Archiwum miesiąca: maj 2018

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Getting Creative with A Secure Crypto-Wallet In The Digital Age

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Post pobrano z: Getting Creative with A Secure Crypto-Wallet In The Digital Age

While it’s an incredible feat that the world is deep into a digital age from a technology point of view, it is probably not headline worthy anymore. Unless affected directly, not many however attribute the same importance to the risks involved. Cybersecurity is a hot topic across countless industries, but none more than that of finance and with cryptocurrencies working their way into more mainstream use – or at least recognition – having efficient security is vital. If you own cryptocurrency, then you’ll already know about wallets, but what about those looking to invest? Here, we’re exploring crypto-wallets, and just why it’s important to keep them secure.

What Is A Cryptocurrency Wallet?

At a basic level, a cryptocurrency wallet is similar to a normal wallet, however, it is only available digitally. Within these wallets, you can store, send and receive different digital currencies including industry leader Bitcoin and any other altcoins on the current market. There are multiple wallets available on the market, however, most coins will have an official option where possible and though these do tend to be the most secure, don’t always assume this is the case. Some coins might not have their own wallet, but instead, a few suggest third-party choices that you can choose from, and it’s always important to do your research before delving into them.

How Does It Work?

Remember how we said that cryptocurrency wallets essentially worked like a normal wallet? Well, this isn’t strictly true. In fact, the coins that you own aren’t actually stored in the wallet at all. Instead, your wallet stores your private key which can only be viewed by you and your wallet and will allow you access to your coins. A public key also comes as part of the wallet, and this is the key that is connected to a certain amount of the cryptocurrency. In other words, your wallet is the storage point for your private key, your public keys works as a ledger for your transactions, and allows you to send and receive your payments as you so wish.

How To Secure Your Wallet

Whether you’re looking to store your bitcoins, or you’re delving into an alternate cryptocurrency, ensuring that your wallet is secure at all times is vital in an increasingly digital world. Of course, most cryptocurrencies are naturally secure regardless, but increasing the wallet security never hurts. Here are just a few tips to get you started:

  • Always Have More Than One Wallet – Have two wallets, if not more, regardless of how many coins you own. This will give you the opportunity to use one to store your savings that will remain untouched, and the other will be for trading or transactions. This will be the most active of your wallets, and is at the highest risk were a hacker to be successful, so make sure you follow our other tips to be safe!
  • Do Your Research – Some wallet providers will have better security options than others and making sure that you do your research into which are the best will help you pick the most secure option. It can be tempting to rush into a decision when you’re focused on creating your wallet, but making sure that the encryption and optimization are at a high-level standard is a must.
  • Don’t Use Public WiFi – This is a bit of a given for any kind of data, but if you can avoid it, never use public WiFi when making your transactions. Risky WiFi networks could be the difference between a secure wallet, and one that is easily hacked, especially during your transactions.
  • Turn Off Auto-Updates – The cryptocurrency world is still fairly new, and as a result, bugs are rife. This is especially true for new updates that haven’t had a chance to have their full run yet. By turning off auto-updates, you can check to see if anything is going wrong through other people’s reviews and complaints, as opposed to having to deal with these bugs and faults yourself.
  • SSL Security – SSL Security is the most important thing you need to keep an eye on when it comes to cryptocurrency wallets. If your wallet doesn’t have SSL security or the wallet you’re sending or receiving from doesn’t have it, then stop the transaction altogether. It’s simply not worth the risk!

The Most Secure Wallets Available

The right wallet for you will ultimately depend on the cryptocurrency that you are looking to invest in, but for the sake of giving you a few examples, we’re looking into some of the most secure and highly rated on the market.

1. Bitcoin Core

Bitcoin core was the original Bitcoin client, and as a result is still highly popular with Bitcoin users today. Being the first doesn’t necessarily mean the best in most cases, but with Bitcoin Core, it’s safe to say it’s certainly kept the high quality it was initially known for. It’s available for Windows, Mac and Linux, and with its ‘full-node’ properties (meaning it downloads the entire Blockchain), it means that hackers are less likely to find your coins which ultimately makes it more secure. Of course, this means that you’ll likely need a lot of space, so only those with beefy computers or secure external hard drives can use this wallet.

