96% Off: Get The Ultimate Front End Development Bundle for $39

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/R12VbSw7AsM/ultimate-front-end-development-bundle

So you want to become a web developer? Well, you made the right choice. As we progress towards a more tech-filled future, the demand for web developers is increasing. Companies are upping the salary to ensure that they hire the best talent out there. The good news is that you don’t need a degree to […]

The post 96% Off: Get The Ultimate Front End Development Bundle for $39 appeared first on designrfix.com.

29 Chrome extensions for web designers and devs

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/3whUD8CCERI/google-chrome-extensions-21410570

Chrome's DevTools are great, but it's possible to add even more exciting features to your internet browser to make web design and development easier. Here are 29 of our favourite Chrome extensions for web designers and developers.

01. Sizzy

Sizzy website

An easy way to test your site across multiple viewports

Responsive web design's a given these days, and it you want a straightforward way to check your designs across multiple viewports, Sizzy's worth a look. It'll show you an interactive view of your page rendered on a number of different device screen sizes, and you can also show and hide a simulated device keyboard, and switch between portrait and landscape modes.

02. Site Palette

Site Palette website

If a colour scheme takes your fancy, Site Palette will help you borrow it

The next time you see a site that makes great use of colour, here's a simple way to take advantage of it. Site Palette extracts the main colours from a website and generates a shareable palette that you can easily show to collaborators. You can also download a Sketch template, and there's Adobe Swatch support, too. 

03. Checkbot

Checkbot website

Sort out all those broken links and get a free SEO boost

Making sure that all the links on your site actually work is an instant usability win and it's a good way to improve your SEO, too. Checkbot is a Chrome extension that checks for broken links, duplicate titles, redirect chains, invalid HTML/JS/CSS and more, so you can quickly audit your site for bad links and get them fixed.

04. Toby

Toby website

Turn all those unruly tabs into useful collections of bookmarks

It is a truth universally acknowledged that by the time you've had Chrome open for a couple of hours it'll be a confusing nest of tabs the width of your little finger. Toby's a great way to tame them; with it you can organise all those tabs into collections of links as an alternative to loads of individual bookmarks, making them much easier to manage.

05. DomFlags

DomFlags website

A new way to work with DevTools

Radically speed up the processes of styling elements with DomFlags, a truly great extension that lets you create keyboard shortcuts for DOM elements. It's like having bookmarks for navigating the DOM; this will change the way you work with DevTools. 

06. Highly Highlighter

Highly website

Highly, a new way to participate in industry conversation

Here's an interesting way to bring people into a discussion: Highly lets you share highlights from articles on the web, so you can draw attention to the most significant bits of writing. 

07. Booom

Booom website

Get a better Dribbble experience with Booom

Booom makes Dribbble better by showing larger shots in lists; putting Like and Add to Bucket buttons in lists; making GIFs autoplay and bringing infinite scroll. 

08. CSS-Shack

Google Chrome extensions - CSS Shack

This Chrome extension enables you to create layer styles and export them into a CSS file

This powerful Chrome extension enables you to create designs then export them into a CSS file for use on your site. It supports layers and contains a plethora of the tools that you're used to from your regular photo editor.

09. Marmoset

Google Chrome extensions - Marmoset

With Marmoset you can create gorgeous code snapshots within seconds

This brilliant extension will take your code and output snapshots for your demos and mockups. You can also add themes and effects to create images for promo and your online portfolio.

10. iMacros for Chrome

Google Chrome extensions - IMacros

iMacros Chrome extension enables you to record actions and save them

As a web developer, you may be required to test your webpages. Repeating the same actions over and over again can be a tiresome process. iMacros is a handy Chrome extension that lets you record your actions and save them so you only need to do them once. After that you can test your pages over and over again, repeating the action with a click of a button. It saves valuable time, freeing up your time so you can concentrate on more pressing matters.

Next: 10 more Chrome extensions

11. Window Resizer

Google Chrome extensions - Windows Resizer

This Chrome extension re-sizes the browser window in order to emulate various resolutions

This Chrome extension is a useful tool that does exactly as it says on the tin – resizes your browser window to help you with your responsive website designs. Choose from a list of popular monitor dimensions or add custom sizes and resolutions for increased accuracy.

12. Project Naptha

Google Chrome extensions - Project Naptha

With Naptha you can highlight, copy, edit, and translate text from any image on the web

If you ever find yourself working from a mockup image with embedded text, Project Naptha could save you a world of mild irritation. Thanks to some smart OCR trickery it enables you to highlight, copy and paste text from any image; it can even translate it for you.

13. WhatFont

Google Chrome extensions - What Font

What font are they using? The WhatFont Chrome extension can tell you!

A very useful Google Chrome extension, WhatFont allows developers and designers to identify the fonts being used on a webpage. So, if you stumble upon a fancy-looking web font that you want to use in one of your future projects, just hover over it and find out instantly which font it is.

