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Explanation of the use of Adobe Flash in professional web sites. Also refer to business, advertise, showcase skill, marketing, image, education, simulation, entertainment, cartoon, games, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions

Effective Use of Flash in Professional Web Sites

by Ron Kurtus (4 November 2001)

Adobe Flash is a popular animation application that can produce some striking special effects. In professional web sites, Flash must be used effectively instead of simply for novelty. Business applications of Flash can advertise a product or showcase a skill-set. Educational applications can use Flash to provide multimedia instruction. Entertainment applications of Flash include games and cartoons.

Questions you may have include:

• What type of Flash animations are used for business?
• How is Flash used for education?
• What type of entertainment can be done with Flash movies?

This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.

Business

Uses of Flash animations in business-oriented web sites consist of advertising a product or service, showcasing web design skills, and presenting a corporate image.

Advertise a product

A company may use a Flash animation or movie to advertise a product, similar to a TV commercial. Such movies can often be artistic and dramatic. They are usually developed by an advertising agency or marketing department.

The 7-Up site tries to entertain, while advertising the product. They are also trying to establish an image of 7-Up as a cool drink for young people.

Showcasing a skill

Graphic designers and Flash developers can use pages developed in Flash to show off their skills. These web pages and animations may never be practical for commercial use, except perhaps for entertainment sites and games, but they do show off the ability of the developer or company to produce striking special effects.

Web development company, Sarkissian Mason, has a site that includes awesome Flash effects, advertising their design capabilities. They have some very clever effects.

Invivia Digital Design and Communication Company shows off their skills in their slick Flash-based web site.

Presenting an image

An entertainment web site might use Flash to show how  "cool" they are, while a technology site may use the animations to present an image of high-technology.

Blue Maze Entertainment is a record company whose site has a slick interface that should appeal to its users. Audio clips are also included.

Education

Flash can be used in education as part of a learning experience for the user. Some of the areas include interactive demonstrations, simulations and animated tests.

Simulations can be of physical objects or they can be of a software application. Flash can also be used to add audio explanations.

The Forgotten is a site completely done in Flash, educating the public about the plight of the Armenian people.

1-800 Contacts' Vision 101 page is a Flash-based tutorial on vision.

Entertainment

Flash is useful for creating entertaining web movies.

Cartoons

Flash is great for creating cartoons that have both animation and audio.

The Joe Cartoon site has a number of cartoons and cartoon games, although the humor is somewhat sick. There are also numerous pop-up ads. You can download the games for free as executable files. You must click Esc to get out of the game and its ads. But the site shows many cartoon examples with Flash.

Games

The level of sophistication in games made with Flash is not as high as some of the 3D games such as Quake, but they still game be entertaining within the limitations of the software.

The 7-Up site includes Flash-based games for the user's entertainment. You must navigate through their menu system to find the games.

Invivia web development company has an interesting educational game on the Boston Massacre.

Idleword provides Flash-based games.

Summary

Flash can produce some striking special effects that are used for marketing, for education and for entertainment. Care must be taken not to create movies or buttons that may look good but be confusing to the user.

Answers to Readers' Questions

Did you seek to improve your processes today?

Resources

The following are resources on this subject.

Websites

Flash Resources

Books

Top-rated books on Flash

Miscellaneous

Mini-quiz to check your understanding

1. How is Flash used in commercial websites?

2. Is Flash effective in educating students?

3. What are major entertainment uses of Flash?

If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Flash development. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.

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Effective Uses of Flash in Professional Web Sites