As some of the best flip phones on the market, the new Galaxy Z Flip and Fold models are a highly anticipated launch from Samsung. Boasting a distinct nostalgic flavour with all the luxuries of a modern smartphone, the Flip and Fold models are a stylish disruption of smartphone design trends – and naturally attention-grabbing phones require an equally striking campaign.

Created in collaboration with Transport for London (TFL), the star of the campaign is arguably the folded London bus created by artist Caspar Phillips. Made using repurposed scraps from old buses, the striking design is a dramatic full-sized installation that commands attention. To add to the immersion, Old Street station flipped its identity, replacing all signage with temporary 'Fold Street' branding – much to the delight of disoriented tourists, I'm sure.

The "Fold Town" art project expands to other London icons such as the classic red telephone box alongside a bench and lamppost which were all given a distinct 90-degree angle makeover. Created by designer Jem Hughes, the quirky pieces are a reflection of Samsung's unique design that's unafraid to bend the rules.

The campaign was the collaborative work of multiple design agencies including Creative PR shop Taylor Herring who created the custom builds and global marketing agency Iris who managed the experiential elements. Social content was created by marketing agency Coolr while media planning was handled by Starcom.

For more updates on Samsung's latest smartphone release, check out our hands-on with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. If you're after more mind-bending delights, take a look at our collection of must-see optical illusions.

In our latest issue, we've teamed up with Supergiant Games to showcase concept art for its hit indie sequel Hades II. We also have insights from art director Jen Zee, who reveals her thought process for creating character designs inspired by Greek mythology.

Buy issue 242 of ImagineFX here

Elsewhere, Andrew Palyanov explains how he combines 2D and 3D techniques to paint a foreboding fantasy castle, and environment specialist Enoch Driscoll reveals how you can develop drama quickly in a scene featuring multiple characters. Plus, comic artist Uko Smith takes us around his traditional and digital studio setup, and we reveal our top picks from the latest ImagineFX Art Challenge featuring the theme Character Redesign.

To get a taste of what to expect, just take a look at our lead features below.

Never miss an issue: Subscribe to ImagineFX here

Standing up to AI threats

As social media platforms continue to scrape online content to train their AI models, pro artists talk to us about the impact this is having on their livelihood and discuss what can be done to counter it.

15 tips to shape your character designs

Concept artist and illustrator Hardy Fowler shares his advice on how you can consistently create interesting figures using effective shape principles and colour.

The shape of Destiny

We celebrate the 10-year anniversary of online sci-fi series Destiny by going behind the scenes of its highly anticipated expansion The Final Shape, bringing you key art and concepts from the Bungie team along with weapon and creature designs.

Artist interview: Ben Mauro

Halo Infinite artist Ben Mauro guides us through his long career, giving insight into finding creative inspiration and talking about his new HUXLEY comic series.

Draw a scene in graphite

Nik Henderson explains his approach to creating an unusual aircraft interior by mixing graphite techniques with anthropomorphic concepts.

ImagineFX is the world's best-selling magazine for digital artists – packed with workshops and interviews with fantasy and sci-fi artists. Buy issue 242 here or subscribe to ImagineFX here.

GameMaker is a specialist 2D game engine that has been in the public domain for nearly 25 years. This makes it one of the longest-running engines on the market at the moment. During this time, some of the best indie games, such as Undertale, Hyper Light Drifter, and Chicory: A Colorful Tale, have been created using GameMaker.

The engine itself sets itself apart by being one of the best options for beginners. This is thanks to the GM Visual interface and workflow, which require absolutely no programming knowledge. If desired, creators can to take development to a new level using GameMaker's bespoke scripting language, GM Code.

Being able to export games to a range of platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam, makes it a particularly attractive option for all types of 2D game developers. The one-time purchase fee is also pretty small compared to other alternatives. 

Like what you read below? Visit the GameMaker website, download the app for free, and start creating. Read our guide to the best laptops for game development too, though you won't need anything too over-specced to get the most from GameMaker.

GameMaker: a brief history

GameMaker has gone by a number of names over the years, including Animo and GameMaker Studio. There was even a time before 2011, when it was known by the same name that it is now. 

GameMaker's first iteration was developed by Mark Overmars and publicly released on the 15th November 1990. Early versions focused on graphics tools and would be unrecognisable from the present-day offering. Over time, it began focusing more on game development, with the most recent version of GameMaker being released in 2022. 

The years in between have seen a number of name changes, feature improvements, and big releases. One of the big direction shifts in this time came in 2007, when Overmars partnered with YoYo games. Under YoYo's leadership and Overmars' continued involvement, GameMaker was able to go from strength to strength.

GameMaker has historically been a paid-for piece of software, although in 2021, when YoYo Games was bought by Opera Software, they decided to offer a free version alongside a premium license for the very first time.

GameMaker: what is it?

GameMaker is a game engine that is entirely focused on 2D game development. It is used by both indie developers and professional studios, with games being released on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, HTML5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.

The game engine centres around a custom drag-and-drop visual programming language or scripting language known as Game Maker Language (GML). The scripting language enables game creators to take their creations to a new level, which would be otherwise impossible with the visual workflow.

GameMaker: who is it for?

GameMaker does one thing and it does it really well: making 2D games. Other game engines, such as Unreal Engine, are being used to create a broader range of content, but that's not what GameMaker is for and it would be a pretty big divergence for it to go down that route. 

There is a huge market for 2D games and GameMaker is right up there with the best game engines out there. Both Unity and Godot Engine also have dedicated 2D game creation tools, but GameMaker is just as good and somewhat easier to use. If you're looking for 3D tools, then you'll want to learn something like Unreal Engine or Unity, for 2D GameMaker is a gem.

GameMaker: standout features

GameMaker is fairly straight-forward and yet, remarkably, contains everything required to make advanced and engaging 2D games. Beginners can get up and running really quickly thanks to the GML Visual interface, which works very much like Scratch, MiT's game creator browser platform aimed at kids. The inclusion of GML Code provides the necessary control for taking games to a whole new level. I've listed some of the standout features below.