14. Web Developer

Google Chrome extensions - Web Developer

The Web Developer Chrome extension provides a range of useful dev tools

As a web developer, you might ask yourself how you have lived without this extension. It adds a toolbar button to Chrome with a plethora of useful web developer tools. It's the official port of the Web Developer extension for Firefox.

15. Web Developer Checklist

Google Chrome extensions - Web Developer Checklist

Fix issues quickly with this handy Chrome extension

This tool allows you check if all of your webpages are following best practice when it comes to SEO, usability, accessibility and performance (page speed). So if, for example, you don't have an H1 tag on a webpage or if a webpage is missing its meta title or meta description, it will notify you so that you can fix the issue quickly. If you click the 'more info and help' link at the bottom of the extension, you will find a more in-depth checklist.

16. DevTools Autosave

Google Chrome extensions - Dev Tools Autosave

Automatically save any changes to a page’s CSS and JS to its source file

A true gem for all web developers out there, DevTools AutoSave allows you to automatically save any changes that you make to a webpage's CSS and JS via the Chrome Dev Tools environment to its source file. It's easy to set up and use and it will save you lots of time and stress.

17. Instant Wireframe

Google Chrome extensions - Instant wireframe

View live webpages with a wireframe overlay

Turn any webpage into a wireframe with just one click. This Google Chrome extension helps web developers and designers view webpages, whether local or live on the web, with a wireframe overlay.

18. ColorZilla

Google Chrome extensions - ColorZilla

With ColorZilla you can get a colour reading from any point in your browser

The ColorZilla Chrome extension is an advanced eyedropper, colour picker, gradient generator and useful colour tool that will help you in your design – right there in your browser window.

19. Streak CRM for Gmail

Google Chrome extensions - Streak

Turn an email conversation into a trackable, assignable ticket

Streak is the ultimate tool for managing CRM and support emails within Gmail. It allows you to turn a single email or an entire conversation into a trackable, assignable, organised ticket that you can manage yourself or share with others.

20. Search Stackoverflow

Google Chrome extensions - Search Stackoverflow

Get your questions answered quickly with this must-have extension

If you're a web developer then you've probably heard about Stack Overflow, the go-to place for any development related issues. If not, then you definitely need to check it out. The community is thriving and it covers a wide range of topics from C# and Java to PHP and jQuery. This fantastic extension adds a search box directly into your browser, allowing you to search the vast resources of Stack Overflow.

Next: more Chrome extensions

21. PerfectPixel

Google Chrome extensions - Perfect Pixel

This extension helps you ensure your site matches the design pixel for pixel

Designers hate it when their stunning design doesn't match up perfectly when it's coded. Perfect Pixel really is the perfect extension for web developers who are striving to develop sites that are accurate representations of designs. This easy-to-use extension enables you to put a semi-transparent image overlay over the top of your webpage and perform a per pixel comparison between them to ensure it is 100% accurate.

22. Code Cola

Google Chrome extensions - Code Cola

Edit your webpages’ CSS on the spot

Not only does this tool allow you to view the source code of what you've been working on, but it also functions as a CSS editor. This means you can edit your webpages' CSS style on the spot and see the changes instantly.

23. IE tab

Google Chrome extensions - IE Tab

Test webpages with different versions of IE

One of the most popular and useful IE emulators available on the web, IE tab enables web developers to test webpages with different versions of IE directly in their Chrome browser.

24. PicMonkey

Google Chrome extensions - PicMonkey

Grab every image from a webpage with a click of a button

This is an easy-to-use free online photo editor that allows you to edit webpage images and screenshots. But that's not what makes it so good. PicMonkey also lets you grab every image and a screenshot of the entire page with a click of a button. Once you select an image you can edit it in any way you wish, from applying effects to changing exposure.

25. Chrome Daltonize

Google Chrome extensions - Chrome Daltonize

Create images more suitable for viewing by those with Colour Vision Deficiency

Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) or colour blindness affects millions of people across the globe. This ingenious extension uses Daltonization, a technique that allows the creation of images more suitable for viewing by those with CVD. This fantastic extension can be used to simulate how images appear to people with CVD and to help you design a more accessible web app.

26. Check My Links

Google Chrome extensions - Check My Links

Check My Links crawls through your webpage and looks for broken links

Finished building a site? Ah, but have you been through and checked all the links? No matter how careful you are, it's inevitable that you'll have overlooked one or two, and checking them all is a tedious chore. Unless…. With the Check My Links extension you can simply put it to work and it'll comb through all the links on any page, highlighting valid ones in green and broken ones in red.

27. Flickr Tab

Google Chrome extensions - Flickr Tab

Smarten up your Chome tabs with beautiful Flickr images

Are you tired of your Chrome tabs looking dull when you open a new one? The answer to your prayers has arrived in the form of Flickr Tab. It's a simple little Extension that displays a popular Fickr photograph each time you open up a window. Click the photo to view it in Flickr, or click the username to see more photos from the photographer.

