Examples Of Good Flash Use Needed!
August 26, 2003 | 
20 Comments
This weekend I began fleshing out goals and a plan for a new project of mine. While at this time I’m going to keep it mostly under wraps I wanted to share a tiny little bit about and see if maybe I can’t get some help from y’all.
As I’m sure most of you know the vast majority of Flash work out there is mediocre at best. I often get requests to use Flash on projects, and most of the time those requests don’t have solid goals attached to them. Even more often Flash isn’t the proper tool for what they want, but the clients don’t always want to listen to reason. Somehow these projects end up getting taken on, and this just perpetuates the improper or “bad” use of Flash.
So what we have right now is a situation where there is lots of unneeded, poorly done (or overdone?) Flash out on the Web. Flash is a great tool, and rather than linger on the negative I thought it would be a good idea to highlight the positive. I think this would be great for both designers who might be thinking of, or currently using Flash and those non-designers (clients, etc.) who have this strange affinity for anything done with Flash.
That is where you step in. I’m looking for good, forward-thinking examples of Flash on the Web. To be specific I want well thought-out Flash solutions that add value. To be even more specific I want examples of Flash that:
- Are easy to use
- Visually appealing
- Appropriate for its audience and users
- Accessible
- Unobtrusive
- Creative
- Have a long life-span (a future)
One of my goals here is to show how flash should be used and how, if done correctly and with the proper thought put into it, can be a great solution and add value.
I’m thinking about solutions like The PGA Championship site. Here is a site that looks great, employs a tableless layout with CSS, is accessible, appropriate for it’s audience, and uses Flash in an unobtrusive yet creative way.
Know any more sites like that, or other great Flash solutions out there? Let me know. Also if you are concerned about the future of Flash or just interested in talking a bit more about this project, I’m sure I’ll need some help, advice, a scapegoat (grin) and more down the road so feel free to get in touch.
Filed under: Web General
Comments
1. Dave S. said:
Play around with Clyde’s (http://www.clydesonline.com), particularly the shopping bag features. It’s one of my current favorite Flash sites. Completely inaccessible, I’d surmise, but very swanky.
Posted on August 26, 2003 11:34 AM | #
2. kyle said:
I’ve always liked:
http://www.bennington.edu/main.htm
Posted on August 26, 2003 12:06 PM | #
3. Bob said:
Keith, I posted a message with your request in it on a web design board that I moderate. There are a lot of competent Flash designers there (I’m not one of them) who I feel sure will be able to help you out. “Unleash the hooonds!”
Posted on August 26, 2003 01:15 PM | #
4. gaston said:
I’ve been giving some thought on the subject of ‘why should I use flash’ too. The more I think of it, the more I believe there’s tons and tons of flash sites that need not be done in flash.
Once visiting Overture’s site, I saw a good flash movie on how overture works : http://www.content.overture.com/d/USm/ays/index.jhtml
I think that’s one of the good uses of flash, when you need to display small informative movies. That way the customer can sit back and learn.
Posted on August 26, 2003 02:04 PM | #
5. Manlio said:
I’m not in love with Flash but I think it’s the best tool for projects like http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/whatisaprint/print.html
Posted on August 26, 2003 02:23 PM | #
6. Alexx said:
In this interview Zeldman recommends these Flash sites: Chopping Block
one9ine
Posted on August 26, 2003 04:41 PM | #
7. Rik Abel said:
Pretty much everything by Second Story Interactive is great. And Becoming Human. And not forgetting the greatest use of Flash of all time, ever - The Moon Song.
Posted on August 27, 2003 05:23 AM | #
8. P T Withington said:
Don’t know if this counts as a “use of Flash”, but Laszlo Systems has a Javascript and XML-based platform that currently delivers to the Flash plug-in. We think our product lets you create desktop-level applications that run in a web browser. Behr Paints have used our technology to create a paint color selection tool that runs in kiosks and over the web.
You can check out the ColorSmart application on Behr’s web site, or check out other demos on Laszlo’s web site.
P. T. Withington
Software Architect
Laszlo Systems
Posted on August 27, 2003 07:57 AM | #
9. Eric Schmidt said:
I would have to echo the sentiments on Flash. I believe the term “flash-turbation” was the rage for a while, and it seems to fit well.
However, I’ve come across a few very cool implementations of Flash. The sites feel more like CD-ROMs in their presentation of information, but are nonetheless well done.
The Tofte Project describes an eco-friendly cabin designed by Medora Woods. The site is incredible, trust me on this one.
The Sydney Opera House Virtual Tour was the first site I ever saw that made me say, “This is how Flash is supposed to be used.”
Posted on August 27, 2003 08:29 AM | #
10. Kit said:
Take a look at Modular Dwellings http://www.modulardwellings.com. Instead of heavy graphics like many building industry web sites, it uses line drawings and photos. Loads pretty quickly, and doesn’t make the eyes weary.
Info architecture and nav could be improved, but good use of Flash.
I like it!
~Kit
Posted on August 27, 2003 09:28 AM | #
11. Keith said:
Thanks for all the comments so far, there are some good examples in there.
In related news, Todd Dominey has posted about Macromedia’s Hybrid Nav. Where they are using a Flash based nav scheme that does almost exactly what it’s CSS counterpart does.
This is an example of a place where Flash doesn’t add any value. Leaves me wondering why? why? why? I think Macromedia’s site in general in a wonderful example of using Flash alongside Web standards, etc. but this just baffles me.
Posted on August 27, 2003 11:58 AM | #
12. Kenny said:
Check - http://www.onetruefit.com/ - this one has a nice use of Flash with table-less xhmtl layout, similar to your dkrproductions work.
It’s a nice looking site as well.
Posted on August 29, 2003 09:32 AM | #
13. Rick said:
I like the use of flash here as an eyecatching, minimalist use of the tool. Cheers.
(No, i had nothing to do with the development of this site :)
Posted on August 30, 2003 03:35 PM | #
14. JohR said:
Data display using Flash
Posted on September 9, 2003 09:34 AM | #
15. FuzzyVagina said:
I think flash is one of the best design tools out there. examples: www.xyleminteractive.com
and everything they have done. i also love thins amazing site -> http://www.az2.co.uk/
Posted on October 9, 2003 04:54 PM | #
16. tommy said:
flash get to 3D? create more games in flash like gba emulator on flash?
Posted on November 5, 2003 05:36 PM | #
17. Jamesy MX said:
Nick Brown likes men. Forever.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:19 AM | #
18. Jamesy MX said:
Nick Brown likes men. Forever.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:20 AM | #
19. theboyofspewn said:
One website that is currently my favorite flash site is http://www.giantoctopus.com. This site was done by Joshua Davis and pretty much any site done by him is a great site.
Posted on February 16, 2005 08:11 AM | #
20. urkat said:
I think a great work is done my the webmasters of the Noi Consumatori Site (http://www.noiconsumatori.org ). In my opinion this menu uses the same technique of the Macromedia.com menu and I think that the voices of menu and submenus are generate dinamically by a database or an xml file because every category is also on the lesft sidebar of the site that changes every day. I found also delay, latency, rollover, rollout etc. on the menu. A Great Work!
Can anyone post some tutorial to make a similar flash file?
Posted on February 3, 2006 09:19 AM | #
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