Flash Web Design

Every wondered how some websites have such cool graphics or animations? It's likely you have been looking at some Flash based websites. Flash is a unique multimedia authoring program that allows designers to create almost any kind of presentation or interface for the internet. Flash creates relatively small files that run on 98% of computers out there. It is also pre-installed on Windows and Mac based computers.

Flash graphics in motion

Flash was primarily designed as an animating tool. It made it's way to the internet and then grew in features to the point of it now being a technology that can do almost anything.

Flash allows graphics and movies to be played in almost any combination and in full motion. Having a scripting language means that it can be intelligently programmed to react with or without input from the user. Even computer games can be made in Flash, and they are small enough in size that download times are barely an issue.

All this technology and ability allows creative designers to give you a web site that is visually magnetic and completly unique.

Why doesn't everyone use Flash?

Flash requires a new set of creative skills as it is a completely different process to traditional HTML web site authoring. The guys in ties either don't know how to use it or simply don't have the creative energy to get good results. They sidestep the process with the following myths:

• Flash files are too big
• Flash requires a special plug in

Both arguments are 10 years old and not relevant to today.

The downside of Flash

Flash only has one real pitfall. Search engines don't like it. There are many reasons why this is so, and it would take a few reasons to explain them, so for now you have to take our word for it.

This downside was the reason we began authoring hybrid websites that combine Flash and HTML pages intelligently to let our clients have their cake and eat it too.