28. Google Art Project

Google Chrome extensions - Google Art Project

Make each new Chrome tab an adventure in art and discovery with the Google Art Project

Similar to Flickr Tab's glossy photos, Google's Art Project extension treats you to a high-res masterpiece from the likes of van Gogh and Monet in each new tab you open. If an image sparks your interest, click on it to go to the Google Cultural Institute website, which is full of information about the work and its creator.

29. Data Saver

Google Chrome extensions - Data Saver

Save cash when viewing designs on your mobile with Google’s compression based Data Saver

So, your latest bill from your mobile provider was rather toe curling? Don't panic. You need Data Saver, from Google. The extension does what it says on the tin: it reduces the amount of data used when browsing the web. When enabled, Chrome will use Google servers to compress pages before you download them. There's only one caveat: SSL and incognito pages won't be included.

Read more:

13 best pieces of user testing software30 web design tools to speed up your workflow23 steps to the perfect website layout

50 Most Beautiful Blogger Templates to Download (2018)

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/50-most-beautiful-blogger-templates/

An updated list of beautiful yet advanced Blogger (Blogspot) templates free to download.

The post 50 Most Beautiful Blogger Templates to Download (2018) appeared first on Hongkiat.

Visit hongkiat.com for full content.

Tips to Design a Good Logo for A Client or Yourself

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Designrfix/~3/NDhN2b4t5f8/tips-to-design-a-good-logo-for-a-client-or-yourself

Before entering your field of choice, you must understand that a good logo reflects the values of the brand by using forms, colors, and typographies. Its objective is to inspire confidence and recognition of your brand and help the company to stand out from the competition. When it comes to logo design, you get out of […]

The post Tips to Design a Good Logo for A Client or Yourself appeared first on designrfix.com.

Building Ethereum DApps: Whitelisting & Testing a Story DAO

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/building-ethereum-dapps-whitelisting-testing-story-dao/

In part 3 of this tutorial series on building DApps with Ethereum, we built and deployed our token to the Ethereum testnet Rinkeby. In this part, we’ll start writing the Story DAO code.

We’ll use the conditions laid out in the intro post to guide us.

Contract Outline

Let’s create a new contract, StoryDao.sol, with this skeleton:

pragma solidity ^0.4.24;

import “../node_modules/openzeppelin-solidity/contracts/math/SafeMath.sol”;
import “../node_modules/openzeppelin-solidity/contracts/ownership/Ownable.sol”;

contract StoryDao is Ownable {
using SafeMath for uint256;

mapping(address => bool) whitelist;
uint256 public whitelistedNumber = 0;
mapping(address => bool) blacklist;
event Whitelisted(address addr, bool status);
event Blacklisted(address addr, bool status);

uint256 public daofee = 100; // hundredths of a percent, i.e. 100 is 1%
uint256 public whitelistfee = 10000000000000000; // in Wei, this is 0.01 ether

event SubmissionCommissionChanged(uint256 newFee);
event WhitelistFeeChanged(uint256 newFee);

uint256 public durationDays = 21; // duration of story’s chapter in days
uint256 public durationSubmissions = 1000; // duration of story’s chapter in entries

function changedaofee(uint256 _fee) onlyOwner external {
require(_fee < daofee, “New fee must be lower than old fee.”);
daofee = _fee;
emit SubmissionCommissionChanged(_fee);
}

function changewhitelistfee(uint256 _fee) onlyOwner external {
require(_fee < whitelistfee, “New fee must be lower than old fee.”);
whitelistfee = _fee;
emit WhitelistFeeChanged(_fee);
}

function lowerSubmissionFee(uint256 _fee) onlyOwner external {
require(_fee < submissionZeroFee, “New fee must be lower than old fee.”);
submissionZeroFee = _fee;
emit SubmissionFeeChanged(_fee);
}

function changeDurationDays(uint256 _days) onlyOwner external {
require(_days >= 1);
durationDays = _days;
}

function changeDurationSubmissions(uint256 _subs) onlyOwner external {
require(_subs > 99);
durationSubmissions = _subs;
}
}

We’re importing SafeMath to have safe calculations again, but this time we’re also using Zeppelin’s Ownable contract, which lets someone “own” the story and execute certain admin-only functions. Simply saying that our StoryDao is Ownable is enough; feel free to inspect the contract to see how it works.

We also use the onlyOwner modifier from this contract. Function modifiers are basically extensions, plugins for functions. The onlyOwner modifier looks like this:

modifier onlyOwner() {
require(msg.sender == owner);
_;
}

When onlyOwner is added to a function, then that function’s body is pasted into the part where the _; part is, and everything before it executes first. So by using this modifier, the function automatically checks if the message sender is also the owner of the contract and then continues as usual if so. If not, it crashes.

By using the onlyOwner modifier on the functions that change the fees and other parameters of our story DAO, we make sure that only the admin can do these changes.

The post Building Ethereum DApps: Whitelisting & Testing a Story DAO appeared first on SitePoint.

