Archive for month: December, 2018

Original Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/12/caching-smartly-gutenberg/

Caching Smartly In The Age Of Gutenberg

Caching Smartly In The Age Of Gutenberg

Leonardo Losoviz

2018-12-05T13:00:15+01:00
2018-12-05T19:37:50+00:00

Caching is needed for speeding up a site: instead of having the server dynamically create the HTML output for each request, it can create the HTML only after it is requested the first time, cache it, and serve the cached version from then on. Caching delivers a faster response, and frees up resources in the server. When optimizing the speed of our sites from the server side, caching ranks among the most critical tasks to get right.

When generating the HTML output for the page, if it contains code with user state, such as printing a welcome message “Hello {{User name}}!” for the logged in user, then the page cannot be cached. Otherwise, if Peter visits the site first, and the HTML output is cached, all users would then be welcomed with “Hello Peter!”

Hence, caching plugins, such as those available for WordPress, will generally offer to disable caching when the user is logged in, as shown below for plugin WP Super Cache:

WP Super Cache recommends to disable caching for logged in users. (Large preview)

Disabling caching for logged in users is undesirable and should be avoided, because even if the amount of HTML code with user state is minimal compared to the static content in the page, still nothing will be cached. The reason is that the entity to be cached is the page, and not the particular pieces of HTML code within the page, so by including a single line of code which cannot be cached, then nothing will be cached. It is an all-or-nothing situation.

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To address this, we can architect our application to avoid rendering HTML code with user state on the server-side, and render it on the client-side only, after fetching its required data through an API (often based on REST or GraphQL). By removing user state from code rendered on the server, that page can then be cached, even if the user is logged in.

In this article, we will explore the following issues:

How do we identify those sections of code that require user state, isolate them from the page, and make them be rendered on the client-side only?
How can it be implemented for WordPress sites through Gutenberg?

Gutenberg Is Bringing Components To WordPress

As I explained in my previous article Implications of thinking in blocks instead of blobs, Gutenberg is a JavaScript-based editor for WordPress (more specifically, it is a React-based editor, encapsulating the React libraries behind the global wp object), slated for release in either November 2018 or January 2019. Through its drag-and-drop interface, Gutenberg will utterly transform the experience of creating content for WordPress and, at some later stage in the future, the process of building sites, switching from the current creation of a page through templates (header.php, index.php, sidebar.php, footer.php), and the content of the page through a single blob of HTML code, to creating components to be placed anywhere on the page, which can control their own logic, load their own data, and self-render.

To appreciate the upcoming change visually, WordPress is moving from this:

Currently pages are built through PHP templates. (Large preview)

To this:

In the near future, pages will be built by placing self-rendering components in them. (Large preview)

Even though Gutenberg as a site builder is not ready yet, we can already think in terms of components when designing the architecture of our site. As for the topic of this article, architecting our application using components as the unit for building the page can help implement an enhanced caching strategy, as we shall see below.

Evaluating The Relationship Between Pages And Components

As mentioned earlier, the entity being cached is the page. Hence, we need to evaluate how components will be placed on the page as to maximize the page’s cacheability. Based on their dependence on user state, we can broadly categorize pages into the following 3 groups:

Pages without any user state, such as “Who we are” page.
Pages with bits and pieces of user state, such as the homepage when welcoming the user (“Welcome Peter!”), or an archive page with a list of posts, showing a “Like” button under each post which is painted blue if the logged in user has liked that post.
Pages naturally with user state, in which content depends directly from the logged in user, such as “My posts” of “Edit my profile” pages.

Components, on the other side, can simply be categorized as requiring user state or not. Because the architecture considers the component as the unit for building the page, the component has the faculty of knowing if it requires user state or not. Hence, a <WelcomeUser /> component, which renders “Welcome Peter!”, knows it requires user state, while a <WhoWeAre /> component knows that it does not.

Next, we need to place components on the page, and depending on the combination of page and component requiring user state or not, we can establish a proper strategy for caching the page and for rendering content to the user as soon as possible. We have the following cases:

1. Pages Without Any User State

These can be cached with no issues.

Page is cached => It can’t access user state.
Components, none of them requiring user state, are rendered in the server.

A page without user state can only contain components without user state. (Large preview)

2. Pages With Bits And Pieces Of User State

We could make the page either require user state or not. If we make the page require user state, then it cannot be cached, which is a wasted opportunity when most of the content in the page is static. Hence, we’d rather make the page not require user state, and those components requiring user state which are placed on the page, such as <WelcomeUser /> on the homepage, are made lazy-load: the server-side renders an empty shell, and the component is rendered instead in the client-side, after getting its data from an API.

