guide for freelancers 8 inspiring digital art portfolios and why they work 19 best iPad art apps for painting and sketching View the full article

Clip Studio Paint is a digital painting app specifically aimed at people creating comics or manga art – although it's great for any kind of digital art. We wonder if more people aren't using it because they don't know about it, or because they're not sure how to use it. Either way, that's about to change. In this round-up, we'll share some of the best Clip Studio Paint tutorials, and where you can find them. We'll kick off the list with some general, all-around Clip Studio Paint tutorials to help get you up to speed (numbers 01-05), then once you have a solid foundation, we'll move on to some more specific tutorials that will help you out (06-11). Hopefully we'll see a lot more tutorials as people realise how powerful this software really is, and what can be done with it. 01. Reuben Lara Reuben Lara is a freelance artist and illustrator, offering mainly Clip Studio Paint tutorials. He offers both paid and free tutorials for beginner-to-advanced artists and Clip Studio Paint users. Lara speaks clearly, his tutorials are easy to follow, and they're jam-packed with lots of useful information. You can find out more about Lara on his website, and you can watch more of his free videos on his YouTube channel. 02. Flyland Designs We've chosen Brian Allen at Flyland Designs for this list because he offers some of the most fantastic tutorials – and not just because he loves zombies. Allen's tutorials take you through the process of sketching, inking, and colouring in Clip Studio Paint. He also shares his tips and techniques along the way, as well as his Clip Studio Resources, like brushes, tools, and templates. Want to learn more about Allen? Check out his interview on Roundabout: Creative Chaos. 03. Kendrys Draws Kendrys Diaz, the voice behind Kendrys Draws, offers laser-focused Clip Studio tutorials covering a broad range of topics. Many of his videos show you how to use the 3D tools available in Clip Studio; he also has a heavy focus on manga art. Diaz's presentation style is a bit gruffer and more abrupt than other tutorials on this list, but don't let that put you off – the content is spot on. Note: Diaz has recently published a Character design sketchbook that might be worth a look. 04. David Arroyo David Arroyo is the creator of the webcomic IMMERSION. He's created a series of Clip Studio Paint tutorials, hosted by Astropad, in which he takes you through how to use the tool start to finish. That's right! The whole process. Arroyo's calm speaking voice and clear instructions make his tutorials bookmark-worthy. 05. LearnCSP.com LearnCSP.com is an independent site, owned and operated by Augie De Blieck Jr, who launched the site back in 2016. Ever since, De Blieck has been steadily adding Clip Studio Paint tutorials to this site, with the aim of creating content he wishes had existed when he first started. The website is focused on new Clip Studio Paint users, but it's useful for intermediate and advanced users too. 06. How to ink in Clip Studio Paint Pro In this inking tutorial, Chris Martinez covers the inking tools available to you in Clip Studio Paint, and how he uses them when he's inking his drawings. Although Martinez talks about pens he hasn't used, he's honest about it and encourages people to try new things. Inspirational? Absolutely! The only thing we're not wild about is the background music. If you can get past that, this tutorial is one to watch. 07. How to ink in Clip Studio using the GPEN Another great inking tutorial comes from Tim Michael at Draw2Much. In this Clip Studio Paint tutorial, Michael shows you the ins and outs of using the G-pen. Although Michael's walkthrough style isn't the typical one you might expect, this video gives you an insight into how he inks his drawings, and is worthy of a watch. 08. Digital Painting Tutorial OK World of Warcraft fans, this one's for you! In this tutorial, Robert Marzullo teaches you how to digitally paint Orgrim Doomhammer using Clip Studio Paint. If you like this tutorial, Marzullo has a new tutorial, available on Udemy, where he teaches how to work in perspective in Clip Studio Paint. 09. Reference Layers For Coloring More of a quick tip than a long-form tutorial, Matt Chee takes you through the process of using reference layers for colouring. But don't stop with that one. Chee has a large collection of tips and tricks to help you work smarter in Clip Studio Paint. Check 'em out. 10. Creating and Using Custom Brushes Custom brushes are a handy feature in Clip Studio Full disclaimer: I'm an official Smith Micro Influencer, and this is one of my own Clip Studio Paint tutorials. In this written tutorial, I show you how to create and use your own custom brushes in Clip Studio Paint. If video is more your style, this tutorial is also available at DayOfTheIndie.com in video format. 11. Smith Micro Graphics Of course, no Clip Studio Tutorial List would be complete without a mention of the Smith Micro Graphics tutorials. It has a lot of great resources, but if you're looking for something specific, check out the ones from Doug Hills, like the video above. You won't be disappointed. Read more: The ultimate Christmas gift guide for freelancers 8 inspiring digital art portfolios and why they work 19 best iPad art apps for painting and sketching View the full article

If you've ever got into a conversation about the biggest problems plaguing web and digital product development today, you probably heard someone refer to the 'design-development gap'. At the mention of this, several heads probably nodded sagely, and then you all moved on, content to observe the problem without necessarily resolving it. After all, there's probably an app for that, right? Maybe we just haven't found it yet? In reality, there are several apps for that. And, as with most problems, numerous other possible solutions exist. I'll talk about several of those here, but before we solve the problem, let's make sure we understand it, shall we? What is the design-development gap? Put simply, the 'design-development gap' refers to what's missing in communication between designers and developers during the product development process. The problem proves most daunting in companies where waterfall processes dominate, when a designer simply 'throws the design over the wall', dusts off their hands, and says, 'Well, I'm done with that!' As any vegetarian who's tried to order a burrito sin carne can attest, a lack of a shared language can lead to big problems In such a scenario, the gap leaves developers interpreting the designer's intent on their own. Which leaves plenty of room for off-brand animations, links that go where they shouldn't, and rounded corners that are just a pixel or 50 off the mark. No biggie, right? Sure – as long as you're not the person looking after the bottom line, squinting at the project hours in the quickly fading hope that, if you look at them funny, those numbers will fit the project budget. Of course, the design-development gap doesn't just plague waterfall teams. After all – in the absence of experience and sustained, mutual effort – designers and developers speak different languages. And as any vegetarian who's tried to order a burrito sin carne can attest, a lack of a shared language can lead to some big problems. The problems Of course, the problems that emerge from the lack of an available translator aren't the only things that make the design-development gap problematic. To get more specific, some of the more common issues teams run into include the following. 01. Designers creating 'impossible' designs Anyone who's wrangled a little CSS knows it can't do everything. But designers who don't know the ins and outs of CSS and are looking to push their creative boundaries can easily create designs in Sketch or Photoshop that can't be brought to the web (easily, or at all). For this issue, bridging the design-development gap means ensuring that designers understand the capabilities of CSS enough to avoid designing impossible solutions. 02. Time-consuming documentation Documentation can help – but it is a time-suck One of the most common tools used to bridge the design-development gap is documentation: redlines, spec docs, component diagrams, and so on. Whatever your team calls them, they all amount to documentation, and they mean a significant amount of time is spent working on something no end user will ever directly experience. Of course, that's not to say they don't have values – most digital products can benefit from design, language, and development documentation. But questions of their value aside, redlines and other forms of documentation take a long time to create, and aren't especially fun for anyone. For this issue, bridging the design-development gap means finding faster and easier ways to communicate specifications. 03. Prolonged feedback cycles Feedback is inevitable, even when your designers create with CSS in mind and put together detailed documentation. And it's always valuable. But it can become a drain on resources and significantly impact employee morale when the loops go on too long. Contradictory feedback from one cycle to the next crops up, stakeholders muddy the waters with interpersonal disagreements, and everyone loses sight of the overarching strategy. For this issue, bridging the design-development gap means finding ways to cut out unnecessary feedback loops. How to bridge the gap Now we understand the nature of the design-development gap, and the issues it can introduce to the process, let's talk about solving the problem. There's software designed to help – and for that take a look at my list of 5 tools for bridging the design-development gap. But there are also some so-called 'soft' skills that can help. Because, hey, we can't expect apps to solve all our problems, right? Software can't solve everything While the modern workplace relies on digital tools to tackle most problems, there's often no replacement for good ol' interpersonal skills – especially when the core problem is essentially one of communication. With that in mind, let's take a look at three absolutely free methods for bridging the gap between your design and development teams. 01. Communicate early, often, always Designers and developers working on a project should always be working together. And that means a lot more than commenting on the same GitHub tickets or working from shared Sketch files. Ask how the development team would like you to communicate designs It also, and much more importantly, means talking. So, designers: talk to your devs about how you're tackling your current challenges. Verify that your solution is feasible from a technical standpoint. Have them look at your designs and call out areas where visual elements can't be reproduced. Ask if flowing in real data will break the formatting. Find out what the best way to name your design layers might be – from the people who have to work with them. But most importantly: Ask how the development team would like you to communicate designs, interactions, and so on. Once you understand their preferred formats for communicating specs and changes, you'll instantly be communicating more effectively. 02. Be agile Now, I'm not a process policeman, so I won't tell you that you have to be working in agile manner, or that you need to adopt GV's sprint format. But to my mind, there's one part of the agile methodology every team can borrow. Namely, its emphasis on cross-functional teams – including people with a variety of specialities in the process. That ensures regular and consistent collaboration between design and development, nipping potential problems in the bud. I'd also personally recommend involving your friendly local content strategist or copywriter in your cross-functional team from day one, but that's another story, for another post. 03. Speak each other's language When proponents of the 'designers should code' philosophy speak up, one of their core arguments tends to be that it'll help them better understand what their dev colleagues do, as well as what's feasible for the web. Which I wholeheartedly agree with! However, I'd point out that you don't have to be able to write code to understand what's possible with code. Same goes for design. Simply speaking to your colleagues can solve a lot of problems For example, I'm not much of a visual designer myself – but I voraciously consume anything I can learn about it. And that's got me to a point where I can talk about design principles and best practices with my design colleagues and feel, if not fluent, then at least conversant. I've also worked in the digital design world long enough that I can usually gauge what a dev could do with an interface, and make recommendations on what would be best from a user experience standpoint. Also, not being a practicing coder doesn't stop you from my one stupid-simple trick for gauging feasibility: asking someone. It's crazy how far a simple question will get you. Related articles: Advent calendar delivers daily web design treats 10 Sketch plugins you need to know about The best Christmas gifts for web designers View the full article

