India’s trade routes and intra-Asian ties flourished long before Europeans arrived, William Dalrymple outlines in The Golden Road.
If the 19th century was defined by European power, and the 20th century by the rise of the US, the 21st century is increasingly understood to be the “Asian Century” — one in which the global enter of gravity is shifting yet again. And if you accept that assertion, the next logical question is: Who will lead the Asian Century? The two natural candidates are the region’s historical powers, China and India, which were the world’s largest economies from 1 A.D. to 1820, before the rise of the industrial west. They are once again among the planet’s preeminent economies.
By most measures, China is currently outperforming India. Its $18.5 trillion GDP is more than four times larger than India’s, and it accounted for $6.64 trillion in global trade in 2023 — 11% of the global share, to India’s 2.7% ($1.64 trillion). Its military is mightier, and it has greater influence in international affairs. In 2013, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative, an attempt to revive the ancient web of trade routes, known as the Silk Road, that connected the Middle Kingdom to all parts west.
But in his masterful new work, The Golden Road (Bloomsbury, April 29), historian William Dalrymple argues that India has both the potential and the historical track record to catch up with its former peer to the northeast. Citing compelling evidence, Dalrymple notes that many of the great advances in human history originated from Indian civilization, particularly in mathematics (including the concept of zero), religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) and philosophy, astronomy, medicine, literature and art. He argues that the world overlooked India’s vast influence, and that trade routes emanating from India may have had an equally substantive impact on Asian and world history as the Chinese silk route.
India was “a crucial economic fulcrum, and civilizational engine, at the heart of the ancient and early medieval worlds,” Dalrymple writes, describing the country as “one of the main motors of global trade and cultural transmission.”
The Golden Road fills an important gap in our understanding of the intra-Asian relations that predated the arrival of European colonizers. While one modern conceit is that globalization is a recent development, the book demonstrates how much of Asia was for centuries connected through a common lingua franca, Sanskrit. Ideas of Hindu-Buddhist kingship and cosmology were prevalent throughout these regions; Buddhism also took root in Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. In the Middle East, Indian ideas in mathematics and medicine led to further advances during the Islamic Golden Age. From the Arab world, these Indic concepts were transmitted to Europe, where they also helped spur the European Renaissance.
Dalrymple suggests the world overlooked India’s influence because it was “undermined, misrepresented and devalued” by Victorian Indologists such as Thomas Babington Macaulay. In 1835 Macaulay wrote that it would be “no exaggeration to say that all the historical information which has been collected from all the books written in the Sanskrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the most paltry abridgments used at preparatory schools in England.”
But that was then. To compete with Beijing now, New Delhi needs to develop economic muscle, though it can also draw a great deal of competitive soft power from the history of its “Golden Road,” the ancient routes that connected India to the rest of Asia and the wider world. Dalrymple outlines three ways for India to leverage its history to enhance its competitive position vis-à-vis China and stake its claim to leadership of the Asian Century.
The first is to rediscover the great virtues of openness to international trade. While India’s current economy may in relative terms be more closed than that of China, Dalrymple shows that India’s trade with the rest of the world matched, if not exceeded, that of China for millennia. This resulted in prosperity at home, which in turn enabled Indian culture to shine.
“In the crucial period between the end of antiquity and the onset of the high Middle Ages, you can make [a] case for India being the cultural and intellectual center of Asia, influencing and changing the course of religious, artistic and cultural life,” Dalrymple writes. “This after all was why [Chinese scholars] risked their lives to make the dangerous journey to what was then the Harvard or MIT of ancient Asia: the great Buddhist university of Nalanda.”
Many Indians believe that the country’s large domestic market means it doesn’t need international trade to grow faster. While few officials state this view out loud, the Indian government’s actions indicate an underlying belief in continued reliance on domestic consumption for economic growth, encouraging companies to focus on the Indian market rather than exports. India backed out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in 2019, for fear of Chinese goods flooding the domestic market. It is in no hurry to enter into free-trade agreements with Western countries — despite long-standing negotiations with the UK and the European Union — apparently because it wants to protect sensitive sectors like agriculture, which employs close to half of the working population.
This is short-sighted. If China is leveraging the $100 trillion global economy to grow while India relies on its $4 trillion domestic market, India will remain at a disadvantage. Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor to the Indian government, argued in a recent interview with the Financial Times, “You cannot do [it] based on domestic demand and a domestic market.”
As for fears of being swamped by imports from China, a study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics shows that India’s economy would in fact gain $60 billion annually from more openness. It also makes economic sense to encourage foreign investment, particularly in the manufacturing sector. In theory, New Delhi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative — which encourages manufacturing in the country — is meant to do just this. In practice, it has been slow in encouraging investment.
The second takeaway for India’s current rulers from their country’s history is the importance of India’s traditional links with Northeast Asia. The most successful and dynamic economies of Asia are now found in that region, with Japan, South Korea and China outperforming the rest of the continent. As Dalrymple notes, a significant part of the DNA of their civilizations comes from India.
These days, there are deep suspicions between China and India, just as there are between China, Japan and South Korea. Geopolitical differences explain these suspicions, but their shared cultural history might help overcome them. While Dalrymple’s book pits India’s Golden Road against the China-dominated Silk Road, the way forward for both countries may well be a concomitant and cooperative revival of both ancient routes, repurposed for economic and scientific cooperation through the Global South.
China has launched its Health Silk Road initiative — through which it aims to improve international cooperation in health care — and India has been providing pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to the developing world at low or no cost, simultaneously sharing its expertise. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the West was reluctant to share vaccines with the Global South, China and India stepped up and filled the gap. There is great opportunity for them to continue to collaborate in enhancing health-care access, especially in the poorer countries of the Global South.
The third, and arguably best, opportunity for leverage in India lies in Southeast Asia, the region most influenced by Indian civilization, as Dalrymple documents in great detail. One of the curious anomalies in history is that even though Southeast Asia is geographically closer to China, nine of its 10 countries have an Indic cultural base, most obviously expressed in religious and cultural practices. Only Vietnam has a Sinic base.
That cultural base was built on economic ties. In the 4th and 5th centuries, when western supplies of gold dwindled due to the fall of the Roman Empire, Indian traders turned to Southeast Asia. Their ships sailed to what would eventually become Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The traders also exported their faith, seeding Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms across the region. Few Indians today know that one of the strongest Hindu kingdoms in history emerged in Southeast Asia.
Although Hinduism is now a minority faith in the region, its cultural influence lingers: The Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are still performed in many corners of Southeast Asia. Buddhism is the largest of the major world religions in six of the region’s 10 countries. Given these ties, there should be a close cultural relationship between India and Southeast Asia matching the cultural closeness between Europe and the US. But no such closeness exists.
One reason is that India became part of the ‘Persianate World’ during the second millennium (as the historian Richard Eaton demonstrates in his writings) and turned away from Southeast Asia. Another reason is present-day India’s relative economic and political insularity, particularly in comparison to China.
If India is to provide leadership in the Asian Century, the most natural starting place would be Southeast Asia. And the first step would be to restore the close trading links of old. This would require catching up with China, no easy task. As of 2023, the most recent year for which definitive figures are available, Southeast Asia’s goods trade with China was $697 billion, almost seven times larger than that of India. But as recently as 1980, Indian goods trade with Southeast Asia was $1.3 billion, only half that of China’s.