• Room Editor: Add and remove rooms, set camera controls, and manage design tools.
• Object Editor: Create and personalise objects to bring your game to life.
• Image Editor: Create, edit, and design 2D game assets.
• Sequences: Create animations and powerful cutscenes.
• Tilesets: Design levels quickly with brushes and tiles.
• Debugger: Keep things moving by locating issues in your code.

GameMaker: must-know tools

Games created in GameMaker are built in either GML Visual or GML Code. The latter is more advanced but does require more in-depth programming knowledge. Other tools include various editors and cross-platform publishing. Let's dive in and find out more.

GML Visual and GML Code

One of the best things about GameMaker is that it offers two ways to create games. Why is this so great? Well, one of those ways is a visual interface that is ideal for beginners or those who don't want to get involved in programming. 

It's called GML Visual and it consists of utilising action blocks to construct game logic. That means that rather than coding a flow, you can use connected block types instead. This provides an incredibly intuitive way of creating games and breaks down a lot of the barriers for people who are finding it difficult to get into game development. This is also a perfect way to build up coding confidence before moving onto the second option, which is called GML Code.

GML Code is GameMaker's proprietary scripting language, which is very similar to JavaScript and C-like languages. It still provides an intuitive and flexible way of creating games but also has more advanced capabilities that are not available in GML Visual. 

One interesting thing to note is that it is possible to use GML Visual in conjunction with GML Code. That means, at any point, you can move between the two. So, if you're struggling with some code and just want a visual representation of what is going on, simply switch over to GML Visual.

Editors

With room and object editors, GameMaker provides tailored tools to make game creation as easy and straightforward as possible. The fact that this game engine is specifically targeted towards 2D game creation means the toolset is protected from being bloated with 3D tools.

The room editor enables users to add and remove rooms, as well as set camera controls and manage design tools. The room tools make it possible to take design concepts and turn them into fully functioning rooms within GameMaker.

Rooms can be populated with objects by using the object editor tools. Again, concept designs can be replicated easily in GameMaker thanks to a range of dedicated features and tools.

Cross-platform publishing

GameMaker contains all the publishing capabilities you could ever need. With the ability to export to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, GX.games and Steam, anyone in the world can access your game. 

The platform you want to export to, as well as whether you want to make money from your games, will determine which license you need. If you want a commercial license, then you'll need either the more affordable Professional license or the more expensive Enterprise license. If you know you'll be creating games for consoles then the only option is the Enterprise license.

The free version lets you export to GX.games, desktop, web, and mobile, but not consoles, you'll need to upgrade to get onto those popular systems.

GameMaker: popular games

GameMaker doesn't boast the same AAA games that the likes of Unreal Engine or Unity do but that doesn't mean it hasn't been used to create some pretty impressive games. Here's our top three:

Undertale by Toby Fox was released in 2015 and has seen significant success throughout its first decade. With millions of sales and a game on Switch, there's clearly a lot of people who love this game.

Forager by HopeFrog is an open-world adventure game that was officially released for Microsoft Windows in 2019. A year after the initial release, the game had amassed over 600,000 sales on Steam. This led to the game becoming available on the Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, and Android.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale by Greg Lobanov features an anthropomorphic dog with a magical paintbrush, which is used to colour the game world. It's a beautiful game that is available across almost all major platforms.

Hyper Light Drifter by Alx Preston and Heart Machine is a pixel art roguelite adventure with procedurally generated levels. The Kickstarter made $600,000 (the dev asked for $27,000) and the team has since released Solar Ash and Hyper Light Breaker coming soon (read our interview with the game's art team).

Spelunky is a 2008 platform game developed by Derek Yu that challenges players to explore procedurally generated caverns. The game spawned a sequel and became a cult, critical and commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies.

GameMaker: the price

The quickest and cheapest way to get up and running with GameMaker is to download the free version. It can only be used on non-commercial projects but does allow for a range of exports across desktop, web, and mobile. The only other limitation is that console exports are not supported.

If you want to make money from your games, then you'll need to opt for the Professional license. It's a one-time $99.99 purchase that doesn't give you access to any additional features but does allow for commercial use.

The only other license type is Enterprise, which can be used not only for commercial purposes but also adds the console export functionality missing in the other two options. This costs $799.99 per year.

GameMaker: what do I need to run GameMaker?

GameMaker is a 2D game engine, which means it is a lot less dependent on the latest and most advanced hardware. This makes it great for developers who don't have or don't want to invest in the latest technology.

It can run on both Windows and macOS operating systems. It will work right back to Windows 7 and macOS Big Sur but Windows 10/11 and macOS Monterey are recommended.

CPUs are a vital hardware component for game development. GameMaker will work with quad-core or even dual-core CPUs, although the latest generations of Intel and AMD CPUs are guaranteed to produce excellent results. 

3D graphics require a lot of RAM and incredible dedicated graphics cards but all GameMaker needs is 2GB of RAM and an OpenGL 4-compliant onboard graphics card. Obviously, the more RAM you can provide, the better but knowing it's not fundamentally necessary is helpful.

GameMaker: frequent questions

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been in development for years, and was originally meant to release 2012 before being dropped, then resurrected with a 2021 release date, and now it's 2024 and has been delayed by a further two months. But, Stalker 2 will now release 20th November for Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Seriously, however, after many years of delays I can wait a couple of months longer, and if the final game lives up to its promise, this could set a new benchmark for graphics and design in gaming. It's making good use of Unreal Engine 5 to deliver some of the most impeccably detailed textures I've seen, as well as the latest motion capture and photogrammetry techniques. Developer GSC Game World also has a weird brag about its custom teeth tool, which means every character's smile is unique. Indeed, the game is even said to be using Nvidia ACE, the character text-to-speech AI pipeline. 

In a press release Yevhen Grygorovych, Game Director at GSC Game World said about the delay: “We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more “unexpected anomalies” (or simply “bugs”, as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding - it means the world to us. We’re just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself.”

Ahead of release, Stalker 2 will get a Developer Deep Dive in association with Xbox, which will go live on the 12th August, and will feature a mix of never-before-seen content, including behind-the-scenes interviews, new gameplay footage, new locations and a full video walkthrough of a story quest. Visit the GSC Game World's website for the latest news.