Ethereum DApps: Cross-contract Communication & Token Selling

Original Source: https://www.sitepoint.com/building-ethereum-dapps-cross-contract-communication-token-selling/

In part 4 of this tutorial series on building DApps with Ethereum, we started building and testing our DAO contract. Now let’s go one step further and handle adding content and tokens to the story, as per our introduction.

Adding Tokens

For a contract to be able to interact with another contract, it needs to be aware of that other contract’s interface — the functions available to it. Since our TNS token has a fairly straightforward interface, we can include it as such in the contract of our DAO, above the contract StoryDao declaration and under our import statements:

contract LockableToken is Ownable {
function totalSupply() public view returns (uint256);
function balanceOf(address who) public view returns (uint256);
function transfer(address to, uint256 value) public returns (bool);
event Transfer(address indexed from, address indexed to, uint256 value);
function allowance(address owner, address spender) public view returns (uint256);
function transferFrom(address from, address to, uint256 value) public returns (bool);
function approve(address spender, uint256 value) public returns (bool);
event Approval(address indexed owner, address indexed spender, uint256 value);
function approveAndCall(address _spender, uint256 _value, bytes _data) public payable returns (bool);
function transferAndCall(address _to, uint256 _value, bytes _data) public payable returns (bool);
function transferFromAndCall(address _from, address _to, uint256 _value, bytes _data) public payable returns (bool);

function increaseLockedAmount(address _owner, uint256 _amount) public returns (uint256);
function decreaseLockedAmount(address _owner, uint256 _amount) public returns (uint256);
function getLockedAmount(address _owner) view public returns (uint256);
function getUnlockedAmount(address _owner) view public returns (uint256);
}

Notice that we don’t need to paste in the “meat” of the functions, but only their signatures (skeletons). This is all that’s needed to interact between contracts.

Now we can use these functions in the DAO contract. The plan is as follows:

launch the token (we already did this)
launch the DAO from the same address
send all tokens from the token-launcher to the DAO, then transfer ownership over the contract to the DAO itself
at this point the DAO owns all tokens and can sell them to people using the transfer function, or can reserve them for spending using the approve function (useful during votes), etc.

But how does the DAO know which address the token is deployed on? We tell it.

First, we add a new variable at the top of the DAO contract:

LockableToken public token;

Then, we add some functions:

constructor(address _token) public {
require(_token != address(0), “Token address cannot be null-address”);
token = LockableToken(_token);
}

The constructor is the function which gets called automatically when a contract is deployed. It’s useful for initializing values like linked contracts, default values, etc. In our case, we’ll use it to consume and save the address of the TNS token. The require check is there to make sure the token’s address is valid.

While we’re at it, let’s add a function that lets users check how many tokens remain for sale in the DAO, and the ability to change to another token should something go wrong and such a change be required. This change deserves an event, too, so let’s add that in as well.

event TokenAddressChange(address token);

function daoTokenBalance() public view returns (uint256) {
return token.balanceOf(address(this));
}

function changeTokenAddress(address _token) onlyOwner public {
require(_token != address(0), “Token address cannot be null-address”);
token = LockableToken(_token);
emit TokenAddressChange(_token);
}

The first function is set to view because it doesn’t change the state of the blockchain; it doesn’t alter any values. This means it’s a free, read-only function call to the blockchain: it doesn’t need a paid transaction. It also returns the balance of tokens as a number, so this needs to be declared on the function’s signature with returns (uint256). The token has a balanceOf function (see the interface we pasted in above) and it accepts one parameter — the address whose balance to check. We’re checking our (this) DAO’s balance, so “this”, and we turn “this” into an address with address().

The token address changing function allows the owner (admin) to change the token contract. It’s identical to the logic of the constructor.

Let’s see how we can let people buy the tokens now.

Buying Tokens

As per the previous part of the series, users can buy tokens by:

Using the fallback function if already whitelisted. In other words, just sending ether to the DAO contract.
Using the whitelistAddress function by sending more than the fee required for whitelisting.
Calling the buyTokens function directly.

There is a caveat, however. When someone calls the buyTokens function from the outside, we want it to fail if there aren’t enough tokens in the DAO to sell. But when someone buys tokens via the whitelist function by sending in too much in the first whitelisting attempt, we don’t want it to fail, because then the whitelisting process will get canceled as everything fails at once. Transactions in Ethereum are atomic: either everything has to succeed, or nothing. So we’ll make two buyTokens functions.

// This goes at the top of the contract with other properties
uint256 public tokenToWeiRatio = 10000;

function buyTokensThrow(address _buyer, uint256 _wei) external {

require(whitelist[_buyer], “Candidate must be whitelisted.”);
require(!blacklist[_buyer], “Candidate must not be blacklisted.”);

uint256 tokens = _wei * tokenToWeiRatio;
require(daoTokenBalance() >= tokens, “DAO must have enough tokens for sale”);
token.transfer(_buyer, tokens);
}

function buyTokensInternal(address _buyer, uint256 _wei) internal {
require(!blacklist[_buyer], “Candidate must not be blacklisted.”);
uint256 tokens = _wei * tokenToWeiRatio;
if (daoTokenBalance() < tokens) {
msg.sender.transfer(_wei);
} else {
token.transfer(_buyer, tokens);
}
}

So, 100 million TNS tokens exist. If we set a price of 10000 tokens per one ether, that comes down to around 4–5 cents per token, which is acceptable.

