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What makes a great logo design for a band? A clever concept and the ability to become just as iconic as the music is a good start, but originality is just as important. From hard rock to pop, we've picked some of our favourite band logo designs – including some old favourites as well as some newcomers. Be inspired by these beautiful band logos, all of which boast stand-out quality. 01. The Monkees The classic Monkees logo still looks good, 50 years laterInfamously manufactured for TV, The Monkees still had a bunch of great tunes – thanks to a roster of top songwriters and session musicians – and a fantastic guitar-shaped logo, conceived by the show's publicity man and drawn for $75 by Nick LoBianco. It's stood the test of time, still looking fresh on the cover of 2016's Good Times, the band's first album in 20 years. 02. Unkle Graffiti artist Futura 2000 helped define much of Unkle's visual identityAmerican graffiti artist Futura 2000 (now known as plain Futura) had form as an illustrator and graphic designer for music, most notably for his work on The Clash's Combat Rock. But it was his work for James Lavelle's Mo' Wax records that really launched his design career, and which also led to him creating the logo and other imagery for Lavelle's Unkle project. The two scratchy, pointy-headed alien figures are a perfect match for the first Unkle album, Psyence Fiction. 03. Adam and the Ants Danny Kleinman went on to create the title sequences for James Bond filmsAdam Ant, with his background of art school and the DIY punk ethos, always had a keen interest in getting his band's image right. From his early punk singles, for which he drew the cover artwork himself, through to his later chart toppers, he'd mastermind powerful, eye-catching looks, and this Adam and the Ants logo, designed by Danny Kleinman and known as the Warrior Ant, is a corker. 04. The Doors The reflective "o" of The Doors' typography remains iconicSimple and iconic. This bold, geometric design with the tiny, psychedelic and italicised 'THE' is perhaps one of the most recognised band logotypes in the world. Perfectly summing up the trippy, hippie counter-culture of the late 60's, The Doors didn't need a symbol or an image. Their typographic design remains just as fresh to new eyes today as it did to the kids of the swinging sixties. 05. Dream Theater Dream Theater kept hold of their majesty logo, even with a new vocalist and band nameProgressive metal band, Dream Theater's "majesty symbol" is a reimagining of Mary, Queen of Scots' mark. Designed by former vocalist, Charlie Dominici, when the band was still known as Majesty (hence the symbol's title) the band kept the logo and it has gone on to feature on nearly every single Dream Theater release. 06. The Dead Kennedys An iconic punk symbol that is as easily graffitied as an anarchy signDesigned by artist Winston Smith, the Dead Kennedys DK logo is a perfect example of simple, easily immitatable graphic design. A clever way of achieving a 70's shaped viral campaign, singer Jello Biafra is quoted as saying, "I wanted to make sure it was something simple and easy to spray-paint so people would graffiti it all over the place." After showing it to Smith, he "came back with a bunch of designs that had the circle and slightly 3D-looking letters and he had ones with different patterns behind it. I liked the one with bricks, but ultimately I thought simple red behind it was the boldest and the best." 07. Gorillaz Gorillaz are virtual, and arguably the entire band is a logo for their creators' projectThis entire band is arguably a logo, a brand and no doubt a great achievement in design. However, the graffiti-styled typeface is a recognisable testiment to how simply you can sum up your band, just by picking the right font. This typographic post-apocalyptic street art homage encapsulates the political aesthetics that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were so keen to capture. 08. Nirvana The Nirvana logo is easily one of the most recognisable in the music industryOne of the most recognisable logos in music history, the Nirvana logo design has been a common sight T-shirts for over two decades. Featuring an Onyx typeface and a smiley face – said to be inspired by a strip club in Seattle – the juxtaposing colours make this an iconic band logo design. 09. Weezer The logo design was created by the band's drummerDesigned by the band's drummer Patrick Wilsen in 1993, the Weezer logo was originally in lower case. The 'flying W' used the Futura Medium font before a few alterations were made. Fans are known to recreate this logo design at shows using hand signals, proving its worth and success in creating a brand for the band. 10. Jurassic 5 The band logo perfectly encorporates the 'J' and '5' into the designPerfectly encorporating both the 'J' and the '5' to portray Jurassic 5, this is an epic hip-hop logo that allows the design to be featured on a range of records thanks to its circular design. Designed by band member Charlie "Chali 2na" Stewart, it's been produced in a wide range of colours for much of the band's merchandise and remains a strong contender as one of the best band logos. 11. Public Image Ltd Dennis Morris created the logo for the band back in 1979Renowned photographer Dennis Morris was responsible for the design of Public Image Ltd's logo. Known for photographing The Sex Pistols and Bob Marley, Morris created this band logo design back in 1979. He also produced the iconic Metal Box packaging for the band, which is still regarded as one of the best album artworks of all time. 12. The KLF Perfectly shaped for vinyl, this is the perfect logo for the acid house groupSituationist pranksters and acid house pioneers, the KLF also had a razor-sharp eye for iconography, which manifested itself in their record covers, their videos, their legendary Top of the Pops performances and, of course, their logos. Their pyramid blaster logo, perfectly shaped for vinyl, is a masterpiece; naturally, both Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty of the KLF now work as artists. 13. Metallica The Metallica logo showcases everything that a metal logo should beCreated by Turner Duckworth, the famous Metallica logo got a redesign back in 2008. Based on the band's original version from 1981, Duckworth also designed the identity and packaging for the band's album 'Death Magnetic'. Like countless other metal bands, Metallica's own take on the metal aesthetic is something that their fans cherish; whether it be a tattoo or scrawled on school books. 14. Sunn A member of Sunn is responsible for the band's art directionAs one half of the seismic drone-rock band Sunn, not only does Stephen O'Malley help to make some fantastic music – he also oversees the design and art direction of their releases. The visual is an important component to Sunn's music and Stephen has certainly triumphed with this long-standing, striking logo. 15. Kavinsky Kavinsky is known for his electro 80s-inspired musicMaking music reminscient of 80s film soundtracks, French producer Vincent Belorgey – quite aptly – appeared on the opening credits for Nicolas Winding Refn’s movie 'Drive'. It's easy to see why then, that his logo also evokes the sense of 80s movies; with it's retro-like font, it's the perfect accompianment to his music. 16. Foo Fighters Another instantly recognisable band logo from The Foo FightersAnother perfect example of a band logo that has proved popular with fan's tattoos, The Foo Fighters logo comprises of a circle motif containing two interlocking 'Fs' and the band's name in a slightly rounded and compact typeface. This is among the most popular and instantly recognisable logos in rock music. 17. The Ramones A longtime friend of the band designed the iconic logoThe Ramones' logo was designed by New York City artist Arturo Vega, a longtime friend who lived with several members of the band. It's proof that when you get a band logo right, it can go on to become one of the most iconic brands in the world. Basing it on The Presidential Seal, Vega wanted the design to portray an 'All-American Band’. 18. The XX The logo was created by one-time art student and band member Romy Madley CroftThis is a relatively new kid on the block, but boy, does it work. Bursting onto the music scene in 2009 with their self-titled debut album, the black and white 'X' across the front sleeve was just as eye-catching as the music was enticing. This latest variation of the logo was designed by band member Romy Madley Croft; a one-time art student who used oil imagery to create the affect within the letter. This band logo is a perfect example branding that will continue to work through each album release. 19. Black Flag The logo was designed by Raymond Pettibon, who also came up with the band's nameThis has to be one of the most iconic band logos of all time. Created for Black Flag by guitarist and chief songwriter Greg Ginn's brother Raymond Pettibon, he once stated in an interview that the black flag design was designed to represent anarchy. The four black bars combined with the bold typography make for a solid band logo. 20. Run DMC The infamous logo is one of the only band logos to feature on a pair of Adidas sneakersRun DMC broke barriers in music, which almost everyone in music today benefits from. Their logo is still one of the most prolific to ever grace the music industry and continues to adorn the chests and feet of hip-hop lovers across the globe. The solid typography and three-part colour scheme makes it infinitely timeless and it's also one of the only band logos to feature on a pair of Adidas sneakers. 21. Nine Inch Nails The typography is said to be inspired by a Talking Heads album coverDesigned by frontman Trent Reznor and Gary Talpas, the Nine Inch Nails logo is simplicity at its best. Featuring the letters set inside a thick border, the black and white creation first appeared on the band's debut album 'Down in it,' which was released in 1989. It's said to be inspired by Tibor Kalman's typography on the Talking Heads album 'Remain in Light.' 22. Daft Punk Daft Punk use some punky influence for their logo designEvoking an extremely 'punky' look, the electronic duo produced one of the most well-known logos within the dance music scene. Designed by band member Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo, the logo ties in with the stand-out ethos of the pair. Using bold colours and textures, Daft Punk's visuals are just as important as their tunes. 23. Public Enemy It was announced today that the group are to be inducted into the Rock & Roll hall of fameAnother hip-hop gem in our list, this logo for Public Enemy was designed by Chuck D back in 1986. It was tightened up ahead of the release of 'Yo! Bum Rush The Show' in 1987 by New York artist Eric Haze. Many claim the target to be a state trooper but it is in fact a silhouette of a B-boy. It was also announced in 2013 that the group are the newest addition to the Rock & Roll hall of fame, which made the Creative Bloq team very happy indeed. 24. The Streets The gritty typography effortlessly complements the lighter imageIt may not be as iconic as our other inclusions but we just had to feature this logo from British group The Streets. Evoking the exact feel and message of their debut album 'Original Pirate Material,' the gritty typography effortlessly compliments the lighter image. There's been a few variations throughout their career but we love this original design. 25. Rolling Stones The logo is said to be influenced by Mick Jagger's huge lipsHow could we not include this infamous logo from the rock legends themselves, The Rolling Stones? Created by John Pasche in 1971, the designer is said to have been influenced by Mick Jaggers appearance for the logo, stating that his lips were the first thing you noticed about him. The eye-popping offering has continued to work well for the band, who have been working in music for over 50 years. 26. Wu-Tang Clan By sticking with their original band logo, the group are instantly recognisableThe Wu-Tang 'W' is one of the most distinguishable logos in hip-hop culture, with its members adorning the 'W' on everything from clothing to chains, but it is most prominent on dozens of their album covers. Created by DJ and producer Mathematics, the band have stuck by the original design throughout their expansive career. 27. Yes A logo that perfectly sums up the 1970's music sceneEnglish artist and graphic designer Roger Dean created this iconic, bubbly logo, which first debuted on the band's 1972 LP 'Close to the Edge.' He also crafted Yes' album artwork and stage shows; solidifying the band's brand throughout the ages. It has had a variant of colours but that never makes the typography any less engaging. This is a logo that perfectly sums up the 1970s. 28. Buzzcocks Malcolm went on to work with the band for several years after designing the logo in 1977An simple yet instantly recognisable band logo, this one was created by Malcolm Garrett in early 1977. He went on to work with the band for several years throughout their career, creating visuals for promotional material. The fast, edgy and disjointed typography is the perfect personification of one of the greatest British bands. 29. Aphex Twin Paul 'Terratag' Nicholson was working with alien 'vibes' at the time of this logo creationFirst appearing on the 1992 release of 'Xylem Tube,' Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin has continued to use the logo throughout his impressive career. Designed by Paul 'Terratag' Nicholson, the logo evokes an unsettling yet beauitful image that wholly coinsides with the impeccable music of Aphex Twin. 30. Death From Above 1979 There's no need for a name with this bold band logo designAn eye-popping and graphic design delight, this logo for Death From Above 1979 has graced the covers, stage shows, banners and posters for the noise rock duo since the beginning of their career. The bold choice of colour makes it a logo with a difference, with no need for a name as the logo is instantly recognisable. 31. Justice Choosing such a universal image for your band's logo is a dangerous path!Choosing to use such a universal symbol as your band's logo is a dangerous path. However, this creation for French electronic duo Justice just seems to work. Band member Gaspard Augé once stated that the influence for the decision was 'that a music venue is like a church in that everyone is gathering together and focusing on one point.' The logo has adorned the band's live shows and album covers, becoming almost as synonymous as their songs. 32. Radiohead The logo was created for the release of Kid ARadiohead haven't really had a regular band logo throughout their career but this is one that truly stands out (and adorns many a fan's body.) Designed by artist Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke, the 'modified bear' was created for the release of Kid A. The name of the bear either ironically or purposely contributes to the influx of modern art without meaning, without complexity, and without use. If Radiohead's career is anything to go by, we're guessing it's on the ironic side of things. 33. Devin Townsend Project Less is more with this band logo designA simple, typography-based logo design, this creation for the Devin Townsend Project combines the three initials of the band's name in two swoops. Suggested by one of our Twitter followers, it was designed by Travis Smith and show us that sometimes less is more when it comes to band logos. 34. Outkast The band refer to their logo in their song 'Morris Brown'The final hip-hop logo in our list, this creation for the duo evokes the fun aspect of their music. Featuring graffiti-like font complete with a crest and crown, the pair even comment on the logo during their song 'Morris Brown,' stating "OutKast royalty by design of logo. Wanna count it out loud?" 35. Misfits This is a band logo that has stood the test of timeThe Misfits' skull logo first appeared on the 'Horror Business' single, based on a poster for The Crimson Ghost. It proved so popular, that the image quickly became the mascot for the band and has been used frequently on the band's releases and merchandise ever since. An instantly recognisable piece of pop culture, this logo has certainly stood the test of time. Related articles: 25 logo design tips from the experts The 20 best music videos of 2016 How to challenge brand stereotypes View the full article

