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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

Christmas adverts have garnered more and more attention in recent years, with big-name brands bringing in some of the design industry's most talented individuals to sprinkle their creative fairy dust on their efforts (this year's John Lewis Christmas ad was directed by an Academy award winner, no less). However, Christmas has long been a chance for companies to up their advertising game, and in no sector has that been more true than alcohol. In years gone by, booze brands have produced some truly stellar Christmas spots and print ads. Here's a run-down of our favourites. 01. Baileys: Christmas Nutcracker (2013) A brilliant homage to the classic festive ballet The Nutcracker, this ad sees a group of female friends out having fun in a bar, when one of them starts flirting with the Nutcracker Prince. Cue the entrance of the Mouse King, who tries to take her off the Prince. As the two men start dancing/fighting, the lady in question puts the Mouse King out of the running with a beautiful ballet version of a roundhouse kick, then instead of going off with the Prince, she returns to her girlfriends to carry on enjoying their Baileys cocktails. The narrative challenged the concept of the typical Baileys drinker – the company was no longer angling for an older, more sedate audience but a younger, savvier crowd, and it managed to convey this shift without alienating anyone along the way. This cheeky, forward-thinking ad (perhaps inspired by Disney's Frozen, also 2013) also put two fingers up to traditional Christmas fairytales by showing a ‘princess’ who is both capable of looking after herself and not held in the sway of the Prince’s charms. Coupled with a great message, the ad itself is stunning – gorgeous set design from Sarah Greenwood (of Atonement and 2005 Pride & Prejudice fame), punky, ethereal costumes and amazing choreography and performances courtesy of The Royal Ballet and Benjamin Millepied, who worked on Black Swan. Directed by the hugely talented commercial director Ringan Ledwidge through BBH, the spot premiered on Channel 4 before the first TV screening of Black Swan. 02. Absolut (1980-c.2000) Absolut's established campaign means everyone knew what product these ads were for TBWA\ was behind a hugely successful campaign for Absolut Vodka. The long-running campaign launched in 1980 and featured bottle-led creative in a huge variety of iterations, prompting sales of the spirit to rocket over the following 20 years. Playful, challenging, artistic; the seemingly rigid format actually allowed and encouraged freedom of message and intent. Absolut has produced a number of riffs on a theme over the years Some of our favourite examples of the Absolut X print adverts have been festive ones – including a magnetic word puzzle and a tree-shaped mouse hole. They manage to be fun and nostalgic without being twee or smug. 03. Famous Grouse Whisky (1990s-present) Gilbert the Grouse has been gracing our yuletide screens for over 20 years. The popularity and longevity that Famous Grouse has enjoyed with this campaign is a lesson to all of us working in modern advertising: namely that an ad can be clever and impart multiple messages while also being very simple. These also have a delightful naivety and whimsy that's perfect for Christmastime – the above spot shows Gilbert letting his feathers down at the Christmas party, and you can also see him showing off how good he is on ice here. The music used in these ads deserves a special shout out. It’s light and breezy, but with a powerful mnemonic that sounds like drops of whisky. 04. Lagavulin: Nick Offerman’s Yule Log (2015) If you’ve ever seen the Fireplace Channel, or a fireplace DVD, you’ll be aware of the concept of a video of nothing other than a fire slowly burning down, accompanied by no sound other than that of the logs crackling, hissing and spitting. These Yule Log videos are hypnotic, festive and comforting, while also being a bit weird. Whoever thought of adding Nick Offerman to this setting, sitting silently for 45 mins, sipping a dram of his favourite whisky, is a complete genius. His Parks and Recreation character constantly longs for silence and is a fan of Lagavulin, and it turned out that this is also true of the actor, so this partnership feels very genuine. Added to that is the tone of the advert: at first it feels silly and ironic, but as you watch it, it turns into more of an art piece. It’s hard not to be mesmerised by Offerman's friendly yet strong gaze, and it more than holds it own as a standalone performance piece. Slow marketing at its very best. 05. Heineken: Nutcracker (2010) and Don’t Drink & Drive (2005) This ad uses negative space to reference both a Christmas tree and a beer bottle Heineken's Nutcracker is one of our favourite sorts of advert – using negative space to create the connection to the brand. We also like this advert because it shows the importance of big brands doing advertising aimed at specific cultures and locations. This ad speaks to those countries that will immediately connect nuts with Christmas; it’s not a global tradition so