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

A desktop with a colourful portfolio on screen

How to create an online portfolio: Steps to curating your own corner of the web

By Beth Nicholls Last updated

Want to show off your work online? We digest the methods involved with creating an online portfolio.

Portfolios
How to beat burnout

How artists can beat burnout

By Tom May Last updated

Leading creatives share their tips for when stress becomes overwhelming.

Creative Careers
A close-up, shallow depth-of-field shot of the tip of a light gray mechanical pencil, a Winsor & Newton fineliner, with black accents, resting on a textured orange and black patterned surface.

Designers reveal the one object they can't live without

By Tom May Published

Cherished tools, quirky treasures and everyday essentials.

Product Design
A promotional image for a Taylor Swift event, showing the singer dressed as a showgirl in a red, feathered outfit and an elaborate headdress, with text about "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl."

The latest Taylor Swift movie is the future of cinema (and no, I'm not joking)

By Tom May Published

Forget superheroes: this is what saves the big screen.

Movies & TV Shows
The three best Frame TVs.

The best frame TVs: fantastic TVs that show off your favourite art

By Beren Neale Last updated

Get a TV and a digital frame in one, with the best frame TVs.

TVs
A diptych of album covers for "THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL," features an elaborately dressed Taylor Swift in rhinestone-studded showgirl costumes, depicted in a rich, textured setting on the left and submerged in vibrant, turquoise water on the right. The images are a conceptual presentation for an album, with accompanying vinyl pressings shown below the main photos.

Taylor Swift’s Easter Eggs are a masterclass in creative mischief – and they're heating up

By Tom May Last updated

Here's what every creative can learn from this.

Branding
A young woman with long, dark, wavy hair is smiling broadly and looking directly at the camera while standing on a red carpet.

Tilly Norwood is an AI actress, and we're all now living in a Black Mirror hellscape

By Tom May Published

Unless creatives start to fight back, we're all getting replaced.

AI
Woman with phone

The older I get, the more I realise designing for seniors is better for young people too

By Tom May Published

Accessible design isn't charity; it's just good design that benefits absolutely everyone.

Web Design
A still from the movie The Social Network showing Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg sitting side-by-side on a brown sofa.

Here's what '90s Napster can teach creatives about AI today

By Tom May Published

The music industry's battle with file-sharing offers a brutal but ultimately hopeful roadmap for creatives facing AI disruption.

AI Art
A black ASUS ProArt P16 laptop on a green sofa

There are only 6 laptops that I'd recommend to creatives right now

By Tom May Published

You can't go wrong with these excellent laptops.

Laptops
A hand plays a small, red-and-white keyboard that is connected to a larger, salmon-colored box with 25 chattering teeth toys mounted in a grid.

10 everyday objects that look nothing like you'd expect

By Tom May Published

Here's what happens when designers throw out the rulebook.

Product Design
A photograph captures a person in a judge's robe walking while on a phone call, passing by a Banksy mural on a building wall that depicts an old, robed man wielding a hammer over a child holding a book.

Banksy and the judge: why great art happens when things go wrong

By Tom May Published

Sometimes the most powerful art emerges by accident.

Art
A real-life artist at Dragon Con

The art world finally drew a line in the sand over AI – and not before time

By Tom May Published

Dragon Con's ejection of an AI art seller is fantastic news,

7 Comments
AI Art
Three of the best 3D scanners on a dark blue background

Create models from real life objects with the best 3D scanners

By Beth Nicholls Last updated

Create models from real life objects with best 3D scanners.

Gadgets
Couple holding each others hand in a medical office and looking worried

Big tech will pull the plug on free AI. Can creatives afford to pay?

By Tom May Published

Tech giants are hooking us on free, but it won't last forever.

AI
A group of people, including Gordon Ramsay and a Guinness World Records official, are smiling and laughing as a chef holds up a framed certificate.

Wow, there's a Guinness World Record for identifying fonts. Could you beat it?

By Tom May Published

The Guinness World Records hits 70, and I think there's an opportunity for designers.

Fonts & Typography
Lego minifigures of Taylor Swift and Travis Scott

Taylor Swift got engaged – and brands went wild. Here’s the funny, the clever, and the cringe

By Tom May Published

Which ones nailed it, and why?

Branding
Large colourful WPP sign in office

Creative job losses are rising – and we need to talk about it

By Tom May Published

We need to think about how to respond.

3 Comments
AI
A woman taking a photo of a painting

'Dread, anxiety... but also hope': Here's how creatives really feel about social media in 2025

By Tom May Published

Creatives reveal their true emotions.

Social Media
A website screenshot showing a collage of Taylor Swift dressed as a showgirl surrounded by other dancers with the text "The Life of a Showgirl" and "Available October 3" in a futuristic font.

There's a big problem with Taylor Swift's new website

By Tom May Last updated

Her disabled fans deserve better than this mess.

Web Design
Collage of logos for Arizona Coyotes, LaCoste, Open University, CBS, Cooper Union, Audf, Mozzo and Bass

These are the best logos of all time

By Tom May Last updated

We review the greatest logos ever designed.

Logos & Icons
ASUS Zenbook A14 on desk next to a water bottle and some pink stationery baskets

I love my ASUS Zenbook A14, and can't believe it's dropped $520 in price

By Tom May Published

This featherweight laptop is now a serious MacBook Air rival.

Tech
Honor MagicBook Pro 14 laptop on desk

I tried Honor's premium ultrabook, and it's a serious alternative to the MacBook Air

By Tom May Published

With good deals regularly available, the Honor MagicBook Pro 14 is well worth considering for creative work.

Laptops
A wide-angle shot of a public plaza in Vienna, Austria, showcasing a street art installation on a sunny day. In the foreground, a large abstract sculpture made of a twisted metal frame and various reflective geometric shapes, including pyramids, sits on a circular concrete base.

I'm sorry, but enrolling an AI into art college is just absurd

By Tom May Published

Vienna's top art school has a non-human student called Flynn.

AI
Hand holding Redmi Pad 2 in bedroom

This 8GB tablet was cheap to start with: I'm astounded it's dropped to £165!

By Tom May Published

The days you needed to spend £400+ on a tablet are over.

Tech
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