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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.
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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.
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Lenovo said nearly a dozen ThinkPad and ThinkCentre laptops contain a hardcoded password flaw.
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Over 2,000 WordPress sites are infected as part of a keylogger campaign that leverages an old malicious script.
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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.
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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!”
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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.
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.
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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.
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?
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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.
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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.
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.
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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
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.
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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.
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ASUS patched a bug that allowed attackers to pair two vulnerabilities to gain direct router access and execute commands as root.
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Dueling browsers, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, have patched bugs and beefed up security.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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As smartphone cameras are getting better and better, more people are looking for ways to present their photos in style. Photo collages are a hugely popular way to show off a selection of images or collate ideas together into a kind of mood board.
But photo collage-making can be a laborious (if rewarding) task if you use Adobe's Creative Cloud suite – you may need the assistance of some Photoshop tutorials to get you started. However you could take some of the effort out with a dedicated collage maker.
Here is our definitive guide to the best around. Scroll down for the best free collage makers online, or jump to page two for the best collage maker apps you can download.
01. Ribbet
- Developer: Ribbet
- Price: Free (Basic); $4.95/mo (Premium)
Free online collage maker Ribbet has just got a lovely new interface, which is a delight to use. Pick a template, upload images, adjust sizing, round corners, edit lighting, exposure and so on. If you change your mind, you can easily adjust your template by adding extra rows or columns. This our pick for the best online collage maker around. There's also a free iOS app and one in the pipeline for Android users (see page 2 for all the best collage maker apps).
02. Adobe Spark
- Developer: Adobe
- Price: Free
Spark is a free photo collage maker from Adobe. Its simple interface means it doesn't require the same learning curve demanded by most Adobe applications. Simply name your project and use the various design options available to arrange your photos into an eye-catching collage.
03. Canva Collage Templates
- Developer: Canva
- Price: Free (paid plans available)
Canva is an all-round design package that you can use in the browser or as an app – originally just for iOS devices, but now available on Android mobile too. The basic package is completely free, but there are paid plans available if you want something more advanced.
Amongst Canva's tools is a big selection of collage templates, which look great and are easy to use. You can also spice up your collages with Canva's enormous selection of effects, filters, fonts, shapes and more.
04. BeFunky
- Developer: BeFunky
- Price: Free (Basic); $4.95/mo (Plus)
BeFunky is one of the best free online collage makers around. It offers tons of templates, a simple interface and seamless integration with the BeFunky Photo Editor. The free version works well, but if you're after more photo effects, higher-resolution downloads and the ability to use your collages commercially, you'll need the BeFunky Plus account. As well as an online tool, BeFunky is available as an app for iOS or Android.
05. piZap
- Developer: piZap
- Price: Free (Basic); $5.99/mo (Pro)
At time of writing, online collage maker piZap has a new interface in beta, and we're impressed with what we've seen so far. It's simple to use, there are plenty of templates, stock images and fonts to choose from, and you can add text and stickers to liven things up. A nice feature is the inclusion of Facebook banner templates, to help you upgrade your social media branding with ease.
The Pro version offers add-free designing, a much bigger selection of fonts, stock images and templates, the ability to download your collage in super hi-res, and more. There are also app versions for iOS and Android so you can piZap on the move too.
06. PhotoCollage
- Developer: Zygomatic
- Price: Free
PhotoCollage has a nice, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin name, and the web-based collage maker is no less simple to use. It works on Mac, Windows, Android and iOS platforms including touchscreens, and you can choose from collage templates or use your skills to create freeform collages.
You work with lo-res images, then once you're happy with the arrangement you can choose to 'order' a hi-res version of your design. One frustrating feature is that the editing tools aren't sticky, so most people will need to scroll up and down to find the ones you want.
07. Fotor collage maker
- Developer: Fotor
- Price: Free (Basic); from $3.33/mo (Pro)
Fotor is a professional-level online collage maker. Unlike some of the collage making tools on this list, with Fotor you can import a load of images, which are displayed on the right-hand bar, then choose when and where to place them in your collage (rather than selecting where they'll go when you import them). This is a simple feature that makes it much easier to put together attractive collages.
You can only get part of the way with the free version – you can design collages, but they'll feature the Fotor watermark, which isn't ideal. For advanced features, an ad-free interface, watermark-free collages and cloud-based storage, you'll need to go for the Pro version.