Following this approach, all static content in the page will be rendered immediately through server-side rendering (SSR), and those bits and pieces with user state after some delay through client-side rendering (CSR).

Page is cached => It can’t access user state.
Components not requiring user state are rendered in the server.
Components requiring user state are rendered in the client.

A page with bits of user state contains CSR components with user state, and SSR components without user state. (Large preview)

3. Pages Naturally With User State

If the library or framework only enables client-side rendering, then we must follow the same approach as with #2: do not make the page require user state, and add a component, such as <MyPosts />, to self-render in the client.

However, since the main objective of the page is to show user content, making the user wait for this content to be loaded on a 2nd stage is not ideal. Let’s see this with an example: a user who has not logged in yet accesses page “Edit my profile”. If the site renders the content in the server, since the user is not logged in the server will immediately redirect to the login page. Instead, if the content is rendered in the client through an API, the user will first be presented a loading message, and only after the response from the API is back will the user be redirected to the login page, making the experience slower.

Hence, we are better off using a library or framework that supports server-side rendering, and we make the page require user state (making it non-cacheable):

Page is not cached => It can access user state.
Components, both requiring and not requiring user state, are rendered in the server.

A page with user state contains SSR components both with and without user state. (Large preview)

From this strategy and all the combinations it produces, deciding if a component must be rendered server or client-side simply boils down to the following pseudo-code:

if (component requires user state and page can’t access user state) {
render component in client
}
else {
render component in server
}

This strategy allows to attain our objective: implemented for all pages in the site, for all components placed in each page, and configuring the site to not cache pages which access the user state, we can then avoid disabling caching any page whenever the user is logged in.

Rendering Components Client/Server-Side Through Gutenberg

In Gutenberg, those components which can be embedded on the page are called “blocks” (or also Gutenblocks). Gutenberg supports two types of blocks, static and dynamic:

Static blocks produce their HTML code already in the client (when the user is interacting with the editor) and save it inside the post content. Hence, they are client-side JavaScript-based blocks.
Dynamic blocks, on the other hand, are those which can change their content dynamically, such as a latest posts block, so they cannot save the HTML output inside the post content. Hence, in addition to creating their HTML code on the client-side, they must also produce it from the server on runtime through a PHP function (which is defined under parameter render_callback when registering the block in the backend through function register_block_type.)

Because HTML code with user state cannot be saved in the post’s content, a block dealing with user state will necessarily be a dynamic block. In summary, through dynamic blocks we can produce the HTML for a component both in the server and client-side, enabling to implement our optimized caching strategy. The previous pseudo-code, when using Gutenberg, will look like this:

if (block requires user state and page can’t access user state) {
render block in client through JavaScript
}
else {
render (dynamic) block in server through PHP code
}

Unfortunately, implementing the dual client/server-side functionality doesn’t come without hardship: Gutenberg’s SSR is not isomorphic, ie it does not allow a single codebase to produce the output for both client and server-side code. Hence, developers would need to maintain 2 codebases, one in PHP and one in JavaScript, which is far from optimal.

Gutenberg also implements a <ServerSideRender /> component, however it advices against using it: this component was not thought for improving the speed of the site and rendering an immediate response to the user, but for providing compatibility with legacy code, such as shortcodes.

As it is explained in the documentation:

“ServerSideRender should be regarded as a fallback or legacy mechanism, it is not appropriate for developing new features against.

“New blocks should be built in conjunction with any necessary REST API endpoints, so that JavaScript can be used for rendering client-side in the edit function. This gives the best user experience, instead of relying on using the PHP render_callback. The logic necessary for rendering should be included in the endpoint, so that both the client-side JavaScript and server-side PHP logic should require a minimal amount of differences.”

As a result, when building our sites, we will need to decide if to implement SSR, which boosts the site’s speed by enabling an optimal caching experience and by providing an immediate response to the user when loading the page, but which comes at the cost of maintaining 2 codebases. Depending on the context, it may be worth it or not.

Configuring What Pages Require User State

Pages requiring (or accessing) user state will be made non-cacheable, while all other pages will be cacheable. Hence, we need to identify which pages require user state. Please notice that this applies only to pages, and not to REST endpoints, since the goal is to render the component already in the server when accessing the page, and calling the WP REST API’s endpoints implies getting the data for rendering the component in the client. Hence, from the perspective our our caching strategy, we can assume all REST endpoints will require user state, and so they don’t need to be cached.