India is expected to become the third largest economy in the world by 2030. Given that it was one of the poorest countries in the world upon achieving independence in 1947, this would be a remarkable achievement. But to create opportunities for its enormous population, it needs to do more. In that respect, Dalrymple’s book couldn’t be more timely. The Golden Road is not only a reminder of a glorious past; it can also inspire Indians to match the sterling record of their ancestors in engaging a new rejuvenated continent — and claim the leadership of the Asian Century.
The post History Shows How India Can Catch Up With China appeared first on VVDesigns.]]>How to Set a Featured Image in WordPress
WordPress is a powerful content management system that allows users to create and manage content. One of the most important features of WordPress is the ability to set a featured image for each post or page. A featured image is the main image associated with a post or page, and it is usually displayed prominently on the home page or other areas of the website.In this tutorial, we will show you how to set a featured image in WordPress.What is a Featured Image?A featured image is an image that is associated with a post or page. It is usually displayed prominently on the home page or other areas of the website. The featured image can be used to give your post or page a visual representation, as well as to help readers identify the content more easily.
How to Set a Featured Image in WordPress
Setting a featured image in WordPress is a simple process. Here’s how to do it:1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.2. Go to the post or page where you want to set a featured image.3. On the right side of the screen, you will see the “Featured Image” section. Click on the “Set Featured Image” link.4. This will open the WordPress media library. Here you can select an existing image from your media library, or you can upload a new image.5. Once you have selected or uploaded an image, click on the “Set Featured Image” button.6. The image will now be set as the featured image for the post or page.
Tips for Choosing a Featured Image
When choosing a featured image for your post or page, there are a few things to keep in mind:• Make sure the image is relevant to the content.• Choose an image that is of high quality and resolution.• Try to use an image that is unique and eye-catching.• Make sure the image is the correct size for the featured image area.
Conclusion
Setting a featured image in WordPress is a simple process. Just remember to choose an image that is relevant to the content, of high quality, and the correct size for the featured image area. Following these tips will help you create a visually appealing and engaging post or page.
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Whether your style is minimalistic, avant-garde, or simply surrealistic, nothing can add opulence to your home much like statement home décor pieces. When it comes to decorating the interiors of your home, giving it a personal touch is essential.
Borosil Ltd., one of India’s leading consumer brands has forayed into a new segment of stylish yet simplistic home décor range, perfect for giving your home a makeover or adding small items around the house. With a range of 3 beautiful vases, namely, the Sienna Vase, Artisan Vase, and Skye Vase, these can be used to display plants or vibrant and colorful flowers. These artistic vases work as the perfect design element to add to a center table or a cozy niche in your home.
The glass is made of 100 percent borosilicate, and the wooden stands are made of high-quality wood, allowing for a premium finish. Transform your house into a home with this beautiful range of vases by Borosil and add luxury with these stunning décor pieces.
The post Borosil Forays into Home Décor Range appeared first on VVDesigns.]]>This month all of our web design trends have a common theme – imagery. Whether it’s seasonal or just coincidence, there’s a shift in the styles and types of images on many designs right now. One thing that might push these design trends is a relaxation of COVID-spurred rules worldwide or even fatigue from the pandemic.
Here’s what’s trending in design this month.
1. Little Images Everywhere
The jury is still out on whether we love or hate this design trend – tiny images (and videos) everywhere.
The thing that’s nice is there is a lot to see and interact with. The thing that’s challenging is that these designs can feel a bit unbalanced and all over the place.
Most of these designs feature four or more images or videos at a time. That can be a lot for a user to digest when we are accustomed to having just one thing to look at in the hero area.
Those four or more images then include all of the other user interface elements that you would expect on the page – navigation, large headline, secondary text, scroll, or engagement interaction. It can be a lot to decipher.
Tokyu Garden City does it with a mix of still and moving images with sliders and other animations. The images are always changing and moving, and there’s constantly something new to look at with movement at the top and bottom of the screen.
Buro Jantzen takes the tiny image idea to an extreme with ten images on the homepage. And every one is smaller than a postage stamp. There is a cool effect that happens with each image though. On hover, the small image pops into the large black box at a size where you can really see the photo.
Oliver Guy uses a combination of video images on his website, which makes perfect sense for his industry of drone photography. There’s some interesting hover animation happening that allows you to see additional video clips without leaving the homepage. The contrast of small video on the white background makes this design easy to understand.
2. Big Detail Photography
Photographic details in all their glory. Images and elements that are so in your face that you can see every detail. That’s majorly trending in website design.
Big detail photography and videography is one of those image trends that can be so visually interesting that you can’t look away. It has other benefits, too, such as facilitating decision-making for e-commerce or helping someone better understand what an item is or the overall messaging.
Each of these examples shows something larger than life-size.
Karak creates ceramic tiles. The primary background image is so big and with such detail that it almost only serves as texture for the design. But it is paired with a smaller image and video that pull everything together for a complete understanding. The big detail image is beautiful and exciting and provides an extra layer of information.
Wuillemin Fleuristes features an off-balanced hero image with a large floral detail. What’s interesting about this design choice for a detail image is that it is the only image on the screen and partially obscured by a tinted box and text element. The overall design draws the eye but may leave the user wanting to see a little more of the image.
Horage pushes its watch in your face with motion in a video that zooms the product closer and closer into view. The combination of detailed video with very little text is a bold choice for e-commerce and might work because this item is still in the preorder phase. Detailed imaging is designed to help create a desire for the product.
3. Big Faces are Back
After two years of not having that many faces in design projects, designers are going big and bold and showing people again.
One of the reasons we haven’t seen as many faces in design projects is because there was concern over how to show people – masked or maskless, alone or in crowds – and it caused more concern than was worth just going another way.
But projects with big faces are back in a major way. And it’s refreshing to make virtual eye contact again.
There are plenty of ways to do it, as outlined in each of these examples.
Glassbox Media uses a full-screen oversized video on the homepage. You can see the subject’s eyes and feel engaged with the person on the screen. She seems happy, and the size and scale of the face make you feel almost like you are in a room with her, ready to have a conversation.
Reamarie uses smaller still images with tight crops to bring you into the faces on the screen. There are more, bigger faces throughout the scroll as well so that the user feels connected to the people and product. Even if an image isn’t super large, a tight crop can make it feel bigger and create the same level of engagement as something that has more size on the screen.
Recruit Holdings Co. uses a trio of people together, happy and smiling, to establish a connection with website visitors. The entire design features similar images throughout and makes you feel like you want to be a part of what they are offering. Note that the people are close together and without masks; that’s a culture shift we are starting to see in a lot of imagery.
The post 3 Essential Design Trends, March 2022 appeared first on VVDesigns.]]>
This guide examines the elements of a professional report and reviews the structuring, styling, and finalizing of your document in Microsoft Word.
If Microsoft Office had been a country, it would have been the third most populous country in the world. 1.2 billion people using a single suite of apps is mind-boggling. And, they “speak” 107 languages!
But right now, you and I are speaking in English and we are going to talk about the most popular tool in the Microsoft Office arsenal — Microsoft Word 2016.