2. Jaxx

This wallet is perfect for those looking to delve into multiple cryptocurrencies. Developed in 2014, this wallet gives you the opportunity to host multiple cryptocurrencies at the same time, while keeping everything secure and safe. The simple interface makes it beginner friendly, however it’s important to remember that while it is a secure wallet, it can still have it’s vulnerabilities, so keeping a backup is a good idea.
Hopefully, this has given you an insight into crypto wallets and just why we need to keep them secure. The potential behind cryptocurrencies in the future is too great to pass up, and now is a great time to invest.

Featured image by David Shares

Adv

17 Innovation Report Covers for Design Inspiration

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Post pobrano z: 17 Innovation Report Covers for Design Inspiration

Making something like an annual financial report seem exciting sometimes feels like an insurmountable challenge. But one of the most important tools in your toolbox should be your report cover’s design. It’s the first thing recipients see before looking at the information inside-which means it sets the tone for how that information will be interpreted.

A good report cover is unique enough that recipients will immediately take notice of it, but it also shouldn’t be tacky or overcomplicated to the point where it no longer represents your brand in a professional way. Finding the right balance might seem like a tall order. We’ve assembled this collection of 17 inspirational report cover designs to help you out.















Adv

Importance of a Good Design for Successful Blogging

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Post pobrano z: Importance of a Good Design for Successful Blogging

Are you wondering what relevance the change of your blog design would have on your site? Many people hesitate to make the right decisions regarding proper designs due to fear of the eventuality. It is not a guarantee that a change in your blogging design would cause negative effects.

In fact, research reveals how important it is to set a good design for blogging and other websites involving business. For your blog, you can increase your traffic and improve your audience with a single decision of choosing the best design your site should depict.

Keeping your blog posts and content as fresh as possible is crucial. This is why most bloggers engage essay writing services to help them curate content and write new articles that fit their audience. This is worthwhile.

However, one thing most people would ignore is making the design of the page as appealing as possible. It is reasonable for you to leave your design intact many years after its inception. Everyone loves change; this is the same with clients and potential customers. If you want to take your blogging experience to a new level, then you ought to choose the best design one could find on the internet. While this may not be a simple task, you can use every avenue you have to make your blogging as thrilling as possible.

A good design can change the entire operation of a business including your blogging. The question remains ‘how can I achieve this?’ The response to this question is simple. You only need to explore and understand your business well. You need to make everything appealing in the eyes of your audience. A good design helps to motivate the client intrinsically, hence, maintaining their focus and energy to get more insights from your writings. If you have never taken time to choose the best design for your blog then you have an opportunity to make critical changes.

Many people who have considered changing their websites or choosing the best design for their blogs are successful. They did not only realize the secret of increasing traffic to their lines but also the best way to motivate their audience irrespective of the time of the day.

In an interview, a famous blogger reveals that the secret to her successful blogging us the day she changed her design. She incorporated all the concepts learned from experts. They taught her how to improve the design of her site. Dieter Rams also acknowledges that a well-articulated content and design tends to attract more people to it. This is a secret towards the constant conversion of new readers into a loyal audience.

Typically, people will be attracted to something that is appealing. This is the same with blogging; don’t let your design scare away your customers.

People need to read your content and refer you to a different person or work. Besides, most of the successful bloggers can testify the significance of a good design reflecting on the business growth and motivation of self. You will feel more energetic to work on a blog post that you know many people are likely to read because of the design. In fact, making it a habit is the best thing you could do.

A good design is important for successful bloggers because of the following:

  • It fulfills the function of your blogging exercise hence creating satisfaction with your decision and work
  • It increases the traffic rate that may be registered
  • It leads to constant conversion of new readwes into loyal customers as they will feel comfortable and strong
  • A good design attracts and motivates the audience and the author as well
  • It also encourages business growth

How can I choose a good design? Who can help me choose the best design to revitalize my blogging exercise? Probably, such are the questions you could be asking yourself. We acknowledge that choosing a design for your blog may not be a simple process. However, with careful consideration of the purpose, goals, objectives, interests, and characteristics of your audience, it will help you make a good choice of the design that will grow your blogging business.

The following tips can help you pick the best design that will make blogging interesting and successful:

Product usefulness

How useful is your design? Does it benefit your blogging exercise? A good design should be useful to you and your audience. If your design enhances the usefulness of the content, the product you have, then it makes the best option you have for a blog design.