It's time to design your festive products, and a greeting card template can help you initiate the creative process nicely. Christmas and greeting cards are passed around during the holiday season in their hundreds and thousands. While many will opt for the standard and often boring array of offerings in the shops, we've compiled a list of inspirational greeting card templates to make yours a little more individual. We love to spoil you with free resources – check out our encyclopedia of free fonts for designers, these 15 free resume templates and our run down of the 32 best free WordPress themes for a start – so add a spark of creativity to your cards this season, with these free festive greeting card templates. 01. Christmas snowflakes A cosy colour scheme and modern style that will suit all tastes Free This vector template looks a bit like a Christmas jumper and can be used as a background or to decorate an email, webpage or printed material. It comes as an Illustrator file and also as an SVG, so will come in useful for many of your wintry designs. 02. Christmas reindeer Ding-a-ling! There's nothing like a mysterious reindeer vibe to add a little gravitas to your Christmas cards Free Handsome Mr Reindeer with his festive bell is well-drawn and will add a cute yet noble presence to your Christmas designs. He comes in AI, EPS, PDF and JPG formats so he'll fit in anywhere. 03. Silver baubles This template's easy to edit in Illustrator if it doesn't have enough balls for youFree This festive design from Vecteezy is described as a Christmas background with balls, and who are we to disagree? It would make a perfect Christmas card design and it's supplied as an .AI file, so you can open it up in Illustrator and tweak it to your own taste. 04. Santa's sleigh These cold, bold vectors would look great as a cardFree Another vector design suitable for fiddling with in Illustrator, this Christmas card design by VectorLady has a lovely festive layout complete with Santa and his reindeer, plus plenty of snowflakes and Christmas trees, all framed by an intricate swirling surround. 05. Abstract Christmas tree Catch the eye of your loved ones with this greeting card templateFree This free greeting card template is perfect for any creative who needs that little extra help when it comes to designing the perfect offering. Coming with bold colours and cute icons, this greeting card template will certainly catch the eye of your loved ones. Plus, it comes ready to use with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Microsoft Word, Publisher, Apple Pages, QuarkXPress or CorelDraw. Phew. 06. Retro tree Put your own personal touch on this retro style templateFree This retro styled greeting card template is perfect for those of you that love experimenting in Adobe Illustrator. To alter the image, just download the vector and get playing in the software to put your own personal touch on your greeting card. 07. Blue Christmas It's going to be a blue Christmas with this greeting card templateFree This greeting card template allows for a little more creativity with a simple blue background and a few adorable snowflakes thrown in for good measure. Pop it into Adobe Illustrator and put your own creative flair on the design for a very blue Christmas indeed. 08. Red burst Give yourself a burst of creative inspiration with this red rays templateFree Burst onto your loved ones' mantel pieces with this red ray vector greeting card template. It allows you to customise it just enough to put your own spin on it, while still keeping it super festive. We love the use of negative space with the snowflakes. Related articles: Free Christmas vectors for your festive designs 16 wonderful window display designs 56 best free fonts for designers View the full article

ZBrushCore ($149.95 for a single user licence) is a simplified version of ZBrush that serves as an introduction to digital sculpting. It has some of the key features of ZBrush and it's easy to learn. Here we'll share various workflows for 3D sculpting using ZBrushCore, with an emphasis on particular processes and features that will help you produce professional-looking objects and 3D art. Christmas offer: Save up to 47% on a subscription to ImagineFX DynaMesh is a clever process that removes the technical barriers when sculpting in 3D. There are a few concepts that you might have heard of, such as polygons, geometry or topology, and they generally refer to the structure of a 3D object. Often, when you edit a mesh or an object in 3D, you need to be aware of how the changes you're making affect the structure. DynaMesh takes care of all of these technical aspects, enabling you to focus on sculpting and designing your object. Think of this as working digital clay. You can push, pull, flatten or stretch areas of your model without worrying about the distribution of polygons. If you start sculpting and the mesh becomes distorted, you can run the DynaMesh process to redistribute and create more polygons that will help you describe the shape you're trying to make. 01. Enable DynaMesh A switch filled with orange means that the feature is active [click the arrows icon to enlarge this image] When you first open ZBrushCore, you'll see a sphere that's loaded by default and you can select any of the brushes at the bottom of the UI to start adjusting the mesh in different ways. Click the DynaMesh sub-palette on the right-hand side of the screen to expand it. You'll see the DynaMesh switch is orange, which means that it's turned on. 02. Get the hang of re-DynaMeshing Simply click and drag to deform a sphere in interesting ways [click the arrows icon to enlarge this image] Let's turn Polyframe on so we can see the underlying structure by pressing Shift+F. Go ahead and select the Move brush: you can use the shortcuts from the bottom of the screen or the brush's thumbnail to access the library. Click the sphere and drag to create an interesting shape. The polygons are now getting stretched, but we can hold down Ctrl and click and drag on an empty space to re-DynaMesh. 03. Adjust the DynaMesh resolution Keeping the polygon count low makes it easier to move larger portions of the mesh around [click the arrows icon to enlarge this image] During the blocking stages it's good to keep the amount of polygons very low so that we can perform large proportional changes. You'll notice a few other options under the DynaMesh sub-palette. Select the Resolution slider and reduce the number from 128 to about 32, so the next time you perform a re-DynaMesh action (Ctrl+click drag), ZBrushCore will maintain the shape but with fewer polygons. 04. Polishing the model There's a clear difference between leaving the Polish feature off (left) or on (right) [click the arrows icon to enlarge this image] I increase the resolution slightly (64) and work on some details. However, there are areas that feel a bit 'bumpy'. You can use the Smooth brush (holding the Shift key) to even out these areas or simply enable the Polish switch from the DynaMesh sub-palette. Once Polish is turned on, the re-DynaMesh process will also perform a polishing operation on the model. 05. Apply blur Before and after applying the DynaMesh process with both Smooth and Polish enabled [click the arrows icon to enlarge this image] I add a few more details and definition using the ClayBuildup brush. At this point we probably need more resolution to work on more details, so I increase the Resolution. The Polish switch defines the planes of the face after DynaMeshing, but you can also use the Blur slider to smooth all major details on the model: high values produce a smoother surface, while a value of 0 will respect the smaller details. This article was originally published in issue 152 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 152 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Special Christmas offer: Save up to 47% on a subscription to ImagineFX for you or a friend for Christmas. It's a limited offer, so move quickly... Related articles: Sculpt realistic anatomy in ZBrush ZBrush tutorials: 30 ways to sculpt and paint in 3D The best digital art tools of 2017 View the full article

You're reading What is Conversational UI, and Why It’s Important, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Conversational UI is simply a chatbot experience that processes language in a natural way as if you were texting or speaking with another human being. A typical experience with technology, this included computers, websites and mobile apps, is conducted in a way that requires people to click on different icons or links in order to […] View the full article

2017 has been a busy year for illustration tools, and it seems that companies are trying harder than ever to make the lives of illustrators easier. But with so many new goodies coming onto the market all the time, it can be difficult to keep up. In this post, then, we bring you our favourite new and newly updated tools for illustration released in 2017 so far. Read on to discover how they could help you become more productive and creative in 2018 and beyond. 01. Kyle’s Brushes More than 1,000 brushes from Kyle Brush are now available free to Creative Cloud subscribers There was one set of Photoshop brushes that everyone’s been talking about this year: those from Kyle T. Webster. That’s because he’s partnered with Adobe to make over 1,000 brushes available free to Creative Cloud subscribers. You can access them in Photoshop in the Libraries panel (select the 'Kyle Brushes' library). Harry Sussams, a freelance illustrator living in Bristol, is a big fan. “Kyle’s Brushes has changed my digital work,” he says. “There is a wide range of different brushes for Photoshop out there, but I think that his sets are some of the best. “As I really enjoy the combination of traditionally made lines and textures with digital colouring, they’re a fantastic tool for mixing the two. The quality and variety of them are great for expert digital artists, as well as illustrators who like hand-made textures, but want to start creating digital work.” 02. Wacom tablets Wacom continues to be the number one tablet choice for digital illustrators In 2017, we’ve seen more and more graphics tablets aimed at digital illustrators, and the tech is improving all the time. But while there’s a lot of great brands out there, what we’re hearing from illustrators time and time again is their love for Wacoms. “The Cintiq 13HD is my latest acquisition and it’s brilliant,” enthuses Jane Faraar, a freelance illustrator and designer based in Cheltenham. “I was recommended it by an illustrator on a creative Facebook group I’m in, when I asked about the best hardware to draw straight on to. “It’s like a Wacom with a pen, only it has a screen so rather than drawing onto the pad and looking up at the screen I can draw onto the screen,” she explains. “It’s A4 size, light and on a long lead so it can be moved about like a real page to optimise curves, etc, or even brought onto my lap and taken away from the desk. “With Photoshop CC’s lovely range of brushes and its options to adjust the speed of the stroke, it works a dream,” she concludes. “I can’t say it’s as good as pen and paper but it’s the closest I've come and I will often use it as an alternative to drawing and scanning.” This year’s new releases by Wacom include the Cintiq Pro 13 and 16-inch tablets and the Wacom Mobile Studio, both of which pushed functionality and features forward significantly. Check out the best Wacom tablet deals for Christmas 2017 here. 03. Adobe Illustrator CC 22.0 Access your colour themes directly within Illustrator CC via the new Color Themes panel Still the industry standard for creating illustration digitally, Adobe’s vector editor got a big update this April in celebration of its 30th anniversary. And the big news is that you no longer need to switch to Photoshop to crop your images; a new Image Crop tool lets you do it directly in Illustrator. Now, when an image is placed into a document, you’ll see a crop option that will enable you to adjust simple crop handles. Cropped images discard the excess parts of the image, thus reducing the file size and improving performance of files. The 2017 version of Illustrator CC also came with a new Colour Themes Panel, which lets you create, save and retrieve colour themes across the different Adobe apps. And that’s not all. At Adobe Max in October, the company brought out another new version of Illustrator, 22.0, with the headline feature being a new Puppet Warp tool. Replicating the same tool in Photoshop but for vectors, this lets you place pins on objects and pull them around to warp them. You can find a summary of all the new features in Illustrator 22.0 here. 04. Affinity Photo for iPad Affinity Photo is not just a photo editing tool, but good for illustration too; and now there’s a full version on the iPad If you’re used to illustrating in Photoshop, but are tiring of Adobe’s subscription model, there was a new reason to switch to high-end alternative Affinity Photo this year: the release of a full featured iPad version. Yes, you read that right: this is not a basic version of the tool, but an all-singing, all-dancing equivalent for Apple’s tablet: something Photoshop is unable to offer at the moment. To learn what it’s like using it in practice, check out our tutorial: Get drawing with Affinity Photo. 05. Corel Painter 2018 Corel Painter now lets you slap on digital paint in thick layers, just like in real life Digital art tool Corel Painter came up with a big new update this year. And the big news with the 2018 release was Thick Paint, which aims to replicate the feel of traditional, physical paint on a digital canvas. Special new digital brushes and palette knives enable you to apply digital paint in layers, which means you can pull, push, scrape and build it up with your stylus just like with real paint (except without all the mess). The 2018 version also boasts the Texture Synthesis tool, which enables you to select a particular area of an image and automatically generate a larger image based on its texture. Discover the new features in Corel Painter 2018 here. 06. CorelDRAW 2017 The new version of CorelDRAW uses AI to make tablet drawing more natural CorelDRAW is a popular vector illustration and graphics tool for the Windows platform. Released in April, the 2017 version offered a number of updates, but the one that grabbed all the headlines was the LiveSketch vector tool, which offers nothing less than artificial intelligence-guided sketching. The idea behind the new feature is to make drawing directly on a tablet screen with a stylus feel more natural. LiveSketch uses AI and machine-learning technology to intelligently interpret your hand-drawn strokes, adjust them and combine them with existing vector curves for results that better match your intentions. The idea, then, is you will end up with illustration that looks more like what you would have produced using a physical pen and paper. You can read our full review of the latest version of CorelDRAW here. 07. ArtRage 5 ArtRage has been beefed up in the latest updateArtRage is a popular digital painting and drawing tool from Ambient Design Ltd for both desktop and mobile devices. Originally launched as a hobbyist tool, it’s become increasingly professional over the years. And that trend has continued with the release of ArtRage 5 for Windows and macOS this February. Along with an entirely new (optional) interface, ArtRage 5 comes with several major new editing and painting tools, including a custom brush designer, perspective, guides and a more realistic Pencil tool. It also includes additional image-editing effects that enable you to add highlights, drop shadows, emboss, and liquify effects to a layer. 08. Moleskine Smart Writing Set The Moleskine Smart Writing Set makes it easier to digitise your sketches across multiple devices All artists and illustrators love their Moleskines. So in recent years, the Italian notebook guru has been trying to find new ways for paper and pixels to work together. And its latest release ties the two together like never before. The Moleskine Smart Writing Set features a Paper Tablet, a special Moleskine sketchbook that works in tandem with the Pen+, a digitally enabled pen that recognises the notebook and tracks the user's movement. The Pen+ works together with an app, so that any notes, sketches or drawings you make on paper can be instantly digitised, for editing or sharing with others. If that all sounds overly complicated, it really isn’t. You can see how it all works in practice in this video. 09. Inkscape 0.92 The new version of Inkscape comes with mesh gradients and new path effectsInkscape is a free and open-source tool for creating vector graphics on Windows, Mac and Linux. While this community-driven software lacks many of the features of paid-for vector editors, it’s still pretty powerful, and the latest version, which arrived in January, came with a flurry of new features. These include mesh gradients, improved SVG2 and CSS3 support, new path effects, interactive smoothing for the Pencil tool and a new Object dialog for directly managing all drawing elements. 10. Autodesk SketchBook 8.4 The latest version of SketchBook Pro is optimised for Surface DialSketchBook Pro is a drawing application aimed at professional artists and technical illustrators for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. In March, Autodesk launched a new version of the software for Windows 10, updated to take advantage of Microsoft’s Surface Studio and Surface Dial (shown above). For example, you can now zoom in and out of your canvas using the Surface Dial, as well as undo and redo with a quick twist of the Dial. You can learn about the update in this blog post. Related articles: 5 free apps that can boost your creativity 7 biggest illustration trends of 2017 14 free resources to improve your illustration skills View the full article