This document editor is used for writing a variety of documents. From a simple application to the necessary resume. From a plain bucket list to an office memo. We think we can work with Word. But it is when we sit down to write a serious professional report, we discover an important fact.
Professional report writing needs a different set of skills.
So, ask yourself this — can you make the leap from a single document to a lengthy report? Do you know all the Microsoft Word features that will help manage this large scale document project? Can you collaborate on the work with other team members?
You may be a student, a small business owner, or an office worker…you will need to create a report or a professionally formatted document of some kind. This MakeUseOf guide will help you update your techniques and sharpen your design approach.
Writing a Report
Report writing involves research and then publishing the outcome of that analysis. In the professional world, the “look” or appearance of what you publish is paramount. The eye-pleasing final result could burnish your reputation and enhance your personal brand.
The steps below will handhold you through the expert features in Microsoft Word 2016. Spend a lot of time on a plan. Start with these guidelines…
Step 1: Decide the Purpose
Before you begin the report, you must first know why you are writing it in the first place. Reports are of many kinds but they are either meant to inform or persuade. It can be meant for describing a technical process, sharing background information, or demonstrate progress on a project.
Ask yourself – What and Why. This will help you distill the purpose to the one main point and stick to it instead of rambling on with unnecessary details.
Step 2: Identify Your Audience
The second important consideration is to evaluate your audience. Will they be able to understand what you are talking about? Are there different levels of readers who will read the report? The reader’s knowledge of the subject will greatly influence the information that you need to include.
Decide on the primary audience and then script the report at the adequate technical level. The secondary audience can be supported with supplemental information at the end of the report.
Step 3: Know Your Topic
You must know what you are talking about. So, research the topic, and include all the relevant information to prove your point. Make sure that you come to a conclusion based on facts and not personal opinion. The information must be correct, current, and well-referenced.
Also use a variety of resources such as journals, newspaper articles, books, websites, brochures, raw data, annual reports, and speeches to help support your point. Just don’t stick to Wikipedia.
Step 4: Outline the Report
You have done the research. There’s a ton of information that is waiting to be typed and printed. But wait! Don’t drown before you enter the water. Prepare the final outline of the report which will be the chart of waypoints to help you navigate from start to finish. The outline is the blueprint. It will give you a bird’s eye view of the land and also show you where you need to fill in the details.
The structure of an idea report can include the following elements:
- Title Page
- Executive Summary
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Body of the Report
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- Appendix
- Bibliography and References
Microsoft Word’s Document Outline is a powerful feature that can help you organize a document even before you start filling it with research. Take advantage of brainstorming and mind-mapping templates too.
Step 5: Write, Edit, Proofread, and Finish
Once you have structured your report, it is time to fill out the headers with content. I personally find it best to tackle a little bit of each section, and then bulk it up with information. You can do that if you want, or finish each section as you go down the report structure. Make sure you focus on presenting your ideas and using supportive evidence rather than spelling and grammar first. Outline your argument and write a few sentences that cast your main ideas. If you find something worth quoting, quote it.
Once the majority of your text is written, it is now time to read through it and make sure it flows well. Make sure you guide the reader’s understanding with transition words such as “This information shows…”, “In other words…”, “Similarly…” and do highlight relevant and key points.
Finally, spend time to proofread, check for grammar and spelling, and double-check all relevant information and its logical flow. It is best to leave at least one day to check and proofread your work. Don’t try to edit it straight after you think you have finished, as you will tend to miss read what you have written. Get some sleep, and proofread it the next day.
The Report Checklist
Before you go and submit or hand in your report that you have worked so hard on, make sure you have done the following:
- Completed the title page with the Title, Your Name, Date, Who the report is for, and a possible description of what the report is about.
- The contents page has appropriate headings and pages numbers are correct.
- Make sure the introduction covers key points, the scope of the report, and the objective it wants to meet.
- You have added captions above tables and below images/graphs.
- Does the content of the report present the information in a clear way, logical, factual, stay on topic, is to the point?
- Does the conclusion state the results, restate main idea’s, and does not include any new information?
- Are the headings and sub headings clearly labeled?
- Are quotes relevant, up-to-date, and correctly referenced?
- Have you used page breaks where appropriate?
Now, let’s launch Microsoft Word and take you through the features that will help piece together the draft of your report and present it as a professional document.
Useful Microsoft Word Features for Report Writing
Take these as bite-sized tips and master them one by one.
Microsoft Word is a big howitzer with many nuts and bolts. Let’s focus on the key skill sets and the tools you will need to plan, prepare, and present the professional report. The Microsoft Word features we will cover below are also productivity shortcuts that will make your job easier.
Tip: Use Microsoft Word 2016’s “Tell Me” assistant to learn more about new features in the Office suite.
Let’s start with three preliminary tools…
Use Paste Special
For most of us, when we need to copy text or an image into Word, the CTRL+V shortcut does just fine. But sometimes we might want to paste the copied data into another format, such as Excel data as an image. With the Paste Special command you can discard or specify the format when you paste a picture, presentation data, table, or object from any other program into Word.
You will work a lot with Excel tables and charts in a professional document.
If you just copy what you want and click paste, you will notice that it will insert the data as tables. But, if it is a large area of cells you want to paste, and you do not want to edit it, you may want to paste it as an image, with the extra option to edit it.
In Microsoft Excel: Select and highlight the cells that you want to copy > Press CTRL+C.
In Microsoft Word: Go to Home > Paste > Paste Special. Select Paste Special and from the dialog select Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet Object.
You can resize the data as it was an image, and if you double click, you will be able to edit the values. You can change the table or chart and redesign it. And, if you update the data in the chart or table in Excel, you can automatically refresh the chart in Word.
Try the right-click context menu too. The Paste Special menu pops up:
There are more options to import data from Excel into Word. The Microsoft Office Support page also describes them in detail.
Use the Researcher
Yes, there is Google and Wikipedia. But constantly switching from Word to your browser can hamper your productivity. Office 2016 brings in powerful research integration to this grunt work. The Researcher can not only help you find content from within Microsoft Word but also help you quickly add citations. It uses the Bing Knowledge Graph to find the right content to support your document.
Go to Ribbon > References tab and c Choose Researcher. A pane will open on the right with the search options.
Type a keyword for the topic want to search for and press Enter.
The Results pane shows a list of sources you can use in your document. Choose a topic to explore in detail.
Add the topic to your Microsoft Word document with a click on the plus sign on the top-right. You can also click the plus sign on any result to cite the source in your research document. The cite source helps you support your research with web sources and books.
As we will see later, an annotated bibliography is one of the toughest parts of a document. The Researcher is an intelligent assistant who steps in.
Freeze Part of Your Word Document
Let’s take for granted that your professional report will be a long and complex work. You can split the Word window into two panes so that you can view two different parts of a document at the same time. It is a valuable time saver when you want to copy and paste parts from one place to another or refer to one part of the document while working in another.
Go to Ribbon > View tab > Split.
To remove the split, click on Remove Split in the same tab.
The Windows group gives you several options to change the way you work with two or more documents. The features are self-explanatory.
To scroll both documents at the same time, click Synchronous Scrolling in the Window group on the View tab. You can also click on View Side by Side to put two parts of the document next to each other.
