Flash Isn’t Dead Yet!
It's been really popular lately for many professionals to dismiss the use of Flash. Many designers and developers push the idea to discontinue use of the almost 20 year old technology. There are a range of what seems to be problems from the heaviness of Flash projects, the inability to frequently update without tearing everything apart and the difficulty in creating a Flash website with great search engine optimization.
In the meantime, designers and developers are looking towards different technology such as JavaScript, Ajax, Silverlight, HTML5 and CSS3. Many of these technologies are actually wonderful alternatives as they are lighter than Flash and make it a bit easier to work around, as well as many are free and open source technologies. You also have the mobile device argument--where many devices don't make Flash available on most browsers. However, dismissing the use of Flash is extremely premature.
This website exemplifies how you can take a pretty good graphic and make it the centerpiece of an outstanding website. The interaction is much further than that of any other relevant technology without losing an audience.
This is an extremely interesting and progressive concept. It's a movie, that allows you to choose your story line. This is an amazing idea, because there are books similar to this made popular for children! The use of Flash takes this type of interaction to a new level.
Flash is used here to captivate and draw in the audience. It was also used as a great way to showcase some amazing graphics and ideas. The interface is super easy to understand and makes for an overall great website.
Musicians have always got to find a way to stand out from the pack and really make themselves noticeable. This website serves as an interactive music video for the artist. This is a GREAT way to get folks interested in their music as well as their brand.
Eric Stanley's website is a typical showcase of his musicianship and artistry, however, it is taken up to that WOW factor with the use of Flash. This site focuses on good design with the special touch used via Flash.
Another example of how Flash can take a regular idea (like a restaurant website) and turn it into something with a ton of character. From the loading screens to other elements, it definitely stays true to it's character and adds a bit of humor to their site. (Go to the reservations page to get a laugh out of the moo cow).
The great thing about Flash is that there are little to no limits when we are talking about graphics. GT3 Creative did a superb job creating their own little interactive island for potential clients. They claim to be a creative company, why not be as creative as possible?
Aside from that blatant typo, this is another extremely interesting, progressive and interactive website. We had to see it to believe, but basically the site can connect to your microphone, and if you whistle you can navigate throughout the website. Pretty neat for those who can whistle.
It's getting harder and harder to create a stand out portfolio that gets the attention of potential clients. So, instead of creating a simple website, Ivan decided to make his have a 3D navigational system. This is a simple, yet very effective use of Flash.
There are times when we visit websites just to get a bit of background history on a product and most times when you do that, you get a blurb on how amazing the company is and why the product rocks. Well, in this circumstance, Flash gets us a visually appealing interview on one of the most purchased shoes ever.
This is another great example of taking things to higher levels. The design is very good and the interface let's you travel throughout the timeline of this portfolio. This is another forward-thinking idea.
While we aren't French buffs, we can assume this is another one of those super neat interactive films. However, this site is a bit more graphical and Flash heavy than the former--and simply amazing. Sites like this really draw viewers in.
Another great example of crazy good graphics and stellar interactivity. This site is a bit simpler in it's graphic department, but the Flash is what gives it it's character. The interaction the mouse has with the entire site also contributes to this design.
When you decide to purchase or create a cover for your telephone, wouldn't you like to see what your phone would look like? Have no fear, Flash is here! This website allows you to create a custom cover for your phone and see it in 3D.
This is the website for a movie that really gets you involved and drawn in to the concept. Many times, folks say you shouldn't use a Flash type of intro, but it really gets you more and more interested in this film, much like an extended, super awesome trailer. Did we mention that it's interactive?
This is another great portfolio type of site that allows you two different ways to navigate through their featured projects. The use of Flash shines up the presentation a bit and makes this site fairly intuitive.
One of the most popular and probably most employed uses of Flash is to make games folks can play in their past time. Most games however don't pay a ton of attention to precise graphics, like this extremely addictive game.
Neil Young is a pretty famous musician who is characterized by his ability to use personal lyrics and make you feel like he's holding a conversation with you through music. His store and website here almost attempt to do the same by inviting into a place in which he may have really resided or frequented.