Known for their touching storylines and iconic character design, Frozen 2 and Inside Out 2 are standout examples of Disney-Pixar's boundless creative evolution. Combining two of Disney-Pixar's most iconic films, these candid stripped-back illustrations are a delightful treat for fans and a wholesome celebration of this momentous achievement.

Taking to Instagram, Pixar shared a custom illustration featuring Inside Out's emotions crew crowded around a large number one. Below, a message from Director Kelsey Mann and producer Mark Nielsen reads: "We are absolutely blown away by all the love for Inside Out 2 from around the world. Thank you for joining us on this incredible emotional rollercoaster”.

On X, Disney shared a heartfelt illustration of Arendelle royalty Anna and Elsa passing the torch to Joy and Anxiety – propped up by a proud-looking Olaf the snowman. "Everyone from Arendelle and Walt Disney Animation Studios is sending warm hugs to all of Pixar on their incredible achievement as Inside Out 2 becomes animation’s biggest movie ever," the tweet reads.

For more Disney news, check out the mind-blowing Disney animation secrets that might surprise even the biggest Disney fans. If you're after more creative inspiration, check out Disney's 12 principles of animation to learn how to recreate the studio's iconic style.

Users are discovering a feature within the Settings menu of 2023's iOS 17 update that transforms the iPhone UI into something much simpler and more restrictive. Assistive Access is ostensibly aimed at those with cognitive disabilities, providing "more focussed features". But the dumbphone community is embracing it with open arms.  

With Assistive Access, items onscreen are bigger, features are more focused, and it’s easier to navigate and understand what actions are possible. But perhaps best of all, you can choose exactly which apps appear (or more importantly, don't appear) when the mode is enabled.

"I dig this," one user in the r/Dumbphone community comments. "It allows me the functionality of my smart phone, but when this mode is on, zero distractions." Another adds, "This is basically what a lot of people here are asking for. It "dumbs down" the smartphone experience to the bare minimum. No unnecessary features or distractions."

I've been using the feature for a few days, and can vouch for its effectiveness as deterrent – even though that's hardly what the feature was designed for in the first place. With such a simplistic UI, the most addictive apps gone, and a great big 'BACK' button slapped at the bottom of every app, it's missing pretty much all of the seductive UI design touches that proliferate the normal version of iOS.

How to active Assistive Access on iOS 17:

• Open the Settings app on an iPhone or iPad.
• Tap Accessibility.
• Scroll down and tap Assistive Access.
• Tap Set Up Assistive Access > Continue.

Now you can customise the feature, from choosing between grid and list mode for app icons, and selecting which apps are permitted to appear in Assistive Access mode. Once the mode is enabled, you'll need to tap the Power button three times and enter your passcode to disable it (which is enough friction for me to think twice about whether I really want to disable it to check my emails). 

2024 is starting to feel like the year of the dumbphone. From cases that turn the Apple Watch into a tiny mobile to the rerelease of the classic Nokia 3210, the smartphone supremacy might just be showing a few (tiny) signs of retreat. 

The Olympic rings have long been one of the most recognised sports logos in the world. But many people are surprised to learn that they haven't always looked exactly as they do today (the image above) The design has been tweaked twice since the rings were created back in 1913 (also see our pieces on the first Olympics logo and the best Olympics logos of all time).

The history of the Olympic rings design

The first Olympic rings design featuring five interlocking rings, coloured blue, yellow, black, green, and red was created in 1913 by Pierre de Coubertin, the co-founder and second president of the International Olympic Committee. They were used for the first time at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp after the 1914 games were cancelled due to World War I.

It's likely that Coubertin was inspired by the logo of the French sports association USFSA, which he was also involved in founding. The USFSA used two rings in the French colours of red and blue. For the Olympics, Coubertin chose five rings as a simplified representation of the five inhabited continents: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. He also ensured the colours (including the white background) included those of every competing country's flag (only twenty-eight nations participated at that time), making it a truly international emblem.

The original design is immediately recognisable today, but compared closely, the colours and the composition are slightly different. The blue and yellow in particular much starker hues, while the rings are thicker.

The first tweak came when the International Olympic Committee standardised the design of the Olympic rings in 1981 with thinner lines, a lighter shade of blue and a darker shade of yellow. Spaces were also added between the rings. In 2010, the spaces were removed, making the rings today more similar to Coubertin's original design.

Do the Olympic rings have any connection with ancient Greece? Sadly no. This was a myth that began in the 1950s when two American authors came across a milestone in Delphi that had been used in a torchbearers' ceremony for the 1936 Berlin Olympic games. They mistakenly believed it to date back to the times of ancient Greece.

Nor does each ring have a specific meaning. The 1949–50 edition of the IOC's Green Booklet stated that each colour corresponded to a particular continent: "blue for Europe, yellow for Asia, black for Africa, green for Australia, and red for America". That claim was dropped in 1951 owing to a lack of evidence that this was what Coubertin had intended. Olympic Charter, Rule 8 merely states that “The Olympic symbol expresses the activity of the Olympic Movement and represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.”

For more sporting design news, see the new Las Vegas Raiders logo and the controversy over the Red Bull logo on Leeds United's kit.

Cadbury's long legacy has always hinged on a strong heritage, building itself as a brand rooted in timeless tradition. This playful blend of vintage design and modern technology not only showcases Cadbury's contemporary evolution but proves that its consumers have always been at the heart of the brand.

Created in collaboration with VCCP London, the My Cadbury Era campaign centres around the AI tool built by digital agency Bernadette. By uploading a simple selfie, users can transport themselves into a selection of Cadbury's most iconic ads, with customisation options for added authenticity. As an extra bonus, once you've generated your personal AI poster you'll be added to a prize draw to win a tasty £200.

So how does it work exactly? Once you've selected from the seven vintage poster options, you're invited to select your skin tone and whether you'd like to appear masculine, feminine or gender-neutral. After you've popped in your details and uploaded your selfie, the rest is left up to the magic of Stable Diffusion. Unfortunately, it's not an instantaneous process and it can take a while to generate your image, but in the meantime, you can busy yourself by snooping at other people's creations.

"My Cadbury Era is a product of human design and creativity which was boosted by Gen-AI technology to make something that wasn’t previously possible - using cutting edge techniques to bring something from the archives up to date and into a modern environment,” says Jonny Goodall, chief design officer at Bernadette according to VCCP's case study.

