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January can be a tough time; all that festive partying, darkened afternoons and chilly weather means that inspiration and motivation can often be more difficult to keep hold of than usual. This tends to lead to stress – and a lot of it – which, in turn, renders you unable to focus. The best new tech for designers in 2018But fear not creative folk – here we’ve pulled together some of the finest gadgets that aim to help you get back to your best self. From nature-inspired structures to electronic wizardry, explore the technology that could bring the calm back into your creative process. 01. Fidget Cube Playing around with puzzles can often lead to a more efficient work ethic$9.99/£7.61 from antsy labs Funded through Kickstarter in 2016, this clever desk toy from designers Matthew and Mark McLachlan will remind you that playing around with puzzles can often lead to a more efficient work ethic. Featuring six sides, each features something to fidget with, whether you like to click, flip, glide or roll. There’s even a side inspired by those age-old worry stones that aim to get you breathing and reduce anxiety. 02. BiOrbAIR terrarium A little greenery can go a long way in establishing a calm and relaxing work environmentWe all know that a little greenery can go a long way in establishing a calm and relaxing work environment. If you’re unable to stroll around the park on your lunch break or escape to the countryside at the weekend, a terrarium is pretty much the next best thing. This one from biOrb is tech-heavy (and has a fairly hefty price tag) but that means it can take care of your plants so you don’t have to. Creating the perfect micro-climate for growing tropical plants, you can sit back and enjoy your personal slice of paradise. 03. Sona Sona keeps tabs on your heart rate and physical activity to measure your overall stress levels Wearable technology offers new possibilities when it comes to wellbeing, both mental and physical. The Sona bracelet wants to “train your resilience to stress” and comes with five Resonance breathing meditation sessions for focus and calm. It's perfect if you need a quick fix during small, intense bouts of stress-related anxiety. It also keeps tabs on your heart rate and physical activity to measure your overall stress levels. 04. The Pip Who knew that your fingertips could lead to a happier and healthier mind?Who knew that a stress-free life was at your fingertips? It turns out that the pores on your fingertips are extremely sensitive to stress. The Pip is an innovative gadget that reads these signals and turns them into a visualisation that enables you to keep track of your stress levels. With a scientific board at the heart of the design, The Pip allows you to be self-aware and, in turn, establish some self-care. 05. Thync Thync uses electronic pulses to stimulate the brainClaiming to be the first wearable technology that “actively elevates your mood and lowers stress,” Thync uses electronic pulses to stimulate the brain. If that sounds worrying, it does come with some solid credentials: this stress relief gadget was developed by a team of neuroscientists from MIT, Harvard and Stanford and has been clinically tested over 5000 times. Plus, with such a sleek design, you’ll be combating stress in serious style. 06. Wellbe Discover exactly what triggers your stress with WellbeInitially funded through IndieGoGo, the WellBe wearable provides insights into what exactly triggers your stress levels to rise. The bracelet monitors your heart rate and uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine your stress and calmness levels based on time, location and people you meet throughout your day. Cut back on the negativity in your life. 07. Face Of The Moon stress ball The ‘Faces of the Moon’ stress ball expressions change as you squeezeStress balls are a go-to toy for desk spaces, and while most of them do the job, this stress relief product from The Museum of Modern Art is truly one-of-a-kind. Created by Japanese designer Makiko Yoshida, the ‘Faces of the Moon’ expressions change as you squeeze. Produced using a unique texture, its addictive tendencies will help relieve your anxiety. Who couldn’t love a face like that? 08. Spire Spire measures your breathing, notifying you when your it reflects tensionWhen it comes to managing your stress levels, focusing on your breath is one of the most important exercises around. Spire helps to manage this by measuring your breathing, notifying you when it reflects your tension. Through its use, you can discover what makes you calm and focused or stressed and agitated, allowing you to be more productive than ever. Designed to clip onto your belt, you can also program your Spire to let you know when you’ve been inactive and it’s time to get walking. 09. Prana Prana tells you when you need to improve your postureBad posture is one of the most common problems for creatives who work at a desk. Thankfully, the team at Prana has created a stress relief wearable that not only tracks your breath but also tells you when you need to improve your posture. Designed to rapidly activate your body’s relaxation response through proper diaphragmatic breathing and good posture, Prana could enable you to have a calm working day in no time. 10. Muse Designed like a headband, Muse uses brain-sensing technology to measure whether your mind is calm or active You may already be well on your way to stress management through meditation and while this is proven to keep your mind healthy, you may have trouble sticking to a meditative routine or find yourself distracted during the process. Designed like a headband, Muse uses brain-sensing technology to measure whether your mind is calm or active, and translates those signals into guiding sounds, so you can stay focused. Related articles: How to avoid creative burnout 10 designers' New Year resolutions for 2018 21 ways to unlock your creative genius View the full article

Whether your interest is professional or you simply like taking pictures for fun, solid photography skills can be extremely useful for designers and illustrators (as is a decent camera and knowledge of the latest photography trends.) At the very least, you'll be able to take better portfolio pictures of your work – and you might well find your client work being enhanced, too. Edit your photographs with Adobe Creative CloudBut where do you start? What are the basics? This essential photography crash course will give you everything you need to take your photography skills to the next level. From focusing and composition to white balance and lighting, this guide will cement your basic photography skills, rid you of bad habits and leave you to concentrate on getting better images. We'll walk you through how to make the most of the controls on your DSLR to take better pictures (note that we'll explain procedures for Canon and Nikon cameras, but these techniques will work on cameras made by other manufacturers, too). (You'll also find plenty of tips on these photography websites, and for DSLR photography beginners – or those who just need a reminder – this DSLR cheatsheet is a handy resource, too.) Read on for our essential crash course in photography... 01. Take control of focus Use individual AF points to focus on off-centre subjectsLeave your camera to its own devices and it will focus using the central focus point. While this will produce sharp images in many situations, for more creative photography it's better to take some control over the focus point. Your chosen subject won't always be in the centre of the frame, after all. So the first skill you need to master is how to get your camera to focus on exactly the point you want to be sharp. Your camera has a number of focus points spread across the frame – you can see them through the viewfinder – and these offer an excellent solution for focusing on off-centre subjects. You'll need to set your camera to its single-point autofocus mode, rather than the multiple or automatic selection. The exact procedure for selecting individual focus points (and the number available) varies according to your camera, but generally on Canon models you have to press the AF point selection button, then rotate the input dial or use the selector on the rear of the camera. Look through the viewfinder as you do so, and you'll see the active AF point (in red) move around the frame. Here we selected the focus point on the lower left to focus on the most dominant leafOn most Nikon DSLRs, once you've selected single-point autofocus you simply use the four-way controller on the back of the camera to highlight a different AF point. The main downside to using the outer focus points on many cameras is that they aren't as sensitive as those in the centre of the frame. This means that they can struggle to focus in low light, if the subject is low contrast or you are using a lens with a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or narrower. You may also find that there isn't a focus point exactly where you want the camera to focus. In both cases you can manually focus the lens, or use a technique known as focus lock, where you highlight the subject with the active AF point and then half-press the shutter release to lock the focus distance before reframing the shot. 02. Focus on moving subjects Learn which focus mode you need to use – continuous autofocus is good for tracking moving subjectsFocusing on a static subject is all well and good, but not everything will wait patiently for you while you compose and capture your shot. For this reason, you need to master the art of focusing on moving subjects. To do this, change the autofocus mode from Single Shot (Nikon) or One Shot (Canon), to Continuous or AI Servo mode. Now, once you've locked focus on your subject by half-pressing the shutter-release button, the camera will continue to refocus as the subject moves, until Below Use Continuous autofocus to track moving subjects you fully press the button to capture your shot. You can choose from all of the focus points for off-centre subjects, but when shooting in low light, shooting low-contrast subjects or if using lenses with a maximum aperture narrower than f/5.6, you will find these outer points will struggle to focus. 03. Understand what makes a shot blurry When it comes to mastering focus, you also need to know why your shots aren't sharp. This can be down to focusing, but it may also be due to camera shake or the subject moving. You'll need to spot the cause, fix the problem, then try again. Incorrect focusing: If the softness is due to incorrect focusing, you may find that areas in front or behind the subject are sharp. if you can't see any sharp areas, incorrect focusing will give a uniform blur all around each area of the image. Movement: You can easily spot blur caused by camera shake by the characteristic 'streaking' of highlight areas. These indicate that the camera (or possibly the subject) has moved at some point during the exposure. 04. Get white balance right Selecting the daylight white balance preset gives a good balance of warm foliage and cool blue skies here You might forget all about setting the right white balance – especially if you shoot in raw, as then you can change it when you process your images later. However, you'll need to get the right white balance in-camera to be able to assess the exposure and colours of your shots and achieve the best results. Your camera's Automatic White Balance setting generally does a pretty good job of capturing colours correctly in most lighting conditions, but it's not infallible. The main situation in which you'll get better results by using one of the manual preset values is when your subject is dominated by a single colour or tone, such as a blue sky, orange sunset or even a large expanse of green grass. The Automatic setting removes some of the warmth, while the Cloudy preset emphasises itIn these situations Automatic White Balance can set a value to counteract this strong colour, so you will get better results by selecting a white balance setting that suits the lighting conditions, such as Sunlight or Shade. The actual white balance of the light at sunrise or sunset is close to the Tungsten or Artificial Light setting (3,200K). But if you set this preset you will lose much of the warmth that you want to capture in your shot. Instead, try setting the white balance to Daylight, or even Cloudy, to capture the orange glow in all its beauty. Check out our sister site Digital Camera World's Cheat sheet to White balance presets and article on How to creatively tone your images with white balance settings. 05. Set a custom white balance Take a shot of a white or grey subject that fills the entire frame (a piece of card is ideal) and is in the same position as the subject you want to shoot. Now select your camera’s Custom or Preset Manual white balance setting. Next page: Exposure compensation and high-contrast lighting tips 06. Master exposure compensation The dark background has caused the camera to over-expose the shotDeciding whether to increase or decrease the exposure of your shot can be puzzling, as the adjustment you need to make is often the opposite of what you might at first expect. Here's how to use your camera's Exposure Compensation function to lighten or darken your image. If the subject contains mostly light tones you may find that your camera will under-expose your image. In this situation, you need to press and hold the Exposure Compensation button, increase the exposure by turning the dial right to enter a value of +1, then take the shot again. If shooting a mainly dark subject, your camera is likely to over-expose the scene, so you may need to reduce the exposure. Press and hold the Exposure Compensation button as before, but this time turn the dial left to enter a value of -1. Read Digital Camera World's articles How to always get exposure right – exposure settings explained and What are the differences between the PASM exposure modes on your camera? for more tips. 07. Decipher the Histogram The over-exposed image is on the left, while the image on the right is under-exposedThe easiest way to check the exposure of your shots is to use the Histogram display on your camera's rear screen when reviewing your images. This shows the distribution of exposure as you shoot. To get the most from this handy tool you need to recognise the characteristics of under- and over-exposed shots. If there’s a gap to the left of the Histogram, and the graph goes off the right-hand side, the image is over-exposed. The opposite will be true for under-exposed images – there will be a gap to the right of the Histogram. 08. Deal with high-contrast lighting Learn to deal with high-contrast lighting and capture the maximum range of tonesUsing your DSLR's Exposure Compensation to adjust the overall exposure is fine for many subjects, but there are also times when the brightness range of the subject is too large for your camera to capture detail in both the shadows and highlights. This range is known as the camera's dynamic range, and while it does vary between different models, it's pretty common to find scenes where the contrast is greater than even the best cameras can cope with. With practice, you'll often be able to recognise these conditions before you start shooting, but the easiest way to spot the situation is by reviewing your shot and checking the histogram and highlight warnings. We shot one image at -1 exposure compensation, and another at +1. Combining the under- and over-exposed shots gives an image with detail in both highlights and shadowsStart by taking a shot and checking that the shadows reach the left of the graph. You can now activate the highlight warning display. If the display blinks to indicate that there are highlights without any detail, then your camera can't record the whole brightness range. When you are faced with this situation, there are a number of ways to deal with the problem. If you are shooting in JPEG mode, many cameras offer built-in systems to capture more highlight and/or shadow detail than normal images. The Nikon system is called Active D-lighting, while the Canon version is Auto Lighting Optimiser. 09. Try an ND grad lens filter ND grads help tame bright skies The traditional solution for dealing with high-contrast lighting is to use an ND grad lens filter. These filters are half dark and half clear, so you position the dark area of the filter to reduce the brightness of the lightest area of the scene. This is fine where a large area of the scene is brighter than the rest, such as the sky in an open landscape. However they are less useful for subjects containing smaller bright areas, such as windows or sunlight through trees, because the filter will darken the areas around these highlights too. 10. Create HDR images High Dynamic Range (HDR) has become a popular technique for capturing images that would otherwise have burnt-out highlights, no shadow detail, or both. To achieve true HDR images you need to take at least three shots, one under-exposed, one correctly exposed and one over-exposed. Then combine these images using either the Merge to HDR tool in Photoshop, Lightroom's HDR Merge tool or software such as HDR Efex Pro 2 or Photomatix. 11. Recover detail Set the exposure so you capture as much highlight detail as possibleShooting in raw will allow you to capture more highlight and shadow detail than in JPEG mode. But even in raw it’s easier to recover more detail from the shadows than the highlights. For this reason, when shooting high-contrast subjects set the exposure so that you capture as much highlight detail as possible. Next page: Pro composition, sharpening and saturation advice 12. Position your subject Positioning the main subject centrally in your shots can give a very static and boring compositionBesides choosing what to shoot and the best settings to use, learning the basics of composition is one of the fundamental ways to improve your photography skills. There are plenty of rules and theories about what makes the perfect composition, but the key thing that you should think about when taking your shots is where to position the main subject in your image. Moving your main subject to one side creates a far more balanced imageIt's tempting to put the subject in the centre of the frame, but this can produce static-looking compositions. It's often much better to put the subject just off centre. The classic approach is to use the rule of thirds, which is defined by imaginary 'lines' that divide each side of the image into three equal-sized areas. You then position the main subject on one of these lines, or where they intersect. 13. Make good use of space Giving the subject room to move into in the frame is good when shooting movement, animals or portraitsThe space around your subject is nearly as important to the success of your composition as the subject itself. First of all, you need to think about how much of the subject's surroundings you want to include in your shot. This isn't an exact science, but as a general rule you should include the surroundings if they add to the photo, such as showing the environment around the subject in a portrait or wildlife image. Alternatively, a tighter composition that excludes the surroundings can help to make the main subject dominate the image. A picture can appear cramped if there’s little space for the subject to ‘look’ or move intoOne key aspect of using space in your shots is particularly applicable to action shots and portraits. When looking at images of moving subjects, you naturally look ahead into the area that it's travelling towards. For this reason, it's a good idea to leave more space ahead of the subject for it to move into than there is behind it, otherwise your shot can end up looking rather unbalanced. Portraits can also benefit from a similar composition technique. Leaving some space on the side that your subject is looking into instantly creates a considerably more balanced composition. 14. Sharpen your shots When sharpening a shot, always use the smallest amount that just makes the detail in your shot crisp and sharpGetting the most from your imaging software is a skill that takes time to master. It's tempting to think that the more sharpening you apply to your images, the sharper they'll appear. But you need to exercise some restraint; otherwise you'll end-up with increased noise and ugly 'haloes'. One of the most common causes of over-sharpening is applying it at the wrong stage in your processing, or even applying it to images that have already been sharpened. If you shoot JPEG images, these may have been sharpened already in-camera, so you need to take great care when applying extra sharpening. Raw files won't have had any sharpening applied in-camera, but it can be applied when processing your images. You just need to decide whether it's best to apply it to your raw conversions, or later on. Zoom in to 100% to spot any over sharpeningThe best way to avoid over-sharpening is to make it one of the last adjustments that you make to your pictures, so if you are going to be editing your shots in Photoshop Elements or CS, then it's best to turn off any in-camera or raw conversion sharpening. The most obvious side-effect of applying too much sharpening is a halo around details in your shots, the result of using a high Radius setting. To spot this, zoom in to 100% on an area of the image containing dark lines or fine details against a lighter background. Here's a super tip: if applying sharpening to your images using photoshop's unsharp Mask filter, the key is to be subtle. As a starting point, try to use an amount of between 50 and 80%, a Radius of 1 and a Threshold of between 2 and 5. 15. Use saturation Using the drop-down menu in the Hue/Saturation window allows you to decrease the saturation of individual colours, without losing detailSimilar to sharpening, saturation needs to be used with care if you want to avoid your images looking garish and over-cooked. In many scenes you'll find that some colours are much more saturated than others, especially reds and greens, so rather than simply adjusting the saturation of the whole image, you can also target individual colours using the Hue/Saturation control. Related articles: The 33 best photo apps How to enhance photography on your website 15 essential photo editor apps View the full article