This seems to be an application that will convert you and your Facebook friend's profile pictures into a three-dimensional presentation. It's a pretty neat app that shows how Flash has the ability to interact with other entities on the web and come up with some pretty neat stuff.
There's something about video that can get people interested in something more so than a bunch of different pictures. This site uses Flash to backdrop a handful of great athletes who use their product.
This entire site is composed of pictures taken of the actual chocolate and hand drawn icons and typography. This website is completely thorough and goes to a higher level of branding and being consistent. See how it was made.
Graphics can really make or break a site, but great graphics with great user interface always wins. This website shows off the best of both worlds and uses Flash as a means to spice it up and give a little atmosphere/character with their audio choice.
Much like 'The Profiler' site, this one connects to Flickr via tags and brings up whatever pictures you are looking for. This is a very useful site for designers that puts things together in a very visual and understandable way.
One word: HILARIOUS. If you don't know about this guy, he's an American baseball player with an out of control beard and personality. What better way to make a baseball website than to feature him and an interactive beard?
Once again, this is an example of using Flash to take what could be a pretty regular site into an amazing web experience. This travel photography type of blog is taken to new heights with it's graphic design and it's interactivity.
The UFC put together this site to help promote a past wrestling event, one that claimed to be the largest in their history. Fortunately for us, we can judge accordingly by looking at all the wrestlers and vote on what we feel will happen. This is a very well put together site.
This example is another great and creative way to showcase a wonderful portfolio website. Instead of creating a nice grid type of view, this site intuitively scrolls side to side to allow you to see this artists work. On this site, Flash adds the extra creativity.
Flash Site Examples
Flash is still a necessary and great technology to use. Flash can really push the idea of your graphics forward and help come up with a great level of interactivity for audiences. Below is a list of some really great websites to look at, use and understand how useful Flash really is.Atmozfears
This website exemplifies how you can take a pretty good graphic and make it the centerpiece of an outstanding website. The interaction is much further than that of any other relevant technology without losing an audience.
Being Henry
This is an extremely interesting and progressive concept. It's a movie, that allows you to choose your story line. This is an amazing idea, because there are books similar to this made popular for children! The use of Flash takes this type of interaction to a new level.
The Bulitt Agency
Flash is used here to captivate and draw in the audience. It was also used as a great way to showcase some amazing graphics and ideas. The interface is super easy to understand and makes for an overall great website.
Deaf Preachers
Musicians have always got to find a way to stand out from the pack and really make themselves noticeable. This website serves as an interactive music video for the artist. This is a GREAT way to get folks interested in their music as well as their brand.
Eric Stanley Global
Eric Stanley's website is a typical showcase of his musicianship and artistry, however, it is taken up to that WOW factor with the use of Flash. This site focuses on good design with the special touch used via Flash.
Frontier Room
Another example of how Flash can take a regular idea (like a restaurant website) and turn it into something with a ton of character. From the loading screens to other elements, it definitely stays true to it's character and adds a bit of humor to their site. (Go to the reservations page to get a laugh out of the moo cow).
GT3 Creative
The great thing about Flash is that there are little to no limits when we are talking about graphics. GT3 Creative did a superb job creating their own little interactive island for potential clients. They claim to be a creative company, why not be as creative as possible?
Nothing Compares to Havana
Aside from that blatant typo, this is another extremely interesting, progressive and interactive website. We had to see it to believe, but basically the site can connect to your microphone, and if you whistle you can navigate throughout the website. Pretty neat for those who can whistle.
Ivan Moreno
It's getting harder and harder to create a stand out portfolio that gets the attention of potential clients. So, instead of creating a simple website, Ivan decided to make his have a 3D navigational system. This is a simple, yet very effective use of Flash.
Jumpman
There are times when we visit websites just to get a bit of background history on a product and most times when you do that, you get a blurb on how amazing the company is and why the product rocks. Well, in this circumstance, Flash gets us a visually appealing interview on one of the most purchased shoes ever.
Kasulo
This is another great example of taking things to higher levels. The design is very good and the interface let's you travel throughout the timeline of this portfolio. This is another forward-thinking idea.
