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Our debut CG event Vertex is now just six weeks away, so we thought we'd celebrate by giving you the chance to win a ticket to Vertex for you and a friend. Held at Olympia, London on Tuesday 13 March 2018, there's plenty to whet CG appetites. You can't afford to miss our burgeoning schedule of top speakers, including Chaos Group Labs director Chris Nichols, Digital Domain founder Scott Ross and Allegorithmic founder Dr Sebastien Deguy. And if that wasn't enough, how about masterclasses in game art from Creative Assembly's Danny Sweeney, digital doubles from The Mill's Adam Dewhirst and VR sculpting from Glen Southern. Find out more about the workshops in our article New year, new skills: learn new tricks at Vertex. Plus you'll be able to explore the latest tech developments in the expo hall, get inspired at our panel and join our networking drinks, and finally utilise our recruitment fair to take your career to the next level. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning a ticket for you and a friend is answer a simple question on our competition page. Good luck! For more about the event, check out our article Why Vertex is a must for CG artists and browse the Vertex event website. Read more: 6 ways to speed up your modelling Upgrade your textures in Substance Designer 5 tips to kickstart your 3D career View the full article

ATM maker NCR Corp. is warning that cyber criminals are hacking U.S. cash machines with malware that can drain machines dry of cash. View the full article

Buy After Effects CC 2018 or sign up to Adobe Creative Cloud now For motion graphics, animation and video professionals, After Effects is as important as Photoshop is to designers and photographers – if not more so. It’s an all-encompassing application with a professional toolset designed for anything from titling to character animation, compositing and more. Its timeline and node-based approach makes it very easy to quickly animate anything. And as you delve deeper into the feature set, you can soon see why animators and artists on major motion pictures like Iron Man 3 and Oblivion make it their tool of choice (you can see how it was used on these films here). The latest version, After Effects CC 2018, brings new VR and 3D options, data-driven animation and enhanced GPU settings. It also comes with a range of new features that create a more streamlined working environment and more intuitive user experience. As motion design and animation continue to creep to the forefront of ‘must have’ skills in a designer’s creative arsenal, we’re likely to see increasing efforts from Adobe to maintain this standard. Let’s take a look at what’s new. Data-driven animation tools The new data-driven animation tools let you animate charts, graphs and infographics using imported data. You can import JSON files as assets and reference their values in expressions – and the graphics update automatically when the data is edited. Although the data can drive all kinds of animations – visual effects, movie titles, weather reports and so on – the area in which we’ve found the tools most useful is infographic design and integration, which is an area most motion designers will have worked in at some point. These tools aren’t just incredibly powerful: when mastered, they should also save you an enormous amount of time. However, if you’re unfamiliar with data-led design work, or the necessary format types, I would urge you to seek out an online tutorial because it isn’t for the faint hearted. Importing the JSON data isn’t the easiest of tasks. If you have an alternate data file format, such as MySQL or Excel of CSV, you can convert it into JSON or MGJSON (motion graphics JSON) file format and import it into After Effects, ready to be used within any animation. You may need to use some data conversion software for this, which will usually give you the raw JSON data. After Effects can't import this raw data, only a .JSON file, so once you have your JSON data you'll need to input it into an application like Adobe Dreamweaver and save it out as a .JSON file, ready to be imported like any other file and experimented with. The benefit of working with individual .JSON files is that you can swap them around and the layers will automatically update. So if you assign parts of the data in your layers to different JSON files, then replace the one currently being utilised, the data (place name and data points) will automatically update, reposition and change, while keeping all the animation you had previously added. This means you no longer have to suffer hours of tedium by having to individually adjust text and object layers. Create Nulls From Paths panel Another interesting new feature to emerge in After Effects CC 2018 is the Create Nulls From Paths panel. This lets you build expression-driven animations, without the need to write said expressions yourself. The panel creates nulls from each path and shape point, giving you far more dynamic control over the way you animate. To open the panel, go to the Window drop-down menu, and select Create Nulls From Path. The Nulls From Paths panel contains a variety of options. Select the path points on your object, and click Points Follow Nulls in the panel. You can also do this with vector shapes using the same process, but selecting Create Vector Shapes first. The new Create Nulls from Paths panel gives you much more dynamic control when animating. The main benefit of this is it gives you more control over your shape and vector layers within After Effects. You’re now able to individually animate each path null that you create. You can also add expressions to each null, giving you further freedom to explore different creative pathways and animatic styles. It’s worth pointing out, too, that you can use this feature with the new data-driven settings by assigning different parts of the JSON code to different nulls. This means that if you were to make a line graph of weather statistics, you’d be able to assign the key parts of different data to different nulls, and they would automatically change position when replaced with a new JSON file. 360/VR Transitions, Effects, Titles Adobe has also made further developments to its 3D and VR working space, enabling creatives to work faster in a new, meaningful way, while adding graphics into 360-degree spaces. There’s a new integrated toolset for editing 360-degree VR footage, which includes a VR Comp Editor – which lets you undistort and edit stitched 360-degree videos – and a VR Extract Cubemap option. This converts 360 footage into a 3D cube formation to simplify motion tracking, object removal, and the addition of motion graphics, visual effects and more. Performance enhancements A small but important update sees new performance enhancements for layer transformations and motion blur. This makes After Effects much faster, without needing hardware updates. As someone who regularly becomes tired of having to wait for layer previews containing fast blur, this feels like a positive move for Adobe. It also appears to recognise the financial issues some people may face, as optimising the capabilities of the GPU means you get a faster and better experience, without having to purchase additional hardware such as more RAM or an SSD. The fact that Adobe is constantly trying to improve the performance on its software should create better customer satisfaction and further brand loyalty. Other key features Visual keyboard shortcut editor Expression access to mask and shape points Motion graphics templates improvements Team Projects 1.0 support Enhanced 3D pipeline with Cinema 4D Lite R19 Text input improvements New font menu with font previews Helpful Start screen System requirements A learning curve After Effects is a complex application. Its toolset is undoubtedly brilliant and ultra-deep, offering motion professionals the tools they need to create striking broadcast and film-ready animations and titles. While less numerous than earlier versions, the new features brought to After Effects CC 2018 are amazing. They might seem niche at first glance – and largely not created with a beginner in mind – but additions like data-driven updates will save hours of time while opening up new creative pathways. The Create Nulls from Paths feature will also dramatically streamline your workflow. Of course, there’s a huge learning curve. This is an application that requires extensive training – and the new start screen helps beginners embark on their adventure into motion design with less stress. But once you do get to grips with it, it’s blazingly fast (with the right computer and hardware configuration, like in any video work) and has an intuitive timeline from which you can control pretty much every aspect of your project. It’s capable of almost anything you can imagine. Buy After Effects CC 2018 or sign up to Adobe Creative Cloud Like this? Read these articles: 40 amazing After Effects tutorials 12 top plugins for After Effects The 25 greatest animated music videos View the full article

A new logo for the Malaysian tourism ministry has come under fire from designers online thanks to what many have cited as an amateurish look. The Visit Malaysia 2020 logo design (above) was created in-house by a member of the Malaysian tourism ministry for free. Tailored towards attracting the attention of 36 million potential tourists, the logo mixes landmarks such as the Petronas Towers with comical graphics of native wildlife wearing sunglasses. These elements are incorporated into the Visit Malaysia 2020 name, along with the campaign's slogan: "Travel. Enjoy. Respect." Following its launch at the Asean Tourism Forum 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the logo has been criticised by designers on social media platforms, with many demanding that it is changed. We did not pay a single cent Nazri Aziz Common complaints have taken issue with how old the design looks, the disjointed composition, and the basic animal graphics. We are yet to see a single part of the composition that people approve of. Despite the widespread derision the logo has attracted, Malaysian Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz does not intend to replace it. "I have no intention of changing. We are not going back. It was meant for foreign tourist and not locals. When I launched it in Chiang Mai they liked and praised it," he told The Malaysian Insight. "We did not pay a single cent. The one who designed it is our own staff. I trust my staff that has more than 30 years in tourism in this matter." The designer's previous work appears to include similar elements One of the designers involved with the new logo, Rosli Hassan, has defended the branding by saying that he was just doing his job based on the idea that was agreed upon with the ministry. Hassan's previous work includes the logo for Malaysia's Tourism and Culture Ministry, which appears to use a similar palm tree graphic that has been flipped and had the colour of the trunk changed. Following the backlash, Hassan says he has considered taking out a lawsuit against those who have tarnished his reputation. Logos are a contentious topic with designers, even when a huge budget is involved. So is this design, built with zero budget, really deserving of so much hatred? Or is it just an easy target for designers who need to relax? Visit Malaysia 2020 might not be a groundbreaking design, but it's funny, it's drawn people's attention in a similar way to the recent LA designer advert, and what's wrong with a retro design – even if the '90s look was possibly not deliberate... Related articles: 5 logo design trends for 2018 10 commandments of logo design 5 fantastic design fails – and what we can learn from them View the full article