will strike a specific chord with specific audiences. The implicit link to children lends weight to this campaign Heineken also produced a great Christmas advert in 2005, this time warning customers of the dangers of drinking and driving. Don’t Drink & Drive reminds people in a non-preachy or unpleasant way of a really important message. Sometimes it’s not necessary to make something horrific or brutal to make people think – and there’s a mental connection to children in this advert that reinforces the message in a gentle but powerful way. 06. JB Whisky: Ingle Ells (2007) This classic ad is the work of Diane Rothschild This is one of our all-time favourite print adverts. For unashamed font and copy nerds, this is the perfect marriage between typography, a clever bit of wordsmithery, Christmas and brand reinforcement. And it's not surprising that this is so effective; it was designed by advertising tour de force Diane Rothschild. It's instantly obvious what the main copy should say, and the reader cannot help but be curious as to why there are certain letters missing, leading them on to read the smaller text beneath. 07. Guinness: White Christmas (2004) Last but by no means least, we couldn’t write this list without putting in Guinness’s White Christmas spot. Dublin in the snow will probably not be as picturesque or sentimental as this ad – but the last shot of the snow settling on the St James’s Gate Brewery damn sure makes you wish for a comfy chair in a pub by a fire with a pint of the black stuff. Related articles: Paddington Bear stars in M&S Christmas ad 10 advertisers that use creativity to boost their brand 40 traffic-stopping examples of billboard advertising View the full article

When it comes to building for the web, there is no tool more powerful than WordPress. The incredibly malleable platform is the go-to option for web developers of all skill levels. You can learn how to make the most of the platform with the 2018 Ultimate Website Design Bundle. It's on sale now for 98% off the retail price. The 2018 Ultimate Website Design Bundle provides you with two of the most valuable things a web designer could have: the assets to build an incredible site on WordPress and lessons on how to use them. This ultimate web dev collection is the perfect resource for anyone looking to get their start in a growing industry. Work your way through courses on how to improve, optimise, and perfect your site, then put those skills to use with the massive collection of plugins, stock images and themes. The 2018 Ultimate Website Design Bundle is valued at over $2,655, but you can get it on sale now for 98% off the retail price. That's a massive amount of savings for an essential collection of courses and assets, so grab this deal today. About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at: deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: 32 best free WordPress themes 25 brilliant WordPress tutorials The best Christmas gifts for web designers View the full article

You may remember a while ago, we showcased some inspirational examples of brochure design, proving that marketing booklets don't have to be boring. A well designed brochure can, in fact, be a great way to get you and your work noticed. So if you fancy showcasing your work in print form, perhaps for your design portfolio or to show off a project you're particularly proud of, why not get started with one of these brochure templates, aimed specifically at creatives? We've updated this list with fresh brochure templates, as well as information about how much they cost (some are free, but most involve a small fee) and which software you'll need to edit them. Whether you want an InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator or even Microsoft Word brochure template, these are the best designs around. 01. Graphic design portfolio template Showcase your best work with this luxurious brochure template Price: $32 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC These days, having an online portfolio is a must. That said, there's nothing quite like having your best work in luxurious print form to flick through. This brochure template has been specifically designed for portfolios, interior design catalogues, product catalogues and agency-based projects. Simply open it in InDesign, drop in your own images and copy into its 48 available pages and you're ready to go. 02. Wanderers photography brochure Catch your audience's eyes with this beautiful brochure template Price: $29 | Template for InDesign CS6-CC, Photoshop Make a statement with this beautiful, multipurpose brochure template for creatives, which you can use in InDesign or Photoshop. Ideal for professional portfolios and showcasing stunning imagery, this design is clean, modern and fully customisable. What more could you possibly want? 03. The minimalist Showcase of your typography projects with this elegant brochure design Price: $29 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC A Swiss-inspired design, this brochure template would showcase the breakdown of a creative project in serious style. Minimal and elegant, it focuses on simple clean lines and a strong grid, with a fully customisable colour palette and seven sections including typography, colour, imagery, logo, print and digital. 