To identifying which pages require user state, we simply create a function get_pages_with_user_state, like this:

function get_pages_with_user_state() {

return apply_filters(
‘get_pages_with_user_state’,
array()
);
}

Upon which we implement hooks with the corresponding pages, like this:

// ID of the pages, retrieved from the WordPress admin
define (‘MYPOSTS_PAGEID’, 5);
define (‘ADDPOST_PAGEID’, 8);

add_filter(‘get_pages_with_user_state’, ‘get_pages_with_user_state_impl’);
function get_pages_with_user_state_impl($pages) {

$pages[] = MYPOSTS_PAGEID;

// “Add Post” may not require user state!
// $pages[] = ADDPOST_PAGEID;

return $pages;
}

Please notice how we may not need to add user state for page “Add Post” (making this page cacheable), even though this page requires to validate that the user is logged in when submitting a form to create content on the site. This is because the “Add Post” page may simply display an empty form, requiring no user state whatsoever. Then, submitting the form will be a POST operation, which cannot be cached in any case (only GET requests are cached).

Disabling Caching Of Pages With User State In WP Super Cache

Finally, we configure our application to disable caching for those pages which require user state (and cache everything else.) We will do this for plugin WP Super Cache, by blacklisting the URIs of those pages in the plugin settings page:

We can disable caching URLs containing specific strings in WP Super Cache. (Large preview)

What we need to do is create a script that obtains the paths for all pages with user state, and saves it in the corresponding input field. This script can then be invoked manually, or automatically as part of the application’s deployment process.

First we obtain all the URIs for the pages with user state:

function get_rejected_strings() {

$rejected_strings = array();
$pages_with_user_state = get_pages_with_user_state();
foreach ($pages_with_user_state as $page) {

// Calculate the URI for that page to the list of rejected strings
$path = substr(get_permalink($page), strlen(home_url()));
$rejected_strings[] = $path;
}

return $rejected_strings;
}

And then, we must add the rejected strings into WP Super Cache’s configuration file, located in wp-content/wp-cache-config.php, updating the value of entry $cache_rejected_uri with our list of paths:

function set_rejected_strings_in_wp_super_cache() {

if ($rejected_strings = get_rejected_strings()) {

// Keep the original values in
$rejected_strings = array_merge(
array(‘wp-.*\\.php’, ‘index\\.php’),
$rejected_strings
);

global $wp_cache_config_file;
$cache_rejected_uri = “array(‘”.implode(“‘, ‘”, $rejected_strings).”‘)”;
wp_cache_replace_line(‘^ *$cache_rejected_uri’, “$cache_rejected_uri = ” . $cache_rejected_uri . “;”, $wp_cache_config_file);
}
}

Upon execution of function set_rejected_strings_in_wp_super_cache, the settings will be updated with the new rejected strings:

Blacklisting the paths from pages accessing user state in WP Super Cache. (Large preview)

Finally, because we are now able to disable caching for the specific pages that require user state, there is no need to disable caching for logged in users anymore:

No need to disable caching for logged in users anymore! (Large preview)

That’s it!

Conclusion

In this article, we explored a way to enhance our site’s caching — mainly aimed at enabling caching on the site even when the users are logged in. The strategy relies on disabling caching only for those pages which require user state, and on using components which can decide if to be rendered on the client or on the server-side, depending on the page accessing the user state or not.

As a general concept, the strategy can be implemented on any architecture that supports server-side rendering of components. In particular, we analyzed how it can be implemented for WordPress sites through Gutenberg, advising to assess if it is worth the trouble of maintaining two codebases, one in PHP for the server-side code, and one in JavaScript for the client-side code.

Finally, we explained that the solution can be integrated into the caching plugin through a custom script to automatically produce the list of pages to avoid caching, and produced the code for plugin WP Super Cache.

After implementing this strategy to my site, it doesn’t matter anymore if visitors are logged in or not. They will always access a cached version of the homepage, providing a faster response and a better user experience.

(rb, ra, yk, il)

Original Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/11/desktop-wallpaper-calendars-december-2018/

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like&hellip; December (2018 Wallpapers Edition)

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like&hellip; December (2018 Wallpapers Edition)

Cosima Mielke

2018-11-30T09:01:00+01:00
2018-12-04T17:38:33+00:00

What are you looking forward to in December? Spending time with family and friends during the holidays, watching the birds gather in your snowy backyard, or celebrating “Bathtub Party Day” maybe? These are just some of the things that inspired artists and designers to create their desktop wallpapers this month.