Notoriously fast-paced, the video games industry is in a state of constant flux. As games companies and artists continue their search for new ways to entertain audiences and further charm existing players, so too does new technology continue to reshape existing workflows. 20 best designs in video gamesOne games company that’s currently at the forefront of many a would-be game artist’s mind is Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), best known for its record-shattering crowdfunded title Star Citizen. Developed in CryEngine, Star Citizen combines classic space sim gameplay with Hollywood-calibre visuals, and has, so far, raised over $155 million from passionate fans. It's an extremely high-profile project – but CIG’s beginning was on a much smaller scale. Founded in Austin in 2012 by the creator of best-selling Wing Commander and Freelancer series Chris Roberts, Cloud Imperium Games started life with a staff of just eight. Now spread over five studios – LA, Austin, Wilmslow, Derby and Frankfurt – CIG has over 400 employees. Working tirelessly to develop the content and technology needed to nail down the scope of a game whose budget and ambition is always growing, the CIG team in Europe, under Foundry 42, is also developing the mission-driven, single-player campaign Squadron 42, which is set in Star Citizen’s first-person universe. Performance issues “This is the most challenging company I’ve worked for in terms of quantity of content and quality of art we’re trying to hit,” says Squadron 42 art director Paul Jones, who has over 20 years’ experience in the industry, including seven years at Epic Games. To successfully manage the quality and quantity of work needed for this epic project, the CIG team has had to develop several efficient new workflows. “Throwing million poly ships around just doesn’t happen any more,” Jones says. “We’re still dealing with a game engine and we’ve still got various performance issues to worry about. So, we’ve had to come up with workarounds that allow us to create good-looking art with quite simple geometry.” In a time-saving measure, the team sometimes takes the baking process out of its workflowThe man behind some of those workarounds is CIG’s vehicle art director Nathan Dearsley. Having worked for Crytek for approximately seven years previously, Nathan was already very familiar with CryEngine’s technology. “I was working at Creative Assembly when I watched Chris Roberts do a big Star Citizen reveal at GDC,” Dearsley says. “Within about 20 seconds of him putting it on the screen I just knew it was CryEngine – it has a very distinct rendering style that I recognised immediately.” Pipeline solutions Liking what he saw, Dearsley reached out to the CIG team and, soon after, made the move across from Creative Assembly. Confident in his abilities with CryEngine, Dearsley quickly offered new workflow solutions to the CIG team to help optimise the Star Citizen pipeline without compromising quality. “When I joined CIG, they’d made two ships and had some small environments – the project had to start somewhere,” he says. “Although the ships looked promising they were expensive in the engine. Then I came in and said, ‘Let’s try to do it this way’.“ “Workflows are different in different game engines, but I’d just integrated several art techniques and pipeline work into Alien Isolation workflows at Creative Assembly that would certainly help Star Citizen. Both were sci-fi titles, both had a hard-edged aesthetic at the time, so I’d be a fool not to try. The team model everything, meaning costs would soon rise without clever pipeline solutions“We model everything,” Dearsley says. “When you do this, costs can rise very fast, especially if you’re after a baked look with nice soft edges, but can’t afford a unique map per asset (we have tens of thousands of assets). A lot of people go on about triangle count in game engines, which actually isn’t as important as your vertex count, as these suck memory.” “Because we use a weighted normal approach, we can, in essence, have one smoothing group on assets in most cases. So as long as we keep UV shells to a minimum, vertex costs become no more expensive than splitting your smoothing groups, yet you get lovely filleted corners and edges for free!” Reusing as much as possible Not only does this workflow save the team money, it also cuts production time significantly. “If you were to develop this game in a more traditional sense, where you go down the route of baking everything, it wouldn’t be a very flexible workflow for this project,” Dearsley explains. “You can certainly get some amazing results from it, but we needed things that we can iterate on and mass produce very quickly because of the diverse scale of models and the organic approach we have in making the whole universe. So, the feelers were put out for that and a lot of people were afraid of change but we stuck with it and it paid off.“ Developed in CryEngine, Star Citizen combines space sim gameplay with glossy visuals“It means that we can mass produce stuff to a really good quality, efficiently, by not using bakes all the time. We’re reusing as much as we possibly can, which obviously helps with production time and frees up more creative time for my team as well as promoting visual consistency – something that’s very important. “When you take the process of baking out of the chain, that’s a huge time-saver for the whole project. Because we have the vertex data there, and because we can have more vertices, essentially, we have more information in the mesh so we can do much more with blend shading, large scale ambient occlusion, vertex tinting and so on. Making this commitment at the very beginning of the art pipeline chain pretty much defines and carries through the whole process.” Related articles: How to press start on your game art career How to land your dream job in video games How to design a spaceship View the full article