The functions do some calculations after doing sanity checks against banned users and other factors, and immediately send the tokens out to the buyer, who can start using them as they see fit — either for voting, or for selling on exchanges. If there’s fewer tokens in the DAO than the buyer is trying to buy, the buyer is refunded.

The part token.transfer(_buyer, tokens) is us using the TNS token contract to initiate a transfer from the current location (the DAO) to the destination _buyer for amount tokens.

Now that we know people can get their hands on the tokens, let’s see if we can implement submissions.

The post Ethereum DApps: Cross-contract Communication & Token Selling appeared first on SitePoint.

Will Brexit wreck the VFX industry?

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/I8ejKl528Dk/will-brexit-wreck-the-vfx-industry

Having sat in screening rooms at ILM and Digital Domain for well over 18 years, I've heard my share of comments from big-name film directors regarding their review of shots for their films.

What will Brexit mean for the British VFX and CG industry?

The comment we were always hoping to hear was 'Final'. When the director said that magic word, a thunderous cheer was often heard from the men and women that had toiled for countless hours over that five or so seconds of film. But, when the team felt that the shot should be 'Finaled' and the director said 'CBB' (Could Be Better), we knew we were in for the long haul, because oftentimes the director had no idea what he or she was actually looking for.

Brexit could have some very serious consequences and implications for the visual effects industry, both in the UK and the rest of the world. But before we look at some of the issues regarding Brexit and the VFX industry, let's get a clear picture of the business of VFX.

What drives the industry

Let's be clear, Hollywood studios are looking for the best visual effects that will be delivered on time for the lowest price. A major blockbuster movie must be released on time. There's countless hours of planning and strategy by dozens of marketing execs, having reviewed all other studios' movies and their release dates to determine their film's date and overall marketing plan.

And generally speaking, they are pretty spot on with their date (except of course Titanic, which missed its July release and was finally released mid-December, catapulting its box office to dizzying heights, but that's another story). So, delivery is critical, and that is why generally speaking, the VFX studios that are of significant size and have a history of hitting outrageous schedules, get the work.

Of course, the studios want the very best quality, except when that quality costs too much. For example, when I was at the helm of ILM, I had a rather heated conversation with the president of Columbia Pictures regarding Air Force One. Arguing my case that the VFX looked horrible, the Columbia Exec asked me what ILM would have charged to do the VFX, and I gave him a number. He laughed and said, "Your price is $1.5 million higher than what we paid, are you telling me that we would have seen considerably more box office if the VFX were better?" He had a point.

disney castle at night

Where Disney decides to spends its money has a huge impact on the industry

So, quality is important… but price is much more important. I learned my lesson. That's why I was sure that like most manufacturing, the manufacturing of VFX would move off shore to lower-cost environments, where wages were considerably less. I'd seen it happen in animation only a decade or two before. Animation was generally produced in the US by studios like Hanna-Barbera and Disney. But as prices rose due to increased labour costs, much of the animation moved to Korea and the Far East. I assumed, incorrectly so, that much of the VFX work would wind up in China and India.

But then came tax subsidies and rebates from English-speaking countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. And while the labour costs were higher than, say, India, the rebates, the ease of communication and the careful strategic coming together of the likes of Sohonet, gave the US studios everything that they wanted… a great price due to government sponsorship, English-speaking contractors and high-quality VFX due to the enormous influx of talent from around the world. London (and Vancouver) became the nexus for VFX. 

Brexit: the pluses

dollar euro and pound notes

Which currency will prevail post-Brexit?

Never forget, it's show business and as such, the studios and producers are always driven by price. There are two advantages that I see regarding VFX and Brexit. The pound to dollar pricing becomes quite attractive to US studios as the pound falls.

While I'm no economist, there have been several folks who have predicted that the pound will continue to fall against the dollar. The other opportunity is that the UK will no longer be bound by the rules of the EU, and as such, might make the subsidies and tax rebates even more attractive.

Brexit: the minuses

While the studios are driven by price, they are even more concerned about delivery. They are scared to death that they will miss their release date. Having done some research, the VFX workforce in London is approaching 50 per cent that are non-UK citizens, and 40 per cent of the current workforce are comprised of EU nationals.

While Brexit is not yet fully defined, it seems that it will force EU nationals to obtain the necessary work permits, which might prove very difficult, or not depending on the process – the proposed system announced recently suggests this process should be fairly straightforward. If it isn't, the result could be that London VFX studios would lose close to 50 per cent of its trained workforce. That could be disastrous. 

With a diminished talent base, London will not be able to handle the big shows, and as such will bring great concern to the studios regarding the London facilities' ability to deliver the work on time.

