| Author |
Message |
    
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 137
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 3:30 pm: |     |
Is it difficult to build a website using flash? I have never worked with flash before. I am somewhat familar with basic HTML code. How steep is the learning curve? |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5258
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Friday, February 11, 2005 - 6:23 pm: | |
Flash can be relatively easy and it can be very difficult based on what you want to do with it.
Do you have a particular feature in mind that only Flash can handle? |
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 138
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 11:43 am: | |
I like the style of this webiste: www.edbilous.com. I think it looks cool and is stylish. I also like the site for Sayan Living. Very cool. Do these sites look hard to develop? |
AlleyGater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 62
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 12:22 pm: | |
My feeling is that Flash is sorta a bear to learn, but you can learn it. It's not like Adobe apps where you can just pick it up cause you are familiar with other Adobe apps. Macromedia makes pretty dreadful interfaces in my opinion and I don't find them intuitive to use. You definitely would need to pick up a good book and devote a fair amount of time into it.
I took a look at the edbilous site to see what you want to do, and MOST of the stuff on his site is just animations and mouse overs that trigger the playing of sounds or animations. These things are fairly simple to execute in the scheme of things and are supported within Flash.
If you want to do anything more complicated such as basic interaction (eg. when the user mouses here then the animation does that) well then you need to learn action scripting. Action scripting is much more complicated than just learning how to use a program and it is the primary reason why Flash can do so much and is used so much. Learning Action scripting is more akin to learning how to be a programmer. You can do it, but you need to invest FAR more time into learning how.
I would say, don't expect to get Flash and create a cool site in a week or so. I think it is a bit more involved than that. But it can be learned.
If it is important to learn quickly (for a job or something) I would highly reccomend getting a tutor or taking a class. I took a good intro to Flash class at Noble Desktops in the city, and I felt like I had learned enough to start making sites. |
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 139
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 12:44 pm: | |
hmmm... thanks for the advice alleygater. Things to think about. I have gotten some quotes about making flash site - for a full flash site with one year support and updating, most quotes are around $1000-1500. Does that sound reasonable for the amount of work. I told the programmers I want a site similar in style to www.edbilous.com and other flash music sites. |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5261
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 1:08 pm: | |
Sounds a bit low (without knowing specifics), but if you like their work go for it. Just understand up front what their design process is like, as that's what you're really buying-- how much and what type of input will you be allowed during (not just before) the process. If their work and their process appeals to you, go for it.
Something scares me that you were talking with "programmers" rather than designers, though. Web design isn't a function of IT departments. |
composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 140
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 2:31 pm: | |
I am sorry - I used the wrong word. The person with whom I spoke most recently is a designer. He designed the Sayan Living webpage (www.sayanliving.com). He quoted me a fee of $1200. That includes design, uploading, and updates and support for a year. |
Dave
Moderator
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5263
Registered: 4-1998
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 2:52 pm: | |
It's a technically good site. I have some issues with the design and emphasis on mechanical movement and button bleeps for something that should probably have a more organic feel, but that could be the client's doing, too.
I say go for it. |
AlleyGater
Citizen
Username: Alleygater
Post Number: 66
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 7:12 pm: | |
I can't tell you whether the price is good without knowing what he is going to give you. Having said that, if he gives you a site as nice and fleshed out as sayanliving, for that much money than I say go with it (seems like a good price). My only real complaint with that site is that I think the photography is not very professional, but as Dave said, the client might have been responsible for that.
That site doesn't really have any Action Scripting in it so you could make a site similar to that, but you would have to be a pretty good designer (cause it's a cleanly designed site) and you would have to learn Flash which as I stated is going to take you a fair amount of time. If you willing to invest the time, and you like a good challenge then a site of this calibre might be a good exercise for you to start learning on. But if you have the money to burn, as Dave already stated, it doesn't appear that you're getting ripped off -- seems like a good price.
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