04. Annual report brochure Make your annual report stand out with this engaging brochure design Price: $12 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC If you want to create an annual report that's accessible to everyone, then this brochure template is definitely worth a look. Fully editable in InDesign CS4+, there are 16 pages for you to drop in your yearly data in an interesting and engaging way. 05. Brand manual Create a beautiful corporate identity manual with this templatePrice: $15 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC Give your brand guidelines some Swiss minimal cool with this comprehensive A4 brochure template that covers all the bases and uses free fonts. It comes with 40 pages to work with, all carefully organised and fully layered, and it's easy to add extra pages or duplicate existing layouts in InDesign. 06. Juniper Juniper is a tri-fold template with plenty of applicationsPrice: $15 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC Designed with advertising, events, photography, fashion or product information brochures in mind, Juniper is a multipurpose tri-fold A4 brochure template featuring professionally typeset text using paragraph and character styles. Compatible with CS4 onwards, this InDesign template has six unique and customisable panels, and keeps printing easy and cost-effective by not using any bleeds. 07. Multipurpose creative template This professional brochure template is ideal for ideal for photography, design, art or fashion projectsPrice: $17 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC This A4, professional brochure template is perfect for any creative wanting to make a good impression. With 32 pages to fill, the style is minimal, delicate and modern – ideal for photography, design, art or fashion projects. The design uses a selection of free fonts, all of which are listed on the download page. 08. Branding identity guideline template Showcase your branding projects in this 38-page, square brochure templatePrice: $13 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC If you've created a brilliant branding identity and want to show off each part of your design process, this square brochure template could be just what you need, with 38 pages of customisable pages at your disposal. 09. Social media print template Highlight your social media skills with these brochure templatesPrice: $12 | Template for Illustrator CS3-CC If you want to showcase your social media skills, here's one of the best brochure templates we've found for that purpose. Working in a trifold style, this template is well organised and layered in all the right places. There's also a business card set measuring 9 x 5.5cm to seamlessly work with the design. 10. A5 brochure template Brochure templates with a large space dedicated to imagery will showcase your best work Price: $15 | Template for InDesign CS4-CC, Photoshop, Illustrator, MS Word For the more compact-seeking creative, this A5 brochure template will easily slip into the bags of those all-important new clients, while still showcasing all your brilliant, creative work. The large space allocated to imagery is a nice break from many of the other text-stuffed brochure templates we've seen. 11. Fashion brochure template There's plenty of room for large imagery with these brochure templatesPrice: $10 | Template for InDesign CS3-CC, Photoshop, Illustrator, MS Word We just had to include this brilliant design on our list of brochure templates. With print dimensions of 8.25×11.6 and CMYK colours, this creative A4 template will allow your work to speak for itself. The large space for a logo design at the front will instantly catch the eye of prospective clients and customers, while the minimal style will prove effective in showcasing information in a clean and concise manner. 12. Trend setters brochure With 16 pages and using only free fonts, these brochure templates is easily customisablePrice: $10 | Template for InDesign CS3-CC, Photoshop, Illustrator, MS Word This typography-heavy template will work well for any designer. At only $11, it's InDesign CS3 (or later)-compatible, comes with 16 pages and was crafted using only free fonts. Ensuring that it's super easy to customise, this is one of the best brochure templates we've seen to date. Next page: More stylish brochure templates 13. Business portfolio brochure A help file is included with this brochure template download Price: $12 | Template for InDesign CS5-CC A beautiful abstract, printable brochure template, you can use this to create a business brochure or one for your personal portfolio. Text and images/colours are easy to change, with a help file included in the download. Just drop in your own text, change the images and you're ready to go. 14. Portfolio booklet Showcase your work with bright, bold portfolio brochure templatesPrice: $9 | Template for InDesign CS3-CC If you want to showcase your work in print rather than online, then check out this 22-page minimal portfolio brochure template from Graphic River. Perfect for designers, photographers and creative agencies alike, this brochure template is easy to modify and make your own. And at just $9 for a regular license, it's a total bargain. 