Tip: Use Split View to display two different layouts – for instance, Print and Outline. Set the split. Then, click in the pane that you want to change, and then select a different layout on the View tab.
Work on the Layout & Design
The presentation of a report is what gets someone to read a report in the first place, and that is why it is crucial that your report is well presented. If you had the choice of four reports to read, what will you choose?
- A hand written report.
- A document printed in black and white.
- A report printed on normal A4 paper in color.
- A report printed in color, with a catchy title page, neatly bounded, and slick?
You will pick up the fourth report because it will pull you towards it by the visual appearance alone.
The front cover is not the only reason. A well-designed report is easier to read. It is also easier to scan when you don’t have time to read. That is why you need to spend some time on your headers and footers, and the different styles and themes. In short – the formatting of every element in the report.
Formatting may seem like a difficult chore, but it is a fun exercise that will exercise all your creative muscles. The key takeaways will be the skills you can apply to anything in Microsoft Office going forward. And the time you will save with all the productivity tips learned here.
Microsoft Word 2016 has a wealthy set of features. These are only some of the ways that your report design can stand out from the rest and be professional. So, let’s break down the layout and design skills.
This section will cover these features step-by-step:
- Start with a Cover Page
- Make a Table of Contents
- Create Your Header and Footer
- Add Page Numbers
(Format the Content)
- Pick the Right Fonts
- Style the Paragraphs
- Control Page Breaks
- Use Styles and Themes
- Captions
- Use Quick Parts
- Decorate with Page Borders
1. Start With a Cover Page
The first page is the first point of contact with your reader. It is also your opportunity to make a favorable impression. Don’t let your lack of artistic skills be an excuse because Word takes up the job with its in-built gallery of title pages. All you have to do is marry one to the theme of the report.
Microsoft Word 2016 offers you 16 pre-formatted templates and three more on Office.com.
Go to Insert > Pages Group > Cover Page.
The cover page appears at the beginning of the document by default.
As there are only 16 “official” templates on offer, you may find that all your other peers have the same cover page. So, why not customize it, and make it a bit more unique.
You can design a title page (or cover page) in Microsoft Word that can be an original in the stack. Save it as a template or easily change the design on the fly.
2. Make a Table of Contents
Casual readers scan. Good readers scan first and then dive deep. A table of contents provides the waypoints that help both. When it is a long and complicated document, wouldn’t you rather check the lay of the land before you head to the section that interests you?
Consider a Table of Contents (TOC) if your document is more than 10 pages long. You should first make sure you don’t need to rearrange any pages in your document before creating the TOC.
In Microsoft Word, you don’t have to write the entire TOC by hand. There’s a Table of Contents automatic tool under the References tab which takes your outline and designs it for you. Also, you can easily keep it updated when you want to change something.
There are also templates you can download and fit it around the nature of the content. For instance, a TOC for a thesis will look different from that of a company’s annual report.
We have a complete tutorial on how to create a table of contents page in Word.
The gist of it is this:
Create the outline and use heading styles to organize the hierarchy. Apply the automatic TOC tool to the heading styles. Word 2016 searches for those headings and then inserts the table of contents into your document. Then you can automatically update your TOC if you make changes in your document.
For more hands-on control, you can also use the Manual Table of Contents style. Word inserts placeholder text and you have to insert and format each content in the list.
3. Create Your Header and Footer
Headers and Footers are important in reports as the main purpose is to provide information about the report on every page. They are the common display areas for page numbers. The header of the document should contain the title of the report, and possibly the name of who created it. The title of the current section is helpful.
The footer, on the other hand, should include the page numbers, date of publication, and other administrative information that is required. Do note that some style guides have special guidelines for headers and footers.
Let’s start with the header in your document and give it a unique look.
Select Insert, then select either Header or Footer from the group. The built-in gallery shows you several options you can choose from.
The header and footer space is inserted in your document with placeholder text or table. The Header & Footer Tools opens on the Ribbon for other formatting work like the date, time, or picture.
Enter your text and then select Close Header and Footer.
You can start with a blank header and footer. If you have the design skills, use the Header & Footer Tools to design your own. Master the header and footer space if you want to create custom letterheads for your organization. You can use brand elements like company or organization logos at the top and neatly formatted footnotes at the bottom
Let’s try with and modify one of the inbuilt headers. I selected Facet from the gallery.
The final look took two minutes to put together with simple text effects and an icon sourced from the Microsoft Office icon gallery.
The header and footer are in place. But, how do you know where you are in the document? Insert page numbers as the next important signpost.
4. Add Page Numbers
Page numbers look best in the footer (unlike in the header as in the image above). You can add a basic page number from the Insert > Page Number button on the Ribbon. You can also add it from the Design tab that appears when you add the header and the footer.
You have a lot of control over page numbers. Choose from a wide range of number formats and customize them to your needs. In this case, we are adding the number to the footer, but you can put them at the top or even at the margins. In this example, I have placed the page number at the bottom left. But, I would like to change the default look and the format.
For example: Using a “Page X of XXX” makes for a better indicator on a long document.
Select the page number. Go to Insert > Quick Parts. From the drop-down menu, select Field. You can also reach the Field dialog from the Header and Footer Design tab.
Choose NumPages from the long list of field names. From the box on the right, you can pick a specific format. I selected the usual 1, 2, 3. Click OK, and the number of the number of pages will appear. Now all you have to do is add your text such as Page X of XXX, and change the look of the numbers with the usual text formatting tools available from the Home tab.
It now looks like this:
Design the look on any page number in your document and Word updates all the remaining automatically. Page numbers are the most common elements in a footer, but it can also hold any other information like the header. From the options in the Insert group, you can add the date and time, document info, pictures, and more to your header or footer.
Next, we’re heading into formatting the content.
The visual draw of your professional report comes together with the “beautification” you apply to the content. Formatting is also an essential step for a document that flows well. So, you must focus a lot of energy on picking the right font, paragraph space, and the colors.
Don’t worry. Even, the artistically challenged will find this part easy because Microsoft Word comes packaged with default themes and visual styles. Let’s start with the most basic element of a document.
5. Pick and Style the Right Font
Your choice of font in a professional Word report not only determines how the text stands out but also how it is printed. You want both for maximum impact.
You can apply a typeface (i.e. the visual look of the font) to either an entire document or to specific parts of a document. All font choices are available from the Home tab. Go to Home > Font.
The default font in Microsoft Word 2016 is Calibri. Look beyond that as you have lots of others to choose from. If you choose Times New Roman, you may be considered lazy, if you choose Windings, well… I don’t think I need to explain that. So make sure you choose a font that is easy to read and suits the report. To play it safe, pick from one of these professional-looking Google fonts; they’re available for free.
Tip: Baskerville and Georgia are good alternatives to the over-used Times New Roman
Try different font pairing for the body text and Headings (and Subheadings). Several websites like FontJoy and TypeWolf will help you experiment with font pairings. You can download and use custom fonts too. But remember the thumb-rule — never use more than three different typefaces in a document.
For that extra bit of pizazz, try a drop cap to enhance your text.