2017 was a big year for the tech industry, with voice-first gadgets and virtual reality (VR) among some of the major highlights. This year will be all about usability: taking these technologies and making them accessible and enjoyable for the everyday user. This puts great responsibility in the hands of UX designers, and agility and collaboration will be more important than ever. What does 2018 hold for UX, and what does this mean for designers? Here are our top five UX trends to look out for this year. 01. The rise of voice-first In 2018 we need to up our game when it comes to voice UX Voice well and truly made its mark in 2017, with an estimated 30 million households now owning a voice-first device. Alas, many of these gadgets remain underutilised. The technology is there and we’re willing to buy it, but it doesn’t yet blend into daily life as easily as it should. In 2018, understanding and designing for voice will be absolutely crucial. By 2022, 55 per cent of all US households will own voice-enabled speakers, so making these as user-friendly as possible will be a priority. The rise of voice also signals a shift towards 'screenless' design; essentially reducing the number of physical touchpoints between the user and their device. This will give UX designers plenty of room to innovate and experiment, but it’s not without its challenges. The big question in 2018 will be how to make voice-first and screenless design as comfortable for the mainstream as possible. Read our 8 tips for designing voice interfaces article for help. 02. Virtual reality for the masses VR will creep more and more into our everyday lives Another phenomenon on the cusp of mass adoption is virtual reality. The VR web cogs have long been turning, but VR is still more of a novelty than the norm. However, this could all be about to change. The global virtual reality market is expected to be worth 26.89 billion USD by 2022, compared to 2.02 billion in 2016. More and more, VR will slip into our everyday lives. From entertainment to retail to the medical sector, immersive technology will transform the user experience in a big way. VR will no longer be a futuristic wonder; rather, the user will come to expect it. But there’s a catch. Virtual reality can only work its way into the mainstream with the help of great UX. This places huge responsibility in the hands of UX designers – not to mention a steep learning curve. In 2018, designers will need to master the art of creating more convincing user experiences than ever before. From building realistic VR environments to making user-friendly headsets, VR will transform almost every part of the design process. This year, UXers must prepare to develop innovative approaches, learn new patterns, frameworks and techniques and, above all, to adapt quickly. Read our guide to the VR web to start you off, plus check out the best VR podcasts and 5 ways to create more immersive VR experiences for more inspiration. 03. Collaboration is king New focuses mean working with other specialists is essential For many design teams, voice-first and VR is uncharted territory. Not only do UX designers need to adopt new approaches; they also need to effectively communicate these to developers. When it comes to navigating this fast-evolving landscape, teamwork is more important than ever. In particular, designers and developers will need to pull together to make sure this new wave of technologies is ready for mass adoption. For UXers, this means making sure your skill set is up to the challenge. Communication and agility will be absolutely key... but this has long been true of UX. 2018 will bring with it a greater need to understand the developer’s work. Designers who are comfortable with code will be the driving force behind innovations in UX, and learning frontend development skills may be the key to smoother collaboration. Read How to ensure a successful collaboration and How to bridge the gap between design and development for useful tips. 04. UX reaches the boardroom UX is finally getting proper recognition The good news for UX designers is that user experience is finally getting the recognition it deserves. An all-too-common UX problem is a lack of internal understanding. Designers want to create the best possible user experience, but aren’t always able to convince management teams of how important this is. In reality, of course, UX is pivotal: over the last 10 years alone, design-driven businesses have outperformed the stock market by 228 per cent. At last, more and more brands are catching on. Here at CareerFoundry, we have been approached by several CEOs of multinational brands to train their entire management team on UX. This demonstrates a notable shift in attitude that will only continue throughout 2018. UX will no longer be a topic reserved for web designers; it will be acknowledged as one of the most crucial branding elements, and thus made a priority for the business as a whole. 05. Tools for all Tools to help improve workflow will be game-changers in 2018 As UX increasingly becomes a team effort, one of the biggest challenges for businesses in 2018 will be maintaining efficient workflows. Project management tools and internal communication platforms will play an even bigger role this year. Likewise, we can expect to see much more focus on collaborative, cloud-based tools. Closer collaboration between designers and developers may also give rise to a new generation of tools. We will start to see more and more programs that are not solely for designers or developers, but rather have been created to help the two converge. Read more: 30 web design tools to speed up your workflow in 2018 The theory of UX 7 UX tools to try this year View the full article

Web developers have a very important job. They keep the gears turning behind the scenes on all of your favourite applications and sites. It's a career that rewards structure as much as it does creativity, and you can join their ranks by working your way through the Ultimate Front End Developer Bundle. It's on sale now for just $39 (approx. £29). The Ultimate Front End Developer Bundle is the perfect place for any aspiring developer to get their start. This collection of eight professionally-taught courses can help anyone – even a total amateur – learn how to code using the most important languages in web development, from JavaScript to HTML5 and CSS3. As you work your way through this bundle of courses, you'll start to bring your dream designs to life and just may launch a new career. You can get the Ultimate Front End Developer Bundle on sale for just $39 (approx. £29), which is 96% off the full retail price. That’s a massive saving on a bundle that could help you get a start in a growing industry, so grab this deal today. The eight courses in this bundle are: Complete Guide to Front-End Web Development & Design Learn to Code JavaScript For Web Designers & Developers The Complete HTML & CSS Course: From Novice To Professional The Complete jQuery Course: From Beginner To Advanced JavaScript & jQuery Basics for Beginners Advanced JavaScript JavaScript: Gentle Introduction for Beginners Website Wireframing with HTML5 & CSS3 About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at:deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: 20 useful tools for web developers Best web designs of 2017 revealed 12 huge web design trends for 2018 View the full article

Here I'll be talking about the process of creating ReY, a character that I made for the Beyond Human challenge (real-time) on ArtStation. I decided to develop my own character design, and here I will take us from concept art to final render. Eventually I even did a few animations for ReY; she's a character for a game, after all, so she has to be 'alive'. I really like characters designed by Anna Cattish and Jamie Hewlett, so I took these as a kind of base for my own design. I was also focused on the Overwatch style in my workflow, and I strongly recommend you guys take a look at it. I used mostly ZBrush, aside from some hard-surface parts. Here I switched to 3ds Max instead, because it's more comfortable for me. I also did retopology and the character's pose sketch in 3ds Max, and GoZ was a great help here. Download the files for this tutorial. 30 inspiring examples of 3D art01. Block in proportions Start with spheres and cylinders then build from there Usually, in the very beginning, I use spheres and cylinders. Then with the Transpose tool and Move brush I build primary masses and proportions of the character. It's beneficial here to think about famous Disney movies, and you can also find tons of references on the ArtStation website. 02. Sculpt the head and body Anatomy matters, even when you're making a stylised character You should always remember anatomy. Keep in mind where bones and muscles should be, and how it all works. This is important even when you are creating a cartoonish stylised character. All main shapes and proportions are based on real anatomy, and when you do it right, you can then move on and play with proportions. For example, you can increase the character's head and eye size, or make their legs longer. 03. Add uncomplicated clothes Don't waste time labouring over more detail than you need Here I keep using primitives to create stuff like clothes, accessories, hair and so on. At this point, it would be a good idea to decide how many details you'd like to use in your design – as a stylised character it doesn't have to be 'noisy' or too complex. 04. Use polygroups and DynaMesh Polygroups will make your life a lot easier You can create a hand as a single object and add fingers to it using CurveTube or cylinders. Then you can use DynaMesh to combine all of that with Polygroups (just activate Groups in the DynaMesh settings). Different Polygroups will be helpful later on when creating a pose for your character. 05. Call on useful brushes A good collection of standard brushes is essential for pain-free modelling I often use standard brushes like ClayBuildup, Move, Dam_Standard and hPolish. Very rarely I use Standard, Clay, TrimDynamic, Inflate, Move Topological, Pinch, Layer or CurveTube. Also, I would recommend you to download Orb brushes. For polypaint I use Pen A or create my own brushes – it depends on the purpose. 06. Create the hair Make some hair using whatever package works best for you There are several methods when it comes to making the hair. You can create hair using generators in Maya and 3ds Max or use FiberMesh in ZBrush. Also, you can bake or just draw hair on a plain surface with an alpha channel. Personally, I prefer to create hair using CurveTube, and when the first shape is finished, I use hPolish to give it some smoothness and to adjust the shape. How to perfect hair in your 3D portraits07. Adjust clothes Make edges lie correctly on the form with ZRemesher Here I use Mask Lasso and Extract. You can adjust shapes using the Move brush. At this point, I use ZRemesher to make edges lie correctly on the form. Sometimes I begin with creating some folds or use guides to make a mesh. 08. Create folds Some folds in clothing look good, but you won't need too many You can use Marvelous Designer as a starting point, but I prefer to use Orb_Cracks, to make the folds exactly how I want them. Remember, our character is stylised, so don't make it too realistic by adding too many folds. 09. Make hard surfaces Similarly, don't go too mad with flaws in your hard surfaces I did base meshes in 3ds Max and finalised them in ZBrush. Bumps, cracks, scratches – but you have to know when to stop. I also used ZModeler to crease edges. 10. Add textures Substance Painter's a straightforward way to start adding textures When retopology and UVs are done, we can finally take care of textures. I love Substance Painter for its simplicity and massive number of instruments. I prefer a Spec/Gloss workflow because it gives more options for working with materials. Where to find free textures for 3D projects 13 best SketchUp textures 11. Time to bake Use these settings to ensure a great bake For baking, I usually use the following settings. Antialiasing 8x8 only for Normal, W_normal, Curvature and Position maps. Antialiasing for AO and Thickness – none, because calculating will take too much time. For the AO settings, I increase the number of Rays to 256. I prefer Uniform Distribution with a Max Occluded Distance value from 0.5 to 0.8. Firstly I bake each piece of geometry separately and then bake them all together to create an additional AO map. As a result of this, I have local AO and global AO so that I can combine them in Photoshop. 12. Design colour schemes A strong palette will make all the difference to your character At the very beginning I just fill everything with a flat colour, and then I try to find more interesting colours for my character. There is tons of information about palettes and colour theory on the internet. You can find a picture that looks good and simply pick some colours directly from it. Keep in mind that Substance Painter works in sRGB colour space, and that the colour you have chosen may be not as bright. After that I adjust Specular and Glossiness for each piece. I try to keep my materials list organised and straightforward. 13. Throw in a little noise The barest layer of noise will break up your colours nicely You can add a little noise to solid colours by using Procedural maps. Set the Overlay or Multiply blending mode with 3-10% opacity. It will give a nice effect of non-uniform colour. You can also use this method for Glossiness. 14. Use a Gradient Mask for secondary colours Use gradients to easily bring in some secondary colours Gradients help with adding some secondary colours to your main ones. Create a solid layer with a secondary colour through a gradient mask which you can draw by hand or use projection. 15. Include scratches, edges and dirt Substance Designer's mask generators are ideal for giving clothes a worn look Here I add a worn effect to the clothes. By using the Curvature map, I create shabby borders and add some dirt to the seams. There are a lot of cool Mask Generators in Substance Painter. For example, you can add some warp distortion to make the seams look more exciting and then drop a Grunge mask with multiple on top of it. 16. Paint the skin There are more colours to human skin than you think; use them! There are tons of colours on the human body and skin. Orange tan, pink hands, darker elbows, yellowish bones that you can sometimes see through the skin, bluish areas under the eyes, rosy cheeks, and red lips and nose. So, you have to keep all that in mind. Tip: I use a red Emissive map with a very low opacity to fake some kind of SSS effect. 17. Bake some lighting Bake some lighting into your model I like the Baked Lighting filter. By using it, you can adjust basic lights and shadows just like in hand-painted textures! You can play with the filter settings, such as the colours of the light sources and blend mode variations. 18. Add final details Finish things off with a few ropey tats To finalise my character, I added some tattoos on her skin. It's a mixture of sci-fi and stick n' poke. At some point, I was going to add more dirt, so I even created a custom brush alpha. But in the end, it all turned out too noisy, and I used it only with a low opacity level. 19. Give them cool hair Give the hair a good glossy Overwatch look I like how hair looks in Overwatch, so I tried to create something similar. Anisotropy works well for the highlights on hair. To use it you need to create a Position map, and also a good Glossiness map to make highlights less solid. 20. Perfect the metal Use Anisotropy on your metal and fiddle with the settings until it looks good For metallic parts I also use Anisotropy. But here it's much easier: just activate Anisotropy in material in Marmoset Toolbag and play with the settings. 21. Rig and skin Use a Biped rig in 3ds Max (unless you're using Maya) I rigged in 3ds Max using Biped and I created some additional bones for the hair and clothes. The weapons also had their own bones. I don't want to offend anyone who uses 3ds Max, but this was my last rig and last animation made in this program. I have now switched over to Maya. 22. Animate your character Once your model's rigged you can have fun animating it Usually I will fix the final character's pose in ZBrush, but this wasn't the case with ReY because I was planning to create a few short animations in order to make my character more alive. I eventually created a set of standard animations such as Idle, Attack and Run. 23. Adjust materials in Marmoset Toolbag When you're done, adjust the materials and light in Marmoset Toolbag Well, we're almost at the end! Now you can open your model in Marmoset Toolbag and adjust materials and light. There's nothing tricky, but you have to remember that Marmoset Viewer does have some limitations. 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. Related articles: 10 best video game character designs How to improve your character art 4 free games engines to download today View the full article

Skies are one of the most beautiful things you can witness in nature, and are often a great source of inspiration for artists – but how do you paint them with oils? A common mistake when painting landscapes and cityscapes is to treat the sky as the last step of the painting, as an afterthought, which makes it look like it doesn't belong with the rest of the scene. It should be painted in connection with the rest of the painting in order to achieve a convincing and homogeneous result in terms of colours, brushwork, tones and composition. So think at the beginning about how you want to depict the sky, how much importance and space you want to give it, and the mood that you are aiming to convey with it. Another tendency artists have with skies is to over-blend. It is tempting to keep pushing the paint around, but then all the colours end up in a big grey puddle. Instead, try having distinct areas and visible brushstrokes with a combination of soft edges and hard edges to keep things interesting. Keeping this in mind, here are five simple tips for painting skies that I've learned over the years, that will hopefully help you achieve beautiful convincing skies with oil paints. But remember, the main tip should always be to have fun! 01. Study the colours Ignore your brain and look for what colours are really in the sky It is easy to get caught out painting a sky with your brain instead of your eyes. The brain tells you the sky is blue. The eyes, if you make them work hard, will see hues of blue, yellow, pink and green. Really look for the colours and enjoy expressing them freely. You might want to avoid using pure colours, though, as the sky is rarely pure blue and the clouds are rarely pure white. Instead, use various mixes that contain pigments present in the rest of the painting. This will harmonise the whole scene. Embrace the dull grey areas in the sky as they enhance the bright highlights. Indeed, your most vibrant light will often look the most intense next to a grey cloud. 02. Be bold with brushes Skies present you with a great opportunity to have fun with brushes Skies are often the most abstract part of a landscape, so you can really have fun conveying energy and drama with big brushstrokes applied with freedom. This is the part of the painting where you can truly showcase your brushwork and your personality as a painter. Reconnect with the two-year-old child inside of you who used to have fun with brushes! Use your largest brushes and be as loose as you can, but try to make every brushstroke count. You don't need to show things exactly as they are, you can adjust elements to improve the composition and create more or less drama. What matters is that you convey the right mood in a convincing way. 03. Use a ground colour A bright ground colour can give you some vibrant sunsets I usually build up a painting with layers from dark to light, ending up with the thickest application of paint for the highlights. However, sometimes I decide to use the ground colour of the background for some of the highlights, as in this painting's detail. This is a technique I often use to achieve vibrant sunsets. To do this, prime your canvas with a bright orange or yellow and then add the clouds, greys and blues in the skies, making sure you let some of the ground colour show through, especially in the most vibrant parts of the sunset. Finish with some touches of bright yellow mixed with white to really enhance the focal points. 04. Paint in clouds Treat clouds as three-dimensional objects and light them accordingly Having clouds that look like sheep or candy floss is a fear that most painters share. Clouds make lovely shapes in the sky, but when reproduced on canvas, they often look out of place. My advice is to view them as solid objects with three dimensions, which are affected by the sun. The sides of the clouds the furthest away from the sun should be the darkest, and the ones the closest should be the lightest. But remember to vary the application of soft edges and hard edges. Thicker or whiter clouds can benefit from strong brushstrokes with hard edges, while thinner or paler ones could be suggested with more subtle marks. 05. Paint trees and skies Bear in mind that bits of sky seen between branches should be darker than the actual sky One of the reasons I love painting trees so much is the way the foliage and the sky overlap and mix in a beautiful way. The area where these two meet can be tricky to paint, however, as there is a risk of smudging the various colours together. To avoid this, I recommend working with layers. I usually paint the dark mass of the tree in a thin layer that dries quickly, before applying the colour of the sky around it and filtering through the leaves. Here's a little tip: the colour of the sky through the branches is a little darker than the actual sky. When the sky is fairly dry, I apply some small patches of leaves that detach from the tree to depict the loose branches. This article was originally published in issue 13 of Paint & Draw, the magazine offering tips and inspiration for artists everywhere. Buy issue 13 here. Related articles: Paint an energetic seascape in oils Create sensational sunsets in Photoshop How to create a beautiful watercolour landscape painting View the full article