Those in the 3D design and VFX industry will be used to rendering eating big chunks of their days. But did you know that specialised rendering equipment can significantly reduce render times, leaving you free to get on with improving your 3D designs? Workstation Specialists' Intel Dual Xeon rendering nodes – which are available in a rackmount model or a space-saving deskside version – are designed to do just that. What's more, readers who register their interest before the end of December 2017 can save up to £2,000 on their system. Read on to find out more. Technical specs Intel's specially engineered dual Xeon processor is key to how these nodes work – its multiple cores are designed to dramatically speed up rendering. If you need further convincing, you can see just how much time you could save with this render ROI calculator. Workstation Specialists started life as a software house, and prides itself on knowing what professional creatives need. It recognises that finding the right rendering system for you is a tricky process, which is why it has a pre-sales consultancy team to help find the right setup for your needs. These nodes don't just come off a production line either – experienced engineers will custom build and test your system, as well as guiding you though render node setup and helping resolve any issues that might arise. Rackmount node The RS-R4220-U1 Rackmount twin-node model comes with Intel's specialist Dual Xeon processors, which means it's basically two systems in one – you get two lots of two CPU nodes in a 1u chassis. As each node is completely independent, if one fails you don't need to worry as the other will be unaffected. It's compatible with all the common render management utilities, including Backburner, Qube, AFANASY and RenderPal. You can manage the node remotely, and over time this option is far cheaper than using online cloud rendering services. Deskside node For freelance 3D designers or those who are short on studio space, there's also a deskside variety. This bit of kit offers the same speedier rendering times, but fits into a small unit that can sit on top of your workstation, next to your desk or anywhere on your network – no need for a server room, and no messing around with air con units or dedicated racks. The RS-D2220 Deskside Render Node comes as a personal Intel Dual Xeon Render Node and boasts quiet operation, so there's no need to worry about being disturbed by noisy processing. Save £2,000 To express your interest in these magical machines (or if you have any questions), visit Workstation Specialists' dedicated enquiry page. If you register your interest before the end of the year (31 Dec 2017) you could also save up to a whopping £2,000 on their render nodes – all you have to do is fill out the short form. View the full article

An Android vulnerability called Janus allows attackers to inject malicious code into signed Android apps. View the full article

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/12/08/phishing-embraces-https-hoping-youll-check-for-the-padlock/ … View the full article

You may be surprised how much a walk around your local high street or shopping mall could inspire you for your next project or design portfolio entry. With a good design eye, clothes, shoes, CDs, games and even food can be combined to create a stunning window display. Originally set up to entice shoppers through the door, the art of window display has come a long way in the past few years. We've searched the world's shopping streets to bring you the very best examples of window display design from the very best creative directors, graphic designers and artists across the world. Enjoy! 01. Tiffany & Co. Tiffany & Co's 2017 Christmas window displays feature metallic artists' mannequins like this, and our main image Every year, flagship shop in New York gets a magical Christmas makeover. Past window displays have featured frosted cityscapes and opulent interiors, and this year's designs are equally delightful. The 2017 window displays are a vision in Tiffany Blue and silver, and feature blinged-up artists' models whittling down diamonds, fishing for gems, or pushing stacks of jewellery boxes through the snow. 02. Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols has opted for all-out glam in its Christmas 2017 windows Forget subtlety – for its 2017 Christmas window display, Harvey Nichols has gone for all out disco glam. The scheme is based around stars, neon lights and plenty of glitter (each of the mannequins has a face-full of the stuff). To create this traffic-stopping extravaganza, the store in Knightsbridge, London, used 5,370m (17,618 ft) of LED strip lights, 5101 baubles, neon balls and stars, over 2,000m (6562 ft) of sparkly vinyl, 3555 vinyl stars, and 382 rotating mirror balls. Phew. 02. Davit Muradyan for LaGalleria LaGalleria is an Armenian luxury boutique LaGalleria is a boutique in the heart of Yerevan, Armenia, and to publicise its Spring-Summer 2017 collection, retail marketing specialist Davit Muradyan created a set of stunning jungle-themed window displays. This isn't your average jungle gear Showcasing hot new arrivals from luxury brands including Fendi, Valentino and Saint Laurent Paris, Muradyan artfully arranged the display so that the season's hot gear would stand out against a dense background of foliage. 03. Elemental for Ermenegildo Zegna Elemental got to take over all 23 of Harrods' window displaysDesigning, producing and installing the full set of 23 windows at Harrods might seem like a tall order, but that's what Elemental pulled off for the launch of Ermenegildo Zegna's Couture Collection by Stefano Pilati. The displays for Ermenegildo Zegna used every visual trick in the bookUsing an epic film created by Pilati for its Milan catwalk show as reference, Elemental's designs incorporated optical illusions, soundscapes, animated lighting effects and some incredible technology, including an enlarged view of a Zegna shoe that passers-by could manipulate through their own body movements, via infrared sensors. 04. Kate Spade and eBay Residents of NYC weren't going to miss this striking yellow window display from Kate Spade Designer brand Kate Spade teamed up with online auction site eBay to offer a unique shopping experience – bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase 'window shopping'. The striking yellow window display, located in Manhattan, not only showcased the items on offer beautifully, the interactive display also allowed consumers to shop the store window from their smartphones. 05. Artem for Selfridges Artem created a stunning mechanical model of the solar system for Selfridges' displayThis isn't the first time the quintessentially British department store will appear on this list, and for good reason. For Christmas 2015, Selfridges got the edge on the competition by bringing in SFX company Artem to create a stunning mechanical model of the solar system, which formed the centrepiece of a cosmos-themed window display. The 2.8m gold and chrome model rotated all day, every day until the New Year, with each of the planets orbiting independently. Read more in our news post from the time here. 06. Okamoto Studio for Barney's Shintaro Okamoto, founder of Okamoto Studio, demonstrates his mastery of the art during a live performance in “The Ice Carvers”Ice sculptures transformed this window display of New York department store Barney's – Okamoto's own 'studio away from studio'. The world-renowned ice carving collective got to work carving intricate ice sculptures as shoppers watched on in awe, right next to the Ice Castles installation – a large-scale, immersive ice formation set inside the Madison Avenue window, which was transformed into a freezer just for the festive season. 07. Kristjana S Williams for Fortnum and Mason Williams' illustrations are brought to 3D life in the Fortnum and Mason displaysIllustrator Kristjana S Williams began working with luxury London department store Fortnum and Mason on its Christmas packaging, before being commissioned to apply her richly imaginative style to the shop's windows, too. The 3D designs featured no fewer than 300 owls, roosters and macaws adorned with gems, headdresses and crowns. 08. Tiffany & Co: The Great Gatsby These opulent windows show off jewellery from The Great Gatsby Another entry from Tiffany & Co is this opulent display in celebration of the release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby in 2013. The displays were designed in collaboration with the film's costume and production designer Catherine Martin, who has scooped Academy Awards for her work. Champagne glasses, hazy lighting, glass bubbles and plenty of jewels create a sumptuous 1920s vision – as well as showcasing jewellery pieces designed exclusively for the movie. See more of these gorgeous displays on Tiffany & Co's Facebook page, or take a look at the original sketches here. 09. Tequila Patrón for Selfridges The window display design was inspired by Bruce Nauman "It takes 60 hands to make one bottle of the world's finest ultra premium tequila," reads the tagline on this inspiring window display design. Designed by Harlequin, the Patrón Selfridges window focused on the 60 individual hands that make one bottle of Tequila Patrón. The concept for the window was inspired by Artist Bruce Nauman’s show in 1996 entitled 15 pairs of Hands. 10. Zim & Zou for Hermes Duo Zim & Zou created a charming fox den out of paperZim & Zou are one of the forerunners in the medium of paper art, producing incredible masterpieces based on animals, foods, clothing and more. Everything in the window display was crafted by handThe duo showed off their skills with an incredible window display design for French boutique Hermes. Only using paper and leather, they created a stunningly intricate fox den filled with trinkets, crockery and clothes. Read more in our news post about the project. 11. Kyle Bean for Diesel Leading designer Kyle Bean applied his skills to window display, with stunning resultsAfter working with the likes of Wallpaper*, Gucci, Casio, and Wired, designer Kyle Bean has turned his hand to window displays. This scene was created for Diesel's flagship store in London and features miniature models, vines and an impressive temple. Bean specialises in tactile artworks12. StoreyStudio for Hermes StoreyStudio's displays were inspired by the rock stacking practice 'gravity glue' StoreyStudio is a London-based set designer and art direction studio that has built up a reputation for exquisite window display designs, and worked with the likes of Topshop, Harvey Nichols, and Victoria Beckham. In Summer 2016, the studio created a series of whimsical landscapes to sit in Hermes' shop windows. The designs feature precariously balanced rocks, plants and figures, and were intended to 'explore the fragility and fine balance found in nature'. 13. Emily Forgot for Vertu Forgot's window display promotes Vertu's concierge serviceEmily Forgot is the alias of London-based graphic artist Emily Alston. Since graduating from Liverpool school of Art & Design in 2004 she has amassed a diverse range of international clients. This stunning window display appeared in Harrods' window, and was designed to highlight the concierge service offered by Vertu Boutique – a luxury mobile phone manufacturer. Art direction was taken care of by Kristina Eriksen. 14. StudioXAG for Christian Louboutin A 'lost in space' theme appeared in Louboutin stores in summer 2016 To launch its Spring 2017 collection, Christian Louboutin wanted a space age theme, and StudioXAG obliged. Christian Louboutin boutiques across the world were adorned with glittering moon rock, jewel-toned cabochon lights, star-filled backdrops and glamorous astronauts. In the window of the Paris flagship store, a UFO pod was blown up to fill the entire window, with the new collection hovering between chrome panels. 15. Becky Sloan for Selfridges Bright Young Things is a pioneering project by Selfridges that seeks out and champions the most exciting young creators in the UK. Whether it's fashion, graphic design, illustration or food, Selfridges gives young adults the chance to show off their skills on a yearly basis. This year, artist and popmaker Becky Sloan created this cute, character-based window display for one of Selfridges' stores in London. With one million people walking past the famous windows every week, the displays provide an incredible launchpad for these fledgling designers to showcase their creations to the public. 16. Breakfast for TNT To promote TNT's crime-solving show Perception, design firm Breakfast revived a sign-making technique of yesteryear to create an anagram-solving experience on the streets of New York. Made up of over 40,000 physical dots spinning from black to white at 15 times faster than originally designed to, the screen reflects back the image of anyone walking by. This is a window display unlike any other. Read more: The best boozy Christmas ad campaigns 10 ingenious bus wraps that will make you look twice 40 must-see examples of billboard advertising View the full article