Aesthetic value

People love reading blog posts that add meaning to their life. This begins with the aesthetic value, which forms the first impression. It will not only fascinate but also attract your audience, hence, increased traffic.

Intuitiveness

Choose a design that is self-explanatory. Your audience should not struggle to understand what it means in relation to what you do. Instead, they should grasp the meaning intuitively.

User-oriented

Make every effort to select a design that is user-friendly. It does not matter how relevant it is to you. Here, the client is a priority, and they need to be assisted to make the best decision.

User-friendliness

If you want to know if you made a good selection of the design, customers would complain about the unfriendliness of the design. However, where people feel that the design is friendly to make their work easier.

Innovativeness

There are many bloggers on the internet who try to do something similar to what you have to do. Innovate the best design that will show great differences from what your competitors have. Also, make sure your design is appealing enough.

In the blogging business, nothing is as difficult as choosing the best design one could have. If you get your selection right, then everything else flows in the right manner that you need. Don’t make hasty decisions regarding the best design to use; take your time to choose the best design; appropriate for your blogging.

Since your customers depend on what you share with them, make the design as attractive as possible to make maximum use of their attention. Choose the most fulfilling design you think will work for you.

Featured image by Andrew Neel

Design

Design deals for the week

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Post pobrano z: Design deals for the week

Every week, we’ll give you an overview of the best deals for designers, make sure you don’t miss any by subscribing to our deals feed. You can also follow the recently launched website Type Deals if you are looking for free fonts or font deals.

10 Full Font Families and Bonus Design Extras

Give your voice a new look thanks to this epic typeface deal full of 10 full font families! You’ll get multiple styles, resulting in 18 unique fonts, along with OpenType Features including Stylistic and Contextual Alternates. Not to mention multilingual support, additional glyphs and all sorts of fabulous design extras from Vectors to doodles.

$9 instead of $147 – Get it now!

Massive Bundle: 120 Premium Business Card Templates

Even in this day and age where texting and email are as natural as breathing, something as simple as a business card is still crucial. Putting a physical card in your wallet or even on your desk, makes it easy to remember to contact someone. More importantly, having a business card to hand out adds serious credibility to you and your business.

$19 instead of $620 – Get it now!

Akwe Pro Font Family of 150+ Modern Typefaces

Professional. Versatile. Those are just two words to describe Akwe Pro. This professional, ultra versatile sans serif typeface sports a modern design with perfect legibility. Created for use in both short and long blocks of text, as well as headlines and user interfaces, this font family features more than 150 unique fonts that are just perfect for your latest branding challenge.

$24 instead of $299 – Get it now!

123 Best-Selling Fonts & 552 Premium Graphics and Logos

A Mighty Deals Exclusive!!! You won’t find this designer’s dream of a deal anywhere else on the Web. Packed with pure professional pop, this Mighty Bundle is overflowing with more than 120 fabulous fonts and over 550 graphics and logo templates. From badges to ornaments to illustrations, and everything from modern script to watercolor brush style fonts, this collection is all you’ll need to whip up your latest projects.

$15 instead of $1850 – Get it now!

Design

Graphic Design Trends You Shouldn’t Miss

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Post pobrano z: Graphic Design Trends You Shouldn’t Miss

In a digital era, trends constantly shift and change.  This is true in the field of graphic art.  What was trendy or modern a few years ago might look outdated in 2018.  Some trends have staying power, while others disappear quickly.

Latest graphic design trends

2018 is the year that imagination has been given freedom to roam.  Trends are wider, more experimental and far freer.  Some trends in the field are new while others have been evolving over time.

Graphic design is a field which is never boring.  New ideas constantly emerge and the boundaries of the industry shift and change all of the time.  Nike does that with its magazine advertisements once a few years.

This article will introduce you to some of the current trends in graphic design.

The glitch effect

One of the more popular movements in the graphic art field is ‘the glitch effect’’ which gives the appearance of a corrupted image.

Signs of imperfection which would (until recently) have been discarded or seen to be problematic are now being embraced and turned into a trend.

The film industry has used the glitch effect for a while, presenting broken images and imperfect shoots as a way to create tension.

However, 2018 is the year that faulted images are starting to take over the design world too.

Destroyed design

In recent times, graphic artists have been preoccupied with destroying their designs or imagery.