La folle journée de Julien
While we aren't French buffs, we can assume this is another one of those super neat interactive films. However, this site is a bit more graphical and Flash heavy than the former--and simply amazing. Sites like this really draw viewers in.
Lois Jeans
Another great example of crazy good graphics and stellar interactivity. This site is a bit simpler in it's graphic department, but the Flash is what gives it it's character. The interaction the mouse has with the entire site also contributes to this design.
I Make My Case
When you decide to purchase or create a cover for your telephone, wouldn't you like to see what your phone would look like? Have no fear, Flash is here! This website allows you to create a custom cover for your phone and see it in 3D.
Martha Marcy May Marlene
This is the website for a movie that really gets you involved and drawn in to the concept. Many times, folks say you shouldn't use a Flash type of intro, but it really gets you more and more interested in this film, much like an extended, super awesome trailer. Did we mention that it's interactive?
Mixr
This is another great portfolio type of site that allows you two different ways to navigate through their featured projects. The use of Flash shines up the presentation a bit and makes this site fairly intuitive.
Music Can Be Fun
One of the most popular and probably most employed uses of Flash is to make games folks can play in their past time. Most games however don't pay a ton of attention to precise graphics, like this extremely addictive game.
The Neil Young Store
Neil Young is a pretty famous musician who is characterized by his ability to use personal lyrics and make you feel like he's holding a conversation with you through music. His store and website here almost attempt to do the same by inviting into a place in which he may have really resided or frequented.
The Profiler
This seems to be an application that will convert you and your Facebook friend's profile pictures into a three-dimensional presentation. It's a pretty neat app that shows how Flash has the ability to interact with other entities on the web and come up with some pretty neat stuff.
Reusch
There's something about video that can get people interested in something more so than a bunch of different pictures. This site uses Flash to backdrop a handful of great athletes who use their product.
Sagres - Preta Chocolate
This entire site is composed of pictures taken of the actual chocolate and hand drawn icons and typography. This website is completely thorough and goes to a higher level of branding and being consistent. See how it was made.
Silver Pistol Digital Agency
Graphics can really make or break a site, but great graphics with great user interface always wins. This website shows off the best of both worlds and uses Flash as a means to spice it up and give a little atmosphere/character with their audio choice.
Tag Galaxy
Much like 'The Profiler' site, this one connects to Flickr via tags and brings up whatever pictures you are looking for. This is a very useful site for designers that puts things together in a very visual and understandable way.
Brian Wilson | MLB Always Epic
One word: HILARIOUS. If you don't know about this guy, he's an American baseball player with an out of control beard and personality. What better way to make a baseball website than to feature him and an interactive beard?
The Place To Be
Once again, this is an example of using Flash to take what could be a pretty regular site into an amazing web experience. This travel photography type of blog is taken to new heights with it's graphic design and it's interactivity.
UCF 116
The UFC put together this site to help promote a past wrestling event, one that claimed to be the largest in their history. Fortunately for us, we can judge accordingly by looking at all the wrestlers and vote on what we feel will happen. This is a very well put together site.
Werkstatt
This example is another great and creative way to showcase a wonderful portfolio website. Instead of creating a nice grid type of view, this site intuitively scrolls side to side to allow you to see this artists work. On this site, Flash adds the extra creativity.
— “Flash is still a necessary to use”
Disregarding certain video situations, when is Flash *necessary* to use?
The rise of the iPad-style tablet computer is a key player in the slow death of Flash. How many of the showcased sites above work with a touch-screen input method? How many rely on a mouse to operate the interactivity?
I like how these champions of HTML5:
http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/
http://www.ro.me/
http://chrome.angrybirds.com/
do not work on the iPad…
In most cases Flash is 100% unnecessary. Generally sites made with Flash are horrible, in all but the rarest situations the reason a person is on a website is to view content and Flash generally makes that more difficult and pads it out with completely unwanted animation, sound and loading times (even on fast connections Flash still takes that little bit longer than plain HTML/CSS/JS).
