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The summer is in full swing now, and chances are you’ll want to spend some time away from your desk. In this month's lineup we offer a few suggestions that will help you keep productive on the go. We'll also cover some new hardware options you'll want to see on your desk when you return. And we'll round things out by sharing some books and magazines that all creatives should know about. Use the arrow icons to explore this month's list of top tools. Related articles: What creative pros want from the next Illustrator CC release 21 Illustrator shortcuts to speed up your workflow How to shine at your degree show View the full article

We’ve already brought you our favourite graduates from two corners of the UK: Edinburgh and Falmouth. Now discover the rest of our picks of the very best graphic design, illustration and animation graduates outside of London. Whether you’re looking for new creative talent for your studio or collaborative opportunities, the talented graduates here boast exceptional final year projects that excel in both concept and execution – and are worth keeping an eye on. And don't forget to head over to D&AD New Blood at London’s Old Truman Brewery, Shoreditch, from 5-6 July to get a closer look at the work from the class of 2017 and meet the graduates in person. How to shine at your degree showWant to search by university instead of scrolling through? Just hit the drop-down menu below to skip to: Manchester School of Art, Arts University Bournemouth, Glasgow School of Art, Sheffield Institute of Arts or Leeds College of Art. First up, Plymouth College of Art... Jake Williams University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Project: Resilient Reptiles Plymouth-based illustrator, designer and occasional animator Jake Williams produced a fully illustrated 26-page non-fiction children’s book for his final major piece. Focusing on the unique ways that reptiles of the world have adapted to survive, the publication showcases Williams’ shape-based vector style and considered use of bold, vibrant colours. “This was a challenging project because I’d never created a book before, but an enjoyable one,” says Williams, who will be showing his work at New Designers 2017. “I created Resilient Reptiles alongside a range of conceptual editorial images about a range of topical and political issues. At university I spent some time at a placement with Creative Hub, working on illustrations for Cornwall Today magazine. It was great experience and has helped me to hone my style for editorial work.” Josh Fathers University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Social Fabric Cornwall-based graduate Josh Fathers created a tactile journal to document the “quirks of how people talk in the real world” for his final year project. “I live in a little seaside village and my community is very important to me. Essentially, Social Fabric is about the ways that people communicate when talking to other people is a choice and not a necessity.” As well as being part of the team that designed the ‘Breaking Through’ concept behind Plymouth College of Art’s 2017 graduate shows, Fathers is also communications director of a community interest company in Cornwall. He travelled far and wide to record anonymous conversations for the project, putting himself in situations he wouldn’t ordinarily have found himself in. “I hope that the end result is a testament to the varied skills I’ve developed during my time at the college, but also gives an idea of what community means to me.” Penny Chan University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Media & Marketing Project: Girlhood Penny Chan combined her love of graphic design with her magazine-house experience to create the zine GIRLHOOD. “The concept behind the zine is ‘disrupt the system’; inspired by the punk movement and in protest against the highly polished photography and film in the fashion industry,” explains Chan, who’s currently working as a freelance fashion assistant for GQ Style, and has interned at Dazed & Confused as a junior designer. She’s helped style, plan and assist two major international Topman campaigns; worked on a Dr. Martens Spring/Summer '18 campaign and a few British GQ and GQ Style editorials; and assisted on Take That's latest UK Arena tour, helping to dress the band. “I'm currently taking time out from work at GQ Style to focus on my final major project but I'll be back in a few weeks to help style a few London Fashion Week Men's shows,” she says. Sarah Damo University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Game Arts Project: Wonder Seekers Italian game artist and illustrator Sarah Damo specialises in concept art. For her final major project, she created Wonder Seekers – a game concept set in a near-future, post-apocalyptic world. The story revolves around a girl who runs a robot repair shop and travels on adventures with her best friend, a mutated parrot that has grown too big to fly. Together the pair collect materials that they use to fix robots, working to find a clean energy source that can make the planet habitable by humans again. Damo created concepts for the environments, assets and characters, including 3D models for the characters and machinery within the game. “My personal style is greatly influenced by Renaissance art – in the use of composition, colours and imagery – and impressionism, in the use of light and different types of brush stroke,” she says. “For Wonder Seekers, I combined these influences and tried to add more vibrant tonality to the colours, alongside restrictive palettes for certain environments. I hope that the end result communicates a strong story and mood with the viewer.” Damo wants to work as concept or character artist in the gaming industry, "creating adventures that people can connect with and jump into” – and she looks set to achieve her aim. “Sarah Damo’s work is truly unique,” says Martial Bugliolo, programme leader BA (Hons) Game Arts. “The way that she merges traditional and digital illustration styles with 3D and VR mark her out as somebody with a bright career in the games industry ahead of her.” Greg Johnson University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Game Arts Project: Game environment and characters Greg Johnson has a background in sculpture, but has spent the last three years specialising in game arts, honing his skills in VR, digital sculpting and modelling, and becoming proficient in software including 3ds Max, ZBrush, Substance Painter and Unreal Engine 4. For his final major project, Johnson produced an environment and characters for a game in which global warming has created a permanent layer of greenhouse gas, which has wiped out most of the life on the planet. With this dystopian world crumbling into a junkyard, the machines have evolved to hunt down the remaining humans on the planet. All of the assets have been modelled and textured for an Unreal 4 Environment. Johnson drew inspiration from the work of Tim Burton and Shane Acker’s movie 9. "I used real-world objects, combining them to create my machines,” he says. “The way the machines move and are constructed takes influence from animals – for example, the way a raptor moves was used to animate a creature made from wind turbines, cranes and CCTV cameras.” “I’ve always liked MMOs, historical games, and strategy games. Total War is my favourite game series to date, and I also really enjoy League of Legends, and the Fallout series has been a big influence on me.” “The dream is to one day work for Creative Assembly as a 3D artist,” he says. “Character art and asset creation are the areas I’m most interested in.” Jessica Mehler University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Animation Project: BabaY A graduate of the European Film College in Denmark, Jessica Mehler specialised in traditional 2D and 3D printed models with stop motion animation at Plymouth College of Art. Her final project animation film is based on the Slavic folktale of Baba Yaga, an old witch who lives in a house which can walk around on chicken legs. To produce this piece she created an intricate miniature set in her studio. “Adam Elliot’s film Mary and Max is one of the films that made me want to be an animator, along with Yuriy Norshteyn’s Hedgehog in the fog,” says Mehler, who represented Plymouth College of Art at the Creative Europe programme Euranim in Belgium. “I feel very inspired by comic books, particularly the work of Moebius and Enki bilal, but I am also a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes.” Briony Difford University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Project: Asian Folktales Graduate Briony Difford uses a combination of traditional ink painting and digital colouring in her illustrations, focusing on themes of the natural world. Often working with narrative-driven projects, Difford creates Japanese-inspired linework and composition, striving for detail and elegance in her illustrations. For Asian Folktales, her final major project, she depicted her chosen stories in a way that respects traditional Asian artwork, while also bringing them into a contemporary setting and to a new audience. “I wanted to capture the distinct charm that has always interested me in these folk tales,” she says. “After graduating I plan to work more in publishing, creating illustrations for magazines and books as well as making and selling my work at exhibitions and events. I always want to be open to new projects and different experiences.” Warren Curry University: Plymouth College of Art Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Projects: An Illustrator’s Guide To Surviving The Internet; and The Millennial Man Working in a range of different styles during his third year at the college, Warren Curry illustrated two graphic novels: one a non-fiction title, focusing on the pros and cons of illustrators having an online presence; the other a collaboration with writer James Trotter. 
“It was a real challenge to create a complete body of sequential artwork that did justice to a story written by a collaborator, and a great learning experience,” says Curry, who will be exhibiting his work at New Designers. “My plans for the next year are to look for in-house illustration jobs, ideally around the Bristol-Cheltenham area,” he adds. “I’m also open to agency offers or freelance work.” Next page: Our pick of the graduates from Manchester School of Art Get 5 issues of Computer Arts for £5! Computer Arts will be bringing you the cream of the 2017 graduate crop in a special new talent issue, on sale 21 July. Subscribe now to make sure you get your copy – and get five issues for just £5. 01. Tayia Dussie University: Manchester School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation Project: When I'm 6 For her final year project, Tayia Dussie wrote and illustrated a children's narrative, looking at colour, shape, pattern and character to communicate fun while telling different stories. Recently, she’s been working on a dark tale, O'l Higue, based on West Indian folklore from the villain’s point of view, which was highly commended by The Macmillan Prize for illustration. “In contrast to this,” she says, “When I'm 6 is a brighter, happier tale set in a circus. It depicts a child's wonder at all they see and their desire to become what they admire.” After graduating, Dussie hopes to create commercial work and further her education. 02. Ben Grimes University: Manchester School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: MOFO “MOFO – Mock Font – is a project that explores and challenges the stereotypes associated with the Japanese aesthetic,” explains graphic design graduate Ben Grimes. An Eastern-inspired typeface, MOFO is legible as English when viewed from a different angle. “The work highlights the danger of using aesthetic references from foreign cultures in a superficial way,” he says. Grimes fell in love with the Japanese language after studying it as part of his degree. “In the Western world, we often receive a very stylised version of Eastern language and culture, with the language being exploited by fashion brands for its cool and trendy aesthetic. I wanted to protest this by manipulating the fluid forms of Japanese characters and making people think twice about what they are actually looking at.” In a year’s time, Grimes hopes to be continuing to explore the connections between language and design, and combing this with his interest in theatre and set design. 03. Lily Soltanahmadi University: Manchester School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Assembly Graphic design graduate Lily Soltanahmadi put together concept branding for a new creative space during her final year. Tasked with turning a historic building into something beneficial to a city, she chose York’s former fire station – which is under threat of being demolished – and crafted the branding for a café bar, Assembly. “Assembly celebrates the history of the building and provides a creative atmosphere to help bring the community together,” Soltanahmadi explains. “In a year’s time I hope to be working for a branding agency.” 04. Luke Rowland University: Manchester School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Projects: Posters; Europa Std typeface Inspired by modern European typography, Europa Std features a larger contrast than standard sans-serif typefaces, while remaining clean and accessible. “Throughout Scandinavia and many other European countries, clean, bold typography is widely prominent within the cities,” explains Luke Rowland. “Typefaces are often very basic, but retain a style that’s intrinsic to their surroundings. Europa Std aims to explore and highlight these subtle styles and express them enough so that the typeface holds the same aesthetic value, wherever its use may be.” 05. Lauren Dugan University: Manchester School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Love Letters to Gaia “My final year project was centred around the theory that Earth is a living, breathing organism,” explains graduate Lauren Dugan. She produced a set of powerful, large-scale monoprints depicting mankind's dismissive, passive attitude to the damage humans are doing. Dugan also created a series of letters written by 'the last human alive', lamenting the loss of the Earth’s spirit. “I spent a lot of time investigating the relationship we have with Gaia [the personification of the Earth] and finding ways to portray this as being as important as the connections we have with one another,” she says. “If my Love Letters can make at least one person more mindful about their treatment of Earth, then my work has been a success.” Next page: Our pick of the graduates from Arts University Bournemouth Perry Rowe and Steve O’Neil University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Net identity For their final year project, graduates Perry Rowe and Steve O’Neil created a flexible identity for an innovative business idea. The concept? Just as different nets are able to define various enclosed spaces, so an experimental division of Crowne Plaza could provide different hotel experiences that could reinvigorate the brand as a whole. Emily Regan University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Visual Communication Project: Dance Type This experimental project explores the theme of collaboration through the disciplines of dance and typography, resulting in a dynamic, animated typeface. Graduate Emily Regan worked with a dancer to create a ‘dance code’, choreographing