Flash was once said to be the quickest growing multi-media delivery system on the web. It's strengths include being a cross-platform solution (works on both Mac and PCs), a complex interface which allows users to experience high level integration of graphics, animations, movies, music and more, and a the ability to for designers to think and work outside of the box which HTML almost mandates. Unfortunately it has some weaknesses such as requiring more band width or taking more time to download, incompatibility with many hand held devices in cell phones, and it can be very expensive to develop and maintain if not done properly.

Flash can be used to create an entire site, it can also be used for individual elements of interactive design: navigation bars, buttons, and
mouse over effects. These are common uses today. Not so long ago, the more sophisticated sites used of Flash is to create animations that play when users arrive at a Web site for the first time, called splash pages. Done well, splash page animations evoke the visual language of movie credits. An artful, brief animation with text and graphics creates a drama and a storyline around a company's name, tag line, products, and services. It communicates the company's branding and gets the user excited about visiting the site. However as newer trends are more focused on creating sites with tighter navigation and minimizing the number of clicks a visitor requires before the meet their objectives of the visit, Splash pages are slowly becoming extinct.

Flash is perfect for creating banner ads because the small file sizes make for quick downloads, while still allowing for more complex animation than the old-school animated GIF.

Creating Flash products require a certain level of expertise, special software and often additional hardware. Working with Flash not only requires proficiency in programming, but also a creative or artistic approach to a project. Many designers do not clearly understand the benefits of Flash, and often steer their clients away from this option.

Of course, there are people who don't like Flash, and have either uninstalled it or surf with it turned off. While this may seem drastic, it is a reality that Flash is an add-on to browsers. For this reason, sites that are purely informational and need to be viewed by as wide an audience as possible (think your local elementary school's Web site) are best done in basic HTML. Flash is certainly not for everyone, every project, or the only solution to multimedia presentations.

Grey Goose Graphics is proud to offer this option and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this option with you for your project.

Contact us today for more information.

Below is a sample of our custom flash projects from the very simple to the more complex site usage. (Click on image to view demo.)