Flash Banner Design
Have you ever seen those cool advertisements on the side of the screen when you’re surfing the Net? More than likely, they were created using Adobe Flash. Let’s discuss what Flash is and some tips when designing your own banner ads. Flash is a multimedia application created by a former North American web development and graphics corporation called Macromedia. In 2005, Macromedia’s rival, Adobe Systems, Inc., bought them out in a multi-billion dollar stock swap. Flash technology is used to create animated and interactive web components such as banner advertising. When creating your own banner ads, there are several tips you’ll need to keep in mind. First, make sure it’s easy to read. When considering readability, remember that some users will be older, while others may be using outdated software. You want to keep text large and legible (18 pt. or higher; also preferably a simple font style such as Arial, Georgia, or Verdana—although the larger the font, the more choices available). Consider choosing colors that are agreeable for people using monitors that only see 256 colors (although technology has advanced enough that most people have newer monitors, so this isn’t as important as it was a few years back). The next point worth mentioning is that everyone won’t have Flash. Sure, it’s free. Yes, it’s not hard to install. That said, everyone still won’t have it. Perhaps their computer doesn’t support it or they have an outdated version. In any event, if you have advertising information that’s very important for the user to see, make sure you have a strategy in place if they don’t have Flash at all. Make generous use of ALT attributes so you can insert text equivalents for your animation. Also, here’s a simple sounding suggestion that all too often is missed (at least in part). Test your banner ad. You say, “Surely everyone tests their stuff before putting it out there.” Most people do. But what most people forget is to test it on several platforms. It may be watchable on a Windows using Internet Explorer, but what about on Mac OS X using Mozilla Firefox? Or how about on a Linux using Opera? Check the movie out using a screen reader (such as Freedom Scientific’s JAWS). Even turn off the computer monitor and see if the audio makes sense by itself in case users can’t see the ad. One final tip—make sure to give the user as many options as possible. For example, let’s say your blinking ad is driving the user nuts. They need to be able to pause your ad, stopping all animation. Also, it’s considered standard protocol to make sure no animation lasts over 20 seconds or loops more than three consecutive times. Finally, never create content that flashes faster than three times per second or blinks longer than three seconds. There are people with medical conditions called photosensitive epilepsy that can actually go into seizures, so please take them into account as well.
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