Flash is (close to be) dead on the web (and I am saying this as a person who develops in Flash since 2000). But it seems to have quite bright future as app development platform in its Air incarnation. It is now easy to write one code and compile it as a native app for traditional computers, for iOs, Android etc. (and for web in case one needs it).
Sites you showcase here are probably cool, but imagine the situation when you google for something, checking 100 search results and see 20th site like this in 15 minutes – most people will skip that and would look for something that they can check with two clicks.
Yes, flash is still being used in a lot of cases and currently it is solving the video encoding war for many cases (including youtube). If we look at the current state of the standards it is having a rough time. Flash is still a proprietary plugin and not open to all while all the new standards are trying to do that as much as possible. Flash has a lot of accessibility issues when implemented wrong. Flash is not supported by all modern devises. Flash has no direct access to hardware to accelerate performance while it is being build for the browser standards. But still with all these things… It is very good to give legacy browsers an alternative to view video, listen to music or any other interaction you want to do. The catch here is that it is about legacy. New browsers can do any of the above examples with half the time to load and render. Will flash last? Personally I don’t think so but we are stuck with it for at least as long the older still supported browsers do not support the new standards
+1
Flash.is.dead
Nope. Flash is dead. Even Adobe have recognised there is no future in Flash, that’s why they’re developing Muse and Edge and all sorts of software to replace it. Clients don’t want a website that doesn’t work on an iPhone and iPad, and all these Flash examples offer a terrible experience on mobile devices that do support Flash.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, David, though I would disagree. Especially with the assertion that even Adobe has given up on the tech. As Ivan points out, it was discussed in the Max2011 keynotes. And to be honest, I have clients who need major convincing still that their websites need to work on iDevices and the like. So to say that clients don’t want it, I’d say is perhaps your experience not the standard. Some clients want presentations that only Flash can give them at the moment (esp. to work on legacy browsers), and excluding the mobile market, while not recommended, is sometimes their choice. In fact, I have had a client tell me that they don’t care about the mobile exclusion. They adamantly believe that those users will simply switch over to their PC’s or laptops to view their works. Hated hearing it, but they were unmovable on this point. :(
Also, allegedly IE 10 won’t support flesh too.
Another good flash site it the Johhny Cash project. I don’t think flash is dead yet and have yet to really see a site using html 5 that is capable of delivering what flash can. Not to say it won’t but it isn’t there yet. Adobe air does bring flash to ios so maybe flash as a browser plugin has its days numbered but when the number 1 ipad game was made in flash and flash can be deployed as air apps in ios, android, qnx, windows, and mac, I don’t think flash is dead or even dying. It allows developers a way to port apps and target many platforms. With air 3, you can run native code which really opens up the possibilities.
Sorry, Kendra. This is a well thought out piece, but I just lost a little respect for Noupe for publishing this article. From a professional and well-paid developer, SEO and webmaster of over twelve years, I can tell you with certainty that Flash is dead.
It’s only purpose in life may be the occasional video or banner advertisement and even then it should be used when no other alternative exists.
This saturation of new “designers”, stuck on old concepts and only charging 20% of what a professional would, is only going to continue to mess up this industry for those that know the difference. Publishing this article is professional negligence in my opinion.
Actually Dean, I would say that your view is a bit short sighted or skewed by your distaste for Flash. Not only have other comments reflected other reasons that Flash is not seemingly going anywhere, yet you ignore them. Rather than taking place in the discussion, you are just dismissing, without seeming to give any consideration to the points raised. For instance, Flash’s pervasive use in apps being developed for iOS and Android devices. So to say that mobile devices won’t support the use of Flash ever is not a statement that we feel to be very accurate.
As to why we published the piece, well, we thought that Kendra had an idea that was worthy of discussion, and given that you have already come in and made two replies within its first few hours of being online, I think we were right. It is a good discussion piece. You can keep making your claims of Flash being dead already, but until you address some of the points that have effectively countered this stance, your argument feels forced and somewhat thin.
Kendra, check the websites you’re reviewing, the Bulitt Agency is all but flash, full javascript powered.