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Dixons Carphone said it discovered a massive cyberattack on its processing systems that targeted millions of payment cards and personal data records. View the full article

This issue we help you at excel at key tasks, from creating photorealistic portraits, integrating motion capture data into your scenes and setting up believable cloud simulations for your aerial shots. Buy 3D World issue 236 now We offer a great guide, that shows you what to expect from a career in games as well as how to get your foot on the career ladder, or take the next step in your journey. There are also our regular Q and As, project insights and reviews of the latest gear. Feature: Careers in games Discover how to get a dream games job, or take your career to the next step If you either want to work in games, or already do but are ready for the next step, then check out our feature where we show you what's on offer and give you some great tips to help you maximise what you offer, to get you where you want to be. Feature: CG foliage Discover the secrets behind CG forests Journey into some memorable CG forests with Ian Failes, who uncovers the secrets behind these detailed vistas, looking at projects, tools and techniques. Tutorial: Master 3D portraits Portrait master, Ian Spriggs, shares his knowledge to help you create stunning portraits Digital humans can be slightly off-putting and the closer to realism they get, the more off-putting they can be. Master portrait artist Ian Spriggs reveals how he overcomes this, with a detailed look at how he created our cover star. His rundown covers everything form modelling and texturing to lighting and rendering but, more importantly, he shares the reasoning behind his choices and his thoughts on historical references. Tutorial: iClone motion capture Implement mocap into your iClone scenes In this iClone tutorial you will learn how to take motion capture data and use it to add life to your scenes without the need to animate by hand. Tutorial: FumeFX clouds Simulate a skyscape with FumeFX Get to grips with FumeFX and learn how to create realistic cloud formations. Build the initial control meshes, right through to final rendering in this step by step tutorial. Read more on 3D art: 31 brilliant Blender tutorials 30 top examples of 3D art How to create epic environment designs View the full article

Shift is a night school from D&AD New Blood. The initiative offers young creatives without formal arts education the chance to attend 12 weeks of free night classes, and this year's course is now open for applications. One of Shift's aims is to address diversity in the design industry. “Through diverse eyes and ears, we see things from perspectives that we were never looking for and we do things to ensure those benefits are shared to a broader audience,” says D&AD President Steve Vranakis. “That way, everyone benefits. Shift is, in my view, what the whole industry should be doing on a macro scale.” Kieran Ahmed, who attended the course in 2017, thinks it's working: “D&AD has clearly recognised a problem with the industry when it comes to diversity and is giving a platform to those who probably would not get a chance based on their background,” he says. An end of year showcase of the student's work was a chance to secure placements at companies like Nike, Iris and BBC Creative The numbers are also favourable. From the 2017 Shift London programme, 84 per cent of Shifters have entered into paid creative employment, compared to 41 per cent of design graduates employed in their sectors after six months of graduation. “The strength of the programme has been building year on year," says Hilary Chittenden, head of the programme, which is now in New York as well as London. "We’re always looking at ways to reach wider audiences. Talent is everywhere, we need to look out of our traditional silos to diversify our industry and create a more level playing field.” Chloe Templeman at the class of 2017's end of course showcase One of the draws of the programme is having talks, mentors and creative briefs set by big names in the industry. One such mentor is Chloe Templeman, creative director at Design Bridge. “I like to think of Shift as a condensed version of university,” she says. “When you’re working in the industry, you have a creative director who is there to mentor you, and when you’re a student at university you have tutors to help, so it’s really no different.” Lucy Jackson, another student of the 2017 programme, felt that Shift helped grow her confidence: “It has empowered me to create work that I never knew I could create, growing my confidence and comforting me on the path of blossoming into my true self,” she explains. “I’d love to see it become a nationwide programme, providing opportunities to people in other parts of the UK as well as in London,” adds Templeman. “As an agency, we are 100 per cent behind the programme and I can’t wait to see what – and who – comes next.” If you think you've got what it takes to be part of Shift, apply here. Applications are open until 1 August. Related articles: How to encourage diversity in the design industry Top tips for design students How to transform a design internship into a job View the full article

Learning to code might seem unnecessary for designers, particularly if you're working exclusively in print design. However, if you think you don't need to code, consider the following two things. Firstly, you never truly know what you or your studio is going to be working on a year from now. And in an industry increasingly focused on digital, it's never a bad idea to future-proof your skills. Secondly, learning to code doesn't mean going all-in and becoming a fully fledged developer and knowing everything there is to know about responsive web design. Even if you end up grasping only the very basics of code, it will still help you enormously in communicating your visual ideas to the developers who are tasked with implementing them. “Learning to code is the most exciting step I've made as a designer, but my original goal wasn't to become a developer," says Jun Taoka, now product designer at London consultancy Red Badger."It's about being better able to appreciate the parameters of digital design, and communicate to your peers how your designs will function." Here's how designers can get started in the world of coding... Coding for Designers is a free introductory course to HTML and CSS 01. Go on a coding course But how do you start learning to code? "I'd recommend doing a short course first: a week intensive or a couple of evenings a week over a period of time," says Sari Griffiths, chief design officer at Red Badger. "It's great to have someone you can ask questions, and fellow students to motivate you. Then make sure you keep it going using online tutorials and courses." Taoka favours Treehouse and General Assembly, while his colleague, product designer Clementine Brown, is a fan of Codecademy; other choices include Pluralsight and SuperHi. Whichever you opt for, Brown advises: "Stick to HTML and CSS at the beginning; this will give you a feel for what it's like to bring a flat graphic to life." For the uninitiated, HTML defines the basic structure of a web document, while CSS defines how it's presented, in terms of things like layout, colour and fonts. Complex interactions and animation are usually created in JavaScript, which is more advanced, although ways are increasingly being developed to do these tasks within CSS too. 02. Experiment with code Most importantly, don't just take the classes, but start getting your hands dirty by putting what you've learned into practice. Play around with code, build things, try things out: it's the only way you'll really start to get your head around how all this stuff really works. Plus, it's fun. "As a designer learning code for the first time, one of the most exciting elements is bringing your creations to life in a new medium, accessible by billions instantly," says Craig Frost, product designer at Pusher, a leader in real-time technologies based in London. "I'd advise you to start small: focus on translating your existing knowledge of design practice into code. Begin with layout and spacing, understanding grids on the web and when you need to use them. Then move onto type treatments and colour; the differences in terminology, possibility, and lack thereof." Part of Trang Minh Nguyen's side project where she creates daily sketches while learning Processing (p5.js) and posts them on Instagram. See also lead image above 03. Inspect other's code One of the best ways to learn how coding works, he adds, is in analysing and deconstructing the work of others."Use the browser developer tools to inspect design work you admire, and then work backwards to increase your understanding of how a particular design came to be. You can use these tools to directly manipulate the website you're visiting, so start changing colours, spacing, copy; get a feel for how you'd use these same materials to construct something of your own. “When you get stuck, use tools like Stack Overflow to connect with others and get help with hard problems. And if you're using platforms like Codecademy or Treehouse to learn, make yourself present in their forums to discuss your learnings with other students." Hanan Shoubaki of Studio 244 started learning to code on Codecademy and SuperHi. She then put what she'd learned into practice with this landing page for cooking tech company Ibex One 04. Ask a developer And if your day job involves work with developers, why not connect with them too? "Reach out and ask if they'll pair with you on coding up your next design," suggests Frost. "Communicate about their ideas, skills, and concerns. You'll get a better idea of how you can alter your design practice and process to cater to the web, and it will strengthen your work relationships, too. If you're not lucky enough to have this at your company, start looking for meetups and workshops, where you can do the same thing but outside of the office. "Coding is difficult in the beginning, but it will get better," says Mircea Mocanu, a designer and art director who recently built his first site – his personal website. "Don't fear language: make analogies with other things you encountered when dealing with large amount of information. Invest, knowing it's going to take some time and it will often be annoying, but ultimately you'll be glad you put the effort in. Exercise your new skills on smaller stake projects," he continues. "Take it step-by-step and enjoy little victories. Ask other coders how they do it. If they are busy, ask Google. If you can't find it, ask others again. Don't expect things to progress or work if you don't guide them." This article was originally published in issue 278 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 278 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here. Related articles: 16 top online coding courses 23 steps to the perfect website layout Why you need a website and how to get started View the full article