Award-winning animator Chris Gannon will reveal at Generate London how he creates his web animations Chris Gannon is an award-winning interactive designer, programmer and web animator who has created interactive animated SVG projects for some of the biggest tech players, including the BBC, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Gannon will speak at Generate London on 21 September, where he will dissect some of this work, share his processes and explore the tools he uses to build them. As a little teaser, here he talks us through some of his best animations. 01. Desk Fan This animation is now part of Twitter's official GIF app.SVG has its limitations, and sometimes it's just not possible to do what I need. Desk Fan is one of my first 3D models in Cinema 4D (actually there were lots before that, but it's the first model I was willing to share). I went through several tutorials to work out how to create various bits like the blades and the mesh and the wind physics. Cinema 4D has a renderer called Sketch and Toon that outputs flat colours, and as you might imagine it's my favourite output style. This is one of my most popular animations and now part of Twitter's official GIF app. 02. Download Dot Bounce Loaders are the perfect place to cram as much in as possible.I made this in the first few months of learning SVG animation. GreenSock had released DrawSVGPlugin (an amazing and flexible plugin) and I wanted to practice, so I used it for pretty much every animated element. I love to cram as much as possible into a short space of time, and loaders are just the perfect place to do that. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just eye candy and that it was also useful, so I created an animation object/wrapper with an API that exposed start, pause, reset and percent/progress methods. This was the first time I'd done this and now it's something I do for all my clients to give them more control over their animations. 03. Fire Loader Gannon used the GreenSock plugin CustomEase for this animation.This animation was inspired by a much simpler version on Dribbble. In fact, the very first version of this was just a few simple squares moving upwards on a loop. A second iteration was by another designer who rebounded it, making it look more like fire. Finally I rebounded that rebound by refining the motion and adding sparks and making it interactive. I made this around the time that GreenSock released a plugin called CustomEase (and CustomBounce) and I was itching to give it a whirl. CustomEase, as you probably guessed, lets you create custom ease shapes (how things slow down or speed up) that you can create either by drawing them or by using existing Bezier path data. If you look closely, you can see the sparks flying up into the sky, then double back on themselves in a loop, then continue upwards. This gave the sparks a much more natural movement. 04. Goo Bubble This goo bubble takes the goo effect further...Around the time I made this, the goo effect was making the rounds and was becoming more popular (initially brought to our collective attentions by Lucas Bebber on Codrops). I wanted to take it further by animating a liquid and using that liquid as the main body for the gooey drips. It's actually fairly straightforward to do. First of all, you apply a blur filter to a container, which creates a feathered edge on all the graphics inside. And because they're blurred, their edges fade to transparent. Next, apply a ColorMatrix to boost the opacity of all of those faded edges back up to full opacity. This means that when two blurred elements touch, their edges overlap. And because those edges have had their transparency boosted back to full, they join together creating the appearance of liquid. To further 'sell' the scene, I added two offset wave motions to mask the 'liquid', added a gradient to that and finally bubbles that jumped and popped. Recently Xavier Cazalot made a tool that enables you to choose your own colours, so you can have your own custom goo bubble. 05. Interactive Eggsercise With a little work, Gannon output this After Effects animation as an animated SVGThis was originally a straight-up character animation I made in After Effects using RubberHose for the limbs. It had nothing to do with the web. Later on, however, the SVG export tool Bodymovin added support for RubberHose. This meant that, with a little extra work to remove unsupported features, I could output the animation as an animated SVG. Furthermore, it meant I could add interactivity to it by adding in a class name (in After Effects) and overlaying a slider controlled by GreenSock that controlled the Bodymovin playback speed. This was really a test to see what was possible. 06. Jump Loader Jump Loader was an experiment in creativity.Back in 2015 I was asked to write an article on SVG animation for Codrops and create several accompanying SVG animations. Jump Loader was one of them, but it was a much simpler version built in pure SVG and GreenSock. I've recently had an extended creative block so I decided to revisit some old work (something I rarely do) and remake it with different tools. I used After Effects and Bodymovin to move it on a bit by adding some physics-based splash particles created in Newton 2. I see this as an exploration into a possible way of getting my mojo back. It sort of worked. 07. LEGO Loader This animation takes LEGO into the digital realm.Across the creative industries, the phrase 'stick to what you know' is a mantra if you want to create something that resonates with others. We're a family of LEGO fans – impossible vehicles or improbable structures regularly appear on the kitchen table – so LEGO is rarely far from my mind. With this animation I just wanted to bring it from the analogue space into my digital realm for a moment. This is one of three or four web animations I made that all incorporated new tools I'm learning, such as Newton 2. 08. Light Speed Gannon mulled over this idea for a while before he attempted it.This is a simulation of traffic lights on a long shutter speed at night. I had a few cracks at doing it in pure SVG but I just couldn't achieve the perspective look I wanted. And until we can have nice things like variable stroke width in SVG, then animations like this just won't be worth the hassle. I did manage to fudge it with constant width strokes animated under a mask made of paths that went from thin to thick, but frankly it looked rubbish and there was a Z depth issue. So I hopped into Cinema 4D, and within a few hours I had the main light effect done. Sadly the bit that took the longest was modelling the street lamp, because my modelling skills and sense of 3D proportion back when I made this were practically non-existent. I have licensed this GIF commercially a fair bit, often to companies wanting to represent data or bandwidth. Who knew. 09. Lottie Logo Gannon recreated this After effects animation using pure SVG and GreenSock. The original Lottie animation is by Salih Abdul-Karim, and was done in After Effects and output using Lottie, a real-time rendering engine for iOS and Android based on the Bodymovin codebase. This was before I had tried Bodymovin, and there was talk at the time that animations as complicated as this could only be done in After Effects. I recreated it using pure SVG and GreenSock for two reasons. Firstly because I loved it and wanted to challenge myself to recreate it as accurately as possible. And secondly because I wanted to disprove the myth that pure SVG animation is too complex or difficult to get results like this. 10. SVG Radio Splat Life is better with radio splats.Another animation that uses the classic goo effect, in this one I wanted to use it in a different, interactive way – something with a bit more control and direction. I love UI work and making fun interactions like this is a lifelong mission. Normal radio buttons are just boring, so I decided that life is better with radio splats. Around this time, one of the questions I was asked most often was how to create this goo effect, so I incorporated the technique into something interactive and posted it as a tutorial on my YouTube channel. It's currently my most popular video: If you liked this article, don't miss Chris Gannon live at Generate London on 21 September. The two-day conference features 16 sessions covering adaptive interfaces, web performance, prototyping, accessibility, conversational design, UX strategy, building responsive, reusable components, and much more. There are also four workshops to choose from, and if you buy a bundle ticket, you'll save £95. Related articles: How to create storyboards for web animations 5 steps for mastering web animation The pro's guide to UI design View the full article

When it comes to designing a website for a design agency, there’s no one-size-fits-all method to follow. Every agency offers a different range of services and targets a different type of client, so your design will vary depending on the unique needs of your business. That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t take some inspiration from what others have done. So in this article, we look at six well-known agency websites, each of which takes an approach to presenting their projects that dovetails with their unique approach. We’re not saying that everything about these websites is perfect, but each example does something particularly well. Read on as we highlight one or two areas of brilliance – and what lessons we can learn. 01. Happy Cog Happy Cog’s homepage is focused around a clear and impassioned mission statementFounded in 1999, Happy Cog web design agency was a pioneer in the early days of the web. It was among the first to petition browser makers for what are now commonly accepted web standards. And that approach continues to drive the agency to create award-winning work, specialising in user-and content-focused design, to this day. While many agency websites set out to dazzle prospective clients with eye-catching visuals and zippy animations, Happy Cog offers something different: a text-only homepage that explains its mission statement in 176 words. That’s a bold approach, but it manages to pull it off, for a number of reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, it actually has something to say. While corporate mission statements are often a bunch of empty marketing speak, jargon and slogans, Happy Cog actually has a story to tell, and tells it well. Secondly, Happy Cog knows a thing or two about typography (it redesigned Fonts.com, for a start), and it has harnessed that here, with a clean, friendly and vintage-esque type style that instantly draw you in. And once you click through to the website proper, there’s plenty more to read about. Many agency websites disappoint prospective clients because the ‘Projects’ section features just a few screengrabs and not enough insight into what the agency did on a project or how that helped the business. Happy Cog’s case studies, though, go into a good level of detail, under headings in a sidebar such as ‘What we did’, ‘Content strategy’, ‘Development’, ‘Experience design’, ‘Front-end development’ and ‘Stakeholder interviews’. While that kind of deep-dive is not always possible when clients have to approve everything you post, that should never be an excuse to simply not bother. It’s clear that Happy Cog has made the effort here, and it offers a good signal that it cares about what it can offer the businesses it works with. Lesson learned: Mission statements don’t have to be empty and boring; if you have a story to tell, they can be a compelling way to attract clients. Lure them in further with detailed case studies. 02. DesignStudio DesignStudio’s site uses large-scale imagery to great effectFounded in 2009, DesignStudio was created to fill the gap between boutique agencies with limited capacity for projects and enormous ones with impersonal bureaucracies. Now boasting offices in London and San Francisco, it currently offers rebrands, graphic design, film, photography, artwork, 3D and animation services to a range of global clients. Photography is a great way to make an instant impact, and that’s the approach DesignStudio has taken with its website. Based around a series of beautiful full-width images, it works brilliantly at luring you into the individual case studies. And once you get there, the image-heavy approach continues – along with some choice words of explanation, of course. Lesson learned: The saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ may be a cliche, but that doesn’t stop it being true. And harnessing this concept, by making carefully chosen visuals the main star of your site, can pay dividends when it comes to visitor engagement. 03. Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv’s site presents a huge volume of work within a super-simple interface‘Keep it simple, stupid.’ We all know the KISS acronym from countless design talks and articles, but how often do we put it into practice? Well, you can see a good example on the website of Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv. Founded in 1957 by two Yale graduates, the agency has become a rock star of the branding world. Specialising in the development of trademarks, print, web and motion graphics, exhibitions and art in architecture, the global firm is perhaps best known for designing classic logos for the likes of Pan Am, Mobil, MoMA, NBC and National Geographic. Although you might expect such a famous agency’s website to aim for a striking visual impact, there’s really nothing flashy or epic about its design. Instead, the agency has focused on presenting a huge amount of information in a simple and straightforward way. So while Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv’s portfolio of work is divided into just five categories (Identities, Graphics, Art in Architecture, Exhibits and Motion Graphics), there’s a ton of projects to be discovered by clicking through. Graphics, for example, sub-divides again into Posters, Print, Web, Books, Packaging and Iconic Images. Once you realise how much work there actually is here, it becomes clear how cleverly the site’s design harnesses a simple structure to avoid appearing cluttered and intimidating. Lesson learned: A huge number of case studies can be offputting to visitors. But a careful and methodical approach to categorisation can help make your site appear invitingly simple. 04. The Partners The Partners website uses a modular design to present everything from case studies to thought piecesFounded in 1983 and part of the WPP Network, The Partners has studios in London, New York and Singapore. In its own words, “The Partners is more than our name”, and the ethos of the company is grounded in the idea of close collaboration to build brands over time. In practical terms, that means forming integrated teams that aim to be fluid in response to changing circumstances. The Partners’ work, then, is multi-faceted and ever-changing. And so the aim of its website appears, essentially, to be to present itself as a dynamic and fast-thinking thought leader. Showcasing a mixture of news, thought pieces and case studies – and everything in between – means that the kind of orderly system of categorisation shown in the Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv site (above) probably wouldn’t work so well for The Partners. Instead, it’s gone for a more modular, blog-style design for its main page. This enables it to present a variety of post types in a way that balances a sense of dynamism with a fundamental simplicity and orderliness (no crazy scrolling effects here). Lesson learned: If you wish to present a diverse range of activities on your homepage, develop a modular design that does so without seeming cluttered. 05. AKQA The design language of AKQA’s site is applied consistently across all pages – even those detailing internal appointmentsFounded in London in 1994, AKQA has offices in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Australasia, across 18 major cities. Bought by WPP in 2012, it’s regarded as one of the leading full-service agencies worldwide for digital creativity. So you might expect its website to be replete with all-singing, all-dancing bells and whistles to show off its pixel-pushing smarts. In fact, visit the AKQA website and you’re greeted with a fairly standard design based on a large series of hero photographs, rotating in a carousel. But although there’s nothing unique about this approach, the design is still marvellously attractive, with elegant typography, well-chosen images, and enough whitespace to convey an air of relaxed sophistication. The same style language is applied consistently across the site. This means that even a fairly run-of-the-mill news story about a new appointment transforms into alluring and attractive content. Lesson learned: Want people to actually read what’s on your agency site? Then develop a strong system of design elements, and apply them rigidly throughout all of your content. 06. GBH On mobile, GBH allows you to bring up a map from its address in a single clickFounded in 1999, GBH (Gregory Bonner Hale, named after its founders Jason Gregory, Mark Bonner and Peter Hale) is a multi award-winning design and advertising agency based in London. With clients including Puma, the British Royal Mail and Virgin Galactic, it’s won multiple awards and appears consistently on Computer Arts magazine’s list of best design studios. There’s lots to like about GBH’s website, but one thing above all stood out for us: how easy the site makes it to contact the agency. That might seem like a small thing. But as it’s one of the main reasons for an agency having a website in the first place, it’s worth getting it right. It’s great then, that on our smartphones, the normal contact info in the footer is all clickable. This means you can phone GBH (via the phone number), email (via the address) or bring up a map to its offices (via the address) in a single click. That might not sound that important, but visit the average creative agency’s site and see how many clicks those things take you. Lesson learned: Look after the small but important things, and the clients will keep flowing through your doors. A note about agency sites and accessibility Famous agencies are famous for a reason, and it’s well worth checking out their sites to pick up a few tips about how to create an attractive and alluring website. But that doesn’t mean that everything they do is automatically going to be perfect. And one thing that most agency websites can improve on (as can this very site) is their accessibility. When used in the context of web design, accessibility means removing barriers to people with disabilities accessing your content. With around one fifth of the population having some form of disability, that’s a lot of people you could be potentially failing to reach, and so there’s a strong business case for building accessibility into your design process, as well as an ethical one. Plus making your website more accessible often involves usability and visual improvements that make it more attractive to all users in the process. There are many accessibility experts who will help you in this, such as consultant, writer and speaker Adrian Roselli. “My role as an accessibility consultant is not to tell designers and agencies they cannot do what they want, but to help them do what they want and make it accessible,” he explains. Tenon is an online tool for testing the accessibility of your website But you don’t have to be an expert to judge how accessible your site is. “The simplest test for any site, and the one that can net the most potential accessibility issues, is trying to use a site without a mouse,” says Roselli. “So just opening every page and trying to use it with only a keyboard reveals many issues that an automated tool will not catch (visible focus styles, tab order, things that are not really controls). “Other tests can be as simple as killing images via the Web Developer Toolbar, removing the CSS, or just throttling the connection. There are also automated tools such as Tenon.io, which is typically built into a team's test-driven development process and gives the fewest false positives in my experience.” The accessibility of agency websites is a big topic, and one we’re planning to investigate further on a more extensive basis – so we’d love to hear from you. Have you made a special effort to make your website accessible, or conversely, have you found unexpected obstacles keeping your website up to date in terms of accessibility? Get in touch via Twitter. View the full article