15. Photography template Showcase your best photography with sophisticated brochure templates from InkdPrice: $70 | Template for Illustrator, Pages, MS Word These contemporary brochure templates are perfect for any professional photographer or studio. The design has ample space to display multiple photos, including a full-bleed photo on the cover to showcase your most treasured image. The template is offered by online traders of graphic design templates Inkd for $70. 16. Product brochure Adapt cool brochure templates to showcase your product designsPrice: Free | Template for Illustrator CS4-CC Are you a product or fashion designer? If so, this brochure template will help you show off your collection in style. And the best part? It's completely free of charge and can be adapted to feature any product of your choice. This design, and many others, can be found at providers of quality premium and free web resources and graphic design templates Pixenden. 17. Hexagon brochure template These professional brochure templates were created by graphic designer Tony HuynhPrice: $13 | Template for InDesign CS3-CC These hexagon brochure templates were created by graphic designer Tony Huynh. The 16-page, A4 InDesign booklet has a clean, professional and modern design, features of which, including the colour scheme, can be easily edited. You can download it now for just $13 (regular license). 18. A5 booklet These 16-page brochure templates are perfect for big, beautiful imageryPrice: $9 | Template for InDesign CS2-CC If you prefer to use big, eye-catching images and less text in your designs, then this A5 InDesign template is for you. With 16 pages for you to fill, the clean, layered brochure is easy to use and modify. Another offering by huge online marketplace of files Graphic River, this design will set you back a mere $9 (regular license). 19. Graphika booklet Customise contemporary, creative brochure templates to suit your stylePrice: $12 | Template for Photoshop CS-CC We really like this stylish booklet template by a freelance graphic designer who goes by the name of kh2838 Studio. The download includes a complete, fully layered .PSD layout for a printable brochure with 20 pages. Featuring a creative and contemporary style, this template is a great starting point for any designer. 20. A5 portfolio brochure This stylish booklet can be customised to suit your needsPrice: $10 | Template for InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop CS4-CC Another portfolio template, this brochure is by product designer Andrea Balzano. Made with free fonts, this design is very easy to customise with the text, number of pages, the order of them and background colours all able to be modified. Balzano has many other templates available to purchase online. 21. Exclusive brochure Add a touch of glamour to your brochure design with this stylish template Price: $14 | Template for InDesign CS5-CC If you want to add a bit of glamour to your brochure, check out this design by The Mikinger. With a professional, clean layout, this template can be edited to create a 16, 28, or 56-page booklet. Images and text are fully editable as well. This particular template also gives you a choice of four cover designs. 22. Creatives portfolio Show off your work using elegant, professional brochure templatesPrice: $14 | Template for Photoshop CS2-CC This horizontal A4 brochure template is perfect for showcasing your photography, graphic design and artistic skills. With a 16-custom-page layout and various photo placeholders included, you can easily fill each with your best images. The template, by Przemyslaw Szczepanski, is easy to customise, including changing the colour scheme – its minimal and clean style providing a professional, elegant look. 23. Infographic brochure Visualise data with these fully customisable infographic brochure templates Price: $14 | Template for Photoshop CS-CC If you think a picture says a thousand words, then you're probably going to like this infographic brochure template. Another design from kh2838 Studio, these 24-page brochure templates had 100 per cent fully customisable graphics. With 13 layered PSD source files and highly organised vector layers, this $14 design is perfect for any type of data visualisation. 24. Creative company brochure This is another design that's fully customisable Price: $8 | Template for InDesign CS3-CC This 16-page, 210mm x 210mm square brochure template includes a set of graphic, vector illustrations for you to fully customise its design. You can also add your own text and edit colours should you wish to this already vibrant design. The fonts seen in the example package are free, but not included. Details of where you can download them from can be found on GraphicRiver. Related articles: 50 inspiring examples of letterpress business cards 5 steps to upselling your freelance services 12 things no graphic designer should be without View the full article