Want to film your adventures or latest action-packed creative projects? We can help. We’ve got the cheapest GoPro deals available, anywhere, right here. We've searched all the major retailers to find the lowest prices on the best GoPros cameras you can buy. This includes everything from the top-end GoPro Hero 6 Black, the super cheap GoPro Hero Session and the GoPro Karma drones, right down to the sometimes very cheap GoPro Hero 4. We haven't listed the older models because our research has shown that their prices are often more expensive than newer, better models. GoPro cameras have quickly become the go-to tool for filming POV videos thanks to their low cost, fantastic footage, extreme durability and portable nature. Perfect for strapping to your helmet, chest, snowboard, surfboard or bike, they're especially good for intense action event filming, providing a first-person viewpoint to muddy forest mountain-bike descents, extreme snowboarding, sky diving, near-miss wingsuit flying – the lot. If you've seen an extreme sports close call on YouTube, it was probably shot on a GoPro camera. They're not just portable and tough, though. GoPro cameras are capable of shooting with multiple field-of-view (FOV) options. You can shoot in 4K at 60 frames-per-seconds (fps) on the high-end model; or go for a still-fantastic 1080p at an incredibly slick 240fps. GoPros are also capable of shooting stills, often with a burst mode, too, to give you even more options. We've run through the filming capabilities on each model below, so you can find the cheapest GoPro for your needs. Here are the best GoPro cameras you can buy – and the best GoPro deals available today for each model. The GoPro Hero6 Black is the best GoPro yet. Naturally, this means it's the most expensive of the brand's touchscreen-enabled action cameras, but the price has fallen from its original $499/£499 – and we’ve listed the best GoPro Hero6 Black deals above. So what’s so good about the latest GoPro? Thanks to its custom-designed GP1 processor, it can shoot 4K at an impressive 60 frames-per-second or 1080p at a massive 240fps, for super-smooth slow mo. Image stabilisation is much improved, available now at both 4K/30fps and 1080p/120fps, which is a good move from GoPro given the active nature of action filming. And there’s a lot more: voice action is handy when your hands are full. It’s waterproof up to 10 metres without the need for any external housing. And the two-inch touchscreen display shows brighter colours. Meanwhile, the fantastic Quik smartphone app comes with a QuikStories feature that automatically transfers and edits video for you. In short? The GoPro Hero6 Black isn’t just the best GoPro you can buy – it’s the best action camera. The good thing about new and improved models, is the older versions usually see a price cut – and that's exactly what's happened with the still-excellent GoPro Hero5 Black. This model records fantastic 4K footage, albeit at 30fps instead of 60, but depending on what you're using the camera for this might not matter – especially given the money you’re saving through the better GoPro deals available. Image stabilisation isn’t as good as the newer model either, but other than that, the GoPro Hero5 Black has a huge amount going for it. Image quality is superb, wth vibrant colours and crisp, sharp detail. Visually, it’s identical to the Hero6 Back, with built-in waterproofing to 10m without a separate case, dual microphones and voice control. There's a reason why the GoPro Hero5 Black received rave reviews when it first launched: this is a fantastic action camera – and the lower price point makes it a very compelling option indeed. Don't be confused by the GoPro Hero 2018. The company released a GoPro Hero years ago – but this is a new version, and it's vastly improved on the original. (If you're worried about accidentally buying the similar-looking older version, just avoid ones with a big round red light on the front – like this one.) The new GoPro Hero is a fantastic budget version of its siblings. Forget about 4K shooting; we're at the cheap GoPro wedge of the market here. But you do get a smooth 60fps performance at 1080p. And like the models above, it's waterproof up to 10m without a separate case. If you're not sure how much you're going to really use a GoPro, this is the cheapest one to get with the added functionality of a touchscreen – something the cheaper GoPro Sessions (see below) don't have – making this is an inexpensive travel companion, and a great entry point into action filming. If 4K video recording is the one thing you can't live without on your new GoPro action camera, then the GoPro Hero 5 Session if your cheapest option. The cube-shaped and water-resistant GoPro has been a big hit since launch, thanks to its super low price and small size, which makes it the most unobtrusive action camera around. The lack of a touchscreen has some users looking towards the more expensive numbered Black models, though. As if the GoPro Hero 5 Session (above) wasn't already incredibly cheap, GoPro released this budget version afterwards. The GoPro Hero Session doesn't give you 4K recording – but you get 1080p at 60fps, which is great value for money. Stills and burst mode take a hit quality-wise, though, if you're wanting to use them much in addition to filming. Unlike the models above, there's no SuperView field-of-view shooting (Wide is still available though) so any 4:3 shooting won't be stretched out to fill widescreens on playback. While it's not the best for shooting footage you'll want to watch over and over again, this GoPro has been very popular for beginners – or as a reliable camera for commuting cyclists and bikers (it attaches nicely to helmets). It's amazing how other road users behave around you when they see you're sporting a camera. Ok, we're getting into the older models now. The GoPro Hero 4 Black – which is actually silver (why, GoPro?) – is still a decent camera capable of shooting 4K at 30fps. But prices can vary wildly. Often, the best GoPro deals on this model will be for refurbished cameras, and not everyone wants to spend so much on a pre-owned action camera. New units are rare (the camera itself is no longer made after all) but you can find a bargain every now and then. We'd urge you to check the prices on some of the newer models in this article though – as there's a good chance you'll be able to get a newer and better model for less money. Happily, the Hero4 Silver is actually silver, like the Hero 4 Black above. (Seriously, what gives, GoPro?) Like the Hero 4 Black though, we'd only recommend picking this one up if you spot a spectacular discount in our comparison chart. Prices are generally more expensive than newer and superior models now, and the 4K capture is limited to just 15 frames per second. So it'll be a bit janky to say the least. The GoPro Karma Drone certainly isn't what we'd call cheap, but it opens up a world of opportunities for some spectacular aerial footage. And it's certainly cheaper than hiring a helicopter, which explains why drones are widely replacing choppers for aerial footage. The GoPro Karma drone comes in two variants; one with and one without a camera. The GoPro Karma generally comes with a GoPro Hero 5 installed (sometimes the Hero 6 on newer listings). The GoPro Karma Light (aka GoPro Karma with harness) does not come with a camera. If you can find a discounted price on the Hero 5 Black (or even the Hero 6 Black), it might make more sense to buy the Light version of the drone and the camera separately. We've included comparison charts for both below, but please double check the listing description and any images on the retailer site to be sure, just in-case the feeds in our charts get it wrong. We'd hate for you to splash the cash and not get a camera too if you were expecting one. View the full article

Want to build and host your own websites? Do both with a lifetime subscription to the WordPress Build + Host Bundle. This two-product bundle includes everything you'll need to create and host a great website. With Dragify Wordpress Builder, you won't have to learn to write any code at all, as the drag-and-drop website builder is so intuitive and user-friendly. Build your perfect website that looks great across all devices. You'll also get SSDPage SSD Anti-Hacker Web Hosting, a system that protects your site against CXS malware, DDOS attacks, and other common cyber threats that could wreak havoc on your website. Get both for the low price of $49.99. Related articles: 10 great WordPress plugins for designers 40 brilliant WordPress tutorials 8 essential WordPress security secrets View the full article