Apple said it has fixed an undisclosed vulnerability in its HomeKit framework that could have allowed unauthorized remote control of HomeKit devices such as smart locks and connected garage door openers. View the full article

Inclusive design is about putting people first. It’s about designing for the needs of people with permanent, temporary, situational or changing disabilities, placing an emphasis on how disabled users might experience content. Christmas offer: Save up to 47% on a subscription to net The Inclusive Design Principles are a set of seven considerations to help inform design thinking. They are not a set of ‘how tos’ but a framework that can be used alongside established accessibility guidelines to take products beyond compliance – to ensure all users can perceive, operate and understand content regardless of the hardware or software used to access a website or application. These Principles remind us to put people, not their disability, first. We are not designing for stereotypes of ‘screen reader users ’, ‘voice input users’ or ‘keyboard users’ but for parents, colleagues, friends, children, students, teachers – you name it. Products should adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines so that the output – code, styling and behaviour – is both accessible and compliant. It’s a technology-led approach to complex human experiences that places a greater emphasis on code over design, output over the final outcome and compliance over experience. Disabled people access the web at home, in the office, while travelling, while under pressure, passing the time, or for the first time, or for the hundredth time. All of this has a big impact on how we interact with and utilise the web, regardless of disability. So, let’s look at what the principles are, with examples of how they can be applied to make products both accessible and usable for disabled people. Provide comparable experience Subtitles on BBC iPlayer shown on iOS use colour coding for different speakers, making content easier to read Ensure your interface provides a comparable experience for all, so people can accomplish tasks in a way that suits their needs without undermining the quality of the content. This principle challenges us to really try to understand what the experience is for someone with a disability when using your product – not how accessible or compliant it is, but if it’s easy, usable and engaging rather than time-consuming, frustrating or confusing. You may wonder why we use ‘comparable’ rather than ‘equivalent’. We questioned whether it was possible to provide an equivalent, like-for-like, experience for someone who cannot see or hear. Consider alternative formats such as alt text, Audio Description and subtitles (Closed Captions in the USA). Is hearing alt text in place of seeing a cartoon a like-for-like experience? Is listening to an Audio Described horror movie ever going to be an equivalent to seeing the expressions on characters faces? Are subtitles ever going to be able to convey that sense of dread in a horror movie so expertly created by ominous music in the build-up to a gory climax? Often an equivalent experience is rooted in well-crafted editorial for alternatives. When creating the logo for the Inclusive Design Principles we decided to give it alt text rather than consider the image decorative and hide it from people who use screen readers. If the logo is there to provide the visual look and feel, why shouldn’t it provide the ‘audible’ look and feel? The Inclusive Design Principles logo has the alt text of “Three hot air balloons hang together in a calm, sunny sky” As Léonie Watson said: “I used to have sight so I appreciate descriptive alt text on decorative images because it evokes memories of things in my mind.” We cannot assume that one disabled person’s experience is everyone’s. For this we have user research and usability testing – two key areas where the Inclusive Design Principles can be included and referenced in day-to-day project work. To be accessible to deaf people, audio in video must be subtitled and synchronised. If you did just those two things you would be meeting this WCAG requirement for captioning: 1.2.2 Captions (Pre-recorded): Captions are provided for all pre-recorded audio content in synchronised media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labelled as such. (Level A)While content complying with the WCAG checkpoint is accessible, is it usable for people who are deaf or hard of hearing? The BBC Subtitle Guidelines provides numerous guidelines around editorial and visual presentation for subtitles such as text size, style, positioning and colour coding for different speakers. All of these make subtitles easier to read and the editorial more comparable to the original experience. To pick just one example, colour coding different speakers makes following dialogue and understanding who said what much clearer. Just because an exact equivalent experience can’t be provided, doesn’t mean you don’t aim for equivalence. This is a good example where accessibility is a champion of creativity and innovation rather than the enemy. Consider the situation Facebook on mobile automatically shows subtitles on the assumption that the majority won’t be able to hear content when out and about People use your interface in different situations. Make sure your interface delivers a valuable experience to people regardless of their circumstances. We need to consider how disability impacts an individual’s situation as well as how people's situation might impact usability. For example, mobile is disabling due to small screens, glare from the sun and small fonts, noise and so on. Our dexterity can be reduced due to rain on the screen, or using devices one handed. Our hearing is reduced due to noisy environments and no headphones. To accommodate a lack of hearing due to the situation an individual is in, content providers are now producing more subtitled video. Facebook automatically shows subtitles on the assumption that most users will not have sound available. This is a good example of how meeting the needs of disabled people solves issues around situational disability for all. Be consistent Use familiar conventions and apply them consistently. This principle cuts across design, editorial, hierarchy, structure, functionality and behaviour. As a result, it’s the principle most often referenced when I am reviewing designs and proposed functionality for accessibility. Heydon Pickering categorises consistency into two broad groups: Internal consistency - ensuring an interface is consistent within itself. For example, via an accessible pattern library. Cultural consistency - ensuring an interface is consistent with the external design patterns across the web. The Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Authoring Practices Guide (WAI ARIA APG) describes approaches to making widgets, navigation and behaviours accessible using WAI-ARIA roles, states and properties. The APG is primarily aimed at developers, however, designers should have a level of familiarity with this document in order to design and document features that are consistent with both internal and external design patterns. This ensures that the keyboard behaviour for widgets, such as a tab panel, behaves consistently with tab panels internal and external to the website. This is important so that people with a screen reader, keyboard or other non-mouse input device don’t have to work out how to use different tab panels. Editorial consistency for text alternatives is a crucial way of supporting people who use screen readers, such as people who are blind, low vision or have reading or cognitive impairments. If you have a website, iOS and Android app using the same editorial for linked images, buttons and controls, it has the dual effect of making the website and app sound more familiar as well as providing audio branding much in the same way that visual design does. Give control YouTube on iOS search uses autocomplete and voice search, which supports people who struggle with inputting text Ensure people are in control. People should be able to access and interact with content in their preferred way. Control is about functionality. It’s about avoiding content changes that have not been initiated by the user unless there is an obvious way to control it. It’s also about not taking away platform settings that give the user control over content. Seemingly simple things such as fixed screen orientation on a mobile device can prevent access. Fixed orientation is not covered by WCAG 2.0, and yet not supporting changes in orientation renders content completely inaccessible for someone in a wheelchair with no upper body movement who has a tablet fixed in portrait mode on the front of their chair. This is a good example of where WCAG, which was written before mobile took off, overlooks key features on mobile that can be broken by design. The Mobile Accessibility Taskforce have proposed this for inclusion in WCAG 2.1: 3.4.1 Orientation: Orientation of the content is not locked to landscape or portrait, except where orientation is essential.You can see more details on Mobile Accessibility WCAG Extension. Auto playing video is another example of loss of control. Screen reader audio becomes drowned out by the video audio. People using screen magnification software may not see the video if it’s located off screen. People who are deaf may miss the opening subtitles. However, it’s wrong to assume all blind, low vision and deaf people will not want auto playing video. This is where considering the situation in which a user is consuming content has an impact. When I worked on BBC iPlayer blind screen reader users requested auto playing content for catch up TV. They were frequent iPlayer users who understood the site and what to expect. They wanted to activate a link to a programme and watch it. They didn’t want to open the page, navigate to the media player, and find the play button. To balance the conflicting needs of screen reader users who are frequent iPlayer users with the needs of first-time users who may not want auto play, the solution is to provide a setting to opt in and out of auto play. This means the content is both accessible and a better user experience for disabled users. Offer choice The iOS Mail app supports swipe to delete as well as tap to delete, therefore supporting people with different dexterity needs Consider providing different ways for people to complete tasks, especially those that are complex or non-standard. While not limited to features, this principle has a huge impact on what features are provided and how they are implemented. As we know one size does not fit all, even when highly accessible. The iOS Mail app is built with choice in mind. Via the inbox, you can either swipe to flag, delete or perform more actions. Alternatively you can tap an email to open it and reach the same functionality. The impact for end users is significant. Some people with dexterity issues find swiping difficult, others with shaking hands may find tapping buttons accurately problematic. Equally, while swipe to delete is a standard iOS function, there is no visual affordance. This means people who are not familiar with the feature may miss it entirely if no alternative is provided. When layouts are complex, giving the user control over the page can help. People with reading or learning difficulties might find a grid layout with large images easier to negotiate than a listings page with more text. When designing screens with listings consider adding a button to switch between a grid and list layout as well as filters to remove unwanted results. Prioritise content Help users focus on core tasks, features and information by prioritising them within the content and layout. Prioritising content is about editorial, layout and presentation. As a disabled user, it’s likely you must work harder to understand the landscape of a screen and what the editorial is telling you. This impacts us all, but if key content is not prioritised pages can become verbose, diluting what people with screen readers need to hear or people with learning difficulties can read. It’s also a significant overhead for people with alternative input devices such as speech, head or foot switches or sip and puff to navigate to content when it’s low down in the content order. Extraneous content such as banner ads, especially video, are an inconvenience for all users, but they can stop people with cognitive or learning difficulties going any further. They are too distracting and easily confused with the main content, which prevents people getting to the content they want. People with cognitive or learning impairments who are more familiar with the tools available in the browser often zoom into content so they can minimise the amount of secondary information they are otherwise forced to see. Zooming content can make the issue worse for some, however. The Channel 5 website has a banner ad at the top of the page followed by navigation underneath and an image. When the page is not zoomed the only priority content you see is the navigation, which is not much. When zoomed 300% only a small portion of the banner ad is visible. This makes locating priority content particularly challenging if you are low vision or use zoom due to cognitive or learning impairments. Editorial for links, headings and paragraphs should also prioritise primary content at the start. Add value Nationwide Building Society supports Touch ID, which helps people who are blind, low vision or have cognitive or learning disabilities Consider the value of features and how they improve the experience for different users. Adding value is where you can get creative. This is less about the content and functionality of your product and more about utilising the brilliance of features available in the platform. Everyday tasks such as logging in and filling out forms can be a real struggle. Autocomplete is hugely beneficial if you have dexterity issues, struggle with a keyboard, or use an alternative input device such as voice. It also helps people with learning or cognitive disabilities as well as non-native English speakers. But why stop there? Consider adding support for voice search – this also supports the principle of providing choice. Inputting passwords is particularly difficult as they require text input but cannot be seen. James Williamson, a web design and development author who has Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) explains the problem he and many other users will face when trying to access certain data. “Whether I’m using voice dictation or a single finger on my keyboard, precise input is extremely difficult. This difficulty is increased when you introduce special characters and many of the requirements found in passwords. Not being able to see what I’ve input equates to a high degree of failure when entering passwords.” Including the ‘show password’ feature allows people to check their entry before continuing, therefore minimising mistakes that can take time to correct, adding a frustrating delay to what should be a straightforward process. Offering Touch ID as well as the ‘show password’ feature provides further choice and an alternative for those who have the dexterity to use it. We need to shift our thinking away from ‘making things accessible’ to enabling people by design. Integrating the Inclusive Design Principles early on in projects can help teams to better understand who will be using their products and how. Referencing the principles when writing personas, user stories, building prototypes and in user research will all help teams to build better features that will be able to properly support all disabled audiences. This article originally appeared in issue 297 of net, the magazine for professional web designers and developers – offering the latest new web trends, technologies and techniques. Buy net issue 297 here or subscribe to net here. Special Christmas offer: Save up to 47% on a subscription to net for you or a friend for Christmas. It's a limited offer, so move quickly... Related articles: Get started with web accessibility How accessible are your designs? Léonie Watson on making accessibility integral to web design process View the full article