While I'm a little upset that I won't be Cadbury's new official poster child, I appreciate the amusement of my face being pasted onto one of its iconic vintage posters. If you'd like to try the tool for yourself, head to the My Cadbury Era website and for more vintage design inspiration, check out the best adverts of the 1950s and the best adverts of the 1960s.

The company has now trademarked a flatter Mazda logo with a very slightly more angular shape. The new approach takes the same direction as pretty much every other car logo redesign we've seen in the past five years, but it makes perfect sense for a brand that aims to modernise.

As depicted in a trademark application in Japan, the apparent new Mazda logo design is hardly a massive departure. It retains the winged 'M' but now with a more circular outer ring and more angular wings. The company hasn't confirmed what the design will be used for, but I expect it will be part of a broader global rebrand.

That would be unlikely to surprise many people. We've seen everyone from BMW to Citroen and Skoda ditch the three dimensional look for a flat design. Minimalist logos are the order of the day, partly because of fashion but mainly because of digital platforms and the need for a logo to be easy to reproduce at small sizes (see our pick of the best car logo designs overall). 

But, while the new logo might not reinvent the wheel, it does the job. It's recognisable (unlike the Kia logo), and it would serve Mazda's efforts to shift its brand appeal from a young audience to focus on a higher-end market. Mazda's existing logo was last tweaked in 2015, when the logotype was shifted under the mark, but the brand symbol itself remains unchanged since 1997, and that's fairly apparent in the dated 3D look. A more stripped down minimalist look is a better fit for the luxury market that it's now aiming at.

For more logo design news, see the first Paris OIympics logo and the new Tropicana logo.

Heads up: this deal ends on August 4th, 2024.

This is a total bargain if you ask us, and a $24 per month discount on a Creative Cloud subscription adds up to $288 saved over the course of a year. This is especially great considering that the bundle includes 20+ essential creative apps for artists with must-haves like Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere Pro and Acrobat Pro. 

Your Creative Cloud subscription will also let you benefit from 100GB of cloud storage, the latest generative AI tools (with an allowance of 1,000 generative AI credits per month), step-by-step tutorials, a free website with Adobe Portfolio, the ability to showcase your work via Behance, and not forgetting access to the Creative Cloud Libraries to manage your digital assets. 

Not sure the All Apps plan is for you? Adobe also has plenty of free trials available for you to test out its advanced software before you fully commit. 

No need for the full app suite? Take a look at our clever deals widget below for the best deals on Adobe software in your region right now. It updates 24/7, so be sure to check back if now isn't the right time to buy. 

As an example, a configuration with a 13th-Gen Intel Core Ultra i7 processor, 32GB RAM, 1TBGB SSD and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics is reduced from $2,499 to $2,199. This is the option, I'd go for, and it should chew through creative work, but there are similar discounts on other configurations if you need more or less RAM or storage, and $550 off the top-spec i9 RTX 4060 configuration. 

If you don't need the extra graphical prowess provided by a dedicated GPU, Amazon has over $350 off the XPS 14 with Intel Arc graphics, which is reduced from $1,722 to $1,349.99.

This is a laptop that we included in our pick of the best AI laptops, where we praised its minimalist design and the excellent colour accuracy of its OLED touch display. See more details below.

Today's best Dell laptop deal

Not found the Dell laptop deal you're looking for? Take a look below at the best Dell laptop deals in your region.

I was the recipient of a test unit of the company's latest model, the Infinix Note 40 Pro, following in the wake of previous models that have impressed me lately, including the GT 10 Pro and the Note 12 VIP, to see if it belonged among the best budget camera phones.

Over the last few weeks, I've used the Note 40 Pro+ Racing Edition (a special edition co-designed by carmaker BMW) alongside the Infinix Watch 3 SE smartwatch. I've taken and edited photos and videos on it, logged my health metrics, used it for work video calls and tried out its gaming capabilities for good measure. And despite some (expected) niggles, after those weeks with it, my trust in the Infinix brand has only grown.

Infinix Note 40 Pro: Key specifications

Design and display

The Infinix Note series has just gotten better and better at making phones that look way more expensive than they really are. The Racing Edition I got has a different back to the regular Note 40 Pro Plus, which is a leather-textured plastic. Here, we still have a composite lightweight material, but in keeping with the sports car theme of the phone, it's adorned with sleek lines and a silver finish (racing stripes make everything go faster, don't they?).

Like on the Note 12 VIP, we have a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display here, which has been slightly updated from last year's Infinix cohort, with increased max brightness (up to 1300 nits now) and up to 120Hz refresh rate. 

It's a really big, sharp and attractive display, especially at this price point (under £/$300), and it being an AMOLED, the contrast is magnificent, with true blacks and great colour reproduction. The resolution isn't quite iPhone 15 level, but still pretty great at 393ppi, with the 120Hz refresh rate keeping all videos buttery smooth to watch.

The camera notch at the back is rather big and bold, with a triple-cam setup alongside a fourth circle, a light which acts as both a flashlight and flashy notification light (which can be customised). The notch protrudes a fair bit, but the total thickness of the phone is still pretty reserved, at 8.1mm. 

That said, this isn't exactly a compact phone, as the 16.4cm height means it will stick out of small trouser pockets (and slid out and down the side of my car seat with frustrating frequency, but that's a me problem, I think...) and while the curved screen does lend the handset a much more premium feel than the price tag will, my clumsy thumbs and their frequent accidental inputs helped me understand why some people prefer straight clearly framed edges and a flat display.

Features

In a reassuring keeping with tradition, one of the first things you notice when starting up the Android 14-powered (re-skinned as XOS 14) Note 40 Pro+ is lots and lots of bloatware. Thankfully, most of it is easily discarded (or ignored if you don't need to free up the precious extra storage), including the hateful Hola internet browser, which links will default towards until you change it (and get rid of the app). I do recommend keeping the My Health, WPS Office (it's decent, honest) and XTheme (to customise the look of your phone menus) apps.

To match the external design flair, the default menu has been designed in a BMW-inspired style too, with custom logos for several apps, including the gallery, compass, calendar, weather and others, as well as the phone/messages/camera trio in the bottom bar. It means the Google Chrome browser logo sticks out a bit like a sore thumb, but that's no different to Chrome anywhere, to be honest...