After the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup is the biggest global sporting tournament around – and its official branding has attracted the world's attention for decades. As well as reflecting the essence of the tournament, the logo design also needs to convey elements of the host country – no mean feat for the branding agency that wins the account. To mark the start of the Russia 2018 World Cup, we've taken a look back at eight of the best logos from World Cup tournaments since 1930... 01. Uruguay 1930 World Cup poster This stylised Art Deco poster captures the spirit and drama of the game, as well as the aesthetic of the time We're starting at the very beginning, with the first ever World Cup – held in Uruguay in 1930, when there were only 13 teams participating. Although the tournament didn't have a 'logo' in the modern sense, its unique look and feel was conveyed through a beautiful Art Deco-style poster. Featuring an absract, stylised image of a goalkeeper making a save, clad in the Uruguay national colours, the poster captures the spirit of the game as well as the aesthetic of the time. 02. France 1938 World Cup poster Depicting a triumphant footballer conquering the globe, this poster doesn't go over the top with red, white and blue Two tournaments later, the World Cup made it to France – with another beautifully stylised poster replacing the action shot of Uruguay's offer with a dominant, imposing stance of a footballer conquering the globe. Little did the world know of the devastating conflict that would be sweeping through France in the following few years, but here in 1938, notions of victory and world domination were confined to the beautiful game. This was the third and final time a poster represented the tournament, rather than a logo. Compared to some of the more overt 'national flag' palettes that followed, the use of red, white and blue is much more conceptual and abstract. 03. England 1966 World Cup logo England's World Cup logo is packed with national pride, and prominently features the Jules Rimet trophy By contrast, England's 1966 logo – the first, and only time the country has triumphed at the tournament – leaves no doubt about the host country, featuring a bold, bright flag. Although Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish fans may query the choice of the Union Flag rather than the English one. As well as the English team's Three Lions crest, another very overt link with the host country, the logo also prominently features the Jules Rimet Cup itself – which was replaced by the current design in 1974. World Cup Willie was the first ever World Cup mascot – every tournament since has had one Rather than a footballer conquering the globe, with a ball on top of it, the strikingly symmetrical design instead integrates the globe with the football. Another first was the introduction of the first ever World Cup mascot – footballing lion, World Cup Willie – who kick-started a tradition that has now become integral part of tournament culture. 04. Mexico 1970 World Cup logo The Mexico 1970 tournament was the first to feature the now instantly recognisable Telstar ball design The following World Cup, held in Mexico in 1970, is widely considered one of the finest in history – seeing Pelé's Brazil team picking up their third trophy. The logo is beautifully simple, graphic and effortlessly iconic – and also the first to feature the adidas Telstar ball, with its alternating pentagonal and hexagonal segments, now inextricably linked with the modern game. 05. Italy 1990 World Cup logo The abstract, graphic Italia '90 logo puts a fresh twist on its iconic Mexico '70 predecessor Two decades later, a similarly minimalistic depiction of the ball design featured in the Italia '90 World Cup logo, albeit offset in a more abstract way to incorporate the colours of the Italian flag. After a flurry of anthropomorphic animals followed England's World Cup Willie – and continue to this day – Italy really bucked the trend with its mascot, translating the stylised, graphic look and feel of the logo design into a character called Ciao. Built entirely from blocks, Ciao easily stands out amongst all other World Cup mascots Other than his featureless football-shaped head, Ciao – which means both 'hello' and 'goodbye' in Italian – was composed entirely of simple blocks in the Italian colours. He certainly stands out in a line-up of World Cup mascots to this day. 06. Korea / Japan 2002 World Cup logo Interbrand went for a modern, abstract geometric approach to combine the trophy with a banner-waving fan The first World Cup of the new millennium, Korea/Japan's joint hosting of the tournament in 2002 kicked off a wave of modern, geometric logos that put the focus back on the trophy rather than the ball, and the global community of fans rather than the host country. Formed from intersecting curves and circles, the logo – created by Interbrand London – is a clever combination of trophy outline and banner-waving fan, all contained within a satisfying perfect circle. 07. Germany 2006 World Cup logo Paying homage to the Korea / Japan 2002 logo, Germany 2006 was all about celebrating the spirit of the fans For the following tournament in Germany in 2006, the logo integrates its predecessor for the first time in World Cup logo history – although this time, fuill prominence is given to the fans. Having last hosted the Word Cup in 1974 (as West Germany, the eventual champions) with a minimalist two-colour logo that depicted a ball flying through the air, modern unified Germany opted for a much more colourful, cheerful design. The 2006 logo makes a stark contrast to its predecessor, from West Germany 1974 Dubbed 'Celebrating Faces of Football', the 2006 logo is all about the camaraderie of the game, with the '0' and '6' given stylised laughing faces. Germany's flag colours are subtly represented, as a sweeping banner around the side, as well as within the repurposed Korea/Japan 2002 logo at the bottom. 08. Russia 2018 World Cup logo Packed with cultural references, the Russia 2018 logo is unapologetically decorative And so we come to Russia 2018, which like the much-criticised Brazil 2014 logo –popularly dubbed a 'facepalm', which proved rather apt due to the host country's humiliating 1–7 semi-final exit – puts all the emphasis on the trophy. However, Lisbon-based Brandia Central managed to put a bold new spin on the concept, integrating references to Fabergé eggs, Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square, and the Sputnik space probe. This year's World Cup logo is the first example on the list to add decorative, ornamental flair to the design – and it works. Combined with the personality-laden typeface, it's certainly a new twist on World Cup logo tradition. Related articles: The best logos of all time 80 years of World Cup ticket designs Logo design tips from the pros View the full article

While nearly four weeks have passed since Generate London 2018 first launched and the early bird tickets have now flown the nest, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of news landing about the web-design conference. Case in point: we’re pleased to announce some of the latest speakers to be confirmed for the event. Hosted at the Royal Institution, the home of the Christmas Lectures, from the 19 - 21 September 2018, Generate London 2018 offers a day of workshops and two days of conference talks from truly world-class web designers. And not only will attendees get to see high-calibre speakers such as Sarah Parmenter, Sara Soueidan, Bruce Lawson and Richard Rutter but Generate London 2018 is also set to host: Alexandra Etienne An AR/VR evangelist working with Lightform, the Californian startup creating the first computer built for projected augmented reality, Alexandra is on a mission to share AR.js with the world. The AR.js project allows people to easily create AR on the web, enabling them to tap the enormous potential it has for areas like history, education, science, retail and gaming. That’s why, in her talk AR.js – Efficient Augmented Reality for the Web, Alexandra will show the advantages that web-based AR can bring, what others have created with it in and what you can do with AR.js library. Kristijan Ristovski Better known by the moniker Kitze, Kristijan founded React Academy to teach the framework around the world and launched sizzy.co and ok-google.io, both of which skyrocketed in popularity within the first week of launch. With such an extensive knowledge of frameworks, it’s hardly surprising that Kitze’s talk will focus on helping Generate attendees pick their way through the crowded and often innovation-obsessed framework landscape. Do you have enough time to learn the latest version of your favourite library? Should you stick with what you know? Should you forget about what you are using and start learning something new? Or should you follow the crowd? So many decisions to make – but in his talk Navigating the Hype-driven Front-end Development World Without Going Insane Kitze will help you find the answers. With such a fantastic lineup already confirmed and more excellent speakers still to be announced, demand for Generate is really heating up. So if you want to be sure you can secure your place, make sure you buy your ticket now. Related articles: The best web hosting services of 2018 Top tips for scaling up AR apps How to code an augmented reality marker View the full article

You're reading Why Your Business Needs Email Marketing, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! You already have a business, but it doesn’t “sell” enough? Or you want to increase engagement or keep your audience updated about something fresh? Or you are just thinking to start a business and don’t know what Marketing strategy to … View the full article

One of the most serious issues is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows DNS, which could allow an attacker to take full control of the targeted machine. View the full article

Vendors have been shipping Android products with Android Debug Bridge enabled, making them attractive targets for hackers. View the full article

Malware can to worm its way onto Macs thanks to a recently discovered code-signing bypass flaw. View the full article