When you start a career in illustration, it's important to develop a striking portfolio, but it's also equally important to shout about it. Every art director is surfing the web and social media channels now more than ever in the search for talent, and it's crucial for illustrators to be online and on their radar. In a way, social media platforms can act as your CV/resumé. The potential client can have questions such as: Where do you work? What's your process? What are you interested in? You can tailor your content to answer those questions in a strategic and engaging way that's thoughtful, dynamic, and very you. Social media can aid in work finding you rather than vice versa, and printed samples can also play a role, even in this heavily digital age. John Bond is an illustrator, designer and (sometimes) animator living and working on the south coast of the UK Having an online presence is really important in this day and age. For starters, it helps you to become more discoverable. It also allows you to link up, and communicate freely, with other people in your industry – and potential clients too. As much as I'd love to live a more 'offline' life, social media is a necessity for spreading your art, keeping in touch and discovering new opportunities. Instagram has proven to be the best platform to post my illustrations. The speed and simplicity of putting something into the public domain doesn't come much easier. It still feels like the most convenient way of viewing work and finding new artists to me. If I continue to draw the things I like and share them, it will, in turn, hopefully attract some projects and commissions that I'd really like to work on. I'm not sure I have a real strategy in place in terms of sharing my work online, but I try to post content (fairly) regularly, link images in with topical events, and make sure that I use some relevant hashtags or handles to attract attention. John's work ranges from commercials to games, websites, books, prints and exhibitions, mixing hand-drawn illustration with bold graphic design Although being online is important, it's equally important to send printed samples to potential clients every now and then. To be fair, I haven't done this in a while, but people will always enjoy receiving actual post. There's a real personal quality to it, plus clients can appreciate that the time and effort involved is greater than just pinging over an email with a link to a website. It's something tactile, something 'in your face' and something that can't just be swiped or scrolled past. Need some inspiration on how to use social media to get yourself noticed? The AOI can help; join today! This article was originally published in issue 273 of Computer Arts, the global design magazine – helping you solve daily design challenges with insights, advice and inspiration. Buy issue 273 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here. Related articles: 7 ways to craft a killer self-promo campaign Grow your design business without losing focus 7 biggest illustration trends of 2018 View the full article

During this Photoshop tutorial, I’ll be going over several key concepts that I use as an illustrator. I’ll be talking about rough concepts, clean line work, colour, light and shadow, and some of the pitfalls that people (including myself) tend to fall into while working through an illustration. I’ll be using Photoshop and talking about some of the tools that the program has and how those different features can be of help. Get Adobe Creative Cloud 01. Sketch a rough concept Early sketches help establish the tone of the composition Every good drawing begins with a solid foundation. Generating thumbnails and working through different concepts quickly helps me to clear my mind and find the best possible solution to any assignment I’m given. (Try these 20 top character design tips and How to create new character designs in Photoshop tutorial to get you started). 02. Produce a refined sketch Focus on the bigger picture before getting specific After I’ve determined which direction I want to go in, I dive into the details. I’m working on a separate layer from what I’ve done previously, and I try to work – as best I can – from large to small. Big shapes to small shapes, general ideas to details. That way I don’t find myself devoting too much time to a weak drawing. 03. Bring in clean lines Inking doesn't have to stick strictly to the guidelines Inking is a process I relish. I try my best to keep the line work feeling fresh by avoiding the trap of tracing the sketch underneath. By making a conscious effort to make it feel like I’m drawing this for the first time, I’m able to retain the life that’s inherent in the sketch. I use the sketch as a guide, but not as a crutch. 04. Lay in flat colours Flat colours are a good opportunity to make a harmonious composition On a layer beneath the clean line work, I lay down flat colours without thinking too much about the form. This comes in handy when I want to adjust the colours or values separate from each other. It’s important to me that all of the colours are harmonious with each other before light and shadow come into the equation. Although a light source can help to harmonise any combination of colours, I find that creating a harmonious colour palette to begin with makes me a better artist. 05. Duplicate and lock a layer The current colour layer is moved to the bottom At this stage, I create another layer identical to the colour layer by dragging my current colour layer down to the new layer icon at the bottom of the layer menu. This can also be done by going to Layer>Duplicate Layer. I then lock the transparency of the layer by clicking the chequerboard icon at the top of the layer menu. 06. Fill with grey A grey layer is useful for making shadows Once I have two identical colour layers, I fill the one on top with a mid-value grey. Because the transparency has been locked on the layer, the grey only fills the pixels that are opaque, giving me a grey version of what I’ve already painted. This comes in handy in the next step. 07. Create shadows across the figures The grey layer lets you focus on form I duplicate my colour layer again and fill it this time with white, then I change the layer mode to Multiply. The Multiply layer mode darkens all of the layers beneath it. White doesn’t show up on a Multiply layer, but any value darker than white does. This is how I create my shadows separate from my colours. The grey layer over the colour layer enables me to think purely about form without the distraction of the colours. 08. Create highlights with the help of Screen layers Highlights are created in a similar way to the shadows in the previous step I create highlights the same way as the shadows, but rather than use a Multiply layer, I create a duplicate layer and set it to Screen mode. The Screen mode does precisely the opposite of the Multiply layer. Anything lighter than black will lighten any values on layers that are beneath it. 09. Think about surfaces Different surfaces have unique reactions to light As I consider the highlights and shadows in this piece, I’m also thinking about the way the light reacts to the different surfaces. The silk dress has the strongest highlights and crispest shadows, whereas the fur of the panda diffuses the light so that the highlights and shadows are much softer. 10. Create patterns A traditional Chinese textile pattern helps to break up the textures At this point, the illustration is suffering from a lack of visual texture. The girl’s hair provides a little bit of a break from the solid blocks of colour, but not enough. So I design pattern to add to the girl’s clothing, based on what I’ve seen of traditional Chinese textiles. 11. Shape the pattern to the form The wrap tool comes in handy when designing costumes To me, the hardest part of designing costuming is creating patterns or graphics that need to wrap around folds and creases in fabric. Fortunately, Photoshop has the very handy Warp tool. To use the tool, I make a selection, then hit Cmd+T, then right-click and select Warp from the drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can go to Edit>Transform>Warp. By dragging your selection around, you can conform it to all sorts of shapes. Usually, I make selections based on where there are breaks or folds in the fabric. 12. Create a background A simple green background brings the whole composition together Environments are my least favourite thing to do. That’s mostly because I’m not as practised with them and I’m not as comfortable creating them as I am with other things. In this case, the background is blessedly simple and the green in it is easy to bring out in the characters to help harmonise the whole image. This article was originally published in issue 154 of ImagineFX, the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists – packed with workshops and interviews with fantasy and sci-fi artists, plus must-have kit reviews. Buy issue 154 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here. Related articles: 5 ways to improve your digital art skills 9 iPad Pro apps that make the most of Apple Pencil 8 inspiring digital art portfolios and why they work View the full article