The possible

EU flag next to UK flag

Will EU workers be able to stay once the UK has Brexit-ed?

If the London-based VFX studios' management is able to petition the UK government to allow their EU employees to remain in the UK, or if the proposed process for EU residents to seek settled status is put in place, then all will be well. However, if that doesn't happen, well, the proverbial will hit the fan.

The US studios will look for alternative ways to address their VFX needs. One possibility is that the London-based facilities open VFX operations in other countries, like France or Germany. We've seen that this is already happening. Unfortunately, opening up a new facility will take a great deal of cash, which, given the current margins in the VFX industry, means the parent company will take yet another financial hit.

Additionally, all the EU employees presently working at the London facilities will have to, once again, uproot their lives and move (which will also cost the London-based facilities more money). So, as you can see, this is not a pretty picture for the facilities or the workers.

There have been talks about setting up hub/spoke-based operations. That is, the hub remains in London but various tasks such as rigging, match moves, modelling and compositing take place in distant locations. While seemingly attractive, this idea creates a bunch of issues. Security, proximity, governmental tax issues and subsidies now become a problem not only for the facility, but for the client too.

Remembering my time back in various VFX screening rooms, I kept my fingers crossed every time my teams would screen their shots for the director, hoping for that magic word… Final. 

Unfortunately, Brexit looks like a CBB at best, or maybe even a famous Jim Cameron statement when viewing a shot that he didn't think was up to snuff, an 'NFG' (No Fucking Good).

This article was originally published in issue 235 of 3D World, the world's best-selling magazine for CG artists. Buy issue 235 here or subscribe to 3D World here.

Related articles:

Savage Brexit stamps are the best of BritishThe designer's guide to BrexitHow the web industry is coping in uncertain times

Sonikpass Awesome Brand Identity and Web Design

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/abduzeedo/~3/6F2YKAJcEfw/sonikpass-awesome-brand-identity-and-web-design

Sonikpass Awesome Brand Identity and Web Design

Sonikpass Awesome Brand Identity and Web Design

abduzeedo
Jul 23, 2018

Rolf Jensen shared an incredible brand identity and web design project on his Behance profile. It is for Sonikpass, a San Fransisco based startup company creating an incorruptible digital version of you at the moment you want to conduct a digital transaction of any kind from logging into a secure digital access point to digitally unlocking the door to your home.

This post features some of the key visual features made for the branding and website in early 2018. Including a concept called redacted identity, emphasizing the core messaging of their product, celebrated in WebGL.

Rolf is an independent design director based in New York. He has an extensive portfolio including incredible projects for Disney, Sony, Adobe and many others. I especially love the God of War project, maybe because I am a fan of the game. For more information make sure to check out http://rolfjensen.no/

Web design

 

brand identity


Brizy Review: Visual Page Building Reinforced

Original Source: https://inspiredm.com/brizy-review-visual-page-building-reinforced/

Meta: This Brizy Page Builder review covers everything you need to know about the WordPress plugin, with focus on how it would potentially impact your business.

Well, of course, we love WordPress for its usability, and most importantly, its wide array of third-party plugins optimized for pretty much everything to do with websites.

Come to think of it, we could spend a fortnight comparing different plugin categories, debating about the most essential one. However, if you’re honest, you’d acknowledge that nothing comes close to web design plugins especially when it comes to ecommerce sites.

Consider this. The first impression visitors have of your website is 94% related to its overall design. That’s according to a study conducted by Northumbria and Sheffield Universities. The University of Surrey, on the other hand, released a separate report revealing that users’ assessment of your business’ credibility is 75% based on the website design.

And that explains why a well-designed web interface is capable of boosting your standard conversion rate by 200 to 400%.Design comes first before other supplementary site elements pick up from there to optimize the conversion process.

That’s why I’ve always been crazy about web building plugins. Leveraging good ones is one way to lay a solid foundation for a seamless experience with other plugins and site elements.

That said, I’ll admit that I’ve used quite a couple of extremely effective plugins in this space. But, as expected, I’ve also seen my fair share of poor ones.

Above everything, I’ve always found it exciting to try out the newest entrants. Mostly because some of them come out with all guns blazing. They are seemingly never shy to challenge even established competitors with trendy, exciting features at comparatively cheap rates.

And that’s how I was quick to notice Brizy Page Builder. A new kid on the block, but certainly one of the most notable entrants.

So, what exactly does it come with? And is it any different from its predecessors?

Well, let’s find out. This Brizy Page Builder review covers everything you need to know about the WordPress plugin, with focus on how it would potentially impact your business.

Brizy Page Builder Overview

Barely two months ago, in May, was Brizy launched as a page builder for WordPress-based sites. It was essentially developed to eliminate all the coding mumbo-jumbo, and consequently help users design and set up web pages without hiring developers.

Now, let me take a wild guess here. I assume you’ve heard that same description numerous times by now. So many that it has almost grown into a cliché.