Being asked to describe my painting technique is odd for me, and frankly it’s hard to do. I’m an intuitive painter, with no real process, I usually invent things as I go along – every painting becomes one big experiment. When I do it, I tend to learn a bit about myself, too. My painting for this workshop is based on the HP Lovecraft story The Colour Out of Space, in which a meteor falls to Earth and lands on a family farm. The meteor emits strange radiation and gives off powers that alter life forms that come into contact with them. In the story the alien radiation drains life from its surroundings. Then fungus takes over and because of the unearthly radiation, is mutated in indescribable ways. The ‘colour’ in the title is an unseen spectrum of alien colours. The challenge here, then, is how to draw something that’s apparently undetectable. First I took a sketch out of my sketchbook from some years ago. It was simply a quick jot-down of ideas but as usual, I don’t spend a lot of time on the drawing – I tend to see how things go and rely on magic moments and accidents and hope for the best. I can already see the image. I liked the sketch composition from the get-go anyway, so it makes for a decent jumping-off point… 01. Put your head in a book Eggleton was inspired by the works of Caspar David Friedrich Here’s my sketch. I took this out of my sketchbook and photocopied it to roughly 16x12 inches. My inspiration of mood comes from looking at the works of Caspar David Friedrich, who had a special look to his sublime works. I get a lot of mileage working from these books of classical painting. I recommend that every artist looks at classical works to help develop their own style. 02. No fuss, no bother A copy is made with graphite powder I take the photocopy of my old sketch and then blacken the back with graphite powder. I tape this to the top of the canvas board and then with a pencil, trace off major lines and objects, all very loosely. Once it’s down I work elements back in with a pencil, drawing back into the canvas more or less what things will look like. Again, I don’t fuss much because all this will be covered in paint. I spray the pencil drawing with fixative so that it stays visible when I’m painting over it. 03. Start up the fun machine Time to lay down some colour I put the canvas on my easel. This is where the fun begins. I mix up some Alizarin yellow oil paint (it’s my favourite colour) with Walnut oil. A note on Walnut Oil, it’s actually non-toxic, but I wouldn’t drink it. I tend to avoid turpentine and thinners. 04. Remove your fear A golden underpainting makes the picture glow I coat the canvas board completely. Picasso once said that the biggest fear in the universe is of a blank canvas. Well, we take care of that at the start. I see the underpainting as something to build everything on top of. Many of the classical artists did this. My underpainting will hopefully make the finished work glow. I take a rag and start removing paint, carving out the basic image based on the drawing and how the lighting will go (which I all see in my head). 05. Push and pull More paint is added and removed with a dabbing cloth I start working Burnt umber into the painting, to generate some darker areas and also to define the overall composition. This is just a question of pushing and pulling the paint around the canvas. I add, subtract, dab more in, pull more out and start looking for the appearance of magic areas as the paint creates areas of interest. Then I set the work aside for the night and let it tack up, as we say, so that I can preserve what I’ve got going on. Hopefully, it’ll still look good in the morning! 06. Cool the paint with blues Cooler colours help to create a dynamic contrast Now it gets really interesting! The painting is set up nicely; it’s a little sticky, but I can work with it. I take a cheap bargain store bristle brush and start working in some blues, which helps to take down the warmth I’ve already created. I leave in little areas of light and shadow, and start to see more interesting areas. I begin with the tree and get some details going in the bark. 07. Make it happen Palette knives create surprising results Out comes my oval-shaped palette knife and I start troweling in colour into the area of interest of the 'colour'. I’m just kind of seeing what will happen. Palette knives are a lot of fun because if you have a textured board, the surprises can be pretty fun to watch happen. 08. Introduce small details The texture of the canvas helps to create a rocky surface I start working in some details on the well, using a smaller brush. The strange alien force is at the bottom of a well, which I originally sketched while visiting a friend’s farmhouse some time ago. I start on the middle ground area and rely heavily on the texture of the canvas board to help me establish a rocky area. The underpainting helps me tremendously here. 09. Opposites attract Light is reflected on the surrounding environment I continue detailing the tree branches. I decide that the shape of the 'colour' will be in contrast to the shape of the tree, which is twisted and dead. 10. Shape it up Time to build up the foreground At this point I start detailing the foreground and the skull. This is all a matter of impressionistic details. The roots of the trees and fungus are taking shape. 11. Give my hand a rest Don't forget to take breaks while you work! I use a snooker cue to rest my hand on, much as you would with a mahl stick. It’s relatively cheap and does the job without getting too fancy. It’s good practice to rest your hand when bringing in details to a composition. 12. Use reference and memory Reference books help to create a sense of realism I turn my attention to the mushrooms and fungus. I use some reference books on mushrooms, but I tend also to work from memory, too. I’m not done with them and will come back to them in a bit. They need to tack up because my intention is to glaze some colour over them. 13. Do you see him yet? This scary character is easy to miss Now I put in the farmhouse that’s in the background. Again, it’s not too detailed because it’s less important and, in this nighttime scene you wouldn’t see too much of it anyway. There’s also a figure there, and I like the fact that it takes a second look to see him. At this point the painting is near completion, but I still have things that I’ll tweak and come back to once I leave it to set overnight. 14. Foreground and background A large watercolour brush helps to diffuse the background I use a big wash brush – I think it’s meant for watercolours – to dab in a glaze of light blue over much of the background and the upper part of the tree. This helps to take things back a bit and get more into 'lost edges', which really make the 3D aspect of a painting work. The more diffuse your background looks, the more the foreground will pop out. This is my palette. It looks like a total mess, but there’s order in my chaos. My colours aren’t arranged in any particular order – I just squeeze out paint and hope for the best. It works for me. 15. Work in the evil An unsettling green finished the composition I work some green into the fungus to give it an unsettling, evil look. I work on the alien colour flare coming out of the well to make it looking a bit like a living thing. Subtly, it looks a bit like a DNA strand, which was probably my thought when I saw the shape I was creating and the fact that the alien light mutates and drains the life out of terrestrial organisms. Lovecraft’s fiction is indescribably hard to illustrate because he writes of things that would drive mortal man mad. But I like how it all worked out. I’ll coat the dry painting in spray-on retouch varnish. Oil paintings should wait a year to dry fully, before applying a final layer of varnish. This article was originally published in issue 159 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists. Buy issue 159 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: 5 things you need for oil painting 10 sci-fi and fantasy art painting tips How to paint with acrylic washes View the full article

Beer and football go together like an English penalty shoot-out and crushing disappointment. So with the 2018 World Cup just about to kick off, what could be a better medium for designers looking to celebrate the event than the humble beer mat? That's the thinking behind Weird World Cup, the latest project from Gordon Reid and Callum Stephenson. Working with twenty designers, illustrators and creatives – including Jack Renwick and Wade Jeffree – the Weird World Cup beer mats relive bizarre moments from competition matches of years gone by. Due to be 'exhibited' in pubs around London during the 2018 World Cup, they're a tongue in cheek way to mark the occasion. "We always wanted the tone to be humorous, which is why the aim was always to keep the branding retro World Cup inspired," says Gordon Reid. "There were a few ideas of what we got the creatives to actually draw inspiration from and realised there were so many surreal and weird world cup moments over the years that it would really suit the artwork we were hoping to commission." Hey Studios' design remembers the relentless droning of the 2010 vuvuzelas Seeing as the World Cup is a global event, it makes sense that creatives from different backgrounds were invited to take part. "We chose artists whose work we admired, we also chose artists we knew, and for me some that I’d worked with before – in one case a previous Graphic Design tutor from my Sixth Form," says Stephenson. "I think we got a really great mix of designers which makes the series diverse." "We wanted each person to bring a different style to their coaster, be it 3D, illustration, typography, but we also wanted humour or a moment that was close to each artists heart to be prevalent in each one," Reid adds. Thomas Pullin's mat depicts the moment Laurent Blanc kissed Fabien Bartez's bald head Considering the number of artists involved, the pair quickly realised that giving creatives free reign to choose weird moments only worked for so long. "As the first wave of ideas started coming in we realised we needed to tick off the big ones like the hand of god or the Zidane headbutt," Reid explains. "We really wanted people to delve a little deeper and find some truly strange moments that were unique to them." "We sent across a small list of moments to be inspired by but most artists already had a favourite moment for its weirdness or personal connection so it made our job very easy, and also all of the outcomes have tons of personality and every beer mat is completely original," says Stephenson. As well as celebrating the beautiful game, Weird World Cup will also be a force for good as sales of the beer mats will go towards a charity the pair love, Football Beyond Borders. The organisation is currently fundraising for a new multi-purpose space in the Angell Town Estate in Brixton, which will act as a learning hub and safe haven for young people in London from disadvantaged backgrounds. Related articles: Photography book celebrates the joy of football The 5 best ever World Cup football designs The most shared logo on social media revealed View the full article

Whether you're working on a client's branding or trying to carve out space in a crowded market for your own brand, finding the thing that makes a brand special is vital to creating standout branding that will be remembered. After all, fancy gimmicks, bright colours or even the best logo ever won't be enough to save a brand that has no brand purpose, or seems to be communicating mixed messages. In a workshop at the first edition of Birmingham Design Festival, Naeem Alvi from Notepad explained how brands can discover their brand purpose. Here are his top tips. 01. Find your why Click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image "People buy why you do, not what you do," said Alvi. "So ask 'why' five times. Write your answer down and see if you're really solving the problem and then write it down, and then write it out again." Alvi shared the video below by Simon Sinek, which explains the concept of the 'golden circle'. This essentially says that your 'why' is the most important part of your branding, not what you do, or how you do it, which are secondary to the 'why'. "It takes time to figure out your 'why'," said Alvi. "So keep working on it until you find something that makes sense." 02. Discover what you're fighting for "If you really want to build a brand that everyone loves you've got to love it more than everyone else," said Alvi. "If you really love what you're doing, people can tell." To make sure you're really clear about your brand – and can therefore truly love it, not just the idea of it – ask yourself what it is that you're fighting for. Most brands are fighting for something, be that better shoes, safer internet browsing or ergonomic office furniture. Alvi also pointed out that your vision, or what you're fighting for, needs to be something real and tangible, and which people can easily imagine. "If you're working towards eradicating poverty, it's not easy for people to imagine it," he said. "Try and make your vision something that people can relate to and understand." 03. Write down your founding principles Once you've figured out your 'why', you need to start communicating it. "A good brand strategy is the combination of strong positioning, strong creative and strong consistency," said Alvi. "Strong design will get you most of the way there, but it won't get you everywhere." Whatever you've discovered your purpose is, make that the launch campaign. A starting point for this is to write down your founding principles, and share them with your clients. 04. Use the power of stories Alvi gave Hiut Denim as an example of a brand with a strong story "People forget facts, but they remember stories," said Alvi, adding that the best brands have a central brand story that they refer to again and again. "A lot of businesses fail to bring themselves in," he noted. "They talk in 'we', but don't forget to put yourself at the front of the business." In order to make sure you really know your story well, you should practice telling it. Alvi shared the story of David Hieatt – of Hiut denim. The way Hieatt got comfortable with his brand's story was that he went down to his shed and recorded himself telling the story. He then shared the video with his daughters, who laughed at him. Through repeating this process, he got really comfortable sharing his story. It took two to three years. "Practice your story out loud," said Alvi. "Fight for it, live it." After all, if you're not confident in your brand and its story, how are you ever going to convince anyone else of its value? Related articles: What's your brand archetype? 9 embarrassing branding blunders The good, the bad and the WTF of brand apologies View the full article