All wallpapers in this post come in versions with and without a calendar for December 2018 and can be downloaded for free — as it has been our monthly tradition since more than nine years already. To cater for an extra bit of December joy, we also collected some wallpaper favorites from past years at the end of the post. Happy December and happy holidays!

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

60 Beautiful Christmas Photoshop Tutorials
Winter- And Holiday-Inspired Icon Sets
How To Draw A Cartoon In Illustrator
How To Create Dramatic Vector Illustrations

Please note that:

All images can be clicked on and lead to the preview of the wallpaper,
You can feature your work in our magazine by taking part in our Desktop Wallpaper Calendar series. We are regularly looking for creative designers and artists to be featured on Smashing Magazine. Are you one of them?

Meet Smashing Book 6 — our brand new book focused on real challenges and real front-end solutions in the real world: from design systems and accessible single-page apps to CSS Custom Properties, CSS Grid, Service Workers, performance, AR/VR and responsive art direction. With Marcy Sutton, Yoav Weiss, Lyza D. Gardner, Laura Elizabeth and many others.

Table of Contents →

Christmas Wreath

“Everyone is in the mood for Christmas when December starts. Therefore I made this Christmas wreath inspired wallpaper. Enjoy December and Merry Christmas to all!” — Designed by Melissa Bogemans from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Cardinals In Snowfall

“During Christmas season, in the cold, colorless days of winter, Cardinal birds are seen as symbols of faith and warmth! In the part of America I live in, there is snowfall every December. While the snow is falling, I can see gorgeous Cardinals flying in and out of my patio. The intriguing color palette of the bright red of the Cardinals, the white of the flurries and the brown/black of dry twigs and fallen leaves on the snow-laden ground, fascinates me a lot, and inspired me to create this quaint and sweet, hand-illustrated surface pattern design as I wait for the December 2018 snowfall in my town!” — Designed by Gyaneshwari Dave from the United States.

preview
with calendar: 640×960, 768×1024, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
without calendar: 640×960, 768×1024, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Cozy

“December is all about coziness and warmth. Days are getting darker, shorter and colder. So a nice cup of hot cocoa just warms me up.” — Designed by Hazuki Sato from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 960×560, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 960×560, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Sweet Snowy Tenderness

“You know that warm feeling when you get to spend cold winter days in a snug, homey, relaxed atmosphere? Oh, yes, we love it too! It is the sentiment we set our hearts on for the holiday season, and this sweet snowy tenderness is for all of us who adore watching the snowfall from our windows. Isn’t it romantic?” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

’Tis The Season Of Snow

“The tiny flakes of snow have just begun to shower and we know it’s the start of the merry hour! Someone is all set to cram his sleigh with boxes of love as kids wait for their dear Santa to show up! Rightly said, ’tis the season of snow, surprise and lots and lots of fun! Merry Christmas!” — Designed by Sweans Technologies from London.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Bathtub Party Day

“December 5th is also known as Bathtub Party Day, which is why I wanted to visualize what celebrating this day could look like.” — Designed by Jonas Vanhamme from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600

Cold Days, Warm Feelings

“Everything that reminds me of the cold days of December. I’ve tried to put everything in one illustration, the snow, hot coffee, mountains, snowman. Also my illustration is blue, it’s a cold color, so this give the illustration more of a winter effect.” — Designed by Dennis van den Heuvel from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1680×1200, 1920×1440
without calendar: 800×480, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1680×1200, 1920×1440

Oh Deer, It’s Cold!

“December brings more than Christmas only. It brings Winter. It brings the cold.” — Designed by Ellen Theuwen from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Portland Snow Globe

Designed by Mad Fish Digital from the USA.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1680×1200, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1680×1200, 2560×1440

Another Christmas

“‘Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.’ (Norman Vincent Peale)” — Designed by Suman Sil from India.

preview
with calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

A December To Remember

“Of all the months of the year, there is not a month so welcome to the young or so full of happy associations as this last month of the year. A month of giving, celebrations, and holidays. Christmas month is here. Make this last month of the year special for you and the ones around you.” — Designed by Procurement Software from India.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