There's 5G on board, as is NFC for Google Wallet purposes, it supports wireless charging, and the triple camera setup boasts a 108MP lens on the main camera. 

To keep costs down, the compromises are where you don't necessarily see them. It's got an older WiFi codec (WiFi 5 rather than 6 or 7) slightly smaller battery than more expensive alternatives at 4600mAh and no SD card slot or headphone port.

The Racing Edition is shipped in a gift box that includes a wireless charging pad (which you can charge up and take with you as a mini power bank), the XBuds 3 WE and the XWatch 3 WE smartwatch, along with a vanity collection that includes a branded wall plug, keychain, card wallet and sunglasses in a branded soft case. Because of course it does.

Infinix XWatch 3 WE

The Infinix Note 40 Pro+ Racing Edition ships with the XWatch 3 WE, which I've also tested alongside the phone. There's a pair of earbuds included too, the XBuds 3 WE, which do the job, with very decent sound quality, but as my ears are famously incompatible with most earbuds I am not in a position to professionally review those, as I couldn't wear them for long enough at a time to fairly evaluate them.

I can evaluate the XWatch 3 WE, though, which I've worn alongside using this phone for over three weeks now. 

And while it won't compete with the Apple Watch when it comes to the design, the external finish (the plastic strap has the BMW racing stripes but also a fairly cheap feel) or richness of features, it has a lot going for it. One thing is that it can continually measure your heart rate and blood oxygen levels, along with a fairly accurate step tracker and seamless integration with the My Health app on the phone. You can also use it as a trigger for the phone camera, read incoming messages, track your sleep (I need a lot more of it, apparently) and control Spotify, among a host of other functions, including the usual stopwatch and timer features, looking up weather data, oh and it tells you the time too.

I find it a real value addition to the overall user experience, and while yeah, you can definitely get better smartwatches, this one does everything I want out of one, and it all works as intended (and is an aesthetic match with the phone, which is nice too).

Cameras

There are three main cameras on the Infinix Note 40 Pro+, and a front-facing selfie camera. The specs are similar to last year's model, with a 108MP wide-angle lens, along with a 2MP ultrawide and 2MP macro. The front camera is 32MP and is identical to last year's model in the Note 12 VIP as far as I can tell.

Now, Infinix says the 108MP camera has an OIS (optical image stabiliser), but it does employ some digital work to achieve image stabilisation rather than purely optical tools, so take that with a grain of salt. 

The output by that lens, though, is thoroughly decent, especially when you consider the amount of pixel-binning these high-spec-touting cameras often employ. Regular wide-angle pictures are nice and sharp, with lots of detail to work with in editing. The Portrait function lags a little behind giants like the Xiaomi 14, as is to be expected, but the macro lens impressed me (and fed my obsession with ultra-close-ups of insects and flowers and my cat's face). 

The zoom is a digital offering here, but of perfectly good quality up to 3x, both when taking photos and videos. Video doesn't have 4K capabilities, I'm afraid, but you have to expect some compromises for a sub-$300 phone in that department. To make up for it, the video-editing features in the camera and app offer the same pre-templated film formats that impressed me in last year's models, with a few feature upgrades. Conversely, the photo-editing app on board is rather basic, but the filters that are there offer up enough variety to keep your Instagram feed somewhat varied. 

Performance and battery

When it came to benchmarking the Infinix Note 40 Pro+, I ran into some issues. Geekbench 6 CPU testing figures felt low, but looking at other benchmark figures online, I'm now willing to accept that the MediaTek 7020 processor on board is just not that powerful. Further issues were encountered with Geekbench 6 GPU and AnTuTu benchmarking, where it refused to run some of the tests, thus making the results of those tests unrepresentative. 

However, when using the phone for some gaming, I found I could run most lightweight games without issue, and the same applied to drawing and photo-editing apps, as well as streaming apps like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. 

However, I did notice slight lagging in games requiring faster motion processing, and games like CSR 2 simply wouldn't run on the phone, so if you're a serious gamer (or power-hungry content creator), you might have to look elsewhere. 

The speakers are 'tuned by JBL' and the JBL logo is emblazoned on the top edge of the handset, but the performance is fairly mediocre. There's plenty of volume, but it's sorely lacking in bass output, leading to a fairly flat sound, especially when putting on rock or drum'n'bass. 

The battery, for some reason, is smaller than in most of last year's models, and I found that with Bluetooth switched on (to connect to my smartwatch), a couple of gaming sessions and some video consumption, the battery drained to under 20% before the end of the day. Battery testing via AnTuTu gave me a battery life figure of 12 hours and 23 minutes, which sounds about right given my impressions of it.

Who is it for?

Casual users who want a stylish-looking phone without breaking the bank, who may want to use and post to social media, including TikTok, as well as watch media on the large, sharp screen it sports. Professional creatives, mobile game enthusiasts and content creators who need more processing power will have to step up to more expensive models.

Buy it if:

• You want a cheap phone that doesn't look cheap and has a decent camera
• You want a phone for casual content creation and consumption
• You like racing stripes

Don't buy it if:

• Bloatware annoys you
• You need more power for video or computer processing
• You need a premium camera on your phone

Not familiar with this? A lot of people aren't aware that Apple offers student discounts to those in education, either as a verified student, teacher, or faculty, and it can be used by parents of students too. Apple's discounted education prices are available all year round, but this latest promotion will only run until September 30 in the US, and October 21 in the UK.

To benefit from these offers, all you need to do is head to the Apple Education Store site, where you should be instantly met with reduced educational pricing (stamped with the Education Savings symbol) on popular Apple products. This can be used to save big on all Apple products including the latest MacBooks and iPad Pro models. 

Apple Student Discount promotion

From now until September 30, Apple is offering an extra incentive for US students to invest in either a Mac or iPad for their studies by throwing in a gift card valued at $150 with eligible Mac purchases, or a $100 gift card with iPad purchases.

UK students will get an £80 gift card with eligible iPad purchases, or if you buy a Mac, you'll be gifted with a £120 gift card from now until October 21, 2024. 