Instagram is rolling out profile changes in what it has described as the biggest update to the platform since 2013, adding two new features aimed squarely at brands – Stories Highlights and Stories Archive. Both are part of a redesign that aims to make Instagram Stories more useful to brands and other users. Before now, Stories would vanish after a 24 hour deadline, never to be seen again. If this sounds familiar to Snapchat's stories feature, that's because Instagram borrowed it after it saw how popular the feature had become. With these new features, however, users will be able to hold on to their Stories once they're posted, meaning that they'll still be accessed and shared after the previous 24 hour cut-off point. Save your content for a later date with Stories Archive Specifically, Stories Archive gives people the opportunity to store images and videos they post for use at a later date. In the past these posts would disappear unless you'd gone to the trouble of saving the assets to your phone separately. By saving Stories to the pre-existing archive, users can add them back to their main feeds or resurface them via their profile's highlights section. And if it isn't for you, you can switch off the archive feature completely. With Stories Highlights, brands and creatives can pull out the main Stories that sum up what they're about, helping users to relive stories that might have passed them by. In the features announcement, Instagram said that the upgrades will give users the chance to "more fully express your identity by grouping Stories you’ve shared into highlights and featuring them on your profile." Check out the video below, which shows how they work. While this is welcome news to quirky individuals looking for a chance to present themselves to the world, Stories Archive and Stories Highlights will give brands a new way to show off their products, too. Up to 100 photos or videos can be added to a Story Highlight, and what's more there isn't a limit on how many Highlights a user can create. With these updates, and by removing the 24 hour expiry date, Instagram hopes users will post a more diverse range of Stories and content, safe in the knowledge that they aren't going anywhere any time soon. Related articles: 32 graphic designers to follow on Instagram How to make money on Instagram as a creative 18 illustrators to follow on Instagram View the full article

You're reading How to Improve Customer Loyalty through User Experience, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! When you establish a bond of trust between a company and its customers, you forge and secure their relationship. When both sides talk to each other, face to face, you will get some of the strongest of these relationships. However, in this technological era, people use mobile apps, websites, and in-store kiosks to interact with […] View the full article

As part of its December Android and Pixel/Nexus security updates, Google has issued patches addressing a bevy of flaws, 11 of which are rated critical. View the full article

Painting in oils means I can capture bright colours by gradually building the painting up in multiple layers. This technique is perfect for painting sunny roses. I was inspired to create this image after seeing a gorgeous wren sitting in my garden, its song lighting up the early morning. My roses weren't in bloom yet, but this magic moment inspired me to design a painting depicting them. Improve your brushstrokes in oilsI always start the painting process by sketching ideas. I place various elements together to create my personal unique designs. I doodle compositions and choice of colour. When I've found a basic composition that I like, it is only then that I start looking for reference materials. Not the other way around. This way the designs stem from the heart, from a memory or inspired idea. I chose this wren from my own photo database I've created over the years. I always compare multiple birds, to learn their physical differences. Then I went to buy the perfect roses! 01. Start drawing Click to download the full-size sketch This is when I get excited, because my preliminary sketch is reshaped into a detailed drawing, using an H pencil. I like to keep my pencil drawing visible as long as possible when painting in thin layers. I like the 'feel' of sketchlines, so I don't wipe them away. I fix this underdrawing with pastel spray, then let it dry for a day. 02. Apply the midtone Block in the midtones before starting on lights and darks Painting bright colours works best on a white surface. Then they become almost iridescent, which can make it difficult to keep the correct values in the whole painting. I always use three values: light, middle and dark. I paint the background first, blocking in with a 'middle' value greyish purple, later adding more subtle values. 03. Start introducing the bright colours Wipe away lighter parts with a cloth To work more efficiently, it helps me to limit my palette, having the 'right' colours ready to go. I mix three values of orange colours, three browns and greens. I paint the first layer of orange, with a mixture of Quinacridone Red and Lemon Yellow. I use a cloth to wipe away the lighter parts. I don't use white – it makes bright colours opaque. 