Tom May

Tom May

Freelance journalist and editor

Tom May is an award-winning journalist specialising in art, design, photography and technology. He is the author of the books The 50 Greatest Designers (Arcturus) and Great TED Talks: Creativity (Pavilion). Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. 

Latest articles by Tom May

This image shows a simple black-and-white abstract drawing dominated by loosely looping and swirling thin black lines and a few thicker splatters, typical of a child's messy, spontaneous drawing.

Science says your kid is better at expressionist art than you are

By Tom May Published

Children can replicate Pollock paintings more accurately.

Art
A composite image features the cover of "Angel Train: Four Novellas" by Elizabeth Smither on the left and the cover of "Obligate Carnivore and other stories" by Stephanie Johnson on the right, flanking the logo for the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in the centre.

Why are we punishing authors for illustrations they had nothing to do with?

By Tom May Published

Fighting back against AI needs to be done thoughtfully.

Design
A child, smiling and wearing glasses, inserts a bright orange "The Famous Five: Five Go Off To Camp" story card into a white, cube-shaped digital audio player with a pixelated picnic basket display.

Get 30% off Yoto Players: The perfect screen-free gift for kids

By Tom May Published

Give the gift of imagination this Christmas with Yoto’s biggest Black Friday sale ever.

Toys & Collectibles
A selection of MacBooks on a tri-coloured background.

Oh! Black Friday MacBook deals are actually pretty decent

By Tom May Last updated

Save hundreds on MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

Art Supplies
A few if the most popular Cricut machines.

Black Friday Cricut deals have started with an astonishing price drop

By Beth Nicholls Last updated

These crafty deals will run up to and beyond Black Friday.

Art Supplies
A man wearing headphones is relaxing in a light gray and white ergonomic office chair with his feet propped up on a white desk.

I love this office chair, and with $200 off it's one of the best options out there

By Tom May Published

There's at least $200 off this highly adjustable ergonomic chair.

Chairs & Desks
Two contoured wireless computer mice, one in dusty pink and one in mint green, are displayed on a clear acrylic block and a round grey pedestal in a brightly lit, stylized setting.

Minimalism was a mistake: I think it's time for scented laptops and marshmallow keyboards

By Tom May Published

We've lived too long with grey rectangles.

Laptops
A smiling black woman in a blue uniform shirt leans in to assist a smiling white woman in a denim jacket who is looking at a tablet and a laptop screen.

Should you get a Best Buy membership ahead of Black Friday 2025?

By Tom May Published

These loyalty tiers may offer better value than you think.

Tech
A close-up screenshot of a photo editing program interface showing a young man holding a bundle of white flowers above his head against a blue sky, with a drop-down menu for Canva AI features, including Remove Background, open at the top.

Affinity's free gambit could shatter Adobe (but if it doesn't, that tells us a lot)

By Tom May Published

Can we actually quit the AI features we claimed to hate?

3 Comments
Design Software
Montage of poster and Instagram screengrabs from Zohran Mamdani's campaign

New York mayor Zohran Mamdani's branding is a graphic design masterclass

By Tom May Published

Mamdani didn’t just run for office; he built a visual identity.

Graphic Design
An Amazon Prime delivery driver in branded uniform holding packages while standing in front of a Prime-branded delivery van.

6 killer tips for getting the best Black Friday prices

By Tom May Published

Our best advice to help you win Black Friday 2025.

Tech
A black-and-white still from an animated cartoon shows Betty Boop standing on a bed, looking down at Pudgy (a dog character) who is dressed as a waiter and presenting a platter with a roasted bird.

I can't believe all these pop-culture icons come out of copyright in 2026

By Tom May Published

It's exciting times for creators, but beware the legal traps...

Creative Inspiration
A smiling Best Buy employee wearing glasses and a blue polo shirt hands a small blue box to a customer at a checkout counter.

These retailers are all offering Black Friday guarantees for 2025

By Tom May Published

Shop Black Friday deals early without the worry – these retailers promise to refund you if prices drop further.

Tech

This guerrilla network sharing art gallery memberships is my new favourite thing

By Tom May Published

A scrappy WhatsApp group is helping artists to see actual art.

Art

Forget AI: shrinkflation is the real threat to your brand strategy

By Tom May Published

Branding
A smartphone displaying the home screen of the Premiere Pro video editing app is centered over a background photo of a motorcycle rider surrounded by a large flock of sheep on a dirt road in a sunny, mountainous landscape.

Adobe is being smarter about AI video than I ever expected

By Tom May Published

They finally understand what creators need.

Video Editing Software
Side view of of iPhone 17 Pro including programmable action button at the top

I love Android and I hate to say it, but Apple will eventually win

By Tom May Published

Apple's a fashion brand, and Android can never truly compete.

4 Comments
Phones & Tablets
A dual-screen laptop is set up in a vertical orientation with the detachable keyboard in front, and a hand is shown resting on the trackpad.

How two screens changed everything: my ASUS Zenbook Duo story

By Tom May Published

I never thought anything would trump my MacBook Air.

Laptops
An image of a mounted television displaying an aerial view of waves crashing on a black sand beach, with a secondary lower screen showing the time, date, news headlines about the King's coronation and Prince Harry, and a KIA logo.

You can now get a TV for free... and I'm worried this is the future of tech

By Tom May Published

Free, ad-supported hardware is here. But will it stop at TVs?

Tech
An abstract, brightly colored mural covers the ground floor and second level of a curved, beige-colored building, featuring geometric shapes, cloud forms, and stylized faces.

I tried the colour walking craze for myself, and the results took me by surprise

By Tom May Published

This simple practice gave my brain the reset it needed.

Creative Inspiration
Two tall cans of "Liquid Death" water, one black sparkling and one white mountain water, with a gold logo of a melting skull, set against a backdrop of snowy mountains.

Many famous brands fail to go global, and I think I know why

By Tom May Published

Corporate arrogance will always slam up against reality.

Branding
XPen Artist 12 (3rd gen) review: tablet on a wooden table

Shall we all move to Ireland? Their plan to support artists sounds incredible

By Tom May Published

Ireland is giving €325 a week to artists. Honestly!

Art
A large outdoor billboard advertisement with a purple background showing four miniature Cadbury's chocolate bars named after the band members of Queen: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, with the slogan "Cadbury All HEROES No Zeros."

Is this really the most 'creatively effective' print ad ever?

By Tom May Published

Can we measure a campaign's effectiveness just by feels?

Advertising
Asus Vivobook S 15

Can't afford a MacBook Pro? These are your best alternatives

By Tom May Published

Avoid the Apple tax with these premium alternative laptops.

Laptops
Drew Struzan posters for the films The Goonies, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones

Drew Struzan’s posters made me love movies – here's what creatives can learn from him today

By Tom May Published

The late artist's posters were based on emotion, not function.

Poster Design
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