But that's not all. In addition to this, both US and UK students can benefit from 20% off AppleCare+ to protect their new Apple device, as well as one month of free Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscriptions.

It's worth mentioning that the gift cards from the promotion cannot be used or applied towards your current purchase, and you must redeem your gift card after  
the eligible purchase. It can then be used for future Apple orders.

For a walkthrough on what to expect when using the Apple Education Store, head to our Apple Student Discount guide which has everything you need to know. Prefer Samsung? Check out our Samsung Student Discount guide instead. 

That doesn't stop clients calling graphic designers rock stars, even in job adverts. But, judging by a thread on Reddit, designers are getting fed up with being mistaken for successful performing artists.

"Why do companies or clients call graphic designers rockstars?" ProgramExpress2918 asks in the Graphic Design subreddit. "It's the first industry in which I hear this." And the question has triggered an intense debate. 

Some suggest ulterior motives are at play, and that the epithet is a strategy to make designers feel special in the hope of hiring them "on the cheap". Rockstar designers rarely get a rockstar income. "Rockstar = prepare to do 3-4 people’s jobs for the pay of a junior designer," one person wrote. It "means doing the work of a video editor, copywriter, web designer, UI/UX, social media manager etc, etc, all for the rate they pay interns," was another opinion.

Why do clients/companies call graphic designers "rockstars"? from r/graphic_design

Some commenting on the subreddit have more positive interpretations. It's "because we do crazy shit and they can’t even fathom how to accomplish it," one person suggested. "Often times in-house graphic designers are the only graphic designer in the entire company they work for and tend to be higher skilled as they have to fulfill many different design rolls. Also, their skills differ greatly from the rest of the company, so to the rest of the company, they seem special and able to do something others can't," someone else wrote.

Some designers do appear to have a rockstar lifestyle. It's "because some of us do cocaine to work long hours and smash groupies during lunch," one suggested. To which another designer replied: "The rest of us just take Vyvanse and eat lunch alone in our cars." Others noted a wider trend at play: as well as rock stars, some companies enjoy referring to design 'ninjas' and 'wizards'. And web developers who also design are 'unicorns', apparently. One person described securing a job as a 'design ninja' when "in no way am I a 14th century assassin."

Personally, I'm not sure this is exclusive to graphic design. I have on at least one occasion been referred to as a rockstar freelance journalist, which I thought particularly incongruous. It made it sound like I have a lifestyle like Hunter S Thompson. But whatever the reason, please stop people. Graphic designers have had enough. "I think it’s cringe, like an office calling itself a family," one person writes. "Dead ringer that the company thinks it's a 'fun job' as opposed to a professional position. Expect to possibly be treated as such," someone else complains. Yes, graphic designers rock, but they are not rock stars.

For highlights of this weeks graphic design news, see the new Raiders logo, the new Mazda logo and the Tropicana rebrand. Meanwhile, Adobe has just added new Photoshop and Illustrator tools.

As long as the pieces were inspired by athletics, you could enter painting, sculpture, architecture, music and literature to be considered for gold, silver and bronze medals. This was inspired by the Ancient Olympic Games, which also saw artists competing alongside athletes. But why was this part of the games abandoned in 1948 – and is there a chance of creativity returning? We could so see a medal for on-the-spot graphic design or 3D modelling.

Though the inclusion of art was vitally important to the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin who (quite rightly in our humble opinion) saw it as the only way to display a truly well rounded picture of civilised culture, it was ditched mid-20th century. This means London was the last city to see the art awarded.

The then-President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was super-keen on the Olympics being as unswayed by money as possible, so the restrictions were that artists and athletes had to be of amateur status. This conflicted with an artist's need to make money from their art to, you know, survive and stuff – and led to the issue of the Olympic Medal being seen as an endorsement or advert for their work. So, in the end, the art events were scrapped in 1948.

So there you are. If you were living in the 36 years between the modern Olympic Games' inception and shortly after World War 2 (and you had an income stream aside from art) you could be the owner of an Olympic medal. For now you'll have to just admire these Olympic and Paralympic Games posters (and graphic designers can enter the Brand Impact Awards, of course).

Learn more about art at the Olympics at the Smithsonian website.

Created in collaboration with Adobe, Adam's Skyline concept uses Adobe Firefly to create a brooding superhero scene that rivals Gotham's own Dark Knight. Among the rise in AI image generators, Firefly stands out as Adobe's ethical answer to AI art. Providing an innovative suite of generative AI tools, it's the natural choice for creatives looking to level up their workflow.

For more Adobe news, check out the latest drop of new Photoshop and Illustrator tools set to optimise the creative process. If you'd like to learn more about Adobe Firefly, take a look at the game-changing AI tools for 3D artists that dropped on Adobe Substance 3D.

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• How to make and sell an NFT
• How to draw on the iPad: your guide to getting started
• Toon shading: how to create stylised 3D scenes

But that's not all, there are two new Galaxy smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 7 series and Galaxy Watch Ultra model, to get excited about (both great Apple Watch alternatives). And not forgetting the Galaxy Buds3 and Buds3 Pro earbuds either, completely redesigned and now AI-infused with intelligent features such as live translations in-ear. 

I got hands-on with these products at Samsung's London HQ the other week, (including a first look at the Samsung Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6) and believe me, Android fans are in for a real treat.

I'll be honest, as excited as I am by these new devices, I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'm going to buy the Galaxy Ring, given that I already use my Galaxy Watch 6 for most health tracking features. 

With that said, if you're planning to order any of the above devices from Samsung, be sure to make use of Samsung's Student Discount offers if you're a teacher, student, or aged between 16 and 25. 

These deals can help you save big on the latest Galaxy AI range, and we've also rounded up the best current prices in your region below using our clever deals widgets. It updates 24/7, so we suggest keeping this page bookmarked to track any price cuts. 

To find out more about Adam's role, including what it's like to head up the Pentawards, what makes great packaging design and how his background in fashion influences his work today, I caught up with him recently as part of our Day in the Life page.

But how does it compare to previous Olympic Games logo designs? Paris can lay claim to having set a landmark in Olympic design history the last time it hosted the Games. A century ago this summer, the Paris 1924 Olympics were the first to have what could be considered a logo. And for anyone not familiar with the French capital, it might look almost as bizarre as this year's effort (also see our pick of the best Olympics logos of all time and our history of the Olympic rings).