6. Style the Paragraphs
If you want to have your lines double spaced, or single spaced, you need to change the format of the paragraphs. By changing the spacing, you can make a document easier to read or give the impression that it is longer and that you have put more work into it.
To change the paragraph for the whole document, it is best that you select each block of text; otherwise, if you are using headers in your report, they will change too. Another better option is if you customize the particular style you are using to format the paragraph.
To do this, go to Home > Styles. Right click on the style you want to change and select Modify. Click on Format > Paragraph which is at the bottom of the dialog box. Now, change the spacing, indentation, and alignment for the paragraph. Click OK to close the dialogs.
When you want to change a smaller portion of the document, select what you want to change. Right click on the highlighted text and select Paragraph. The same dialog box as above will appear.
7. Control Page Breaks
A page break — by its very name — splits a continuous block of text across two pages. Page breaks are important structural elements for long documents. Word automatically inserts a page break at the end of the page. But in a long document, you can place page breaks where you want them.
To insert a manual page break, click Insert > Page Break. (Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + Enter)
A page break looks like this when you click on the Show/Hide command in the Paragraph group.
But what if you want to keep a bunch of lines together on a page or column and not have them separate because of a page break? The layout is in your control. Click the tiny arrow you see in the bottom right of the Paragraph group.
In the Paragraph box, click Line and Page Breaks. Select from these four pagination options:
- Widow/Orphan control places at least two lines of a paragraph at the top or bottom of a page.
- Keep with next prevents breaks between paragraphs you want to stay together.
- Keep lines together prevents page breaks in the middle of paragraphs.
- Page break before adds a page break before a specific paragraph.
We’ve also shown how to remove page breaks when necessary.
8. Use Styles and Themes
Styles and themes are perhaps two of the more underused features in Microsoft Word. But I think you should use them at every opportunity to save a lot of time.
But what is the difference between a theme and a style? Microsoft says:
Themes provide a quick way to change the overall color and fonts. If you want to change text formatting quickly, Word Styles are the most effective tools.
So, as themes control the general look with color, effects, and fonts – start with a good theme for your document first. Then, use Styles to dig into the specific portions you want to change the appearance for.
For Themes: Go to the Design tab. Pick a theme from the gallery. You can see previews of what the color combination is like.
For Styles: Select the part of the text you want to change. Go to the Styles group on the Home tab. You can see previews of what they look like. Choose the Style that is suitable for your content. For instance, choose a heading style for the headings in your document. Or, a particular style for any quotes. You can also modify an existing style and create new styles from scratch.
9. Captions
Every picture, chart, or illustration needs a caption to clearly describe it. It is a single line of text, usually located below a graphic. Captions are also an important reference when you need to mention them in another place. Many documents omit this small detail.
It is easy to add a caption. Right-click the illustration you want to add a caption to. Select Add Caption.
In the dialog box, add your caption text and configure the remaining options. Captions can be automatically referenced in Word.
10. Use Quick Parts
Professional documents can get repetitive. This is why you should start using Quick Parts for boilerplate content you reuse all the time. For instance, let’s say there is a contract clause you include with every document. Or, some introductory information. Instead of repeated copy-paste, save them as Quick Parts and re-use them again and again.
Quick Parts is also a type of building block. You can see the gallery of all reusable blocks of content in the Building Block Organizer.
Save and reuse your own Quick Parts in two steps:
- Select the phrase, sentence, or other portion of your document that you want to save to the gallery.
- Go to Insert > Text group > Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery. Change the name and add a description if you like. Click OK.
Just as easily, you can re-use the saved snippet of content.
Place your cursor where you want to insert a selection from the Quick Parts Gallery. Go to Insert > Text group > Quick Parts. Then click the sentence, phrase, or other saved selection you want to reuse.
You will notice three other categories in the Quick Parts menu.
AutoText: Word 2016 has retained the old AutoText feature. It works like Quick Parts for any block of text that you use a great deal. Example: A note you want to use with every document.
Document Property: A set of constant properties that you can include with every document. Example: Company name or author.
Fields: These are predefined elements that update automatically. Example: Date, time, page numbers etc.
Remember, entries for document property can sometimes include information you wouldn’t want to share with everyone. So, keep a close eye on these fields and remove the hidden personal data whenever required.
11. Decorate With Page Borders
Page borders look good not only on flyers and invitations. If done right, they can add a touch of class to a document. A variety of line styles and widths and art borders are available from the Design menu on the Ribbon.
Go to Design > Page Borders.
In the Borders and Shading box, use the Page Border tab to design your border.
The settings are self-explanatory. Try Shadow or 3-D with the right colors to add a subtle but elegant border. The Art styles with their clip-art borders might be too garish for professional documents.
Use the four corner buttons in the Preview window to select the sides of the page to draw borders. Click these buttons to remove or add borders, as you wish.
Place the cursor on the first page of a document if you want to put a border around only the first page. You can also put borders around certain pages in a section. Place the cursor in the section — either in the first page of that section or in a subsequent page.
References and Collaboration
A Word report can seem like an unmanageable chore. It’s like organizing a million piles of hay into neat little stacks. The idea is to know precisely which stack has the pin you are looking for. These features are meant to make it easier.
1. Create an Index
When writing large documents such as a report that contains a lot of information, a contents page may not be enough. An Index should appear at the end of the document, with page numbers to keywords and information in the report. Create an index to help the reader reference the right information with just the page number.
Make an index if your document has more than 20 pages. Microsoft Word 2016 doesn’t let the process overwhelm you. It basically has two parts:
- Select the words or information you want to include in the index.
- Place the index at the right place in your document.
You can scroll through the finished document and mark the words or phrases you want to include in the index or mark them as you go along. Either way, select the text you’d like to use as an index entry or click where you want to insert the entry.
1. Click References > Mark Entry.
2. Edit the text in the Mark Index Entry dialog box. You can also add a sub-entry which further defines the main word you used in the index. You can add multiple levels and each appears indented under the main entry.
3. Under Options, you can also create a cross-reference to another main entry. A reader can use this to refer related information elsewhere in the same document.
4. Use the Page number format to decide on the appearance of the page numbers in the index.
5. Click Mark to mark the index entry. To mark this text everywhere it shows up in the document, click Mark All.
6. Repeat the process for all the words and phrases you want to include in the index.
You have now built your index. Insert it at the right place towards the end of the document.
1. Click on the page where you want to insert the index.
2. Click References > Insert Index.
3. The Index dialog box is displayed. Here you can choose to format the text entries, page numbers, tabs, and leader characters.
4. Choose the appearance from the different formats in the list and check the Preview window on the right. Remember, the Preview window doesn’t show you actual index. It is just a “simulation” of how it will look like.
5. Click OK. Your Index is now ready.
Sometimes, you may need to add more entries to the index after you have inserted it on the page. Mark the entry and go to References > Update index to include the new mentions.
Also, add a heading for the index because Word doesn’t do it automatically.
2. Creating Bibliographies
Your document is almost done. Now, you need to credit all the other research work and ideas which you have referenced in your document. It’s time for a bibliography.
A company report might not need a bibliography but an academic paper isn’t finished without one. The bibliography is one of the most painstaking jobs in an academic report. You need to have all your citations in order before you sit down to frame the bibliography. Also, decide on the citation style (typically MLA, APA, or Chicago-style) as per the guidelines of your subject.