08. Photovisi
- Developer: Photovisi
- Price: Free (Basic); $4.99/mo (Premium)
Photovisi is a stand-alone collage maker with no fripperies and no photo editing tools to distract and confuse. You simply select a collage design, add your photos and drag them around till you're satisfied, then download it. What could be easier? If you want to download a watermark-free collage, you'll need to pay up on the Premium plan.
09. Google Photos
- Developer: Google
- Price: Free
Google Photos, once known as Picasa, is an image organiser and photo editor – but did you know it comes with a built-in collage maker? You can experiment with six different collage types in the hands-on collage creation screen, and they will be saved in your 'Collages' folder. It's pretty basic, but as you'd expect from Google, the interface is nice and clear and it works very well at what it does.
10. Kizoa Collage Maker
- Developer: Kizoa
- Price: Free (Basic) plus lifetime Premium memberships
The web-based Kizoa Collage Maker is one of the most difficult to navigate, but it does offer dozens of ready-made templates (both static and animated) for all kinds of occasions. You can customise the templates or create your own from scratch, then add photos, GIFs, videos and even stickers to your designs, and finish the whole thing off with some text.
Kinoa membership also includes access to a movie maker and photo editor, so you can accomplish any number of creative tasks from inside the browser.
11. FotoJet
- Developer: Pearlmountain
- Price: Free (Basic); $6.99/mo (Plus)
FotoJet is a free online collage maker that enables you to create collages, photo cards, posters, Facebook covers, Twitter headers, YouTube banners, fun photos and more. There are hundreds of templates for you to work with, including some of the most creative designs we've seen so far – such as this one, where you can add images into coconuts. The paid Plus option offers a much wider range of resources to work with.
12. PicMonkey Collage
PicMonkey's free tools give you plenty of control over your collages
- Developer: PicMonkey
- Price: From $5.99/mo (free trial available)
Part of the PicMonkey suite – a web app that also offers image editing, touch-up and design tools – PicMonkey collage is a fast and powerful way to organise your images into attractive shapes. Import images from your computer or connect to online services such as Facebook, OneDrive, Dropbox and Flickr. You can fine-tune your collage by adjusting the zoom and placement of your images, and add filters. 'Supremium' users also have access to advanced touch-up tools.
Once a free online collage maker, you now need to subscribe to PicMonkey to download your design. There are three different plans available, depending on your needs. However, you can design your collage for free, and there is a week-long free trial available, which is worth exploring before you shell out.
Next page: The best collage maker apps
01. PicCollage
Collage maker app PicCollage is crammed with features to help you create impressive collages from photos, GIFs and videos. Choose from a portrait canvas or a square one (ideal for Instagram fans), pick from over 60 templates, and clip images with your finger. There's a face detection template in case you want to add things like party hats to your friends, and you can share your creations to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SMS, email, and more.
02. PicsArt Photo Studio & Collage
PicsArt's collage maker is just a small part of an app that also includes hundreds of photo editing features, customisable filters, text options and a camera. This collage maker app includes over three million stickers, created by the community and all totally free. Which is impressive by anyone's standards.
You can use PicsArt as a digital art suite, with plenty of brushes and effects to choose from that'll take your creative options to the next level.
03. Layout from Instagram
Facebook-owned Instagram has released Layout, an app designed to help people create collages of their images and share their creations via social media. Layout lets you select and rearrange images by dragging and dropping, and you can also control the size of images by pinching, or tap to mirror or flip them.
This collage maker app includes a built-in Photo Booth that you can use to take spur-of-the-moment shots, and instantly see them laid out in various combinations. When you're done, you can easily save, and share your collage across your social media networks.
04. BeFunky Photo Editor Pro
The BeFunky Pro collage making app works seamlessly with its photo editing features to help you create collages on the go. You can edit the images in your designs with the touch of a button, there are over 100 templates to pick from, and background textures add interest. Plus, liven up your collages with stickers, overlays and text (there are lots of fonts to choose from, type fans).
05. Capcam
- Platform: iOS
- Developer: Christoph Ono
- Price: $0.99
The guys behind Capcam – called Germany's Best-Kept Secret (and they may well be) – reckon that the best way for us all to tell our life stories is with collages and captions. That's why the collage maker takes centre-stage in this cool iPhone app, which makes collating and captioning your treasured images simpler than a simple thing.