WordPress is one of the most popular tools on the web thanks to its flexibility to create everything from simple sites to some of the most elaborate. Learn the skills you need to master this popular platform with PressShack University WordPress Training. You can get lifetime access to these training tools that are on sale now for 96% off the retail price. WordPress is a great tool for any website. Whether you're trying to get your website up and running quickly or want to build something more detailed, WordPress can handle it. PressShack University Wordpress Training offers you more than 39 hours of educational courses that will arm you with expert knowledge on how to make the most of the very malleable platform. Pick up tricks of the trade, must-have information while building your design skills – and there's always new information being added all the time. You can get a lifetime of access to PressShack University WordPress Training on sale for just $39 (approx. £27). That's a saving of 96% off the retail price for this invaluable training. Don't miss out, grab it today. About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at:deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: Power a blog using the WordPress API 25 brilliant WordPress tutorials 32 best free WordPress themes View the full article

You have a clear idea in your head of that killer image that will complete your next design, but the client is getting impatient and you need it fast. iStock by Getty Images has millions of exclusive, royalty-free stock files – but if you don't have time to browse them at your leisure (time is money, after all), you need as many tools and techniques at your disposal as possible to narrow down your search. Here Brenda Bazylewski – senior manager, contributor engagement at iStock – shares her expert advice to help you find that one image in a million, so you can get back to the most important bit: designing. Read on to discover four great ways to find the perfect image, fast... 01. Be specific Sometimes, finding the right image is a matter of visual comparison. Say you have a moodboard of references, or previous iterations of a design that need to continue in a similar vein. If this applies to you, iStock's Search by Image tool is a great first port of call – just drop your reference image into the search tool and go from there. Typing broad terms such as 'dog' into iStock returns almost 780,000 images However, one of the most important tools at your disposal when searching for an image is your own vocabulary. We all know the saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words', but here it works in reverse: the more accurately you can describe what you want, the quicker you'll get there. "If you start too broadly, you can always refine with your keywords," explains iStock's Brenda Bazylewski. "For example, 'dog' returns almost 780,000 images, but when you add 'brown' that result drops to 155,000." Adding an extra layer of description narrows down the search results to the most relevant images Another, even more dramatic, example that Bazylewski gives is 'fitness', a hugely common search term with over 4.5 million results on iStock. "But if you're only looking for a man and a woman, you can add 'couple' or 'man' and 'woman' and bring your options to under 300,000," she adds. And while a search for 'business woman' returns over a million images, Bazylewski points out that simply adding 'portrait' to your search query brings those results down to 300,000. Of course, we're still talking about hundreds of thousands of images in the above three cases – which is where iStock's Refine panel really comes in handy. 02. Use the Refine panel Before using the Refine panel, typing 'fitness' returns 4.5 million results Once you've narrowed down the main theme as descriptively as you can, the next step is to apply a laser-focus and define the specific components of the image you want. Here's where iStock's Refine panel is an essential tool. Whether you're designing a website, a brochure or a poster, if you're at a fairly advanced stage of the design you'll likely have an area the image needs to fill – or at least a clear idea of whether it's portrait or landscape orientation that you need. Checking 'square', 'horizontal' or 'vertical' gives an immediate shortcut, or you can pick the 'panoramic' options if you have particularly tricky dimensions to work with, such as a tall, thin banner ad. Other options include determining the number of people featured, or refining by colour palette to ensure your chosen image complements the rest of your design seamlessly. Ticking a couple of options in the Refine panel narrows results down enormously "If we use the fitness example, we can reduce the number of files very quickly," explains Bazylewski. "Start by looking at our Signature collection, which is a selection of premium, handpicked files that you can only get from iStock. Selecting Signature takes you down to a million." By using the Refine panel, you can quickly and easily narrow this down further. "Only need a vertical image with two people? Select those options and you have 25,000 files to choose from. But wait, you forgot that you want outdoor fitness. You can still add 'outdoors' to your keywords and narrow things down even more. From 4.5 million to 12,000 in less than five clicks!" 03. Mix up the sort order Your initial results page may through up some great options, but they might not be particularly unique With all the search refinement tools in the world, image discovery is still to some extent organic and intuitive – you might not know exactly what you want until you see it, after all – and you can spot the perfect shot at a glance among the other results. Once you've refined your search as much as you can using the above techniques, it's surprising how effective it can be to shuffle them around. You will see different images if you switch between the three options in the Refine panel: Best Match, Newest and Most Popular. Sort the images in different ways to see different results quickly Most Popular will show you the files that have been downloaded the most, which gives you the reassurance that the images have passed through the discerning filters of fellow designers – although as a result, they are likely to be used more frequently elsewhere. If you're looking for something more unique, or you've tried a similar search before, Newest might be the best option. Best Match, as the name implies, is iStock's recommendation based on all the other factors you've defined, and if you're really short on time, could help cut to the chase. "It's a mix of images based on popularity, newness and relevance that we think will suit your needs, based on the search terms you've entered," says Bazylewski. 04. Have fun exploring Photographer Iza Habur has a colourful collection of images All of the above tips will help you find the perfect image quickly, but they also assume that you know precisely what you want before you start. This isn't always the case: you might be looking for something more abstract, or a particular mood that is hard to define in terms of subject. iStock's millions of images are available to you because of its talented network of contributors. If you're commissioning a bespoke shoot, chances are you'll pick a specific photographer because of their style or approach, and it's no different here. "Allow yourself to go down the rabbit hole," is Bazylewski's advice. "See an artist you like? Jump into their portfolio." She gives five examples of expansive photography portfolios that it's easy to get lost in, including izusek, geber86, kate_sept2004, wundervisuals and leopatrizi. Leonardo Patrizi is another iStock contributor with a great library of shots While this is a more serendipitous way of discovering a particular shot, and may not seem as clear-cut a time-saver as our other tips, this approach does help you filter by the artistic style and vision of the individual photographer – something harder to define by keywords and settings alone. "Start a Board of your favourites – you never know when they might come in handy," urges Bazylewski. "There are literally millions of great images to be found." Related articles: How to use images more effectively in web design 8 free apps for picking a colour scheme 12 essential tools for graphic designers in 2018 View the full article

You're reading Web Design Trends to Try in 2018, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Another year brings another set of design trends to the web. It seems like these trends are constantly advancing and while prior trends are still here, many new ones are ripe for the taking. For this post, I’ve organized my picks for the best trends to look out for in 2018. Some of these are just emerging […] View the full article

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) are image types that are universally supported across all desktop and mobile browsers. The benefits of using them for web and app design are huge – let us talk you through the six biggest reasons. 01. It’s resolution independent and responsive Images can be scaled the same way we scale all other elements in responsive web design. Due to the vector nature of SVG, the image is resolution independent. The image looks crisp on any display, from the beautiful ~285 ppi pixel density displays found on new smartphones, to the ~85 ppi of standard monitors. Using SVG, we can stop creating ‘@2x. png’ images (unless you need to support IE8) and create one file for all of our icons. SVG images can also be scaled the same way we scale all other elements in responsive design. Award-winning Sarah Drasner’s site makes great use of SVG 02. It’s got a navigable DOM SVG inside the browser has its own DOM. SVG is treated as a separate document by the browser and then positioned inside the normal DOM of the page. This is important for the ‘viewBox’ property, as we can draw our image on a canvas of any size, but then display it in browser at another, all without updating the properties inside the SVG. This separate, navigable DOM is also how we interact with elements inside SVG using CSS and JavaScript. 03. It’s animatable Elements inside SVG can be animated to create some truly amazing interactive experiences, or the animation can be used to add nice little touches to an interface, image or icon. Animation can be created using CSS, the Web Animations API in Javascript or using the SVG’s ‘<animate>’ tag. SVG animation is at an interesting point in development. Google deprecated SMIL – SVG’s animate tag – in Chrome 45 in favour of CSS animations and the Web Animations API, but has since suspended the deprecation. 04. It’s style-able Using class names or IDs, you can style elements inside of SVG only using slightly different properties to those we would normally use; instead of ‘color’ we use ‘fill’, and instead of border we use ‘stroke'. There are some limits to styling SVG that come from how you’re using SVG in the page. If you use an SVG as an image tag you will not be able to style the elements inside in Internet Explorer. There is, however, a polyfill – svg4everybody – which will fix this problem. 05. It’s interactive Using JavaScript, we can interact with elements inside of SVG, thanks to the navigable DOM. This allows us to create interactive elements using SVG the same way we would with HTML and CSS. We can also apply animations through JavaScript using the new Web Animations API allowing both simple and complex interactions and animations to be programmed. There’s also a number of JavaScript libraries we can use, which have been created to speed up SVG workflows. 06. Small file sizes Due to the vector nature of SVG (being an image drawn from a set of coordinates), their file sizes when optimised are small when compared to almost any other image file type. There are a number of ways to optimise SVG, from command line tools to manually removing points and groups, but SVGOMG has a GUI and plenty of options to tweak showing you visually the changes being made during optimisation. Since SVG’s can be responsive, animated and complex, there’s no reason you shouldn’t use them for big hero images or images on a blog post or other online media. Designers - stay relevant and effective It’s no longer enough to be a Photoshop master. Designers need to grow their skills in order to stay relevant and effective, but which are worth focusing on? Should designers learn to code and, if so, can limited code knowledge really make a difference working with talented engineers? How can designers fit into Agile workflows? Does project methodology even matter anyway? What role does a designer have in creating, using, and maintaining design systems? SuperFriendly Director Dan Mall will share stories and perspectives to answer these questions and more in his talk at Generate New York from 25-27 April 2018. Get your ticket now Related articles: Create and animate SVG Polygons Supercharge SVG animations with GSAP How to implement SVG icons View the full article

