Still, they are all sizzle, no steak.

I’ll go out on a limb and make a religious pronouncement: “Flash (and other plugins) should only ever be used for rich media games or delivering audio or video.” Anything that can be HTML, should be HTML. Hell, 2A should go HTML if only for SEO reasons.

@Teck, @Janko, thanks.

@David, you “get” what I’m saying, thanks. /tears. :)

@Nathan, agreed with your critiques on 2a site. But are you their audience? Looking at their portfolio over the years, Eric Jordan’s clients are those who want rich-media, for their own audience. I think advanced.com serves its purpose by showcase what an advanced flash/animation studio it is.

Regarding flash, I’m not a purist. Although I acknowledge that Flash is often misused. With the advancement in html/css/js, there’s less need for Flash. (also mobile browsers don’t support it.) But there are things html/css can’t just offer yet. For elements that can enhance the user experience (as in the WOW factor), then Flash can be useful. It really depends on who you’re designing the site for IMO. I don’t see it as a black/white type of thing when it comes to the use of Flash.

I do hate sites don’t have a non-Flash version for mobile browsing though. Thanks.

That said, I’d never hire them for web work, but I’d consider them for video game menu design. And that’s what they’re going for I guess.

Anyway, yeah, don’t pass judgment, but some rules like “don’t make content that should be HTML into a proprietary inaccessible binary” shouldn’t be broken.

There are many facets of design on the web and we, as designers, have different constraints that we have to accommodate. The flip side is that there are particular features or technologies that we want to accentuate. I agree with Aaron that 2advanced.com is a great example of a full-on Flash site; it’s a far cry from useit.com but isn’t that the point? For each of them?

Jason Santa Maria’s site is a personal site for a personal audience. I had the exact opposite reaction than the reviewer in the blog post: Jason isn’t *trying* to be “too clever creatively” – he *is* clever and why? Because the overall creative design fits together beautifully. Do I have to wait a little longer for the sIFR to take effect? Yeah. Red typewriter image? Sure. But, is it *worth* it? Yes. In fact, his site is down right now, but I have a clear image in my mind from the last time I saw it (at least a month ago) undoubtedly a result of the design and it is the designer’s job to weigh the value of each element and use them accordingly – to be “clever.”

Now, I see your point, Jin, that catering to the masses by designing templates means being more generic with less personality. Effects such as sIFR become costlier because of scale; but that’s a constraint that doesn’t apply to Jason’s personal site. It’s clear he knows his audience and what they’re willing to “pay for” in terms of site design, such as downloading images, fonts, etc.

In a recent Wired article, “Why Craigslist Is Such a Mess,” Craig Newmark and Jim Buckmaster defend their design decisions in maintaining and expanding their site (and they are indeed decisions) based upon the needs of their audience:

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/theweb/magazine/17-09/ff_craigslist

But again, craigslist.org is the opposite end of the spectrum from a designer’s personal site precisely because the content is different. I agree completely with your point that “what keeps me coming back is quality content.” For Jason’s audience, the design *is* the content or a sizable chunk of it; for a Craigslist user it’s not about the site but the listings. So choose your audience wisely because you will serve them.

Great points, Jin!

And I’m guilty of your McDondald’s blog template critique. Drifting away from the early 1.0 versions of Expression Engine and static HTML design has been the death note on my personal designs. I don’t even try to design websites that think outside of the box anymore, I just spend 1 hour googling for WordPress templates and another hour picking out WordPress plugins.

Gosh, I even host with Media Temple. They flip burgers too ya know.

I’m going to end ranting here, and perhaps use my current state of disarray to actually DESIGN a website…

Good post Jin.