With a huge variety of fearsome creatures and characters to create, working with Games Workshop to translate Warhammer miniatures into Total War video game characters has been one of the most satisfying professional experiences for the team at Creative Assembly. In this step-by-step tutorial, we'll reveal the process we went through, including the tricks we used to speed up the creation of the large and complex Treeman character here. We’ll mention the methods we chose to employ in ZBrush and 3ds Max, as well as a suite of other programs. By the end of this tutorial you’ll have gained some useful insights into the character art creation process. Creative Assembly’s Danny Sweeney will be presenting a workshop at our debut 3D event, Vertex. Make sure you get tickets now and don’t miss out! 01. Examine miniatures, concepts and lore One of the most enjoyable steps involves getting into the mindset of the character. This includes reading the lore books and looking at the miniature/concepts to identify the key design elements and personality traits that Games Workshop has established. In the lore, the Treemen have a strong affinity for the lesser creatures of the forest – if required, they’ll strike ferociously to protect them from outsiders. It’s that balance of fury and benevolence that we wanted to incorporate into the Total War version. We ensure this by closely collaborating with the concept and animation teams from the very outset. 02. Amass references As well as doing the obligatory collection of material and anatomy references, there are vast amounts of illustrations both from Warhammer and mythology to draw from. We always begin by identifying and respecting the key design elements established by Games Workshop; however, it’s also a fun process to find places where we can add extra details for our own unique take on the character. Usually we try to find interesting movie or pop culture characters that have similar personalities and draw details from them. These details and ideas can be used to help convey the intended personality of the creature. 03. Blockout Usually we’ll have a proxy model already made for the animators, which is also a good base model with most parts already blocked out. It then becomes a job of defining the silhouette and primary shapes. This phase will also involve drawing in as many reusable pieces from other characters in the faction, such as the specific leaves and skulls. Reusing assets provides a huge time-saving benefit, as reused high-poly elements will already be low-poly modelled and UV unwrapped. 04. Make the face This is where the viewer’s eyes go first, so that makes it a great place to convey the protective fury of the Treemen. There’s a lot of aggression you can add to a character simply by mimicking the structure of the skull. Playing up the cheekbones and giving the eyes a sunken depth all helps to achieve this idea. Usually we will sculpt the face to almost surface-detail level before moving on to the rest of the body. The curves and shapes that you establish in the face are what you are going to propagate to the rest of the character. 05. Create branches The Treeman is comprised of a huge amount of branches to create and detail. A good system for tackling this is using ZSpheres for primary shapes and then using the Surface Noise feature (Tool>Geometry) to apply a bark alpha for the secondary/tertiary forms. You can easily hide the repetitiveness of the tiled texture by adding twists in the ZSpheres using the Max Twist slider. In ZBrush there’s an amazing plugin called UV Master, which enables you to unwrap assets with one click. This is handy in aligning the UVs to the same direction as the alpha you’re using. 06. Create the vine anatomy To create the vines that contour an underlying form, it’s a simple method of masking and extracting the pieces (Tool>Subtool>Extract). Having separate bits of geometry, as opposed to sculpting it directly onto a base mesh, means you have freedom to move vines around to better flow with shapes throughout the model. Once you have the general forms you like, you can ZRemesh the subtool (Tool>Geometry>ZRemesher) and use the Surface Noise technique again. 07. Add details In-game the leaves are transparent cards, so it’s a matter of blocking out a small group of branches with leaves. Make sure you find the right balance between getting good coverage without recognisable repetition (A). Detailing the trunk armour was as simple as finding a few choice alphas and sculpting over the top of them (B). However, we also used IMM brushes of wood chunks to create that splintered wood effect on some edges (C). To create moss, we used NanoMesh on a duplicate of the trunk geometry (D). Even though ultimately we’d use hair cards, you still want to blend that into the body better with some baked-in detail. 08. Make the weave pattern Masking a plane in Wrap Mode (Brushes>Curve>WrapMode) enables you to sketch out vine shapes in a repeatable pattern and then extract. This is done so you can then create layers of these vines, in order to effectively sell the sense of dense growth on the creature. It then becomes a matter of simply modelling any repeating pieces that simulate the larger clumps of weave. Unwrap and align vertically again to enable you to use the repeating patterns in surface noise. To avoid it all looking very synthetic, apply the surface noise to the geometry, sculpt and move the larger shapes afterwards. 09. Decimation This is an important step in making retopology manageable. Decimation enables you to import the high-poly models in 3ds Max while keeping it responsive; moreover, it speeds up the baking process as there are fewer vertexes to read. Before you begin the decimating process, make sure that you save out a duplicate ZTool – you will still need the undecimated tool for Polypainting later. And before you begin exporting OBJs to 3ds Max, paint basic colours for selection/material ID. 10. Low-poly modelling We made extensive use of the Wrapit plugin for 3ds Max, which augments the graphite tools beautifully. Sketching branches of polygons while conforming to the high poly lets you block out the major shapes pretty fast. The auto snap feature lets you use all of your regular modelling tools, which is also a godsend. All of these features help create a first pass quickly, without you needing to worry about polycount. It’s much easier to reduce polygons than it is to add more later on. 11. Fast UV base As you finish up your low-poly model, it’s a good idea to think about how to split your UVs. Create a multi-sub material – a feature unique to 3ds Max that enables you to group unique materials, and apply them to a mesh dependant on material IDs – to help visualise the UV islands. Then ZBrush interprets material IDs as different polygroups, which you can then tell UV Master to preserve as UV islands. UV Master will kick out a pretty nice base, which you can further refine in 3ds Max. If you use GoZ to bring the model back to Max, you’ll still have the material IDs to use as selection groups in the UV Editor. 12. Mega texture sheets Texture sheets for our characters are usually split between head, body, legs and accessories. For the convenience of authoring under one texture, we stitch together those separate pieces using an instanced UV Xform on top of the regular UV Unwrap modifier. The modifier enables you to squeeze and offset the UVs of the different pieces, and when the time comes to split the UVs again, it’s just a matter of deleting that modifier. 13. Polypaint This method gives such immediate and satisfying feedback. It can be quite easy to get carried away, but the aim of Polypainting is to establish the general regions of colour. Fine details such as the cavity and edges can be made using DDO. The Polypaint modes enable you to paint with blend modes similar to Photoshop, mixed with auto masking/masking to help establish gradients. Some parts here were reused from other Treeman variants, but thanks to the selection sets you made earlier, colourising to match is easy in Photoshop. 14. Time to bake In xNormal you can offset the high-poly models before you bake. Provided you’re using 3ds Max’s default measurement units, spacing the low-poly models by multiples of 100 in Max will line up with the high poly in xNormal. This will enable you to avoid using cages and simply set the ray casting distance to something larger, like one to two units. We’ll render the usual Normal, Bent Normal, Vertex Color and Ambient Occlusion. To keep your computer usable while baking, set the priority of xNormal to Below Normal in Windows Task Manager. 15. Refine textures We have plugged the Normal map into DDO to create very highly detailed cavity and edge maps. Afterwards, move all the other maps into Photoshop and set up a quick Marmoset scene to preview the textures. Add levels on parts of the model to provide more contrast in the Polypaint textures. We decided that the vine anatomy needed more definition between the individual vines, so we went back into ZBrush and created Polypaint from polygroups. We then brought that baked map back into Photoshop, blending it on top of the original Polypaint layer with a Soft Light blend mode. 16. Get it in the game Preparing the character for game-ready status requires a bit more housekeeping: cutting the textures up into the separate components; creating LoDs (Level of Detail) using Simplygon; hooking up all the textures into the proprietary materials in 3ds Max as well as making sure that all the models and textures follow specific naming conventions. From the character artist point of view, it’s now ready to be handed to others in the pipeline so that the Treeman can tear up the battlefield in Total War. Don’t miss out, book your ticket now at vertexconf.com. There are still some amazing workshops we’ve yet to announce so keep an eye on our website, where you can also find out more about the other amazing speakers, workshops, recruitment fair, networking event, expo and more. This tutorial originally appeared in issue 109 of 3D Artist, the magazine offering practical inspiration for 3D enthusiasts and professionals. Subscribe to 3D Artist here. Read more: New year, new skills: learn new tricks at Vertex 7 essential tools for game design and development How to press start on your game art career View the full article

You're reading Bright Colors Make an Elegant Return to Web Design, originally posted on Designmodo. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow on Twitter, Facebook, Google+! Color is a traditional design tool. Can you imagine a website without color? Despite its significance and importance in an era of animation, WebGL experiments and VR, it obediently stays in the shadow most of the time. Pantone picks a color of the year and it is often a popular design choice. Undoubtedly, it is […] View the full article

It's been an eventful year for Coca-Cola. Only a few days ago it celebrated its heritage with a bespoke typeface. Now its team of designers are already at it again with this new packaging design and rebrand for Diet Coke. In fact, this is the biggest product and design overhaul undertaken by Diet Coke in 36 years. As well as a redesigned logo, which tweaks some of the famous cursive font elements the brand is known for, Diet Coke has also launched four new flavours. These include: twisted mango, feisty cherry, zesty blood orange and ginger lime. The new flavours will be packaged in regular 12-ounce cans, as well as what Diet Coke refers to as "new sleek cans". On the shelf, these new cans will appear as tall and thin variants. Leading the rebrand is the ad campaign slogan "Because I can". It's an assertive, bold claim that reflects a confident approach for Diet Coke; and one that flies in the face of recent falling sales. The new branding as it appears on old 12-ounce cans “This visual evolution elevates the brand to a more contemporary space, while still using at its foundation the recognizable core brand visual assets,” says James Sommerville, vice president, Coca-Cola global design. Over on Twitter, senior principal at the food industry consultancy Technomic, David Henkes, noted some of the challenges that have been facing Diet Coke over recent years. It's a shrewd observation. With its slimmed down cans and clever, colourful banners that make 12-ounce cans appear thinner than they actually are, there are hopes that the packaging will be Insta-ready. North America's group director for Diet Coke, Rafael Accedo, adds that the new look will be "more authentic" and "more gender neutral and diverse". On top of this, the new flavours are geared towards younger consumers, who are apparently craving alternatives to the classic Diet Coke taste. Don't worry though if you prefer the original Diet Coke taste: it's remaining unchanged. Expect to see the launch of the new Diet Coke brand rolling out towards the end of January 2018. Related articles: Adobe and Coca-Cola launch design collaboration New Coca-Cola packaging celebrates the Lunar New Year Coca-Cola brings branding to the blind View the full article

We've seen some weird and wonderful print ads on Creative Bloq over the years, but none of them are quite like this latest offering from Ikea. In an innovative move, the retailer has published a print advert for a crib that doubles up as a pregnancy test thanks to its pee-responsive paper. Seriously. Mum's-to-be are rewarded for their troubles with a half-price saving on the crib. Appearing in Swedish women's magazine Amelia, the print ad is the creation of agency Åkestam Holst in partnership with material technology company Mercene Labs. On the surface it looks like any ordinary ad. There's an image of the crib in question front and centre, with the price listed alongside. It's the tagline that draws you in though, which reads: "Peeing on this ad may change your life." That's because when the pregnancy test strip at the bottom of the page is splashed with... you know what... containing the pregnancy hormone hCG, the paper changes colour to reveal a reduced price. Watch the add in action below (don't worry, the pee is applied with a pipette). A few things struck us while watching this advert. First of all, kudos to the filmmakers for using a pee-coloured fluid instead of the usual cobalt blue liquid that's at the heart of the problem with period product branding and other sanitary ads. Secondly, they should really tell you to remove the ad from the magazine before trying it out. Also, we pity the poor store clerk who has to redeem these vouchers. Their till's going to stink by the end of their shift. Joking aside, it's a really neat ad. And what makes it even better is that the technical advancements made by Åkestam Holst and Mercene Labs during this campaign have the potential to improve medical diagnostics. Related articles: 10 beautiful examples of illustration in print ads The best boozy Christmas ad campaigns Print ads play with the food chain View the full article

Browsing the portfolio websites of design studios and freelance creatives, you can easily have a successful game of bingo. 'About' pages brim with words like 'meaningful', 'impact', 'stories' and 'difference', and you'll be striking white-walled offices, brainstorm scribbles, bikes and plants from your scorecard like nobody's business. It shows that even creatives who craft the most thought-provoking, disruptive and provocative work for their clients can be a bit – we hate to say it – unadventurous when it comes to presenting themselves to the world. When to use humour in brandingBut whether you've just started out or currently run a decades-old studio with a zillion employees, it's never too late for a bit of self-love. Not only will it make sure your work is getting the presentation – and explanation – it needs, but rethinking your own brand can be a trajectory-changing experience that helps you recalibrate and prepare for the future. 01. Define your vision Double Standards' website features pictures of its Berlin studio and adjacent art space Whether you're creating a new company or having a spring clean, the temptation might be to go straight to the visuals – images are what designers do best, after all. But Ansel Neckles, co-founder of platform Let's Be Brief who works with brands and creative entrepreneurs to refine their positioning, suggests taking several large steps back. "Try to establish what you're trying to achieve in a broader holistic sense – a vision for your work," says Neckles. "From working out what you want to achieve you'll find a natural alignment with the folks that are working in those spaces and the clients that fit with that vision." This sense of vision, says Chris Rehberger, founder of Berlin studio Double Standards – whose bold typographic-led rebrands have been sought by everyone from orchestras to Lacoste – should hinge on your motivations for getting up and going to work. "Dig down deep, ask yourself why you're doing it," says Rehberger, "If you want to do it for stardom that's OK, but communicate that." If that feels too complex, reframe the question to ask where you'd like to be in five years. "It's combining these two poles, where you're coming from and where you want to go," Rehberger adds, "Somewhere in between you find yourself." 5 golden rules of self-promotion02. Align with your clients As well as working out what you want to do and why you do it, working out who you want to do it for may also help bring focus to your brand. "Knowing you want to work for Nike is good, but everyone will say that," says Neckles, using an example that often comes up when he's coaching. "Knowing why you want to work for Nike is better." The strength of Nike's brand, Neckles explains, is in inspiring motivation in their customer base. "If I'm working as an art director at an agency – which I did for many years – I want to find someone's work that supplements the concepts I've developed," says Neckles. "If you're not about betterment through activity and proactivity, or people don't take that feeling away from your work, there's no way Nike will want to align with you." Unpicking what potential clients are like, to see whether they match your own approach, is key to pitching for work. "You can then talk about the alignment of your brands rather than 'I make nice posters or I'm really good at typography', which may also be true," adds Neckles. 03. Promote your personality Hattie Stewart's site features a sliding puzzle for visitors Whether you're developing identity systems for FTSE giants or you specialise in the most niche comic styles, reflecting your work in your personal brand – and its most obvious representation, your website – is essential. For example, illustrator Hattie Stewart, who specialises in cheeky flower-filled defacements of celebrities, allows her website visitors to remix her illustrations as a digital sliding puzzle in a similar style to her own re-workings. Manchester-based designer Craig Oldham's site features a playful soundboard – reflective of Oldham's humour, but also of his status as a disruptor who is willing to do things differently. 04. Consider your logo When US design studio Dark Igloo first started working on its own logo, it decided on a mash-up of the state flags of its two founders Dave Franzese and Mark Richard Miller (whose first names combined also produced the 'Dark'). Although the state insignia says little about Dark Igloo's current work – which includes motion-heavy branding for Giphy and Miami-inspired art direction for Converse – its treatment of this logo and mascot does. A grizzly bear with 10 stars circling its head, the logo soon morphed into a cartoon character which the studio uses on its site, its lighters-cum-business cards and as its social media avatars. "It has a dazed personality, joyous and following the bliss," says Miller. Whether he's scrolling through an iPad on Dark Igloo's blog page or laden with swag in the shop, the bear is an anchor across the hectic site. It's fun, nostalgic and showcases the animation skills that Dark Igloo has in buckets. Coupled with a surreal landing page and a contacts section that you can play as a racer game, self-initiated projects such as Dark Igloo's ad for an '80s megamix board game that never existed (complete with wizard and dry ice) show prospective clients exactly the feel and ambitious scope of the work Dark Igloo could do for them. 05. Extend your personality through social media For New York designer Wade Jeffree, the idea of performance is a key facet of his personal visual identity, often appearing in his own work as a way of playing out design ideas or aesthetics. "It's a combination of time, discipline and being critical that has led me to where I am now," says Jeffree of his distinctively surreal and funny vision. Just as with Dark Igloo, it's clear from the consistency of his social feeds that Jeffree lives and breathes his personal brand, expressing himself through colour, awkward angles and weird props – something essential for its longevity. "You also need to be honest with yourself about what you enjoy making – so those things can get better." Whether you're part of a studio or a solo practitioner, collaborating with a copywriter, fellow designer or developer is a sure-fire way to get some much needed perspective on your personal brand. When Gabriella Marcella redeveloped the website for her print studio Risotto earlier this year, the advice and skills of developer and motion graphics expert Brendan Bennett was invaluable. "It's simultaneously easy and hard being your own client," admits Marcella. "Working with Brendan has been essential to ensuring decisions are challenged and thought-through. It was one big puzzle that was exciting to solve." 06. Nail the text Dark Igloo's bear mascot is a mash-up of the state flags of its two founders Although visual branding comes easily to most designers, expressing personality verbally might not be so straightforward. When working with designers and other businesses to help them talk about what they do, copywriter Roshni Goyate starts with a spot of homework: asking participants to bring in an example of brand language from outside their industry that's stood out to them. "We go through what is happening in those pieces, what kind of language is being used, and analyse what the brand could have said and why they said what they did," says Goyate. Untangling other brands' verbal communications allows you to see some of the choices at work, and make your own. The next step is a series of writing exercises that ask designers to describe what they do in their job to their grandma or to an eight-year-old child. "It's about getting them to step away from using jargon and established ways of communicating what they do, and show their personality instead," she adds. 07. Find the hook The first impression, Goyate says, counts as much as the 'About' page. "Imagine that the person reading your site has no time at all – which is all of us – but you want them to understand what you do from the first line that they read. With design studios, it's about being provocative or being brave and finding that hook that sets you apart from others." Goyate also recommends weaving information around a website through interesting labelling, so readers aren't overwhelmed with lots of information all at once. The most important thing is consistency – on your site, in publications and especially on social media. "It's just as important as your visual language," says Goyate. "You wouldn't use different logos on different pieces of collateral or different colours. In the same way, your brand language should be one watertight personality that you're communicating." Whereas Double Standard's brand language is clipped and conceptually driven, Dark Igloo's is equally as playful as its visual identity. "I think we want there to be a level of entertainment in it, even in the writing." For example, instead of telling readers to click the link to see more about Giphy, they opt for "Ditch water polo practice and fill a powerade bottle with vodka with Giphy to see the rest." The pair also devised the tagline 'Dark Igloo is a company that specialises'. "We never say what we specialise in," explains Franzese. "We could be puppeteers one month, animators the next, and branding experts the month after that. Come to us with the brains and we'll figure out the execution with you." The first impression, Goyate says, counts as much as the 'About' page. "Imagine that the person reading your site has no time at all – which is all of us – but you want them to understand what you do from the first line that they read. With design studios, it's about being provocative or being brave and finding that hook that sets you apart from others." Goyate also recommends weaving information around a website through interesting labelling, so readers aren't overwhelmed with lots of information all at once. The most important thing is consistency – on your site, in publications and especially on social media. "It's just as important as your visual language," says Goyate. "You wouldn't use different logos on different pieces of collateral or different colours. In the same way, your brand language should be one watertight personality that you're communicating." Whereas Double Standard's brand language is clipped and conceptually driven, Dark Igloo's is equally as playful as its visual identity. "I think we want there to be a level of entertainment in it, even in the writing." For example, instead of telling readers to click the link to see more about Giphy, they opt for "Ditch water polo practice and fill a powerade bottle with vodka with Giphy to see the rest." The pair also devised the tagline 'Dark Igloo is a company that specialises'. "We never say what we specialise in," explains Franzese. "We could be puppeteers one month, animators the next, and branding experts the month after that. Come to us with the brains and we'll figure out the execution with you." Next page: Present your work through the right lens 08. Present your work through the right lens Studio Output reshaped its strategy into one of solving problems for its clients, such as Union Hand-Roasted Coffee A year ago, its 15th anniversary in sight, London-based design practice Studio Output worked with a consultant (and former client) to identify how it could reshape its internal positioning. The result was a dramatic new strategy that recalibrated all its projects through the lens of problem-solving. Its new identity for Union Hand-Roasted Coffee is headlined as 'Supporting scale-up of a fast-growing business' for example, and its branding of Viber 'Driving user acquisition and retention in a congested market'. "The biggest issue for clients is they're going to have a big problem you need them to solve," says Studio Output's client services director Gemma Ballinger. "If you can show that quite succinctly through other work, then it's going to resonate with them." The repositioning also involved updating the questions that the Studio Output team ask clients in order to ensure the team has solid KPIs to work towards, and by which they can assess their effectiveness at the end of a project. This set of questions was distilled to a skeleton version, which was then used as a script for their website landing page's showreel. Many studios – from ustwo to Made Thought to ILoveDust – greet visitors to their sites with a film featuring their best projects. Whereas ILoveDust's is moody and atmospheric, ustwo prioritises its R&D model. "If clients are really short on time, it might be all they need to see," adds Ballinger. Whether to show sketches, research or opinion pieces is another key factor when defining your brand. Dark Igloo is keen to show the development of its projects, an approach shared by motion specialists ManvsMachine and Universal Everything. "Usually the bottom half of the project on our site is behind-the-scenes imagery," says Miller. "That's not just to show you that this can be done on a small scale, but it also represents that we pride ourselves on having fun sets and making things that don't feel like work." But don't panic if presenting work is not an option. Dark Igloo didn't show any projects for its first three years and freelance designer Craig Jackson, whose clients include Google, BBC, Apple and HSBC, still doesn't. "It was getting really hard to actually show the work due to NDAs so I thought it was time to take things offline for a bit to see what happens," says Jackson. Luckily it was a risk worth taking, with the added bonus that it allows Jackson to handpick work for every project. "The general mystique of it all also seems to go down really well." 09. Consider 'brand in the hand' Knowing their lighters were always being pinched, the Dark Igloo team turned them into business cards Just as Dark Igloo's '80s TV-inspired landing page presents the studio as inventive and fun-loving, its brand is similarly thoughtful when entering the physical realm. Instead of business cards, the duo make lighters to give to potential clients and collaborators. "People would always take ours," shrugs Miller. "When we added the characters people started going crazy. You would bump into someone that you hadn't seen in 10 months, and maybe they didn't remember you exactly, but they definitely still had that lighter. It was an incredible touch-point." When it first started out, Dark Igloo gave any client taking on a major project with them badges based on a patch that the crew of the Nostromo wore in the film Alien. "It was to show we were going on a journey together," says Franzese. Similarly the studio wooed potential clients by sending them lighters inside boxes that were inspired by old Sega packaging and featuring its Contacts page game. "Put ultimate care and craft into something you'd want yourself and share it with someone as a gift," Franzese adds. The same is certainly true of Double Standards' foray into branded products. Its calendar – which is sold through its online shop, as well as distributed to collaborators – began as something sleek and functional for the studio, and was soon requested by a visiting client. Now, making them is an annual tradition. "Every November I get the first email asking when the new calendar is out," laughs Double Standards' Chris Rehberger. Similarly, the necessity to create other functional products for projects, and the subsequent interest on Facebook, inspired the studio to design a lamp and table, both now stocked in one of Berlin's coolest concept stores, Andreas Murkudis. Double Standards even opened a physical shop in October. Even though it operates in a very different landscape, Studio Output also suggests creating something useful when sending mailers. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, the studio gave prospective clients a brainstorming pack complete with branded notebooks, Sharpies, Post-it Notes and a set of thought-starter postcards. These featured Studio Output projects on one side and related advice on how to do things such as write briefs on the other. "We do find that things we send physically – because people don't get them much any more – do have a good impact," says Ballinger. "You've just got to make sure you follow it up properly." This article was originally published in issue 273 of Computer Arts, the global design magazine – helping you solve daily design challenges with insights, advice and inspiration. Buy issue 273 here or subscribe to Computer Arts here. Related articles: Promote your brand with content marketing What are the next big branding trends? How to challenge brand stereotypes View the full article