December Music

“Have you ever noticed how people have characteristic (or weird) poses playing instruments? It was my inspiration for drawing very simple and funny stick-figure musicians. Over the years I have drawn everything from violinists to pipa players (Chinese instrument) and from electric guitarists to tubaists. I never get bored of drawing new instrumentalists, ensembles or, in this case, a Christmas band. I wish you a very happy December with lots of music!” — Designed by Franke Margrete from The Netherlands.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 360×480, 376×668, 768×1024, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1366×1050, 1440×900, 1536×864, 1600×900, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600, 3840×2160, 5120×2880
without calendar: 320×480, 360×480, 376×668, 768×1024, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1366×1050, 1440×900, 1536×864, 1600×900, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600, 3840×2160, 5120×2880

The Mountains Shout Freedom

“December is that time of the year where snows starts to fall. It’s from this moment that we can go skiing and snowboarding again. It’s the best time of the year.” — Designed by Jasper Bogaert from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 960×540, 1440×810, 1920×1080, 2880×1620, 3840×2160, 5760×3240
without calendar: 960×540, 1440×810, 1920×1080, 2880×1620, 3840×2160, 5760×3240

Meeeh

“December is when winter begins, so I decided to go for some nice, cold, pastel colors and a wintery scenario. The ram is a family-related symbol and it’s cute, so I named it Meeeh.” — Designed by Ana Matos from Portugal.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Snow & Flake

“December always reminds me of snow and being with other people. That’s why I created two snowflakes Snow & Flake who are best buddies and love being with each other during winter time.” — Designed by Ian De Lantsheer from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Midnight Aurora

“I was inspired by beautiful images of the Aurora that I saw on the internet.” — Designed by Wannes Verboven from Belgium.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Enlightened By The Christmas Spirit

“Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! Once we’ve had our fill of turkey and welcomed the holiday season, we’re constantly encouraged to get into the spirit of the festive season.” — Designed by Mobile App Development from India.

preview
with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

All Of Them Lights

“I created this design in honour of the 9th of December, the day of lights.” — Designed by Mathias Geerts from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Brrrr…!

Designed by Oumayma Jamali from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Christmas House

Designed by Antun Hiršman from Croatia.

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with calendar: 800×600, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 800×600, 1280×720, 1440×900, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Christmas December

Designed by Think 360 Studio from India.

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with calendar: 1366×768, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
without calendar: 1366×768, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Separate Holidays

“My parents are divorced so I don’t really like the holidays because it feels like I always have to choose between my mum and dad.” — Designed by Micheline Van Looveren from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Human Rights Month

“December is Human Rights Month, so I decided to design a wallpaper for this special month.” — Designed by Jonas Vanhamme from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1400×1050, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2560×1600

Winter Morning

“Early walks in the fields when the owls still sit on the fences and stare funny at you.” — Designed by Bo Dockx from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Homeless Christmas

“December automatically brings to mind the Christmas spirit, the smell of delicious food, and the joy of opening beautiful presents. A couple of years ago I volunteered in a homeless shelter for a while. I even spent New Years’ Eve at the shelter. And ever since, Christmas also reminds me that a lot of others are much less fortunate than me…” — Designed by Kim Haesen from Belgium.

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with calendar: 1024×1024, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 1024×1024, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Christmas Feelings

Designed by Lieselotte Philips from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Merry Christmas

“‘Christmas gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us.’ (David Cameron)” — Designed by Pinki Ghosh Dastidar from India.

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with calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

International Tea Day

“December 15 is International Tea Day, so I thought to design a cup of tea, which also represents the cold weather during the winter.” — Designed by Hannah De Wachter from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 800×600, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees

“I wanted to emphasize people who do not have enough money to celebrate Christmas like everyone else in the world.” — Designed by Angelique Buijzen from Belgium.

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with calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440
without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Explore The World

“‘We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.’ (John Hope Franklin)” — Designed by Dipanjan Karmakar from India.

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with calendar: 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080
without calendar: 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080

Oldies But Goodies

Ready for a trip back in time? Here’s a collection of December goodies from past years that are too good to be forgotten. Please note that these wallpapers don’t come with a calendar.