Back in 2013, there was public outcry when the sort of coffee drinkers that pride themselves on being 'artisanal-inclined' suddenly tasted an extra bitterness to their lattes. They felt duped when it was revealed their friendly local cafe was, in fact, part of their perceived ‘enemy’, Tesco. The supermarket giant had invested in a chain of coffee shops called Harris + Hoole, which have all the accoutrements of cosy little local shops; namely, black and white chalk boards detailing produce, and hand-drawn script fonts adorning the windows. Funnily enough, it was those same windows that consumers suddenly saw straight through: no longer could they assume that craft-led typography and whimsical chalk lines equalled independent. From the branding, customers assumed this Tesco-owned coffee shop was independent What can we learn from this? Perhaps, that it really is as simple as the typography we use – and the impression that it was done, by hand, by a real human – to persuade people of a brand’s ethos and provenance. The Harris + Hoole hoo-hah explains a lot about the trend we’ve seen in recent years for such branding, using distinctly crafty feels and a handmade approach. It’s not just to fool people, of course: in most cases, this trend can only be seen as a boon for brands, agencies and individual lettering practitioners. It means brands are actively taking the time (and budget) to invest in thoughtful work, agencies are pushing the boundaries of their craft skills in-house and in their commissioning, and individuals are seeing skills they’ve long practised become valuable assets. Big brands working with small specialists Three decades have passed since Mark Josling set up his hand-sign painting business Spectrum Signs, which was founded in 1988 in his parents’ garage. Now based out of an Aladdin’s cave-like outhouse in west London, Spectrum works for clients ranging from local pubs to Pret a Manger to Coca-Cola. The whole digital and vinyl thing went too far, and I think a lot of people wanted to get away from that Mark Josling A lot has changed in the industry over the past 30 years: a couple of decades ago, hand-lettering seemed to be on the way out, replaced with easily produced and increasingly cheap vinyl production. But around seven years ago, the design and branding world suddenly fell in love with hand-painting again, something that’s understandably cheered Josling. “The whole digital and vinyl thing went too far, I think a lot of people – designers especially – wanted to get away from that. They wanted something a bit different,” he says. “The internet played a massive part, because years ago the perception was that nobody’s doing it. Now you can just put it in a search engine and find someone. I don’t think this is going to go away now.” Oli Frape created this sketchy font for Impulse It shows that while consumers might see bigger chains using hand-lettering and the like as a duplicitous ploy to try and dupe people, brands are actually investing in good quality, highly skilled design work. As designer Kyle Wilkinson points out: “You think Pret and those sort of companies are trying to emulate that personal feel on a completely impersonal platform; they’re trying to be something they're not, or trying to get over to people that don't like Pret for that reason – they'd rather go to the local café, something similar with a more independent feel. So it's interesting they're hiring someone and not just ripping it off, they're funding that sort of indie thing, which is great.” Kate Marlow, creative partner at Here Design, agrees that if such a trend encourages people to learn a skill like hand-drawn type, then that’s a positive for the design community. “We had to learn it in art school, and it’s really hard. A resurgence of a skill like that can only be a good thing,” she says. Authentic branding The considered, handmade aesthetic is a perfect fit for the likes of coffee shops, food and beverage packaging, and indeed any company that wants consumers to get a sense of buying something with a smidgen of a personal touch. The reasons why brands want that handmade feel are many. For most, it’s about the buzziest of current buzzwords: ‘authenticity’. While people might not see much artisanal in the likes of Tesco, that assumption can gently be tweaked with a touch of hand-drawn lettering here and there, whether on packaging, point of sale materials, campaigns or adverts. Oli Frape is a hand-lettering artist based in Sheffield, who’s worked with brands including Tesco, Fortnum & Mason and Hovis. For him, commissions from such brands are to do with the language they want to use, “to make copy seem a bit more human or accessible when it perhaps isn’t”. That idea that humans have spent time using skills they’ve learnt over years carries something... there’s an attached sense of nostalgia Oli Frape “Things that are mass produced, or that seem overly digitally produced, lack a certain humanity,” he says, adding that even though we’ve landed at a place where we can make more things with computers than ever, people still want handmade stuff. “The technology is incredible, but it doesn’t have the same connotations as something made by the human hand or that has visible man-hours in it,” he continues. “That idea that humans have spent time using skills they’ve learnt over years and the tangibility of that carries something. It’s easier to see the kind of wobbles and mistakes and foibles with the naked eye on things made by hand than something that might have taken many hours and skills but using code. It makes people feel something, and there’s an attached sense of nostalgia.” Storytelling in type Frape touches on an interesting point about the natural human love of a story: if we can tangibly sense the story behind something’s creation – that it started with the simple tools of human hands, pencils, or brushes – there’s a more compelling, craft-infused tale that ‘perpetuates a myth’ for a brand than, as he puts it, “them saying ‘we employed a graphic designer who sat in his studio at a computer and emailed it to us.’ They’re making an authentic product and branding it in a way that looks authentic.” What makes these stories so compelling for consumers – consciously or not – is the sense that a brand has actively considered its visual output. Using specialist craft skills is never the cheapest or quickest option, so there’s a visual shorthand that suggests the brand has taken the time to really think about what it’s putting out into the world, and how it’s telling us about it. In that sense, it’s the antithesis of the kind of cookie-cutter design that’s easily bypassed on shelves or billboards. “It softens that attitude and makes people invest in their brand. It has more credibility and meaning,” says Frape. Jessica Hische's lettering work for limited-edition wines by Mahonia Vineyard As US lettering artist Jessica Hische points out, custom lettering has always been a big part of branding. Very few companies can afford to invest in their own custom corporate typeface, so this provides a nice middle-ground, where you're not just using an existing font. "I think lettering as an industry is in a kind of weird in-between place right now – it’s not so big that it’s become it’s own mega discipline like illustration and photography, but it’s not a small niche industry any more,” adds Hische. “There are things you can achieve through customisation and drawing from scratch that you just can’t with an off-the-shelf font.” In Here Design’s sumptuous type-led designs for Williams Sonoma chocolate, the nostalgia-infused look and feel was the perfect conduit to tell the stories behind the variants’ artisan roots. “No brand wants to be a one-way path of communication any more,” says Marlow. “So if you imbue your brand aesthetic with a conversation through beautiful type with depth and complexity, that tells a story not only about the pack to the audience, but about the brand. For us, type is image – or can be image. It’s highly illustrative.” The love of handmade Wilkinson sees the craft lettering trend as a natural riposte to our increasingly digitally driven world. He sees the vogue for “hand-drawn, brushy feel type” as a symptom of the disconnect people feel with how products are made. “People think it’s just the technology creating these things or this imagery, so there’s not a person – a designer or illustrator – at the end of it.” But as he points out, “there’s no ‘create button’ in Photoshop – everything has to be ‘made’, but people have more understanding of hand-drawn, rawer type and brush script.” People can connect more with [hand-drawn script]. They think, ‘I wish I could write like that’ Kyle Wilkinson Wilkinson believes this love of hand-drawn script has roots in calligraphy. “People can connect more with that. They think,‘I wish I could write like that.’” It all comes down to the brand and its message having a more personal feel; like the joy of receiving a handwritten note over a text or email. But if it's about sincerity and a personal touch, does the fact that such a style has become a trend neutralise that? Wilkinson says that a lot of brands and agencies have been "backing that one horse," but it won’t live forever. From the style's overwhelming presence on design-led social media feeds, he surmises that: "It's surely past its peak now and will start to fade as it’s so overused and oversaturated". The right type But the style really is an excellent, and very fitting solution for a number of brands; many of which truly have the provenance and artisanal qualities their typography suggests. Wilkinson’s work for RedLeg rum, for instance, is a fitting reflection of the brand’s celebrated ingredients and Caribbean heritage, while Párametro’s work for Grand Cru chocolate is similarly inspired by its artisanal origins. Párametro’s lettering for Grand Cru is inspired by the brand's artisanal origins The trend for specialist handscript isn't just restricted to your neighbourhood coffee shop or food and drink packaging: even a few luxury brands want in – Dolce & Gabbana, for instance, uses a mishmash of fonts online, including a geometric sans, transitional serif and humanist sans alongside a chalky handscript, and a Bodoni. "In terms of branding, what's important is the little accents on things you always remember," says Segolene Hutter, the founder of luxury branding specialist Studio Noir. “Branding is such a broad thing, it's not just about the logo or the typography: think about the purple from Aspinal, the Christian Louboutin red soles, Tiffany blue. It’s like a subliminal message that's beyond way beyond just words and typefaces. It's the whole brand personality," she explains. The wrong type So when does this approach not work? Many of the designers we spoke to pointed to larger corporate brands and the mismatch with such a style. Frape thinks that any industry "synonymous with technological progress" would be a mismatch. "There’s a different aesthetic for automotive or motor sport brands, and it doesn’t work for the really high tech stuff." Brand messaging is getting increasingly complex and nuanced, and it has to be as we’re getting wiser to brands’ messages – we’re like, ‘yawn, that’s not authentic’ Oli Frape However, he suggests that the desire for craft-led typographic styles isn’t ever totally redundant, where it fits with a brands' wider strategy: "As we go forward, brand messaging is getting increasingly complex and nuanced, and it has to be as we're getting wiser and wiser to brands' messages – we’re like, 'yawn, that’s not authentic'." Wilkinson agrees consumers are getting wiser, and warns against brands using the look simply to emulate competitors. "When corporate brands jump on that bandwagon to try and look cool and on the money, you see straight though it," he says. "It’s pretending to be something you're not. Just because handwritten stuff is a popular thing, that doesn't mean you should shoehorn it in – it needs to have its own voice and stay true to the values and visuals you’re creating so it stands out." Collaboration is key For agencies and brands looking to collaborate with specialist craft typographers on projects, the key to a successful relationship lies in trust, and a willingness to embrace experimentation. For Wilkinson, it was a joy when his RedLeg client was open to him getting very physical with the project – scouring timber merchants for "the most knackered pieces of wood we could find," and using that as the basis for hand-drawn type to be photographed for the campaign. "They were all up for us going out and finding the wood; doing things in camera and doing things properly is the best collaboration." Kyle Wilkinson scoured timber merchants for old wood for this project Wilkinson adds that the same principles apply when working with other brands. The best collaborations are when clients are "open to a more experimental approach, something completely unique they have ownership of and sets them apart. It's not just 'I've seen this on Instagram and want to do that' – it’s 'how can we change it up a bit, or take it to a new level that benefits the project and the brand and gives us something more individual?'" There are always time and budget restrictions, he concludes, but you create your best work when clients are open. "The best clients put trust in you to take that step and not just play it safe and do it how it’s always been done." This article was originally published in Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 278 or subscribe. Read more: How to choose the right typeface for a brand How to design a handwriting font that isn't boring 19 top free brush fonts View the full article