Quit your job. It’s a pretty empowering statement: if you’re not creatively rewarded, feel like you can’t reach your full potential, or are generally under-appreciated, don’t just sit there and take it: make 2018 the year to make your dreams a reality. Buy Computer Arts issue 275 now! Issue 275 of Computer Arts magazine explores the topic in detail, as part of an issue dedicated to making those new year’s resolutions count for something. Everything you need to take 2018 your best year ever... Collectable die-cut cover CA issue 275 is all about making a promise to yourself: a pledge to make 2018 your best year ever. The specifics, of course, are up to you – the magazine provides some suggestions, and some advice to get you started – but only you know what your list of goals looks like. [ ADD VIDEO LINK ] The rather special collectable cover has several special finishes, including foil, emboss and die-cut, provided by CA's print finishing partner Celloglas: watch a video of it being produced below... Get inspired to make things happen Sometimes there’s no substitute for unswerving passion and hard graft: the co-founders of Bristol-based studio Fiasco threw themselves into business seven years ago with no prior experience whatsoever, and ended up with a BAFTA and a D&AD Pencil within their first few years of business. Find out how they did so in the video profile in CA issue 275. Bristol-based Fiasco is the subject of CA issue 275's video profile It may not work out all the time, but you can learn from that too. In a one-off special feature, CA's regular behind-the-scenes project diaries at the back of the mag have been replaced with private diaries instead. These include creative concepts by world-class designers Marian Bantjes and Michael Johnson that never made it off the drawing board, but are still inspiring pieces of work in their own right. Also in Computer Arts issue 275 Why you should quit your job in 2018 In conversation with satirical sculptor Wilfrid Wood The latest design work from around the world, including Halo's rebrand of Fierce & Noble View the full article