A new ice cream shop in Montclair, New Jersey, has sparked a beef with local residents thanks to its sexualised cow logo. The controversial logo (above) features a coquettish cartoon cow with blonde braids and a saucy beret tucking into an ice-cream. However it's the cow's unmissable augmented ass that has caused offence among townspeople. This might seem like a moment of marketing madness, however the logo starts to make a lot more sense when you learn that the shop is called Dairy Air Ice Cream. Not that this justifies that design, but at least you can trace the shop's thought process – although it does make us wonder if the owners came up the pun first then tried to build an entire business plan around it. What's particularly disturbing about the logo is that the rear end appears to be humanised. While that old advertising adage of 'sex sells' probably isn't going anywhere any time soon, surely this raunchy reverse cow centaur has crossed a line? The internet certainly seems to think so. Fellow local business owner Amy Tingle took to Facebook to express her outrage in a now-private open letter to Dairy Air Ice Cream. “It is offensive and sickening," she writes. "A hyper-sexualized, obviously female cow with her ass upended and poking through a circle, tail raised up, waiting for what? I’m not sure, but I do know that I am repulsed and offended. This kind of marketing scheme is the reason we currently have an [alleged] sexual predator in the White House.” The shop's external logo doesn't feature the sexualised cow Strangely, the exterior of Dairy Air Ice Cream features a different logo that doesn't hint at the debauchery within. Instead it opts for a tasteful and entirely un-suggestive ice cream sandwich. Ice cream shops are traditionally family-friendly establishments, so to lure customers in with what looks like an ordinary logo only to turn around and surprise them with curvaceous cattle once they're through the door only serves to compound the issue. This isn't the only instance of logo designers sexualising cows. Nestlé's range of low fat ice creams, Skinny Cow, uses a logo of a slender cow draped over the brand name and wrapped in a tape measure. Complete with eyelashes and lipstick applied – with amazing precision, considering she has hooves instead of hands – the Skinny Cow mascot looks like she's about to ask you to draw her like one of your French girls. Where to begin? The seduction continues when you get to the Skinny Cow product overview: "Creamy deliciousness comes in a host of Skinny forms, from luscious sandwiches and cones to decadent ice cream candy bars and truffle bars. You’ll find happiness in every bite." Blimey. We dread to think what the Dairy Air Ice Cream mission statement promises. At the prudish end of the flirtatious cow logo spectrum is Bel's Laughing Cow. This bubbly bovine features only the mildest of feminine eyelashes, although she does wear earrings of creamy cheese so there's probably more going on with this one than meets the eye. And the less said about her provocative red colour scheme the better. As for Dairy Air Ice Cream, it's gone the way of other brands that have been publicly shamed in that it's shut down its social media platforms and issued an apology. The shop's manager, Natalie DeRose, said in a statement issued on Facebook: "We have heard the complaints. We take them very seriously and we are acting to change the cow to be more fun and less sexy. Our goal was always fun and not sexy.” Dairy Air Ice Cream will also be open for community meetings for residents who want to discuss the logo further. Related articles: Eurovision reveals new nautical logos The top 10 big-brand logos Formula 1 ditches its negative space logo View the full article

Christmas is getting alarmingly close now, so if you've still not started that festive project, you'd better get a move on. To help you out with your festive projects we've scoured the web for some free design resources – namely, Xmas vector shapes. These designs are perfect for creating seasonal patterns, backgrounds and much more (although if you'd like to create your own designs then check out our collection of vector art tutorials). 01. Cartoon snow caps Make anything instantly festive by sticking some snow on top of it If you want a simple way to make absolutely any image look incredibly Christmassy, all you need to do is cover everything in snow. And with this useful download of ready-made snow caps, you don't even need to draw it yourself; just pick out what you need and paste it in. 02. Retro Christmas backgrounds This retro set is ideal for a more traditional Christmas For more traditional festive creations, this pack of 21 retro Christmas backgrounds should sort you right out. It's a treasure trove of seasonal goodies, complete with Santa, Christmas trees, snowmen, gifts and festive lettering. 03. Wooden toys These festive toys are full of rustic charmThese delightfully crafty and folksy templates by Russian designer Anastasya Mutovina are designed for printing out and hanging from your Christmas tree, but their simple rustic charm makes them just as suitable for incorporating into your own festive designs. They come in both PDF and EPS format; check out Anastasya's Behance page for more festive vectors. 04. Christmas pine needle vector All the fun of pine needles without having to vacuum them up If you're after a background image for your Christmas card, this design by Nouri Atchabao ticks all the boxes: pine needles, sparkling snow and a glorious bokeh backdrop to finish it all off; all you need now is to find some suitably festive free fonts with which to add your Yuletide felicitations. 05. Cute characters Download Chris Spooner's cute Christmas characters to use in your festive designsDesigner Chris Spooner created these cute Christmas characters and has generously decided to share them with the world. Made of simple shapes, the pack includes Santa, a reindeer, polar bear, penguin, and a robin. Simply download the pack and use the characters in your Christmas design work. The pack contains Adobe Illustrator and EPS file formats. 06. Merry Christmas pack These free vectors by graphic designer Clarice Gomes are perfect for any greeting card or Christmas designThis Merry Christmas vector pack was created by graphic designer Clarice Gomes and hosted by Free Vector. Vector images include a present box, mistletoe, pines, snow, and ornaments, perfect for any greeting card or Christmas design. The pack contains Adobe Illustrator and EPS file formats. 07. Classic Christmas shapes Download this free pack of Christmas vector shapes from Photoshop blog psd-dude.com Photoshop blog psd-dude is offering this pack of free Christmas vector shapes to help with your Christmas designs. You can find all sort of winter season shapes like baubles, a Christmas tree, gifts, stockings, candles, stars, candy cane, snowman shape, mistletoe, and many more. Gathered together in one CSH file, the images are free for personal, non-commercial use. Note: registration to this site is required in order to download. 08. Xmas baubles Add some balls to your design, quite literally, with these Xmas baublesNeed some baubles this Christmas? Then look no further than these classic Xmas bauble designs brought to you by 123FreeVectors. This free vector is in AI format and can be used for both personal and commercial Christmas-related projects. 09. Gift wrap Add some beautiful typography to this classic gift wrap design maybe?A simple but classic design, grab hold of this Christmas gift wrap vector from Vector Stock. The majority of images require paid-for credits to download, but there's also a great freebie section and this is just one of many Christmas designs you can help yourself to. This vector image is perfect for creating festive tags, wallpapers and much more. File types included are EPS, AI, PDF and a high resolution JPG. Note: registration to this site is required to download this file. 10. Origami Xmas tree vector We love this Christmas tree design with an origami twistThere are thousands of vector Christmas tree images to choose from online. But we really liked this origami-inspired concept from freelance designer Ian Barnard. The generous creative regularly shares useful resources, such as this free vector image. Barnard also has two other free festive vector images; wallpaper and an illustration depicting the reason for the Christian festival. The files are available to download in EPS format. 11. Santa's sleigh Send Santa flying high with this cool sleigh designDesigned Santa but need his sleigh? Then download this freebie, which is another from Vector Stock. The sleigh comes complete with gifts, isolated on a white background, perfect for incorporating into any Christmas designs. File types included are EPS, AI, PDF and a high resolution JPG. Note: registration to this site is required to download this file. 12. Christmas snowflakes These vintage snowflake designs are something a bit different These vintage-style snowflakes are just one of a number of nicely designed vectors from WebDesignHot. Head over to the site to grab loads more similarly-styled festive vectors, including baubles, bells and other traditional Christmas symbols. Related articles: 100 amazing Adobe Illustrator tutorials 30 graphic designers to follow on Behance 56 best free fonts for designers View the full article

Creatives in all fields rely on the apps of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. These powerful tools are counted on by amateur and professional creators alike. Learn your way around them with the Adobe CC Lifetime Mastery Bundle – and you can pay what you want for it. If you're an aspiring creator, you're going to need to learn the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. It's the most powerful set of design tools around and can take your work to the next level. The Adobe CC Lifetime Mastery Bundle will help you to make the most of it. You'll get more than 40 hours of actionable courses that will make you a master of Adobe's powerful artistic tools – from Photoshop and Illustrator to Dreamweaver and InDesign, plus you'll learn how to make use of motion graphics in After Effects and more. The Adobe CC Lifetime Mastery Bundle is valued at over $384, but you can get it now for a price that you pick. Beat the average to unlock it all, get on the leaderboard, or just pay what you want. You can't go wrong, so grab this course 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: 95 top Photoshop tutorials How to illustrate for an event 5 best laptops for Photoshop View the full article