dance motifs from the breakdown of letterforms, before recreating the motifs using animated vectors and reconstructing them into final type design. “In a year's time I hope to be working in a creative agency, constantly expanding and refining my skill set as a creative designer,” says Regan. “My ideal career path is a designer at a fashion magazine or an in-house designer at a fashion brand.” Saul Kaplin University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Searchlight At a time where film audiences might be over-saturated by Hollywood’s slick, perfect CGI, graduate Saul Kaplin’s refreshing final year project revisits and celebrates the quirky qualities of analogue stop-frame methods, suggestive of early cinema. His project – a D&AD New Blood-awarded promotional video for a MUBI advertising campaign – captures the atmosphere of this era, connecting with the movie-literate MUBI audience by using elements of its logo. Izzi Hays University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Facebook Fortunes What better way to commemorate a long-term virtual relationship than with something tangible? Facebook Fortunes looks backwards at the memories shared, and forwards to those yet to come, through beautifully crafted and packaged fortune cookies. Using Arjowiggins paper, graduate Izzy Hays transformed Facebook into a physical entity that serves as a reminder of friendship in the offline world. “We all have people we still want to be friends with in five years’ time,” says Izzy Hays. “How can Facebook help us look towards to the future of our friendships instead of just the past and the present?” Zante Tolley University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Visual Communication Project: Tower typeface Graduate Zante Tolley’s Tower typeface takes influence from the proportions of sister brutalist buildings, Balfron and Trellick Tower, designed by Erno Goldfinger. The crossbars or terminals of the letterforms change according to the service bridge on every third floor, as shown through a slick type specimen book and type specimen posters that showcase the two weights. “The design reflects the dynamic nature of the Brutalist movement,” she explains. Sarah Wickings University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Let’s Say What We Mean Graduate Sarah Wickings’ typography-led video campaign attempts to capture the experience of autism by overloading our visual senses while presenting a series of everyday conversational phrases. The aim is to do more than raise awareness or even money – the project seeks to encourage people to communicate more effectively with a call to action: Say what you mean. “Let’s Say What We Mean focuses on the abstract language we use in everyday scenarios and how people with autism struggle to understand it,” explains Wickings. “The aim of this video is to encourage people to consider their day-to-day language choice more clearly to make it easier for people with autism to take in.” Kieran O’Sullivan University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Visual Communication Project: The craft of Northamptonshire Kieran O’Sullivan’s ISTD-awarded final year project is an editorial piece exploring Northampton’s rich heritage in the shoe industry. Combining original imagery and archival content from the Northampton shoe museum, the book demonstrates several uses of pull outs, dynamic typography and photography to celebrate the history of the recent graduate’s hometown. "In the next year I hope to take on a number of internships," he says. "Design is so broad – I want to continue learning and expanding my knowledge." Maarit Koobasm University: Arts University Bournemouth Course: BA (Hons) Visual Communication Project: The Beat Maarit Koobasm’s project responds to the notion that typefaces are ready for change, and that future discourse should lead to non-referential type design. “How can human qualities be translated into digital textuality – something we see in handwriting and in letterpress typesetting? But, at the same time, how can we challenge typographic choices meant for print, especially the static essence of typography on screen?” asks Koobasm. Koobasm’s solution was to explore how the rhythms of the heart can interplay with type on screen. “The type is therefore neither bold nor italic, but defined by the human individual. It’s not rigidly set, but develops dynamically.” In a year’s time Koobasm intends to be continuing to develop in the field of experimental typography. “I’m also keen to secure my first internship.” Next page: Our pick of the graduates from Glasgow School of Art Lucy Watkins University: Glasgow School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Careful Engagement 150 Careful Engagement150 is a collection of poetry and illustrations that aims to elevate the human traces hidden within the Report of the Iraq Inquiry. “Over 2.6 million words of political jargon make for an incredibly difficult read for anyone mildly interested in the workings behind the Iraq War,” she explains. Using various methods of investigation, Watkins was able to surface elements of delicate human nature from the report, and a poetic language developed. “The intention is to challenge preconceptions that the document contains little feeling or emotion, and to create an uncomfortable dichotomy between poetry and politics,” she adds. Amir Saidani University: Glasgow School of Art Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Micronation “We live in a world in which our borders and how we exist within those borders are constantly being brought into question – Scottish Independence, Brexit, Donald Trump to name but a few,” says Amir Saidani. “In response to these hardening borders, I decided to define my own.” He wrote to Theresa May and declared independence for the Republic of Maktaal’amra, a micronation located at his desk space at GSA. “The project exists as a satirical, yet honest lens refracting current events through my perception. Through that process, I’ve added a little bit of my personality to them.” Next page: Our pick of the graduates from Sheffield Institute of Arts Jasmine Welsh University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Projects: Young People in Politics and Ballot Box Jasmine Welsh spent three months planning and producing a Question Time event that brought five politicians from the major parties face-to-face with Sheffield students. In a packed venue, Nick Clegg, Natalie Bennett, Paul Blomfield, Spencer Pitfield and David Kurten answered questions on education and immigration, and the event generated a great deal of press including an article on the event by Nick Clegg in the Evening Standard. “Young People in Politics is a campaign designed to encourage 18-24 year olds – who repeatedly have the lowest voter turnout – to make their voice heard,” says Welsh. “I also created Ballot Box, an educational board game intended as a free teaching tool for universities and colleges. It explains current political policies and can be updated with each election to help make voting more clear, combining fun with politics.” Holly Whetnall University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: Explore Holly Whetnall’s final year project Explore aims to encourage walkers to stick to the footpaths within the Peak District National Park and reduce the impact of erosion on the landscape. “Within my research,” says Whetnall, “I found that positive engagement has a greater effect than negative enforcement, such as ‘keep off the grass’.” To promote this positive engagement, Whetnall created a series of large letters spelling out the word ‘explore’ to be positioned along designated paths, creating places to stop and take photographs, and subconsciously drawing walkers along the preferred route. “The letters create a feature whilst also blending sensitively into the environment,” she adds. “They have a dark wooden frame and are filled with a species of moss native to the Peak District.” Seb Gardner University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Project: Narratives in the Everyday Narratives in the Everyday saw graduate Seb Gardner finding different ways to create a story around ordinary subjects. Taking inspiration from BBC Radio 4’s The Listening Project – which records segments of conversation between ordinary people – the project aims to make visible the “un-noticed and mundane”. For the Sheffield edition, Gardner focused on the idea of redundancy and identity to develop an animation. “Although very personal subjects are normally only held between family members and friends, being able to visualise this audio conversation brings a whole new perspective to the matter,” he says, “whilst also engaging a still wider audience.” Anna Terreros-Martin University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Project: Felix the Fox and the Rainy Day children’s book Graduate Anna Terreros-Martin believes it’s important for all children to have an equal opportunity to read, learn and enjoy illustrated children’s books, so she produced a tactile illustrated storyboard for blind and partially sighted children, and their families. Using a range of different fabrics to create raised images, as well as Bare Conductive Electric Paint – which, when touched, triggers sounds – the storyboard brings the story of Felix the Fox and the Rainy Day to life by prompting readers’ senses. The storyboard is also accompanied by an audio version of the story, so children can read and use the storyboard on their own. “I have developed a strong interest in children’s book illustrations and how they play an important role in childhood development,” explains Terreros-Martin, “in particular, their importance in educating children and developing a strong bond between parent and child.” Ashton Moran University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: By Order of the Committee By Order of the Committee is a brand and style guide that can be used to recreate the distinctive aesthetic of a Working Men’s Club. Ashton Moran used original photography and a collection of family photographs to understand the unique interiors, decoration and signage of these venues, and the shared memories they hold. “This project is important in playing a role in the documentation of this once booming industry, which has a place in so many people’s hearts,” he explains. “It would be a great shame to lose such important places that have their roots in working class culture – although sadly I feel that this will eventually be the case.” “I’d like to think that this guide will inspire someone to start up a fresh club,” he adds, “or will encourage WMCs of the present to update into the 21st century.” Oli Wallace University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Illustration Revolving around themes of bias, emotive language and censorship, Oli Wallace’s final year project uses editorial illustration to engage and communicate. “I wanted to navigate the reader through the different methods that media outlets use to sway or influence opinion,” he explains. “It also serves to contrast the difference in tone from an article that has been deconstructed and stripped of its leading language. The different illustrations were constructed by creating metaphorical concepts that support and further inform the reader.” Chris Winter University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: For the Love of Books Chris Winter's final year project celebrates the format of the book and the pleasure of print through an experimental exploration of ink and paper. Each exploration was documented and designed into a full-colour, large-scale publication, For the Love of Books, which features double-sided folded inserts with duotone images of magnified ink. “It got lots of people collaborating and needed a lot of tests, failures and research,” recalls Winter. “For one aspect, the unconventional Paper Collection, I created my own paper out of unconventional materials: the ultimate test was if it would print through an inkjet printer, which resulted in nearly breaking the printer several times.” Nikitha Pankhania and Amy Hart University: Sheffield Institute of Arts Course: BA (Hons) Graphic Design Project: The Chocolate Box Company Graduates Nikitha Pankhania and Amy Hart collaborated to create The Chocolate Box Company, which addresses a brief to create, brand and package sustainable, Fair Trade chocolate. “We wanted to make Fair Trade exciting, interesting, accessible and educational so we developed a personal experience designed to simulate curiosity and excitement,” says Pankhania, adding that the brand ethos extends care to farmers, the people who produce the packaging and those who transport goods. “The packaging communicates information about the Fair Trade producers through the use of Adinkara Symbols, which are a very important part of the farmer’s Ghanaian history and culture,” explains Hart. Next page: Our pick of the graduates from Leeds College of Art Hattie Windley University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Project: Zero Zero is a wholefoods store that aims to cut down on packaging and waste by encouraging customers to use their own reusable packaging. Charles Worrall University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design This project by Charles Worrall highlights the charm of the North of England, listing many of its characteristics to communicate why fracking doesn't belong in the North. Isla Pearce University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Graduate Isla Pearce created a comparative visualisation of the chords in different songs from a range of musical genres for her final year project. Each ring represents an individual chord and its proportional use within the record. Emily Kaye University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Project: Saltaire Festival branding This contemporary, eye-catching branding was crafted for Saltaire Festival, an exciting, family friendly 10-day event hosted annually at the local heritage centre. Florence Packer University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Project: Strong and Stable Strong and Stable is a screen-printed poster series about items that are strong and stable. According to Florence Packer, the Conservative government based its recent campaign on the idea of this, whereas the poster is based on fact. Alex Robertson University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Project: Chunk On Limited Chunk On Limited is a publication that makes you want to go fishing and take along your camera. It showcases the very best of professional and amateur angler’s stories, interviews and photography, from anywhere and everywhere. Joel Sleet University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design Project: Certain typeface Certain is a typeface for uncertain times. Designer Joel Sleet aimed to build trust between the communicator and reader by taking a step away from a corporate style, while still remaining visually consistent and grounded. Taime Newton University: Leeds College of Art Course: (BA Hons) Graphic Design These screenprinted montages utilise a punk aesthetic, with high contrast imagery – both found and original – juxtaposing architecture and retro figurative photography. Get 5 issues of Computer Arts for £5! Computer Arts will be bringing you the cream of the 2017 graduate crop in a special new talent issue, on sale 21 July. Subscribe now to make sure you get your copy – and get five issues for just £5. View the full article

