Flash-tastic Week 1

Have you ever wondered how they make those wicked web advertisements you see floating along the sides of your favorite news and social media sites? This type of moving media has been coming on strong for a while now. And although, I personally believe that print media is still alive and well (design critic Steven Heller gives two prime examples here), the creative minds at Splinter want to be able to assist with anything and everything our thriving clients need, whether those projects stand still or do a little dance on screen. Until now, we have always collaborated with exceptional web developers to meet the expectations of our clients’ online presence. However, we want to bring at least some of this web development in house so that we can control production time and quality ourselves (and also because we think it’s awesome!).

As a designer who works mostly in static media, I’ve always wanted to delve deeper into understanding Flash and the ActionScript involved in creating dynamic visual elements. This week I began my exploration into learning basic Flash elements to improve our client’s ability to communicate in an increasingly web-centric market.

I am starting with a basic knowledge of how Flash works, but I also understand that what goes on behind the scenes is a much more complicated thing. If you’ve ever tried to learn another language as an adult, you know my frustration in learning ActionScript for the first time. I know what I want to say, now I just have to figure out how to say it in AS! My first assignment was to develop a basic Flash image gallery with scrolling thumbnails. This is an element that many companies with a web presence could find useful, from displaying examples of their own range of work to showcasing event photos, etc. You can see my work below!

What is astounding is the amount of scripting that goes in to something that, on the surface, seems so simple. I’ve pasted below only a small portion of the language that sits behind the visually pleasing surface of this basic Flash gallery.

If you are unfamiliar with any sort of web development, this might surprise you. (If you are familiar, go easy on me, I am just starting out!) In any case, creating Flash elements is, to say the least, a time consuming endeavor. If you are in the market for something like this, be sure to expect a legitimate turn-around time if you want your message to be exceptional. One lesson to take away is that there is a lot more than what meets the eye when it comes to moving messages!