This might mean spray painting over them, tearing them or crumpling them.  Rumpled, worn in or destroyed designs are leading the way in 2018.

Color channels

Playing with color is a new trend in 2018.  Designers are using color to distort images, producing a psychedelic or hallucinogenic effect.

These images have a psychological impact on viewers, keeping them engaged.  As a result, ‘color channels’ are emerging as a popular trend in 2018.

Holography is slowing down

The hologram effect has been hugely popular for a while, with designers using holograms in branding, logo design, brochures and even stock photos.

Holograms added an interesting detail to the minimalist design.  Recently, however, the trend has begun to slow down.  While the holographic design will still hold some power, we’ll be seeing it less frequently in 2018.

Double exposure duotones

Double exposure duotones offer a radically new element to the graphic designer.  In 2018 this trend uses vivid colors.

Different overlapping images are used to create an interesting visual effect.  This combination is used to create a modern design which is taking over the industry.

Muted or moody color tones

As the retro themes of the 80s and 90s are starting to reemerge, moodier colors are beginning to dominate the design field.

These colors reflect the themes of times gone by when cameras and screens were not able to capture saturated colors.

Popular trends include muted colors (or low-intensity colors with a greyed out effect).  These colors are removed from their primary base and have a low Chroma.

Moody colors have been used to create texture, fabrics, screens, paper and retro website designs.  This trend is emerging strongly in the design field and will gain popularity in 2018.

Ultra Violet

Ultraviolet is a deep purple-blue color reminiscent of the mobile disco era.  It is often used to give a futuristic feel to design.

This color has recently become trendy, drawing on the space theme to provoke an atmosphere of exploration or discovery.

Futuristic themes are beginning to emerge in web design, graphic design, fashion and interior design.  This is definitely a graphic design trend for 2018.

Mid Century design

Mid Century design draws inspiration from themes which existed between the 1930’s and mid 1960’s.

This trend has been growing within the interior design industry for the past while with a focus on mid-century Scandinavian furniture design.  This theme gives the feeling of timeless quality and attention to detail.

During 2018, this theme will start to emerge far more strongly in the world of digital and graphic design, adding a retro feel to work that is produced.

Colored fonts

As nostalgia takes over, designers are often choosing to use colored and highlighted fonts to draw attention to their content.

This is replacing the old trend of using illustration or imagery to put a message across.

New software which allows for developing your own handmade color fonts has recently been released (Photoshop CC 2017/2018).

This enables graphic artists to create an attention-grabbing but unique element to their work. This trend is going to increase rapidly as 2018 unfolds.

Cinemagraphs

Cinemagraphs are living photographs where a person takes small continuous motions.  They have become increasingly popular on social media sites.

This trend, which combines the photograph and the video is bound to become more popular in 2018, adding a new element to the design field.

Responsive logos

Recently, responsive design has emerged as a crucial element of web design.  Many people use mobile phones and tablets to browse the web, and the market is even making a move towards wearable online devices.

As a result, designers are adjusting their designs so they will suit a wide range of screens.

More recently, companies have started to focus on making their logos responsive.  This means ensuring that the logo is simple enough to work well on a small screen.

Many companies are also modernizing their logos in order to adjust to the current market.

Responsive logos are therefore an emerging trend which is rapidly emerging during 2018.

Greater depth

Flat design has been a recent trend in web design.  This meant taking away shadows or 3D elements in website design and replacing them with simple, flat colors.  However, this trend is starting to change.

Extreme minimalism is giving way to the realization that detail adds an interesting element to design, helping designers to create a hierarchy.  Viewers strongly engage with the detail on a site and this helps them to engage.

As a result, sites are changing from flat to semi – flat designs. Shadows are often added to call to action buttons, long shadows, soft and subtle color variations and a larger degree of nuance.

Shadows added in this 2018 trend do not have harsh qualities as their predecessors once did.  Instead, the trend is to add subtly to the site, creating interest without the contrast.

Debonair duotones

Old comic strips often show pixilated images or halftones which are printed in overlapping format.

Contrasting colors such as red and green were often used to create a visual effect.  The result was an attractive two-toned image which created a sense of vibrancy.

This old printing technique has been given new life by digital media. New tools and techniques make it possible to overlay a range of different colors, from duotones to quadtones.

There is even the possibility for designers to create fake duotones using software such as Photoshop or InDesign.