By using a node-based, procedural approach, 3D software Houdini from SideFX provides digital artists with a remarkable level of power, flexibility and control. It’s a complex piece of kit – so much so that you would be hard pushed to find someone who knows everything about it, or who really understands the software and its many features inside out. The majority of Houdini users utilise the software to carry out very specific tasks, with few taking full advantage of its highly extensive toolset and capabilities. That said, in recent times the software has become more artist friendly, so now’s the time to jump right in. So whether you’re completely new to Houdini or just want to hone up on its many features, going back to the basics is often a great way to speed up your workflow or learn about tools that you may not already be hugely familiar with. With that in mind read on to discover our top expert tips for creating stunning, detailed and realistic terrains. 01. Work with the erosion node When working with the erosion node, I always start with a low terrain resolution for the first erosion step. I do this to get strong, succinct details. Then I increase the terrain erosion, mixing in other details, and do another erosion. This way you can get some exponent strong flow/erosion details for basic shaping of your terrain, and then you can add the smaller details on top. This workflow applies not only to the erosion node, but is also valid for the whole terrain generation process. Start low res for the bigger, dominant details and gradually increase the resolution while adding smaller details on top. 02. Use terraces Since the erosion washes details away, it's always good to add some terraces before the erosion process, even if you’re aiming for a terrain without a terracing effect. If you use it right you won't see the terracing anymore after the erosion. Instead, your terrain profits from a bit more variety in details, since the terraces slow down the erosion process and give more space for sediments to settle down. 03. Mix terrain fractals To get a more interesting-looking terrain, you should try and mix different HeightField Noise functions. Simply using only a HeightField node and then carrying out an erosion on top looks boring and uninteresting most of the time. 04. Make use of masks Masks are your friend when working with height field terrains. You have several functions to choose from, such as mask to slope or mask to height. Use them to combine multiple height fields to get interesting-looking terrains. Some nodes also output masks, like the flow mask you get from the erosion node. Use them to texture your terrain. Why 3D artists should attend Vertex Vertex is the event connecting all areas of the UK visual effects community, for a day of presentations, workshops, recruitment and discussion. Come and watch talks by some of the world's biggest names in VFX, including Scott Ross, Chris Nichols, Sébastien Deguy and more. Book tickets for workshops run by some top artists, from Glen Southern to Mike Griggs among others. If you want to get your hands on the very latest tech, then the expo access tickets are for you; they are even free, but you do need to register to get the tickets, so book now over at the Vertex site. Related articles: The ethics of digital humans 12 mighty Maya tutorials Scott Ross to talk at Vertex View the full article

Lenovo said nearly a dozen ThinkPad and ThinkCentre laptops contain a hardcoded password flaw. View the full article

Over 2,000 WordPress sites are infected as part of a keylogger campaign that leverages an old malicious script. View the full article

Hats off to Adobe, they really do seem to listen to user feedback. Just take a look at the latest batch of updates to Adobe XD CC which are available today. These features, which have been requested for a while, aim to make workflows smoother by integrating popular UX tools. Adobe hopes that this will make designer and developer handoff easier. One of the biggest draws for designers is that Dropbox now supports native XD file previews on mobile, web and desktop. What's more, when users view an XD file saved to Dropbox, a preview of the file automatically displays. This means that designers and stakeholders can sort through their assets via Dropbox more quickly than before. “Our goal is to unleash creative energy through an expanding partner ecosystem, and connect design tools like Adobe XD with core Dropbox mobile, web and desktop products," said Daniel Wagner, Engineering Lead, Dropbox Previews. As well as incorporating Dropbox, creatives can now quickly export their designs from Adobe XD into third party tools like Zeplin, Avocode and Sympli. These highly requested workstreams are already part of designers’ existing processes, but with direct integration with XD they can now handoff the developers without disruption. The latest update also sees XD integrate with ProtoPie and Kite Compositor, letting designers add advanced animation to their XD prototypes. Another significant enhancement to emerge from the latest XD update is that designers now have the ability to zoom in and out of a canvas with thousands of artboards without compromising performance. On top of this, Adobe XD has released five free UI kits in partnership with leading UI/UX designers around the globe. These make it easier than ever to get started with designing apps for different problems. "Adobe XD's human-first design approach and integration with other Creative Cloud tools has made it incredibly easy and seamless to create scalable and cross-platform design systems,” said Michael Wong, designer and founder of Mizko Media & the Designership, who created a gaming console UI kit for Adobe XD. Related articles: How to prototype a mobile app with Adobe XD Adobe XD and Adobe Dimension launched at Adobe Max Adobe’s new Photoshop CC tool detects objects in a click View the full article

