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HOT WEB DESIGN TODAY - During the two years I wrote on Web design and development, I was an early booster of vector graphics as presented by the (then-) new Macromedia Flash technology. I still love Flash work, though I would agree with other observers that too many sites use Flash for Flash's sake and not to make themselves more functional or appealing.
Nonetheless, I continue to believe that certain Web sites employing Flash and Shockwave remain the Web's most compelling and enjoyable experiences. In this article, I'll point you toward a few examples. Just use the "Open Link In New Window" feature of your browser to look at these sites as you read along with this article.
People sometimes forget that my "break-out" columns here on the Internet, the ones for which I became more well-known (three years back) were about Web design and development. That made sense at the time because I worked the Web nearly every day of my life. I got to know very quickly
- who the good affiliate programs were,
- what readers/visitors/hits were actually about
- that design and "branding" were two separate issues
- that bells and whistles only go so far in creating a significant Web presence, and
- there is a relationship between form and function.
For example, G21 is not a "hot" design site. Our purpose and mission is to present information in the most accessible way possible. People don't come to this magazine to go "Oh Wow!" and our design reflects that fact.
Though the cover or "home" page now reflects more high-bandwidth consumption than any I have either used or advocated in the past, the majority of our pages still hold to the principle that great design is design that let's the user/visitor/reader get what she came here for: the text.At the same time, because I earn my own personal living from writing for other Web publications, I have fallen prey to the vagaries of my high-speed Digital Subscriber Line (DSL/ADSL) connection. And I'm brutally aware of that fact.
It immediately separates me from the experience of a large number of my users/visitors/readers both here and abroad. And that's not even to mention the fact that many countries still have metered telephony, making people pay for every minute they spend waiting for the pages to load and then reading them....
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Macromedia Flash & Video
First up is a very compelling site from New York, New York, produced by a design firm, Ego Media. What works for Ego Media, in my view, is how they've mastered the convergence of video and Flash production.The beauty of Flash, when it first appeared on the scene back in 1998, was how it offered the chance for low-bandwidth users (at that time targetted to reach people you 28.8 Kbps dial-up modem connections) the first opportunity for a "rich media" experience on the Web. That principle still holds true, though many designers are now targetting audiences with the same T-1 line, or comparable connections, that they themselves enjoy.
Their sense of humor doesn't hurt, either, as you'll see when you check the Drink of The Month feature and its attendant video.
Flash & Photography
My friends Bill and Rhonda Purcell, out in California, are photographers who are rapidly making their way onto this medium. I'd suggest --- as a prime example of how form and function can meld --- they take a look at photographer Ondrea Barbe's excellent Web Site. Here is Flash used to enhance the user-experience of exploring a photographer's portfolio. Best yet, the Flash elements are not intrustive, but actually make the interactive experience more part of the portfolio function. Another New Yorker who "groks" the medium.Flash & Music
My final recommendation is for people involved in producing audio and music on the Web. Though this site employs Flash 3 (FYI: The "bleeding edge" is now Flash 5, though most sites you visit today still employ Flash 4) it's among the more playful sites I enjoy. In case you didn't already know, Rod LOVES playful.AND it gives you tips on making audio more interactive on the Web, Designer, so it's still worth a look.
I have to wonder about the site's name, though: Poison Dart Frog Media.
If you'd like more HOT design tips in this electic part of The World's Magazine in the future, please take the time to drop me a line and let me know.
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PICK OF THE DAY: NASA (the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration) produces some of the best work on the Web. If you're interested in space exploration, check out their on-going documentation of the Atlantis misson. Enjoy!