The web you see is only possible because of programmers working behind the scenes. One of the most important tools for web development is JavaScript, and you can learn the essential language with the Full Stack JavaScript Bundle on sale now for 94% off the retail price! The Full Stack JavaScript Bundle is packed with eight in-depth courses that will help you learn learn the concepts of web development powered by JavaScript. This programming language is the backbone for the modern web and you’ll learn how to build with and use it in any project you can imagine. You’ll even learn how to other tools like MongoDB and the MEAN stack work with it so you can do even more with your skills. The Full Stack JavaScript Bundle usually retails for $719, but you can get it on sale now for just $38 (approx. £29). That’s a massive saving of 94% off for this course that will help you start your new career. View the full article

With their wealth of imaginative characters, creative creatures and magical settings, the Harry Potter books are an illustrator's dream. Artists have designed adults' covers, children's versions and deluxe illustrated editions of the books, but none of these can lay claim to being the first depictions of the boy wizard's universe. Yes, back in the 90s, author J.K. Rowling herself put pen to page, but this time to sketch rather than write. The result are a charming set of character illustrations depicting scenes from the first book in the series, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. Published on Pottermore, the illustrations show early versions of characters such as Hagrid and Snape, as well as providing a glimpse of how they evolved. JK Rowling illustrated landmark scenes from the first Harry Potter bookOther notable sketches include a Quidditch match complete with diagram-like arrows, and Harry's parents reflected in the Mirror of Erised. It's also interesting to see how Rowling imagined Peeves, a ghost character who was never realised on screen in the films. Regular visitors to Pottermore might already be familiar with these images as they accompany chapters detailing certain characters and events. But for the vast majority of the internet, these illustrations provide a new take on the familiar series, as well as offering an insight into the imagination of the woman behind the words. Diagram style arrows make Quidditch easy to understand Peeves finally gets realised Harry's family appear in the Mirror of ErisedRelated articles: 10 new tools for traditional artists this June How to design a book in InDesign 23 stunning book illustrations View the full article