In the 1920s, logo design hadn't developed into the graphic design discipline that it was today. That might offer some justification for why the Paris 1924 Olympics logo was mega busy and fairly illegible. The black-and-white emblem featured a woodcut-style image of a sailing ship overlaid with text reading 'VIIIe olympiade Paris 2024'. If you're wondering what an old sailing ship has to do with the Olympics, the answer is nothing: it was lifted from the Paris coat of arms but made even busier with the addition of oars and clouds.

A reference to the founding of Paris on the Ile de la Cité in the Seine, the ship appeared on the first Paris coat of arms in the 14th century and remains in the current version, which dates back to 1853. It also appears in the modern government logo for Ville de Paris, albeit in a much more minimalist form (see the second picture above). It may have been inspired by the emblem of the Marchands de l'eau, a guild that had the right for commercial navigation on the Seine in the 12th century.

And the Paris 2024 logo?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo continues to raise eyebrows due its curious bouffant, It makes use of negative space to depict a representation of the Olympic flame that's intended to double as the visage of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution. Marianne has long been intended to represent the values of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, and was inspired by the Goddess of Liberty.

Looking like the face of a woman with a bob, the design has been likened to everyone from Victoria Beckham and Kristen Stewart to Sian Clifford in Fleabag and even Penelope Redd from The Sims. It's also been suggested the design looks like the logo for a hairdresser's or even a dating app thanks to its resemblance to the Tinder logo. But Paris has stuck to its guns, and, perhaps like the London 2012 logo, we will come to love the Marianne. 

For more design inspiration, see our picks of the best new logos and the worst logo designs of 2024 so far. For sports logos, check out the new Raiders logo and our pick of the best sports logos of all time.

Even with today’s hardware, it can be hard to get the perfect shot in camera, particularly outside of a studio setting. Low light, a moving subject or the wrong settings can lead to blur and image noise, and if you’re using a phone or a more budget camera, the chances are that your image won’t have a high enough resolution to print at a large size. This is where AI comes in, enhancing the quality of images that may have been created in less than perfect conditions. Below I’ll outline 4 ways that AI can improve your shots, without resorting to all out fabrication.

01. Blow up your photos 

There are many reasons you might want to enlarge an image. It may be an old photo or a scanned image that has such low resolution that it looks poor even on digital displays. And if you want to print an image at a large size, many cameras don’t have high-enough resolution for a clear, crisp reproduction. In my case, I’m lucky enough to have a camera that produces high resolution images, but I tend to crop a lot, and that can leave an image short of pixels for printing at a large size. I’ve also had cases where I exported images at one size for digital and deleted the originals, only for the client to come back months later saying they wanted to print the photos.

Fortunately, AI upscaling tools are becoming a lot better at resolving situations like this. They’ve been trained to use AI to add extra pixels to an image, filling in the details in a realistic way to allow an image to be increased 2x, 4x and beyond. Just a word of caution. Inspect images closely and adjust the AI model or setting as necessary because AI upscaling can sometimes apply strange artifacts and some quite crude-looking sharpening if you’re not careful. Even the best upsampling techniques rely on cues that may not be found in every image. Also be realistic. The more extreme the enlargement, the worse it’s likely to look.

02. Kill the noise

One area where generative AI can truly save the quality of a photo is noise. Today’s flagship cameras allow photographers to crank the ISO up much higher than in the past, but insufficient exposure in low light conditions still brings up the problem of image noise in shadows, and these grainy looking random variations in luminance or colour can make a photo unusable.

AI denoising, such as that provided by Aiarty, uses machine learning to interpolate those random patterns of noise and then remove it from the image. And it tends to work better than older denoising software because it uses a dynamic technique, adjusting to the specific noise pattern of each photo rather than using a fixed filter. Again, to get the best results you’ll want to adjust the AI model or the balance between denoising and the preservation of detail to get the optimum result.

03. Get sharp 

AI tools also provide an option for improving the quality of images that aren’t quite in focus, be that because of camera shake, a subject’s movement, or just because your focus was slightly off. Unlike traditional sharpening tools, AI image sharpening algorithms have been trained on many thousands of images so that they can detect and attempt to reverse lens blur and motion blur. Some are trained to be able to automatically detect the subject of an image too so that you can only apply sharpening where you want it.  

Again be realistic here. AI sharpening doesn’t mean you can stop worrying about focusing on your subject. It can look very digital and unnatural when used indiscriminately on very out-of-focus shots. Always check carefully the results of any AI and change the model or setting you’re using if needed to get the right level of realism that you’re after.

04. Take the slog out of retouching

Finally, we come to what can be one of the most tiresome and time consuming parts of photo editing. Even with the myriad tools in modern editing software, retouching can take a long time. There’s the dodging and burning to even out shadows and highlights, there’s the airbrushing to smooth out skin imperfections, the removing of dust and any unwanted distractions. Fortunately, there’s a bunch of AI tools that can help here. Even many smartphones now come with AI object removers built in, although the results can be a little too obvious sometimes.

There are AI plugins and standalone tools that can remove dust in a single click or remove skin blemishes without you having to click on each one. The most sensitive tools can even tell between distinguishing features you might want to keep and acne or uneven shadows that you might not, and they give you the flexibility to decide.

Ultimately, even if you’re not into image generation using AI, it’s impossible to deny the convenience of AI tools for improving photo quality. Whether you’re enhancing old archive photos to preserve them, you want to save a shot that was taken in low light, or you just want to speed up the process of retouching big batches of images, there are AI tools that can make your life a lot easier.

MSCHF has been known to pull some bizarre stunts, but this latest move is about more than making money. Despite its stylish packaging design, the upcoming drop is a poignant social commentary on American consumerism and the commercial grind – a bold statement crumb coated in delicious satire.

The drop takes exclusivity to the extreme, with only three limited edition MSCHF Scout Cookie kits up for grabs. Three custom flavours make up the 528 boxes in the kit, including Treasury Mints, Caramel Cashouts, and Peanut Butter Profits. The packaging has a distinctly nostalgic feel, blending a retro scout camp aesthetic with vintage mascot-inspired logo design.