You're reading MailOptin Review – The Best WordPress List Building and Automated Newsletters Plugin, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! How many times have you been told email list building is dead? You have probably heard that boring line many times over, but the money is still in the list and that’s why companies keep building the email list. Behind the lies of email list building being dead is the frustration of people who can’t […] View the full article

If you're embarking on a career in graphic design – perhaps by transforming a design internship into a job or sending out a brilliant creative resume or design portfolio – there are some designers that you simply must know about. These are the designers who have changed the way graphic design is seen in the contemporary world. They are the mavericks, the thinkers, and those who have made a difference to design. Key terms every graphic designer should know01. Chip Kidd Chip Kidd is best known for his stunning book jacketsBased in New York City, Chip Kidd is best known for his stunning book jackets – most notably for seminal publishing house Alfred A. Knopf. Kidd has worked for writers such James Elroy, Michael Crichton and Neil Gaiman (among many others). Jurassic Park is one of his most notable book covers, and in his 2005 monograph he explained the thinking behind it: "When trying to recreate one of these creatures, all anyone has to go on is bones, right? So that was the starting point... Jurassic Park is one of Kidd's most notable book covers"Not only was the drawing integrated into the movie poster, it became the logo in the film for the park itself. I think it's safe to say that the Jurassic Park T-Rex became one of the most recognisable logos of the 1990s.” Listen to Kidd’s hugely entertaining TED talk here. Oh, and if you want to see what you could learn from Kidd’s portfolio, check out our article. 02. Rob Janoff Rob Janoff designed the Apple logoWhy do you need to know about Rob Janoff? Simple: he designed the Apple logo. Janoff masterminded possibly the most famous mark in the world today while at ad agency Regis McKenna back in 1977. And although it’s been tweaked, the basic form has remained the same ever since – a testament to its simplicity and longevity (and it was created in only two weeks). Back in 2013, Janoff told us that the idea of an apple with a bite taken out of it was “really a no-brainer”. He continued: “If you have a computer named after a piece of fruit, maybe the image should look like the fruit? So I sat for a couple of weeks and drew silhouettes of apples. “Bite is also a computer term. Wow, that was a happy accident. At that point I thought ‘this is going to have a wink and a nod with it, and give it personality’.” An apple with a bite (or byte?) taken out of it was a 'no brainer'And as for the now forgotten coloured stripes? “The big deal about the Apple II was that it was the only computer that reproduced colour images on the monitor, and it was the only computer that you could plug into your home colour TV. "Also, a lot of it had to do with the aesthetic origins of both Steve [Jobs] and I, which was a kind of hippy aesthetic and The Beatles and Yellow Submarine.” 03. Peter Saville Peter Saville is best known for his record sleeve designs for Factory Records artistsPeter Saville is best known for his record sleeve designs for Factory Records artists – think Joy Division and New Order (Unknown Pleasures, Transmission, Blue Monday and more). But his sleeve work spans five decades. Saville is one of the most prolific record designers of all time, if not the most prolific. But the Manchester-born designer’s work doesn’t stop at sleeve design. In 2004 he became creative director of the City of Manchester; he has worked with fashion’s elite including Jil Sander and Stella McCartney; and in 2010 he designed the England football home kit. In 2013 he told The Guardian all about the latter: "The red and white thing has been entirely marginalised by one kind of person. It's synonymous with an attitude that is naive, xenophobic, bullying and self-marginalising. I thought, that's not reflective of the team, or football, or of the nation at all. Saville also collaborated on the Calvin Klein logo redesign"But it turns out the market for those shirts are those bloody-minded xenophobic individuals with the shaved heads. When it came out, they did not like it. They did not like it at all." Born in 1955, Saville is still going strong – he recently collaborated on the new Calvin Klein logo. 04. Michael Bierut Designer and educator Michael Bierut has been a Pentagram partner for 27 yearsThere aren’t many design agencies that are more respected than Pentagram – and becoming a partner is one of the ultimate design accolades. Designer and educator Bierut has been a partner for 27 years now and has won hundreds of design awards (he’s also got permanent work in MoMA). Before Pentagram, Bierut worked for 10 years at Vignelli Associates. The designer's projects at Pentagram include identity and branding for Benetton, the New York Jets, Walt Disney and design work on Billboard magazine. This is of course, just a small slice of his sprawling portfolio. Bierut is also a senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art. Check out his Monograph – How To – published in 2015. Check out Bierut's Monograph – How To In 2013, we caught up with his to find out what he looks for in new talent: “The best are people who are bright and articulate, and have great work in their portfolio. I could sit with them all day,” he says. "The second best have great work but can’t talk about it intelligently. That takes work, but still it’s worth the effort. "I like people who, in talking about their work, scratch below the surface. Don’t talk about typefaces and Photoshop effects; talk about the subject matter, and how that interested and inspired you." 05. Massimo Vignelli Vignelli was one of the great designers of the 20th centuryMassimo Vignelli died in 2014, taking with him a legacy of some of the most iconic design work of the past 50 years. Counting IBM, Ford, Bloomingdale’s (his ‘Brown Bag’ designs are still in use today), Saks, American Airlines and many more as clients, and counting Micheal Bierut among his protégés, Vignelli’s legacy lives on. It lives on perhaps most prominently in the subway map and signage he designed for New York City in 1972. Vignelli's ‘Brown Bag’ designs are still in use todayAt the time of his death in 2014, web designer Justin Reynolds wrote an in-depth guide for us on what we can all learn from Vignelli’s design principles. In it, Reynolds wrote: "He was celebrated for his teaching as well as his work... Which means Vignelli's legacy is of fundamental importance to all designers. "The web emerged too late in his career to allow him to make a direct contribution to the medium, but the design principles that guided his work have had a profound impact upon the processes and aesthetics of both traditional and digital design." 06. Jonathan Barnbrook Jonathan Barnbrook has been a huge name in typographyAs David Bowie’s latter-career go-to designer, Jonathan Barnbrook has become even more prominent in recent times. But Barnbrook’s work is far deeper than Heathen, The Next Day and Blackstar. Before Bowie, he was perhaps best known for his influential type design – Exocet becoming the most pirated font on the web shortly after release in 1991 (it was also used in the FPS video game Diablo). Barnbrook’s VirusFonts foundry continued to thrive throughout the next couple of decades, with Bastard and Tourette being good examples of his still contemporary, but controversial, typefaces. Barnbrook’s masterpiece for David Bowie’s sign-off album BlackstarIn an interview with us in 2012, Barnbrook said of Tourette: “Tourette is based on an early 19th century slab serif form. Having Tourette’s means that people move outside an agreed code of language... That’s what I was trying to say in Tourette. There are swear words that are banned, but it’s necessary that they appear in language as well, because we can’t calibrate it otherwise. And I do like swearing.” Flip to the modern day and Barnbrook’s masterpiece of sleeve design for David Bowie’s sign off album Blackstar – the artwork from which was released for free – is every bit as good as the record itself. He also designed the all caps Exocet typeface. 07. Kate Moross Kate Moross has worked with everyone from TFL to One DirectionKate Moross – creative director of Studio Moross – is an art director and designer from London. She came onto the scene in 2008 with her trademark typography and energetic, fluid drawing style. She has since become one of the UK’s most sought-after and successful designers, creating a myriad of album covers, magazine covers, branding, video and even live visuals for One Direction. Moross designed bus and tube pass holders for Transport for London"I don’t think about things in terms of influence. I’m not at school any more," she told Creative Bloq in an interview in 2011. "I don’t look at a painting by van Gogh and go off and do a van Gogh drawing in my sketchbook. I don’t read magazines, I don’t go to art galleries, I don’t engage with the culture in a traditional way that perhaps a lot of people do. "I think I get most of my ideas from everyday life – going to the shop or interacting with the bus driver or seeing something by accident. I’m not one for organised culture or anything like that, so I do try to let things happen naturally. I definitely think your influences are to do with your character, your life, your mood and general culture like TV and film that you can’t really escape." 08. Carolyn Davidson Carolyn DavidsonThere aren’t many logos that are more recognised the world over than Nike’s iconic swoosh. It’s often the simplest ideas that are the best and the Nike mark proves it. Graphic designer Carolyn Davidson designed the logo as a student at Portland State University in 1971 – and was paid $35 for it by Nike founder Phil Knight (Knight met Davidson in an accounting class he was teaching). Davidson was paid just $35 for her original logo designThe tick-like logo was seen as a symbol of positivity, but it’s actually the outline of the wing of the Greek goddess of victory whom the brand was named after. In 2011, Davidson told OreganLive.com that “it was a challenge to come up with a logo that conveyed motion” and that Philip Knight was very impressed with the stripes of rival company Adidas – it was increasingly hard to come up with something original. As Nike grew in the 1980s, Philip Knight gave Davidson an undisclosed amount of Nike stock (making up for the tiny fee for the logo, we’re sure). 09. George Lois In terms of magazine design, George Lois was perhaps the original maverickIn terms of magazine design, George Lois was perhaps the original maverick. From 1962 to 1972 he enjoyed an incredible 10 years at US Esquire magazine, designing some of the most iconic, and perhaps controversial, covers in history – including April 1968’s Muhammed Ali cover. Big ideas, presented in a simple way. In an interview with Design Boom in 2014, Lois was asked about his ability to surprise. “When I create an image, I want people to take a step back in awe when they see it for the first time. I want them to be taken back first by the strength of the image, then by the meaning of the content. This makes people understand what’s special about a product or how exciting and interesting a magazine is. During his time at Esquire Lois created this controversial Muhammed Ali cover"Another one of my strongest skills is making something memorable. If something is memorable, it stays in the consciousness, and that helps sales.” As well as a successful magazine designer, Lois was also a top figure in the world of advertising, working for a raft of huge clients including MTV, VH1, ESPN and Tommy Hilfiger. 10. Saul Bass Saul Bass' film title sequences have won him worldwide recognitionIt sounds like hyperbole, but Bass was probably the most important graphic designer of the 20th century. His work transcended graphic design, poster design, film titles, logos and more – with perhaps his most iconic work being opening sequences for Hitchcock. In fact, his opening credit work spanned five decades – right up to his death in 1996. Some of his last work was for Martin Scorcese on Goodfellas and Casino. In a 2011 article for the Telegraph, Scorcese reflected on Bass' genius: “I had an idea of what I wanted for the [Goodfellas] titles, but couldn’t quite get it. Someone suggested Saul, and my reaction was: 'Do we dare?' After all, this was the man who designed the title sequences for Vertigo, Psycho, Anatomy of a Murder... and so many other pictures that defined movies and moviegoing for me. "When we were growing up and seeing movies, we came to recognise Saul’s designs, and I remember the excitement they generated within us. “They made the picture instantly special. And they didn’t stand apart from the movie, they drew you into it, instantly. Because, putting it very simply, Saul was a great film-maker. He would look at the film in question, and he would understand the rhythm, the structure, the mood – he would penetrate the heart of the movie and find its secret.” As a logo designer Bass was also prolific, designing the marks for AT&T, Kleenex, United Airlines, Minolta and many, many more. 11. Morag Myerscough Morag Myerscough's designs are always colourful For over 30 years, Morag Myerscough has been creating stunning supergraphic installations – grand scale installations, pop-ups and wayfinding graphics that bring spaces to life through her trademark bright colours. Her clients – through her studio, Studio Myerscough – include London's Barbican, Royal London Hospital and the Stockholm Kulturfestival. Myerscough's eye-popping installations have appeared around the worldIn 2013, Myerscough revealed to Design Boom just what makes her tick: “What I enjoy the most [about environmental graphic design projects] is that people enjoy and respond to the places we make and it makes a difference to them. "I put a narrative in the building; we make places where people feel they belong,” she says. Her awards include the Design Museum’s Design of the Year. 12. Lindon Leader Lindon Leader is responsible for one of the cleverest logos out thereLeader by name, leader by nature, Lindon Leader is responsible for one of the cleverest logos out there, utilising negative space in a way never done before (at least for a huge global company). In 1994, Leader was senior design director at Landor Associates when the FedEx logo was designed. It was subsequently applied to 600 aircraft and 30,000 ground vehicles. Now there’s a portfolio piece. Leader told us, in an interview in 2013, that Landor did around 200 designs for the logo before settling on a shortlist of 10 to show to the FedEx brand manager. And the use of white? Particularly that hidden arrow between the E and the X? “I cannot tell you how many times I fight with a client who says ‘I’m paying an enormous amount of money to pay for an ad in a magazine and you’re telling me you want 60 per cent of it to be empty space?’” he smiles. Leader was senior design director at Landor Associates when the FedEx logo was designed“On the one hand I can understand where they’re coming from, but basically the average client does not have a sophisticated enough appreciation of whitespace to understand that it can be a strategic marketing tool.” As well as FedEx, Leader worked on many high-profile branding projects while at Landor, quoting his favourites as Hawaiian Airlines, Cigna Insurance and Banco Baresco. But Leader understands just what the FedEx logo means: “While I think I’m blessed and privileged to have said I designed the FedEx logo, sometimes I think I’m going to go to my grave and that’s the only thing people are going to remember me for.” Next page: More great designers who shaped the design industry 13. Herb Lubalin Herb Lubalin was most recognised for his work on magazines published by Ralph GinzburgAdvertising director, graphic designer and typographer Herb Lubalin was perhaps most recognised for his work on magazines published by Ralph Ginzburg. Eros, Fact, and Avant Garde – all of which gave Lubalin unprecedented room for typographic experimentation. He also gained acclaim for designing the typeface ITC Avant Garde, based on the logo font from the magazine of the same name. Lubalin passed away in 1981, having won the 1980 AIGA Medal. Avant Garde magazine inspired Lubalin's typefaceThe profile of his distinguished career on the AIGA site says: "Herb Lubalin's unique contribution to our times goes well beyond design in much the same way that his typographic innovations go beyond the 26 letters, ten numerals and the handful of punctuation marks that comprise our visual, literal vocabulary. Lubalin's imagination, sight and insight have erased boundaries and pushed back frontiers." It also says: "Typography is the key. It is where you start with Lubalin and what you eventually come back to. However, 'typography' is not a word Lubalin thought should be applied to his work. 