Preparing assets for digital use is a core task for junior designers today – and distinct from preparing files for print. You may get asked to create or adapt images for websites, social media campaigns, display ads, email newsletters, video animations, infographics and app designs, to name but a few. At Conran Design Group, for example, a typical task might be to produce imagery for use in a responsive website, explains senior designer Ollie Rone-Clarke. “Once the design has been signed off, we’ll create a core master file of each asset size and these will then be saved for the web, using the right file format to make the files as small as possible, while still retaining key detail – so that these assets are fast to download, for example, on mobile.” So how you go about creating and adapting assets for digital use? There are four broad things you need to consider. 01. Master the fundamentals Conran Design Group collaborated with food redistribution charity FareShare to produce its 2016 annual report and social media assets Firstly, you’ll need to understand the fundamentals, which hopefully you’ll have covered on your design course. “From a functional perspective, typically you should ensure you’re using the correct colour settings in Photoshop: RGB rather than CMYK,” explains Osman Gani, global digital advertising director at Hogarth Worldwide. “You’ll need to be working in the correct digital pixels per inch, giving Photoshop layers the correct names, and positioning layers from bottom to top. “You’ll need to export the correct digital formats as stipulated in the brief, and ensure text boxes and images have been ‘snapped’ correctly. And you’ll need to adhere to best practices such as naming conventions, clear folder structures on the server, and using version-control files.” 02. Follow brand guidelines Conran Design Group helped the Keep Britain Tidy campaign by giving the brand's original Tidyman logo a modern twist Secondly, each project will come with digital guidelines that are specific to the brand, says Andrea Esteban, digital designer for Battenhall. Much of the time this will be relatively routine. “Most of our projects come from existing clients whose guidelines we’re already familiar with,” she explains. “But for new clients, we have to ask them, fully analyse their requirements, and think about all the limitations they may present, in terms of file size and colours, for example.” 03. Test your designs across different platforms Rather than creating print and digital assets separately for FareShare, Conran Design Group created a strong unifying theme within the report that it could use across other platforms Thirdly, in an ever-changing digital environment, you need to keep up-to-date with the platforms you’re designing for. “So for example,” says Esteban, “I have private social media accounts to test – and then delete – posts, to see how they look across all devices. We often design quite innovative posts, like ‘click to reveal’ on Twitter or ‘filter to reveal’ on Instagram, so testing how everything looks in-stream rather than guessing is better. After all this, it should be easy to change each artboard to all the different sizes you need: adjelly.com has all the different up-to-date sizes, but Googling each platform also works.” 04. Know your organisation Keep Britain Tidy needed a unified identity that better communicated the core brand Finally, you’ll also need to understand the systems and processes of the organisation you’ve come to work for. “Junior designers come in with the basics of design and asset management preparation, but they won’t be ready for the studio filing system,” says Rone-Clarke. “This is where we spend a lot of time with them, showing them how we file and set up stages for each design job.” Understand the deliverables How much your design course will prepare you for all of this will vary. Chloe Holden, a junior designer at Conran Design Group, says hers was a little patchy. “While I’d learned that RGB was for digital and CMYK was for print, what I didn’t realise until I was an intern is the importance of double-checking file settings when going between digital and print files,” she recalls. “Nor did I learn the hows and whys. It isn’t until you are working in a studio that you learn how to take a brief and understand the deliverables clearly.” Elena Morán, a UX/UI designer at atom42, also points to the importance of the brief in preparing digital assets. “Be sure you receive a good one – and don’t be ashamed to push back if it doesn’t contain the information you need,” she stresses. “A baker can’t work without flour, and you can’t make the assets without the correct specifications.” Ask questions The visual theme for FareShare closely linked print and digital Most importantly, keep asking questions, she adds. “For example, if someone asks you to create a display ad, important points to double-check include the size of the creative, dimensions needed and minimum and maximum weight allowed. Is it animated or static; do they want a still image or do they want dynamic elements? If it’s animated, do they want an interactive ad? What type of file: JPG, PNG, MP4, HTML5? And where is it going to be displayed? Every platform has its own unique rules.” This can all be slightly overwhelming at first. “As a junior you will get a lot of work to do, so time is key. Tracking your hours carefully makes it easier to prevent issues and correctly organise your projects. "And if you feel overwhelmed, tell your line manager so they can organise, push back and share, if possible, with the rest of the team. Sharing is caring, so don’t just say yes all the time or you’ll end up producing less high-quality assets as a result.” Tips for creating digital assets The logo typeface was given a ‘stamped’ effect to add interest and texture, as well as being optimised for digital applications 01. Work efficiently “Always ask what digital output the assets are needed for, how many versions you will need and across how many breakpoints,” says Rone-Clarke. “Set up a process that anyone else on the design team can pick up. Make sure you have a definitive list of assets that need to be created.” 02. Understand goals “Be clear about what you’re designing for and where the asset will end up,” says Holden. “Then you’ll know how to create the optimum design to suit each digital application. For example, an asset for Instagram will look very different to one for a web page.” 03. Adjust screen brightness “When altering colours for digital, make sure your screen brightness is up,” adds Holden. “It’s a simple thing but very easy to forget. Always test it and get a second opinion from a senior designer.” 04. Save assets correctly “Saving seems the easiest step, but if you’re not sure about formats, it might be the most difficult one at the beginning,” says Esteban. “Save, Save for Web, Export: they all have different settings that will make your life easier – or more difficult – so check which one is the best option to optimise your exports.” 05. Get GIFs right “There’s a big trend right now for GIFs over videos, but remember they’re super-compressed, which means potentially lower quality content,” adds Esteban. “Also, if exporting from Photoshop, remember it only allows 500 total frames – which sounds like loads, but it’s not!” Related articles: 6 ways to get out of your creative rut How to futureproof yourself as a designer The best free fonts for designers View the full article

If you're keen to add another skill to your design portfolio, editorial design could be a great place to start. Editorial design can be a daunting task for someone who isn’t used to formatting large amounts of text. The skills you'll need are different to those of other types of graphic design – organisation and planning are key. Get Adobe Creative Cloud In this article, I'll share some tips to make sure your life doesn’t suck while designing editorial layouts in InDesign CC. If you want to take things further, check out our guide to brochure design and our article on how to design a book cover. 01. Get organised first InDesign is set up specifically for editorial design First things first: you need to have all the content organised and finalised before starting to work on the design of your book. Working with content that is still developing will only lead to an inconsistent product and plenty of headaches along the way. Keep chapters separate and use InDesign’s book feature to link them all together. Never, ever, try to work with one long InDesign document for multiple chapters in a book. It will make your life a living hell. 02. Set up master pages Set up your Master pages before doing anything else. Your Master pages will include any design elements that will carry through the whole layout, such as folios and automatic page numbering. Use separate Master pages for different editorial layouts within your document. For example, if you have a sidebar column, set up a master for that type of layout. If you have a layout for the beginning of a chapter, set up a master for that. If you have an Appendix with no formatting, set up a blank master for that... you can see what I’m getting at. You can use as many Master layouts as you need. This will be a huge time saver in the end. 03. Establish a visual hierarchy Make sure you establish a visual hierarchy, and stick with it. No matter the editorial content, a hierarchy is key. As well as being more aesthetically pleasing, a hierarchy will enable readers to skim the page and find the content they’re looking for. A basic outline for text hierarchy might look something like this: Main headline, subhead 1, subhead 2, pull quotes; body content, captions, folios. It is very important to make sure the design of each level of the hierarchy is consistent throughout the document, which is where Styles come in. Styles are your best friend; use as many Paragraph and Character Styles as you can. The more efficient you are with these, the easier it is to make sure everything is consistent. 04. Create a balanced layout Use images to offset text so headlines don't line up Think about the balance of imagery and text in your layout. It can be a good idea to use images to break bigger chunks of text into digestible blocks to make them easier to read and absorb. Visuals will also make the page more interesting to look at. Ideally, you want to make sure headlines don’t crash into each other. For example, in a 2-column layout, you would not want to have both columns starting on the same line (above left). Add images to offset the columns (above right), or use the Span Columns function to create a headline that runs across both columns of text. 05. Don't forget about screens It's not unusual for print articles to be made available to view as PDFs online, so you may need to consider this in your design too. If designing an editorial piece for print, make sure it will be readable when viewed on a screen. PDFs will often have live hyperlinks, so check these all work. Also consider using links within your table of contents, so readers can quickly jump to the chapter or section they want. 06. Choose fonts carefully This infographic compares serif and sans-serif fonts (click to see the full image) Your decision on which typefaces to use should be based on where most readers will be viewing the editorial. Many people argue that serif fonts are best for large blocks of text in print, while sans-serif fonts work better for large blocks of text on screen. So if it's going to be viewed by most people as a PDF on a screen, you might want to opt for a sans-serif. If you want to learn more about the reasoning behind this theory, there are great articles here and here. To find a great font from either category, check out our best free fonts for designers post. Read more: Create special print finishes in InDesign How to prepare a file for print How to colour-match your print projects View the full article

Last year, Adobe launched Creative Coffee Breaks – a series of mini-tutorials each teaching you a new skill or technique in the time it takes to boil a kettle. This year, this popular series will help you make the most of Adobe Stock – a library of millions of top-quality resources, which Creative Cloud members can access directly from inside their favourite apps. Download a free Adobe Creative Cloud trial January is the ideal time to refocus, learn something new and add some skills to your creative toolbox, and Adobe has released four video tutorials to help you do just that. This series covers all of the flagship Creative Cloud programmes, with a special focus on how they work seamlessly with Adobe Stock. Adobe Stock provides Creative Cloud members with access to over 90 million high-quality images, graphics, videos, templates, and 3D assets, and is built right into your favourite Adobe apps. The latest Creative Coffee Breaks series aims to show you exactly what the fuss is about, and what sets Adobe Stock apart from other image libraries. Adobe has asked some of the coolest UK designers and photographers around to show you how they use Stock in their workflows. You'll learn how to apply lettering to a stock template in Photoshop CC with hand-lettering artist Ian Barnard, and how to source and licence a Light Leak directly in Adobe Stock through Premiere Pro CC with photographer Dave East. And that's just the first two videos – check out the playlist for the full set. Each tutorial lasts under two minutes, which means you can easily grab a cup of coffee, take a mini break from work, and learn a new trick. If you're not yet a Creative Cloud member, but you fancy having a go at some of the tutorials, you can download a free trial of any of the apps in the suite – and with the 30-day Adobe Stock trial, you'll get 10 free images. What are you waiting for? View the full article