It seems CLO3D, maker of Marvelous Designer, is starting to listen to user feedback on price, as this latest version of its 3D tool, Marvelous Designer 7, is considerably cheaper. The $50 monthly fee is still a bit steep, but it's cheaper than it was. The prices on perpetual or annual licenses have also come down considerably, to $490 and $300 respectively – choose the option that suits you best from the Marvelous Designer store, here. It seems the last few years' increase in users and funding has also brought with it the time and money to develop some new features. One is the new, somewhat misnamed Flatten tool, as flatten is just a part of what it does. It lets you draw a spline onto your model, kind of like retopo work. Once you've blocked in the shape of a garment on your model, you add it into the 2D Pattern Editor for further work. Needless to say, this takes a lot of the hassle out of a measure-tweak-simulate workflow. In addition, you can generate splines based on your model's grouping. This is super handy for more finicky garment generation, like gloves. Taking a leaf out of the PatternMaker PRO playbook, Marvelous Designer 7 now offers libraries of clothing blocks, and new tools to tweak them It's not without flaws though, the most irritating being that it seems to work best with flat-chested figures. Try it with a female figure from MakeHuman or DAZ, and the spline tends to get lost in the curvier areas of the figure. It can be a hassle to find it again to continue drawing, especially when your UI is set to Max controls. Some tweaks and polish in the future will probably take care of that, but right now, it was simply annoying. The other standout is the fact that kitbashing is now also a feature for digital garments. It works exactly like it does in 3ds Max, Maya or any other 3D application: You have blocks of items, like collars, tops and sleeves, which you pick, tweak and assemble on your figure, and voilá – new garment. It's easy to use, too. You add components ranging from buckles, to garments to stitches, add them to a template shape, and save the garment into your library. In effect, this means no more mucking about with loading entire garments or project files to use part of a garment in another – now you can just generate and grab what you need from the library, and adjust it to the avatar you're using. In addition to many little UI tweaks, Marvelous Designer 7 has other touches to make garment creation easier. You can finally add darts to outside edges, making it so much easier to make superfluous cloth wrap and drape correctly. You can now offset internal lines along curves – something anyone who's created gambesons or other line-intensive garments should be very happy about, as it means an end to the 'create line, copy, paste, tweak, copy both, paste, tweak' and so on in the workflow. You now use a UI to define lines and offsets, again, saving time. The new flatten tool does more than just flatten, it allows you to draw the garment right on the figure In addition, Marvelous Designer 7 sports its first real attempt at automation in this release, by providing a basic Python interface and command set. All this new functionality comes at a price, of course. Our biggest grievance was a slowdown in UI responsiveness on a 64GB system with a 4GhZ GPU and two 1080s on a 4K LED screen – the screen actually went black during refreshes, no matter how much we tweaked my drivers or screen settings. While the new stitching functionality is pretty good, this could have been solved less geometry-heavy by handling it via Normals. In addition, it still has some lacking export tools, meaning the Marvelous Designer to ZBrush workflow is in this release too. These are trifles compared to the current functionality, though. Having reviewed and used Marvelous Designer since version 2, this is our absolute favourite release thus far, and if you haven't jumped on board the Marvelous train yet, this is the point where you should. This article was originally published in issue 228 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists – packed with expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. Buy issue 228 here or subscribe to 3D World here. To learn more 3D skills and hear from expert speakers, check out our new 3D event, Vertex. Related articles: How to model a complex 3D city scene in Blender 12 mighty Maya tutorials to try today 30 inspiring examples of 3D art View the full article

The truth about digital humans is that they make most people uncomfortable. There’s a biological reason for this. Since birth, you have been bred to look for threats. When something looks slightly off, alarms go off in your body, activating adrenal functions and big emotions like fear, anger and sometimes, disgust. This is supposed to help you survive. But appearances can be deceiving, and our brains can be tricked. Digital humans are one such example. When they look just slightly off, they can trigger the same sensations in us, and right now, most things still feel wrong. The world of computer graphics has spent the last few decades trying to overcome this challenge, which is known as the Uncanny Valley. And we’ve made progress, a lot of progress. With better technology and better trained artists in the mix, getting a digital human out of the Valley is much more achievable. As such, the demand for digital humans has gone up. We are also starting to investigate the role that they will play in our everyday lives. And because of this, a whole new set of problems have emerged, including questions of ethics, and the safety of our own well-being. Back from the dead The question of ethics really came into play when the entertainment industry started to bring celebrities back from the dead. You might remember hologram 2Pac; or hologram Michael Jackson (who some say is being prepped for a tour); or even Paul Walker’s last scene in Furious 7, which like the others was a product of digital restoration after his death. No matter what you think about these projects, they all raise serious questions. Including, first and foremost, who owns your likeness after you die? And what should they be allowed to do with it? If the thought of bringing dead actors back from the dead makes you upset, recent research may actually terrify you. The concept of fake news and doctored information has been one of 2017’s top stories. But in the last few years, several papers have emerged that demonstrate how digital humans can be used to distort the truth through video manipulation. 2016’s main example was face2face. This was a paper from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Max-Planck-Institute for Informatics, and Stanford University that showed how webcams could be used to digitally puppeteer subjects from pre-existing video. So, if you were to grimace next to a video version of Donald Trump, for example, digital Donald would grimace too, in the exact same way. A second paper called Synthesizing Obama: Learning Lip Sync from Audio came out of Washington University in 2017 and depicted a similar technology, with one key difference. Instead of using a live person as their modifier, this project seamlessly superimposed audio and lip movements from one video to another. It’s so good, it’s spooky. Copyright Meet Mike, Epic Games When you see things like this, it’s easy to come back to fear. Fear of digital humans. Fear of technology. Fear of what could go wrong. But if you stop there, you’ll miss out on all the benefits. I like to equate it to the internet. There are a ton of evil things you can do on the internet, but is the internet all bad? Of course not. It’s a revolutionary tool that changed the world - in many ways for the better. The same will be said for digital humans. The process of achieving realism is already teaching us so much about human needs, desires, and biological responses, you have to wonder what we’ll learn when we achieve full photorealism. Or when digital assistants break out of their current box. In time, they’ll meet us where we live. Looking us in the eyes with faces that feel complete. And with the help of AI, they’ll be able to recognise our emotions and then respond appropriately. Suddenly, the same biological mechanisms that used to set off warning bells around weird humans, will help you feel soothed by ones that accurately mimic our characteristics - facial and otherwise. This can be seen in the recent research by Autodesk called AVA, which helps us remember that at our core, humans are social animals. We want to be a part of a greater whole, with like-people, who get us. The rise of digital humans will be one avenue to this feeling. Copyright Meet Mike, Epic Games Another will be digital avatars. If VR takes off, as many of us believe it will, we’re heading for a worldwide MetaVerse that will allow users to spend countless hours interacting with virtual versions of ourselves. At first, these will be low-poly versions, far from the types that cause discomfort in the Valley. But over time, people will want these avatars to reflect their attributes (whether those are real or fantasy-driven), meaning we’ll either have to confront the Valley over and over again during our travels, or finally cross it. Mike Seymour, who works with me at the Wikihuman project, is especially invested in this subject and is making progress every day. You might have seen his #MEETMIKE exhibition at SIGGRAPH, which allowed him to conduct interviews using the most realistic digital avatar ever produced, in real-time, with people in a digital space. It was exciting to watch. And if you are like me, that’s the biggest takeaway. We are living in an exciting time. Yes, there are things to be cautious of. And just like the internet, there are things we have to self regulate. But ultimately, the technological leaps we are making are going to completely change the world. It won’t happen for years, but it’s coming. And it’s on all of us to make sure we do it right. I believe we can. Get your ticket to Vertex 2018 now For more insight into the future of CG, don't miss Chris Nichols' keynote presentation at Vertex, our debut event for the CG community. Book your ticket now at vertexconf.com, where you can find out more about the other amazing speakers, workshops, recruitment fair, networking event, expo and more. Related articles: The mocap magic behind Justice League’s Steppenwolf 12 mighty Maya tutorials to try today 37 brilliant Blender tutorials View the full article

Using a free tool called Spinner, researchers identified certificate pinning vulnerabilities in mobile banking apps that left customers vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. View the full article

The world authority of colours, Pantone, has just revealed its hotly anticipated Color of the Year 2018. It's the mysterious PANTONE 18-3838 – or to use its catchier name: Ultra Violet. This provocative shade of purple is said by Pantone to communicate originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking. Ultra Violet is a stark contrast to Pantone's Color of the Year 2017, which was the zesty and refreshing Greenery, AKA PANTONE 15-0343. Whereas Greenery was all about seeking clarity and finding harmony in a chaotic world, Ultra Violet appears to embrace the unknown. “We are living in a time that requires inventiveness and imagination. It is this kind of creative inspiration that is indigenous to PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra-Violet, a blue-based purple that takes our awareness and potential to a higher level,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “From exploring new technologies and the greater galaxy, to artistic expression and spiritual reflection, intuitive Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come.” On the Pantone website they go on to explain that Ultra Violet is a complex and contemplative colour that suggests the mysteries of the cosmos. Given that nobody can tell what's going to happen next in the world anymore, we think that it's the perfect choice of colour for 2018. Expect to see a lot of blue-based purples in 2018 Ultra Violet isn't the first purple to come out of Pantone this year though. Back in August it honoured the late musician Prince with his own shade of purple, which was inspired by the colour of his custom-made purple Yamaha piano. However this doesn't mean that the famously counterculture colour is set to become homogenised. “The Pantone Color of the Year has come to mean so much more than ‘what’s trending’ in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today,” says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “As individuals around the world become more fascinated with colour and realise its ability to convey deep messages and meanings, designers and brands should feel empowered to use colour to inspire and influence. "The Color of the Year is one moment in time that provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design, reflecting the Pantone Color Institute’s year-round work doing the same for designers and brands.” Related articles: The essential guide to colour correction How to master colour theory 12 colours and the emotions they evoke View the full article

Warner Bros.’ Justice League movie sees DC’s most famed heroes join forces – Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash – to take down the film’s Big Bad, supervillain Steppenwolf. Interestingly, actor Ciaran Hinds never stepped foot on set in the role of Steppenwolf. Rather, the performance was pieced together via numerous motion capture shoots taking place elsewhere, each adding another layer to his evil persona. Leading motion capture provider Animatrik was brought on board to build a specialist stage on the Universal lot last November for this very purpose. The team coordinated an isolated, six-day shoot; providing the motion capture and virtual cinematography that made Justice League possible. “The main focus was on Steppenwolf, but we also delivered on a number of other shots,” recalls Brett Ineson, president and CTO of Animatrik, who will be speaking at Vertex 2018. “It was a fantastic opportunity to work closely with director Zack Snyder, as well as the film’s producer, VFX supervisor and director of photography. It was an intimate, creative moment, with big results up on screen.” Face-to-face In Justice League, would-be world conqueror and lieutenant of arch villain Darkseid, Steppenwolf, unleashes an army of parademons on Earth so dangerous it forces the superheroic DC icons to team up. The character’s menacing, otherworldly appearance – a craggy face, alien heritage and dramatic blade-like helmet – prompted his creation as a fully CG digital creation. A wide assortment of technology was used to deliver these lifelike replications of Hind’s performance, with different solutions tracking different elements of his physiology, as Brett explains: “Animatrik recorded subtle body movements and facial expressions alongside our partner DI4D. We used a Technoprops helmet to capture the actor’s face with stereo pair, and then did surface reconstruction with the DI4D system. Then we used OptiTrack Prime 41 cameras to capture the body and the LEI/Giant system to solve it in post.” Animatrik used Mocap magic to bring Steppenwolf to life Cataloging villainous monologues Animatrik’s work on the shoot was actually less focused on action-packed fight scenes, as was the case in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and more about focusing in on performance detail. Gloating. Monologuing. It’s what villains do – and Animatrik’s job was to make sure Steppenwolf looked good doing it. “The stunts we captured were quite minor – just falling down and a little bit of weapon swinging,” says Ineson. “We were focused a lot more on character movement, walk and talk moments – the more intimate side to a supervillain’s performance.” Working away from the chaos of practical film set, and within the more ordered confines of the isolate motion capture set, Brett Ineson and team were able to place all of their concentration on Steppenwolf, leaving the director with less to worry about. Zack Snyder could instead keep his attention on the subtle expressions and gestures that bring out Steppenwolf’s personality. “With mocap there’s no real interactions, or waiting for lighting, or anything like that,” explains Brett. “That left the director free to focus on developing the character, without having to triple-check environment and props and support staff are on point, so he could really pull out an emotive performance that draws people into the scene. We were able to get it all done across that shoot with time to spare, and no reshoots.“ Brett Ineson will be speaking at Vertex in London on 13th March. Head to www.vertexconf.com to buy tickets now! Small crew, big results Although working with a small and focused crew, the Justice League’s motion capture team worked with focus and efficiency – something that can be lost with sprawling team sizes. Animatrik was able to seamlessly integrate with staff at the Universal lot, adapting to the director’s vision and consulting on best motion capture practices where necessary. The shoot, originally scheduled across eight days, ended on the sixth. “It was a chilled, relaxed shoot,” concludes Ineson. “We had the time, there was no need to panic and it was a small crew. We really knew what the director was looking to get, and we were focused on getting it. That resulted in great, emotive facial performances, from the worst villain these heroes have had to face yet.” Brett Ineson will be speaking at Vertex, our debut event to join the CG community together. Head to www.vertexconf.com to book tickets and find out more about our other amazing speakers, workshops, recruitment fair, networking event and more! Related articles: Scott Ross to talk at Vertex How to set up a VFX pipeline View the full article