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of third-party citation and bibliography generators for constructing this section.
But, Microsoft Word 2016 has a complete toolset to make this process as painless as possible. So, go to the point in the document where you would like to place the bibliography. It’s good if you have at least one citation to include, but even if you don’t, Word 2016 lets you use a placeholder citation and fill in the sources later.
Click References > Bibliography.
Word offers a few bibliography styles that differ only in their heading names. Choose the appropriate style and then insert citations from the button in the Citations & Bibliography group.
The bibliography tool has a few steps to it. For the sake of brevity, I will direct you to the excellent Microsoft Office help page which is a step-by-step guide.
Some academic papers will ask you to create an annotated bibliography. It is a more fleshed out version of a bibliography with a list of citations to journals, books, articles, and other documents followed by a brief paragraph. The paragraph is a description of the source and how it supports your paper.
3. Cross-Referencing
You can use a cross-reference to help the reader navigate through a long document. At any point in a document, you can tell the reader to refer back to a heading, page number, image, chart, footnote, endnote, and paragraph. A cross-reference link is a neat way to connect related information together. The reader just has to click on the link to go that snippet of information.
Here’s how you begin:
1. Select the place for the cross-reference and type the text that tells the reader about it. For instance: “Refer to Chart 3 for future trends.”
2. Go to Insert > Cross-reference.
3. In the Reference type box, click the drop-down list to select what you want to link to.
4. The options in the Insert Reference to drop-down will change according to your choice above.
5. In the For Which field, go through the choices and tell Word the exact information to link to.
6. Check the Insert as hyperlink box to create the hyperlink for the referenced information.
7. Click on Insert to include the cross-reference in the document.
Remember, our mention of captions? You can make cross-references to equations, figures, graphs, and tables if you used captions below them.
Word cannot create a cross-reference for something that does not exist. Word will let you know about these errors and also update the cross-references automatically when you change the page number or text of the referenced item.
4. Using Comments
A professional report can be a solitary job or you can take the help of a team to prepare the first draft. The humble Comment is one of the most underused tools of a Word document. It is displayed as a rectangular colored balloon in the margin or in the Reviewing Pane.
You can use comments as small “stickies” or self-notes. Leave little notes to yourself in the margins as you write, edit, and revise your way through a report or a manuscript. Be creative – add extra links to other resources, use them for tips and pointers, link to different parts of a document, or set up a feedback link for your readers. And when you finalize, you can easily remove all comments in Word.
Microsoft Word 2016 is also an enhanced collaborative writing tool. Comments play a huge role in communicating feedback across a team. Here’s how the comment system works…
1. Highlight the text you want to add a comment to or click at the end of a text block.
2. Go to Insert > Comment. Type your comment in the box. The comments appear in the markup area on the right. The Print Layout view is usually the best way to see the comments alongside the text.
3. Go to the Review tab and see more options for comments. This tab also shows all the controls for tracking changes and comments in a collaborative document. Use the Markup options to display or hide the comments. For instance: No Markup will hide the comments and the markup area on the right.
Finalize Your Report
Once the bulk of your report is completed and saved, it is time to finalize your report. When I say finalize, I don’t mean proofread it. That should be done too. Now, you have to take the security measures to protect the report from unauthorized changes and plagiarism.
These security measures will give an extra level of authenticity to your electronic file before you share it.
This section will cover:
- Signatures
- Insert watermarks
- Make the document ‘read only’
- Password protect your document
- Print your document to PDF
1. Signatures
You can add text signature for a personal touch to the report. But a simple text signature does not need any authentication. A digital signature is the better way to protect your document from unauthorized access. A digital signature confirms that the document came from the signer and hasn’t been tampered in any way.
Let’s create a signature line in Microsoft Word 2016.
In the document, place your cursor where you want to create a signature line.
1. Go to Insert > Text group > Signature Line and click Microsoft Office Signature Line.
2. The Signature Setup dialog box is displayed. Fill the fields as indicated. If you are sending the document to someone else for signing, add instructions for the signer in the field reserved for it (Instructions to the signer). The signer can also add give the purpose for the signing if the Allow the signer to add comments in the Sign dialog box is checked.
3. Click on OK and the document will now display a placeholder for the signature.
Enter a signature:
When you need to sign a document with a digital signature, go to the signature line and right-click on it.
You will be prompted to sign with a digital ID. If you don’t have one, Microsoft will tell you to get one from a signature service partner.
If you don’t have a digital ID, you can just insert a textual representation of a signature line. You can use a written signature or an image that doesn’t require authentication.
2. Insert Watermarks
A Microsoft Word watermark is a “fake” but still useful visual indicator for the status of the document. For instance, you can use a watermark that says “Drafts” to differentiate it from the final version of the document. Or, use the watermark to suggest the document is “Copyrighted” or “Confidential”.
The “Draft” mark is the most common. But, Microsoft Word gives you several other watermarks to choose from.
1. Go to Design > Page Background and choose Watermark. The Watermark button will be enabled in the Print view only.
2. You can choose a picture or a text watermark from the gallery. Both horizontal and diagonal versions are available. The dialog box gives you all the customization options for the final look of the watermark. Try different fonts, layouts, sizes, and colors.
3. You can type your own text in the Text field to create your custom watermark.
4. Choose OK to apply the watermark to your document. Word automatically applies the watermark to every page except the title page.
3. Make Documents “Read Only”
A professional report by its nature should not need to be edited by its readers. Converting the document to a PDF is one way. But, you can also apply a few more restrictions in Microsoft Word and prevent accidental modification or omission of any kind.
There are three ways to protect a document.
First — Make your document “read only”.
This ensures that your document can only be read or copied. It won’t prevent anyone from copying the file and making changes to the copy.
1. Go to the File tab > Info > Protect Document > Mark as Final.
2. When readers open a document, a bar on top will prompt readers to treat this document as read only. But, they can click on “Edit Anyway” to open the document in Edit mode.
Second — Password Protect Your Document.
Protect your document from unwanted edits with a password barrier.
1. Under Protect Document, choose Encrypt with Password. Type a password and click OK.
2. In the Confirm Password box, type the password again, and then click OK. The document will open with the reader prompted for a password.
Microsoft uses the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), 128-bit key length, SHA1 (a cryptographic hashing algorithm which generates an almost unique 160-bit key to replace the plaintext), and CBC (cipher block chaining) to give a hacker a well-deserved headache.
Third — Restrict Editing.
This control feature helps you as the author decide which parts of the document others can edit and which will be locked out. Think of it as the bouncer who lets the VIPs in but otherwise bars the door for the common folk.
1. Go to Review > Restrict Editing.
2. Under Editing restrictions, check Allow only this type of editing in the document, and make sure the list says No changes (Read only).
No changes (Read only) is the default restriction type. For a different restriction level for the document, click the menu and select from Tracked changes, Comments, or Filling in forms.
3. To free some sections from the editing blockade, select the sections for editing without restrictions. To select more than one area, click CTRL while selecting the area using the mouse.
4. You can check Everyone under Exceptions (optional) in the Restrict Editing panel. Or, click More users… and allow only specific users to modify the sections. The allowable areas will be marked with square brackets.