Adobe has set the bar high for photo editing and so much more with Photoshop. You can take your work to the next level by learning to use this incredible tool through the expert-led training of the Complete Photoshop Mastery Bundle. You can get this collection of courses on sale now for a special price of just $19 (approx. £14). Photoshop is a powerful program, but its features can appear overwhelming when you're first learning it. This bundle will take away your concerns by teaching you the ins and outs of the app so that you can master every aspect of it. You'll get access to eight courses packed with 214 lessons, each with actionable information that will teach you how to master lighting effects, create cinematic gradients, colour black and white photos and much more. The courses in the Adobe Photoshop and Editing Mastery Bundle are valued at $1,210 altogether. You can get the bundle on sale right now for just $19 (approx. £14). That's an amazing amount of savings on a course that every photographer will love, so grab this deal while you can. About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at:deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: The 5 best laptops for photo editing 5 free tools for editing photos online The 33 best photo apps View the full article

Easy to use and with a number of creative tools under its belt, Affinity Designer is a great alternative to Adobe Illustrator. So, if you're working on a new logo design, for example, it has everything you need to create a unique and striking design. In this tutorial, I will show you how to go retro, using gradients and layer effects to create a 1980s-style logotype in Affinity Designer. More info on Affinity Designer 01. Set up your base text Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot First, create a new document (Cmd+N) giving yourself enough space for your typography. Select the rectangle tool (M) and draw in a black background. The Fill and Stroke tool can be found top right of the interface. Select the Artistic Text tool (T) and set your copy. Type a decent slab sans serif and script font to get the 80s feel (check out our best free fonts for designers post for inspiration). 02. Add a gradient Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot To get this 80s look, the majority of the design is put together with gradients. In this case, I've used: one for the sky, one for the horizon, one for the outline, and one for the neon copy. To create gradients in Designer, it's easy. Simply select your object and click the Fill tool, and a window will appear below, then select the Gradient tab. To add more colours to your gradient just double click along the gradient line. 03. Customise the gradient Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot To save your gradient, click the Swatch tab below the gradient window. Next to the drop-down colour menu there's a small palette icon. Click this. To change the direction of your gradient, select the Fill tool (G), this will bring up a guide that'll allow you to move it around. 04. Draw in some shapes Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot For the horizon, select the Pen tool (p) and draw a ragged line across the middle of the text. Create a shape that fills the bottom half of the type, then add your purple gradient. Next, simply cut (Cmd+X), make sure your Text has been selected, then paste inside (Cmd+Alt+V). If you need to move this shape inside the type, click the arrow next to the layer in the layer window, and the shape to select and move should open below. 05. Add a sheen Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot To add a gradient to the stroke of the type, click the Stroke tool, in the top right of the interface, then add the alternating black and white outline gradient. To change the direction of the outline gradient, select the fill tool (G), to get to the outline. In the top-left there's a Context drop-down menu, change this from Fill to Stroke. For the effect, we need to go from corner to corner to give the look of a sheen. 06. Make the neon glow Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot For the neon part, add a dark pink to a light pink gradient, then select the FX icon at the bottom of the Layers palette. This will bring up your layer effects window. Here's where we're gong to add an outer glow and the bevel/emboss effect. For the outer glow, keep the blend mode on screen and alter the 'radius and intensity' to get the desired effect. Giving it a mid pink colour will help finish off the effect. 07. Adjust the colours Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot Once you've ticked the bevel/emboss box, make sure the bevel type is set to 'inner'. Altering the 'radius and soften' will give you the edge while tweaking the light direction, and 'highlight and show colour' should add the details. I've given the highlight an off pink/white tone, and the shadow a deep purple. 08. Decorate with flares Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot For the flares, draw two ellipses with the Ellipses tool (M), one bigger than the other. Next add a Gaussian blur layer effect with the FX icon, making the bigger one more blurred that the smaller one. Using the Shift key, select them both and place them on top of each other. It's a good idea to group (Cmd+G) them at this point. Copy (Cmd+C) as many as you need and move them to the white parts of the outline to give the sheen effect. 09. Create a shape to accompany the text Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot Selecting the Triangle tool, draw a triangle and use middle anchor point to rotate it 180 degrees. Once done, draw five rectangles (M) evenly spacing them apart and combine them together with the Add icon, a blue circle and square together in the top right corner of the interface. Then selecting both the triangle and the rectangle, subtract them using the icon next to the Add icon. Once filled with a dark blue, you might need to move the shape behind the main logo. You can do this using (CmD+[) and (Cmd+]) to move it a layer back and forth. 10. Overlay some noise Click the arrows icon (top right) to enlarge this screenshot To add the finishing touches, we'll apply some noise. The easiest way of doing this is to draw a rectangle over the whole logo and fill with white. When you click the fill tool (in this case to the left), select the Colour tab. At the bottom, there's an opacity slider, if you click the small circle next to it, it'll change to a noise slider. Slide this to add as much noise as you want. All you need to do now it change the layer blend mode from normal to Multiply. Job done. Related articles: How to draw with Affinity Photo for iPad 10 iconic examples of Memphis design 5 logo design trends for 2018 View the full article