04. Add shadows Soften outer edges to stop your painting looking flat With dark orange, I paint the deepest shadows. To mix a darker orange I use some brown and more Quinacridone Red. With a clean brush I lift out some highlight lines and I blend sharp edges of the shadows with a clean Fan brush. Hard lines or contours make a subject look flat. To prevent that, think in bigger shapes of colour and then soften the outer edges. 05. Basic layer of the wren Use the same process for the wren that you used for the rose Now using a middle value brown for the wren (a mixture of Burnt Umber and a touch of Ultramarine Blue) I repeat the process used on the rose. A little bit of white makes the colour more opaque. With a cloth, I wipe out the highlights, making sure I follow the round shape. 06. Anatomy and shadows Have your reference images ready so you can get the wren's anatomy right In this stage I start painting the shadows under the wing, (darkest value) and feathers over its body. The plumage has tiny stripes on its wings, tail and belly. The darker lines next to its eyes are shadows between the feathers that are standing out. Always make the effort to consult lots of reference images to confirm that you have the anatomy correct. This has to dry for a few days. 07. Fun with highlights Leave your painting to dry for a few days before starting on highlights Another great stage is adding the highlights! I apply a layer of medium all over the dry painting, before wiping it off again with a dust free cloth. In the remaining thin medium layer, I paint the light colours, like white, without thinning. My brush slides over the surface, making beautiful gracious lines. The colours that darken during drying get an extra touch up at the end. 08. Juicy greens Paint the middle value of the leaves, following the direction of the veins With a Flat brush, I paint the middle value green of the leaves. Paying attention to the more yellow and blue parts, I follow the direction of the veins. The leaf bends here and there, catching more light on the round shapes and looking more blue. I keep thinking forwards, to prevent overworking a specific layer. This way the colours stay bright and not dull because of a wrong mixture. 09. Review your progress Take a step back and work out what to do next This stage feels halfway. Most values are present, now I will evaluate where to go next. It feels great to paint from a 'small success' to the next. Sometimes I leave out a fun part for the next time, so I know right where to jump in later. I decide to start adding reds, in the rosebuds, shadows and the branches. 10. On to the second rose Add darker tones to the second rose The second rose also started with a middle value orange. I now add the darker tones. I could have done this simultaneously with the other rose, but I decided to let that one dry, to see if the colours would darken. Now I do think my middle orange needs some more yellow to look warmer. 11. Tender petals Highlights and shadows will add delicacy to the rose petals The petals of roses are so delicate, I need to take care that they don't look heavy or massive. With a mixture of almost rose-white, I paint the outer edges. Perfect, now the petals seem to curl! Still I want to get more depth between the petals, so I add more shadows between them in the coming stages. Once more, I need to be patient, because it all needs to dry first. 12. Make some edits Let the painting dry again before making edits Now my piece is dry again, I start balancing shadows overall to create the depth I am looking for. Using a dark brown, I glaze the complete area below the leaves to make it darker, because that will make the leaves and the roses 'bend out' of the painting. I wipe the glazing medium off the leaves, so I can start adding their dark veins and blue highlights. 13. Time for details! Use your finest brush to bring the wren to life Now, using my finest brush, I add even more feathers, highlights and darker tones to the wren. The shadow below the wing on its belly really makes the wren come to life. Here I also glaze some parts darker, and directly add the details after. The background gets a new thicker layer. By softening the edges between bird and background, it 'clicks'. The light blue line on its back and a dark touch in the eye makes the wren pop out! 14. Define the petal shape with shadows Taking a black-and-white photo can help you judge your painting's values In the next clean medium layer, I add dark red shadows to the roses. The rose petals really are curling open now. I add a glaze of yellow in the middle of the rose and paint the final highlights on the petal edges. I check my overall values again by making a black-and-white photo. I discover that some green leaves need to be a touch lighter, so that they recede in the image. 15. Apply the final tonal touches A few final touches and you're done It feels like magic! Now I paint in all areas simultaneously, adding the final highlights and darkening the stems to push them backwards. I constantly step back to assess my progress. Orange and green are almost complementary on the colour wheel, which creates a kind of fight for attention. The balance here is in the size of the roses. They are big enough to stand out and invite you to come over and smell them. The wren finishes everything off with its beautiful song. This article was originally published in issue 11 of Paint & Draw, the magazine offering tips and inspiration for artists everywhere. Buy issue 11 here. Related articles: 5 things you need for oil painting How to capture the light with oils 10 essential oil painting tips and techniques View the full article