06. Canva App
- Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android mobile
- Developer: Canva
- Price: Free (with IAP)
Available for iPhone and iPad, and now for Android mobile users too, the Canva app is a great collage-making tool and offers lots of other design features too. Use the app to edit photos, add text, elements, stickers, borders, frames and more. There are thousands of templates to select from.
Share your design directly to your social media accounts, save it via email, or export it to your camera roll to use later.
07. Pic Stitch
- Platform: iOS, Android, Windows Phone
- Developer: Big Blue Clip
- Price: Free (Windows Phone $1.49)
Pic Stitch allows you to stitch pictures (geddit?) to create cool collages. Choose from 300 different layouts and 15 different photo aspect ratios, plus you can apply rounded corners, patterns, shadows, and any number of other photo editing tricks then share your masterpiece on the usual social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
08. piZap Collage
With the piZap collage maker app, you can put together collages on your iPhone, iPad or Android device. It offers over 1,200 layout options and 37 filters, and has been downloaded over 10 million times. It also offers over 2000 free stickers, if that's your thing.
09. Ribbet
- Platforms: iOS
- Developer: Foto Friend Pty Ltd
- Price: Free (with IAP)
Ribbet promises a streamlined editing interface that makes photo editing easy even if you aren't a designer. Drop images into one of the grid options and edit each one individually or the whole lot at once. The web version of this collage maker app has just had a cool redesign, so perhaps an update is on its way here, too.
10. PhotoVideoCollage Pro
PhotoVideoCollage brings video to the world of collage makers
- Platform: Mac OS X 10.9 or newer
- Developer: Bits&Coffee
- Price: $9.99
PhotoVideoCollage brings the classic photo collage to the next level. Not only can users add photos but also videos and soundtracks of their favourite music.
The user can select a layout template from a multitude of presets, add photos and videos to the layout and adjust additional settings like border width, curvature, colour and texture. The placement of the photos and videos inside the collage can be easily changed via drag and drop.
11. Collagelt
PearlMountain's collage maker app offers a straightforward way to create photos on your Mac, PC or iPhone. You can choose from its various templates to suit several page sizes, or you can start from a completely blank sheet – it's up to you. Choose from five collage styles (mosaic, grid, center, pile, free) as well as over 60 templates. There's also a smart fit feature and facial recognition. Its real-time preview means it is easy to use for people of all experience levels, and you can share your creations on Flickr and Facebook.
12. Shapecollage
- Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS
- Developer: Shape Collage
- Price: Free (iOS $1.99)
Shape Collage is an automatic photo collage maker that creates collages in different shapes in just a couple of seconds. You can create picture collages in the shape of a rectangle, heart, text or logo, all with just a few clicks of the mouse. The tool automates much of the process so you can just pick a shape, select your photos, and let Shape Collage do the rest – and it's available as an iPhone app too.
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The Oscar nominations for 2018 have been announced. Leading the nominations this year are The Shape of Water (with a whopping 13 nominations), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Dunkirk.
You'll surely be aware of Dunkirk (Harry Styles and Christopher Nolan. The Actual Harry Styles and the Actual Christopher Nolan), but if those other titles aren't ringing any bells, or if you're wondering whether it's worth investing an evening in watching one of them, take a look at this series of alternate posters
TheShiznit.co.uk has removed the original cover lines for each of these critically acclaimed movies and replaced them with what it considers to be the movie's real... er... USP.
Click the icon in the top right to see the full-sized poster
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is a fantasy film with an admittedly obscure premise: the relationship between a mute employee at a high-security government lab and a captured amphibian creature. The alternate poster spells out exactly what you're thinking.
Click the icon in the top right to see the full-sized poster
All the Money in the Word focuses on the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and his mother's struggle to convince his billionaire grandfather to pay the ransom. It's a heart-wrenching, emotionally hard-hitting story that earned an Oscar nom for Christopher Plummer. However, all of that has been monumentally overshadowed by some unforeseen casting issues that resulted in a hasty reshoot with the aforementioned Plummer.
Click the icon in the top right to see the full-sized poster
The snappily-named Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is in the running for a whole bunch of Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay. The alternate poster for black comedy-meets-revenge thriller opts for a similarly rolls-off-the-tongue title.