Leave your preconceptions at the door: when you don't have the time or the budget to commission bespoke photography or illustration for your design project, quality stock assets can be the perfect solution. Success depends on being smart with how, when and why you choose to use stock. It's not always the right solution: complete control can sometimes be crucial, as can guaranteeing originality and standout from competitors who could, after all, purchase the same asset for themselves. But pick the right scenario, and use it wisely, and stock can save you time and money that you can then spend on other aspects of the project. Here we've got advice for four such scenarios, and how to get the most from each of them... First, there are three simple best-practice guidelines to follow whatever the task: To start, if originality is key – and it really should be – then it can be wise to avoid the most popular downloads, as by definition they'll crop up more regularly elsewhere. Secondly, make sure you download the image at a suitably high resolution for your purposes. Don't be tempted to cut corners, as it'll limit your options and risk undermining the rest of the project. And thirdly, steer away from well-trodden, obvious visual territory. That goes for pure cliches like hand-shaking businessmen or beaming call-centre glamour models, but also almost any unnaturally 'posed' shots, or subjects staring down the camera lens. Context and relevance is everything. Now those are out of the way, let's get more specific... 01. Sourcing supplementary photography for a brochure This brochure about biodiversity in the Royal Parks demonstrates how photography can help give a design real wow factor If you're working on a brochure design or other print design for a client, sometimes bespoke brand imagery is the only course of action – especially if they have the budget to art direct a full shoot. This is true where specific products or people are required, but also where a unique and consistent brand voice is key. Stock assets can be incredibly useful for supplementary photography, however. Not necessarily the hero images that grace the cover or lead a section, but when it comes to backgrounds, general mood shots or more abstract representational imagery they can help convey a mood or feeling for a fraction of the cost. Consider the context and relevance of the photo you're using. Don't just use supplementary photography for the sake of it, to fill space or jazz up a spread for aesthetic reasons alone. Ensure it fits with the look and feel of any commissioned material you may have – after all, the beauty of stock is you can manipulate and treat it however you like. For instance, a brochure for a running shoe brand that embodies a carefree, aspirational attitude might have use for an open road cutting through breathtaking mountain scenery, while an adventure travel company might need grittier, more elemental location shots. An organic artisan cafe would be better suited to arty, macro images of all-natural ingredients, while a bank could benefit from visual metaphors for security or trust that are less painfully obvious than a locked safe – or it could be a brand that bucks the trend in search of a more emotional connection with its customers. Take the time to search for less obvious stock options; it really is worth it. Check out our articles on 5 ways to use imagery to create better branding and Where to find unusual images for your design projects for more ideas. 02. Adding depth and texture to your artwork Created for a Computer Arts magazine tutorial, this image by illustrator Jeffrey Bowman demonstrates how texture can add depth Stock assets don't have to be front and centre: they can make life easier for you behind the scenes as well. While the ever-growing trend for authenticity means some designers favour hand-made textures – and they can add a beautifully artisanal twist to your work – the brutal reality is that sometimes there just isn't time to indulge in scanning your mark-making experiments into Photoshop. Stock textures and patterns can give flat digital artwork extra depth and character quickly, cheaply and easily – without the same concerns about uniqueness or originality you might have with stock photography. By the time they're worked into the artwork and combined with other textures, it's much less of an issue if another designer has downloaded the same files. Consider versatility and resolution – vectors will always give you the most flexibility, although bitmap textures are more realistic – and test the construction of the pattern. If it's a texture that you're using over a large area, does it feel suitably 'random' and natural when stitched together and repeated? Value is another consideration: in some cases it may be quicker to create a simple pattern or texture yourself, rather than searching through stock options. Pick your battles, and invest wisely. 03. Incorporating graphic elements into a campaign New York studio Vault49 created this complex double-sided poster for Computer Arts Collection, using iStock vector assets Painstaking creation of smaller assets and design elements for a project is unlikely to be the best use of your time, particularly if you're a freelancer without a team of eager juniors to whom you can outsource such tasks while you focus on the big stuff. When it comes to collage work, using stock assets is well-trodden territory – nobody has the time or money to shoot every element of a complex photomontage composition from scratch. But when it comes to vector elements, some designers may be more reticent. Don't be. Say you're tasked with designing a series of banner ads for a campaign in a graphic, vector style, but you don't have the budget to commission an illustrator. You need the look and feel to be unique, and have created various assets already – but the task as a whole seems insurmountable. Stock can be a great way to supplement your own creations. Once you start trawling stock libraries, choice can be difficult as the range of subject matter is enormous: unlike photography, after all, it's limited only by the imagination of the contributors. Again, pick your battles and source stock vectors that match the look and feel of the rest of your project. That could include stylistic features such as quality of linework, level of realism or use of colour, or more abstract qualities such as wit or whimsy. Remember, as with stock textures and patterns you can break stock illustration apart into its component parts. Consider how assets can be used in different ways in the design – layered files make this simpler – to ensure you get the best value possible from your investment. 04. Developing UI elements for your digital designs Icons and UI elements are available as themed packs of vector assets, such as these examples from iStock Over and above textures and illustrative elements, a third category of vector stock asset can prove invaluable for frontend web and app designers working on smaller details such as buttons, icons, widgets and UI elements – whether it's for early mockups and beta versions, or the final design. Vector elements can often be downloaded as a ready-made package to make life as easy as possible for all involved, but customisation is important to avoid giving your app or website a stagnant, identikit look and feel. If your stock UI elements have a pared-back, flat design feel, this may be as simple as tweaking the colour palette to match the look and feel of your project. Resist the temptation to do it the other way around, and design around the stock assets. If your assets are more stylised and characterful, be wary of using them as they are as they may end up feeling bolted on. Keep an eye on distinguishing features such as shapes, edges, shadows or gradients, which may be consistent within the asset pack you've downloaded, but could stand out for all the wrong reasons if they jar with the look of your project as a whole. As with all of the other scenarios above, setting the time aside to search carefully for the perfect assets will still likely be quicker than creating everything from scratch yourself. You might like these related articles: How to use images more effectively in web design 12 essential tools for graphic designers in 2018 How to use images more effectively in annual reports View the full article

Expert artists share their figure drawing advice in the latest issue of ImagineFX magazine - out now! Drawing the human form is one of the most important skills an artist can dedicate their time to. Thanks to everyone's familiarity with how people look, viewers can easily spot if an arm appears too long or if the muscles don't seem right. To help readers take their anatomy art to the next level, we hear advice and tips from expert illustrators. Buy issue 158 of ImagineFX here Elsewhere in issue 158 we pay a visit to science fiction, fantasy and horror illustrator Bob Eggleton to see how he transformed his bedroom into a studio. We also catch up with French sculptor Romain Van den Bogaert and learn how he carved out his niche career. And of course, there's also all the latest news, reviews, and reader's art in our FXPose section, so make sure you don't miss ImagineFX magazine issue 158! Check out what's in store with a look at the lead features, below. Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here Kick-start your Kickstarter Get your project off the ground with this expert advice Crowdfunding is an increasingly popular way for artists to get their idea off the ground and out into the world. Just look at Lois van Baarle who smashed her target by hundreds of thousands of pounds. Discover if crowdfunding is right for you, and how to run a successful campaign, with these expert tips. Artist interview: Julie Bell The US illustrator talks about the problem with women in fantasy art Specialising in fantasy, westerns, wildlifes, nudes, and many other genres besides, Julie Bell is a prolific and varied artist. We talk to her about wolves, bodybuilding, and how female nudity in art is always dependant on context. Sketchbook insights Explore the amazing sketchbook art of Anna Dittmann What could be more tantalising than taking a look inside an artist's sketchbook to discover how they work? This issue we take a peek into the pages of Anna Dittmann's sketchbooks to discover how her stunning life drawings take shape. Anatomy advice Feast your eyes on ten pages of helpful anatomy advice from Stan Prokopenko When it comes to drawing the human form, it's important to remember that there are lots of rules to follow. After all, the human eye is well versed in looking at the human body so it will spot a mistake a mile off. Illustrator Stan Prokopenko shares his expert advice for drawing the human form in these 24 tips. Charcoal workshop Nathan Fowkes shares how to harness light and shadows with charcoal Understanding how light works is important when it comes to making people and scenes look believable. Animator Nathan Fowkes explores how to use light and shade to convey form in this traditional art workshop for charcoals. Related articles: 10 sketching tips for beginners How to quickly sketch hands Create a fast and anatomically correct sketch View the full article

ASUS patched a bug that allowed attackers to pair two vulnerabilities to gain direct router access and execute commands as root. View the full article

Dueling browsers, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, have patched bugs and beefed up security. View the full article

When light strikes a metallic object, it can reflect back onto any nearby object in an unusual way. Normally, light hitting a primary and secondary object gives varying degrees of light, shadow and cast shadows, but reflective light also happens under these circumstances, and will need to be shown in your artwork. 10 expert tips for charcoal drawing To demonstrate the drawing techniques to make this work, I have produced the images above, working with a dark charcoal pencil and an eraser. 01. Place your objects in light Position your objects to make the most of the highly lit and shadowed areas Select interesting objects – such as this highly polished metallic teapot and a ceramic vase – and place them with light catching one side so you can carefully observe the highly lit and shadowed areas. Then draw basic shapes with a charcoal pencil, trying to represent these reasonably accurately, although adjustments can be made later. 02. Get shading Shading the metallic object is where the fun starts Shade the object in direct light first – here the ceramic pot to the left – observing the deeper and lighter values. Then move on to shade the object in its shadow – here the metallic object. It was important to really concentrate on the depth of the cast shadow from the ceramic pot as it struck the left side of the metallic one, here. The deepening of the shadow to the right of the metallic pot follows conventional rules of light and shadow. 03. Add some shadows Add ground shadows to bring your objects down to Earth The objects appear to be almost floating in space at this stage, so need grounding. Shade the shadows cast by the objects as they fall to the right across the table top, thus sitting the objects on a solid base. 04. Blend and soften Use an eraser to highlight areas where light is reflected off the metallic object Using a charcoal eraser, rub out sections of reflections and – here we rubbed out from the already shaded right side of the vase, where the light was reflected back from the teapot. You can see how this is of secondary importance compared to the other highlighted area. Finally, blend some areas using your finger to soften the transition of tonal variances on the vase for effect. This article was originally published in issue 13 of Paint & Draw, the magazine offering tips and inspiration for artists everywhere. Buy issue 13 here. Related articles: How to choose the right drawing tools Pencil drawing in 6 simple steps How to draw and paint - 100 pro tips and tutorials View the full article