Knowledge about Adobe Creative Cloud can unlock a ton of potential for you and your business. If you plan to launch an image-driven social media campaign, you'll want Photoshop under your belt. If you want to edit promotional videos now and then, you should know how to use Premiere. To be your own graphic designer and create stunning visuals, Illustrator and InDesign are must-haves. With The Complete Adobe CC Training Bundle, you'll learn about all this software and more, for the price of just $29 – that's 95 per cent off the regular price. Take your business to the next level by learning Adobe Creative Cloud. To find out more, take a look at our Creative Cloud CC review, or sign up now. Related articles: Adobe to drop Creative Cloud price to $5 for K-12 schools How to use Adobe Capture CC Adobe and Erik Spiekermann revive lost type sets View the full article

You're reading Slides 4 Coming Soon, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! During the last year we worked hard on the new release of Slides Framework. We haven’t updated this product for a few months due to our website redesign and rebranding. But now we are ready to release Slides 4! View the full article

Researchers found three vulnerabilities in Foscam connected security cameras that could enable a bad actor to gain root access knowing only the camera’s IP address. View the full article

You might have a stunning portfolio of work, but winning new clients and crafting a successful creative career is about more than just great work. You need to build a name for yourself – and that involves getting out there, attending relevant events and making valuable, face-to-face connections. From international industry conferences to local gallery openings happening on your doorstep, there are hundreds of opportunities to meet potential new clients and collaborators. And the good news? With the right preparation – plus a few tips and tricks for on the day – anyone can nail the art of networking. Read on to find out how to make every creative event count. (Opening image: Addison Groove, by DazzleShip.) 01. Remember the golden rule: ditch the pitch Good networking is about making genuine connections with new people Good networking at events is about establishing relationships, and creating a solid foundation for you to build on later. Your goal is to make new contacts – so relax, be friendly and engaged, and focus on making a good first impression. Whatever you do, don't go straight in for the hard sell. You can talk about yourself by all means – just ditch the sales pitch. A genuine connection is infinitely more likely to lead to work opportunities than aggressive self-promotion. 02. Do the groundwork You'll find a lot of discussion on social media in the run-up to events like OFFF Barcelona. Find out your event's hashtag – and use it If you’ve read part two of our Creative’s Guide to Self-Promotion, you’ll know how important it is to do some groundwork before attending an event. Whether you’re going to an informal local meet-up or a sprawling global conference, it pays to find out who else will be attending (social media is great for this) and make initial contact before the event. A quick introductory email or tweet works wonders in breaking the ice. If the event has a hashtag, use it. Tell people that you’re going, and get involved in the conversation on social media. It’s far easier to meet people in person if you’ve already made contact through other means. 03. Leave your safety zone Introduce yourself to someone new at the next creative event you attend Many creative events have coffee or beer breaks that are designed to get people talking. These are invaluable opportunities to meet new people face-to-face, so don’t head instantly for the people you already know. Leave your safety net and introduce yourself to a stranger. Also, don’t fall into the trap of just looking for new prospective clients: aim to get to know other creatives, too. The more people you know, the better chance you have of hearing about new opportunities on the industry grapevine. 04. Listen and learn Don't make it all about you. Events offer a chance to learn about new people, so listen as much as you talk The people who get the most out of networking opportunities at events are those who listen and learn about other people. They ask questions, encourage others to talk about themselves, show enthusiasm and never hijack the conversation to talk about themselves. Crucially, they also remember the details for next time they meet. So find a common interest, listen carefully and really get to know the person you’re talking to. That's how you make a memorable connection. 05. Don't forget your business cards Beautifully designed business cards – like these from Giadaland – will help you leave a lasting impression Used properly, your business cards are one of the most powerful self-promotional tools in your arsenal – so don’t leave them at home. If you’ve followed our tips for creating a memorable business card, you’ll have a stack of striking cards ready to leave a lasting impression with your new contacts. Of course, business cards are plentiful at events. So how can you make sure yours stand out? One way is to use a service like Printfinity from print and design company moo.com. This lets you print up to 50 different designs within a pack for no extra cost, effectively putting your portfolio in your pocket, and enabling you to showcase your best work in different fields to different prospective clients. Alternatively, letting people choose their own makes for a great talking point, too. 06. Introduce people Do you know someone with a skill or experience that someone else is looking for? Then introduce them. You never know where that meeting might go The most successful networkers genuinely like to help others. Connecting people at events isn’t just a great way to make a good impression, or cement your place at the heart of the community – although these are benefits. It's also a fantastic way to help share knowledge, skills and ideas. And that's exciting. If you've really listened to the people you've met, you'll soon be in a good position to help connect other like-minded creatives. 07. Follow up The next time you meet a new contact, it might be over lunch with your portfolio. (Image: Designer Leslie David's portfolio website) Networking is all about establishing new relationships. After an event it’s important to keep new connections alive, so within 48 hours send out a quick nice-to-meet-you email to everyone you got on with particularly well, and take it from there. If you’re looking to move the conversation to work, consider inviting your contact for an informal catch-up – perhaps over lunch – where you can bring your tablet or laptop to show your portfolio. Ultimately, getting more out of creative events is all about remembering that you're playing the long game. Don't expect immediate results. Focus on developing relationships and trust – and with patience your contacts could just turn into clients. Step up your self-promotion by heading over to digital print and design company moo.com. You’ll find a wealth of fun, affordable, easy-to-use tools for creating premium business cards and stunning self-promotional material that will project you onto the global design stage, and get your work in front of the people who count. Related articles: 10 steps to go freelance this year The pro's guide to creating memorable business cards Create better business cards in less than five minutes How to project your work onto the global design stage View the full article