Click the icon in the top right to see the full-sized poster
It's been a trying year, what with various political events we won't go into here. In such a climate, the only thing to do – if you're Steven Spielberg – is to tackle the issue obliquely, in movie form. The alternate poster for bio-drama The Post lets you know exactly what Spielberg (probably) really wanted to say.
Click the icon in the top right to see the full-sized poster
There's something about seeing a mega-famous actor pretending to be another mega-famous person that really draws the audiences. Add in a fat suit and some incredible prosthetics and wait for the cash to roll in. Can you tell who that is in the poster for Darkest Hour?
Visit TheShiznit.co.uk to see the full set.
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You're reading Create Landing Page in 2 Days – Overview of Slides by Designmodo, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+!
As you may know, Slides Framework is our flagship in the website framework lineup. It is a professional product with a bunch of helpful features. You can literally build a website in minutes without delving deep into the code. It is one thing for us to tout our product since as developers we are perfectly […]
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One of the key things that working in CGI should provide is greater precision. However, it is amazing just how difficult it can be to get accurate control over CGI mesh placement in the 3D world of digital content creation applications.
This is where snapping can come in handy, as it allows objects to align to others via a range of desired parameters.
Whether snapping to the grid of the world or the vertices of another CGI mesh, snapping can be a life-saver when organising models and getting meshes correct down to the last detail.
While most digital content creation applications come with the snapping 'basics' of object and grid-based snapping, some allow more refinement such as enabling 'sliding' of elements along a predefined set of parameters, for example a background mesh.
One of the best features of snapping can also be the worst, especially when working in 3D viewports. Snapped objects can snap to the wrong place, and it is not until the view is altered that snapping mistakes can then become evident. To this end, having easy access to snapping controls, which also includes the ability to turn snapping on and off, is essential.
When combined with a movable pivot point, snapping is the basis for setting up animation rigs, which depend on accurate placement of joints at exactly the right point to enable convincing movement without causing unwanted geometry deformation.
Snapping can be one of the most useful tools for helping to set up scenes, but do not be afraid to switch it off when working with more organic shapes; the snapping function should be there to help you, not to get in the way of your creative freedom.
01. Snap by edge, point or polygon
Most applications have multiple snapping options for you to use
While most snapping tools rely on aligning whole CGI meshes to each other, most digital content creation applications can also snap by the core elements of a shape, namely the points (vertices), edges or polygons.
Having the ability to snap elements within a mesh can be hugely useful when retopologising a mesh or getting elements in alignment. Every application is different, however, so make sure to explore all the available snapping options within the application.
02. Step snap
Step snapping can help you if you're trying to create convincing hard-surface models
Step snapping refers to the ability to move, scale or rotate models (or the elements of models) by a predefined amount. The most common example of this is a rotation that is constrained to fixed angle amounts of 15 degrees or similar.
Using a step snap system is especially useful when hard-surface modelling as most man-made objects are created to tolerances, so mimicking that by placing objects 'by eye' can create unconvincing models.
03. Snaps and pivots
Using snapping on your pivot points will save you a lot of grief
Understanding how to manipulate pivot points in a model is a fundamental factor of becoming a successful 3D artist. Pivot points are useful for aligning furniture to floors, wheels to axles and horns to demons.
Snapping is key to this, as the pivot is usually snapped to a surface feature on a mesh, whether it is a vertex or the centre of a polygon. Having a pivot set by snapping rather than arbitrarily is important for preventing any issues later down the line.
04. Adjust the grid
Adjusting the grid size and snapping tolerance can make your life a lot easier
One of the most common uses of snapping is aligning objects to the grid shown in the viewport. Dependant on the size of the object being built, grid snap can either be a huge help or a major hindrance when it comes to building geometry.
Thankfully, most digital content creation applications offer an adjustable grid, which enables an artist to snap objects to a tolerance of millimetres, before switching to snapping by kilometres all within the same scene.
This article was originally published in issue 229 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists – packed with expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. Buy issue 229 here or subscribe to 3D World here.
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The new issue of 3D World is out now and it's full of inspirational insights into the latest visual effects and animation projects, as well as the best tutorials and reviews to help you improve your 3D art and make the most of your tools.