Fake duotones don’t have the same contrast as the traditional duotoned image, but they are still effective and easy to create.

Retro designs – inspired by the 80s and 90s

We’ve already discussed the moody colors which are making a comeback in 2018 but the influence of the 80’s and 90’s goes further still.

Both electric and pastel colors are starting to make a comeback as designers move away from the vivid colors made popular by flat design.

Patters from this era are also starting to influence design.  Instead of the minimalist imagery of recent times, geometric patterns and abstract designs are becoming more and more popular.

Our current brand leaders and target audiences are made up largely of the millennial generation (or children of the 80s and 90s).

This is reflective of the nostalgic designs which are starting to arise.  Adding a touch of nostalgia is bound to be a hit.

Focus on authenticity

This year is seeing a trend towards photographic images.  Both custom photography and stock photo images can evoke emotion in your viewers.

Imagery assists designers to send out a clear and concise message.  They also give voice to a brand.

In the 80s and 90s, the grittiness of authentic photography had a wide appeal.  This trend changed towards staged images or photos which have become generic.

Thankfully, the trend is changing back to interesting photographs which are full of life.

Authentic images increased in popularity during 2017 and will continue to do so in 2018.  Brands are seeking to connect with users rather than present them with overused and tired images.

Talented photographers are assisting by offering up excellent photos to stock image sites, often without restriction.

Summary

Graphic design is going through a rapid shift, pushing the boundaries into new arenas while simultaneously embracing the past.

We are seeing old trends fade away as new opportunities emerge within the field.  The field of design is embracing a more authentic image which speaks to their audiences.

As a designer, it is now a time to take risks, breaking old patterns.  2018 is the year to allow the imagination free reign and embrace the waves of change.

Design

Ultimate Design Bundle: Great Prey for a Design Hunter

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Post pobrano z: Ultimate Design Bundle: Great Prey for a Design Hunter

Every designer is a skilled internet hunter. After just a little time you learn where to find your prey, how to understand if it is worth getting and when will be the perfect time to hunt it down. Of course, I am talking about icons, fonts, and other design elements.

Even inexperienced beginners know that drawing the design from a scratch is a really complicated and long-time task. Even the simplest landing page design needs at least a dozen icons and don’t even start talking about fonts, background and the rest of graphics. It will take several days or maybe weeks to draw a design using ready elements, because you have to tune them up and polish the whole picture to perfection, but without pre-made stuff, it will be months. Come on, the payment is not that big to put so many efforts in work (there are exceptions, yes, but let’s be sincere, they are VERY rare).

As every good hunter, you sure have a really big hoard of graphic elements. Like mountains of gold, silver, and gemstones in a dragon cave, they lay silent and beautiful on your computer’s hard drive. However, what dragon will refuse to get some more precious treasures into his collection? That’s very pity you are not a dragon and can’t afford having everything you want, huh? I feel your pain, bro, every designer has the same problem with paid content. And that’s why you learn not only “where” to get those goodies, but also “when” to hunt for them. Every company does sales time to time and you can be lucky to grab the stuff you adore for a sufficiently lower price.

If you were waiting for a perfect time to hunt down some TemplateMonster product, stop waiting and go check Ultimate Design Bundle. We created it keeping in mind designers, their desires, and needs, so it is definitely worth your attention.

We put inside that bundle an unbelievably huge bunch of products:

Why the perfect time to get that bundle is now? Because until April 30 it costs only $29! Twenty-nine bucks, Carl! On the other time that set of graphic elements would be worth $1123 and we sell it with a 97% discount. Even a Black Friday is not so profitable!

There’s not much time has left, so hurry up! This great pray waits for you, digital hunter!

CSS

Animating Progress

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Post pobrano z: Animating Progress

Jonathan Snook on the complexity of animating the <progress> element. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s the element that spits out a bar chart-like visual that indicates a position between two values:

This example has custom styles, but you get the point.

Jonathan’s post shows off a method for animating a change in progress value using CSS and a touch of JavaScript while making sure that it animates properly in every modern browser. The demo he made looks pretty neat. I’m sure this is going to be one of those posts I come back to again and again.

We recently shared a post by Dave Rupert that takes an SVG approach. Jeremias Menichelli also has an alternative approach, creating a ring shape and converting it into a React component.

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