They say that every picture tells a story, but sometimes it takes a clever combination of words and pictures to tell a story quickly, concisely and in an entertaining fashion. The best infographics may look like they were simple to create, but designing an effective piece of data visualization is anything but. There are several great tools to create infographics, but these examples of infographics from around the web will show you how you can take things a step further and add a bit of style and personality to your data. We'll kick off with some awesomely meta infographics about infographics, before moving on to the best infographics for giving instructions, explaining a process and more (use the quick links on the right to jump to the section you want). Take a look at our picks for inspiration for designing great infographics for yourself. Infographics about infographics 01. Why your brain craves infographics Click the image to see the full sized infographic The popularity of infographics is showing no signs of slowing down, but why are they so popular? This infographic by NeoMam Studios explores exactly what it is about infographics that hits the spot. It's also beautifully designed and brilliantly executed. An online experience built with HTML5 and CSS3, you can check it out in all its interactive glory if you click the image above. "The parallax scrolling effects were probably the most difficult to achieve," says Neo Mam's Danny Ashton. "Our developers looked at the available libraries and described them as a bit 'wonky', so they ended up creating their own instead." Besides that, says Ashton, the challenge in building the infographic was to keep the CSS as simple as possible. "We wanted a smooth, user-friendly experience," Ashton explains. "That was more important to us that doing loads of 'tricks'." 02. The great big list of infographic ideas Click the image to see the full sized infographic While on our travels across the world wide web, we landed at InfoBrandz site and found this – yes, it's an infographic that explains how to make the best infographic around. If you're interested in designing an infographic but you're not sure what you'd like it to be about, this will get you started with some ideas for themes. It also explores what topics infographics work well for. 03. The infographic of infographics Click the image to see the full-size infographic Did the title confuse you? Us too. What this infographic does is to unpick the trend for infographics and explore the stats surrounding the trend. If you're looking to design your own, this will show you what fonts are popular, how many sections are typically included, what themes tend to crop up, and more. Explore a world 04. Doctor Who Click to see the full infographic UK-based portrait specialist Sam Gilbey has produced various pop-culture-universe-exploring infographics over the years, including this design dedicated to 50 years of Doctor Who. His other lavishly illustrated creations to-date range from a stat-based comparison of four Avengers characters; to the 85th Academy Awards in numbers – all created for Virgin Movies. All off these three infographics are excellent examples of using illustration to add interest and shareability to a list of facts and figures, rather than analysing the data per se. 05. Hip Hop Click to see full-size version Another prolific infographic creator, UK-based design studio Dorothy has carved something of a niche in creating highly desirable infographic-style posters. Its designs often chart the many complex connections between entertainment genres and sub-genres, and are perfect for any superfan to display on their studio walls. Stand-out examples include the 'blueprints' series, exploring the history of hip hop, alternative and electronic music over the decades; the 'colour wheel' series, dedicated to the colour palettes of movies, books and music; and 'star charts', which map the relationships between seminal films, actors and directors. They all share a stunning design aesthetic, ultimately driven by data. 06. Oddity Viz Click to see full-size infographic The winner of an Information is Beautiful award, Valentina D'Efilippo's creative visualisation of the iconic Bowie track Space Oddity contrasts Dorothy's expansive genre-spanning creations by opting to go narrow and deep instead. D'Efilippo worked with researcher Miriam Quick to gather data about the track, which she then visualised as a series of 10 12-inch discs, each of which deconstructs the track in a different way: according to melodies, harmonies, lyrics, structure, story and more. 07. An analysis of The Beatles? Click to see the full infographic Music-loving data nerds will get a kick from this ace interactive infographic analysing the career of the Fab Four, breaking down their career by year and by album and providing plenty of insight into who wrote what, which Beatle had the biggest vocabulary (hint: it wasn't Ringo), what most of their songs were about and much more. 08. SWANH.NET Click to see the full (123 metre) infographic If Star Wars: The Last Jedi has put you in the mood to immediately watch the original movie, hold your horses just one second. Rather than sit through Episode IV again, why not enjoy it in infographic form? SWANH.NET is a project buy Swiss illustrator Martin Panchaud, in which he's adapted Star Wars: A New Hope into a 123-metre-long infographic. Created in Illustrator CC, using 157 pictures across 22 separate files, it took him over a year to produce. 09. Grand taxonomy of rap names Click the image to see the full-size infographic This colourful infographic examines 282 rap names in startling detail. Our favourite section? 'Audacious spelling' – with sub-categories of 'Improper use of K' (hey OutKast) and 'Misspelled adjectives' (that's you, Ludacris). It was brought to you by Pop Chart Lab – a company set up by a book editor and a graphic designer who joined forces with one modest goal in mind: to render all of human experience in chart form. 10. Explore the Twitterverse Click the image to see the full infographic Sometimes, Twitter can feel like another world. Thankfully, this infographic has been put together to showcase the Twitter universe. It shows you who does what on every level, from branding to search to geolocation. In short, there's a whole lot of people involved in getting your 280-character insights (ahem) out into the world. 11. The magnificent multitude of beer Click the image to see the full sized infographic The multitude of varieties, brands and tastes of beer available can sometimes be a little overwhelming. So what better way to showcase the taxonomy of beer than with an infographic? A favourite here at Creative Bloq, Pop Chart Lab has built on its original beer infographic from 2010 and created a 60x40in malty monstrosity called The Magnificent Multitude of Beer. It ended up being so big that the team had to enlist the help of another printing firm to handle the job. After all that hard work, let's hope they found time to head to the bar afterwards. 12. Avengers, Assemble! Click the image to see the full infographic This infographic breaks down facts about the superheroes that feature in Marvel's Avengers Assemble. You can find out about each character's strength, skills, brains, gadgets and heart via few handy pie charts. The results are then compiled to show the team's greatest collective strengths. The character designs and clear presentation really help this infographic shine. 13. Inception Click the image to see the full sized infographic 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 depicting each character as a coloured line; the layers of dreams depicted as concentric circles. Illustrate a list 14. The ABC of design Click the image to see the full infographic An essential career skill for designers of all levels is the ability to explain your work effectively, and articulate your vision to clients. Fortunately the design industry is shaped by a glossary of terms that explain the technical thinking behind creative decisions, as this infographic from DesignMantic reveals. A neat piece of design work in itself, this beautifully illustrated ABC of design runs through 26 key words every designer needs to know and turns their meaning into stylish graphics. 15. 10 commandments of UI design Click the image to see the full sized infographic This is one of the best infographics we've seen covering user interface, or UI design. Designmantic has come up with this go-to graphic to help you get your website interface just so. Appropriately, a lot of thought has gone into the design, too – it's broken down into colour-coded themes (create a story, ensure accessibility and so on), with simple icons to convey the key rules within in category. It's well worth a look wether you're after UI design advice or inspiration on how to design an effective infographic. 16. A-Z of typography terms Click image to enlarge Do you know your aperture from your apex? How about the difference between a finial and a flag? If not, then this typography terms infographic acts as a handy cheatsheet that will help you get up to speed. It contains all the usual suspects, plus plenty more – only a true typography pro will know all of these, so take a look to fill in the gaps in your knowledge! After more information? Take a look at our roundup of the best typography tutorials. 17. 40 little things to break your creative block Click the image to see full infographic Creative droughts are the stuff of nightmares for artists, designers photographers, and just about anyone with an imagination. But how do you reignite your creative spark when all you want to do is give up? Designed by the team at Creative Market, this colourful list of 40 inspirational tips contains advice that artistic greats have turned to in times of need. And if these don't work, have a look at our list of 20 ways to overcome creative block. 18. 15 golden principles of visual hierarchy Click the image to see the full sized infographic Designmantic is the team behind a few of the great designs you'll find in this list. This particular infographic breaks down the key rules you need to know to create all-important visual hierarchy in your data – from using the golden ratio to implementing grid theory to bring balance to your work. 19. 18 rules for using text Click the image to see the full sized infographic Every designer knows the importance of getting their typography right, but there are also some rules about grammar and punctuation it's worth being aware of. To help, The Visual Communication Guy has created a great infographic that provides designers with 18 rules for using text. This cheatsheet includes some helpful information on the subtleties of working with words. 20. The 10 commandments of typography Click the image to see the full sized infographic This infographic from Evan Brown at DesignMantic is a typography nerd's dream. If you've ever found yourself aimlessly scrolling through lists of the best free fonts, this cheatsheet will help you refocus your search by providing you with some key rules. "Even though typography is an art and art is supposed to be subjective with minimal parameters, these rules can still be applied in order to save time and too much experimentation," he explains. "It's always good to know the few basic do's and don'ts in order to save yourself the trouble of experimenting too many fonts on your design." Next page: More of the best infographics around Give instructions 21. Should I work for free? Click to see the full infographic This tongue-in-cheek infographic by illustrator and typographer Jessica Hische may be seven years old now, but it turned into something of a viral sensation and influenced a slew of homages – not to mention the fact it's every bit as relevant today as it was in 2011. Hische used the classic flowchart method to address all the possible perspectives on this notoriously thorny and divisive issue, and built her infographic using live text in HTML and CSS to enable translation into any language. If you'd prefer it in a more traditional format, however, it's also available as a letterpress print. 22. Desk exercises for designers Click to see the full infographic Are you reading this slumped at your desk? You're probably not doing yourself any favours, posture-wise. And let's face it, even if your posture is great, spending 10 hours a day (give or take) sat staring at a screen ain't good for anyone's bod. Sort yourself out and keep yourself in shape with this top visual guide to 10 exercises you can do right at your desk, compiled by us and illustrated by the excellent Simon Middleweek. 23. What font is best for you? Click the image to see the full sized infographic This brilliantly detailed infographic helps you determine exactly which font is best for you. Produced by Cartridge Discount, the graphic takes you on a history of typefaces and acts as a guide by delving into serif vs sans-serif, web fonts and ones for print, unique fonts and the future of fonts. Take a look and discover which font is best for you. 24. Logo design principles Click the infographic to see it full size This infographic from Online Logo Maker guides designers through the process of creating a logo by breaking down and examining some of the world's biggest brands. The best logos may look simple, but break them down into their composite elements and you'll find everything has been carefully chosen to convey something about the brand – as is explored here. If you're interested in finding out more, take a look at our articles on the use of shapes, colours and typography in branding. 25. The Existential Calculator Artist Kelli Anderson was asked by Adobe to "make something interesting" for designers attending an AIGA event, and this paper-made infographic, the 'Existential Calculator', was her response. It aims to answer that age-old question: Should I take that job? Okay, we know that this calculation wheel might not give you all the answers to life's questions but it sure does look nice. Learn more about The Existential Calendar on Anderson's blog. 26. Staying happy and healthy at work Click the image to see the full size infographic No matter how much you stretch, take breaks or go for a stroll at lunch, the working life of a designer means spending most of your time at a desk. With this in mind, it's important to remember that you shouldn't just be taking breaks – you should be doing everything you can at your desk to ensure a healthy lifestyle. This infographic makes some important posture pointers. Whether you favour a sit-down desk or you've moved onto a standing effort, there's some brilliant tips to help your back, neck and shoulders stay in tip-top shape. Make comparisons 27. Superpowers Click the image to see the full sized infographic This is the third iteration of Pop Chart Lab's popular superpowers infographic, the material sourced from the past 75 years of comic books and broken down into seven main skill sets: powers of the mind, animal powers, mastery, powers of the body, force control, object manipulation and weapons-based. This vibrant design is seriously impressive, the sprawling taxonomy of over 200 superpowers and 600 superheroes and villains spreading over six square feet. We're also loving the final rendered vintage-style design, which pays tribute to the great cosmic covers of the Bronze Age of Comics. 28. The Chart of Controllers Click image to see the full infographic Take a look at the infographic above and tell us you haven't spent hours, even days of your life thumbing several of the controllers you see! The wonderful people at Pop Chart Lab have created this infographic detailing the complete family tree of video game control schemes, including handhelds, joysticks, paddles, gamepads, rifles, steering wheels, and even a guitar. 29. Fonts & Colors Click the image to see the full size infographic Internet marketing and design company Tasty Placement has developed this cool infographic that focuses on the use of fonts and colour amongst the world's leading brands. The interesting study shows which colours, typefaces and styles come together to form the logos of the world's 100 most powerful brands. 30. Serif vs Sans: The final battle Click image to see the full infographic Ever find it hard to choose between serif and sans fonts? If so, this Serif vs Sans: The Final Battle infographic might come in handy. The infographic runs through what type of typography is best suited to different projects. It also features a cracking design with cute serif and sans-serif character ... er... characters battling it out for supremacy. The result? Serif is better for print and Sans is better for web. 31. The Fries That Bind Us Click the image to enlarge We all thought that McDonald's and Starbucks were taking over the world; well, this clever infographic proves it. It looks at the number of stores each establishment has created, as well as their profits and produce. This great infographic was designed back in 2003, so the stats are out of date now, but it's still worth a look. 32. Big Brothers: Satellites orbiting Earth Click the image to see the full infographic Complex data, like the statistics surrounding the satellites orbiting Earth, requires a clever infographic designer to make sense of. Michæl Paukner has managed it though, with this clear and concise creation. It even includes the dysfunctional satellites, so you won't miss a thing, and it has a pleasing symmetry we can't help but admire. 33. Bill Gates is better than Batman Click the image to see the full-size infographic Now, we wouldn't like to comment on the truth of the argument this infographic puts forth (are we talking Bale or Affleck? Or LEGO? It's all too vague). Brought to you by Frugal Dad, this is one of the best infographics we've seen for a long time. It presents the stats that define Bill Gates as a modern-day superhero, from the number of lives he's saved to the legacy he's leaving behind. 34. Caffeinated Beverages Click the image to see the full size infographic We're constantly being updated on the health risks of various foods and beverages. Energy drinks are associated with insomnia, tooth decay, stomach damage and plenty of other scary things. If you're a designer that keeps your eyes open with caffeine, check out this infographic and see if you should start cutting back... Next page: More of the best infographics around Explain a process 35. Apollo missions Click to see the full infographic Winner of a coveted Information is Beautiful award in 2017, Paul Button's stunning visualisation of the Apollo missions charts every manned rocket flight by year, distance and path travelled, as well as which astronauts were on board – thus explaining incredibly complex processes such as calculating different orbits, flight paths and landing zones in a simple, visual way. Button set out to create a tactile object that was beautiful and collectable in its own right, but ultimately driven by raw data. Accordingly his infographic is available as a stunning white and metallic gold screen-printed poster. 36. Distance to Mars Click image to go to the site Ever wondered how far it is to Mars? Yes, we know that Wikipedia can tell you the exact distance, but once numbers become – well, astronomical – it can be difficult to really wrap your head around them. To help you out, David Paliwoda and Jesse Williams' motion infographic, Distance to Mars visualises these massive distances in a way that every digital designer can understand: pixels. This interactive infographic never gets less impressive. 37. How Google works Click the image to see the full infographic This superbly-detailed visual walkthrough explores what happens at Google after you add a new piece of content (like this post) to the web. The designers of this infographic have decided to take a thoroughly digital process and make it analogue (ish), presenting the complex process is like an old school flow diagram, complete with biro arrows and a gridded background. 38. How would you like your graphic design? Click the image above to see the full-size infographic This venn diagram from Colin Harman hits the nail on the head when it comes to the value (and price) of good design. The simple design lays out all the things a client wants, invites the viewer to pick two, and tells them what the outcome will be. How badly do you want to show this to your clients? 39. How do colours affect purchases? Click the image to see the full infographic Ever gone shopping, arrived back at home with far too many purchases, and wondered where they all came from? Maybe this brilliant infographic from KISSmetrics will shed some light on the situation. It explores which colour illicit which emotional responses, and how different shades can be used to target different types of shoppers. Report key findings 40. How Americans spend their paycheck Click the image for the full-size infographic Where does all the money go each month? Well thanks to CreditLoan's handy series of annual infographics, you can find out how the average American's spending habits shape up. The design covers everything from basic living expenses, to entertainment, to loan repayments. 41. Feltron Annual Report Click image to see the full infographic Nicholas Feltron is best known for being a member of the product design team at Facebook. But for 10 years (until 2014), he worked on a personal project called the Feltron annual report. Every year, the designer released the daddy of all infographics documenting everything he'd done in the previous 12 months. Awesome. 42. Chinese social media landscape This is illustrator Jessica Draws' first ever animated infographic. She was commissioned by China Blueprint Online to design an infographic to communicate the benefits of using Chinese social media in Australia. 43. How social media affects travel Click the image to see the full infographic As social media continues to be a part of our everyday lives, it's also becoming an important part of the way we travel. Tripl, a startup that allows users to share travel tips, trip itineraries, and photos from friends, created a cool infographic that shows how social media affects the way we travel. 44. How green is your iPad? Click the image to see the full infographic This startling infographic was created by the team at Sortable and depicts just how bad your favourite gadget is for the environment. As depressing as the statistics shown may be, fear not, for there's light at the end of the recycling tunnel. 45. The Happy Show Click the image to see the full size infographic A thought provoking and interactive infographic exhibition by Stefan Sagmeister, The Happy Show offered visitors the experience of walking into the designer's mind as he attempts to increase his happiness via meditation, cognitive therapy, and mood-altering pharmaceuticals. 46. CBRE statistical report This animated infographic from Mauco Sosa, VeniVideoVici and Pedro Cobo is about as beautiful as they come. "We were commissioned by CBRE to develop an infographic series based on a global real estate statistic report," they explain. "In order to do that, we developed a unique visual system to give the series its own personality, and to be used for the company in all further communications." Present a timeline 47. The Apple tree Click the image above to see the full infographic This infographic is little outdated now – it stops in 2009. But it's still worthy of inclusion for its clear graphic style, research and a smart play on words to boot. It just goes to show that the best infographics aren't necessarily the most complex. 48. The life and times of Steve Jobs Click the image to see the full-size infographic There are plenty of Apple infographics dotted around the internet but this one explaining the life and times of Steve Jobs caught our eye. Two threads – one dedicated to his life, and one to his work – interweave, so you can see how one impacts the other. The clever illustration and unique layout is what makes this infographic really stand out. 49. Airbnb then and now Click to see the full infographic Airbnb lets you discover and book unique accommodations around the world, and it's incredible popularity is partly due to the company's focus on design. This infographic, by artist and designer Kelli Anderson, displays Airbnb's company growth using simple typographic treatment paired with fun accommodation illustrations. 50. Instagram Nation Click the image to see the full infographic The stats are out of date on this one, but this infographic from Online Colleges explores the meteoric rise of Instagram from its launch in 2010 through to its Android debut in 2012. A primary colour scheme and (pre-redesign) Instagram-inspired graphics give this infographic impact. Next page: More of the best infographics Simplify complex data 51. 10 Most Dangerous Countries for Journalists Click to see the full-size infographic Often infographics are used for journalistic purposes, to communicate large quantities of data – which may be on a global scale – in as clear and visual a way as possible. This example by Luke Shuman is a journalistic story about journalists themselves, focusing on the alarming statistics of deaths in the line of duty in different countries around the world, as well as related information such as how many go unsolved, and apparently related trends such as volume of online news and associated press freedom. 52. Imaginary Factory Click to see full-size infographic Illustrator, designer and typographer Jing Zhang has produced a whole load of adorable infographics. In this recent series, she breaks down the ingredients of your favourite cocktails, adding her own design flair with tiny figures and scenes from the drink's city of origin. Zhang also designed infographics exploring the inner workings of iPhones, cameras, clocks and TVs as well as coffees, cakes and teapots. 53. Wind map Click the image to access the animation A beautiful and original infographic, this animated wind map shows the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US. The animation, developed by artists Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg, creates a series of beautiful patterns depending on which direction the wind is flowing. This project is also interactive, so you can zoom in to see more details in a specific area. 54. The brain of a blogger Click the image to see the full infographic This hilarious infographic shares a peek inside the mind of a blogger. And while much of it is tongue-in-cheek, there's plenty of valuable takeaways for newbie bloggers buried in there too. If you're thinking of starting a blog, this infographic is a pretty good place to begin. 55. Dribbble: A HTML5 interactive infographic Click the image to go to the interactive infographic This interactive infographic for Dribbble is lovely and creative. It's the work of Bristol-based designer Jamie Brightmore, who created his own icon illustrations and brought them to life with CSS3 and HTML5. The simple and sleek design makes this infographic stand out. 56. Kobe Bryant Click the image to see the full infographic Even if you're not interested in NBA basketball, you'll probably heard of Kobe Bryant. In 2012 he became the youngest player in NBA history to score over 30,000 career points, and the LA Lakers released this infographic, designed by J Alexander Diaz, that gives you an insight to Kobe Bryant scoring numbers over the course of 17 seasons. How-to guides 57. How to learn how to draw Click the image to see it full-size Anna Vital is an information designer and has launched her own infographic making tool, Adioma. Vital specialises in clear, pared back infographics based around simple icons, and this design offering a guide to how to learn to draw, is a great example. It removes the complexity from the process and turns it into a step-by-step guide (granted, it may take a little while to master each step). 58. How to become a creative genius in 5 days Click to see the full infographic There is never a bad time to try something new and to set yourself challenges, but sometimes you need a little push. To get creatives up and running, Zippi has produced this great infographic that shows you how to start making your masterpiece in less than a week. Stuffed with tips on how to get inspiration, tackle creative blocks and promote yourself, this colourful infographic walks you through each day of the process. 59. 12 dos and don'ts of using Facebook for business Click the image to see the full infographic Tuning a blind eye to the, er, 'functional' design and questionable apostrophe use, this handy infographic from Hubspot outlines the best practises when it comes to promoting yourself and your business online. From focusing your posts on peak times to not posting too much, these 12 tips will certainly get you on the right track if you're just starting out with your business page. It was originally designed in 2015, but was updated in September 2017 to reflect updates to the service. 60. How to design the perfect logo Click image to see full sized infographic Want to design the perfect logo? This logo design infographic shares some advice. And while the list may seem daunting (it's easier said than done to create something timeless, new, unique and enticing), it's a great checklist you can use to see if your designs are on the right track. 61. Accessibility challenges in email Click the image to see the full infographic By now, we all know that making sure our designs are accessible to people with disabilities is a win for everyone, but this infographic showcases exactly what you can do to make sure of it. It covers everything from colour blindness to neurological disorders, as well as including some eye-opening stats to show the proportion of the population you'll be excluding if you don't pay heed to these rules. 62. How to be a superhero Click on the image to see the full infographic Want to be a superhero? This infographic shows you how you can acquire a back story, a secret identity and even an arch-nemesis – you'll be the next Superman (or Batman, or whoever your favourite is) in no time. This adorable infographic is the work of Canadian illustrator Zia Somjee. Whether you're concerned about which colour spandex you should opt for or how you'll go about finding your superpower, look no further than this fun and inspiring offering. Related articles: What colours say about your brand identity and industry 9 simple ways to become more creative 20 most important design principles illustrated View the full article

Whether you're an editorial designer who often works with photographic images, or an enthusiastic hobbyist photographer, it's handy to have one eye on the biggest photography trends of 2018. But what does it mean to be a photographer in 2018? Once, it was at least in part a technical role, limited to those who could afford expensive equipment and had been trained to use it. Nowadays, smartphone cameras are so advanced that anyone can take a half-decent picture without really trying. With Instagram and Snapchat packed with enticing images from enthusiastic amateurs, today’s professional photographer has to find new ways to make their work distinctive and commercially desirable. Here, we look at five broad photography trends – and how they’ve been harnessed in recent work by top design studios. 01. Simplified colour palettes W+K worked with photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari to create a series of striking and provocative ads for OkCupid, a site that aims to redefine online dating It’s increasingly difficult to grab people’s attention, with more and more images appearing everywhere you look – especially in digital environments. One approach for achieving cut-through is by limiting your colour palette to only a few, clearly identifiable colours. This is a long established technique in composing product shots, but lately it’s been extended to a broader range of imagery. It can be seen, for example, in Wieden & Kennedy’s attention grabbing ads for dating site OkCupid (above), Huge Inc’s bright and bold branding for payment platform Zelle, and Pentagram’s work for duvet brand Buffy. 02. Greater authenticity Authentic images of real people are increasingly in demand Given the ever-increasing blizzard of social media images, and set to the backdrop of fake news, audiences are quickly becoming sensitive to the difference between real and false. The kind of posed, too-perfect, model shots that might have found approval in times past are increasingly looking dated, cheesy and irrelevant. Photography today instead needs to capture realistic, identifiable people and scenes, if it’s to have any chance of making a connection with the public. And you can see countless commercial photographers doing so, from fashion magazines to website hero images to outdoor billboards and beyond. A great example of the trend can be seen in Wonderers, a startup kidswear brand which use realistic shots of children’s lives to present a bold and positive aesthetic (see above). Also see dn&co’s branding for Ilford, which uses intimate black and white photography to captures the many faces of the town in a very human-centric campaign. It’s a similar approach, indeed, to that taken by Pentagram in its work to promote Hong Kong’s Landmark shopping district . 03. Diversity The Corner’s campaign for Jigsaw celebrated diversity in a positive, non-patronising way In 2018, a lack of diversity won’t cut the mustard. Photography needs to reflect the diversity of society in a natural, authentic manner that reflects how people really are, or it will stand out in all the wrong ways. One of the best examples of the photography trend in action is the A17 campaign for Jigsaw, masterminded by London agency The Corner. This provocative series of posters combines an avowedly pro-immigration message (‘Jigsaw wouldn't be Jigsaw without immigration’) with some beautifully arresting photography of some of the 45 nationalities employed by the company. This kind of imagery is nicely in line with the general direction that fashion advertising, in particular, in heading, with a study this year suggesting that fashion print ads are for the first time outperforming the runways themselves in terms of racial diversity. 04. Original storytelling This campaign for humanitarian group Plan International tells the story of “a collection that the world shouldn’t need” Every picture tells a story, as the old saying goes. And in the 2010s the value of professional photography has become less about technical perfection and more about the ability to tell engaging, human tales. That may be through provocative means, such as the ‘Maternity Wear for a 12-year-old’ campaign by Hasan & Partners for humanitarian group Plan International (shown above), shot by Meeri Koutaniemi. Or it might be more understated; take for example, the campaign for art fair Frieze New York by Joe Cole Porter and photographer Nicholas Calcott. This paid homage to the city's most celebrated artists through their personal items; a quiet but powerful approach. Even McDonald’s is getting in on the act: check out these artful posters created by TBWA\Paris. Featuring photography by Helmut Stelzenberger of stunning light sculptures, they convey the notion of late night opening in an subtly abstract but evocative manner. 05. Humour W+K London’s campaign for TK Maxx highlights the world of bizarre yet brilliant opportunities opened up by the low-cost retailer Humour is another powerful way that photography can grab the attention and engage the senses on an instinctive level, especially when paired with a pithy tagline. We’ve seen this recently in the the award-winning Burning Stores campaign for Burger King, which depicted a series of stores that have historically burned to the ground, with the tagline 'Flame-grilled since 1954'. Other examples of the trend include the ‘Pass the Heinz’ billboard campaign by David Miami, based on an idea by fictional ad exec Don Draper in TV show Madmen; and W+K London’s Ridiculous Possibilities campaign for TK Maxx, which draws on a ‘theatre of the absurd’ approach. Related articles: How to make more money as a creative in 2018 10 huge graphic design trends to know for 2018 6 secrets to creating outstanding infographics View the full article