The world of illustration is constantly changing. And while we’d never encourage you to unthinkingly follow trends, it’s good to stay alert to the direction in which the creative world is moving. So in this post, we’ll look at some of the biggest illustration trends to come our way in 2017 so far. But if you’re not an illustrator yourself, don’t worry; you can still get on board. iStock by Getty Images has a huge range of high-quality, low-cost and royalty-free illustrations, created by talented professionals, to quickly and easily download and use in your designs. We’ve featured some examples in this post: just click on the image to find it on the site. Alternatively, head here to see all the illustrations iStock by Getty Images has to offer, and use the site’s powerful search functionality to find exactly what you’re looking for. 01. Flat and minimal Vector trendy minimalistic red fox in polygonal style, by TechDesignWork. This illustration could be used, for example, as a menu icon on an animal welfare or animal rights website Flat design has been the big graphics trend of the 2010s, and illustrators have followed in its wake, creating increasingly minimal, pixel-perfect vectorised art to match. Magoz, Anna Kövecses, Sergio Membrillas, Malika Favre and Rob Bailey are amongst the illustrators creating inspiring and original work using this approach. With strong emphasis on reduction and subtraction, these kind of illustrations are able to cross language and cultural barriers to convey a subject instantly and clearly. And in a world dominated by mobile devices and high-resolution screens, the demand for flat and minimal illustration is unlikely to go away anytime soon. 02. Abstract and zen Ornate Circular Mandala Multicolored Design by Jennifer Borton. This illustration could be used, for example, as a background texture on a yoga and meditation website The world of 2016-2017 has been a chaotic one in which old certainties have been overturned and uncomfortable new realities are starting to sink in. So it’s not surprising that there’s been a trend in illustration towards more relaxing, spiritually inspired patterns and imagery. Influenced by Buddhism, Hinduism and abstract religious art in general, this kind of zen illustration acts as a philosophical comfort blanket in a rapidly changing and divided world. 03. Hand-drawn geometrics Vector seamless pattern with ink circle textures by Utro Na More. This illustration could be used, for example, as the background for a book cover design Geometric illustration has been a popular trend throughout the decade, but recently we’ve seen a move away from the clinical, digital vector approach and a softening of the style through the incorporation of hand-drawn elements. This kind of illustration combines the brain-delighting qualities of mathematically-based patterns with the spirit and beauty of physical drawing and painting, to create images that are alluring, inviting and potentially quite magical. 04. Tattoo art Blue phoenix art by Stereohype. This illustration could be used, for example, as a graphical element on a festival poster or program You may have noticed that these days, almost everyone under the age of 25 is covered in tattoos. No longer just for those who walk on the wild side, tattoos have entered the mainstream, with their designs become increasingly expressive and beautiful. Now popular tattoo styles are crossing over into the world of illustration too. Their influence can be seen in the work of creatives as diverse as Elena Gumeniuk, Daniel Mackie and Ollie Munden, while tattooists who’ve crossed over into full-blown illustration include Nomi Chi, Shawn Barber and Tim Lehi. 05. Illustrative icons Oktoberfest beer icon sign by pseudodaemon. With Oktoberfest-themed events taking place around the world, this illustration could work well as a hero image on an event-specific app Once, computer icons were just tiny, basic shapes made of just a few pixels. In recent years, however, rapidly increasing levels of resolution on even the smallest screens means there’s been in an explosion in demand for more sophisticated designs. Illustrators have followed suit, creating high resolution icons that make strong use of colour and complexity, while holding true to the fundamental purpose of an icon: to immediately convey a concept in a simple and easy-to-understand way. 06. Multiple exposure Multiple exposure of woman and trees by George Peters. This illustration could be used, for example, on a flyer for a rock band Creative disciplines have always borrowed from each other, and today’s creatives are getting more multidisciplinary than ever. Consequently, one of the latest trend we’ve spotted takes an idea from the world of photography (multiple exposures) and transfers it to the world of illustration. When done right, this collage-style approach offers a great way to evoke a combination of thoughts and feelings in the viewer, in an eye-catching, emotionally engaging way. 07. Vivid colour Colourful humming birds and rainbow by Cienpies. This illustration could be used, for example, to help illustrate a children’s book or leaflet With creatives looking to brighten up an increasingly dark and divided world in 2017, vivid colour has been everywhere. Evident in the work of Nejc Prah, Jack Sachs, Dominic Kesterton, Sebastian Curi, and others, vivid doesn’t necessarily mean primary, but it does mean in-your-face, mood brightening hues that can’t fail to grab the public’s attention. And that can be invaluable when incorporating an illustration into your design, whether that’s for print or online. Make your visuals stand out Whatever kind of creative project you’re involved in, visuals are key to its success. Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text and so making sure your images stand out is essential. At iStock by Getty Images, you’ll find millions of authentic illustrations, and they even offer a free illustration to download each week. And the best news is, once you’ve found the perfect visual for your project, Creative Bloq readers can get a 10 per cent off discount with code CBTEN. View the full article

Chess is an already-beautiful game that can take any amount of customisation; search for custom chess sets online and you'll find a wealth of weird and wonderful designs, from ornate fantasy and sci-fi inspired sets through to gloriously minimal objets d'art. The latest look for chess comes in the form of a mobile game: Chess Gang is developed by Polish studio, Evil Empire, and it's based around street gang culture. Chess Gang takes it to the streetsSo instead of trying to outwit your opponent and capture their king, in Chess Gang your aim is to be the smartest and strongest on the street in order to defeat your opponent's kingpin and steal their cash. Like any good video game, it even has special moves, like promoting your pawns or castling to enforce your dominance. That's right – it's chess. You don't mess with the rules of chess. What we love about Chess Gang, though, is its powerful visuals, with all the pieces reimagined as gang members and rendered in cartoon sticker form. Konrad Kirpluk has designed a whole new set of chess piecesThey – and the rest of the game's street-art inspired visuals – are the work of Doncaster-based graphic designer and illustrator Konrad Kirpluk, and they're a joy to behold. You get baseball-wielding pawns, pit bulls as knights, gun-toting bishops, rooks and queens, and kings clutching bags overflowing with readies; cartoon fun rather than gritty street violence. Konrad created his striking chess pieces in Adobe Illustrator, and as an added bonus he's made a second set of characters that'll be coming to Chess Gang in a future update, in which instead of rival gangs you'll be able to play as cops versus yardies. The in-game graphics all follow the same street art styleYou can see the full set of Konrad's designs over on Behance; Chess Gang is available now on iOS and Android for a very reasonable 99p. Related articles: London skyline recreated in chess pieces The chess set carved from negative space Stunning type based chess set View the full article

You're reading Interview with Designer: Ivan Tolmachev, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Eager to learn about the biggest UX trends in the UK and the inside secrets of the industry, I quizzed Ivan Tolmachev, a senior Product Designer at Onfleet. Onfleet is a logistics software company in San Francisco that helps delivery businesses around the world perform their last-mile operations efficiently. Before Onfleet, Ivan was at Rackspace […] View the full article

Put your best pencils and doodle art to one side – it's time to delve into the art of pastel drawing. In use by artists for centuries, pastels are an especially portable medium, enabling you to create colourful art with no need for water, brushes or palettes. But first, what exactly is a pastel? The definition isn't completely clear, and there's been some debate within art societies as to what exactly qualifies as a pastel. The Pastel Society in the UK, however, states the following media are acceptable for its exhibitions: "Pastels, including Oil pastel, Charcoal, Pencil, Conté, Sanguine, or any dry media." Note that an artwork made using pastels is also called a pastel (or a pastel drawing or pastel painting). Pastel used as a verb means to produce an artwork with pastels. And of course, none of these terms should be confused with the use of pastel as an adjective, to mean pale in colour! Pastel drawing lets you produce vibrant colour with the ease of drawing with pencilsThe pastels themselves come in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all coloured art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. Getting started with pastels Soft pastel sticks do become dusty or dirty when transporting, so carry a cloth to wipe them off before pastel drawing. It's generally easier to work on a toned surface rather than on pure white. You can buy toned paper, or tone it yourself using an acrylic or watercolour wash. To prevent over blending and smudging when pastel drawing you can use a mist of fixative on that area. Beware: if the fixative is sprayed too heavily, it dramatically dulls and darkens the vibrancy. Do some quick trial runs spraying the fixative to experiment with the light mist approach. With these foundations in place, let's get started with pastel drawing. 01. Pick your pastels Use specific pastels for different techniquesSoft pastels have a rich, buttery feel and are easy to blend. Hard pastels, including pastel pencils, are great for adding detail to pastel drawing. Oil pastels have an oil binder, are less opaque than soft pastels and don’t smudge as easily. The newest water-soluble pastels create semi-transparent washes when water is brushed over them. 02. Layering and smudging with pastels Building up pastel colours can create unique texturesPastels are blended on the art surface, rather than on a palette. A variety of colours can be achieved through layering and smudging. Start with darker colours, working up to light. Blending is done by layering the pastels with various strokes such as crosshatching, dots/pointillism or smudging with different tools, from cotton swabs or #9 brushes, to fingers. 03. Select a pastel paper Selecting the right surface texture is crucial for pastel artThe key to selecting paper for pastel drawing is to choose something that has texture or tooth. If it's too smooth, the pastels won't adhere. Check that the paper is pH-neutral. If it's not acid free, it can shift the colour and cause brittleness. Good choices are canvas, watercolour paper, pastel paper and sand board. 04. Experiment with soft and hard pastels Soft and hard pastels create drastically different texturesSoft pastels are rich and luminous in colour, provide a loose grainy texture and are easy to blend with varied surface effect, but are a little fragile. Hard pastels are a little less vibrant in colour, but more stable than soft pastels. They're great for adding detail to your drawings. 05. Test drive pencils and oils Artists like to use pastel pencils to create fine detailsPastel pencils come in a pencil 'lead' form and are easy to control. They're ideal for fine detail and rendering, and are a harder lead than soft pastels. Oil pastels contain an oil binder. They have a thick intense colour, but don’t smudge and blend like soft/hard pastels. 06. Create washes with water-soluble pastels Create a watercolour wash with water soluble pastelsWater-soluble pastels can be used just like a regular soft pastel, except that you can also create watercolour-like washes with a brush and water, providing great variety in the artistic effects you can achieve. You might also like these: 5 things you need for oil painting Paint a portrait like the Old Masters How to fix your finished pastel artwork View the full article