Of course, it’s understandable that you might be thinking “another page builder?” What does Brizy gain from a space that’s already seeing a steady influx of tools on a regular basis?

Well, according to the team behind Brizy, it turns out that it’s not just a standard page builder. They acknowledge that indeed there are tons of page builders out there, but claim that Brizy will change your entire perception of visual page editors.

Top on the list of things its creators boast is a new revolutionary approach, which simplifies the whole editing process by availing only the tools that matter. Through Brizy, they also attempted to do away with what they call restrictive design elements.  Instead, the tool now supports extensive customization to empower site owners to do exactly what they want.

Now that only scratches the surface. There are loads of other features its developers say you’ll not see in other page builders.

Sounds impressive, right? Well, to be fair, this could possibly be marketing fluff to set the ball rolling. But then again, get this. Over the past couple of weeks, Brizy has grown to well over 100,000 downloads with a corresponding active user base of more than 20,000.

To top it off, the company is right on the verge of launching a whole new version of the tool- Brizy Pro.

Now that’s not a bad run. Quite remarkable as a matter of fact.

But are its features worth the hype?

Let’s take a closer look…

Brizy Page Builder Reviews: Features
Premium Themes

A bland outlook is one way to approach your page design, especially if you believe that graphics could be distracting.

But, let’s look at facts here. Going by research conducted by Adobe, 38% of your traffic will bounce off immediately your store’s website loads without appealing imagery or layout.

To help you entice your users, Brizy has outsourced theme designing to the real experts- Themefuse. This renowned group of professionals has designed a wide range of attractive and elegant premium themes, which are principally available on Brizy Pro.

Brizy themes

And to avoid distracting users, the templates come with simple, clutter-free layouts. They are sleek, with minimalistic arrangements to help site visitors navigate around without any problems.

Clean Interface

While it might be exciting to see a wide range of editing tools when you’re working on a web page, let’s face it. Even for extremely complex pages with dynamic elements, you’ll only be able to use a limited number of tools at a time. Consequently making the rest redundant and bothersome.

Brizy addresses this problem by eliminating the crowd of editing tools we’ve seen with the bulk of other page builders.

However, make no mistake about it. The tools are not abolished completely.  Instead, Brizy avails only what you need for the specific task at hand, and hides the redundant options.

Brizy interface

The result? Well, apart from a well-streamlined editing process, you get to enjoy a smart, clean interface.

Extensive Design Elements

Availing only the necessary editing options is quite commendable. But, admittedly, the subsequent clean editing interface could get you worried that Brizy might have very limited design elements.

Well, could that be the case with this WordPress plugin?

To comprehensively assess Brizy’s capabilities, I went beyond the standard options. I tried creating a web page with multiple elements, all dynamically linked within a single interface.

Thankfully, Brizy systematically provided a wide range of elements to design just the right page. In addition to maps, Brizy supports videos, icons, images, buttons, text, and many more.

Brizy design elements

Among its provisions is over 4,000 different icons, available in both Glyph and Outline versions. It also offers more than 150 pre-made page design blocks, which can be conveniently added to your web page to set its structure.

Recently, its creators further introduced entrance animations to the whole editing package.  You can now take advantage of more than 40 animation types to create an intuitive scrolling experience.

That said, here’s the kicker. While Brizy has covered all the fundamental design elements, it’s fairly limited when it comes to advanced elements. But the silver lining is the fact that the team behind it continues to improve the editing environment with additional web page design elements.

Global Customization

Embedding all those elements with their default parameters would ideally shorten the page building procedure. But, it would also result in a boring, unappealing web page. Different pages would possibly share more or less the same outlook.

Since every site is unique in its own way, Brizy found it critical to expand its editing options to facilitate extensive customization. That way, you can comfortably adopt your entire website to the specific business branding strategy.

But, how does this work exactly?

Brizy essentially allows you to adjust multiple aspects and parameters of the individual page elements. When you need to set positions within the page, for instance, you could capitalize on the intuitive drag and drop feature. It helps you conveniently move the elements to their desired position by simply choosing, clicking, dragging and dropping them anywhere within the page.

If the columns seem to be disproportionate, you could resize them by moving a mid-handle. You might especially find the corresponding percentage values displayed up top quite handy in ensuring accuracy.

And guess what? Customizing the columns doesn’t affect the content. Everything simply readjusts to adapt to the new dimensions.

And speaking of content, Brizy also comes with a smart text editor, which is optimized for changing text alignments, fonts, and colors. You can also extend the color scheme to the rest of the page layout with a single click to edit template properties.

Brizy customization

And you know what? You’re free to be creative and experiment with multiple design options. You can always click to undo or redo any edit.

Mobile Optimization

A typical internet user today is pretty versatile. A report by Adobe revealed that 83% of customers worldwide, on average, surf on multiple screens using 2.23 devices at the same time.

Yes, you’re dead right. This includes smartphones and mobile tablets.