'What I do is not really typography, which I think of as an essentially mechanical means of putting characters down on a page. It's designing with letters. Aaron Burns called it, typographics, and since you've got to put a name on things to make them memorable, typographics is as good a name for what I do as any.'” 14. Marian Bantjes Marian Bantjes is known for her highly intricate designsMarian Bantjes is a Canadian designer, artist and letterer. Her unique approach to typography, weaving it between often ornamental graphics, has built her a reputation as one of contemporary design’s most creative letterers, her striking portfolio backing this up. In 2010, she released the beautiful monograph ‘I wonder’. In 2013, she released Pretty Pictures, published by Thames and Hudson in the UK/Metropolis Books in the US A spread from Pretty Pictures shows Bantjes' intricate style In 2013, she revealed to Nothingmajor.com her fascination with challenging the way type is seen: “I think I like the fact that you can push letterforms into so many different shapes. Like graffiti – I’m fascinated with graffiti – I think graffiti is so sophisticated typographically. "I love the idea of something that’s recognisable and readable to those who know how to read it, but not everybody else. I like the continuum between the readable and unreadable, the variation there is within that. I just really love that ability to experiment with that and make forms that are interesting but that say something, but are not abstract.” 15. Max Miedinger Max Miedinger created one of the world's most used typefaces, HelveticaNeue Haas Grotesk. Designed in 1957. Familiar? No? Well if not, this is the typeface that was renamed Helvetica in 1960. And Max Miedinger was the man behind the now-omnipresent typeface. As neutral as it is legible, Helvetica’s ubiquity has no doubt made it the love/hate typeface of today. Meidinger learnt his trade in the 1930s, and after the Second World War he worked at Haas Type Foundry in Switzerland. The story behind Helvetica goes as such: the foundry needed a typeface to rival Akzidenz-Grotesk by H Berthold. It took Meidinger months to draft the new typeface before presenting it to the company’s director Eduard Hoffmann. Neue Haas Grotesk was soon changed to Helvitia (to denote the typeface’s Swiss origins) before another tweak made it Helvetica. Max Miedinger was the man behind the now omnipresent typeface, HelveticaIt’s been used everywhere – from the American Airlines logo to BMW to, well, hundreds of big brands. And even today it’s the choice of designers wanting a clean, legible typeface that’s an expression of modernist perfection. But Helvetica isn’t for everyone – after all, familiarity breeds contempt. If Helvetica is a bit too familiar for you, check out our list of alternatives to Helvetica. 16. Susan Kare Susan Kare was the designer responsible for the original icons and interface elements on Mac OSWhile Mr Hyperbole Jony Ive is now responsible for all the icons you see on your Mac and iOS devices, we would never have got to this point without the inimitable Susan Kare – the designer responsible for the original icons and interface elements on Mac OS. A creative director at Apple in the 1980s, Kare paved the way for what we see on our desktops every single day: the trash can, the happy/sad Mac, the Command key icon. The happy/sad Mac? All KareIn our interview with Kare back in 2013, she reflected on her time at Apple: “I really enjoyed working with Steve Jobs, both at Apple and then later at NeXT [the company founded in 1985 by Steve Jobs after he'd been forced out of Apple]. He cared so much about every detail, was interested in design and graphics, and challenged you to do your best work." She's still innovating now, with her portfolio boasting icons for Facebook, Microsoft, Wired and more. Kare also worked on the Geneva typeface, as we revealed in our post 5 fonts created by famous designers and why they work. 17. Erik Spiekermann Erik Spiekermann is best known for designing some of the most successful fonts of the last centuryErik Spiekermann has enjoyed a distinguished career in both graphic design and typography, but he’s best known for designing some of the most successful fonts of the last century. FF Meta is possibly one of the most prominent, originally having being designed for the German Post Office. Meta is possibly one of Spiekermann's most prominent designs So what makes a good typeface in Spiekermann’s expert eyes? “The alphabet hasn’t changed,” he smiles. “If it deviates too far then it will be disturbing. A shoe is a shoe. A triangular shoe is not going to work. "But it has to have that little element in there that most people won’t even notice – something a little different. It has a different take; it may feel warmer or colder or squarer or whatever.” 18. Paul Rand Paul Rand was an American art director and graphic designerBorn in 1914, Paul Rand was an American art director and graphic designer. He was undoubtedly best known for his logo work, including that for one of America’s biggest companies, IBM. Rand’s first IBM logo was revealed in 1956 as part of the company’s new focus on the importance of design. Using a big, slab serif face, its statement was bold and confident. Later on in 1972 Rand refined the logo, breaking it into eight horizontal stripes (reminiscent of the scan lines on the cathode ray tube monitors of the day) and introducing the distinctive IBM blue. Rand’s first IBM logo was revealed in 1956Interesting fact: Rand was actually born Paul Rosenbaum but when he established himself as a designer he shortened his name to Paul Rand – four letters for name and surname. His name became a symbol in its own right. Rand also designed the logo for Steve Jobs’ post Apple venture, NeXT. On Rand, Jobs said: “I asked him if he would come up with a few options, and he said, ‘No, I will solve your problem for you and you will pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options go talk to other people.'” Rand passed away in 1996. 19. Alan Fletcher Alan Fletcher was one of the most highly regarded graphic designers of his generationAlan Fletcher was one of the founding partners of Pentagram, and one of the most highly regarded graphic designers of his generation (and in fact, any generation). His work spans decades, but he was perhaps most prolific and recognised in his Pentagram years. Fletcher's 1989 V&A museum logo design still stands the test of time todayFletcher's logo for London's V&A museum is testament to the timeless appeal of his work – designed in 1989, it's still going strong. The relatively fragile Bodoni-style serifs work brilliantly with negative space to create a high-contrast, confident logotype. Fletcher passed away in 2006, but check out the Alan Fletcher archive for a comprehensive journey through his career. 20. Milton Glaser Glaser was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2009Milton Glaser is one of the world's most celebrated graphic designers. His most famous work is undoubtedly the logo he designed for New York to promote tourism in the city in 1977. Much used, adapted and adored, the I ❤ NY logo is set in American Typewriter, a rounded slab serif. Glaser's 'I Love New York' logo has been in use since 1977But Glaser is much more than the one logo. His work for Bob Dylan, DC Comics and The Brooklyn Brewery are just some of the logo masterpieces that cement him as one of the most prominent designers in history. "The most important thing in design, it seems to me, is the consequence of your action, and whether you're interested, fundamentally, in persuading people to do things that are in their interests," he told us in an exclusive interview in 2009). He's also the man behind the geometric Glaser Stencil font and the subject of a 2008 documentary film Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. 21. Stefan Sagmeister Sagmeister has a reputation for controversyBorn in Austria, New York-based graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister enjoyed a career resurgence in 2012 when he made Jessica Walsh (number 22 in our list) a partner at his studio, now named Sagmeister & Walsh. Just as he had done when he launched his own studio, Sagmeister announced the partnership with a naked photoshoot. It did the PR job. Sagmeister is a long-standing collaborator with Lou ReedBut there's more to Sagmeister than nudity. His often conceptual, thought-provoking work has turned just as many heads as his PR stunts: particularly his 'cutting' work for AIGA and his incredible album artwork for Lou Reed. 22. Jessica Walsh Jessica Walsh formed a high-profile business partnership with Stefan SagmeisterIn recent times, Jessica Walsh has become one of the most recognised graphic designers in the world. In 2010, she was working at Print magazine where she reached out to Stefan Sagmeister for advice. He spent five minutes flipping through her book and offered her a position at Sagmeister Inc on the spot. "I quit my job the next morning," she grinned when she related the story in our interview with her and Sagmeister. Sagmeister confirms the attraction: "I immediately loved her sunny character and no-nonsense approach to work." Walsh brought a fresh output to the already iconic design company, and in 2012 she was made a partner. Walsh started her career in editorial design, even creating a cover for our own Computer Arts magazineAnother partnership, this time with photographer Timothy Goodman, also hit headlines. The duo's 40 days of dating project documented their quest for love through illustration and design from some of the world’s leading designers. They replicated that success with a new project, 12 Kinds Of Kindness, in 2016. 23. David Carson David Carson is best known for innovative magazine design and use of experimental typographyAs art director of music and lifestyle magazine Ray Gun, David Carson became the most influential graphic designer of the 1990s. His unconventional grunge typography style was a new era in design. An example of his genius? Setting what he thought was a dull interview with Bryan Ferry entirely in the Dingbat symbol font. Ray Gun was one of the defining magazines of the 1990sThe first edition of his End of Print monograph, first published in 2000, sold 35,000 copies – and many many more since. It's essential reading for any graphic designer – new or established. "What matters is that you have an intuitive design sense, listen to it and explore your uniqueness through your work," he told us in this interview. "Create rules that work for you and the type of work you're doing. I never learned all the things in school I wasn't supposed to do, so I just did, and still do, what makes sense to me." 24. Neville Brody Brody is best known for art editing influential UK magazine The Face during its 1980s heydayEnglish designer, typographer and art director Neville Brody shot to fame with his incredible art direction of cult UK magazine The Face between 1981 and 1986. He's also well known for art directing Arena magazine (1987-1990) and designing record covers for artists such as Cabaret Voltaire and Depeche Mode. Brody also founded Research Studios and redesigned The Times in November 2006 (with the creation of a new font, Times Modern) and the BBC's website in September 2011. Brody gave a new, modern look to the newspaper founded in 1785In our Classic Interview with Brody from 1995, he made this forward-facing prediction: "The mistake people have made is to assume that the computer is just a tool. It’s not just a labour saving device like a food mixer or washing machine. The computer is a new medium like television or cinema. Or books." And in our slightly more recent interview, when asked how he feels about being a design icon, he quipped: "You can't even think about that. You don't wake up in the morning and say, 'Hey! I'm a design icon! What shall I do today?' You're finished if you do that! Imagine!" 25. Paula Scher Scher has been a design educator since 1992, teaching at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New YorkPartner at Pentagram and almost certainly the most influential female graphic designer alive today, Paula Scher's branding and identity work for the likes of MOMA, New York City Ballet, Microsoft and NYC Transit is some of the finest examples of the genre you'll ever see. Her typographic maps are also sublime. Scher's design for the official 2012 Sundance Film Festival posterIn our interview with Scher from 2009 on learning from design mistakes, she said: "When I worked at CBS, from the mid-1970s to near the end when the money ran out, that was a pretty wonderful time for designing because I could make discoveries in a free way - largely because I had a lot of work to do and so much of what I did was terrible. "...To get good, you have to get really bad. You have to make some terrible, horrible mistakes." Related articles: 8 great examples of graphic design portfolios 7 iconic logos and what you can learn from them Key terms every graphic designer should know View the full article