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Siemens patched two vulnerabilities in products, SIMATIC CP and XHQ, commonly found in industrial control system setups this week View the full article

Ask any freelancer what their biggest worry is, and it’s likely to involve money. How do you decide what to charge for your talents when you're first starting out – or negotiate higher rates once you know what you’re doing? And can you get enough invoices paid on time each month to cover your outgoings? Subscribe to Computer Arts and get 5 issues for £5! That freelance dream of being your own boss, taking on the projects you want, setting your own hours, and working in your underwear (if you so choose) may be clouded by this financial uncertainty if you don’t get your affairs in order. Cash in as a freelancer – advice on pricing, pitching, persuading and more...But fear not. The cover feature in July's Computer Arts is packed with great advice to help you conquer all your cash concerns as a freelancer – from selling yourself to new clients, to chasing up late-paying existing ones. Character design trends and branding tips New trends in character design, according to PictoplasmaWith the help of the co-founders of Pictoplasma, CA also investigates the vibrant world of character design with an inspiring journey through the four hottest trends to watch out for this year. How The Clearing creates "clear, defendable territory" for its clientsElsewhere, take a trip to The Clearing to discover why finding ‘clear, defendable territory’ should be the goal of any branding project. The Brand Impact Award-winning agency sheds some light on its process, and shares some tips for how to defend that territory once you find it. Buy Computer Arts issue 268 now! This issue is bursting with other inspiring design content, including: Sign maker Luke Stockdale reveals why signs should be beautiful as well as functional Showcase features the very best graphic design, illustration and motion work How to make judges notice your work, according to D&AD New Blood Behind the scenes with Studio Sutherl&, most-awarded design studio at D&AD 2017More from Computer ArtsView the full article

Mike Mimoso and Chris Brook discuss the news of the week, including Citizen Lab's latest report, WannaCry hitting Honda, GhostHook, and Fireball. View the full article

We have a cracking selection of new tools for graphic designers in this month’s round up. From the new iPad Pro to a wildly discounted collection of world-class fonts, vintage Smart PSDs and all the best new books and design bundles, you’ll find all sorts of goodies here to speed up your workflow and boost your skills. And don’t forget, it’s graduate show season. That means D&AD New Blood is back, and with it another bumper crop of talented creatives ready to set the world alight with their ideas – you’ll find details below. Read on for June’s 10 best graphic design tools… 01. iPad Pro Apple brings the iPad Pro closer to the MacBook replacement you need Out now, Apple’s new iPad Pros boast brighter and more colourful screens that respond faster to both touch and the Apple Pencil, so if you’re looking to create on the move, they’re worth a look. Replacing the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is a new 10.5-inch model, which benefits from a 20 per cent larger screen – meaning it can accommodate a full-size digital keyboard. And the 12.9-inch version has received an update, too. See also: Apple unveils new iMac Pro for design professionals What if Apple made a Surface Book? 02. SST typeface The SST font has variations for Thai, Arabic, Japanese and other alphabetsMonotype has released a new sans serif font, SST. Originally designed for Sony, the typeface lies somewhere between Frutiger and Helvetica in design. It can support nearly 100 languages and numerous consumer touchpoints, and aims to strike “a careful balance between style requirements and cultural sensitivities”. Available in six different weights and italics, it’s ultra-legible. 03. The Ink Fanatic's Bundle: PSD Kit Currently on sale for $49 instead of $79, so get in quick!Need to quickly add some vintage ink effects to your designs? RetroSupply is running a sale on a massive bundle of seven of its best-selling Smart PSD ink packs. Effects include halftones, ink rollers, screenprints, letterpress, matchbook effects and 70s ink effects – and each pack comes with bonus brushes and textures. 04. D&AD New Blood Plan your visit to spot some new talentOk, the D&AD New Blood Festival is in July, but now’s a good time to put it in your diary. From 5-6 July, once again London’s Old Truman Brewery will be hosting work from this year’s best and brightest design, advertising, illustration and animation graduates. Bringing industry and new creative talent face-to-face, this is the place to be if you’re looking for new gradates, collaborators or if you simply want to get a glimpse of tomorrow’s creative superstars. Plus, we’ll be reporting from graduate shows the length and breadth of the UK, so keep an eye on the site throughout the summer. 05. The Inspiring, Creative Vector Collection Thousands of vectors are on offer, with a huge range of stylesExpiring on 3 July, The Inspiring, Creative Vector Collection brings you a huge collection of world-class vectors licensed to use in commercial work for $29. The full price of the bundle is $2,503 so it’s a bit of a bargain. Head over to Design Cuts for a full run down of all the fonts in the bundle. If you miss out on this deal, click on 'Current Bundle' at Designcuts.com to see if the current deal is of interest to you. 06. Bittersweet: Noma Bar (Limited Edition) Noma Bar's illustrations have featured in Empire, the New York Times, Wired, the Guardian, Time Out and moreIllustrator and master of negative space Noma Bar has released a dazzling collection of some of his favourite illustration in this limited, slipcased edition, which became available on Amazon this month. Packed with creative inspiration, it’s perfect for the studio bookshelf – and comes with a print, too. 07. The Photocopy Hate Machine Priced at $29, the Photoshop bundle is packed with gritty textures scanned at 1200 DPIInspired by 90s alternative rock flyers, half-dead high school photocopy machines and the possibilities of cheap, mass duplication, the Photocopy Hate Machine Photoshop bundle is packed with gritty high-res textures, texture brushes and a smart PSD for instant results. 08. Fur, Hair and Grass Brushes These $10 brushes emulate the textures of fur, hair and grassFor $10 you’ll get 52 realistic, high-res, 3D rendered fur, hair and grass brushes for Photoshop in this pack from Instanbul-based Mehmet Sensoy. It contains two abr files: brushes below 2500px are for CS2-CS5 users, while brushes up to 5000px are for CS6-CS2017 users. 09. Stencil Type: Steven Heller and Louise Fili Pick up the cheaper paperback version of popular 2015 title, Stencil TypeThe paperback version of Steven Heller and Louise Fili’s 2015 hardback title, Stencil Type, is officially on sale from 6 July this year – but available now on Amazon. A follow-up to cult typography volumes Scripts and Shadow Type, this 352-page title presents hundreds of examples of stencils from the 19th to the 20th centuries. It’s a rich resource for any designer looking for type inspiration. 10. Watercolor ink Photoshop brushes These brushes were made from scanning real watercolour brush strokesAfter some realistic-looking watercolour Photoshop brushes? Try this set of 30 stamp brushes from MiksKS. Ranging between 387px and 1799px, the brushes were handmade and create a transparency effect when layered. Liked this? Read these similar articles: Is your design retro… or just dated? Are movie posters in a design crisis? What creative pros want from the next Illustrator CC release View the full article