Save an extra 20 per cent on a subscription to your favourite VFX magazine, 3D World, with our flash sale. The sale includes many titles from My Favourite Magazines, from ImagineFX to T3. Of course, as a 3D artist, you might want to know what we have for you in our magazine, so have a look below to discover the wide range of content we deliver every month, then head over to the sale page to grab yours. Save an extra 20% on 3D World with code FESTIVE20 You will need to enter the code FESTIVE20 at the checkout to claim your 3D World subscription at sale price, and this is on top of our already amazing festive subscription prices! This offer is time limited so make sure you visit between 16.30 GMT Wednesday 6 December 2017 and 16:30 GMT Thursday 7 December 2017. Expert training A typical tutorial can cover anything from movie VFX in Houdini, to creating game art in Unity. If you are after the very best of practical inspiration for your 3D art then look no further. 3D World offers detailed tutorials, regular Q&As and tips pieces, all purposefully written to help you improve your work, no matter what level you are at, from enthusiastic hobbyist to Hollywood pro. Insight and practical tips Every issue we bring insightful interviews, movie features and more, with behind-the-scenes looks at some of the biggest projects in the industry. Regular render breakdowns and problem solving solutions accompany the many exclusive making-of features, which cover everyone from small indie producers to the mega studios like Framestore, the Mill and Double Negative. We also take a good look at other areas of the industry and community, so if you have an interest in a particular field or emerging technology then we have you covered. We talk about using VR as a narrative tool, how to land your dream job and create a killer portfolio, plus so much more. Reviews you can trust Every issue we investigate the latest gear, to help you make the most informed decisions when it's time to invest in new equipment, be it a new workstation, graphics tablet, or the year's software upgrades. If you are looking for buying advice then this is the section you need and we have some of the best experts out there, helping you choose the best tools for your work. Subscribe to 3D World now using code FESTIVE20 at checkout to secure this amazing offer, or give a year’s worth of VFX insight and inspiration as the perfect gift for artistic friends and family. Related articles: 12 mighty Maya tutorials to try today How to model a complex 3D city scene in Blender 4 free games engines to download today View the full article

Christmas really has come early. Web Designer is running a 24-hour flash sale giving you an extra 20 per cent off a subscription to every magazine you can find on My Favourite Magazines. That's on top of the already incredibly festive subscription offers you'll find on MFM – bargain. Save an extra 20% on Web Designer now! With this special deal you can save an extra 20 per cent on your favourite magazine, any of your favourite specials – even binders, mugs and more. So how and when can you get this amazing offer? Remember it's only on for twenty-four hours, so stick the dates in your diary and make sure you get the product you always wanted, but with an extra 20 per cent off. The flash sale kicks off at 16.30 GMT Wednesday 6 December 2017 and ends at 16:30 GMT Thursday 7 December 2017. Most importantly don't forget to enter the voucher code FESTIVE20 at checkout. GET THE LATEST ISSUE OF WEB DESIGNER TODAY Related articles: 30 web design tools to speed up your workflow in 2018 The 5 biggest web design trends of 2017 so far 11 great landing page designs View the full article

For just 24 hours you can get an extra 20 per cent off absolutely everything on My Favourite Magazines, Future Publishing's official magazine subscription store. That includes your favourite web design and development magazine net – as well as household names like T3, How It Works, Real Homes and Total Film. This discount is on top of our already amazing festive subscription prices! But hurry, because the offer runs out at 16:30 GMT on December 7, 2017. Save an extra 20% on net with code FESTIVE20 now! Just add your issues or subscriptions to the basket, and use the 'FESTIVE20' code to have 20 per cent taken off the total. Now is the perfect time to stock up on some Christmas presents... net magazine has recently celebrated its 300th issue net magazine, which has recently passed the historic 300th issue milestone, is the number one choice for the professional web designer and developer. It’s here that you’ll find out about the latest new web trends, technologies and techniques – all in one handy package. Each issue boasts a wealth of inspiration, expert tips and advice, including