Looking at the best illustration tools and best art tools used by top pros can help artists to learn how to draw and paint their own masterpieces. And if there's one thing creatives are mad-keen on, it's the tools of their trade. Finding out about new pens and papers, brushes and paints can be the eureka moment for artists who have been struggling for ages to capture the right look with the wrong tools. To this end, we've caught up with designer, illustrator and visual thinker Eva-Lotta Lamm to see how she creates her characterful and popular sketch notes. 8 best pencils for designers and artistsHer main insight might come as a surprise to artists who like to blame their bad art on insufficient tools. "I always tell people, that 'Any pen is better than no pen,'" says Lamm. "The magic is not in the tool, but in the practised hand. But if you sketch a lot, of course you develop some preferences for certain tools." With this in mind, Lamm has shared some of her favourite pens for sketching. Best for: Line drawings The Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4 is perfect for line drawingsThe top tool in Lamm's pen pantheon is the Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.4. She describes this super-thin pen as being "lovely for small writing and line drawings." Thanks to its slightly scratchy feel on paper, this pen has also won the coveted position of being Lamm's absolute favourite tool for sketchnoting. Best for: Large-format drawing Top to bottom: the Neuland No. One WorkshopMarker, Neuland No. BigOne and Neuland No. One ArtMarkerWhen it comes to working for a large format, Lamm tends to shun big names like Sharpie and Copic in favour of Neuland markers. These have the advantage of not having a strong smell that can make you dizzy, plus they come in over 20 colours – handy if you need to create vibrant artwork like Lamm's sketchnotes. Best for: Calligraphy Lamm uses the Pilot Parallel pen for playing with calligraphy and letteringFor playing around with calligraphy and lettering, one of Lamm's preferred tools is the Pilot Parallel pen. With four different nib widths ranging from 1.5mm to 6.0mm, it's no surprise that this refillable broad nib calligraphy pen is a popular choice when it comes to writing. Getting started with these pens Her main insight might come as a surprise to artists who like to blame their bad art on insufficient tools. "I always tell people, that 'Any pen is better than no pen,'" says Lamm. "The magic is not in the tool, but in the practised hand." If these tools have piqued your interest, or if you want to see which ones are a no-go, head over to Lamm's blog where she's put together a complete list of her favourite pens. Related articles: Watch this calligrapher create perfect script with just a Crayola pen How to draw and paint - 100 pro tips and tutorials Why you should make time for creative side projects View the full article