Choosing the best external hard drive or SSD for your Mac is essential. As any creative knows, it doesn't take long for files to start filling up the internal hard drive of your machine – but there are a number of considerations to make before pulling out your wallet. First, the basics. An external hard drive or SSD (which stands for Solid State Drive) can be easily plugged into your Mac, giving you almost-instant storage space without having to open up your Mac and make any complicated upgrades. Not only do they give you more capacity for large files, but because they're portable, they can be taken on the move and plugged into different machines – handy if you swap between PCs and Macs regularly. By keeping your important files on an external storage device, it also means that if something happens to your Mac, your files will still be safe and accessible. Storage considerations There are a number of things to consider when looking for the best external hard drive or SSD for your Mac. First, is storage. You'll want to make sure you buy an external storage device that has enough capacity for your needs – without paying for high capacities you'll never use. Around 500GB is a good sweet-spot for external storage, though you can buy smaller capacities, as well as larger ones at 1TB or greater. Hard drive vs SSD: which is best? Another thing to consider is whether to get an external storage device that uses a traditional hard drive, or one with an SSD. Usually, external hard drives with traditional drives are more affordable and come in larger capacities. However, there are external SSDs that come with large capacities – but they can be quite expensive. SSDs are much faster than traditional hard drives, and because they don't have any mechanical or moving parts, they're generally more robust and smaller in physical size as well. So, if you want to store huge amounts of data while keeping prices low, an external hard drive is the way to go. But if speed is your top priority – for example, if you move a lot of large files, or want to run programs off the drive – then choose an SSD. Connections The connection between the external hard drive and your Mac is also important. At a minimum, it should be USB 3.0, which provides decent speeds. You'll need to make sure your Mac has a USB 3.0 port – many will, but some will need an adaptor. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, so if you have older USB ports, it will still work, but you won't get quite as fast data transfer speeds. Newer devices, such as the new iMac and MacBook Pro, come with Thunderbolt 3 ports. This is an excellent connection that provides very fast data transfer speeds, though these may cost a little more. You may also want to consider the default file format of the drive. If it comes formatted as HFS+, you might want to reformat it as Apple File System (APFS), which offers better security, and has been built to be optimised for flash and solid state drive storage. If you're using the drive with a Mac and a Windows PC, then consider one with the exFAT file system, which can be read by both operating systems. However, these are just considerations for an easier life: you'll be able to reformat the drives to your desired file system anyway. So what are the best external hard drive and SSDs for Mac in 2018? Read on for our pick... This is the latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport range of external hard drives has landed, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB. It features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own backup software. It offers very good data transfer speeds, and while it doesn't quite offer a similar speed to solid state drive devices, it finds a great balance between offering high capacities with quick file transfers. With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is our choice for the best portable hard drive for Macs, as it comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable. This means you can safely carry this drive around with you, and it will keep your data protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell It's also got 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well, which ensures that your data will remain safe, even if the drive itself falls into the from hands. The NFC feature, which unlocks your data by just tapping the supplied NFC card onto the body of the drive, is a fantastic feature that makes securing your data quick and convenient. If you're looking for an incredibly fast external SSD for your Mac, then this is a brilliant choice, as it offers impressively high read speeds of up to 450Mbps thanks to Samsung's own 3D V-NAND technology, it also comes with a three-year warranty and has a USB Type C connector. You are paying a price premium for this, but if you value data transfer speeds above all else, this is the best external SSD on the market right now. If you want to make use of your Mac's Thunderbolt port, then this is a great option, as it provides twice the speeds of standard USB 3.0 drives. It's also not that expensive compared to other Thunderbolt drives. This is mainly down to the fact that it is a traditional hard drive, not an SSD, which means it's not quite as fast as it could be, though it will still give you an upgrade to your transfer speeds. It also comes with a USB 3.0 port for connecting to computers that do not have a Thunderbolt port. Want to keep your data as safe and secure as possible? Then the iStorage diskAshur 2TB is a great choice, as it comes encrypted by the 256-bit AES protocol, with multiple forms of protection. It also features a physical number pad for you to luck and unlock your data with - and it's basically uncrackable. If your drive is stolen or lost, you can also cause the drive to wipe the data, for extra peace of mind. All this security does come at a price, however. The Adata SD700 will suit those looking for a rugged storage device that can provide ample capacity without costing too much. It performs superbly well and remains the only SSD we’ve seen that is IP68 rated. Thanks to the solid state drive that resides in this external hard drive, it's a lot faster than external drives that use traditional spinning hard drives - so you're getting great transfer speeds as well as rugged protection. It also comes in capacities up to 1TB, so you don't have to worry about missing out on storage space just because it uses an SSD - this drive really does hit all the right notes. If you're looking for the absolute largest capacity external hard drive, then the WD My Book Duo 16TB is the one to get, offering a huge 16TB of storage space over two hard drives. If you don't mind sacrificing some of the ample storage space you can set the drives up in a RAID array, so you have file backups of your files should one of the drives die. This is an excellent feature if you're going to use this device to back up irreplaceable data, such as your creative work, as it adds a level of protection in case things go wrong. This USB 3.0 drive has many of the features of a fully-fledged NAS device (including a high price), and if you have a router with a USB 3.0 port you could use this as a network attached storage device in its own right. The device, which comes with two-year warranty, has 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and automatic backup software (WD SmartWare Pro). Worth noting that the enclosure used is fully serviceable and that WD ships the drive already pre-formatted for Windows users (NTFS), so you'll want to reformat it to work with your Mac. If you work with a lot of large files, such as videos, then the OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini is an excellent external storage solution. It supports up to four 2.5-inch drives, and can be bought with SSDs already installed, or as an empty enclosure. It comes with two Thunderbolt 2 ports for extremely quick read and write speeds, so you can edit files on the OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini's hard drives as quickly and smoothly as if they were located on your internal hard drives. You can also daisy chain a number of OWC ThunderBay 4 Minis together using Thunderbolt 2 cables for even more storage. The price we show above is for the empty enclosure. By buying it as an empty enclosure, you save money and can choose your own hard drives or SSDs to insert into the product, giving you more options. If that seems too complicated, then we recommend looking into buying one with the hard drives already installed. Related articles: The best drawing tablets in 2018View the full article

Our days are filled with distractions. Wouldn't it be great if you could just plug in your headphones and have those distractions melt away? That's what happens when you turn on the sounds of Focus@Will. You can get lifetime access to this scientifically optimised music service on sale for just $59.99 (approx. £44). Focus@Will isn't your standard playlist. This unique music can help block out the distractions of the real world and increase your ability to focus on what matters. By using scientifically proven methods, Focus@Will is able to provide listeners with a stream of the best music for productivity. You'll get access to over 50 channels of curated music that will help you accomplish your tasks, whether it be studying, working, or trying to get some sleep. You can get a lifetime subscription to Focus@Will on sale for just $59.99 (approx. £44). That’s a saving of 80% off the retail price for a truly immersive audio experience, so grab it today! About Creative Bloq deals This great deal comes courtesy of the Creative Bloq Deals store – a creative marketplace that's dedicated to ensuring you save money on the items that improve your design life. We all like a special offer or two, particularly with creative tools and design assets often being eye-wateringly expensive. That's why the Creative Bloq Deals store is committed to bringing you useful deals, freebies and giveaways on design assets (logos, templates, icons, fonts, vectors and more), tutorials, e-learning, inspirational items, hardware and more. Every day of the working week we feature a new offer, freebie or contest – if you miss one, you can easily find past deals posts on the Deals Staff author page or Offer tag page. Plus, you can get in touch with any feedback at:deals@creativebloq.com. Related articles: Best video editing laptops for 2018 The best drawing tablet The best 4K monitors for creatives View the full article

Every designer should have a side project. But whether you're developing a world-changing startup, an enterprise to eventually replace your day job, or just something fun, you’ll inevitably be sacrificing your spare time. So it's important to make those precious hours count. How? Here's a series of tips to help you on your mission. 01. Start small and build up Remember that a new side project starts as a blank canvas – it won't be perfect first timeIt’s tempting to keep adding features and details to your project because you want it to be perfect from day one. Resist the urge. It's important not to overcomplicate on your first iteration. Test the water and prove that the idea can work first. Producing the bare essentials and then iterating based on results or feedback is a proven method, plus it keeps any costs manageable. Focus on your first version, and worry about all the problems that might occur if you’re successful once they're closer to being a reality. For example, you don't need to build your own retail website when you could begin by using Etsy. 02. Follow your passion A Song A Day began as a passion project to help people discover new musicAbove all, your side project should be about something you're passionate about. If you have a day job, then it's going to be your free time that's sacrificed. Assuming that this job is paying your bills, you have the advantage of not having to focus on making money with your side project (for now). So it's vital to focus on something you really enjoy. If you're looking for an opportunity to eventually break from your day job and generate income, don’t let this dampen your passion and guide all your decisions. Focus on great work and the money will follow, otherwise you may be setting yourself up for heartache later on. 03. Learn as you go You're not going to know where you'll end up at the beginning – and that's okayChoose something familiar and develop more expertise in it. Your side project might be to learn a whole new skill from the ground up, and this guide should still be applicable. However, if you use this as an opportunity to master something you’ve previously enjoyed and already have some skill in, results will come faster. If these skills are also transferable to your day job, you’ll see a multiplying effect in your advancement. 04. Don't worry about failure Don't let the fear of failure stop you before you've even startedYou might find yourself thinking too hard about the details – this can turn into a form of procrastination. Before you know it, you've found 100 reasons not to do anything. Naivety and determination have carried through many successful start-ups. Don’t worry about failure – what else can you absolutely fail at and still get back up and have another go? If your side project fails, simply try again or try another project. 05. Play to your strengths Graze magazine, a side project that combines a literary magazine with a food publicationBeing a creative means you have likely acquired some instincts that are useful for starting off a successful side project or business. Playing to these strengths will give you a head-start. Let's take a look at a few of them. Empathy While producing work for clients, you'll inevitably put yourself in their shoes. To design effectively, you must understand what makes their service or product tick. If you’ve been paying attention you’ll have learnt loads about how other businesses operate and how they generate revenue. Visual awareness You make things look great – for a living. Be it branding, packaging, interactive design or illustration, combining this ability with great ideas ensures your project is attractive to customers and supporters. Focused thinking You’ve likely experienced working on several projects in parallel and have become adept at swapping your creative thinking from one task to another. This skill ensures that you can give your side project the focus it needs, even when you only have short bursts of time to spend on it. 06. Seek feedback Seek feedback from people you trust to be honestIt can be hard to fully articulate your vision before you’ve started working on it. Talking to people is the best way to cohere your ideas. 07. Ignore naysayers Thin Martin incubated MusicMetric as a side projectListening to feedback doesn't mean you have to take every piece of criticism. Early on there might be people who will deter you and those who think you’re crazy, either because they can’t see the opportunity you’ve spotted or are concerned you might fail. Believe in your project and don’t be deterred by naysayers. It’s more productive to bounce ideas around with people once you've taken the first few steps and your project is a reality. 08. Don't outlay a ton of cash Don't fork out until you know the direction your project is goingI've been party to this. If you're going to shell out on equipment or software, you’ve really got to be sure your venture will fly. If you later decide that it isn't going to work, then you're stuck with the equipment or a financial commitment. Find innovative ways around the issues; maybe rent or borrow equipment. Inventing a solution will deepen your understanding of the problem. 09. Balance your commitments Make the most of your time to ensure your project doesn't fall by the waysideYour day job likely involves deadlines, goals and admin to ensure your work is progressing effectively. You should apply these same high standards and care to your own project work. Don’t treat it like it’s a second-class pastime. Make use of the tools at your disposal to get organised: for example, Evernote for recording ideas; a task list for getting things done; and your calendar to schedule your time. This will also help you maintain focus on your day job and not get distracted. 10. Consider collaboration Scrum Your Wedding was a side project started by a group of friendsAsk yourself whether your contribution can be completed alone or whether you would benefit from partnering with someone to expand your ideas. You can keep arrangements quite casual and, as things progress, agree some terms in principle. Next page: More tips for how to start a side project On page one, we covered Jamie's advice for starting a side project. Here, we've spoken to a range of other industry voices. Here are some of their tips... 11. It's not all about the money The success of a project shouldn't be measured just in terms of profit and loss"Sideline projects shouldn't be about the money," argues Manchester-based freelancer Matt Booth, who moved into app development using his existing Flash skills. "They are about exploring new techniques and technologies without the pressure of a client or a deadline." His advice is to stop talking about it, and do it: "It's all about getting something out there for people to see and interact with," he adds. "It can be refined later, but it needs to exist first." 12. Have big dreams Life Audit, a system for evaluating your life and priorities, began as a personal projectBased in Portland, Maine, Matt W. Moore runs an online store selling prints, posters, books and typefaces, as well as skateboards, surfboards and clocks. "It's the energy and focus I put into these 'sideline' projects that ultimately keeps my phone ringing for client work," Moore says. "I love personal work, so if I can afford it I'll do it, regardless of the likelihood of sales. Don't think of them as sidelines; think of them as dream projects. And enjoy yourself!" 13. Consider your goals Consider whether your goal is profit or exposure"Consider whether your goal is profit or exposure," advises Florida-based Joshua Smith, aka Hydro74, who's in the process of producing custom playing cards, coins and poker chips to serve as business cards. "It's all about margins. If your selling-cost breaks even, then you've already lost money on it, unless it's strictly for self-promotion. But for me, extra income is a by-product: the relationships I build through my sidelines help fuel the core part of my business." 14. Keep exploring new options Keep an open mind and keep trying to generate new ideas for your side projectArgentine designer and illustrator Leandro Castelao likes to spend at least one day out of his working week on sideline projects, and sells prints online. "I've started giving some time to exhibitions, as well, as I've found these can be very important for promotion," he adds. "It's all about challenging and exploring. I don't really think about the money I'll get, but sometimes I've received a commission because of a personal print, and that can really make it worthwhile." 15. Work hard to work less (eventually) Planned Outage was born when a couple of co-workers planned a trip to unplug from startup lifeFreelance designer Alan Wardle also runs the streetwear brand AnyForty. For Wardle, the rewards are creative, rather than financial: "I invested a lot to get it up and running, and put any profit back into new ranges. For the first two years I worked on it for six hours every night, and all weekend. But now I only need to spend an hour or so a day, unless a new range is about to drop." 16. Practice, practice, practice Just keep going!"If work has quietened down for a few weeks, I'll throw myself into something self-initiated," reveals Huddersfield-based freelancer Jeffrey Bowman. "For me, it's about keeping going. Sideline projects give me the chance to step back and try something new: use them to challenge yourself and your practice. It's a chance to be free, and give back to yourself and others. You don't want to become a machine that reproduces the same work, visual style and ideas." 17. Find a really good printer A decent printer will cost a bit, but it will be a good investment in the long term"Invest in a really good printer," suggests Israeli-born, New York-based illustrator Tomer Hanuka, who sells reproductions of his work online. "Prints should be as high quality as original art or silkscreens." Any seemingly daunting outlay should be compared to the cost of a limited-edition run with a professional printing firm, and Hanuka advocates spending $1,200 or more. "Yes, these are expensive machines, but the investment should pay for itself," he insists. 18. Don't use cheap packaging Invest in the right packaging for your projectHanuka warns against skimping on packaging when selling your work online. "Resending damaged prints can be costly," he points out. "Make sure your packing is super solid. I put the print in a plastic sleeve and tape that between two hard backing boards, which are in turn inserted into a sturdy cardboard envelope. Another route is to use a tube, if your prints are on a lighter paper that rolls naturally." 19. Step out of your comfort zone Try something different with your personal work"Customising products is definitely something I'd like to do more of," says Birmingham-based freelance illustrator Tahgasa Bertram, aka Sweaty Eskimo. "I find most of my commissioned work is for print and web, so I try to avoid this type of work when I do personal stuff," he continues. "Recently, I've started working on personal projects that keep me away from my Mac altogether: drawing on walls, skateboards and anything else that I can apply my style to." 20. Turn a sideline into a product Lauren Hom hand-draws signs for local restaurants in exchange for the food she writes outThrough his sub-brand Legacy of Defeat, Hydro74 also designs and sells custom typefaces. "It's a minor side business that was built to create a residual income that can support various endeavours, or assist me during dry months," he explains. "It's always relaxing to take a hobby and make it into a successful sideline, and the beauty with digital products is that there's nothing invested except time, so they tend to be pure profit that you can reinvest." Related articles: 6 tips for better side projects Turn your side project into a money-making business The importance of completing side projects View the full article

Typography trends – like graphic design trends, or colour trends – rarely appear out of nowhere. Instead, they evolve and grow as they move from the niche towards the mainstream. That's why, to forecast the big typography trends of 2018, we're first taking a look back at the biggest type movements of 2017. Elsewhere on the site, you’ll find articles covering the key typography rules and terms every designer should know, as well as typography tutorials to help you improve your type design skills, and our definitive collection of the best free fonts out there. Here, however, we're looking to the year ahead. We asked some of the top names in type to share their thoughts on the biggest typography trends of 2017 – as well as their predictions for what will be hot in 2018. Here's what they said... 01. 1970s-style serif fonts Chobani's new look brings warmth to fonts "One typographic trend that I predict will be popular in 2018 is the use of warm, 1970s-evoking serif typefaces," says Jeremiah Shoaf, a freelance designer and founder of Typewolf. "I think this is a reaction against the cold, sterile neo-grotesques like Helvetica that seem to be dominating the design landscape." Shoaf comments on the recent Chobani rebrand as a prime example. "Its new bespoke typeface has a retro charm that brings to mind ITC Clearface and Bookman, two typefaces that will forever be associated with the good vibes of the 70s," he adds. 02. Retro reactions to geometric type Could we be seeing more retro fonts like 2017's Formula 1 rebrand? "2016 was all about geometric sans typefaces," says art director Rick Banks. "This carried on to some extent in 2017 – as in the Moonpig, Sky Sports rebrand – but much less so. This year we have seen an increase in serifs, as with the Southbank Centre, Chobani, and Medium rebrands). "I think next year we'll see designers reacting more against geometric type . I think brands will want type with more character and standout value. It wouldn't surprise me if we see more 90s-inspired typography – following on from the new F1 logo." 03. Colour fonts Black is so last year "I think colour fonts (see FontMaker by FontSelf) will be a big hit in 2018. The user-friendly interface and the possibility of adding colour as another dimension to typography represents a huge opportunity for designers and brands to add identity to their designs," says typographer Alex Trochut. "The fact that not only Illustrator but also Photoshop will support colour fonts opens up a door to create photographic typography, which represents a whole new canvas to play with. I'm very excited to see what are the good results coming out of this new technology." 04. Custom fonts designed in-house Text editors like Atom are popular with coders Dalton Maag founder and type designer Bruno Maag agrees with Banks. "Geometric sans typefaces continue to dominate the typographic landscape, but we can see a trend toward more condensed designs with a grid-like structure," he comments. "It seems as if there is a resurgence of 70s inspired type, too." Maag also mentions a rise in the use of open source fonts in digital environments. This is thanks to a dramatic improvement in quality over the past few years, as well as the potentially considerable cost savings – and means designers can avoid navigating the complexities of licensing for digital usage on a number of different devices. "However, it does limit the role type can play as a brand tool," says Maag. He continues: "We can see in-house design teams increasingly championing custom font solutions to close the gap between brand expression and controlling technical and logistic aspects of font usage. A further trend in [custom] type is to involve scientific research on aspects of accessibility, with designers having to concern themselves with science." 05. No trends Anthony Burrill urges designers to forge their own route "I don’t think there are typographic trends any more; if there are, I find it hard to identify them," says designer and print maker Anthony Burrill. "Depending on who you follow on social media – type foundries, designers, lettering artists, graffiti artists – there are numerous trends that simultaneously coexist. Scroll through your Instagram feed and you’ll see historic type examples rubbing shoulders with the latest type animation techniques." He acknowledges that this can be overwhelming, but offers some solutions to help you out. "It's possible to navigate your way through this visual avalanche. Seek out work that you connect with. By gaining more in-depth knowledge, it’s possible to have a meaningful relationship with type design, rather than being dazzled with the latest techniques. "Seek out work that informs your own work and inspires you, and use it as a launch pad for your own creativity," he continues. "It's important to stay informed and have an opinion about work by other designers, but even more important to develop your individual response and approach to work." Related articles: 7 new typography tools The 8 biggest typography mistakes designers make The rules of responsive web typography View the full article