It’s difficult to know, most of the time, how much big companies really spend on logo designs and redesigns. Few firms are willing to share figures, and even if they do, it’s difficult to distinguish the cost of designing the logo from the cost of the rebrand as a whole, which can include marketing, advertising and other associated costs. But while we can’t list “the most expensive logos in history” (because we don’t definitively know the top five, and in truth, neither does anyone else), it’s interesting to look at examples where companies have spent vast sums on their logos, and whether they were worth it. In this post, we look at five famous examples of expensive logos, and pull out some lessons we can learn from them. 01. BP In 2008, the sunflower-style BP logo (right) replaced the old shield logo (left) In 2000, BP paid an awful lot of money for a new logo. According to The Daily Telegraph, it cost a whopping £4.6 million just to design the logo, while the overall cost of the rebranding came in at £136 million (including the cost of rebranding stationery, van liveries and manufacturing plants). The project, led by Landor Associates in 2000, saw the replacement of the old ‘shield’ logo with a new one designed specifically to promote “BP’s position as an environmental leader and its goal of moving beyond the petroleum sector”, as the company began to invest in alternative energy. According to Landor: “A stylised sunflower symbolizes the sun’s energy, while the colour green reflects the brand’s environmental sensitivity.” The new logo attracted much ridicule from environmental campaigners, most of whom saw BP’s new interest in green energy as a smokescreen for continuing to promote fossil fuels. Later, Greenpeace even crowd-sourced a parody version featuring a bird stuck in an oil slick. The cost of the rebranding exercise was also lambasted by the UK press at the time, in light of a continuing series of price hikes at petrol stations. However, the case study on Landor’s website offers a different take on the project. Rather than focusing on what the public thought of BP’s revamped logo, it talks more about the internal institutional reaction to the new branding. Landor trained more than 1,400 brand champions in 19 countries on the promise of ‘Beyond Petroleum’. As a result, “nine months after launch, 97 per cent of BP employees were aware of the brand idea, and 9 out of 10 agreed that BP was heading in the right direction”. In short, the tone of the case study suggests BP was less interested in convincing the public that it was becoming greener, and more interested in convincing its own staff. And that puts a completely different spin on how you view the success of the new logo design. Lesson learned: Before you judge a logo, think about who its real audience is. It might, for example, be more targeted towards influencing employees, stakeholders or investors than consumers. 02. CitiBank This 1998 logo was created after the merger of Citicorp and Travellers Group to form CitiBank The CitiBank logo was designed in 1998 by well-known designer Paula Scher of Pentagram, when industry giants Citicorp and Travellers Group merged to create the world’s largest financial services firm. That the bank paid the princely sum of $1.5 million for this design (part of a near-$10 million for the branding as a whole) is not so surprising. With assets under management of $700bn, its pockets were deep enough. But what was controversial is that the logo they received was based on a sketch Scher did on the back of napkin. During their first meeting. In around 10 minutes. Scher’s quick sketch formed the basis of CitiBank’s $1.5 million logo “My best work is kind of big, bold strokes that come very quickly,” she explains in this video interview. “And it’s problematic because a lot of clients like to ‘buy process’ and they don’t think they’re getting their money’s worth, like I sold it too fast. ‘How can it be that you talk to someone and it’s done in a second?’ But it is done in a second – and 34 years.” In other words, drawing on those 34 years of experience meant that Scher could sidestep months of ‘process’ and produce the perfect basis for a logo design in an instant. Certainly, in all meaningful ways, Citibank got their money’s worth. The now-globally recognisable logo has been in place for the whole of the century so far, and shows no signs of needing to be replaced. Lesson learned: The economic value of a logo design lies not in how long it took to produce, but how well it works. Scher’s example highlights how experienced and talented designers can help shortcut the process and still obtain great results, and there’s no shame in being paid accordingly. 03. The City of Belfast The City of Belfast logo cost a reported £180,000 In 2008, the City of Belfast commissioned a new logo, but the process was longer and more involved than originally expected. It took a reported 15 months and £180,000 to create the new logo, designed by brand consultancy Lloyd Northover, along with £250,000 on advertising, launch events and showcase promotions, according to the Belfast Telegraph. That figure attracted widespread press criticism, especially when Sunday Life revealed that the new logo was very similar to others already in use in England, such as a logo for Food and Drink Devon, which had been created for just £7,000. 7 classic logos that should never have been changed It’s worth pointing out, however, that Lloyd Northover certainly worked for its money. Having won the contract following a competitive pitch process, it went on to consult around 3,000 key Belfast City stakeholders from within the business, tourism, hospitality, culture, arts and youth communities. Its in-house market research team also worked with focus groups, held workshops and conducted a web survey to test ideas and concepts across England, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Europe and the USA. Given the troubled history of Belfast, it’s fair to argue that such consultation was necessary to avoid a costly mistake. Consequently, the resulting logo was welcomed across all communities. Lesson learned: In a charged and conflicted environment, it’s good to get everyone on board. And if that costs a little extra when it comes to researching your branding, it’s a price worth paying: the alternative would have been far costlier in the long term. 04. NBC The 1976 NBC logo (left) and the quite similar NETV logo (right) In 1976, NBC wanted to update its image for its 50th anniversary, and introduced a completely new logo design based around an abstract letter N made of two trapezoids: one red, one blue. It went on to be used in the first electronically animated ident for an American TV network, and came into official use on 1 January 1976. Designed by the firm Lippincott and Margulies, it was reported to have cost between $750,000 and $1million; an enormous sum for the 1970s. Unfortunately, nobody had noticed that it was virtually identical to the logo for Nebraska Educational TV, part of the PBS network. In February, the latter filled a trademark infringement lawsuit, and in the eventual out-of-court settlement, NBC gave Nebraska ETV over $800,000 worth of new equipment, as well as paying them $55,000 to cover the cost of designing and implementing a new logo. (Which seems especially high, given that NETV had spent less than $100 on designing their original logo.) Lesson learned: Check you’re not plagiarising other people’s logos, even innocently, or it will cost you dear. Especially if they’re in the same industry as you. 05. Tropicana This new logo and branding cost Tropicana an estimated $30 million in lost sales As the NBC example shows, the “cost” of a logo isn’t always just what you pay the branding company to develop it. In the case of Pepsico fruit brand Tropicana, it was the estimated $30 million in sales it lost because of it, over just two months. To be fair, the failure of its 2009 rebrand wasn’t entirely down to the logo. The new packaging had swapped the well-known fruit-with-a-straw emblem for a generic-looking glass of orange juice, making it difficult to find on the shelves. The $35 million advertising campaign, with its overwrought overtures to family life and a nonsensical slogan (“Squeeze, it’s a natural”), was another factor. But the new, straightened, vertical logo really didn’t help. While the old logo (below) had a sense of fun and personality, this new creation by now-defunct agency Arnell jettisoned all that. This logo looked more grown-up and professional, to be sure, but since when were those values associated with sugary drinks? The leaf that forms the dot of the letter i was still there, but so small as to be indistinct. And overall, beyond the word itself, the recognisability factor had dropped to near zero. The old logo was quickly reinstated after the failure of the new branding As a result, people were less likely to spot their favourite drink in the supermarket, and less inclined to buy it when they did. After two months, Tropicana sensibly reverted to the old logo and packaging. Lesson learned: A clean, minimalist look might suit tech products and web startups, but for food and drink brands with a high degree of customer loyalty, they’re a disaster. Liked this? Read these: 6 secrets to creating outstanding infographics 5 logo design trends for 2018 8 ways to make more money in 2018 View the full article