As a matter of fact, users love their mobile devices so much, that 74% of them say that they may never attempt to revisit a site if they found it to be poorly optimized for mobile surfing. I guess our addiction to surfing on-the-go might have everything to do with this widespread preference.

Now, one thing’s for sure. Such entitlement by internet users is not going anywhere. Quite simply adapt your site or go home.

Fortunately, Brizy provides a Mobile View mode with just the right tools to optimize your web page for mobile devices. Shifting to this window allows you to design all the elements for smaller screens.

Brizy mobile

Brizy Page Builder Reviews: Pricing

You’ll love this.

At the moment, all these features are available for free. You’re not going to pay even a dime to leverage them.

Developers are working now on an extended version (Brizy Pro) that will offer much more features aimed at web professionals and marketers.

What you are buying now is a pre sale for the Pro version, but the catch is that this is a one time payment only, lifetime deal. Once the Pro is out, the lifetime will be gone and you’ll pay yearly.

Brizy Pro

Brizy Pro is basically standard Brizy on steroids. According to the developing team, some of the additional features it will introduce include:

A/B Testing- You’ll be able to review and compare two distinct versions of the same web page with varying parameters.
Advance Forms-While the free version supports standard forms, Brizy Pro supports advanced forms with additional design options.
Role Manager-This allows you to set access and editing privileges for different parties you’ll be collaborating with.
Pop-up Builder- To boost your conversion rate, the pop-up builder facilitates the design and setup of call-to-action windows, pop-up banners, and more.
Third-Party Integration- Brizy Pro will support the following third-party services; Drip, SendGrid, AutoPilot, Mailer (Lite), HubSpot, Zapier, Unsplash, Salesforce, AWeber, MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, TypeKit, plus more.

Brizy Pro features

Who Should Consider Using Brizy Page Builder?

To recap, here are the crucial takeaways:

Top on the list of things Brizy’s creators boast is a new revolutionary approach, which simplifies the whole editing process by availing only the tools that matter.
Over the past couple of weeks, Brizy has grown to well over 100,000 downloads with a corresponding active user base of more than 20,000.
Developers are working on a parallel version, Brizy Pro, which will offer much more features at a price. If you’re interested, you could pay $247 for a lifetime package of Brizy Pro once it launches.

Going by the current provisions, Brizy is quite decent for personal projects and basic websites. It can also suffice for small businesses and startups, but only for non-sales web pages.

Heavier users with high business ambitions have no choice, but to hang on until Brizy Pro is ultimately launched. And from the few features that have been leaked, I have to say that we expect it to make a substantial impact in the WordPress page building space.

For now, paying for the lifetime package seems like a pretty safe bet. Especially considering the fact that Brizy’s developers have already proven what they are capable of over the long haul.

Otherwise, let’s wait and see how it pans out. And maybe, I might hit you with a comprehensive Brizy Pro review in the near future.

The post Brizy Review: Visual Page Building Reinforced appeared first on Inspired Magazine.

Adobe shares Pantone's summer trending colours

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CreativeBloq/~3/7XgLkLMtibs/adobe-shares-pantones-summer-trending-colours

Adobe has teamed up with the Pantone Colour Institute to reveal which colours are trending this summer. Compiling its findings into the Pantone Colour Me Social gallery, Adobe suggests bold, saturated tones are big at the moment. And while this won't change colour theory, colour trends do affect the decisions of designers and brands.

The colours in question include Lime Green, Hawaiian Ocean, Flame Orange, Fuchsia Purple, Cherry Tomato, Blazing Yellow and Dazzling Blue. According to Laurie Pressman, the Institute's vice president, these tones mark a sea change in colour trends.

"Following years of essentialist and pared-down aesthetics, the thirst for vivid, rich colour is taking centre stage as people want to spark a new kind of joy and create playful paradises," she explains.

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One of the key drivers behind this change is social media. Pressman reasons that these online platforms give users the freedom to experiment with colours and intense experiences, which in turn leads to people gravitating towards richer hues.

Given that social media is a relentlessly noisy world, it makes sense that brighter, bolder images have been on the rise as users attempt to stand out from the crowd. With colour seen as a form of self-expression on social media, vibrant colours lead to more interaction.

You can explore these vibrant colours below; use the left and right arrows to click through the gallery.

Despite this trend having its roots in social media, saturated colours have spilled over into the worlds of retail and fashion. This is an interesting inversion of traditional design, which usually saw fashion industries shaping the colour trends for everyone else to follow.

"While all of the shades highlighted are being seen on the street and the catwalk," says Pressman, "we are seeing these colours show up in other areas as well, from travel to food. Some of the newest sources for colour inspiration are home furnishings, lifestyle and beauty."

Brands, museums and exhibitions can all take advantage from these trending colours to connect with audiences. Pressman goes on to add that even if saturated colours don't immediately appear suitable for your brand or company, "even a small accent or a bright shade in the background could do the trick."

And with the Institute predicting the current colour trend to continue right the way through until the summer of 2020, there's plenty of time to get on board with this eye-popping palette.

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