Thanks to Meltdown and Spectre, January has already been an extremely busy month of patching for Microsoft. View the full article

Microsoft is pausing the rollout of Windows Meltdown and Spectre patches until hosted anti-virus software vendors confirms no unsupported Windows kernel calls via the addition of a registry key on PCs. View the full article

There's an old Yorkshire saying: 'If tha ever does owt for nowt, do it for thi sen.' For those who don't speak fluent Tyke, it translates like this: 'If you ever do something for nothing, do it for yourself.' These are words that all creatives should have tattooed on their drawing arm. Nothing you do as a designer is free. When you do free work, the person who pays for the work is you. You pay with your time, your experience, the money you spent on training, the bills you pay to keep your office running, your software subscriptions, your hardware... It goes on and on. But, still, no matter how strong your design portfolio, there are clients out there who will try to get you to work for free. What they don't know is how easy they are to predict. They follow patterns, these cheapskate clients. Because of that, you can find ways to make any offer pay, whatever's on the table. Here, we outline six strategies for turning free work into paid work (because that's the only work worth having). 01. Payment poker Don't gamble on getting paid for your work Some clients – generally those who are unused to working with creatives – genuinely do not value what you do. Others may be simply trying to get the best price they can, without really knowing where the bottom of the market is. Both those clients will try to play 'payment poker' with you. In this case, they'll likely use one of three bluffing tactics – but don't worry, in each of these cases, your potential client has an empty hand. We'll look at each of these in turn now. 'The work will look good in your portfolio' We deal with portfolio work in tip 05, but the gist of it is this; if you're doing work for your portfolio you're always the best judge of what will and will not look good in there. Let that be your guide. 'There will be more work for you down the line' If this is true, why can't they pay you now? If the answer is that they want to see how you work together first, then there are strategies for dealing with that in steps 02, 03 and 04. In most cases, the harsh truth is that free work usually only leads to more free work. If you're able to deliver professional quality work to a client for free, then why would they ever want to pay you for it? Exactly. It's a vicious cycle – don't get caught in it. 'There's no budget' Finally, if they tell you that they simply don't have any money to pay you... well, that's their problem, not yours. 02. Present your ideas In the world of design, free pitching is almost as controversial as doing work for free. A good compromise is for sole traders and small agencies to offer a credentials pitch. If you're asked to take on a project that sets off alarms ('We have no budget' for example), offering a credentials pitch is a way to set out your stall. You can use it to: Establish your professionalism and track record Explore what they need from you Discuss what you would be able to do for them Outline your rates The last element is important, because you can use it as an opportunity to emphasise that you don't work for free and why that is the case. Your potential client has a choice to make. They can either find the budget to pay you for your work or continue trying to find someone who will do the job for nothing. Either way, you've lost nothing. 03. Go small If you're offered very little, offer very little in return. It's a sure-fire way to uncover how much budget there actually is for a job. For example, you can come back to a request for free work with an offer to help with early development – or do a deal to test colour schemes with their branding. Choose a part of the job close to the beginning and break down for them exactly what you'll do as part of that process. Then tell them how much it will cost at your normal rate. This enables you to restate your value and negates all those arguments about their being more work down the line once you've 'proved' yourself. Again, they may magically find the budget to pay you and you'll have gained a client on fair terms. If they pass, you've dodged a bullet. 04. Learn to say no The only way to get paid is to learn to say no to free work When you're starting out as a freelancer it's tempting to see every client who approaches you as potential work – but no one can afford to work for free for very long. It's important for you to have a clear sense of what your bottom line is when it comes to payment. Here's a good way to think about that: Calculate the least you can afford to work for as an hourly rate. This is your 'break even' point. Promise yourself that you won't go below it. Unless working for free offers you other benefits – which is rare – it will always be below your break even point. So, when someone asks you to work for free and you want to say no, say no. As you walk away, remember that you haven't lost anything by turning down the work, you've avoided the overhead costs that would have been involved, and you're now free to take on more paid work. In short, turning down free work actually makes you money. 05. Portfolio work One compelling argument often used to cajole newer designers into doing free work is that you can use it to build your portfolio: You can use it to learn on the job and get a foot in the door. There are problems with this point of view though. Firstly – and most contentiously – if you're learning significant skills on the job, then you're probably not ready to do the job. Some people will say it's good to learn the ropes working for real clients, even if it is for free. Remember though; all your formative work will live on even after you've grown beyond it. Or worse, you'll find yourself forever ploughing the same furrow, unable to break away from your freebie loving patrons. Secondly, you will rarely be offered the kind of free work that helps a designer build an impressive portfolio. It's more likely that you'll be asked to do grunt jobs. Ecommerce websites, logos for local businesses and promotional flyers. If you're an ambitious designer then your portfolio should be aspirational. It should be full of the work you dream of doing. And you should choose to do that work for yourself, in your own time. That way, when the kind of work you want to do comes along, you'll be ready to make it pay. 06. Taster work One way to create portfolio work you're happy with is to specifically target clients that you want to work with and to offer them a sample of what you do. Why is this different to accepting free work on a real project? Crucially, you're in control. You can communicate, loudly and clear, that this is a one off deal. You can allocate some of your own marketing budget to the enterprise and write off the tangible overheads against tax. You can do exactly the kind of work you want to be known for. At the end of the process you'll have a piece of portfolio work that you actually wanted for you portfolio. What if they say no? That hasn't stopped designers who re-skin popular websites or do over famous corporate logos. The kudos of attracting a big client (even a free one) is great, but a great piece of work for your portfolio is still a great piece of work. And, of course you could get lucky, impress them and win a big client. Read more: How to make money on Instagram as a creative 8 ways to make more money in 2018 Why designers need to talk about money View the full article

Put your hand up if you haven't updated your design portfolio website for months. Maybe years? When you're working flat-out on final-year projects, freelance commissions or a consuming day job, sprucing up your portfolio can quickly drop down the to-do list. But it doesn't have to. The best way to approach your portfolio is to treat it like a client commission If you're a student, you can't afford to put your portfolio off; you need to be ready to leverage crucial opportunities. And if you're an established designer, it's just as important to maintain a fresh online presence. We know you're busy, so we've put together a handy step-by-step guide for creating – or revamping – your portfolio site in 12 hours. Follow it over a day, a weekend or a series of evenings and turn a lacklustre digital portfolio into something with real wow factor. Hour 1: Write a plan So where do you start? The best way to approach your portfolio is to treat it like a client commission and spend the first hour writing a brief. What's the purpose of your portfolio – do you want to be hired for a permanent position? Freelance? Do you want to sell products or build your reputation? Is evidence of a strong style important, or versatility? Think about your intended audience: what skills do you need to promote to achieve your goals? To help focus your vision, it's a good idea to analyse your offering at this stage too. List your core skills and wider knowledge areas, and then condense them into one concise, compelling sentence. This will help direct what you do in the next 11 hours, and you can include it on your homepage or in your About section. Hour 2: Pick your platform Now think about your choice of platform. If you've already set up a portfolio site, it can be tempting to stick with the status quo, but consider a few things first. Is the layout visually pleasing or crowded and cluttered? Does the site work on different devices? Is it easy to edit and update? If your current online presence isn't working for you
and your visitors, then it's time to rethink. Fortunately for time-pressed creatives, there are plenty of platforms that enable you to build a portfolio in minutes, with no coding required. If you're a Creative Cloud subscriber, Adobe Portfolio is free, and it synchronises with your Behance profile automatically. Another popular option is Squarespace, which offers a mobile-optimised personal website option for £10/month or an unlimited business option for £15/month, both of which give you a free custom domain with an annual subscription. Carbonmade lets you showcase 10 projects
 for $6/month, 50 projects for $12/month or an unlimited number for $18/month. All three tiers offer a degree of customisation. Fabrik is a relative newcomer that gives you 50 projects for £6.25/month,
 or unlimited for £15/month. Hour 2.5: Customise your site Whether you're choosing an off-the-shelf option or taking a more custom approach, make sure your site's layout makes your work the main focus and navigation is intuitive. "The navigation should be really simple," says Benjamin Simon, art director and 3D artist at Trier-based studio FOREAL. People are busy and pushed for time, he explains, "so you need to get there quickly. Give people an overview straight away and invite them to go deeper if they want to." Someone landing on your site should be able to view examples of your work without too much scrolling or clicking so they can quickly and easily scan what's there and get a good feel for your style. There are stacks of ready-made templates available for the major online platforms, including plenty of freebies. "I've used a few different ways to showcase my work," says Kefalonia-based designer and letterer Corina Nika, aka Cocorrina. "The first was a small section on my blog, but with time that felt less professional. I discovered [invite- only portfolio service] Cargo through a fellow designer and felt it had enough of a professional vibe to it." Note that you're aiming for professionalism, so avoid pointlessly flashy design. The old adage about
taking away anything unnecessary applies here, otherwise you risk irritating potential clients. "I hate it when websites are too 'designed' or won't load instantly," advises Natasha Tomalin, art director of London-based Stylist magazine.
"I just want to see your work nicely and cleanly presented." "Keep your portfolio site clean, minimalist and user-friendly," agrees Michal Sycz, creative director at Warsaw-based studio Noeeko. While it can be tempting to fill your landing page with quirky biographical details, people might leave your site if they can't see visuals 'above the fold'. Sycz says that it's better to let your design and illustration work speak for itself: "Your projects should be the most prominent part of the website." "Consider flexibility as well as simplicity, so you can change the site in the future" Dirk Schuster, FOREAL This means using a layout that's suited to displaying visuals effectively. Don't pick something overly complex with lots of columns, sidebars, bells and whistles. In fact, a simple, single-column layout can be very effective and is more likely to work well on mobile. It's also essential to use a content management system so that you can make future updates easily. "You might not be thinking about that right now," explains Dirk Schuster, art director and illustrator at FOREAL. "But consider flexibility as well as simplicity, so you can change the site in the future." That way, you won't invest time now only to regret it later. Using a flexible system also means you needn't delay setting up your portfolio until you've finished upcoming projects that you're dying to include. Get the framework in place now and you can easily add to it down the line. For example, Corina Nika replaces older images with new ones every three to five months. "That way, I always have fresh work up, showing newer skills and aesthetics," she says. Hour 3-4: Curate your best work Curating your portfolio is one of the most time-consuming parts of the process, so be prepared to put a few hours into choosing which projects to include, and preparing the assets and accompanying text. First, remind yourself of the purpose of your portfolio. Then begin selecting projects that best serve your goals, making sure you're building a clear picture of your skill set, style (if relevant) and creative personality. Also make sure that you're showcasing the work you want to do more of. "Choose projects wisely," warns Nika. "[The projects you include in your portfolio] should be favourite ones that reflect your style and who you are as a creative. I used to include pretty much all of my work in my portfolio, but it started to feel really crowded and difficult to maintain." With a mish-mash of old and new projects,
styles and influences, Nika realised she wasn't clearly communicating what she wanted to say. "Always keep in mind that what your potential clients see in your portfolio is what they will expect," she adds. "So consider aesthetics and style according to the clients that you want to attract." Similarly, the designers at FOREAL – who only upload around 10 per cent of their work online – agree that it's a good idea to focus on the sorts of projects you'd like to do more of in the future. Don't let client names drive your choice if it means overlooking your best projects There's no point showing work for an impressive client if it's the kind of project you hate doing, so don't let client names drive your choice if it means overlooking your best projects because they aren't name-dropping fodder. A simple solution is to separate showcased work from your client list – FOREAL's client list, for example, is on a different page, leaving the studio free to choose the most visually impactful images for its project section. Diversity is important, so assemble a good cross- section of the work you've done without making things too crowded. Between 10 and 20 projects is plenty; fewer if you're a student. If you only show food and drink branding projects, or a certain illustration style without a variety of applications, you're leaving your potential to the viewer's imagination. "I like to see a variety of subject matter – people, faces, landscapes, food, buildings and so on," says Natasha Tomalin. "Show your skills off in every area, so we can see that you are versatile." You don't have to stick to creative that was signed off. If you did extra work, or had a solution you loved that was vetoed by a client, upload it – just make it clear that it's not the approved creative. As Corina Nika points out: "Mockups are the best way to make your work look realistic and polished." Another great way to show additional or new skills is to include side projects as well. Hours 5-6: Prepare your assets When you've finalised your projects, it's time to look at how you're going to present them. "We're really picky about what we put online," says Simon. "It's so important that the visuals are the most graphical ones, with the most power at the very first glance." Process images can add insight into what you did and how, but resist the temptation to include behind-the- scenes material that doesn't document anything significant or add to the story. A good method is to start with the finished images, then some close-ups that showcase your skill, followed by some initial concepts and early sketches. Make sure you resize all images for the web. If you fill your site with large files, it will slow down loading times and eat up mobile bandwidth. As Dirk Schuster points out, "nobody likes waiting ages for visuals to load." In fact, make your users wait too long (and we're talking seconds here) and they'll likely abandon your site altogether. Also, avoid bad housekeeping habits by holding onto the original hi-res versions of your files on your hard drive and giving the resized images sensible names. Descriptive filenames look professional if text appears while an image is loading and help with search engine indexing, so 'project0135.jpg' just won't cut it. Using an appropriate filename also ensures relevant details are imported into Pinterest if people pin your images. Hours 7-9: Share the story It's important to contextualise each project, but the good news about text is that you don't need to write much, says Benjamin Simon. "[On our own website] we've chosen to keep information minimal and focus on visuals," he says. For each project, explain the basics in a short paragraph or two. State the client, overall objective and key deliverables, such as a series of print posters to advertise a music festival, or a brand identity for a new clothing company. Include any constraints and the timeline. Also make your role clear: what did you contribute? Finally, include success metrics if you have them. It's harder to write succinctly than it is to blurt out everything, so this will take time, but the ability to explain your work clearly is a sought-after skill and too much text becomes clutter. A good rule of thumb is to ensure every sentence conveys at least one key fact about the project. Along with the initial images, the description should hook viewers and make them want to scroll down. And whatever you do, proofread the text once you've written it. Hour 10: Order your work to create impact Once you've chosen your projects, think about how you're going to order them on your site. Aim for a big impact. "You want to create a 'wow' effect in the first few seconds and then try to keep up the interest," says Dirk Schuster. People won't spend long looking at your website, he notes. If you want to make an impact, "that happens within the first 10 seconds." If you have a landing page or the option to display some images at larger sizes, pick between one and five projects that you want to prioritise; if not, put these projects first so that they're the most visible. It's fine to arrange things chronologically, but not essential If you're having trouble prioritising your work, take a step back and select the images you'd want to show someone who is only going to look at a few examples of your work; often this is exactly what happens. Consider pacing and rhythm. It's fine to arrange things chronologically, but not essential, and the organisation and order may change on different screen sizes in any case. Also remember that people can only view so much on a screen at once. It's not just about time and convenience – if your folio looks like the digital equivalent of a messy corkboard, art directors may draw negative conclusions about you. "There certainly is such a thing as too much to say," says Tomalin. "I don't have time to sift through thousands of pages of work. It also shows me you can't self-edit, and that's a big bugbear of mine." Hours 11-12: Set your portfolio free into the world Now make sure that your contact information is up-to-date and easy to find, and don't neglect your About page. If you're pressed for time, use the brief you wrote at the start of the process (you can expand on it later), and add a client list and links to social media channels. Consider your own branding, too. You can make subtle use of your logo and headers without overcrowding the layout or distracting from the visuals. Ensure that every clickable link on your site works correctly. Then check how everything looks on different desktops and mobile devices. "A good portfolio website should look nice on all devices," emphasises Michal Sycz. Case studies give visitors a deeper view into your process, so think about adding some when you have more time. For now, though, focus on keeping your site updated with recent work. "One of my irritations is how some agencies present the same work every year," says Stephen Jenkins, art director for special projects at the Guardian, who's also worked for Wallpaper* and British vogue. Of course, no portfolio is ever finished, but now you've spruced yours up, you're back in the game. Illustrations: Michael Driver This article first appeared in Computer Arts magazine issue 251. Subscribe now. Read more: 5 quick and easy ways to fix your portfolio How to make social media work for you 30 graphic designers to follow on Behance View the full article