in-depth features and practical tutorials on a diverse range of subjects. The magazine has unrivalled access to the best designers and developers around the world who share their tips, tricks and favourite techniques every issue. Issue 300 featured exclusive interviews with the man behind responsive design Ethan Marcotte and the founding father of web standards Jeffrey Zeldman. You can now get 20% off that special issue, and any other you like, during our special Flash Sale right now! Happy shopping! Get 20% off amazing net magazine content, including exclusive interviews with web royalty like Jeffrey Zeldman Subscribe to net magazine now using code FESTIVE20 at checkout to secure this amazing offer, or give a year’s worth of insight and inspiration as the perfect gift for web designer friends and family. Related articles: 30 web design tools to speed up your workflow in 2018 The 5 biggest web design trends of 2017 so far 11 great landing page designs View the full article

Yesterday saw Zanzibar-born artist Lubaina Himid win the 2017 Turner Prize, becoming the oldest person and first woman of colour to be given the award. The 63-year-old Preston-based artist is known amongst curators, artists and cultural historians for her work that tackles challenging subjects including colonial history and racism. The £25,000 prize comes as long overdue recognition for Himid, who has often been overlooked by mainstream critics in the past. A Fashionable Marriage - photo by David Levene Himid was named the winner of the 2017 Turner Prize at a ceremony in Hull, the current UK City of Culture, last night. Her entry featured work that dates back to the 1980s, including wooden figures, pottery, and editions of the Guardian which Himid had painted on. The centrepiece of her entry though is a diorama called A Fashionable Marriage. Created in 1987, the artwork is based on William Hogarth's Marriage a la Mode and features cut-out characters of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Accompanying them is a porcelain dinner set sourced from a junk shop which Himid has doctored by painting images of black slaves and aristocrats. Painted porcelain from Himid's diorama - photo by David Levene Other objects were painted over by Himid in her entry exhibition, including covers torn from her favourite newspaper, the Guardian. These mixed media pieces examine unconscious racial stereotyping and explore whether accompanying headlines are in fact perpetuating caricatures. During her acceptance speech, Himid thanked art historians who had written about her work for decades, and for helping her through a creative 'wilderness years'. Himid targets her beloved Guardian - photo by David Levene Himid's recognition is timely, as this was the first time since 1991 that artists over the age of 50 were eligible to be considered for the Turner Prize. The award has been the subject of controversy in the past thanks to outlandish submissions by notorious Young British Artists, but by bestowing the award on Himid it's a sign that the prize is becoming more serious and sophisticated. Other artists on the Turner Prize shortlist include 52-year-old Birmingham painter Hurvin Anderson, filmmaker Rosalind Nashashibi, and Andrea Büttner, who works in printmaking, sculpture and archival projects. [Headline photo by Edmund Blok/Hull UK City of Culture/PA] Related articles: 4 first-class ways to make your design education count The designer’s guide to Brexit Artists celebrate International Women's Day View the full article

For 24 hours only, you can save an extra 20 per cent on an already festive subscription price to ImagineFX magazine, for both the print and digital editions. It’s a great offer and you can also use this discount on everything else in our online magazine store, too! Save an extra 20% on IFX using code FESTIVE20! Subscribe to IFX now and enter code FESTIVE20 at checkout to claim your discount. But you’ll need to be quick: the offer ends at 16:30 GMT Thursday 7 December. Here's the cover of our 150th issue, featuring artwork by Loish. The best art magazine around We’ve had quite a year here at ImagineFX. Not only did we celebrate our 150th issue with an amazing cover from Loish, but we also featured the cover art from a variety of talented artists, including Tran Nguyen, Richard Anderson, Andrew Mar and Jana Schirmer. We’ve featured interviews with legends like Syd Mead and Greg Manchess, and had workshops from the world’s leading artists who are at the top of their field in book illustration, comic art, animation, game art and more. Here's Richard Anderson's bright concept art cover! We’ve put together a little clip of all the covers from this year so you can see the breadth of talent and art skills. We’d love you to join us for 2018, and what better way to do that than with an extra money-off deal? Don’t miss out! Subscribe to IFX now using code FESTIVE20 at checkout to secure this amazing offer, or give a year’s worth of industry insight and inspiration as the perfect gift for artistic friends and family. Related articles: 10 incredible online art schools 6 manga artists to watch out for 10 steps to improve your figure drawing View the full article