Alongside the edible elements are a set of custom MSCHF Scout uniforms comprised of shirts, neckerchiefs hats and a unique sash with custom badges to "represent your progress on the road to becoming an elite sales warrior." For support out in the field, MSCHF has also included an official sales guide including the '9 Commandments of Scout Salesmanship' which feature mantras such as "I am ready for war" and "I have no limits".

"Intended for resale via child labour", the satirical drop is rooted in significant social criticism. "We bring up our children right in this country: From the moment they hit middle school, we fold them seamlessly into the production of alienated labour," the MSCHF Scout Manifesto reads.

The MSCHF Scout Cookies collection will drop today at 2 PM EST, but with such a limited batch available, it's set to sell out almost instantaneously. For more retro-inspired design, check out the new Burt's Bees campaign inspired by a nostalgic summer camp aesthetic. If you're after more packaging design inspiration, take a look at Matty Matheson's classy food branding design.

Last year's Barbie movie kickstarted a cultural phenomenon that launched one of the best rebrands in years, but it seems that Mattel isn't set to slow down anytime soon. I'll admit that initially, I was anxious to see how Mattel would navigate creating a Barbie design that sensitively reflected blindness, yet the final result is a consciously considered doll design that truly feels like a positive step towards a more diverse future.

Working closely with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Mattel was committed to creating an accurate representation of individuals with blindness and vision loss. The new Fashionista doll comes complete with a cane and functional sunglasses, adding accessories that establish representation without feeling contrived. Yet the design is more than just aesthetics – with bright tactile clothing Mattel ensures that the doll becomes a positive play experience for children with vision loss. Each clothing item is constructed with easy fastenings so that the Fashionista can look her best with ease.

More subtle design details include articulated elbows for comfortable cane use and an altered eye gaze, positioned slightly up and out. The details expand right down to the packaging which features the iconic Barbie logo in braille to maximise accessibility for indivisuals with vision loss.

“We recognize that Barbie is much more than just a doll; she represents self-expression and can create a sense of belonging," says Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls. "We’re so pleased with the details that have gone into designing this new Barbie," Debbie Miller, Director of Customer Advice and Support at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) told Creative Bloq. "It’s an acknowledgement that not everyone can see well, which means a lot to the blind and partially sighted community. This is a positive step forward in helping children and adults with sight loss feel like they belong and are recognised,” she adds. 

The blind Barbie Fashionista doll is much more than opportunistic diversity for the sake of soulless pandering – she's a symbol of the broadening beauty spectrum. Building a "multi-dimensional view of beauty and fashion," it's wonderful to see Mattel pioneering a rich future filled with representation where all children can feel a sense of pride in their identities. The 2024 Fashionistas dolls are available online now and in store this Summer at major retailers for $10.99.

While Mattel has been paving the way for inclusivity, the creative industries still have a gender problem – progress is slow, but movements like this from big brands give me hope. If you've been inspired by Mattel's new Fashionista doll, check out these character design tips from leading artists and illustrators to help shape your own creative projects.

Released just over a year ago, this isn't the newest 15-inch MacBook Air since Apple launched a new model in March with the M3 chip. However, with less than 10 months between them, the difference in performance is fairly narrow, making the 2023 model worth considering if you want to pay less for what is a larger version of Apple's most popular laptop. It's the Apple laptop we recommend for most people who want a screen larger than 13 inches.

For more options, see our guides to the best MacBook Air M3 prices and the best MacBook Pro M3 prices.

Not in the US? You can check the best prices on a range of MacBooks in your area below.

New tools include a Selection Brush tool in Photoshop and Mockup, Generative Shape Fill and enhanced Text to Pattern in the beta version of Illustrator. Read on read on for an overview of everything that's new in Photoshop and Illustrator today, and see our guide to Adobe Creative Cloud discounts if you're new to the software.

New features in Adobe Illustrator

First up, Adobe's industry-standard vector design software has added a range of new features in beta. It now has Firefly AI-powered Generative Shape Fill, a Dimension Tool, Mockup and enhanced Text to Pattern (see the video above). Meanwhile the Contextual Taskbar and performance enhancement tools are designed accelerate productivity.

Generative Shape Fill in Illustrator empowers designers to add detailed vectors to shapes in their own unique style for concept ideation or more detail in existing artwork and designs. Enhanced Text to Pattern allows users to scale customised vector patterns across design projects using text prompts, and Style Reference helps designers quickly edit and scale vector graphic creations, including subjects, scenes and icons.

Mockup (demonstrated by designer Michael Fugoso in the Instagram post above) delivers the ability to easily create high-quality visual prototypes of art on objects like product packaging, apparel and more by automatically adjusting the art to fit the curves and edges of the real-life object. Meanwhile, the Dimension tool helps designers plot precise sizing to projects in a few clicks for packaging design, architectural drawings, fashion patterns and more.

Retype helps designers convert static text to live, editable text and identify the perfect font for projects, while enhanced selection capabilities, including the new Enclosed Rectangular Marquee Selection aim to help designers select objects with more precision, which should be especially useful in intricate and crowded designs. Finally, Enhanced Pan and Zoom capabilities deliver faster and smoother performance for navigating highly complex documents (Adobe says up to 10 times faster with scalability from 3.13% to 64,000%). 

New tools in Photoshop

Photoshop has introduced a new Selection Brush Tool and has made Generate Image via Adobe Firefly Image 3 and the Adjustment Brush Tool now generally available.

The Selection Brush Tool aims to make selecting, compositing and applying filters more intuitive, while the Adjustment Brush enables users to easily apply non-destructive adjustments to specific portions of images. Meanwhile, Enhance Detail in Generative Fill delivers greater sharpness and detail in large size image formats and the Type Tool now provides faster and less-manual ways to create bulleted and numbered lists. Improvements in the Contextual Taskbar introduce popular settings for working with shapes and rotating objects to avoid having to wade through the menus.

Adobe will be hoping the new additions demonstrate its commitment to keeping Photoshop and Illustrator ahead of the best Adobe alternatives following the recent controversy over the Adobe terms of use. Photoshop and Illustrator are available via subscription as individual apps or as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud package. See the best prices in your region below.