Here's some of the great content you can expect to see in the new issue, on sale now.
Buy 3D World issue 231 here
Feature: The shape of Water
Del Toro projects are often showcases for the very best of what can be done with visual effects and, while a deeper narrative than some blockbusters, the Shape of Water is no exception. We explore behind the scenes, to find out how this visionary love story was put together.
Practical feature: Visual language part 1
In this first part of our new short series, you will learn some of the fundamental rules that have evolved as part of the syntax film makers use to help viewers understand what is on screen. As an animator or VFX artist it's vital to have a solid grounding in this, so that you can deliver meaning and narrative in a clear and concise manner.
Houdini special
This issue brings a special theme to 3D World and we have a huge section on Houdini, the king of procedural workflows.
This issue has a huge tips feature, training pieces, industry insights and a review of the latest version, so whether you are new to generative art or a veteran looking to expand your knowledge then there will be something for you here.
Tutorial: VR sculpting
Follow along with Marin Nebelong, who teaches his workflow for creating stunning concept scifi ships in VR.
Q and A
Our regular Q and A section is hosted by Maya Jermy, Pietro Chiavarro, Simon Edwards and Ant Ward this month and cover a host of your questions.
3D World is the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists – packed with expert tutorials, inspiration and reviews. Buy issue 231 here or subscribe to 3D World here.
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There is something oddly satisfying about lava lamps. A soothing, colourful light and mesmerising waxy blobs raising and descending due to temperature changes.
It almost makes me want to touch and play with it. When it comes to achieving that beautifully looking material for a lava lamp model, you might find yourself stuck at first. It seems as though it should be an easy thing to create, but to achieve that realistic look it can be a bit of a hassle if you do not know much about materials.
I will show you how to make a very simple KeyShot material for the blobby lava floating inside of the lamp. It will leave some room for improvement depending on how far down the path of realism you wish to take it, but it will be enough to satisfy the eye.
Of course, there are lots of different types of lava lamp, e.g. waxy, metallic or even glittery. Let’s just focus on the most basic and best-known one, which is wax, and try to re-create that look. You may ask, what is so special about the wax material that you cannot just apply it to the part and move on with the rest?
Well, if it were just wax for a candle model we were working on, it would probably be fine to do so, but this is a completely different case. The lava lamp wax should emit some of the light we are going to fake and give us control over the colour transformation, to blend and behave within the set scene. I assure you it is all there, we just need to know what settings to apply.
01. Base texture
Click the arrows icon (top-right) to enlarge this image
Once your model is ready for textures, go to Library>Materials>
Miscellaneous, grab the Infrared Gradient material and drop it onto the model. In Project>Material, locate the Material Type setting and set it to Emissive.02. Feeling blue
Click the arrows icon (top-right) to enlarge this image
In the Textures tab change the reds and yellows to different shades of blue; light (left) to dark (right). Below, set the Gradient Type to Spherical. Changing the scale of the texture will give you control over the texture spread on your model.
03. Adjustments
Click the arrows icon (top-right) to enlarge this image
Set the Centre On to either Model or Part, whichever works best with the mesh. Now it is time to move the texture down to where the source of light should be. Go back up to the Material Properties and adjust the Intensity slider.
04. Surrounding materials
Click the arrows icon (top-right) to enlarge this image
Apply the Glass (Solid) White material to the sphere. Sometimes the liquid that surrounds the lava has a very delicate tint to it, so let’s set the glass diffuse to a very light shade of blue (R254; G255; B255).
Expert tip
Add a light source emitting from the centre of the lamp to light up the scene. Try other colour combinations for more dramatic looks. Changing the background colour and HDRI can make the colours pop out even more.
Learn more from Maya Jermy at Vertex
Maya Jermy is a regular contributor to 3D World magazine and has years of industry experience, working across various fields.
She will be at Vertex 2018 taking part in our panel discussion, along with other industry veterans including Chris Nichols and Brett Ineson, where the future of digital humans is the topic.
Make sure you get your chance to be there for the discussion, as well the workshops, recruitment fair and all the other activities we have throughout the day. Visit the Vertex site to book your tickets, from the free expo ticket, to the access all areas passes.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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The team behind the popular open-source framework Electron warns a remote code execution flaw could compromise user privacy.
Web Design Trends to Try in 2018
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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 […]
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