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Freelancing looks idyllic from the outside. Working with the best clients, choosing fun projects, determining your own hours and working from home or wherever you like. But there’s a lot that happens under the hood to keep the momentum going. Doing the actual freelance work for your clients never takes up 100 per cent of your time. Soon you’ll be swamped with paperwork and admin – writing proposals, drawing up contracts, sending invoices, writing down tasks and managing your workflow. To accommodate that, we’ve seen an abundance of tools spring into the market to assist freelancers. You can now write proposals and send them directly to the client without ever opening up your email. Instantly glance at your revenue for the month and compare it to last year’s. Check how much time you spent on that new project last week. To help find the best, I’ve broken down the tools into the following categories: proposals, finance, legal, time management, workflow and bonus tools. Let’s begin! Next page: Proposal tools for freelancers The value of a great proposal shouldn't be underestimated – they can be the key to winning or losing a project. These tools aim to make things simpler by providing templates and customisation features. Many also enable you to send the proposal smoothly to the client and track its progress. 01. Prospero This stripped-back proposal tool will also help you price your projectProspero not only helps you create a proposal but also helps you price the project. There are no dashboards or even account settings – its strength lies in helping you create a proposal, rather than just letting you fly blind. It promises 'More client, more money, less headache'. When you create a proposal, Prospero asks you some brief questions, such as your rate, the time it will take you to complete the project, and the type of work you're doing (Prospero covers print and branding proposals as well as web and app design). It then smartly generates a proposal based on your answers, which you can edit. There's no design customisation (only text editing options), but the default design isn't bad. When you're finished with the proposal, you can download it as a PDF or send it directly to the client. It costs $20 per signed proposal on the Pay As You Go plan or $25 per month for unlimited proposals. 02. Nusii The proposal editing in this tool is attractive and simple, and once completed you can send it straight to the clientNusii's dashboard not only lets you create proposals, it also lets you glance over your sales revenue or proposal acceptance rate. It uses the available data in a useful way so you can keep track of how proposals are progressing. The 'send to client' experience is smooth, and you're notified when a client views it. The proposal editing process in Nusii is attractive and simple. However, visual customisation is limited and you can't insert tables – an odd decision considering freelancers often like to include a breakdown of deliverables and expenses in a table. A nice touch is that the tool supports a range of currencies and languages, so you can use it almost anywhere. It costs from $29 per month. 03. Proposify Select a proposal template to get started with this WYSIWYG optionA true WYSIWYG tool, Proposify comes with a range of templates. Though pretty bland, the templates give you a nice place to start if you're new to writing proposals, and the editor includes a range of customisable features (and even some basic drawing tools). However, it is quite like a word processor – you don't get that beautiful proposal writing experience. Priced from $40 per month, One of the benefits of Proposify is that you can embed videos and images. It also lets you create content snippets to drop into your proposals and reuse, which is a great time saver. Next page: Finance tools for freelancers Keeping track of the money coming in and out is essential to the sustainability of any business. If you're looking to get better insights into your earnings, try one of the following finance tools. 04. Invoiced This tool lets you work with whichever payment method you preferInvoiced was co-founded by a freelance web developer, and inspired by his own personal struggles. This tool makes it nice and easy to create and send invoices to your clients. The specific payment method is up to you – Invoiced integrates with Stripe so you can set up online payments via credit card, Bitcoin, PayPal, or even offline. The smarts of Invoiced are in its ability to track your collections efficiency, how long it takes on average for you to get paid, and any monthly recurring revenue (useful for clients on a retainer). It costs from $99 per month and if you're using an accounting tool to keep track of finances, Invoiced integrates with both Xero and QuickBooks. 05. Zipbooks This new, free accounting tool lets you track all of your financial informationZipBooks is an accounting tool that's not only free, but also beautifully designed and simple to use. You can use it to create invoices, track your time, manage payments and clients, track your expenses, and more. Once you're logged in you'll see a nice dashboard that displays your billings versus collections, revenue in the last 12 months, average collection period and more. Handily, you can set up late payment reminders for those clients that need them. 06. Momenteo With a travel expense feature built in, Momenteo is perfect for freelancers who like to roamWith its travel expense feature built in, Momenteo is a great invoicing tool for freelance digital nomads. Momenteo will also turn approved estimates into invoices without any additional work. Refreshingly, unlike many other tools, Momenteo just has one pricing plan, with the option to pay $20 per month or $200 annually. You'll get access to all features and unlimited use of the tool during your subscription. 07. Bonsai Send contracts, create invoices and collect payments, all via a seamless UX in this free toolBonsai is a free tool that gives freelancers the ability to send contracts, invoice and collect payments. Not only is the functionality of Bonsai great, but the design and user experience is seamless. The tool is easy and enjoyable to use, omitting any unnecessary clutter. When creating a contract, Bonsai will ask you a few questions, including your basic info, project brief, rate, when you'd like to be paid and so on. The tool will then provide an editable contract on your behalf that you can send to the client straight from the tool. Once electronically signed, Bonsai generates an invoice for you to issue. You can also set the invoices to be recurring – handy. 08. Wave This free tool contains all the bare bones of accounting software without the unnecessary extrasWave is another popular, free option. This straightforward tool has all the bare bones you'd expect from accounting software, but without the unnecessary bells and whistles. Its invoice flow moves through visual steps, making it easy to keep track of where a project is up to in the payment process. A nice touch is that you can create free, unlimited invoices on the go via the iOS or Android app. It's easy enough to send a receipt, set up a Stripe integration and connect your own bank account. Payroll features do exist, but are currently limited to the US and Canada only. You'll probably want to invite your accountant in to take care of the reporting features, like balance sheets and income statements. Next page: Legal tools for freelancers Not the most fun category, but definitely one of the most important. Contracts don't have to be as scary as they sound, and they're good for you and your client. While these tools are helpful and often include templates, if you're unsure about the laws in your country you should consult a professional. 09. Termsfeed TermsFeed has a range of free terms templates for you to useSelling products online? Chances are you're going to need some legal documentation, such as a returns policy. TermsFeed has a range of free terms templates for you to use, including Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. There's also a generator that asks you a range of questions and then builds a contract best suited to your use. 10. Shake Need a contract? Choose from a range of templates and get expert adviceA basic contracting tool, Shake by LegalShield lets you choose from a range of free contract templates. A nice addition is that you can choose a contract template for an assignment-based or licensing project, and send the contract through the app or via email to be signed electronically on a smart device. Once you've created your contract, you can choose to get it reviewed by a lawyer. While this sounds generous, Shake redirects you to a law firm, which requires an additional fee. The design of the contracts is very basic, and you can't currently edit the look and feel yourself. Next page: Time management tools for freelancers The one thing we all wish we had more of is time. Unfortunately, we can't make more time, but we can choose how to spend it. Covering everything from time tracking to scheduling to estimation, time management tools are useful for any freelancer, even those who don't bill based on time (like me). 11. Cushion Rather than tracking time, Cushion lets you schedule your hours for work and time offRather than tracking time, Cushion helps you schedule your time – and not just at work. You can schedule time spent on projects, as well as time off. It highlights when you've overbooked yourself, to help you avoid burnout and encourage you to manage your time better. Priced from $5 per month, it's easy to set up. Cushion also lets you display a badge on your website to show when you're available, which is helpful for those interested in working with you. 12. Timely A feature letting you compare your planned and logged hours helps you plan your time betterElegantly simple time tracking software, Timely greets you with a calendar view the first time you log in. There's no timer – rather, Timely encourages you to fill in the hours you've worked on a particular project. You can view the history of a project and gain a good overview of time spent across all areas of the business. This tool lets you enter both your planned and logged hours so you can see the difference in your estimations – a nice way to teach you to estimate your time better if you're always getting it wrong! Priced from $14 per month, Timely works in the cloud or via your browser. 13. Harpoon Create projects, track time, allocate invoices and record expensesThough it may seem overwhelming at first, once you've spent a little time with Harpoon and oriented yourself, you'll see it's a powerful tool. Harpoon lets you create projects, from which you can then track your average revenue per project (or per month, day or hour, if you prefer) and check outstanding invoices. There's also an event revenue forecast, with spaces where you can set yourself goals and define your work habits (for example, how many hours per week you work). This makes it a great place to encourage you to plan ahead and keep track of your goals. Costing from $19 per month, Harpoon is almost like an all-in-one tool, with smart reporting and dashboard features. The only things it lacks are contracts and proposals. 14. Freelancy If you bill by the hour, Freelancy will turn your tracked time into invoices – no maths requiredFreelancy lets you turn time tracked into invoices, quickly and easily upon project completion. If you bill per hour, it works out your fee. Freelancy's reporting feature gives you a calendar overview of when you split your time, which you can filter by date or by project to see how long you've spent on what. You can download these reports as CSVs and charts to send to clients. While automatically creating invoices from your time tracked is handy, you can also create invoices manually if you prefer. There's a one-off charge of $29.90 per person, for "unlimited everything and email support". 15. Toggl Track the time you spend on projects and view summary reportsAfter tracking the time you've spent on certain projects, Toggl uses that data to generate reports. The desktop app reminds you to track your time and lets you do so without having to log in to the web app. Toggl also lets you create private and team-wide workspaces. So you can manage your own time as well as collaborators' time, to work out the total time spent on a project. Toggl costs from $9 per user per month. Next page: Workflow tools for freelancers Workflow tools can often take a little more effort to get your head around as they can be complex, yet powerful. If you want to upgrade from a paper-and-pen to-do list, a digital workflow tool has benefits – especially when it comes to organising bigger projects. 16. Flow In this tool, you can set up tasks to work on privately before sharing them with your teamAt its core, Flow lets you create workspaces and tasks so you can keep on top of your projects. Like many workflow tools, Flow lets you collaborate with team members through task assignment and in-built chat. There's also a 'focus mode' that turns off notifications temporarily and lets your team know when you'll next be available. Users create tasks to be completed, which are then organised into projects. You can create team-wide or private tasks that you can share with your team members later. The calendar view gives you a nice overview of what's coming up soon, and you can filter to see just your own tasks or everyone's. If you find a bit of free time you can navigate to the 'unassigned' section to be pick up a task. Flow costs from $17 per month. 17. Azendoo Filter tasks, check the calendar overview, create repeating tasks and moreAzendoo is a powerful workflow and communications tool with a beautiful design and user experience. View analytics, attach documents, and group and organise your tasks into subjects. The whole experience has been thought through – you can filter on tasks, see a calendar overview, create repeating tasks, set due dates and add checklists. You can also broadcast messages, send direct messages to team members (if you have any) and view notifications. Priced from $7.50 per user per month, it's a great tool for keeping you on top of things. Next page: Bonus tools for freelancers There's more to freelancing than just finance, time management and proposals. Sometimes freelance life can throw up more unexpected challenges. We've rounded up three bonus tools to help you boost your creativity, get paid on time (without the stress) and prototype your ideas quickly and easily. 18. Just Tell Julie Got a client that won't pay? Just call in Julie Elster to get your money in the bankStuck in a situation where the client isn't paying? Julie Elster offers to work as your accounts receivable virtual assistant to help retrieve absent payments. She works by calling your client on the phone and being "thermonuclear nice". She has a proven track record, and is highly rated within the freelance industry. You pay $99 upfront, then when she collects she keeps 35% of the fee. 19. Briefbox Pick from a diverse range of hypothetical briefs to get your creative juices flowingBriefbox is a collection of hypothetical briefs to help keep your creative juices flowing when you're between projects. The team at Briefbox write a range of imaginative briefs – everything from designing local currency to creating branding for a painter – so you just need to pick one and get designing. Once you're done, you can upload your work to the site and get feedback from the community. A basic account is free, while a Pro account costs from $6.75 per month. Pro accounts offer tips from trade professionals, and constructive criticism on every submission. 20. Atomic Prototypes are a great way to get ideas across, and Atomic offers a quick way to build and share themCreate and share prototypes with your client with Atomic, the fastest way to design beautiful interactions. Import an existing design from Sketch or Photoshop (or design in the tool itself), then link the pages together and fine-tune the transitions to create your prototype. Once finished, you can easily share your prototype with the client by sending them a link. The client can then add any comments or feedback on your design. It's free for one user to create one prototype, or from $19 per month for more. Full disclosure: Femke van Schoonhoven works in marketing and design for Atomic. This article originally appeared in net magazine issue 284 and has been updated. Related articles: 25 tips for staying sane as a freelancer 7 underrated apps for freelance creatives How to market yourself as a freelance designer: 7 top tips View the full article