Ant Ward will be one of our artists answering your specific questions at Vertex. What's the problem? We have all been there. You’ve spent days painstakingly painting the weights on your character, ensuring the limbs bend and twist correctly and the face can emote without any strange bulges or pinches. You finally finish and the client requests a change to the rig. You are now faced with a possible reskin to a modified skeleton. Not a problem, right? You can simply reference the old rig and model into the same scene as the new one and use the Copy Skin Weights tool to transfer the weights across. The problem is that some of the joints are too close together, so copying the weights doesn’t work completely, especially around areas like the mouth and eyes. How do you fix it? So what do you do now? You don’t have time to repaint the weights. This is a problem faced by technical artists every day and it’s something that we have come to expect. While in production, rigs, skeletons and models change all the time, so it pays to be able to react to these changes quickly and efficiently. There’s the option of exporting the weight maps using the Export Skin Weight Map tool found under the Skin menu. This has existed in Maya for as long as we can remember. The problem is this tool generates a new image file per influence which can, over time, clog up your hard drive. Plus, being image-based it can often lead to inaccuracies when importing. What other options do you have besides turning to third-party plugins? Hidden away, right at the bottom of the Deform menu is the Export Deformer Weights tool, labelled Export Weights and Import Weights. What makes this fundamentally different is that it will export the weights as an XML file, keeping your system cleaner and storing the weights as a numerical list. As you can imagine, this offers much more precise results. What you should remember is a skinCluster node, which stores the weight information on a model and is classed as a deformer, so the Export Deformer Weights tool will still work and is a much better way to preserve all your hard work. More from Ant Ward at Vertex Ant Ward will be at Vertex answering your questions, as part of our 'Ask an Artist' section. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity to get one to one with a veteran artist, who can help you overcome a road block in your work, or to talk through a problem area. Ant is an artist with huge experience in many areas of CG. He has been a regular on the pages of 3D World for many years and has written numerous tutorials, as well as being a part of our expert Q and Q team. To book a ticket for Vertex 2018 head over to the Vertex site, where you will find information on all the day's activities, from keynote talks to the panel discussion and recruitment fair. Related articles: The ethics of digital humans Scott Ross at Vertex Why Vertex is a must for 3D artitists View the full article

Before analysing the big colour trends of 2018, first we’ll consider the last year. Green had its year in 2017. Not only did Pantone stamp its seal on Greenery for Colour of the Year, but a variation of the hue also won the people’s vote in GF Smith’s World’s Favourite Colour campaign. How to master colour theory2017 also saw the realisation of the impact of our impending urban future come to the fore; the UN affirmed that more than 50 per cent of us live in cities, and owing to our increased urbanisation, pollution levels became a key global concern. Perhaps then it is no wonder that green – the colour most synonymous with nature and the great outdoors – saw such appeal. Our environments, both work and play, have become awash with greenery, from the cultivation of house plants, window boxes and mini-ecosystems, to allotments, pop-up green oases and even vast vertical gardens. The biophilia hypothesis Designers and architects are increasingly buying into the biophilia hypothesis – which states that as humans, we have an inherent need to connect with greenery and the natural world – and are ‘designing-in’ nature to new spaces more and more. Boutique houseplant stores and city conservatories have gained high design status, while accounts from the likes of plant-loving photographers Haarkon attract hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. The Haarkon Instagram account is bursting with plant photography While the grassy shade of Pantone’s Greenery may not have filtered into commercial design on a mass-market level, related green tones and shades have become firmly established across specialisms. Khaki has affirmed itself a staple shade akin to navy and black, prolific in fashion, while more exotic tones of jade and forest green are combined with rose and warm metals for a luxury aesthetic. Pantone Colour of the Year with Airbnb GF Smith’s World’s Favourite Colour campaign invited people to engage with an interactive website in order to finely tune and select their personal favourite colour from a seemingly infinite spectrum. The colours submitted were analysed to pinpoint ‘the world’s favourite’ and ultimately saw Annie Marrs’ teal-esque green initiated into the paper manufacturer’s Colourplan range. Luxurious greens Last year, we predicted the onset of an Engineered Nature palette, in which organic shades work in synergy with scientifically manipulated synthetic greens. As we enter 2018, we are seeing shades of green in design expand beyond the expected. What began as the pursuit for a greater connection with nature – with organic greens infused into spaces and products – has evolved into more luxurious uses of green, engineered nature and the emergence of Art Deco and tropical luxe-inspired palettes. The Broadview Hotel by Blok Over the next few pages, we provide you with the key colour trends for 2018, with the insights driving these palettes. At FranklinTill we don’t believe in reporting flash-in-the-pan seasonal trends. Trends don’t simply disappear, but movements gather momentum and colour palettes evolve, manifesting in different ways as they move from the periphery towards the mainstream. Neither do we believe in mimicking great design in an attempt to be ‘on trend’. We aim to draw attention to the people behind emerging design movements and celebrate their creativity. So read on to discover three such movements, and the palettes that reflect them... Next page: 3 huge colour trends to know for 2018 01. Interactive The way we interact with colour is changing. We live in a digital reality in which hyperreal and digital-real aesthetics are so ubiquitous that we often can’t tell the difference between synthetically generated and real imagery. Realer-than-real effects, once the dominion of Hollywood editing suites, have been democratised through the advancements of CAD technologies so that creatives in wider areas can exploit the possibilities of boundless digital creation, often to a highly experimental degree. These designers are creating New Age aesthetics. This look and feel suggests boundless movement and is being increasingly adopted by design in the physical world, as product packaging and communication lean towards this idea of an alternative real aesthetic. One of the new wave of artists and designers exploring the digital aesthetic is Lucy Hardcastle, whose work regularly interrogates the relationship between digital and real-world design. Glow by Lucy Hardcastle Glow, a collection of abstract, rendered images and objects, uses high-gloss and reflective surfaces, with textures of silk and velvet, to ground the work. Hardcastle describes her palette as “emotive, and atmospheric”, using “millennial” pastels contrasted with strong colour. We are so used to colour being dynamic, fluid and interactive in our screen-based experiences that we are now demanding the same qualities from physical tangible colour. Optical effects A host of product and spatial designers are reprieving the aesthetics of the light and space movement of the ’60s and creating optical effects through reflection, refraction and light dispersion in order to transform environments. Artists are experimenting with various materials and colour compositions to subvert perceptions of surface and space through use of clever, sensitive colour and light applications. A new generation of designers is picking up the mantle of established light artists, such as Larry Bell and DeWain Valentine, to reinterpret the experimental art movement in tangible forms. Echoing the principles of the light and space movement, Sabine Marcelis examines how far she can push the relationship between light and materiality. The concept for the interior design of Salle Privee’s House no. 8 in Milan Italy, by Sabine Marcelis, revolves around extruding shapes from the single existing central mirrored wall The Rotterdam-based designer uses light as a tool to transform. Mutating the presumed aesthetic characteristics of materials such as glass, mirror and metal, Marcelis’ pieces disrupt paths of light through opaque matter and form tinted reflections. The Curved Twist screen by Kia Utzon-Frank, in collaboration with Fay McCaul, incorporates 21,500 dichroic rods that have been knitted into the screen in order to create a colour-changing effect. The perceived colour of the screen is unpredictable and totally dependent on the quality of light and the angle of the viewer. The idea that colour should move is influencing graphic design and visual communication, by way of iridescence and special treatments. Designers are making smart use of special finishes and foil to bring ethereal movement to printed work. Holographic and iridescent special foils mimic in print the effects achieved by product designers using glass reflective surfaces as well as the fluid gloss quality of hyperreal digital colour. An otherworldly palette synthesises the ephemeral quality of coloured light and is combined with hyperreal pastels. Next page: More big colour trends for 2018 02. Primitive Last year, we presented a colour story titled Material Reveal. This was a celebration of the organic beauty of unadulterated natural materials and was driven by a backlash against industrial, mass produced design in a homogenised minimalist aesthetic. This shift towards crafted material colour is showing no signs of disappearing, but the muddy earthen brown hues have evolved into saturated terracotta and burnt sienna shades. Designers are reinitiating intimate connections to tactile materials, products and spaces, embracing a creative regression. They are devolving fabrication techniques in order to reconnect with matter and craftsmanship. Petra Lilja for Swedish Ninja The imprints of techniques and processes are embedded in the aesthetic outcomes of new crafted products as designers employ slow, laborious methods and allow material origins to dictate final outcomes. Surfaces are rough-hewn and natural, appealing to a desire for tactile reconnection. Celebrating terracotta The imperfect finishes bear testament to the considered creation of each item and the respect of new craftspeople for traditional techniques. With a focus on materiality, surfaces display respectful manipulations that retain natural aesthetic qualities in honest material colours. Rich earth tones, clay browns and nude have a grounding effect on the user, evoking a reassuring connection to organic matter. Terracotta is becoming a key material of the moment. The functional unpretentious earthenware is being celebrated for its natural orange hue, in marked contrast to more purist ceramic materials. Primitive resources suggest longevity and rough-hewn, hand-worked surfaces are respected for their honest imperfections. In a true act of colour activism, sculptor Carl Emil Jacobsen created the Powder Variations series. Dissatisfied with the mass produced standardised pigments of stoneware glaze, Jacobsen looked to his environment to create various native pigments. Powder Variations, by Carl Emil Jacobsen. Photography by Collecting fieldstones, tiles and bricks from his local landscape in Denmark, he crushed and ground the materials to create bespoke pigments with a truly local narrative. These vibrant earthen shades are even finding a place in the world of luxury fashion. The Bureau Betak design catwalk setting for Ermenegildo Zegna’s spring/summer 2018 show saw a blanket of striking burnt orange sand coat the ground, punctuated by reflective geometric plinths. In graphic design, illustration and packaging fibrous papers allow the material to do the talking. They add texture to colour in printed material. Paper derived from unorthodox origins, waste food, such as coffee grounds or spent hops, for example, suggest and celebrate sustainable alternatives through the use of inherent natural aesthetics. Next page: More big colour trends for 2018 03. Playful As an antidote to everyday mundane stresses and pressures, we are finding release in regression, replacing highbrow pursuits with honest and innocent play and reverting to childlike experimentation and inquiry. Our increasingly urban environments are witnessing a transformation as shared city spaces are reinvented as convivial play spaces both literally and metaphorically. The city is no longer a drab grey industrial landscape of concrete, metal and motors, redolent of utility and business. Instead it is a vibrant, energetic, constantly evolving entity – a sensory landscape that is inspiring a refreshed playful approach across design categories from visual communication to fashion and interiors. Designers are rediscovering the creative and intellectual value of play, remembering that the act of play is itself a learning experience and route to creation. We are seeing a reappreciation for playfulness and happy accidents as designers embrace naive experimentation in their practice. Bold and defiant designs of product, space, visual communication and fashion are injected with a sense of humour. Return of the Memphis Group aesthetic The Memphis Group’s aesthetic is experiencing a renaissance, reinterpreted in alternative scales and applications. Monochrome patterns are juxtaposed with block brights in geometric and irregular configurations. Stereotypical spaces and product designs are adopting saturated colour palettes and abstract forms that challenge us to invent and imagine, to draw up our own narratives and lose ourselves in simple intuitive interaction. Described as a ‘temple of wonder’, Camille Walala’s Now Gallery installation is a labyrinth of colour and pattern, encouraging visitors to “be more aware of their bodies, engage their minds and give themselves over to play”. Walala X Play by Camille Walala for the Now Gallery In honour of Centre Pompidou’s 40th anniversary, surrealist designer studio GGSV has created a fantastical interactive playground. The Paris-based duo took inspiration from the likes of René Magritte, Ettore Sottsass and Gaetano Pesce to design Galerie Party, a garden of distorted forms at exaggerated scales, with prints and colours that bombard the senses. Galerie Party by Studio GGSV The multitude of playscape elements invites assembly and reconfiguration, suggesting multiple composition possibilities and highlighting the role of play in self-expression. The pieces in avant-garde designer Henrik Vibskov’s spring/summer 2018 collection are adorned with cartoonish motifs. Knit jacquards depict ambiguous caricatured creatures and facial features while a neutral peach palette is punctuated by flashes of bright primaries. Henrik Vibskov S/S 2018. Photography by Victor Jones In graphic design, illustration and packaging, clashing brights are applied in stripes, spots and abstract shapes that jigsaw across surfaces. Plasticised finishes and spot gloss varnishes are applied to flat graphics and figurative forms take a surrealist lilt. Related articles: How to master colour theory 21 outstanding uses of colour in branding The designer’s guide to using colour in branding View the full article

The last 12 months have been host to a wealth of new hardware launches and a veritable parade of impressive tech advances. Happily, plenty of it has been designed with creative professionals in mind, which means we're moving into 2018 with the best kit we've ever had – everything from unique takes on traditional desktop and notebook computing, to innovative new input devices fine-tuned for digital artists. Whether you're a budding graphic designer working from home or a veteran visual effects wizard, there's sure to be something that will pique your interest in our standout technology picks from the last year. Keep reading to find out what impressed us the most in 2017. 01. Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock In their desire to be ever slimmer, several pro-level laptops have shed several ports in recent years, but happily third parties like Elgato exist to fill the void. Its latest Thunderbolt 3 dock allows you to connect everything to your computer through a single cable, and even charge your USB-C devices through its 15W ports. Not only does this dock provide Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 connectivity, it's also capable of driving one 5K monitor or two 4K displays simultaneously, making it the perfect hub for both Windows and Mac-based creative workstations. 02. iMac Pro In response to criticism that it was failing to cater to creative professionals, Apple launched perhaps the fastest Mac ever in December with the slick-looking space grey iMac Pro. The iMac Pro can be configured with a mammoth 18-core Intel Xeon processor. To put that power in perspective, consider that a 10-core iMac Pro is almost twice as fast as a high-end 5K iMac and up to 45 percent faster than a 'trash can' 2013 Mac Pro. Hidden behind that beautiful 5K display is up to 4TB of SSD storage, up to 128GB of ECC RAM, and 16GB AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics. With four Thunderbolt 3 ports, the iMac Pro can power two external 5K displays or four 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously. There's also a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot, four USB-A 3.0 ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack lined up on the rear. 03. Logitech CRAFT Wireless keyboard Taking cues from Microsoft's Surface Studio, Logitech's advanced wireless CRAFT keyboard incorporates a creative input dial into its layout for controlling configurable, app-specific functions. The Crown, as it's called, is touch sensitive, so you can tap or turn it to adjust various settings depending on the application you're using. With custom profiles for Photoshop CC, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and InDesign, it's ready to go out of the box. Get Adobe Creative CloudThe CRAFT can pair with up to three devices over Bluetooth, and also features backlighting that detects hand movement and automatically adjusts illumination based on lighting conditions. 04. Dell Precision 5520 Typical mobile workstations focus on offering powerful internal components capable of running demanding creative applications, but that all too often leads to an inelegant exterior. Not so with Dell's Precision 5520, which manages to pack the power of a workstation-class machine into a sleek space-age chassis with a luxurious feel. Apart from its solid-looking Full HD 15.6-inch display, the 5520 is powered by an Intel Xeon processor and includes two USB 3.0 ports, a single USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3, an SD card reader, and an HDMI connection around the side. 05. iPad Pro 10.5 inch Say hello to the best iPad yet. While this tablet is slightly larger than the 9.7-inch iPad Pro it replaces, the size and weight difference is negligible. Add into the equation a 20 percent larger display – made possible by shrinking the tablet's bezels – and you begin to appreciate its refined aesthetics. Of course, when it comes to mobile processing-power, Apple isn't one to skimp, and the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is powered by Apple's fast A10X Fusion chip. Finally, with iOS 11 running, its latest professional tablet also has multitasking props to boot. 06. Wacom Intuos Pro Wacom refreshed its Intuos tablet line in 2017 with an updated version of the Intuos Pro, available in two highly portable medium and large sizes. Both tablet sizes feature eight customisable ExpressKeys and offer over 8,000 levels of pressure, 5,080 lines of resolution, 60 levels of pen tilt, 200 points per second reporting, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, and a multi-function touch ring. Wacom has also reworked the pen to make it more comfortable to use. It now sports a slightly less tapered design and side buttons that sit flush with the body. 07. LG UltraFine 5K monitor Apple's Cinema Display didn't get a look in last year and instead Apple surprised users by partnering with LG to come up with this UltraFine 5K monitor. While the first units unfortunately had a glitch, LG has since fixed the issue, allowing this display to sneak into our 2017 recommended list. USB-C Thunderbolt 3 provides performance connectivity, while the display outshines even Apple's Retina MacBook screens, thanks to its native 5,120 x 2,880 resolution (don't worry – it downscales just fine). Fonts and icons look pristine on its exceedingly wide aspect, making this UltraFine display a multitasker's dream. 08. 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar As well as the high price, Apple's 2017 refresh of its flagship notebook retained the same remarkably slim chassis and controversial Touch Bar, but brought in much-anticipated seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and improved graphics under the hood. The 2880 x 1800 resolution Retina display looks as impressive as we've come to expect from Apple, which also decided to bump the speed of the onboard memory to 2,133MHz, up from 1,866MHz last year (although it still tops out at 16GB RAM). Add to that a new Radeon Pro 560 GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 memory and integrated Intel HD Graphics 630, and creative pros should be good to go. 09. Wacom Bamboo Ink Early in 2017, Wacom and Microsoft put their heads together and came up with the Bamboo Ink, a smart stylus for Windows Ink Workspace that lets idea-makers capture notes, sketch ideas or mark documents across most Windows 10 platforms. Designed to provide a customised, natural writing and sketching experience, the Bamboo Ink comes with three nibs – soft, medium and firm – allowing sketchers and scribblers to switch up the feel. The pen can also be used to navigate windows in Edge browser, write in text boxes, and plenty more besides. 10. Microsoft Surface Pro The fifth iteration of Microsoft's flagship laptop-slash-tablet is evolution rather than revolution, with a more rounded chassis and upgraded internals that run more silently than the previous model. As before, the 12.3-inch 2,736 x 1,824 touchscreen looks stunning, but otherwise, the tablet is largely similar to the Surface Pro 4 – although the snap-on keyboard does have a wider angle of tilt, thanks to the redesigned hinge. An updated stylus with quadruple the pressure sensitivity of the last pen is also available, just be aware it's $100 extra. View the full article