Enter any decent co-working space or trendy coffee shop and you'll see them. Armed with a laptop, mobile and very little else, an army of freelancers is quietly revolutionising the creative industry. According to the Design Council's 2015 Design Economy Report, 27.1 per cent of designers are self-employed, which is almost twice the UK average. Within graphic design, those figures are even higher, with a whopping 48.1 per cent of people self-employed. In the US, the numbers are higher still. The gig economy has never looked better but try telling yourself that when you're considering making the leap. The fear of the unknown can be crippling: will you be able to find work, pay the bills, stay motivated? Are you too old – or too young? How should you prepare? Here, we take a look at four routes into freelance life. We speak to designers and illustrators who have taken these paths and harvest their pro advice to ensure you enter the world of freelance successfully – whichever route you choose. 01. Go freelance straight from education Graduates are increasingly setting up on their own after university According to Dave Chaplin, CEO and founder of freelancer organisation Contractor Calculator, graduates are increasingly setting up on their own after university. In a competitive industry, working freelance can offer more immediate employment than waiting for the perfect studio role, and with clients increasingly recognising the benefits of a younger, fresh perspective, there are plenty of opportunities out there – if you know where to look. For Dutch art director, illustrator and designer Mart Biemans, the prospect was so appealing that he quit his studies before graduating. He'd been freelancing since the age of 14 and felt he wasn't learning enough at school. "The career route I took isn't something I would advise, unless you're extremely confident that you can make it work," he warns. "I struggled a lot after quitting school. Some months I didn't have any projects to work on and no money was coming in." In the early days, Biemans took on every job he could. "From designing key visuals to doing business cards for local bars, I didn't have the luxury to be picky and simply wanted to be able to make a living from what I love doing," he says. At first, he found work by emailing companies to see if they needed a designer ("I was happy if I got a reply from one in 10 companies"). He was also extremely active on platforms like DeviantArt and Behance: Biemans wasn't just creating and sharing art, but also giving feedback to others – and listening to the feedback he received. The more followers he garnered, the quicker big brands like Pepsi, Diesel and Universal Music Group started noticing him – and from that moment on, it was an upwards spiral. One problem with taking this route into freelance life can be a lack of experience on the legal side of things. Although most clients were kind, Biemans learned the intricacies of contracts, invoicing and NDAs the hard way. "Once a client didn't pay me because no contracts were signed," he recalls. "It's just a matter of learning from your mistakes. Don't let those events happen again." It's very important to keep educating yourself. Things change so quickly. Guy Rodwell Freelance designer Guy Rodwell agrees. He went freelance straight after college and advises understanding the tax system and fully researching the different options for setting up a business before making the leap. He's never been more busy but says the biggest hurdle he's still tackling is overbooking himself. "I've had a brilliant time so far working for myself. But I often underestimate the time it takes to complete my work, and jobs and deadlines can quite easily stack up," he says, adding that an understanding of your limits as a freelancer is important. He's right. Clients want to hire someone who will deliver brilliant results by the given deadline. They also want a designer with the right skills. Without access to the level of training you might receive in a studio, you need to find other ways to stay ahead. Rodwell recommends taking on smaller jobs to help learn new techniques or the basics of new software, and Biemans advises experimenting to keep your skills up to date. "It's very important to keep educating yourself," he points out. "Things change so quickly. Programmes like Photoshop and Illustrator get amazing new features with almost every single update and you'd be a fool to keep doing the thing you've always done, instead of trying them out." 02. Quit your design job It's advisable to build up your freelance work gradually, in evenings and weekends, before doing it full-time One of the most sensible routes into self-employed life is to test the water first. Slowly taking on out-of-hours freelance work with the financial security of a full-time job enables you to experience freelance life first-hand and make an educated decision about whether it's right for you. UK-based freelance illustrator Jack Daly took the plunge into self-employment after being approached by a New York-based agent, who offered to represent him. He'd been dabbling in illustration while working as a senior designer at Glasgow-based creative agency D8 and accepted the offer. After about six months of representation – and effectively working two jobs – he decided to go full-time freelance. Before making the leap, his biggest consideration was ensuring he'd saved enough money to pay the bills for the initial months. "This is particularly important, as even if you've got commissions lined up right away, you won't necessarily see any money for one to three months," explains Daly, who's worked for a variety of clients over the last 18 months, including Adele, Foreign Affairs Magazine and InVision. "Sure you can put 'pay within 28 days' in your terms, but it's still no guarantee." After working with his agent for six months, he was confident he would have enough work coming in – but another key consideration was whether he would enjoy working alone at home. "I ended up taking a desk at a shared space run by Scottish studio Freytag Anderson," he says. "In the beginning, I actually traded them some design time for the desk, meaning I didn't have to worry about forking out cash while still establishing my freelance career." Is there any preparation he would do now if he were to go freelance again? "I'd get a business account set up straight away. You get a separate debit card, so you can make any business purchases from the same account your invoices are paid into. You can then link that account to a service like FreeAgent to help manage your finances and make the dreaded tax return as pain-free as possible." You need to be able to give full brain power to both your full-time job and the freelance work during the transition. I think that's the hardest bit Caterina Bianchini London-based designer and art director Caterina Bianchini initially hired an accountant when she went freelance – but ended up doing her own self-assessment. "I decided to get rid of him because I felt it was really important to understand expenses, tax and national insurance," she explains. She works for clients including Nike, Red Bull and Topshop, and recommends building up your freelance work gradually, in evenings and weekends, before doing it full-time. "Just make sure you understand that you need to be able to give full brain power to both your full-time job and the freelance work during the transition," she advises. "I think that's the hardest bit. But it does allow you to see just how much work you can achieve when you have to do it. With freelance, I was on limited time, so I had to make sure I was working at my highest potential." Bianchini says her biggest challenge is continuing to get new, bigger clients. "It's good to make sure your work is constantly getting better, and growing in skill and technique," she says. "I'm super on top of my emails. I try to get back to people within a day. There's so much talent and competition, you have to make sure you give the client requests the time they need. Also, make sure whatever you spend, you keep receipts for, or whatever you buy online, you file away your invoice for. This is something that took me a while to get used to." "Don't be a wallflower, advises Daly. "Having a social media presence is huge. Platforms such as Behance, Twitter, Dribbble and Instagram are essential tools in building your profile and winning new work. When you've created new work, share it on all of your platforms. I've found the more you share, the more commission enquiries you receive. This is particularly satisfying when it's one of those self-initiated projects you dragged yourself out of bed to create that leads directly to a lucrative new commission." 03. Survive unexpected redundancy Being made redundant could turn out to be your lucky break Not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy a smooth, planned transition into freelance life. Unexpected redundancy or other unforeseen circumstances can send you into a tailspin – but there are some advantages to this route into freelance life: namely, that the decision to go freelance is made for you. "I spent so much time scared that I wouldn't be able to go freelance, that I never bothered," says Vancouver-based freelance designer Kevin Moore, aka Soft Surrogate. He was laid off from his job at a print shop with a two-week notice period shortly before his first wedding anniversary. "I panicked,"he admits. "There wasn't enough time to scrimp and save enough to start my own company. But rather than get depressed about it, I had to face it full-on." Almost instantly, he was able to take on a "ton of work" because his days were entirely freed up. "My turnaround times got way faster, and as a result I got more clients. I hustled doing 12 and 16-hour days just promoting my work, finding new clients and doing whatever work would come my way. I was able to save a little ‘safety net' of funds within the first couple months. I just tightened my belt and put a bunch of my initial pay cheques into savings accounts and into my estimated income tax for the remainder of the year." Always keep an up-to-date CV and portfolio. Shit happens. You never know when you'll need it. Dave Milburn Whatever your circumstances, it's always useful to be prepared for a career move. "Always keep an up-to-date CV and portfolio,"advises Newcastle upon Tyne-based creative director Dave Milburn. "Shit happens. You never know when you'll need it." Milburn was forced into freelance life in 2007, during the credit crunch. Initially he found work in other agencies around the area, where he had friends, filling in for holidays or helping when there was a deadline to meet. "The rate of pay was initially good, but the North East gradually dried up as more of the large agencies shut down and were replaced by start-ups and one-man bands." Milburn is now creative director at an agency and freelances on the side. The biggest lesson he's learned is to 'multi-zone'. "Freelancing usually means a different dynamic and creative environment every day,"he explains, "so you need to learn to stack from different creative angles, and adapt to a different ethos and workflow." Moore stresses that learning the business side of self-employment is crucial. "What kills so many creative entrepreneurs is that they love to be starry-eyed, hippy, creative types and just ignore the business end of things. I've almost fallen victim to that same way of thinking – I just want to draw all day." He also advises not being a jerk. "I try and take a breather when I get an email that rubs me the wrong way. If you respond like a jerk, you lose that client and whoever they tell forever. Take a day. Take a deep breath. Respond kindly and use your communication skills to maybe show the client why their suggestions might not work for what they want. I've said it 100 times: 75 per cent of my job is convincing clients that I'm right." Moore says his biggest regret is not being laid off sooner. "I thought I loved where I worked before – but the truth is, I would come home and bitch and complain all the time. I guess I needed that push off the edge to show myself I could land." 04. Change your career entirely If you want to change careers but your age is proving to be a barrier, freelance could be the way in Melbourne-based designer and occasional publisher Duncan Blachford took another route entirely into freelance life. Previously a musician, he was working in admin at a book publishing company when the firm's designer was knocked off his bike and broke both arms. Blachford became his hands. "I was happy as a typesetter," he recalls, "and didn't even think about becoming a designer for a long time. Over the last 24 months, my creative interests started shifting from music to design – and it's quickly developed into an obsession." Although Blachford had designed his own record covers and gig posters for 20 years – and was increasingly being asked to create work for others – he'd only recently realised that design could be a career option. He'd just started applying for jobs when he was made redundant. "I didn't have a folio, so I started creating new work for each job I went for," he says. "I had to work fast and in a range of styles and contexts. Suddenly design seemed like a super-creative field." Blachford was also watching a lot of tutorials, and the confidence restrictions he'd previously felt disappeared. "I read books by Robert Bringhurst, Jost Hochuli, Norman Potter, Paul Rand, Michael Bierut, Experimental Jetset, Jan van Toorn, Jan Tschichold, Joseph Müller-Brockman – this was all rewiring my brain, and I realised there was a rich design history with deep social and political aspects to it. I was listening to Debbie Millman's 'Design Matters' and whatever else I could find online. Then I enrolled in a Master of Communication Design course at RMIT." I'm hoping the dust will settle but freedom and chaos are intertwined. It's pretty wild. Duncan Blachford The biggest challenge he's faced, he says, is his age, and that he's only worked in-house. "Even though my mid-30s doesn't feel old at all, I have a feeling I'm seen as too old for junior roles, but can't land a mid-weight or senior position in a studio either as they all want studio experience," he explains. "Going freelance seems the way to go. Maybe after a few years I'll be able to move into a studio, or start one with some friends." It's early days still: his first clients were friends and workmates, then friends of friends and now complete strangers from different walks of life. He also subcontracts for other designers, and recently started taking some freelance shifts in larger cultural institutions. "Between family life, work and study, life is pretty hectic and I rarely switch off," he admits. "I'm hoping the dust will settle but freedom and chaos are intertwined. It's pretty wild. I'm still green but I'm super excited and I've found that people do want really creative solutions. And I don't mind doing dry stuff that pays the bills, too." What's his best advice? Just dive right in. "I started late but immersed myself and it feels like a new creative world has opened up. Ideas are flowing and I feel up for any challenge." Illustrations: Michelle Thompson This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 272. Buy it here. Liked this? Read these! How to market yourself as a freelance designer: 7 top tips 25 tips for staying sane as a freelancer 9 things nobody tells you about going freelance View the full article