5. Click Yes, Start Enforcing Protection.
Now, type a unique password in the box that opens. You have to type it again to confirm it.
The password is optional. But it ensures that no one can just click Stop Protection and edit the document. If you are still paranoid, go ahead and encrypt your Microsoft Word document as we did in the second process above.
4. Print Your Report to PDF
The Portable Document Format comes with many advantages. Not least is its cross-platform compatibility across all computers. Your document is ready and now you need to share it or send it across to be printed. Many professional reports — for instance, a legal document — need to retain the format as intended.
Save or convert a copy to PDF. Microsoft Word 2016 does not need any third-party add-ins.
Go to File > Export > Create PDF/XPS.
Remember, your Word document may contain sensitive information that you do not want to be included in the PDF. Remove it before you publish to PDF. In the Publish as PDF or XPS window, choose Options. Then select Document and clear Document properties. Set any other options you want and choose OK.
Browse to where you want to save the file and click on Publish.
The Next Step…
You are close to the finishing line. The report is ready to be handed over to your readers. But there’s one last job left.
Turn the pages and make sure (again) that your report is reader-friendly. Approach it with the eye of the reader. Have you organized your thoughts and written persuasively? Does the information flow well with the charts and illustrations? Can they skim through and find the information quickly? Is the text readable? Use the readability score to gauge the readability level of your documents as a final step.
You also might have noticed we didn’t cover some aspects of Microsoft Word. For instance, Microsoft Word Tables are an important tool for data display. Or, the power of lists in information management.
Microsoft Word is more than a quarter of a century old, and packed with little features. At MakeUseOf, we have covered every nook and cranny of this beast. So, do use our resources to learn more about this software for free. Each new feature of Microsoft Word learned will make your life easier.
The post How to Create Professional Reports and Documents in Microsoft Word appeared first on VVDesigns.]]>When we are designing, it is almost guaranteed that we want to change the way our components look. Revamping it is easy, but have you ever had to replace every single element of it in more than hundreds of screens?
In Figma, our work can be done a lot easier and more consistently with the help of components. If we have multiple components that are going to be used in a project, we can export them all as a library that every one of our teammates can use across devices.
Why create components?
Maybe you are wondering, why do I have to waste my time creating tons of components that are going to be used in a project rather than just create an element and copy throughout the design process? Here are the benefits that I felt the most as a UI designer:
Saves a lot of time for changes
Trust me, you are going to be changing the way your components more than once. If we decided not to create a recurring element as a component, then we are going to waste a lot of time by replacing them in every screen one by one. In Figma, we can change the element automatically after we have changed our component and published it.
Keeps your design consistent and clean
Replacing an element one by one on every screen is prone to inconsistency and is not recommended. Replacing it manually can result in different positioning of the element. By automatically replacing it, we won’t be encountering any of this problem
Creating components in Figma
The process of creating a component is the same as creating an element from scratch. This time, I’m going to create a UI button component as an example.
As with everything, start with a frame
Imagine frame as a blank canvas that you can alter to be any component that you desire.
Determine the dimension of the component that you are going to create. Here, I’m creating a button for a mobile device. I outlined the frame so that it could be visible on this page.
After you have created your frame, you can edit it however you want. Here are some actions that you might consider doing:
- Determine the way your component would look in terms of color — Determining the color of the component doesn’t have to be only the main color of the component. You should also consider the stroke and the effects that the component should have. My button doesn’t have a stroke and has no effect as well since this is a primary button.
- Pump up the corner radius to make it more appealing in users’ eyes — By cornering up our component when necessary, it makes our design less rigid and more welcoming. It will also make our design tidier and minimalist. Remember, the maximum value for the corner radius is 50% of the height of the element.
Insert a text field if required
In this case, every button in our application would have many types of text. Hence, we need to create a text field where we can input the kind of text that we would like.
Keep in mind that you need to consider the spacing, the font size, the text and component alignment, and the text box type for your component if you are using a text field.
To make it simple, here are examples of the types of text boxes that are available in Figma. I’m using a UI form element as an example.
- Auto width — The text box wraps the text neatly. This type of text box is used when paired with an auto-layout component that expands horizontally to make it seem effortless and doesn’t mess up the positioning of the components inside it.
- Auto height — The text box adjusts itself according to the number of lines that the text will take. We determine the width of the text box. The auto height text box is used together with a component that expands vertically.
- Fixed-size — The name of this text box already defines itself. We use this type of text box when we already know the maximum amount of characters or we have already know the exact size of the components. It is perfect when we want the size of our component to be immutable.
Create the component
Creating the component from the element that we have created is easy. We can just click the create component button or simply click ctrl + alt + k to generate a component quickly from a selected element.
Add variants to enhance design reality with natural gestures
Common gestures that people use when using an application are pressing, hovering, and clicking. After we have created our component, we will have the option to add variants to our component.
It is crucial to pay attention to small details because those details are going to create a tremendous difference when we are creating a prototype out of our components. It would make our design a lot more realistic and alive.
In creating a mobile device button, we should consider three variants, when the button is untouched, clicked, and disabled. I prefer to call the untouched button a default button.
Besides creating the variants and designing them, make sure that you name them properly. Name your variants with a clear meaning, name them as they appear to be. Naming your variants with random names could result in an error in Figma and you would be confused to use it yourself.
Using components in Figma
After we have created the components, we can use them instantly.
Just drag and drop!
Simply drag the components that we have chosen in the local components section on the assets page. The component would be automatically used.
Choose the appropriate variant
Don’t forget to choose the variant according to the circumstances or the conditions of the screen.
But, sometimes, life happens and you have to work alone on a project. Be it a specific technology, budget reasons or something entirely else, it doesn’t really matter. Working alone doesn’t mean it’ll suck or be really stressful if you keep yourself in check.
I worked on a couple of projects as a solo frontend developer, but I rarely had the feeling like I couldn’t do it or that I maybe didn’t learn as much as I could have. If you “act” like there is a whole team involved (or that someone new will be joining you on the project), that can force you not to take shortcuts and do everything properly.
Don’t be lazy
Avoid shortcuts
It’s really easy to skip a couple of steps when working alone because, honestly, is anyone going to notice? The answer should be yes, you’ll notice it!
Opening a pull request that will be merged to master immediately might seem illogical, but having everything consistent will surely help you out in the long run. On top of that, you might notice something wrong when you’re doing a once-over.
Keep your code neat
Keeping your code neat is something you also shouldn’t skimp out on. Linters, prettiers and everything else should be setup as if you were in a team!
Be your own QA
Writing tests is a no-brainer. It’s always a great relief knowing that stuff works even after a refactor. Not having to constantly think about that will allow you to focus on more important things! That shouldn’t change even if you’re working alone.
Documentation!
It might be boring, but if you don’t do it, nobody will. At a first glance, it doesn’t seem important since you’re the only one that will be reading it. I can tell you that I know for a fact that the future you will thank you for it. It’s unrealistic to expect you’ll remember every little detail, even though you’ve written everything yourself. Having a good documentation means that some of the mental burden can be relieved because you can refer to it at any time.
Heck, something might even change within the project and your new teammate will be even faster with the onboarding.
