Re: FLASH: Posted without permission

[Marc Hoffman (Dart Frog Media)]

At 05:49 PM 9/27/99 , you wrote:

>  They also discovered the same feedback about Flash.  The intros are

>boring after you see them all the time.  ...


> >>I am very sick of lengthy Flash intros.

...

>  I got very tired of the often similar

> >>>effects. I got tired of all the waiting, because some pages were really

> >>>heavy, up to 215k


>...

>  Am I the

> >>>only one who already are a little tired of Flash sites?



I think it's only natural that since Flash can be very dramatic, a lot of 

mediocre designers latch onto it and use it poorly, just because it's there 

and it doesn't cost much in time or money to get started with Flash. But 

used in the right situations, and used by designers with solid, traditional 

design skills, Flash can be beautiful and creative, and there is no reason 

why it needs to be boring.


Several points come to mind for me: 1) There are a lot more bad HTML sites 

than bad Flash sites (but we don't hear the same degree of complaint about 

bad HTML design);  2) It will take awhile for the infatuation with Flash to 

die down.  We're seeing the beginnings of this now, and it's actually a 

good thing because it will force us to think more deeply about design 

issues; 3) Anything is boring after enough repetitions.


Great art is able to hold the viewer's interest even after many viewings. 

On the web (as in all electronic media) viewers expect everything to jump 

out and grab them, and it is especially hard to meet that expectation and 

at the same time create something subtle that grows more interesting with 

repeated viewings.  Practically all art forms demand immediate appeal, but 

on the web that demand is extreme and can be a severe limitation. Add to 

this the sort of timetable on which most web content is built -- most work 

is cranked out at a ridiculously fast pace. Imagine taking as long to 

create a web site as Michelangelo took to paint the Sistine Chapel -- no 

client would tolerate that long a timetable!


Lastly, Flash is such a new medium that a lot of good artists have not had 

time or reason to master it yet.


For those who are bored or disheartened with Flash, I suggest you take a 

step back, spend more time studying color and composition and timing, and 

don't worry so much about applying the latest or coolest technology. 

Approach your projects from the perspective of purpose; don't do anything 

in Flash just because you can. Only do things which will communicate your 

message in an appropriate style.


If a site is boring, the fault is not in the tools used to create it.











Marc Hoffman

marcdartfrogmedia [dot] com (mailto:marcdartfrogmedia [dot] com)

.

My Flash Portfolio: <http://www.dartfrogmedia.com/sampler>

(featured in Flash 3 Web Animation, by Ken Milburn)


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