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million. Video can convey more information faster than print or static imagery. It can make otherwise staid documents engaging. The rising popularity of YouTube, Facebook Video and Facebook Live, is testament to the appeal of video. When video is only part of your content, it makes sense to include it in an format people can read [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] But when video is only part of your content – an explainer video in a marketing kit or press release, educational video in a step-by-step text guide – how do you deliver that? HTML web pages carrying video work in some circumstances, as do EPUB ebooks with video embedded. But many people overlook the most obvious mixed-media delivery format, one that is readable on 97 per cent of the world’s connected devices, a format so ubiquitous you probably already publish some of your company’s content to it. I’m speaking, of course, about PDF. PDFs can contain embedded audio and video, image galleries, popup content, and so much more. Below I’m going to show you how simple it is to add video to an InDesign CC document and export it to Interactive PDF. 01. Make space for the video Use a standard graphic frame to hold the video [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] My project is a PDF-format magazine layout. The article is about Ferrari supercars, cars that the magazine's readers will be thrilled by. Rather than load the article with mere static photographs, the editor has commissioned a video guaranteed to ramp up the excitement levels: footage of a Ferrari 360 zooming down a country road, filmed on a wheel-mounted camera. This video will go in the large space on the bottom of page two, so you'll need to create an empty graphic frame in the area the video will occupy. 02. Prepare the video Convert your video into H.264 MPEG-4 with Adobe Media Encoder [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] If your video is not already an MPEG-4 with H.264 encoding, you’ll want to convert it to that. InDesign will work with QuickTime MOV movies, but MOV is an ageing, inefficient video format, so it's best to avoid this. Converting common video formats to MPEG-4 is easy with the Adobe Media Encoder utility that comes packaged with Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and other Creative Cloud applications. Drag the video file into the large queue area of Adobe Media Encoder and choose H.264 from the first drop-down menu (see image above). Set the second drop-down to 'Match Source – High Bitrate' unless you want to alter the video size, quality or framerate. Click the green arrow button in the top-left corner to begin the conversion. When it’s finished, Adobe Media Encoder will have saved a new copy of the video with the MP4 extension. 03. Place the Video into InDesign Video media frames are indicated with diagonal striping and a play icon [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] Back in InDesign, select the empty frame you created a moment ago and choose 'File > Place'. Locate and select the MP4 video you’ve chosen to include and click Open. The video will be placed into the frame, as indicated by diagonal striping and a tiny video icon. 04. Preview your video InDesign’s Media panel allows you to preview and manage placed videos [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] Unlike images, InDesign won’t show the content of videos on the page. Instead, you need to use the Media panel, which you can open from 'Window > Interactive > Media'. Here you can preview the video, including sound. You can also set the poster and controls to appear when publishing to PDF and other formats. 05. Set your options My chosen video options – for the movie poster, I've used a custom image [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] The static image that appears when the video isn't playing is referred to as the 'movie poster'. From the Poster drop-down field on the Media panel you can choose from a range of options: Standard: Inserts a generic icon From current frame: InDesign will create a poster from whatever part of the video currently appears in the preview at the top of the panel Custom image: You choose an external image (preferably one with a play arrow to encourage readers to click) Once you've chosen your movie poster, you need to select SkinOverAll in the Controller drop-down field to give readers standard video player controls such as play, pause and volume adjustment. Optionally, you can check the box beside Show Controller on Rollover, which hides the player controls until the reader moves the mouse cursor over the video. 06. Export your document Select Adobe PDF (Interactive) as the export format [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] You're now ready to export your document. From InDesign’s File menu, choose Export. At the bottom of the Export dialog, set the Format to Adobe PDF (Interactive). Click Save. 07. Make it interactive The Adobe PDF (Interactive) Export Options dialog [click the icon in the top right to enlarge the image] You'll now find yourself on the Export to Interactive PDF dialog. In the Options section at the bottom, make sure you’ve selected the radio button beside Include All, next to Forms and Media. Selecting Appearance Only inside of Include All would omit the video, using the poster as a static, non-interactive image, just as if you’d chosen to export as Adobe PDF (Print) instead of Adobe PDF (Interactive). Also check the box beside View After Exporting, which will make the PDF automatically open in Acrobat or Adobe Reader. The rest of the options are at your discretion. Click Export, wait a moment, and enjoy your new PDF with embedded video! To learn about even more amazing things you can do with interactive PDFs, watch my Pluralsight video course InDesign CC Interactive PDF. About Pluralsight Pluralsight is an enterprise technology learning platform that delivers a unified, end to end learning experience for businesses across the globe. Through a subscription service, companies are empowered to move at the speed of technology, increasing proficiency, innovation, and efficiency. For a free trial and more information, visit www.pluralsight.com. Read more: Create special print finishes in InDesign 22 free ebooks for designers How to design a book in InDesign View the full article

As we know, using colour in branding effectively can be key to a campaign's success, but how can designers be sure which colours are suitable for which projects? A new infographic by Iconic Fox aims to demystify the science of colour by breaking down the rainbow into each colour's common associations, gender preferences and existing uses. The Colour in Branding Infographic is an easy reference guide to make sure that you make the right colour choices in your designs. It should help designers to avoid making any faux pas by splashing 'cheap' colours all over a luxury brand's business cards, for example. The designer’s guide to using colour in branding Green is apparently one of the more controversial colours, particularly among audiences who identify as femaleIf this wasn't enough, Iconic Fox brand creator Stephen Houraghan said that the quality content on Creative Bloq actually helped influence the infographic. He told us: "We’ve done a fair bit of research and your article is one of the better ones. "We didn’t find a really detailed, comprehensive infographic though, so once we gathered all of our info, we decided to design a comprehensive infographic. "Given your article was a stepping stone to its creation, we want to give you a heads up to see if its something you’d be interested in having a look at." Orange is used by some budget retailers and airlines, which is perhaps why it's associated with cheapnessWe were interested, and suitably impressed by the thorough research and detailed information in the infographic. The only thing missing is a breakdown of how each nuanced shade – as seen in the opening image of a Pantone chart wheel – affects consumers' perceptions. But that could end up being one ultra-long infographic. To see the full infographic, head over to the Iconic Fox site. The classic colour of sophistication, black can sometimes risk being perceived as menacingRelated articles: The world’s favourite colour revealed The designer’s guide to using colour in branding How to pick the perfect colour palette every time View the full article

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The release of iOS 11 is right around the corner. Now is the perfect time to freshen up your skills or start from scratch to master the art of app development. Get your start with the Complete iOS 11 and Swift Developer Course, on sale for 95% off the retail price. The Complete iOS 11 and Swift Developer Course allows you to go hands on with iOS and the coding languages that bring apps to life. Taught by expert Rob Percival, this course allows you to learn by doing. You'll work your way through 20 app-building projects to learn how to work with Apple's operating system. By the time you're finished, you'll be building your own apps from scratch! The Complete iOS 11 and Swift Developer Course usually retails for $200 but you can get it on sale now for just $10 (approx £8). That's a saving of 95% off the retail price for a can't miss course, so grab it today! View the full article

The BFX Competition for visual effects and animation students is back for another year, and is already underway. Launched on 10 July, industry experts from studios that have worked on projects including Dunkirk, The Jungle Book, Ex Machina, Guardians of the Galaxy and Ice Age, will be guiding and advising student teams over the coming weeks. 4 of the best animation showreels to inspire youThe Competition will see teams of five current and recently graduated students compete against one another to create stunning 2D or 3D VFX shorts for the charities DEBRA and Re-Cycle. Faced with just a script to go off, the teams will have to create the shorts in just seven weeks. Creative Bloq's sister magazine 3D Artist recently met with some of this year’s mentors from studios including Blue Zoo, MPC, Double Negative, Blind Pig and more at Bournemouth University. Find out what advice they have for the teams in the video below! The BFX Competition will announce its winners at the BFX Festival, Bournemouth’s visual effects, animation and games festival, which runs from 2-8 October 2017 in Bournemouth, UK. Find out more about BFX Festival here. Related links: 12 inspirational VFX artists you need to know Experimental VFX videos push limits of 3D animation How to break into the VFX industry View the full article