Ask for help
Collaborate with other frontend developers
I have the benefit that there are other brilliant teammates on other projects. They might not know the domain of my project, but they can offer technical help if you explain it to them. Try to make it easy for them to understand it, and I’m sure that you’ll get new insights. The same goes for asking for help online. Just because you’re alone on the project doesn’t mean that you have to do everything by yourself.
If you have work colleagues, it’s not a bad idea to assign them on a pull request once in a while. You might be surprised how tunnel-visioned you can get!
Learn about the domain from backend
If there’s a backend, I’m sure you can discuss domain issues with them, as well. They probably know a lot and it’s a good idea to double-check with them. You might learn about something you weren’t aware of!
Improve wherever you can
Now that you’re alone on the project, you can do anything to improve your development experience. If there is a task that needs to be automated, why wouldn’t you automate it? If you can get the budget for it, you’ll save time and you’ll learn something new. This is a great opportunity to make up for not learning from your teammates. Something that a senior colleague always set up can now be done by you. It might seem daunting if it’s out of your comfort zone, but hey, how else are you going to learn?
From personal experience, these situations taught me some skills I would rarely have the time to research in other projects.
By sticking to these tips, I’ve been able to maximise my learning and do quality work as much as I could. Not having a teammate doesn’t mean that you really have to be isolated from everything else. And, who knows, you might even get someone working on a project by your side so you want to be proud of what you’re capable of doing all on your own, right?
The post How to work as a solo frontend developer appeared first on VVDesigns.]]>
Temporarily Available is curated by Lopez and Wert to provide a momentary glimpse of eleven independent makers who are blurring the line between art, design and craft. In the exhibition you’ll find works from Alexis Moran, DE.COLORS, Jack Morningstar, Kate Greenberg, Meryl Pataky, OTHRSPACE INTERIORS, PROWL Studio, Sahra Jajarmikhayat, Studio Ahead, The Long Confidence, Yvonne Mouser, What to Drink and Modular Furniture Solutions Inc.
With a mission to unite their community and inspire the exploration of the Bay Area, Aditions’ conceptual approach centers on narrative, interactive exploration and sourcing locally. The studio also helps form connections to brands, companies, causes and communities.
The specs: A return to flagship phones
Unlike with past phone launches, Google has been happy to share basic details of the Pixel 6 family months in advance. Both the base Pixel 6 and the larger, brawnier Pixel 6 Pro will mark Google’s return to high-end phones after the Pixel 5 ‘break,’ with premium glass designs. They’ll offer upgraded cameras with improved low-light performance (150 percent more light than in the past), and they should tout “all day” battery life despite support for battery-hungry 5G.
The centerpiece, however, will be the Tensor chip inside both Pixel 6 models. Google hasn’t officially divulged full specs for Tensor as of this writing, but it’s the company’s first custom system-on-chip. The design uses its namesake AI processing to achieve things that were “previously impossible” on typical SoCs, such as juggling multiple AI tasks or processing live video.
However, Google hasn’t said much about the exact specs of the Pixel 6 line or the range of Tensor-assisted features. Expect the company to share many more gritty technical details for the Pixel 6 at the event, although we wouldn’t count on enough info to make easy comparisons between Tensor and rival mobile chips.
You might not have to wait long to get the full scoop. Well-known leaker Evan Blass spotted Carphone Warehouse promo pages that appear to spoil much of what Google intends to announce. The standard Pixel 6 will likely compete against ‘entry’ flagships like the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 13 with a 6.4-inch flat 90Hz screen, a 50-megapixel main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide shooter. The Pixel 6 Pro, meanwhile, should be the definitive top-of-the-range model with a 6.7-inch curved 120Hz display and a third 48MP telephoto lens. You may also see 30W wired charging, 23W wireless charging and reverse charging to top up your earbuds or other phones.
As for Tensor? That retail listing claimed up to 80 percent better performance than the Pixel 5 (not difficult given the 5’s middling Snapdragon 765G chip), but the real star may be Tensor’s photographic prowess. Google reportedly plans multiple AI-driven camera tricks that include a Magic Eraser to get rid of photobombers, Face Unblur to keep people in focus and a Motion Mode for action photography. These aren’t completely novel concepts (anti-photobombing has been present in Huawei and Samsung phones for a while), but they’re new to Pixels and might perform better with Tensor involved.
A focus on services and support
Google might also break new ground in how it sells the Pixel 6. This is Tech Today‘s M. Brandon Lee obtained what he says is evidence Google will make the Pixel 6 available as a part of a “Pixel Pass” that combines monthly phone payments with an extended warranty, Google One cloud storage, Play Pass, optional Google Fi service and either YouTube Music or YouTube Premium. Effectively, Google would counter Apple One by including virtually everything you need in a single subscription, not just internet services.
You could also enjoy better software support regardless of what you pay. Those Carphone Warehouse pages echoed longstanding rumors that Google would offer “at least” five years of security updates to Pixel 6 owners. That’s more than the three to four years you often find in the Android world, and roughly on par with Apple. It’s not clear if you’ll get full operating system updates for those five years, but you might not have to worry about patchable vulnerabilities for the practical life of your Pixel.
Price and release date
There’s little doubt the Pixel 6 will cost more than its predecessor. Where the Pixel 5 was an upper-mid-range phone, its sequel is an upscale device. Google has even made clear the Pixel 6 Pro will be a “premium-priced product.” But how much more will you have to pay?
That’s a difficult call. One Reddit user spotted a German listing that mentioned a €649 (about $750) price for the base Pixel 6. A source for This is Tech Today, meanwhile, quoted a price of €899 (roughly $1,050) for the 6 Pro. We’d be cautious about these prices, as they could change and might not convert neatly even if they’re accurate. Still, Google is apparently returning to top-tier pricing.
Like it or not, Google will also borrow a cost- and waste-cutting measure from its rivals: it’s leaving the charger out of the box. That’s not too dire an omission when there’s a real chance you’ll have a USB-C charger hanging around, but it could be frustrating if you’re either new to USB-C devices or saddled with a slow power brick. Factor that into the price before you rush to check out.
The German listing and other leaks have pointed to a Pixel 6 release sometime the week of October 25th. We’d expect a broad international launch, for that matter. Where the Pixel 5a was limited to the US and Japan due to supply constraints, the leaks so far already hint that Google wants to make the Pixel 6 as ubiquitous as possible.
Don’t expect many surprises
We wouldn’t bet on Google announcing much else besides the Pixel 6 and its accompanying software. Google’s marketing for the event has revolved exclusively around its new phones. It’s unlikely that you’ll see any other gadgets, and they’ll definitely be secondary if they do appear.
That’s not to completely rule out new hardware. It has been more than a year since Google debuted its higher-end Pixel Buds, and other devices like Nest WiFi haven’t been updated in a while. There’s just not much need for Google to revamp products beyond the Pixel line — what’s there is still relevant and functional.
There’s also the possibility of new or upgraded services. If Google really does introduce a Pixel Pass, it might want to sweeten the deal by offering more for the money, whether it’s a brand new service or perks like more cloud storage. We haven’t seen rumors to this effect so far, but Google also kept unlimited photo uploads for Pixel owners when it capped everyone else in June. The company knows that services sell hardware, and that may be crucial for the Pixel 6.
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