Photoshop is so ubiquitous these days that, like Google, it has become a verb, so 'to Photoshop' has become shorthand for editing an image. This might give the impression that Adobe's got the market sewn up with its Creative Cloud packages – but that's not actually the case. In fact, the backlash against Adobe's move to the Creative Cloud in 2013 helped spur on a wide range of alternatives to Photoshop. Whether you're looking elsewhere because you can't afford the subscription, or you want to support smaller development houses, or you just don't need all the millions of features that come with Photoshop CC, there are a number of options open to you. Here are the best image editing software options that aren't Photoshop. 01. Affinity Photo Can this Photoshop alternative topple Adobe from its throne? Platform: Mac, Windows, iPad Price: £48.99/$49.99 (one-off payment) Serif's Affinity Photo started creating a stir in the creative community almost the moment it was released, and it's perhaps the most serious Photoshop alternative we've seen to date. Fully compatible with Photoshop and other file formats, it's aimed squarely at professional photographers and designers, and although Affinity Photo is hugely cheaper than Photoshop (with no subscription), its creators argue it's actually better, promising higher speeds, fewer crashes and unlimited undos. In truth, the amount of improved performance you'll get will probably depend what equipment you're using (it's been specifically designed to take advantage of the latest quad core technology). Originally Mac-only, Affinity Photo is now available on Windows, and in summer 2017 Serif also launched Affinity Photo for iPad. Anyone looking for an alternative to Photoshop, Affinity Photo is definitely worth investigating. You can find out more about the features and capabilities on Affinity Photo here. 02. Sketch Sketch includes tools similar to that of Photoshop and Illustrator at a fraction of the price Platform: Mac Price: $99/year A professional vector graphics app for creatives, in recent years Sketch has created enormous buzz within the design community, and web designers in particular. With a simple UI, Sketch has many features similar to that of Photoshop and Illustrator, including layers, gradients, colour picker and style presets. Its popularity means there are also plenty of community-created Sketch plugins you can use to extend its functionality. The development team behind Sketch has made it as flexible as possible, with it supporting infinite zooming and vector shapes that are perfect for multiple resolutions. You can build a new graphic from primitive shapes or start a new one with the Vector or Pencil tool. 03. GIMP GIMP is a popular, free alternative to Photoshop Platform: Linux, Windows, Mac Price: Free A free, open-source alternative to Photoshop that's been around for donkey's years, GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. Today it's available in versions for Linux, Windows and Mac. GIMP offers a wide toolset, similar to Photoshop in many ways, and is a great option if you're looking for a no-cost image editor. The interface differs somewhat from Photoshop, but a version of GIMP is available that mimics Adobe's look and feel, making it easier to migrate over if you're ditching Photoshop. The full suite of tools is available here – everything you're accustomed to is within easy reach, including painting tools, colour correction, cloning, selection, and enhancement. The team that oversees development has worked hard to ensure compatibility too, so you'll be able to work with all the popular file formats without any trouble at all. You'll also find a very capable file manager built in, along similar lines to Adobe's Bridge. Overall, this is a great option whether you've either got a limited budget, or want to move away from Photoshop for other reasons. 04. Pixelmator Pro Mac tool Pixelmator Pro promises a faster workflow than using Photoshop Platform: Mac Price: $59.99 (special launch price) Pixelmator has been around for a while now, but the team has just released the Pixelmator Pro. At the moment it'll set you back $59.99, but this price is set to rise to closer to $100. While the previous tool used floating windows, the Pro has a more usable single-window UI, as well as offering non-destructive image editing. The team have pared back the interface, which should make it easy to pick up – and there's a 'hidden interface' option you can activate if you just want to see your image, with no distractions. This Photoshop alternative is geared up especially for use on a Mac, and it supports features like tabs, fullscreen and split view. 05. Pixlr Pixlr comes with more than 600 effects Platform: iOS, Android, web app Price: Free Pixlr is a free Photoshop alternative that boasts more than 600 effects, overlays, and borders. It also lets you do all the main things you'd expect from a basic photo editor, from cropping and re-sizing to removing red-eye and whitening teeth. And if you're used to using Photoshop, then you'll find Pixlr's user interface easy to pick up quickly, as it's very similar. This free app is available in both iOS and Android varieties, or use can use it as a web app. 06. Corel PHOTO-PAINT Platform: Windows Price: $599.99 (entire CorelDRAW Graphics Suite) PHOTO-PAINT is the dedicated photo editor in the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite. The suite has been updated for 2017 to offer a cutting-edge LiveSketch tool – a really quite impressive AI-driven addition that interprets artists' hand-drawn strokes. There's also improved stylus control, with the PHOTO-PAINT responding to different pressures, bearing tilt and rotation. The suite is geared up to work perfectly with Windows 10, offering multi-monitor viewing and support for 4K displays. 07. Paint.net For photo editing, free Windows tool Paint.net is an excellent alternative to Photoshop Platform: Windows Price: Free Paint.net is a Windows-based alternative to the Paint editor that Microsoft shipped with versions of Windows. Don't let that put you off, though, as it's a surprisingly capable and useful tool, available completely free of charge. The software started out life as a Microsoft-sponsored undergraduate project, and has become an open source project maintained by some of the alumni. The focus is on ease of use, and there's a definite tendency towards photo editing rather than artistic creation. That said, there are a range of special effects available, allowing you to easily create fake perspective, blend and push pixels around the canvas, tile and repeat selections, and so on. A good range of selection tools, support for layers, and adjustments such as curves and brightness/contrast mean that Paint.net is a great alternative to Photoshop for photo editing, especially if you can do without some of the more recent additions to Photoshop's toolset. 08. SumoPaint SumoPaint works in the browser, and requires Adobe Flash Platform: Browser or iPad Price: Free (basic), $4/mo (Pro) SumoPaint is a highly capable, free browser-based image editor. All the standard features you'd expect from a desktop tool are present and correct. It's lightweight and quick to load, and the free version is very usable. There's also a paid-for Pro version and a paid-for iPad app. The standard range of tools and adjustments you'd expect are all included. Brushes, pencils, shapes, text, cloning, gradients, etc are all quickly accessed from the Photoshop-esque floating toolbar. It can also open saved documents from your hard drive, making SumoPaint a perfectly viable option for editing and reediting. Some tools work in different ways to Photoshop, offering possibilities that would be difficult to match in Adobe's offering. There are, however, limitations that will put off some users. 09. Acorn Acorn offers non-destructive filters Platform: Mac OS X Price: $29.99 Image editing software Acorn debuted back in 2007 and has provided hobbyists and artists on a budget with a great, affordable alternative to Photoshop ever since. Features of the software include layer styles, non-destructive filters, curves and levels, blending modes and much more. The most recent edition – Acorn 6 – includes new Scale and Transform options, the ability to use the Clone tool across layers or images, and the ability to use emoji on a path (if you so wish). Related articles: The best Christmas gifts for graphic designers The 5 best laptops for photo editing The designer's guide to image editing in Photoshop View the full article

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are over two years away, but we can already tell you that if it had a character design event, Japan would have already won bronze, silver and gold medals. Japan, of course, has plenty of form when it comes to designing completely adorable characters; it's the country that's brought us Hello Kitty, Domo Kun and all the Pokémon. So when it unveiled its potential mascots for the 2020 games, we suspected they might be amazing, and we're not disappointed. The logo for Tokyo 2020 was unveiled last year There are three sets of mascots up for your consideration, each made up of an Olympic and Paralympic mascot, and every single one of them is a winner. Inspired largely by Japanese mythology, each mascot has its own characteristics that we could frankly sit and read all day. For example: "To express emotions, the Mascot’s mane can send out different objects such as cherry blossom petals, snow, autumn leaves, lightning bolts and thunder along with seasonal winds." Because of course it can. The first two mascots perhaps have the most modern look and remind us of little superheroes; we're told that the Olympic mascot has an old-fashioned charm that reflects tradition and also has a high-tech, cutting edge vibe, while the Paralympic mascot is a cool character with cherry tactile sense and supernatural power. They have opposite personalities, but they respect each other and are very good friends. The second set of candidates are based on traditional mythological animals; the Olympic mascot is modelled on the lucky cat and Inari fox, traditional Japanese symbols of luck, while the Paralympic mascot is inspired by a guardian dog that's a popular fixture at shrines. These Pokémon-like mascots look very different to each other, but they're best friends and good rivals, and they both take each other to a higher level. The final candidates come straight out of Japanese fairy tales. The Olympic mascot is an athletic fox decorated in Magatama patterns, which cheers and excites athletes and spectators along with the spirit of the wind. The Paralympic mascot is a shape-shifting raccoon with a leaf on its head, which also cheers and excites the athletes and spectators, only with the spirit of the forest. Both mascots use Japan's red and white colours and also feature traditional Mizuhiki ribbons. The three sets of candidates were chosen from 2,042 entries We're sure you already have your favourites, but unless you know any Japanese schoolchildren you won't be able to influence the final choice of mascots. They're being voted on by Japanese elementary school pupils between 11 December and 22 February. The winning mascots are expected to be announced in late February, and they'll be given names in time for their official debut in July or August 2018. We're sure that whichever set of mascots wins, it'll be a massive hit (but we really hope that it's the final fairytale pair). Related articles: Celebrating the majesty of the 2012 Olympics logo 4 things you didn't know about the Rio 2016 Olympics logo How to brand an Olympic bid View the full article

You're reading Charlotte: Stunning iOS UI Kit for iPhone X, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Charlotte UI Kit is a huge trendy collection of mobile screens and components. Fully customized. Bright and fresh iOS UI Kit with lots of useful and beautiful elements. Always be on the top creating your designs via your favorite graphics platform. Here it 120 iOS screens in 12 categories. Each screen and component is created […] View the full article