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Giles Colborne will present on designing for conversations at Generate London on 22 September. The co-founder and CEO of cxpartners will discuss both the opportunities and pitfalls presented by conversational interfaces. Whether we like to admit it or not, messaging interaction platforms are contributing to our daily mobile screen time. They are the only applications we allow into our lives intrusively through notifications, and the only type of application we truly want to spend our precious time in. We love our messaging platforms; they give us the opportunity to communicate in ways we normally would not when face to face – such as emojis, memes and atmospherics. The voice call as we know it is fading, and not just in personal use, but in business use also. Even voicemails are considered archaic and laborious, with a preference now to be text-based. Chatbots as a new paradigm The Cently Slack bot enables users to purchase from retail stores within SlackOver the past five decades we have experienced shifts in messaging, from ELIZA, DoS bots and gaming to MSN Messenger. The core of human connection to computing has been through the messaging paradigm. As we live through this current cycle, new messaging platforms with new usable and useful interfaces, and with much more personal user context, are being created. Platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Google Allo, WhatsApp, WeChat, Slack, Skype, kik, Twitter, Viber, Google Home and Amazon Echo – to name just a few – are all creating messaging, voice and bot experiences for their user bases. These experiences are being created for personal, commercial, enterprise and automated use. With 50 million business users, Facebook Messenger is exploding its commercial API capabilities weekly, allowing brands and services to order food, book a flight, contact local emergency services or send a payment through simulated bot services. Messaging platforms from Whatsapp to Telegram are all creating voice and bot experiences for their usersBots are maturing fast, as customer experience, service and marketing teams explore the potential of conversational UI for solving issues with self-serve processes (such as booking a hotel or changing flight details). And bots such as Cently enable users to purchase from retail stores within Slack. Bots do not solve all service requests, and human intervention is still needed to address more ambiguous tasks. As the user's pace of input and absorption of content within messaging windows increases, brands and services will need to meet this demand. A truly seamless, end-to-end ecommerce customer service bot experience is still a way off, but platforms such as Agent.ai are progressing fast in this area. The case for exploring purchasing simplification through conversational UI has never been so important. With the growth of online communities, shared resources, tools and APIs, a conversational UX design party has truly started. Now is an incredibly exciting time to be a UX/UI practitioner exploring bot and AI automation and machine learning in natural language messaging interfaces. As a designer, emphasis on the 'design of words' (natural language) and user intent within a messaging window will be at the fore of your work. To convey the pace and depth of practice emerging in this space, in this article I have covered only a few key areas for consideration when designing a successful bot user experience. Where to start when designing chatbots If you are considering designing a bot for your brand or service, there are a lot of factors involved. First you need to decide if a chatbot is the right option for your product. Consider the following: Can your core products and services translate into text in an organic and natural language paradigm? Will a bot speed up purchasing, ordering and customer service issues, and make things more convenient for your users compared to using your current website or app? Will your new bot align with current company business requirements and objectives? Can core services and product relationships be decoupled and broken down to function as micro-services within a messaging UI? What problem would a bot's information architecture attempt to solve? Creating a successful automated (end-to-end) chatbot is hard. Because it is a relatively new medium for organisations, best practice for implementation is learned, tested and evolving daily and globally. Be sure to spend time researching, testing and breaking bot flows across multiple platforms, like Messenger and Slack. Learn how different companies handle intent (mapping a phrase to an action), on-boarding, responses, suggestions, dead ends and natural language. You also need to make sure you have the ability to put this into practice. Skills such as natural language programming, conversational UX, and in-house technical competencies are vital, but you also must factor in the constant effort required to maintain a successful bot experience. What does it mean to design conversations? Find out at Generate London on 21/22 September Design a whole chatbot system We are still in the early days of building and interacting with automated commercial services. The assumption for users when interacting with an automated service is that their intentions will be misunderstood, and attempts to interact with the service will fail. As such, it's important to thoroughly consider your system dialogue flow. First, prototype your flow as information architecture. You are designing a systematic set of conversational flows that take a service from beginning to end. The flows need to be short and simple, with reduced interaction points – the aim is to enable users reach their intended result as easily as possible. If user intent is misunderstood or not achievable by the system, be honest and let them know they need to try a different approach. The chances of this happening can be reduced by including introductory contextual onboarding, which includes suggestions or prompts based on the capabilities of the system. It's vital to accommodate for any potential dead-end scenarios. Here are some tips: When designing your branching dialogue, document a matrix of possible dead-end situations, and establish alternate routes for each of them Users need an exit option when navigating the wrong branch of a conversational flow, otherwise they may drop off. Always pose an escape option to allow users to correct the situation To guide users in the right direction, your system needs to provide simple expected dialogue direction for their next steps, such as 'Browse latest sneakers' when attempting to view desired products, or 'Order Taxi' when booking a cab Use of natural human language within menus and micro-button options need to be contextually exact in meaning to allow swift progression and prevent 'guess selection and input'. This also prevents users starting the conversation a second time. Consider system responses and prompts Bots are primarily conceived to provide expertise, increase convenience and speed of interaction with a brand, service or general information request. There are some fundamental approaches to bot responses that need to be considered. First off, responses need to be short and concise, to avoid misunderstandings resulting in back-and-forth dialogue with the user. Always provide direct button option prompts, like 'Yes' and 'No' or 'Read this story' within a thread to help the dialogue progress. For a guide, take a look at the CNN bot service on Facebook Messenger. CNN's Facebook Messenger bot displays the latest articles, suggestions to progress, images and excerpts If a customer must input more than two or three times to correct intent or flow, the experience has failed. System responses such as 'Sorry I didn't get that' , 'Do you need help?' and 'Would you like to see our deals?' can be frustrating and misleading, depending on the user's task. If a user must seek help to establish the correct response that will rescue their position within a flow, they will become frustrated, restart or drop off. Finally, always confirm a user's input, be it right or wrong, before progressing the dialogue. Design your bot As a designer, your job is now to design words, while considering dialogue flow, voice and thread position. When designing bots on Facebook Messenger, you will find that customisation capabilities are limited. This is a good thing – if all brands implemented custom design for their bot experiences, the UX would become chaotic, distracting and inconsistent across different platforms. Customisation capabilities are limited to ensure consistency within a particular platform The design needs to be controlled and adaptable within the guidelines of the particular platform, as the user would expect it to be. As a result, you need to accept that your flows may look a little different across platforms. Here are some tips for designing your bot: Begin with sketching the branching flow dialogue of your bot, focusing on the key actions it will address for users Tools such as motion.ai, Twine and Mind Node can be useful for prototyping dialogue branching In your initial prototype, detail all dialogue relationship flows, sentences (verbs), subjects, user tasks, navigation and potential dead points The goal is to always steer the conversation forward using contextual suggestions, options and prompts based on understood user intent Although you will have little GUI design control, some messaging platforms allow you to add product photos, icons and menus, edit the colour palette, use animation, sound and video, and insert stickers and conversation landmarks. An example of solid use of main menu navigation within the conversational UI flowWhatever media you plan to use as part of your dialogue flow, make sure it is used sparingly, is on-brand and contextually relevant. Design elements should not interrupt the dialogue flow. Similarly, the design of selectable button options and prompts should act as a support to the dialogue, not overtake the UI. However, be sure to use interface elements such as animation and live typing indicators. Users are used to these interaction paradigms as part of conversational UI messaging windows. The future of chatbots As the area of automated conversational UI heats up, we are going to see a plethora of messaging platforms (commercial, personal and business), natural language integrations (Watson), machine learning, APIs, tools and UX and UI best practices explode. Platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Slack will attempt to spearhead the trend. Brands now need to ramp up and self-educate internally at pace. They will have to investigate whether their products and services can translate into conversational natural language experiences. Figuring out whether they can live within this window as a micro-service, and support users' expectations while reimagining internal services and products will be hard. Finding the talent to lead these endeavours may also be hard. For designers, we need to accept that the expectations of our role are broadening quickly. Automated and bot conversational UI is just one of many current trends in technology that we need to invest in, self-educating daily. The role of a user experience designer is increasingly an 'always on' practice, evolving daily. For more on designing conversations, come to Generate London on 20-22 September, where Giles Colborne will explain how to get started, introduce us to some easy-to-use tools and more. Get your ticket today. This article originally appeared in net magazine issue 289. Related articles: Create responsive forms and tables How the intelligent web will change our interactions Interview with Giles Colborne: how chatbots are learning View the full article

If you want to make a 3D meteor shower for a scene or project, you can easily render a photorealistic meteor shower in any 3D design application, such as 3ds Max and Sitni Sati's FumeFX, which we'll use here. It's a less deadly and far quicker approach than having to get a doctorate in theoretical physics, to invent a time machine to go forward in time to when humans are advanced enough to control the paths of meteors and space debris, to create a real meteor shower. In this tutorial, we'll make 3D meteors that are as realistic as possible – for example, as soon as meteors enter the atmosphere, they start burning, so the effect of friction means the front of the meteor becomes smoother than the back over time. Also, when we animate the rocks, using a straight path of travel will add to the realistic feel. Starting the simulation is easy, but you have to keep on tweaking in order to get the right look. Settings like Burn Rate and Turbulence really affect the overall look of the simulation. Keep tweaking these settings to get the right look for your simulation and simulate after every tweak to make sure nothing goes bonkers and ruins your simulation. Let's get started in 3ds Max and FumeFX... 01. Create some rocks Use the Rock Generator script to quickly sort some rocks out [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Once you've got the basics of 3ds Max and FumeFX, start by creating some rocks. Start by creating some spheres and applying some displacement maps to them. In 3ds Max, there's a modifier that can do that really nicely, and there are some really cool noise generation modifiers. Alternatively, you can use the free script online called Rock Generator, which is really good. You can also sculpt your rocks, smoothing the front with the Smooth Sculpting Brush. It's not very important to get it exactly right because it will be on fire, so a low-poly version will be fine. You just need to have something to burn in the scene. 02. Animate the rocks Animate your rocks going straight down to speed up the simulation [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Once you have the rocks set up, animate them to go on your desired path. I find that animating them diagonally doesn't work, since the FumeFX container gets too big and that requires a lot of processing power. So instead, just animate them going from a high altitude to a path straight down. This will make the container smaller and speed up the simulation. The next step is to set up a FumeFX container. Then, set up an Object Source, add that to the container and start the simulation. We'll go over this in detail in the steps that follow. 03. Set up the simulation Use FumeFX to set up the simulation [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Set up a FumeFX container (go to Create>Geometry>FumeFX>FumeFX) and an Object Source (go to Create>Helpers>FumeFX>Object Src). Add the rocks to the Object Source. Go to the FumeFX container and open the FumeFX UI. Under the obj/src tab, add the Object Source and you're good to go. Click the Play button to start. 04. Render settings Sort out your colours and gradients and you're ready to render [click the icon in the top-right to enlarge the image]Once the simulation is done, go to the FumeFX UI and under the Rend tab, edit the colours and textures of the simulation. Under the Fire group, go to Color, right-click the colour swatch and click Keyless Mode. Now, you can set up a gradient. From left to right, the colour of the particles is set. Often, going from dark brown to black works best. This article originally appeared in 3D World issue 223. Buy it here! Related articles: 4 tips for creating depth of field in 3ds Max Best free 3D models 11 tips for creating a watery landscape in 3D View the full article

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

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

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

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