When you’re building a website, where should you place its logo? A quick glance around the most popular sites on the web provides a clear consensus. It needs to go in the top-left corner. Need evidence? Just check out YouTube, Vimeo, Amazon, Instagram, eBay, Adidas, BBC, Wikipedia, Reddit, Dribbble, Netflix, Ford, BP, Levis, Shell, O2, Sony, NASA and even this very site. McDonald’s website follows convention by slapping its logo in the top-left corner of the pageIn these particular examples, the logos are all wordmarks. But it's the same deal when it comes to symbol logos, as can be seen on the Airbnb, Spotify, Nike, Facebook, Pinterest and Apple websites. So is that it? Should you follow the crowd and stick your logo in the same place that everyone else does? Centre logos for a print look Well, if you were to centre your logo or place it in the top-right corner, you wouldn't be entirely alone. One category of website that often centres its logo is that of newspapers and magazines. The approach here is to replicate the familiar look of the printed version’s masthead. Examples of sites that follow this convention include Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Times, Financial Times, The Spectator, New Statesman, British Vogue, Radio Times and Wired. Online magazines like Wired replicate the print experience by centring their logo on their web pagesEven if you're not a newspaper, you may still want to convey the feel of a traditional printed document, newsletter or newspaper by centring your logo in this headline-style way. Examples of this strategy can be seen on this sites for Virginia’s Smithfield Station hotel, the foundation for artist Richard Diebenkorn, and fashion house Sunspel. However, let’s be clear: print publishers are in no way united on centring their logos online. Most British newspapers, for instance, stick to web norms by placing their logo in the top-left corner, including The Sun, The Mirror, Daily Telegraph, Mail Online and Daily Express. Doing so signals that the publications are forward-facing and fully immersed in developing their digital offerings. Logo placement outliers Away from traditional print publishers, examples of logos on websites that are centred or placed on the right are few and few between. Samsung is among a rare breed of website that centres its logoThere are some other sites that centre their logos, including Samsung, while the sites for Amnesty International and the Guardian have theirs placed on the right. But in the main, these are lonely outliers. Another notable exception to the rule appears to be search engine homepages, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, Duck Duck Go, Wolfram Alpha and Baidu, where the logo appears next to or above the search bar, although this can be very much considered a special category of website. Search engine homepages are a special category when it comes to the placement of logos So what’s behind this overwhelming consensus about where to place the logo? Why are logos usually placed top-left? Historically, placing the logo on the left was partly a function of how browsers rendered websites on screens. A fixed browser width meant that if your logo was positioned on the right (or even in the centre) it might not have appeared at all, depending on the size of the screen and the shape of the browser window. For the client who was already urging you to 'make the logo bigger', that was always going to be a no-no. The logo’s placement in the top-left has a long historyThe shift to the left also relates with how those in the West (as opposed to Asian and Arabic cultures) traditionally read printed content: left to right, and top to bottom. These deep-seated habits have naturally carried over to reading on digital devices, as eye-tracking research from the Nielsen Norman Group has shown. Why buck the logo placement trend? Given that the pattern of placing the logo top-left is so established, the only logical reason for placing your logo elsewhere is to deliberately flout this convention, perhaps in an attempt to catch people’s eye and make your site look different and innovative. And you might think that’s fine. Because although you’d never consider confounding users by moving the search box, menu button or main nav bar from their standard positions, that doesn’t apply to logos because they have no functional purpose, right? Wrong. Whether you realise it or not, your users do expect that logo to serve a functional purpose. Which is that when they click on it, they’ll be returned to the homepage. And so if it’s not where they expect, it’s going to massively disrupt their normal customer journey. Research by the Nielsen Norman Group shows how important logo placement is for the usability of a websiteIn fact, according to research, users find getting back to the homepage about six times harder when the logo is placed in the centre of a page compared to when it’s in the top-left. Maybe if you have a centred logo but a ‘Home’ button in the top-left corner, as Aberdeen agency JAMstudio does, then users won’t feel quite so disrupted. But in general, we’d recommend that if you’re trying to make your design eye-catching and innovative, you should probably just find a better way to do it. Logos in multiple places Placing your logo in the top-left corner doesn’t mean you can’t also feature your logo elsewhere on the page, of course. Many sites like to give more voice to their branding by also including the logo in the sidebar or footer. The Envato Tuts+ network boosts its branding by featuring its logo in the footer as well as the top-leftA good example of this is the Envato Tuts+ network of free tutorial websites. It’s easy to imagine clicking through from Twitter, following an entire tutorial and still not noticing which site you’re visiting, so it makes sense to add a little extra emphasis to its branding in this way. But while there’s nothing wrong with including multiple instances of your logo on your website, always bear in mind that users will expect each and every one of these to function as a link back to the homepage. Surprisingly, this is something Google currently fails to do on many of its satellite sites, such as Gmail or Google Drive. Even though the Google logo is widely associated with its search page, clicking on it within these services actually takes you back to the homepage for the sister service, rather than to google.com. Wherever you are in Apple’s ecosystem, the Apple logo takes you back to apple.comIn contrast, on all web pages in Apple’s network, including iTunes, clicking the Apple logo always takes you back to your local version of apple.com. Thanks go to Stewart Ainslie, WithPrint, Montgomery Kern‏, Mark B‏ and Alon Koppel‏ for their help in writing this article. View the full article

Every designer deserves access to great tools in order to create. VectorState provides just that. Dip into this huge library of assets any time you want by grabbing a two-year subscription, on sale now for 80% off the retail price. VectorState understands what creatives need to work. It seeks out quality vectors that could be used in just about any project and makes them available for designers. With VectorState, you get royalty-free access to more than 1.1 million curated vectors. That number is always growing, so you can be sure you'll never run out of inspiration. You can get two-year access to VectorState on sale for just $31 (approx £24). That's an 80% saving off the retail price for an essential library for designers, so grab this deal today! View the full article