’Tis The Season To Be Happy

Designed by Tazi from Australia.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1600×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Christmas Cookies

“Christmas is coming and a great way to share our love is by baking cookies.” — Designed by Maria Keller from Mexico.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 640×1136, 750×1334, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1242×2208, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2880×1800

The House On The River Drina

“Since we often yearn for a peaceful and quiet place to work, we have found inspiration in the famous house on the River Drina in Bajina Bašta, Serbia. Wouldn’t it be great being in nature, away from the civilization, swaying in the wind and listening to the waves of the river smashing your house, having no neighbors to bother you? Not sure about the Internet, though…” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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without calendar: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Christmas Woodland

Designed by Mel Armstrong from Australia.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Getting Hygge

“There’s no more special time for a fire than in the winter. Cozy blankets, warm beverages, and good company can make all the difference when the sun goes down. We’re all looking forward to generating some hygge this winter, so snuggle up and make some memories.” — Designed by The Hannon Group from Washington D.C.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×960, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Joy To The World

“Joy to the world, all the boys and girls now, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.” — Designed by Morgan Newnham from Boulder, Colorado.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×480, 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

Winter Wonderland

“‘Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.’ (Edith Sitwell) — Designed by Dipanjan Karmakar from India.

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without calendar: 1280×720, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

December Through Different Eyes

“As a Belgian, December reminds me of snow, cosiness, winter, lights and so on. However, in the Southern Hemisphere it is summer at this time. With my illustration I wanted to show the different perspectives on December. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” — Designed by Jo Smets from Belgium.

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without calendar: 320×480, 800×480, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

’Tis The Season (To Drink Eggnog)

“There’s nothing better than a tall glass of Golden Eggnog while sitting by the Christmas tree. Let’s celebrate the only time of year this nectar of the gods graces our lips.” — Designed by Jonathan Shears from Connecticut, USA.

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without calendar: 1024×768, 1152×864, 1280×960, 1440×1080, 1680×1260, 1920×1440, 2048×1536, 2560×1440

Gifts Lover

Designed by Elise Vanoorbeek from Belgium.

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without calendar: 800×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1152×864, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440

The Southern Hemisphere Is Calling

“Santa’s tired of winter (and the North Pole) and is flying to the South part of the globe to relax a little bit. He deserves a little vacation, don’t you think?” — Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

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without calendar: 320×480, 640×960, 1024×768, 1024×1024, 1280×800, 1280×960, 1280×1024, 1366×768, 1400×1050, 1440×900, 1600×1050, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1680×1200, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 1920×1440, 2560×1440, 2880×1800

Have A Minimal Christmas

“My brother-in-law has been on a design buzzword kick where he calls everything minimal, to the point where he wishes people, “Have a minimal day!” I made this graphic as a poster for him.” — Designed by Danny Gugger from Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

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without calendar: 750×1334, 1080×1920, 1136×640, 1280×960, 1920×1080, 2560×1440, 5210×2880

Christmas Time!

Designed by Sofie Keirsmaekers from Belgium.

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without calendar: 320×480, 1024×1024, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Happy Holidays

Designed by Bogdan Negrescu from the United States.

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without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1920×1080, 2560×1440

It’s In The Little Things

Designed by Thaïs Lenglez from Belgium.

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without calendar: 640×480, 800×600, 1024×768, 1280×1024, 1440×900, 1600×1200, 1680×1050, 1920×1080, 1920×1200, 2560×1440

Join In Next Month!

Please note that we respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience throughout their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us, but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.

Thank you to all designers for their participation. Join in next month!

Original Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/abduzeedo/~3/mn0L-lZlwCI/typography-soulcraft-typeface-encourage-all-us

Typography: Soulcraft a typeface to encourage all of us

abduzeedo
Dec 04, 2018

Soulcraft typeface is a free OpenType variable font designed with the idea of emulating vernacular lettering. This beautiful typography project was created and shared by Massimo Studio, Erick Donate, Jean Wojciechowski and Marcelo de Costa. Since the font is an OTVar font, the user is able to change width and slant of each individual character without relying on pre-defined font weights. This enables to replicate some quirky characteristics found in the drawing of sans-serif letters in street signs and walls, giving an energetic, unapologetic and dynamic feeling to the compositions made with the font.

Our goal was to create a typeface to encourage all of us. Soulcraft is available to everyone for free, empowering creative people to make use of it in the most varied ways to express themselves in a bold, raw and unafraid voice. By being variable, the font gives the possibility to do so many different kinds of work with a single file. It’s like having a toolbox in just one type.

Typography

Share your work using Soulcraft Typeface tagging @massimo.studio on social media 

Download Soulcraft Typeface here

Typography

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/christmas-symbol-fonts/

Thinking of sprucing up your site or designs for the holiday season? Need some fonts to help share in the Christmas cheer? Here is a collection of Christmas Symbol Fonts full of Christmas-related…

Visit hongkiat.com for full content.