3D technologies can be used in-browser to create beautiful and highly engaging interactive user experiences. WebGL is a JavaScript API for real-time rendering of 3D and 2D graphics within a browser. It’s based on OpenGL ES – the software API used on embedded systems such as smartphones and tablets. Traditionally, web browsers used the CPU to render content, but in recent years browsers have adopted support for hardware acceleration, which means web developers can now tap into a device’s GPU to allow for rendering of complex graphics. Get started with WebGL using three.js It’s a tough language to grasp, but luckily there are a number of JavaScript libraries that make WebGL more accessible, such as Babylon.js and three.js. Such technology is merging skill sets between traditional web developers, game developers and VFX artists, where all these disciplines work together to develop interactive experiences on the web. Having an understanding of basic VFX principles is crucial – lighting, cameras, animation and 3D geometry all come into play – and it’s vital to have a grasp of JavaScript frameworks and HTML. Illustration: Kym Winters Export 3D for the web A particular problem associated with exporting 3D assets into a WebGL environment is the weight of the files. When dealing with heavy assets like 3D models, extra care has to be taken during asset creation to ensure the models are loaded efficiently. There are many factors that can increase a 3D model’s size, but there are three good rules to follow to help reduce weight in a browser: 1. Good topology Topology refers to the mesh flow of a 3D model – the cleaner the mesh the more efficient the model, meaning fewer polygons used and a reduction in the overall weight of the asset. 2. Normal mapping This is an excellent approach in creating detailed raised textures on a 3D asset while maintaining a low poly count. The detail these maps create is fake but can be incredibly effective. Typically a higher resolution model is created with a detailed mesh, from this a normal map can be exported and wrapped around a lower poly model to create the illusion of a detailed object. 3. File formats When WebGL was initially released, developers created custom exporters to deliver 3D assets into a WebGL engine. There was no standard or pipeline in place, which caused inconsistent results and errors. More recently the file format glTF has been created by The Khronos Group to develop an open, royalty-free interoperable format for sharing 3D graphics, and has been dubbed the ‘JPEG for 3D.’ GlTF was created to answer the need for a common graphics file format for 3D, in much the same way as JPEG is the standardisation for photographs. GlTF can retain complex information associated with 3D files such as scene data, materials, geometry, animation, skins, GLSL shaders, and texture files. GLTF is still a very new file format and time will tell if the big 3D packages adopt it. However, Khronos Group has released several glTF exporters for popular tools such as Unity and Blender. Practical use cases for WebGL As with any new medium, there was a burst of creativity when WebGL was first released that resulted in a variety of weird and wonderful experiences as developers and artists experimented with the technology. Only more recently have practical applications started to emerge as the adoption rate has increased. Big brands have adopted WebGL to render graphics more efficiently – for example, the PS4 UI is powered by WebGL In the past, education institutions created Flash applications to use as interactive learning tools. While at the time these were great for engaging students and teaching complex subjects in a digestible format they are now dated, unscalable, and unsupported in modern browsers. WebGL replaces Flash and, in this case, is being used to create intuitive learning tools that can cope with complex graphics and interactions. Big brands have also adopted WebGL to render graphics more efficiently. For example, the PS4 UI is powered by WebGL, enabling its menus and elements to run smoothly with minimal lag. When a user logs into their PS4, they’re running WebGL code. The architecture sector is also investing heavily in making 3D visualisations more accessible, going even further to incorporate WebVR to immerse clients when showcasing properties. And within ecommerce, especially with high-value items, WebGL is being used to render 3D models in intricate detail. It gives users a layer of interactive customisation tools that enable them to update their product visualisation in real time. This approach makes products become even more realistic and tangible to potential customers. Exploring Virtual Reality WebGL is the springboard that started the exploration of additional 3D technologies such as WebVR and WebAR. Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft are all helping define how VR and AR will be part of the future browsing experience. The beauty of bringing VR to the web is the level of accessibility that comes along with it. Allowing easy access of VR content through a URL – and the ability to create and distribute content without the need to go through an app store – gives brands, educators, and retailers a level of reach never quite felt before. This is still a new world, but it’s quickly gaining in popularity and demand. Being strong pioneers of VR in the browser, in late 2015 Mozilla made the technology even more accessible with the introduction of A-Frame: a VR framework for three.js that supports the Vive, Rift, Daydream, Gear VR, Google Cardboard and desktop experiences. Mozilla made the technology even more accessible with the introduction of A-Frame A-Frame provides an interface for VR on the web, enabling developers to create true VR experiences with relative ease. It handles setting up the left and right camera needed for virtual reality and supplies default behaviour, including making use of a mobile device’s gyroscope to allow for free rotational movement around a scene using a headset. A-Frame also introduced a headset icon to enable the VR experience for compatible mobile devices. A-Frame has paved the way for the browser specifications of what is today known as WebVR. However, experiencing VR in the browser can be somewhat unpredictable due to the range of devices it can be experienced on. There are still issues when viewing content on smartphones thanks to older generation phones struggling to render scenes and causing a drop in frame rates. It also requires a good internet connection due to the weight of the experiences. All of these factors can easily break the immersion of a VR experience. It’s still early days for the medium but with VR becoming more mainstream, it’s inspiring to see how the web is already adapting to offer a more accessible version of this type of content and watch developers exercise their creativity in this space. Augmented Reality WebAR is the next logical step for browsers, blending digital content with the real world to create an augmented reality. Though it’s still very much in its infancy and experimental stage, Google has made great progress in this field and released several tools and demos. WebARonARKit and WebARonARCore are both experimental apps for iOS and Android, enabling developers to create AR experiences using web technologies. Three.js released three.ar.js, making it easier to create AR experiences by adding helper classes on top of three.js. Because this technology is in such early stages, it does mean these experiences are only viewable in experimental browsers. With the adoption of VR, AR and eventually mixed reality, it’s inevitable for browsers to follow suit by offering an immersive online experience. The uptake of 3D web technologies is faster than it has ever been. With a big drive behind WebAR, it’s exciting to see how the landscape develops and adds another dimension to browsing. Web design event Generate London returns on 19-21 September 2018, offering a packed schedule of industry-leading speakers, a full day of workshops and valuable networking opportunities – don’t miss it. Get your Generate ticket now. This article originally appeared in net magazine. Buy issue 305 or subscribe. Read more: The VR web is here 5 ways to create more immersive VR experiences Create liquid effects with WebGL View the full article

The legendary Bauhaus school of design only operated for 14 years before being closed due to pressure from the Nazi regime. Yet the Bauhaus aesthetic had a profound influence on modern graphic design. Now designers can use previously lost Bauhaus type sets specially recreated by Adobe and Erik Spiekermann in partnership with the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation. 43 free retro fonts Created as part of Adobe's Hidden Treasures of Creativity series, The Lost Alphabets of Bauhaus Dessau sees five unfinished fonts made by five legendary design masters finally get completed. Using century old, unfinished typography sketches and letter fragments as their basis, the sets will be made available exclusively for Creative Cloud members. World-renowned typeface designer, Erik Spikermann, headed the process of completing and digitising the original Bauhaus typography sketches and turning them into Typekit font sets. Working with international typography professionals and design students, Spiekermann and his team were able to calculate how the Masters originally planned to finish their work. The first two fonts in this set, modelled on the work of Joost Schmidt and Xanti Schawinsky, are available to download for use in Typekit from today. The remaining three fonts are due to launch over the coming months. Erik Spiekermann worked with design students to complete the type sets "The Hidden Treasures Bauhaus Dessau is an ongoing project that is committed to revitalising lost creative history and using it to inspire new generations," says Adobe's Senior Director of Campaign Marketing, Simon Morris. Following on from the success of last year's Hidden Treasures project, which saw the paintbrushes of Edvard Munch become Photoshop tools, Adobe hopes to spark interest in another important period of art history. "This year, Adobe is celebrating the power of the written word, the creative impact font designs have in how we communicate and the role they play in arts and culture. We hope that, once again, by bringing these forgotten treasures into the modern day, we can energise a new era of creativity." Related articles: The 10 commandments of typography The rules of responsive web typography How to improve your digital typography View the full article

