With such busy schedules to keep, you might not have had the chance to catch up on this week's biggest design news stories. Lucky for you, we've rounded them up in this handy little list that'll make sure you get to the good stuff, quickly.
01. Apple releases iPad Pro
This week, Apple launched its biggest, fastest and priciest Apple iPad yet, the iPad Pro, with artists and designers firmly in its sights. We first got our hands on one, along with the new Apple Pencil, last month and explained what drawing actually feels like on the new device.
However, if you're more interested in the techie details of the iPad Pro, check out the in-depth review by our sister site Tech Radar.
02. John Lewis captivates world with Christmas advert
The big-budget Christmas ads by UK retailer John Lewis have become the gold standard in festive tear-jerkers, with last year's penguin-themed classic easily making our best Christmas ads of 2014 list.
This year the store upped its game in partnership with Age UK to create a heartwarming tale of an old man living on the moon. It quickly went viral, as did a brilliant parody of the ad made by group of art students for a measly £700 – you can check that out here.
03. 3D World gives away free book (and there's a ton more freebies too...)
This week 3D World magazine offered all Creative Bloq readers a free ebook worth £14.99 for taking part in its CG industry survey. 'Get Started in 3D' features 178 pages of CG tutorials, tips and techniques to help improve your artwork, plus you'll be placed into a prize draw for a chance to win £250 of Amazon vouchers. Find out how to get your free book here.
Here's some other free stuff we shared this week that's still available:
- Free online course for designers from D&AD
- Free book about UX design best practices
- Free stock images of diverse women in tech
- Free ebook on working with web developers
- Free tattoo fonts for your body art designs
04. Baron Fig launches pen revolution
The people behind the much-loved Baron Fig notepad have spent the last 14 months working on what aims to be the perfect pen for designers, the Squire. Designed with an "underlying philosophy of simplicity, usefulness, and community", it launched on Kickstarter this week and quickly smashed through its funding goal. Find out more about the Squire here.
05. Clever font helps you learn Japanese
One of the UK's top design studios, johnson banks had made multiple trips to Japan but still couldn't read the language. So they created a unique typeface that combines English language and Japanese script, Phonetikana. Find out how it works here.
06. 2015's web trends revealed
It only seems like yesterday we were charting the biggest web design trends of 2014. But now it's time to round up this year's trends, and first off the block was Cross Web Ideas' infographic that rounds up the biggest web design trends of 2015. Does their take on the latest web trends mesh with yours? Check it out here and let us know!
07. New app aims to boost your networking prowess
Networking is an essential skill that every creative professional needs to master and a new app aims to help with that. Designed to be 'the simplest way to book a 30-minute meeting with anyone, anywhere,' Android and iOS app Thirtymin is an easy way to reach out to people you wouldn't usually get in touch with personally. Learn more about how it can help you here.
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