There's nothing quite like the sight of a playful pooch to put a smile on your face, right? This brilliant selection of dogs are more than part of the furniture at various design offices and studios – they're an essential member of the team. And they're not just in the office on Bring Your Dog to Work Day(today!), but every day! Including everything from a high-energy Vizsla and flatulent Bulldog, to a couple of small but mighty Chihuahuas and a menace of a Jack Russell, here are some of the most characterful canines to brighten up your day. 01. Freddie the Jack Russell Freddie is Creative Bloq's unofficial office dog – don't be fooled by those big brown eyes!We're huge fans of our four-legged canine friends here at Creative Bloq, but, sadly, CB HQ is unable to allow them into the office. However, that doesn't mean we don't have an office dog. This furry fella, eight-year-old Freddie the Jack Russell, has recently started joining the CB team on monthly meetings, stealing the hearts of all the staff in the local coffee joint and luring them into a false sense of security with his big brown dinner plate eyes. He helps his human, CB associate editor Kerrie Hughes, keep the world's top design website running by keeping her very alert and on her toes. How so? By regularly stealing unsuspecting lunch-goers' sandwiches and generally being a total menace. 02. Sloane the Vizsla Sloane is quick to let her human Steve Fisher know when he's been working too longSloane the Vizsla makes the life of human Steve Fisher, the founder of Canadian UX, content strategy and web technology consultancy the Republic of Quality, all the better. "Sloane is a high-energy Vizsla that loves to go for hikes in Vancouver's north shore rain forest with me pretty much every day [photographic evidence can be found on Instagram @hellofisher]. She’s quick to let me know when I’ve been working too long by climbing up onto the chair with me. My office is made 100 per cent better with her around. #ilovemydog." 03. Ziggy the Bulldog "Ziggy is the glue that holds the whole operation together," says FrostLife is never dull for web designer Brad Frost with Ziggy the Bulldog around. "I work from home with my brother and my wife who runs her own business. Ziggy is the glue that holds the whole operation together. His snores contribute to conference calls, his gas clears rooms (it's his way of telling us we need to get up and stretch our legs), and his hilarious presence ensures there's never a dull moment in the office." 04. Scruffy and Duff the Shih Tzus (cross Spaniel) Scruffy (left) and Duff belong to podcast host Debbie MillmanAdorable creatures are Scruffy (left) and Duff provide their human, author, educator, brand strategist and host of the podcast Design Matters Debbie Millman with nothing but unconditional love. Scruffy, a male, is a Shih Tzu while Duff, the female, is a mix of that and a Spaniel. In an interview with Core77, Millman was asked about design and her dogs: "On their best day, brands could aspire to be like dogs, evoking that sense of connectivity," she said. 05. Franklin the Shiba Inu Franklin the Shiba Inu keeps designer Justin Maller groundedWe'd like to introduce you to Franklin the Shiba Inu, whose human is New York-based freelance designer and illustrator Justin Maller. "Being a freelancer is lonely," Maller admits. "Usually, there are no other people around. This has its pros and cons – people are great for loneliness but usually a pain in the ass for everything else. "Dogs are like people, but furrier and more awesome – they don't talk back, they learn tricks, do cute shit constantly and basically unequivocally think you're great. They also force you to get up from your desk and leave the house a few times a day to go on things called 'walks'." 06. Mattie the Australian Shepherd Mattie is Paula Scher's absolute favouriteMattie the Australian Shepherd accompanies Pentagram partner Paula Scher to the office every day. During in an interview with Fast Co Design, Scher was asked what the favourite thing she owned was: "My dog! He’s an Australian shepherd, my fourth one. Their names have all started with M–Matty, Mickey, Molly, and Mimi." 07. Sir Oliver Ottoman of the High Country the Havanese Sir Oliver Ottoman of the High Country, or Ollie for short, is always around to provide his designer human Stanley Hainsworth with some creative inspiration. The founder and chief creative officer of Tether, a creative, cross-discipline studio, Hainsworth is never far away from Ollie, who (as you can see from his Instagram account) accompanies him in the office and on design jobs regularly. 08. Olivia the Golden Retriever mix "Olivia is the most reliable creative partner we have," says Neo Pangea founder Brett BagenstoseOlivia the Golden Retriever mix is the resident office dog at digital boutique Neo Pangea. "Always ready for a brainstorm or a belly rub, Olivia is the most reliable creative partner we have… just don’t leave food out on the counter," says Brett Bagenstose, founder and self-titled 'Baron of Pixels' at Neo Pangea. Related articles: 10 ways to make your desk more comfortable What time should designers get up in the morning? The expert guide to working from home View the full article

From outsmarting Predator and avoiding aliens to just how the infamous flux capacitor works, these infographics all provide interesting facts on some of the best loved movies of all time. Check out this brilliant collection of movie infographics to inspire you. Use the icon in the top-right of each image to see it full-size. 01. Interstellar This infographic makes sense of Interstellar's timeline The 2014 sci-fi smash-hit Interstellar was visually stunning, but with a plot that hangs off the theories of quantum mechanics, it left more than one viewer scratching their head and reaching for the rewind button. This beautifully rendered movie infographic lays out the timeline for us, complete with character timelines to help make sense of the storyline. It’s the work of Frametale, an entertainment marketing agency with offices in Los Angeles and Instanbul, led by creative director Dogan Can Gundogdu. 02. Star Wars Episode IV Click the image to explore the full (much more impressive) infographic Why sit through the whole of Star Wars Episode IV again, when you can instead savour it in infographic form? SWANH.net, created by Swiss illustrator Martin Panchaud, turns the first Star Wars movie into an epic 123m infographic. Created in Illustrator CC, using 157 pictures across 22 separate files, it took him over a year to produce. 03. Die Hard Brilliant Die Hard infographics break down body counts, explosions and much more This brilliant Die Hard infographic breaks down body counts, explosions, plot points and much more – and there's one for each of the five films in the franchise. Having a certain way with words, we particularly like the addition of John McClane's more memorable and humorous lines. 04. Pulp Fiction Click the icon to enlarge the image Designer, photographer and Tarantino fan Noah Daniel Smith has shuffled cult classic Pulp Fiction back into chronological order in this detail-packed infographic. Back in 2012, Smith sold over 1,000 posters of his design via a Kickstarter campaign, and it’s since soared in popularity. Each character is assigned their own colour, but there’s also different line styles employed depending on whether they’re ‘moving’, ‘not moving’ or ‘dead’. Handy. There's also a Kill Bill version for fellow Tarantino enthusiasts. 05. Back to the Future The creative team at Sloshspot break down exactly how the flux capacitor sends Marty and Doc Brown on their many adventures An '80s classic, Back to the Future is a firm film favourite for many. With such a big following, there are hundreds of pieces of BTTF fan art online, including this brilliant infographic by the team at Sloshspot, which provides great insight on how the legendary flux capacitor makes time travel possible. 06. Inception A simple but beautiful design for the 2010 brain-scrambling movie Inception by graphic designer Rick Slusher We love this simple but beautiful infographic for Christopher Nolan's 2010 blockbuster movie Inception. Let's face it, given how complex the film is, a little bit of simplicity to explain it goes a long way. The illustration was created by New York-based graphic designer Rick Slusher. His elegant summary of the film depicts each character as a coloured line, and the layers of dreams as concentric circles. 07. Batman The comic book style shows how the Batmobile has evolved a lot over time Batman has many amazing gadgets, but one thing that makes him one of the coolest superheroes is his Batmobile. The vehicle's design has come a long way over the years, being continually updated to look sexier, sleeker and to incorporate the fanciest of tools. This infographic from Car Insurance charts just how much Batman's trusty Batmobile has changed throughout its history. 08. Star Wars Random facts, strategically placed, create this cool Darth Vader design Such a popular franchise, Star Wars fans everywhere are constantly creating artwork inspired by George Lucas' story. And this original design, based on Darth Vader's helmet, is another of our favourites. Type detailing random facts about the films have been strategically placed to create the clever design. 09. Alien vs Predator Useful tips for surviving Predator or aliens While it's an incredibly small possibility, it's worth taking a look at Steven Taubman's handy infographic about our chances of survival should two of the deadliest extra terrestrial lifeforms take over the world. Basically, humans wouldn't stand a chance. But it does provide some useful tips, should you encounter Predator or a face hugger. Although we're not sure how effective a bag over the head would be! 10. 250 best movies of all time Is your favourite film in this cool subway-inspired infographic? This impressive subway-inspired map of movies was created by designer David Honorat. The map shows the 250 best movies, as voted by IMDb.com users in June 2009, with the legend detailing genre of film instead of train lines. Take a look at the cinematographic subway plan and see how many stations you've already visited. Related articles: Pro tips for creating interactive infographics The 100 best infographics 10 best movie posters from the 1990s View the full article

While many great website builders and beautiful free themes make building your own portfolio site easier than ever, a little knowledge of HTML is really useful. It enables you to look under your site's bonnet to see how everything fits together, and to fine-tune things when the default settings aren't doing it for you. But all those tags can be a little daunting – especially since HTML is an ongoing project, with new elements being introduced as the technology evolves. So Digital.com has come up with this useful interactive HTML cheat sheet. Digital.com's HTML cheat sheet is a web design gold mineIt features a full list of all the HTML elements that you can browse alphabetically – in a very attractive isometric layout – as well as by category. Click on one of the html code tags to read a descriptions of that element, as well as helpful code examples that you can plunder when you try to implement a new feature for yourself. Code examples make it easy to get the hang of those pesky tagsPlus if you don't want to be eternally switching browser tabs when you can't tell your <article> from your <body>, Digital.com has thoughtfully provided a downloadable PDF version of its cheat sheet that you can save to your computer or print out and keep on your desk. There's even a PDF version to download and print outYou can find the cheat sheet – made with a little assistance from Mozilla – over at Digital.com. Related articles: 16 amazing HTML examples 5 of the best resources for learning HTML and CSS 23 steps to the perfect website layout View the full article

Cisco patched three vulnerabilities in three products this week that if exploited, could have resulted in a denial of service, crash and in some instances, arbitrary and remote code execution. View the full article

The good news is the cost of a data breach is down double-digits, the bad news the size and scope of breaches is creeping up. View the full article

Developers with Drupal patched three vulnerabilities, one critical, one being exploited in the wild, in Drupal’s core engine on Wednesday. View the full article

Researchers at CyberArk have developed a bypass for Windows PatchGuard that leverages Intel's Processor Trace (Intel PT) technology to execute code at the kernel. View the full article