Use of Flash
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- myobie
Flash is great, but don't use it to make behemoth sized pages or long loading intro's of nothing...
I am not trying to offend anyone, I used to make stuff like that everyday...I would work hours on it and then people would tell me the truth, it wasn't the best I could do...
Now I am not a flash ninja master, but I think that flash IS 99% bad. It is hard to make a good flash site.
Look at http://www.mecano.ca/flash.php or http://www.jeedub.com/vol3/index…
And don't be discouraged by what people say! I have heard it all said before...so don't worry, you can do great, just work on it
Or do you think different?
- fate0
Don't blame the technology, blame the designer.
- DaveId0
fate is right.
99% of human commercial production is bad (tv, cinema, music, cereal, shoes, etc).
that's like blaming bad furniture design on table-saws.
- woodyBatts0
Everyone deserves thier chance to learn, I have made some pretty bad work in my time, but at the moment of "completion" I was always proud.
Let these designers have a moment of pride, it will all crash down on them in a month or 2.
waddup fate?! How's it goin?
- myobie0
I think the problem is: Flash is so easy to use.
I agree that it is the designer who makes it fate, and the tool that Flash is makes you feel like you are doing something great when in fact you probably are not.
It is really easy to crank out some mess in flash, it is really hard to make something worth using. I learned this through my own designs and their criticisms.
I just don't want to see people do what I did, make these 900k intro's with soundtracks and such when they could be making websites that people will actually use and like!
- contra0
Can I blame the client instead? Despite my arguments against it they've got me developing a bulletpointed 'Powerpoint style' Flash site with sound you can't turn off, a 5 minute intro movie and an instructions page for how to use the site. Totally fucking ridiculous and everything I hate about Flash rollled into one site.
If it wasn't for the money (and the fact no one will ever look at it)...
- spiralstarez0
agree with the first two. I actually find ways that Flash makes the web much better.
For instance in flash I can make a button background, put aliased text over top of it, and then repeat the button with different text for each menu item - only requires one background graphic.
Now in HTML to do this you would need a new image for each button if you wanted to alias the text - dramatically increasing file size.
It's not that Flash is bad - it can be great in my opinion, all you have to do is find some clever navigation schemes to figure that out.
The trouble is it should be used where it is useful and not for the purpose of using it.
- fate0
hey woodyBatts, actually I'm trying to make up my mind between Art School or just going to Uni for marketing. Maybe you can make up my mind?
If I go to Purdue, it's about half the cost with instate tuition, plus it's more business oriented, which I like. But if I go to Art School, the enlightened route, it will set me back financially but supposedly make me a better designer. Might try to minor in GD and still go for Marketing, best of both worlds I suppose.
- System-Idle0
A good sales technique should set the client straight. Tell them what they want is a bad user ex and why. Then tell them how you feel it should be done and the benefits. People forget thats what designers do!!
- myobie0
contra, take the money and run
I don't want anyone to say, "myobie said flash was all bad"
I think Flash will provide us with things we are still dreaming of...
I mean right now I can make something in flash that has drop shadows, support's PNG transparency (and JPG compresses the PNG's while maintaining transparency, that is cool) and lets me layout things precisely to look the same in all browsers.
I am also using flash to make editing of websites even easier with components of the websites (the H1's and P's) turning into flash movies when administrating the site so that you edit directly in the page without the need for a separate editing system.
That was way longer than I meant it to be...
- arinya0
I thought that flash was supposed to make the web more interesting.....boy did I get that one wrong.
Oh and your site totally rocks myobie!
- contra0
System-Idle - I've never met the client and by the sound of them I don't want to. I have a design agency between me and the client who don't care about what's good Flash and bad Flash (and I have explained) and will say yes to anything the client says, and the client just wants their dumb idea realised so they can justify their sad existence in the marketing department of some huge company.
The only good thing about it is the money, I can't (and wouldn't) use the project in my portfolio so it's useless as a stepping stone to better things, and working on this means I have to turn down stuff I'd like to be working on.
Anyone want a new client?
- robotron3k0
flash is great, if someone has something against it , it probably is because:
1) they don't have good taste and cant' design
2) they don't have good coding skills and/or can't code
3) they are like Jacob Nelson, and make a fortune lecturing how flash sucks and should be avoided at all costs
4) or that actually believe guys like Jacob Nelson and don't bother trying to figure things out for themselves
5) they work for Microsoft or Adobe Software (who are trying to take Macromedia out)
and yes, i spelt his name wrong on purpose, becuase he has made my life a living hell, retarded almost an entire industry to he could charge and lecture corporate old farts and convince them not to embrace progress. now every tom, dick and harry like to say "flash is 99% bad" because a white guy with a bad hairdo says so...don't be a lemming.
- xaoscontrol0
I'm seeing flash as more of a sure fire way to be cross platform compatible. I may be wrong, but I know that if I make a site in flash, it's going to look the same on a mac, pc, IE or firefox.
there are few people that can make such amazing usage of flash like the examples given in the top of the thread.
I love the eyes moving and the steam on the 'glass' look. very well done. but I also think its cool when someone take flash and uses it in a very basic form that almost tricks the user into thinking they're on a plain html site.
another factor is the market. are you a designer building a site for your company in order to show off strengths or are you a retailler selling parts?
I think a design client would be more interested in a site like heavy.com than joe-average who wants to buy computer parts.
- myobie0
good points robo...
and just as alot of flash sites are bad, I am supposed to refer to this site for inspiration for a current project:
http://www.tgsales.comthe tools do nothing without masterful wielding...
- robotron3k0
the next time any client says "Flash is 99% bad" tell them, oh yes, i know who quoted that line, them take them to jacob's site and say, "would you rather i make you a site that looks like this?"
"because this guy claims to be an web expert"
they will run, screaming into your arms...
- Marky0
yep, I like Flash :)
- jpea0
i love working in flash.
-cross platform.
-can be used in awesome ways to set mood and feel that would otherwise have never happened.
-fairly efficient in size if used correctlyit is just a tool after all, and like anything, if you suck at implementing a product, whether it be a table, a pizza, or a website, the end result will usually suck too. don't dive in headfirst without a lifeguard (in NT's case, our lifeguard is unfit)
- _b_0
Flash is a great tool when the project calls for a bit of motion/sound/enhanced interactivity to deliver its message. The thing I like about flash is the subtleties you can add to an experience that really make it come alive.
To me all the bad examples are no argument not to use it. Otherwise we would never use anything (theres bad examples of absolutely anything you care to think of).Just make sure YOU do it properly for YOUR clients.
- JazX0
it's just a tool
- Anarchitect0
yesterday's flash was a cartoon making tool.
today's flash is an application development tool.
there are no boundaries except yourself.