Crafting a client-wowing portfolio is a critical part of freelance success – whether it's a beautiful online showcase, or a carefully curated piece of print. Follow some best-practice portfolio advice, and pick one of the many great portfolio templates on offer, and you're well on your way. Unfortunately, not everyone follows the golden rules, and many fall foul of some common portfolio mistakes– such as lack of context, too much or too little work, or a basic lack of purpose. If you want to land your dream job in design, you need to drive potential clients wild with enthusiasm, not mad with rage. Read on for eight portfolio pitfalls to avoid... 01. It's a real challenge to get in touch Don't play hard to get in your portfolio: make it very clear how to contact you Picture the scene: a potential client stumbles upon your website, genuinely likes your work, and wants to commission you. They look for the 'contact' or 'about' section, and there isn't one. In fact, there's no email or other contact details listed anywhere – just a few social media buttons. The client doesn't want to send a public tweet, and they definitely don't want to befriend you on Facebook. You are literally shooting yourself in the foot if your contact details aren't very clearly labelled, easy to find, and brutally simple. Don't be clever or coy about it, and don't make people work any harder than they need to – it'll drive them mad. 02. You take credit where it's not due Don't be a cuckoo in another designer's nest, and try to steal credit for work you didn't do Context is key in any design portfolio. You don't have to write an essay about every project, and nor will anyone expect you to – people don't have time to read loads of supporting text. But supporting captions are a minimum requirement. Explain who the client was, and a bit about the brief if you can – and crucially, what your role was (and by a process of elimination, wasn't) on the project. Don't make bold claims about taking the lead on a big campaign, or imply it by not saying otherwise, when you were brought in for a day or two as a shift worker. It'll come back to bite you, in many different ways. Be honest. 03. Your biog goes over the top Personality is important, but don't share your entire life story, or try too hard to be funny When it comes to your About section, personality is really important – you need to stand out, after all – but there's really no need to drone on about your entire life story. Be punchy, and keep it relevant to avoid sending potential clients to sleep. It's about getting across what people can expect if they hire you. That's partly about your style and approach, and partly about you as an individual. A bit of humour is great, if that's your personality, as it implies you'll be fun to be work with – but don't force it, or pack it with one-liners. They're hiring a designer, not a comedian. Another common mistake amongst young designers starting out is to share their age. Literally no one cares how old you are; they care how much experience you have. It just makes you look like a rookie. 04. You have too much confidence (or too little) Don't be a smug prima donna: be confident about your abilities, but never cocky Your professional portfolio is all about selling yourself and your skills, so it's not the place to be self-deprecating and overly humble. If you don't have confidence in your own abilities, why should anyone else? However, check yourself if you're pushing it too far the other way. If you come across like a self-satisfied, preening peacock who thinks you're God's gift to design, that'll set off alarm bells. Clients want talented collaborators, not smug prima donnas. It can be a fine balance to strike, as you need people browsing your portfolio to come to the conclusion that you're amazing, without singing your own praises too overtly. Be confident, but not cocky. 05. Your site falls apart on mobile If a client can't browse your portfolio easily on their mobile, it's not fit for purpose We've covered this before in our list of common portfolio mistakes, but if it's worth saying once it's worth saying again. You can't assume that potential clients and employers will be enjoying your carefully curated portfolio in HD widescreen, giving it their full attention as they snack on a box of popcorn. More likely than not, they'll be on a train, or in a meeting, or grabbing lunch somewhere – and viewing your portfolio on a mobile, or if you're lucky, a tablet. Most popular portfolio templates come with responsive design baked in, but always, always test your site on a phone to make sure the thumbnails make sense, and any links or buttons are a suitable size for finger tapping. If it becomes too much work to navigate – or breaks entirely, so they have to scroll sideways for miles to view an image, for instance – you'll lose them. 06. Your spelling and grammar let you down If writing isn't your forte, get someone to check your portfolio for glaring typos Let's be realistic: designers and illustrators are (primarily) paid to design and illustrate, not to write. It comes easily to some, and painfully to others. You might be dyslexic, say, or just more comfortable communicating visually rather than verbally. And that's fine – no client worth bothering with will discriminate against you because you can't write sparkling copy. But that's not to say that glaring typos and grammatical errors don't make your portfolio look unprofessional. The solution is simple: ask someone to check it for you – pull in a favour from wordsmiths amongst your friends or family if you can, or if you have the budget to invest, consider calling in a professional copywriter. 07. You mix business and pleasure too much Be wary of posting compromising personal pics on public social media channels As we covered above, a bit of personality in your About section is great. Alongside your work, it'll help make you more memorable and compelling, especially for someone who's spent a few hours scrolling through identikit portfolios. However, there is such a thing as too much personality. When linking out to – or feeding content directly in from – your various social media accounts, beware. Unless you have separate accounts set up, most people's social media accounts are a mixture of work and play. As a rule, LinkedIn is a place for business contacts, whereas Facebook skews more towards personal. Twitter and Instagram are likely somewhere in the middle. Be wary about how you come across on public channels that potential clients can see easily, especially if they're directly linked to your portfolio. Save the compromising pics for closed personal networks. 08. Too many confusing links and dead ends Check for broken links and missing images regularly, and make navigation as easy as possible We're finishing off with a cardinal sin for any website. If potential clients are met with misleading navigation and a flurry of 404 errors as they try to browse your work, it'll drive them up the wall. Keep it simple and intuitive. Guide people through your portfolio in a logical way – you might split your work by discipline, or style, for instance, rather than just a chronological list. Consider how related case studies can link together. Ultimately, you have two main goals: impress people with your work, and encourage them to contact you. Pare things back with those things in mind. Do you need separate Contact and About pages, or can you roll them into one to minimise the steps they need to take? Most of all, check for broken links and missing images. Regularly. Nothing drives potential clients mad more quickly than a portfolio that simply doesn't work. Related articles: How to curate a creative portfolio 32 brilliant design portfolios to inspire you 11 of the best creative resumes View the full article

I studied fine art and painting techniques and for a long time was completely against the idea of going digital. I just didn't see the point of it until I started working professionally as an illustrator. I then had to start making changes to illustrations as requested by clients. This means you have to be quite flexible in the way you work, which makes traditional pen and paper drawing less practical. How to create a realistic digital portrait I very gradually transitioned to digital drawing. Being able to work in layers is incredibly liberating, you suddenly have so much freedom to change things and experiment. I love the sense that no decision you make is permanent, everything can be undone, so it makes me a lot less precious about my work and braver about experimentation and play. Now that I'm using Procreate on the iPad Pro, I feel like I've come full circle – the paintbrushes and pencil brushes feel so natural and loose, it's almost like I'm actually painting again. 01. Trace photo The original photo Anna Higgie used to make this portrait I used to also be quite against the idea of tracing a photo, or advising anyone to – as I do with the portrait in this guide. Tracing is kind of 'cheating', but if you are a confident drawer to begin with and know how to draw a face, then it can be an invaluable tool if you're in a hurry and need to capture an exact likeness – when doing quick editorial jobs, for example. First, choose the photo you're going to use. Unless you want to create a portrait with a dramatic chiaroscuro effect and lots of dense shading, avoid images with a lot of bright light, dark shadow and contrast. Ideally you want one that is well lit with gentle, natural light. I also think it adds a really nice texture to digital artwork if you use a natural paper texture as a base. You could scan your own at a high resolution and import it to Procreate, you could download this collection of free textures, or you can find lots on Google image search. Type in 'natural paper texture' or 'paper grunge texture' and find one that is high-res and legally available to use. Then open an A3 document at 400 dpi in Procreate, import the paper texture, and resize it so it fills the canvas in portrait format; then import the photo you have chosen. 02. Add elements Higgie adds a stock photo of an egg bap as a separate Layer on Procreate, then does the same with a napkin Resize the photo so it fills the canvas. Keep the subject fairly central but make sure you leave enough space around them. You want the negative space around your subject to roughly be the same area as the size of the subject. This creates a nice balance in the composition. For this portrait, the client wanted the subject to be eating some breakfast – they suggested a bacon and egg bap. I found a stock photo of a bap on Google, saved and imported it, then resized it in proportion with the subject. Then I moved the bap photo down onto the table and used the Lasso tool to select the bap and cut away the background. I wanted to add a napkin under the bap, so I repeated the process with a stock napkin photo. Once you have all the elements of your composition in place – you're ready to render! 03. Work with layers Higgie begins by drawing her subject's face, starting with the eyes Merge the three Layers (subject and additional breakfast Layers) so they are one single Layer, then reduce the opacity of that Layer to around 40 or 50 per cent. Next, select your pen. For this illustration I used the Studio Pen. I also really like Ink Bleed for portraits, the Shale brush (under Calligraphy) and the Technical pencil. Then select black, or another very dark colour like grey, as your brush colour. I always start with the most difficult thing to capture, the face and hair. I read an interview with Lucian Freud once where he said to 'always start with the eyes', and this has always stuck with me. I spend a long time fiddling to get them right. I also like to have fun with the hair. Let your mark making get really loose and flow along the curves of the hair. Accuracy is not important when it comes to hair. Really exaggerate the curves of the strands and get expressive! Throughout the process, keep turning off the photo Layer to check how the drawing Layer looks on the paper – you'll see straight away if it's looking a bit weird and wonky. Though weird and wonky can be good sometimes! 04. Get expressive When drawing folds of clothing, make sure you increase your brush size If you do want to erase something at this stage, I suggest taking the eraser down to 60 per cent opacity, so you leave a faint trace of what came before. This helps to avoid your digital drawing looking too digital, perfect and cold, and gives the end result a bit more movement and texture. Keep in those imperfections! Draw in the rest of the subject and any objects you want to include, using the same brush at the same weight. For this illustration I chose to leave out the background elements. Turn off the photo layer, have a look at what you've drawn so far and check you're happy. Next, increase the size of your brush to draw the clothing. I think it's nice to have contrasting line weights, it gives a more dynamic feel. A bit like with the hair, accuracy is not important when drawing the folds of the drapery. Enjoy using squiggly fat expressive lines and don't worry to much about getting it perfect. I usually do this mark making on a new Layer – and then erase the places where the lines overlap (on 100 per cent opacity this time to keep it clean). 05. Add colour Once you're happy with your piece, you can export it ready for editing in VSCO Now I'm going to add colour. To do so, I select my favourite brush for applying colour, the Wet Acrylic brush. I open a new Multiply Layer and apply the background colour first, in the negative space behind the subject. Then, so that you can easily tidy up the overlapping edges of colour, apply colour to the rest of the illustration on separate Multiply Layers. I usually apply the colour quite messily with the brush on a large setting, and then tidy up the edges with the eraser. Zoom in and open a new Normal Layer, and add some flecks of white on the eyes. Reduce the opacity of the layer a bit if it looks a bit too bright and harsh. Then export your file as a flat jpeg, and import it into your photo editing software or app of your choice (I use VSCO) for some subtle adjustments. This article was originally published in issue 278 of Computer Arts, the world's best-selling design magazine. Buy issue 278 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here. Related articles: 9 techniques for tackling an illustration brief Procreate tutorial: new tools explored Create portrait art in Corel Painter View the full article

You're reading Free Tools to Clean and Beautify Code, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Many things make a good developer: education, experience, natural talent and persistence to name a few. However, there is one crucial thing that many developers usually overlook – cultural patterns. While at the beginning of a journey it seems to … View the full article